Reach from Slovenia, Prekmurje region, are a relatively new band in the scene. They were already featured in this zine when I reviewed their debut demo. Now was the perfect time to talk with the guys about their band, music scene and state of hardcore in general and many other themes.

HI GUYS, WELCOME TO MY WEBZINE. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE REACH EXISTS AS A BAND, SO FIRST OFF, ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE THINGS YOUVE DONE UNTIL NOW?

JAN: Our guitarist Luka and drummer Benjamin started the band back in spring 2016 and later I joined the band as vocalist at the end of the year. During our first months we had our friend Tomaž on bass as a session player, but then this year in April, Jože joined as a full time bass player. So if we consider that I’m studying in Ljubljana and other guys all have full time jobs, we can definitely say that we are very happy with what we have accomplished so far.

YOU RECORDED ON DEMO E.P.AND I GUESS YOU HAVE MORE MATERIAL THAT DID NOT FIND PLACE ON THE E.P.SO WHEN IS THE NEXT E.P. OR FULL LENGTH ALBUM COMING OUT?

LUKA: Yes, of course. For the demo we just picked three of the best songs we had at a time, but we still have a lot of material. Currently we’re working on new songs and we’re planning to record a split with fellow Slovenian hardcore band Laid To Rest sometime in early of 2018. And after that we will focus on making our first EP.

YOU DID SOME GIGS IN SLOVENIA AND I THINK ONE IN CROATIA, SO DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY SPECIAL RITUALS OR PREPARATIONS BEFORE THE GIG?

JAN: Well, I think there is nothing special… yet! Everyone is just chilling, hanging out with other bands or just drinking beer. We warm up in the backstage, I also stretch a bit just to be ready for all the moving on the stage, but otherwise nothing special. We are still a bit nervous before going on stage and I think that with more and more gigs a routine will come by itself.

YOUR LYRICS ARE PERSONAL BUT DEAL WITH SOME THEMES KNOWN IN THE HARDCORE SCENE. WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FOR THE LYRICS?

JAN: Most of the lyrics I wrote on the bus ride back home from Ljubljana. I guess, that was a good place to reflect back on what happened through the week, what I saw, heard, what bothered me and I just put it on the paper. Sometimes when me and my girlfriend go for a walk we try to “save” the world and some inspiration comes from these long talks and then sometimes I am listening more closely to some music and feel the same way as the band I listened to felt, and just try to write my own opinion about that.

PREKMURJE WAS KNOWN TO BE PRETTY BARREN AND POOR AREA, DOES THIS ALSO EFFECT YOUR INSPIRATION AND FEEDS YOUR ANGER AND FRUSTRATIONS? IS IT EASY TO GET A JOB IN YOUR AREA? HOW IS THE LIVING ON THE EVERYDAY BASIS?

LUKA: I think that at this time it is hard to get job anywhere in general, not just in Slovenia. You really have to be patient and you have to try many times. It’s true that Pomurje doesn’t offer many options so that’s why so many young people go to work in Maribor, Ljubljana or even abroad (Austria, Germany…). So there are two aspects that come out of it. Anger – because of the state of the country (or even the whole world) is in right now and gratitude – respect for people who helped us to be the people we are now, that sure was not easy.

DO YOU GUYS BELIEVE IN STREET JUSTICE? WHEN SOMEONE DOES HARM TO YOUR LOVED ONE AND THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM FAILS, DO YOU BELIEVE IN TAKING MATTERS IN YOUR OWN HANDS?

LUKA: Well, the whole ‘eye for an eye’ principle is really flawed. It’s an never ending cycle of aggression and pain. Life always finds a way to punish those who are exploiting other people for their own self-gain. Even if we don’t see it somewhere something isn’t going like they wanted it and they are just left with paying their dues.

WHAT ABOUT TOO VIOLENT DANCING? I KNOW THAT HARDCORE GIGS ARE NOT POETRY EVENINGS BUT I FEEL KINDA STUPID WHEN TWO OR THREE ASSHOLES DO KARATE DANCING AND YOU CANNOT COME CLOSE TO THE STAGE AND ENJOY THE GIG AND IN A WAY PARTICIPATE IN A SHOW.

BENJAMIN: We are all those type of listeners who want to participate on a show to the fullest – sing-along, dance, stage dive, mosh. But we don’t really like crowd killing. Don’t get us wrong – we like hardcore dancing, good old mosh pit and circle pit but there is a difference between swinging your arms and kicking in the air or intentionally punching people around you.

DO YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR OWN REHEARSAL SPACE OR DO YOU PAY FOR THE SPACE?

LUKA: We share our space with two other bands from Pomurje (Odpisani, Cyphre Louis) but we don’t see them too often so it’s almost like we’re the only ones there. Other than that it’s nothing special. The rehearsal space is in Ljutomer.

YOU PLAY MODERN VERSION OF HARDCORE. DO YOU BELIEVE HARDCORE IS LIKE A LIVING BEING CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND CHANGING? THE SCENE PURISTS CERTAINLY HATE THAT. WHAT IS THE STATE OF SLOVENIAN AND WORLD HARDCORE SCENE IN 2017.FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW?

LUKA: We think that it really is changing and evolving all the time, just like us. There is always something new in the scene, something fresh and that’s what I love about it. I’m always surprised by the new things some of bands can come up with.

I really love what a small, underground scene like hardcore can accomplish and the most important part of this scene is the attitude, the view on the state of the world, that you can share and find a way to overcome obstacles in life.

I constantly hear people argue over what is and what isn’t “true” or “real”. Not just in hardcore but in every genre of music. And this is really where the hardcore stands out for me, because the basic principle isn’t a dress code, a hair style or some slang – it’s the attitude, the mentality. It’s about solidarity and accepting anyone and everyone for what he or she is, and also for you to stay true to yourself.

WE HAVE COME TO THE END OF THE INTERVIEW, SO FEEL FREE TO STATE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE, MAYBE ANNOUNCE SOME GIGS YOU PLAY OR HOW CAN KIDS KEEP CONTACT WITH YOU? THANKS FOR THE ANSWERS.

LUKA: The main thing in the near future is going to be putting together a debut EP and of course, to play as many shows as we possibly can. The first one is on 14.10. in Gornja Radgona, then we’re playing in Kranj on 28.10., Ljubljana on 17.11. and later in 2.12. we’re playing again in Lendava with Slander and Hawser.

You can find all our show dates and news about the band on our FB and Instagram pages. If you’d like to get in touch with us just drop us a message.

Thank you for showing interest in us and doing this interview. Cheers from Pomurje.

http://www.reach-hc.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/reachhc

https://www.instagram.com/reach_hardcore