IE: So… you have dubbed yourselves the reigning and undisputed champions of hardcore on more than one occasion. Can you explain why this is and are there people out there that you have come across that have taken your statements too seriously and don’t get that you are messing around? 

Matt: You can debate about whether or not we are the Champions of Hardcore until you're blue in the face (if you're dumb). But, I don't think anyone would deny that we champion hardcore more than anyone else in the Bay. It's everything we are about. We aren't afraid to admit our love for it, defend it, and fight for it. That's a rare thing here, and I'm proud of the fact that I allow myself to be sincerely attached to something. Coming from a place where a spot to play or a crowd to play to was impossible to find, I feel extremely lucky and proud of the fact that all my friends from The Valley grew up and became really important parts of the Bay Area scene. So, maybe people get upset because they know there is a bit of truth to it and that bothers them. I mean, I think it's only natural for peasants to get upset with their king – especially when he has a haircut as classy as mine.

Ed: We're The Champs because we've beat everyone we've faced and we take on all-comers. The official title is actually West Coast Champions of Hardcore. There are some good opponents out East (Omegas, Rival Mob, No Tolerance, Out Crowd) but we challenge any of them to a show, anywhere, anytime. 

Collin: Some people just don’t want to have fun.

IE: So who is Zero Progress? How old are you, where are you from and when did this juggernaut get rolling?

Matt: I'm Matt, I'm from The Valley, and I'm x21x. Zero Progress formed the week after Skull Stomp broke up because if we didn't start another band we would just end up punching holes in the wall.

Ed: Name's Ed, I'm 24 years old from Danville, California, I play lead bass in Zero Progress. Zero Progress started as a band in the summer of 2009 but we've been together from the beginning and will be together until the end.

Collin: I’m Collin, I’m 21, I’m from the Valley and currently live in San Francisco. I play guitar in Zero Progress, and I used to sing in Skull Stomp.

Josh: Josh, 19 years old. I play drums and I live in Alamo (AKA The Valley). When Skull Stomp broke up so did our other band, Negative Choice, so starting something new seemed like the thing to do.

Ed: When I was a child punk rock spoke to me and I decided to appropriate the label for myself. I searched my father's tape and record collection and took whatever I thought looked “punk.” Among the finds, The Sex Pistols “Nevermind The Bollocks” cassette, Crass “Feeding of The 5000” cassette, and Minor Threat “The Complete Discography” cassette. I purchased some GBH, Cock Sparrer, and Casualties CD’s on my own. Then one day my dad brought home a D.R.I. “Dealing With It” CD which he had been given by his friend who worked at a collectable toy store on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Turns out his friend was named Harold and played bass in D.R.I., I was supposed to take bass lessons from him at one point but my mother was afraid he would give me pot. Around this time I also bought a used copy of Youth of Today “We're Not in This Alone.” So I guess, Minor Threat, D.R.I., and Youth of Today were my introductions to hardcore, but it was just punk to me. I was 12 years old.

Collin: I started out on street punk bands and was just naturally attracted to hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Chain of Strength when I came to terms with the fact that 40s and spikey-jackets weren’t my thing.

Josh: Sometime in middle school I bought “Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland” for X-Box which had a D.R.I and a Dead Kennedys song on its soundtrack which instantly became two of my favorite bands (until I discovered Youth of Today of course). And shortly after Collin started giving me a bunch of music he had collected over the years. 

IE: You have a t-shirt design called “Stayin’ Punk in 20-12” with a punk, a skinhead and a straight edge dude stomping on some computers. How literally do you take this and do you think that technology, websites, etc are bad for the world of hardcore music and for everyone in general?

Matt: The idea for that shirt was that we should stand together and not let the negativity of internet forums bring us down. When we started this band we decided we wanted it to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Not just because we like that idea, but because we have friends from all walks of life and grew up listening to every type of punk and hardcore imaginable. We grew up in The Valley playing shows in garages and then cramming into a car, going through the tunnel, and watching Monster Squad, DCOI!, Whiskey Rebels, Warkrime, and Pressure Point. So that means my role models were street punks, skinheads, hardcore kids, rich, poor, edgers, and drinkers. You're a punk or a non-punk in my book, and Zero Progress is for the punks – all kinds. I also wanted Zero Progress to welcome anyone who feels rejected from society like I do. Everyone who didn't fit in at school, went to a punk show, and didn't feel accepted there either. The kids who ate alone at lunch. Those who “can't relate” or feel like there is “no room” for them. That is what that shirt, and this band is about. It's about saying “fuck you” to people who say you aren't cool enough and being inclusive rather than exclusive. That's why if you come to a ZP show you can chill with us, because we aren't too cool. In fact, we aren't cool at all. Never have been.

