IE: What's new Joe? Another year, and another TIHC. What number TIHC is this now overall and how many years has it been now since you switched venues over to the Electric Factory?

Joe: TIHC #1 was in August of 2006. So this is our 10th festival, and our 9th year doing it. 2006-2011 were at the Starlight Ballroom. 2012-today have been at the Electric Factory. This is our 4th festival to be held at the Electric Factory.

IE: We are only about 2 weeks away now before the start of the 4 day fest. What kind of obstacles are you up against currently in regards to getting stuff finalized? What’s keeping you awake at night?

Joe: Ticket sales, logistics that haven't been solidified. Making sure what information that I've taken in makes it into the hands of the staff that works the venue and via TIHC so I can just be able to stand out of the way and let things roll as they should.

IE: When people think of TIHC they think of you... Joe Hardcore but there is a whole staff behind you doing a ton of different things to get the show rolling. How many people are on the TIHC staff these days and what are some of the weirder or tiniest of tasks that they do?

Joe: At some point I booked all the bands and dealt with all of the things, Sean Agnew of R5 would come in a day before the fest and think it was a mess and by the end of the weekend it would just work itself out.

Chris X is responsible for a lot of the web content in the build up to the fest, he is also responsible with booking the table vendors/record labels etc. He is part of the team that rolls 4 days straight and also helps during the entire year with looking out for leads on bands to book and help with the after shows.

Greg Daly who is a renowned tour manager, show booker etc came in at the time when we moved to the Electric Factory and become the production manager for all 4 days of the festival. He takes all the crazy and mitigates it appropriately. He deals with the bands whims and desires and makes sure they get paid via the Electric Factory. He is the running man during the fest so I can sit back and be stupid.

Sunny Singh initially was only involved in a small capacity with some promo help via his Hate5six website, but over the past 2 to 3 years has gotten more involved in the buildup promo, the memery, and has also been very helpful in the artwork and website stuff for the fest.

Madi Matthews has come in and taken the lead on our graphic presentation. She is the queen of promo and does a great job.

Evan Vellela began working on flyers for us, and that turned into a behind the scenes flyer making, promoting machine who has had a lot of cool ideas as to booking the main bill and the after shows. Also gives Liam a hand the day of with the food vendors.

Cracker, aside from being my brother, was first on stage during all the craziness of the Starlight Ballroom days. He later brought in his concession stand and is now the full on master of the tents and all of the backyard situation that we have as extra space for the people at the fest. He is the gate keeper, he has a cracked team of tent guys, runs the best concession stand all fest and keeps Chris X and Liam organized. Liam moved to Easton PA but managed to keep his role of being the food truck guy for us. Because of him, there Is good food to eat.

Dan O not only does he work at the Acheron, goes on tour with bands but he is our stage manager. He handles all the change overs, the drama and makes things seamless. He is a wizard.

Jenn, Vanessa, Brooke all help with promotion and coordinating information during the fest. Each of them help in a miscellany of activities during the fest.

IE: For anyone who hasn't been to a TIHC at the Electric Factory the setup is bands play indoors and outside is a big parking lot with food trucks and vendors. Last time we talked with you was 2 years back and you were talking about getting some interactive activities for the outside/parking lot area. You are also involved with the Armored Combat League and the last few years had some demonstrations done which made for some interesting between band activities. Have you looked into having more things like the ACL or have you gotten away from that?

Joe: As with all things, I wish I had more financial resources and more time to coordinate more fun things. Hopefully after this year we will expand things beyond that, but really getting Cracker on top of what goes on out there and coming up with a regimented system was the first priority. After this year with Cracker having all the tent stuff and tables in a locked in system we will jump off of that. There is a lot to do back there and having one person who can just keep it organized was key and we will have SCA fighting this year, hopefully we will have much more in the years to come.

IE: The last two trips I made down for the show you had some real ass kicking food vendors. What trucks do you have showing up this year? Who is new, and who are the mainstays from years past?

Joe: Liam is the person behind that whole thing. I know Kung Fu Hoagies, Little Baby’s, A One Concessions will all be back. As for everything else- Liam does his thing and I am almost in the dark as it takes a lot of time to do that and it’s a bit too much info for me to hold on top of everything else.

IE: The biggest name on TIHC for 2015 is the Misfits. Have you been working on getting them for a while and how exactly did getting them on the show come about?

Joe: They have the same agent as The Exploited. Having them is a big deal as they are a name that has been with hardcore since the beginning. To see them play the classic “Earth A.D.” in its entirety is going to be awesome.

IE: Was there any cause for concern or worry when guitarist Dez Cadena recently left the Misfits?

Joe: The band has had many lineup changes. I am not concerned as Jerry takes the band very seriously and performs at a higher level of production than many bands we have on our festival. I know that if you are a Misfits fan and not a naysayer- you will enjoy what they've got in store for TIHC.

IE: Who exactly are the Misfits these days? What is the lineup? What songs are they gonna be playing for this show?

