Whilst working on a new release for bsclly. I realized that it had exhausted its potential. While trying to figure out what to do I saw a new possibility; a direction which, under current circumstances, has much more room to grow than bsclly. I was given two possibilities, to continue to work on bsclly. and invest my experience, labor and finances into something I’m no longer connected to or to call it a day with bsclly. and reframe my direction.
Without going to much into detail, i have made the decision that bsclly.
is coming to an end.
I hope you’ll remember bsclly. as a brand which was not limited by fashion or societal standards and as a brand which not only tried to sell clothing but which also tried to deliver a message: Do More Than Exist. It’s obvious that bsclly. wouldn’t have been possible without help, therefore I’d like to thank business partners, families, friends, designers, bloggers, models, photographers and of course our fans. Thanks you for this amazing experience.
To everyone who's been wondering if we're still there: yes we are! There's two main reasons for the silence that's been going on for the last few weeks.
First, brainstorming is currently our main activity. We are pondering over a brand new project you probably won't expect, but will surely like. More info - coming soon. Second, I left for the Never Say Die! Tour to do merch for the tour and Northlane last friday! I can't wait to share some behind-the-scenes experiences, so make sure to follow our twitter and instagram account. Plus whenever you're coming to a show, make sure to say hi at the merch table.
P.S.: All bsclly. orders are being taken care of while I'm on the road, so don't hesitate to treat yourselves!
To celebrate the bsclly x Daggers For Teeth release last Saturday, I hosted a small vegan BBQ with our closest friends. Not only did we have the chance to catch up on the latest gossip and enjoy delicious food off the grill, Doris of Raw Diamond surprised everyone with vegan cupcakes as well.
A small amount of our Snake Coffin back patches is now ready to pre-order on www.bsclly.com. Whether you’re a biker, punk or simply someone cool enough for these, get one now! All pre-orders will be shipped on September 2nd.
It is limited to 2 x 10 bundles, which will be available in both shops for 35€ apiece. Each bundle contains a wooden Ouija Planchette and a Snake Coffin shirt.
Last saturday we headed into the black forest for the photo shoot of the bsclly x Daggers For Teeth collab. As location we chose the Schwarzenbachtalsperre which is close to Forbach in the north of the black forest, it was the perfect combination of water and woods. Also, we decided to head to the next level, which is why we took analogue photographs.
“Imagine a world without your favourite bands. They were once part of someone’s local scene. Don’t miss out and support your own.” – Lonely Vagabond
No matter how big or famous a band is, at one point they played their first show, released their first song and sold their first merch. When Jonas showed me the first two tracks of his new project I was blown away from the start, I liked their sounds, I liked their concept and I liked their branding - everything was fitting together. Sharptongue are a four-piece band with every member having years of experience in playing and writing music. They're hungry, energetic, they know what they want, and they are going to take it. Check out their official video for their debut song "Snakes" and read about who they are, what inspired them and their plans for the future in our interview:
Who are you and where did you come from – in the means of how did you team up as Sharptongue?
We’ve all known each other for a pretty long time now. I (Oli) have known Linus since I was a little kid. The four of us as a “band” then met in school at the age of about 14. We just really felt like doing music back then, which is why we started jamming in the basement of my family home. And that is how our previous band ‘Elude The End’ evolved.
Which were the reasons to put an end to Elude The End and start something new?
As already said, when starting Elude The End, we were all pretty damn young. We had no idea where we wanted to go with the band. This all started out with us being boys who love to do metalcore in the basement together. As time passed on, we got more experienced and changed our style. The metal band from the beginning more and more evolved into a hardcore band. Even though the sound and the whole band completely changed, in most people’s heads we remained as the ‘small metal heads from back then’. So eventually we got to a point where there was no further way for Elude The End. We wanted to get away from what we have been doing before and prove to people that this new sound was the one thing we really cared about right now.