Ed: We've been at the center of a lot of criticism and controversy as a band, especially on the internet. Going along with what Matt said, the shirt, which was my idea, to me is about not letting the small segment of the community that likes to talk shit online fuck with you and instead look around at what is actually going down. When ZP plays here or wherever people go off and have a good time. All types of people, edgemen, street punx, skinheads, nerds, whatever. We get together and make something happen that is special and real and has taken me all around the country and I'm proud of that and stoked on that. So fuck VLV, fuck The Jerkbooth . . . I know Scooch, Scotty Jizz, Scott Ruggles, and Conor are down, so just fuck you, hardcore rules, stay punk.

Collin: I like computers and hardcore, but when the two mix you realize there are a lot of idiots out there who care too much about their record collections.

IE: ZP is on Facebook and I probably would have not found out about your band without it. Isn’t it kind of a necessary evil in this day and age?

Matt: We have the best Facebook statuses of all time.

Ed: The internet has helped this band a lot, I think it's fucking dumb to act like the internet doesn't exist. It's 2012, stop calling me on the fucking phone. Get at me on Facebook (Tumblr, Instagram, Last.FM), it's easier. 

IE: Zero Progress has a reputation for bringing chains to shows and for encouraging kids to bring chains and swing them on the dance floor. How is your chain swinging being accepted when you head out on the road versus local shows?

Matt: No one can tell me what to do. I'm a free man. If I want to swing chains then I will. If you don't like it then I will chain you until you do. Because at the end of the day, the man holding the chain makes the rules, and I am that man.

Ed: In Pheonix, kids chain moshed in broken glass and rolled a tire from our van in the crowd. In Tucson, the Tucson Retard Punx chain moshed like they were ready to die for the core. In Olympia and Seattle, PC Punx I think literally started crying. In Portland hipster girls screamed and laughed. So I guess it depends where you go.

Josh: You either accept the chain or you’re afraid of it.

IE: Why are you bringing chains out to shows in the first place?

Matt: Because the world can suck my “safe space.”

Ed: Because chains are hella sick and hardcore rules? SOA were sick (chain belt), Warzone were fucking sick (lock and chain), CHAIN of Strength are one of my top five California HC bands of all time, Infest (break the chain). You get the picture? Chains are sick. . . also, it's a sexual thing. On top of that, a lot of people I grew up with like to talk about their “mosh retirement,” they like to laugh at 16 year olds circle pitting. They like to spend their nights DJ-ing at bars in the Mission, they like to collect records and talk shit online about young bands who are earnestly trying to express themselves and are enjoying punk and hardcore. It's a reaction to that mentality. It's not only am I still gonna circle pit, not only am I gonna stagedive and slam. I'm coming to the show and swing a fucking chain. I'm coming to feel something and to let lose, cause I can't swing chains at work and I can't slam dance at the bank. I'm coming to the Wreck Center and I want to feel alive. Try it for yourself and tell me it doesn't feel great. $WING CHAINZ. 

Collin: Because it’s important to keep the stupid and dangerous element of hardcore alive.

Ed: It's not for everyone. I mean it is for everyone, if they're down. If you wanna swing chains please come to our shows, you are welcome. You can come if you don't wanna swing a chain, but respect others freedom to do so. But, like not everyone is gonna be down with that. And that's fine, I think good hardcore should be alienating. People should feel uncomfortable. If your band doesn't make anyone feel uncomfortable you probably aren't doing anything much of merit. It has caught on more than I thought it would, people have reacted to it positively as well as negatively. People do bring chains to our shows and they do swing them, people also give us chains now (please continue to do this, we like chains), it's gotten to the point where we bring a whole bag of chains with us to gigs. It's caught on. My friend just showed me a review of some band in Maximum Rock n Roll that said something about how the band he was reviewing was the real deal and to FORGET about, Youth Attack Records bands, tough East Coast bands, and “Young bands who bring chains to shows.” It's cool to me that the dude was like, “Fuck Failures, fuck The Rival Mob, fuck ZERO PROGRESS . . .” I guess it’s a thing now, we made it a thing. 