Joe: Jerry Only and he has introduced his son as a member of the band. They have a video from a recent show in Santa Ana, CA and they sounded awesome. For TIHC they will be playing their “Earth A.D.” album in its entirety and a slew of other favorites. Jerry is really excited about TIHC and will break out all the hits.

IE: If we can get into the lineups a little for this year outside of the Misfits which ones do you see on the bill and think wow I can't believe we got them to play?

Joe: The Exploited, American Nightmare, Snapcase, and Chokehold. Just looking at these names I just typed, I can't believe they will all be a part of one weekend of shows that I've put together. This is really something that makes TIHC what it is. The combination of bands across the 4 days bring out the uniqueness and diversity that hardcore has to offer.

IE: Who are some of the newer bands that people may not have heard of yet that are on the bill that you’re happy to be giving a shot to?

Joe: Blistered, Break Away, Eternal Sleep on Thursday. True Love, Malice In The Palace on Friday, most of the 1st half of Saturday and Sunday are upcoming bands that are just kicking ass right now. It’s really a great lineup that starts each day with a slew of talent from all over.

IE: The overall majority of people I would say appreciate the fest and all the work that goes into it. On a whole do you feel appreciated for everything that you put into it? You mentioned last time we talked that the planning is a year round thing and your mind must be numb when it gets close to Day 1.

Joe: Appreciation. It’s an odd thing to think of. I don't seek it out. I do what I do. Those that do appreciate it have my thanks. Those that don't appreciate it… can't/won't or refuse to see TIHC for anything of worth to them. I do this because it’s what I do. When I don't do it anymore, some may realize that what I do/did, the way that I do/did it won't be around anymore. But that isn't the motivation, nor does it cross my mind. There are happy people who enjoy this thing I do, and it keeps me doing it.

IE: Right now might not be the best time to ask this since your probably are at one of the most stressful times of your calendar year but can you still see yourself running TIHC in say 5 years? 10 years or even  longer?  Do you ever think of the end and in your mind how does TIHC ride off into the sunset when you finally have put everything in that you possibly can?

Joe: Every year I have reasons to stop and reasons to continue. When it comes time to stop, it will be very evident and I won't regret it. I'd love to do TIHC as long as possible. But the possibilities of sustaining it must exist. There is always hope to find a better way to do this, or improve, there is a part of me that would like to stop just to not have the weight on my shoulders, but what I do, the way I do it and why I do it haven't been picked up and carried on by anyone else, so it’s still something I'm doing for now. 

IE: The hardcore scene seems to have been overrun with fests over the past few years. Shows that used to be just a big show with a bunch of bands are now often dubbed as fests. Do you think there is an over saturation of these fests and do you think as a whole it helps or hurts or doesn't make a difference to the overall health and well being of this great music genre we all know and love?

Joe: The bigger issues of the hardcore scene and its well being are not fest related. More fests, make every fest smaller. Maybe we should have less? Maybe we could have more? I don't have the power, or the ability to do anything besides work on what I do, for the reasons that I do.

The word fest doesn't really entail the work I put into TIHC. The amount of bigger entities that need to keep their hands out of hardcore and fests are more of a danger to the livelihood of hardcore than anything else. As a community, we will either work together or stick to our own devices and let things come as they may. Hardcore is in a weird spot and it is not easy to think of what will be in 5 or 10 years.

IE: You got 10 years now of TIHC experiences. Enough memories probably to fill up a few shelves of books. With that said what are some of your favorite TIHC memories as far as things that may not have happened actually up on the stage while a band is playing?

Joe: Merauder's fill in drummer being on crack is an old classic. Watching guys from Bane, Terror, Cruel Hand, Reach The Sky and others all out on the floor the first year we had Killing Time play. All the reunion sets where it felt like the whole world was united for one song. Hanging with Civ and the guys the last 3 TIHC's at the EFC have become a thing that I look forward to. Seeing Roger, Stigma and Choke from Slapshot hang together and drink coffee alone before the fest last year, along with a myriad of good hangouts, odd pairings and the overall spirit of friendship really reminds me that what I do, puts everyone in one room for 4 nights together. I am not much of anything in the real world, but I'm happy my part in life brings so many people together for a long weekend like this.

IE: That’s about all I got Joe, thanks for your time. Any last words or final reasons why people should come on out to The Electric Factory for 4 days of HARDCORE starting on July 23rd?

Joe: The assumption that there will always be a next year's TIHC is starting to bother me. This isn't a bus or a train. If you can't support this year for one reason or another, I completely understand but please do not expect the “next year” card to carry on each year. We persevere because we are supported by the scene. If we have low support, I have a full life that I'd love to commit more time to and am easily willing to do so. I love TIHC , I love what it means to people but without the support – it will not continue. If you're on the fence and you're thinking- I'll just wait ‘til next year- don't be so sure without that ticket paid for this year, there will be a next year.