If you had to name the things that inspire you in your work with Sharptongue, in the means of musician as well as every other aspect of life, what would that be? Are there any differences to your private interests and preferences?
Musically, Sharptongue really is something like a compromise of the things all four of us listen to when it comes to hardcore. So basically, we do have different taste in music. One likes to listen to a lot of hip-hop while the other one is more into Pop-Punk etc. But I guess that’s a good thing for the band. In private, every one of us definitely has a variety of interests that inspire them as a person. This can be our academic studies, a hobby, diverse circles of friends or a relationship. As for me, I sure am being influenced by my architects studies in the work with the band too, even if this sounds absurd now.
What does the very first song ‚Snakes‘, which is released today mean? What do you want to tell us with it?
Snakes means a lot to us as a band. It is not only the first song we release but also the first one we have written for this project. It just worked for us right away, laying a very important foundation for Sharptongue and the development of our future style. As a band, we just want to say “Hey, this is us! Keep your eyes and ears peeled, since you will definitely hear from us again”. The song itself communicates a typical hardcore message and says: nothing comes from nothing, giving up means you’ve already lost and whoever thinks he’s made it and now ‘owns the world’ is going to fall down even farther.
If you could choose 3 bands for a dream tour, which ones would it be and why?
So this question seriously opened up a huge discussion, and we wanted to make sure to name bands we all listen to and we’re all influenced by. To make it quick: Stray From The Path, Trapped Under Ice, Comeback Kid.
Do you see Sharptongue as a chance to avoid mistakes you probably made with Elude The End? Are there maybe even memories where you just sit and think “wow, that really was some trash we did right there”?
Of course we see Sharptongue as a chance to avoid huge mistakes and do the right things from the very beginning. Everything we’re facing with the band right now, we can do more aware and more knowingly. That is concerning songwriting, the people we work with or even only the new logo. Of course we sometimes look back and just wonder “why?” haha, but I think every mistake is very important. They mold you, and only if you do them is when you really know that it was wrong and you can do better.
Your first gig will be at ‚Das Fest‘. What are your expectations, concerning yourselves as the band, the audience and the debut itself?
Of course the expectations for a show at a huge event like ‘Das Fest’ are very high. Still we try to stay realistic and hope to deliver a great show, inspire some new people, maybe meet old fans too and just a great time with the audience. We’d love to be well-received, raise interest in this project and make sure to not only be the millionth hardcore band this earth sees.
What’s coming up next, can you tell us something about future plans and secret dreams?
That’s kind of easy: the plan is to just play as many shows as possible. The feeling on stage and the energy being generated by both band and audience are definitely important reasons to play in a band after all. Of course we are planning to record a bigger release after our “2-song-debut”, so we pretty much can’t wait to get back into the studio. A dream all four of us share is definitely to do a bigger tour, which would be absolutely amazing. A secret fantasy would possibly be a tour overseas. Whether that is America, Australia or anywhere else. Just being on stage and seeing the world.
Last saturday Benny (Lieblingsempire) and I were invited by Raw Diamond's founder Doris for dinner. She welcomed us with self made ice tea and a little indroduction into the menu.
After a little chit chat in her kitchen which included some pre-tasting of the dessert (more details later) we sat down, excited for the first course of three.
The starter consisted of an eggplant tartlet with cashew creme and a tomato sorbet.
The main dish were selfmade ravioli with almond-spinach-thyme filling in a tomato sage sauce.
Now we're coming to everybodys favorite dish, the dessert. Doris, also known as the biggest avocado lover ever, turned the green fruit into ice cream (LINK for the Avocado Ice Cream recipe by Raw Diamond). It came along with strawberries topped with selfmade cream and a small bowl filled with basil-cocnut-white chocolate ice cream.
Later on we messed a bit around and tried to create a vine video of "How to make espresso with Schwarzmahler Kaffee"
After all, our expectations were exceeded, just like every time we're having a dinner-get-together.