IE: Do you feel like hardcore in the year 2012 is too safe? Soft? Predictable?

Matt: I did. Now Ed books wild touring bands to come play with us at the Rec Center (Oakland club run by grown up Valley Crew dudes), we bring chains, and it's anything but safe or predictable. It's young people getting wild and pushing the boundaries of hardcore. Doing something different, and being themselves. I love hardcore in 2012.

Ed: Yeah, I don't really care. Hardcore in 2012 has been fucking wild for me. I played with Urban Struggles three times, I mean, come on. 

Ed: Straight edge is just part of our personal identities, to me this band isn't about that. If someone in this band were to break edge (they won’t) we could still be a band. We don't use our straight edge as a gimmick. We're a punk band, we're a hardcore band. I play this music because I have to. It's a release so I don't blow mine or your brains out. This is outsider music, from outsiders, we're not normal. Some of that comes from being straight edge probably, but to me it's not really like straight edge was much of a choice, I just am it. The world isn't, just like the world isn't a lot of things I feel I am. This band is about positively focusing rage and hate from being an outcast. And by “positively focusing” I mean, swinging chains and halting any real development as an adult in society to play shitty garbage music with your friends all around the world.

 
IE: Getting on to touring you guys have done your fair share for a band with just two 7”s out. Where has Zero Progress played outside of your home area?

Matt: Most major cities in the US and a little bit in Canada. I love touring. I think it's the most important and best part of being in a band. Making friends on the road, experiencing new things, and playing to a crowd of new faces every night is the most rewarding thing I've done with my life. I hope we tour again soon. When are you booking that, Ed?

Ed: We've played America. Looking to play either Australia or Europe next summer, get at us if you wanna help book us there.

IE: How was the tour set up? Was it basically you guys jumping in a van and driving from one venue to the next living the DIY dream? Must be a ton of work…

Ed: Months of emails and phone calls. It was hard because we weren't known very much at all outside the West Coast. I just felt like I had to take my punk rock band on a national tour – Black Flag ruined my perception on things. We just did long drives and played anywhere we could, and were out for 35 days and played I think like 30 shows, maybe more like 27. It was mostly just set up through persistence and endless amounts of help from amazing people who were willing to hook up complete strangers with gigs and a place to crash. It was the best thing I've ever done and probably what I'm most proud of as a human. 

IE: You got to have some good stories from the road after all that driving…. What cities were the best? What shows were the best? What about worst ones?

Matt: 538 Johnson in Brooklyn with Veins. 600 kids packed in there like sardines, brother! They were hanging from the rafters, just dying for a chance to see ZP in action. Back when we were on speaking terms, MRR published my tour journal. It's got some funny stories in there.

Ed: The best gig was probably either El Paso, Texas or New York. The worst was probably Gainesville, Florida, it was in a shitty bar which is something we don't do unless we absolutely have to, like getting added last minute to a show in Gainesville, Florida . . . Matt and Josh almost got in a fight on stage and It was just a real low point of the tour for morale. But even that was a good show because someone told me we sounded like a mix of Ripcord and Chain of Strength. The funniest thing to me on tour was Matt being mistaken for a gay prostitute more than once. 

IE: US bands have been complaining forever that touring in the US is a money losing venture outside of the East and West coasts and with gas as expensive as it is now it has to be something that you took into consideration but went ahead with the tour anyway. What’s your take overall and is it something you plan on doing again?

Matt: Hardcore is a money losing venture. But if you can swing it, it pays you back in ways that are more valuable. We plan on doing it again and again and again.

Ed: We covered gas on that tour I think, but we had to all pay to eat and live for 35 days out of pocket which isn't cheap. Hardcore almost by definition means being fucking stupid. We're hardcore about hardcore and about Zero Progress, so I let it dig me into financial holes. I don't really believe in anything besides Giants baseball and Zero Progress, so I will drop a few thousand bucks on either and never get it back. Money doesn't matter when you’re dead anyways. It's mine, I spend it. It's not like I have a family to support or some shit. 

Collin: It can be rough, but it really comes down to your priorities. Do you want to save money, or do something stupid and exciting with your friends that you may not have the chance to do ever again?

Josh: It’s definitely way better to see it as an opportunity to do what you love instead of something that’s slowly draining your wallet. Touring is just fun and worth it no matter how small the tour.

Oh yeah, most of 'em hate “white kids” from the suburbs too. And straight edgers. And 80's styled hardcore. And anyone who has a different opinion than them. The drummer of Permanent Ruin thinks I should “get out of hardcore” because I’m some dumb white kid who will “grow up to be a realtor.” They like to post on VLV from their momma's basement about how cool they are. They like to write MRR columns regurgitating the same antiquated political ideologies, demonizing anyone who thinks for themselves. They like to have DJ nights and hang out at The Knockout. They like to force their opinions on other people. They like having horrible haircuts. They like to book 21+ shows and pretend they still care about hardcore for the night. You know what I like? I like swinging chains, getting loose, brotherhood, unity, hardcore, girls, hamburgers, records, touring, having bands sleep at my place, free thought, wild nights, the valley crew, straight edge, hardcore, rose tattoo, combing my superior haircut to perfection, riding around in limos, stage diving, circle pitting and slamming. SO FUCK YOU. Wait, here is my scene report. “Hoax is coming to town for the third time and ZP isn't on the bill.”

Ed: The Bay Area is probably great for some people, I see people within this “scene” who seem to be really enjoying themselves. I am not one of those people. I used to really want to be a part of the Bay Area punk/hardcore scene, but now I don't, because they don't want me or us for being us. Not everyone obviously, but the people I thought I wanted to be friends with it turns out I don't. We're our own scene, and that scene rules. I also like all the things Matt listed, but I'd like to add baseball to the list. The Bay Area is fucking stale, we're thinking of relocating as a band to somewhere else, probably Chicago or Toronto. If you have any good reasons for why ZP should move to your city please hit us up. Fuck you to anyone who has talked shit or looked down on us, Valley Crew rules all and you fucking know it.

Collin: The Bay Area = too many shitty crust bands posturing as hardcore bands (you know who you are). I think all the positives have already been listed. 

IE: I see also that you are a writer and have your own ‘zine called Punks, Punks, Punks and you also did a piece in SF Weekly.com which brew up controversy when you did a writeup about the famed 924 Gilman club. Care to fill us in on the story?

Matt: My ‘zine, Punks! Punks! Punks! has allowed me to interview some of my brightest peers and biggest role models. It meant the world to me to have conversations and pick the brains of people who I admire so much. Then to my surprise it got me ahead of other kids my age in the journalism world – which I had no idea was even a possibility. It snowballed and lead me to writing for bigger publications like SF Weekly. When our old band Skull Stomp played 924 Gilman for the first time in 2007 I was ecstatic. It was a huge ordeal for me to play there for the first time with my favorite bands (Whiskey Rebels and Monster Squad). Shout out to OG Valley Crew supporter Garett from Trouble Maker/Lockjaw who actually got us on that show. After the show we were brought backstage and told we needed to change our lyrics and re-record our songs or we were going to be banned from playing the club because one of our songs used the word “bitch.” It wasn't even a reference to women, it was just an exclamation point. The line went “Punks against you…bitch!” The Gilman has changed a lot since then. Non-PC bands play there all the time. Bigger, more “corporate” bands play. The rules have relaxed a lot. On purpose. People have quit in protest. Anyways, a couple months ago I was at Gilman and saw a band sing the lyrics “I hate Jews” along with lots of other weird nationalistic stuff. Of course no one cared because all the PC rules at Gilman have degenerated to the point where they hardly exist, and bands who would never be allowed to play in the past now do so freely. The guy who runs the place used to be banned and uses the word “bitch” and other non-pc shit all the time. I really like him. And I like the fact that Gilman isn't so fucking annoying anymore, but it is an extreme change. Ruby of No Statik and Boo Boo of Hunting Party, who have only lived here for a short time, decided to very publicly state on the internet that their bands would no longer be playing the club for various legitimate reasons. I decided it was time to write it all down. I respected their decision, and valued them as people so I came to them and asked to sit down and interview them so I could better understand the situation and represent their views accurately. They agreed and then backed out. 

They said some non-sense about me being a part of the mainstream media content stream and said I was throwing punks under the bus. Then said they didn't want the drama. We came to a compromise where if I left No Statik out so as to not cause them “emotional harm” that Boo Boo of Hunting Party would participate. I honestly did my absolute best to deal with their sensitivities, but I think I had a hard time understanding how you can inject yourself into every drama filled situation and then be shy when someone wants to give you a chance to say your piece in the newspaper. I wrote the story, which states only undeniable facts that anyone who has an intimate knowledge about the Bay Area punk scene should already know and quotes people on things they say they believe. People didn't like that. Mariam, Head Coordinator of Maximum Rock n' Roll and singer of Permanent Ruin sent me a Facebook message vaguely threatening to sue me for libel (unless of course she can edit my story before it's published). Boo Boo of Hunting Party accused me of blackmailing him and called me some curse words. Ruby of No Statik called for an official boycott of anything I am a part of or support (That's nothing new around here. That crew draws more X's than mine). Several people vowed to beat me up. Gilman sent out an email chain searching for those who gave me information, held meetings, and wrote a rambling response listing a bunch of “inaccuracies” in the story (someone should donate a dictionary to the club). And countless people have declared that I am indeed not a punk at all.

IE: If you could do the whole situation over again would you change anything or not?

Matt: Yes, there are some things I would try to change, of course. It's always important to look at your past actions and try to find your mistakes and improve on them for next time. I blame myself for not explaining the situation to my subjects in a way where they could feel secure and safe in sharing their opinions with me. If I could go back in time I would try a different route of communication, where I could lay out the whole situation for them to see there was no evil plot to harm them. I guess I was taken aback by their hesitation. Other than that, no. I do not regret writing the story because the Gilman holds a special place in my heart since it has been the backdrop of many of my fondest memories. Since I know many others feel the same way about one of the longest standing punk venues of all time, I think it is of value to accurately depict the changes the club has gone through. I made a decision early on in my writing career to just straight up report the truth and deal with the consequences of that as they come. I think good journalism is just like good punk, it's brutally honest, challenging, and direct. I knew going into this story that the Gilman is a place that everyone has a strong opinion about, and that there was going to be some fuss about any story written. I think that is why no one had written this story yet, even though all the facts about the changes there are pretty well known amongst the community. To some, it was probably simply not worth taking that amount of heat to write down some simple truths. But I've been through stuff like this my entire life. It's just a result of writing things down. I have a strong inner circle of friends and family who give me support (and protection, ha) so I was able to write this story that I felt needed to be told. It was just weird because they are a really vocal bunch. And if you are from the Bay Area you know that they are involved in most controversies around here, so I thought they would be excited that someone like me (inside the punk scene) was going to give them a chance to really explain themselves. I MEAN HOLY SHIT I WANTED TO PUT THEIR BAND IN THE FUCKING NEWSPAPER! I'm a bad guy for that? They acted like I was Bill O'Reilly. I'm a punk who writes for a fucking alt-weekly. My editor is an honorable guy who rocks a Minor Threat shirt on the regular and is knowledgeable about punk. Anyone who wanted to participate would have been in good, trustworthy hands. Unfortunately, they didn't want me to write the story. I wrote it anyways.

IE: Your song “Out Of Touch” was written about a specific situation that happened with the band Youth Brigade. Can you tell us what it is about and what brought on your writing the lyrics?

Matt: Youth Brigade was the first punk band I went to go see. I think I was 14 or something at the time. When my old band, Skull Stomp, got the chance to play with them at Gilman I was really excited. I had felt like I had come full circle. Playing Gilman with the first punk band I saw. Wow. It was a big deal for me. While we played the Youth Brigade guys stood outside, then when they played they yelled at kids for having a good time. The lead singer threatened to kick someone in the face because they were dancing and bumped into him. Then, even though they didn't draw shit, they took all the money from the door and I had to watch the booker pull money out of his pocket to pay other bands for gas. Part of my whole experience in punk has been being a huge fan of things, then getting to see the inner workings of things and becoming disgusted. It's sad to look up to someone only to find out they don't give a shit about you, your friends, or other young kids at the shows. They didn't care. They really didn't. I do care. They were out of touch, and should just go the fuck home and leave us alone. Because this whole thing matters to me. Not all old punks are like that. Some still have the fire inside them. I love those guys. But seriously, if you don't care anymore, just go do what old men do and fucking die.

Ed: Don't play for us if your hearts not in it. We always get added to shows with reunion bands from the 80s and 9 times out of ten the bands are embarrassing. We've played with Youth Brigade, Reagan Youth, Off, Scream, Circle One, and I think Dr. Know? Probably some others, Scream is the only one that still has it and cares. They bought Zero Progress EP’s, so I like to think it is now tucked right in between their SOA and Void EP’s. Reagan Youth were by far the worst, they were all scabs besides one guy, the scab singer sounded like the guy from The Offspring and complained about the stage monitors the whole time as the band couldn't even stay in-time. One of the dudes also tried to trade shirts with me, before we had played, I think it was just because he didn't bring enough clothes on the tour. I told him, “No.”

Matt: Reagan Youth was unbearably bad.

IE: “Here We Are” is a song that really stands out lyric wise. Can you tell us what that one is about and what influenced you writing the lyrics?

Matt: In general, “Here We Are” is a tribute to the diehards. It's for people who put everything on hold to go tour basements, and the kids who are eager to meet them there. It's about being yourself and not being ashamed of who you are and what you're doing. It's about speaking your mind instead of preaching to the choir. The first verse is about how not many people like hardcore here, but it's still important to us. And how our music is the anger inside us and how we let it out together. It's about being a small, but passionate group of hardcore kids who are like a gang, or cult, and how deeply we connect to this type of music. The second verse is about bleeding at The Swamp (Oakland DIY venue) and how some would say that is a pointless endeavor but how it means a lot to me. It's about how some people passively enjoy music and how the diehards fully engage in it with everything they got. It is about how we don't just want to be in a band that sounds like this band or that band, we need to be in a band that sounds like our band. The third verse is about how hardcore means so much to me that even if everyone in the whole world says it's a dead genre, and no one wants to put out our record, or come to our show, or put us on a bill, we are going to keep going. We will just do it all ourselves, because we love hardcore.

Ed: I wrote the riffs and they are about the same things. I'm serious too, It's written to sound like “Wolfpack” by DYS or NY Wolfpack, or “Glue.” It's a unity song for all my brothers and sisters. The song to me, hardcore to me, Zero Progress to me, is about giving everything you have to a lost fucking cause. Driving 100 miles an hour into a brick wall, just fucking going for it.

IE: Matt, besides your ‘zine Punks Punks Punks you run the label that puts out ZP’s releases called Piledriver Records. Can you tell us a little about both?

Matt: Six issues of the zine. Been happy to have the likes of Hounds of Hate, Porcell, Stephen from Peace/TFS, Noose, Ian Mackaye, Henry Rollins, DCOI, Lars Frederiksen, Mike from Pressure Point, Mark Mccoy, Meatdog, Gay Kiss, Needles and many others I can't think of off the top of my head right now in there. I have been really busy with lots of other writing, some of it punk related, most of it not, and have not had time to create a new issue. I will soon. That one will feature Damian from Fucked Up. I love making ‘zines. Making my ‘zine has changed my entire life for the better. Anyone out there who wants to help make their scene stronger, themselves smarter, and have some fun, I suggest you make one. Just do it! Write down some shit, fold it, staple it, and sell it.

 
Ed: We've put out both our own records and tapes for other Valley Crew bands, Stressors and Beat Guts. Next up will be another one of ours or our friend's projects that no one else wants to waste money on. 

IE: That’s all I got, care to add anything that we may not have touched on?

Matt: Thank you for all the great questions and to all the soldiers of the core out there, you know who you are. Shout out to the Valley Crew. Assumptions are the next Hoax – heard it here first! 

Ed: Don't let anyone give you shit for being you, don't let them put you down, fight them if you have to. Be yourself, we gotta stick together. Valley Crew rules until I fucking die. Thank you Chris for taking the time to interview us, the questions were sick and I'm stoked to be a part of this publication.

Collin: Hardcore rules, check out Assumptions, and thanks for the interview.

Josh: Thanks for the interview. Hardcore is the only thing worth dying for.