By Chris Forbes CHRIS FORBES: what has been going on in the broken hope camp lately? are u pleased with the release of your new release 100%? what has the feedback been like so far? BRIAN GRIFFIN: Lately we have been discussing our plans for the next recording. We are also trying to find a full time drummer for touring. We are happy with the new release all thought here are things we wish we would have done better but that is normal for any band. So far the feedback has been unbelievable. Every seems to like this release alot. The reviews have been very generous compared to past releases. CHRIS FORBES: how is the new label working out? what would u say the difference is with working with them than metal blade? BRIAN GRIFFIN: The new label is working great. they are getting all of the distribution in place and this release has been our best selling so far. I guess the biggest difference between the labels is the personal support we get from Martyr. We are the priority on the label and we get alot of push. CHRIS FORBES: you didn't do a lot of touring for this release. will u be touring soon? any plans of going overseas soon? BRIAN GRIFFIN: Of course we love to tour and can't wait to get overseas. The problem is that there are no drummers in our area capable of playing the material. All of the good drummers are already in bands and most of the good drummers I know are from other states. We have someone lined up for the next album and there are a few guys we are considering getting ready for touring. We should have a better idea by early summer if there will be any near future touring. CHRIS FORBES: how have you seen the underground in your eyes change over the years? what have been the high points and low lights of being in broken hope? BRIAN GRIFFIN: The underground has definitely been flooded with alot of bands. In my opinion in the past the underground was more supportive of all of its bands. Now there are so many bands that it has gotten competitive and overcrowded with alot of "copy" bands. Don't get me wrong, there are alot of quality bands out there but it is hard to say that death metal is underground anymore. the higher points of being in Broken Hope is getting to play shows everywhere and finding out how many people are into what we do. any time you feel down on the band alll you have to do is go out and tour and see how many fans want you to stick around. I think the low point would have to be the line up changes we have had to deal with recently. We will get past it though and we have been able to find great musicians so far that are interested in being a part of the band. CHRIS FORBES: how do u feel about computers and the internet? ever go in any metal chat rooms? BRIAN GRIFFIN: The internet is a great way to keep in touch with the fans and spread the word all over the world. You get to do your own advertising and promotion that way. I used to go into chat rooms years ago but recently they have become a forum for people to slag bands and spread rumors under assumed names so they are way too stupid now. CHRIS FORBES: i know you have a web site. what kind of stuff is on it? how often to u up date it? do you feel having a web site is one of the most important parts of promoting a band now? BRIAN GRIFFIN: BrokenHope.com has done a great deal for us. We have as much as we can on there from news to merchandise to lyrics and the usual stuff like band history and photos. We update it once a week at least with as much info as we can. CHRIS FORBES: how much longer do u see the band going on for? any new songs written and when can we expect to see a new broken hope cd? any plans for a live cd sometime down the road? BRIAN GRIFFIN: We will keep the band going as long as there is a demand from our fans to produce music. Some of the guys have thought about hanging it up but when I show them all of the positive feedback they change their minds quickly. It is lifestyle for us and we have fun doing it. We don't have new material ready yet but we plan to hit the studio this fall. The drummer we will be using has touring pplans through the summer so we will be waiting for him to have some time to write. CHRIS FORBES: what were some of the best shows and worst shows you have played? how good of a live band do u feel you are? BRIAN GRIFFIN: All of the shows have been fun for us. We usually try to forget the bad times on stage and move on. I feel we are still working into being a good live band but we put as much as we can into it. CHRIS FORBES: what are some of the wildiest and craziest fans you have ever met? any funny road stories to tell? BRIAN GRIFFIN: The fans down in El Paso , Tx are awesome. Also Albequrque,NM and Montreal Canada stick out in my head. I can't tell any of the stories without embarassing someone haha. Sorry. I can say that we do have alot of fun on the road and the fans are great to hang out with. Especially the crazy ones. CHRIS FORBES: any advice you would give to a young band? if you could start up a label and sign any 5 bands who would they be and why? BRIAN GRIFFIN: All I would say to young band is to try and be as different from everyone else as you can. When people ask who your influences are don't be embarassed to name non-death metal bands. If I started a label.......let's see. Never happen! I hate to say it but that industry isn't something I would have the patience for. CHRIS FORBES: if you were not in broken hope what do u think you would be doing? BRIAN GRIFFIN: I would most likely spend more time in the studio and more time working with my other band EmSinfonia. There would always be music involved. CHRIS FORBES: anything else u want to say, the floor is yours. BRIAN GRIFFIN: Thanks for the interview and I hope everyone has a chance to hear Grotesque Blessings. Watch for a new one which we will record this fall. Copyright 2000, BallBuster, The Official Int'l Underground Hard Music Report