We stumbled upon a story on reddit (original post) a few days ago. To be honest, we don't want to not share it with you. See yourself. Today you, tomorrow me:
Just about every time I see someone I stop. I kind of got out of the habit in the last couple of years, moved to a big city and all that, my girlfriend wasn't too stoked on the practice. Then some shit happened to me that changed me and I am back to offering rides habitually. If you would indulge me, it is long story and has almost nothing to do with hitch hiking other than happening on a road.
This past year I have had 3 instances of car trouble. A blow out on a freeway, a bunch of blown fuses and an out of gas situation. All of them were while driving other people's cars which, for some reason, makes it worse on an emotional level. It makes it worse on a practical level as well, what with the fact that I carry things like a jack and extra fuses in my car, and know enough not to park, facing downhill, on a steep incline with less than a gallon of fuel.
Anyway, each of these times this shit happened I was DISGUSTED with how people would not bother to help me. I spent hours on the side of the freeway waiting, watching roadside assistance vehicles blow past me, for AAA to show. The 4 gas stations I asked for a gas can at told me that they couldn't loan them out "for my safety" but I could buy a really shitty 1-gallon one with no cap for $15. It was enough, each time, to make you say shit like "this country is going to hell in a handbasket."
But you know who came to my rescue all three times? Immigrants. Mexican immigrants. None of them spoke a lick of the language. But one of those dudes had a profound affect on me.
He was the guy that stopped to help me with a blow out with his whole family of 6 in tow. I was on the side of the road for close to 4 hours. Big jeep, blown rear tire, had a spare but no jack. I had signs in the windows of the car, big signs that said NEED A JACK and offered money. No dice. Right as I am about to give up and just hitch out there a van pulls over and dude bounds out. He sizes the situation up and calls for his youngest daughter who speaks english. He conveys through her that he has a jack but it is too small for the Jeep so we will need to brace it. He produces a saw from the van and cuts a log out of a downed tree on the side of the road. We rolled it over, put his jack on top, and bam, in business. I start taking the wheel off and, if you can believe it, I broke his tire iron. It was one of those collapsible ones and I wasn't careful and I snapped the head I needed clean off. Fuck.
No worries, he runs to the van, gives it to his wife and she is gone in a flash, down the road to buy a tire iron. She is back in 15 minutes, we finish the job with a little sweat and cussing (stupid log was starting to give), and I am a very happy man. We are both filthy and sweaty. The wife produces a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man's hand but he wouldn't take it so I instead gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl where they lived, thinking maybe I could send them a gift for being so awesome. She says they live in Mexico. They are here so mommy and daddy can pick peaches for the next few weeks. After that they are going to pick cherries then go back home. She asks if I have had lunch and when I told her no she gave me a tamale from their cooler, the best fucking tamale I have ever had.
So, to clarify, a family that is undoubtedly poorer than you, me, and just about everyone else on that stretch of road, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took an hour or two out of their day to help some strange dude on the side of the road when people in tow trucks were just passing me by. Wow...
But we aren't done yet. I thank them again and walk back to my car and open the foil on the tamale cause I am starving at this point and what do I find inside? My fucking $20 bill! I whirl around and run up to the van and the guy rolls his window down. He sees the $20 in my hand and just shaking his head no like he won't take it. All I can think to say is "Por Favor, Por Favor, Por Favor" with my hands out. Dude just smiles, shakes his head and, with what looked like great concentration, tried his hardest to speak to me in English:
"Today you.... tomorrow me."
Rolled up his window, drove away, his daughter waving to me in the rear view. I sat in my car eating the best fucking tamale of all time and I just cried. Like a little girl. It has been a rough year and nothing has broke my way. This was so out of left field I just couldn't deal.
In the 5 months since I have changed a couple of tires, given a few rides to gas stations and, once, went 50 miles out of my way to get a girl to an airport. I won't accept money. Every time I tell them the same thing when we are through: