Violence, an Interview with James Mullen – Xperiene Monthly

GLENS FALLS – You may have heard before the old adage “Violence is not the answer”, and perhaps there are a lot of cases where this might be good advice. However, in this particular case we’re not talking about that blowhard who stole your favorite parking spot or the person at the show who gave you that sideways glance… we’re talking about the kind of hard-hitting, gritty, heavy metal that has that in-your-face, slap-you-silly sort of vibe to it.

While I’m far from an expert on the genre and all of its subdivisions, I know heavy metal when I hear it and I can assure you this is it! With releases going back to 2020’s album “Chug Life” and their 2022 single “Welcome to the Neighborhood”,

Violence is not exactly brand new to the 518 metal scene. Comprised of Ryan Chandler on vocals, Aaron Lawson and Stephen Paige on guitars, Logan LaPoint on bass, and Eddie Elbows on drums, they’ve been through a journey to get where they are now which included a slight lineup adjustment and making appearances on some of the best heavy metal shows that the capital region has to offer a habit.

They’ve put on shows alongside some other local favorites like Downswing, Oakheart, Urine, and many more. So as it turns out, if the question you’re asking is “Who is one of the fastest rising bands in 518 metal?”, Violence IS indeed the answer. I caught up with the band to talk about their journey in local music, where they may go next and of course their upcoming EP release plans.

RRX: Tell us about yourself! How did the band get started, and how did the current lineup come together?

V: The band is a tight-knit group of dads that came together for their love of crushing dad rock! Eddie (drums) and Dana (ex-guitarist) started as just a jam project when they decided it needed to become more than just a joke band. Chan (Ryan Chandler, punk rock vox) and Logan (he just plays bass) came into the picture to create the first iteration of Violence. Life got busy and Dana decided to part ways. That’s when Aaron and Stephen (guitars) joined forces with us and became the lineup you see today. In the end, we’re just a group of hot dads out here trying to have the best time we can.

RRX: I first saw you play live at GEM Fest 2022 last summer, and your stage presence really blew me away and had me banging my head for the entire set. I’ve seen you playing a lot of awesome line ups at Empire Underground as well; is there a particular show that sticks out as your favorite over the past year?

V: This is a trick question because all of our shows hold special spots in our hearts, but we can narrow it down to two shows. We played a show last Christmas with a local band called Downswing. Holiday vibes! The pure joy and adrenaline from not only the crowd, but we felt as a whole it was one of our best performances at the time. The show went off without a hitch and a lot of money was raised for kids in need. Shout out to Mike Valente, he has done an immense amount for the community and the local music scene.

Another show we just recently played was with our good friends in Johnny Booth. They just put out a record, “Moments Elsewhere”. We have gotten the pleasure to share the stage with these dudes several times and it has been a blast every time. This show in particular was one of our first times playing with in-ear monitors and playing several new songs we had never showcased. With how excited everyone was to play, nothing could have brought us down and it didn’t.  We played one of the best sets we have ever played to one of the biggest crowds we have played to. All said and done, it went better than we could have expected.

RRX: You’ve put out 2 new singles in 2023 with “Lifeline” and “Warning Signs”, respectively; are there any plans for a full release or more singles this year?

V: BIG THINGS COMING SOON! We have one more single to wrap up this EP called “Heavy Hitter”. We have a release date set for September 1st. This song will have a special feature that we will keep a surprise. From here we have a mountain of riffs ready for release starting at the end of this year!

RRX: “Warning Signs” also featured a guest spot from Downswing’s Harrison Seanor, which was awesome! Do you have a list of other artists you’d like to collaborate with?

V: Given we all have our favorite vocalists and many to choose from, I think we can nail down a few; one coming from another local band called Concrete, Lenny Fletcher. He’s been around the music scene block a time or two. He’s a long time friend of many of us and has crushing vocals that we feel could compliment our style of music.

Some bigger names we would love to someday work with would include Chad Ruhlig (For the Fallen Dreams ), Lochie Keogh (Alpha Wolf), Sean Paul, and Keith Buckley (formerly Every Time I Die, The Damned Things).

RRX: Plug what you’ve got coming up, when are your next shows and releases?

V: Currently we are working on our next ep that we hope to start releasing at the end of the year. Our final song of the current EP “Life Sentence” is set to release September 1st. As for shows we have one coming up with a bunch of great friends from around the Albany area; it is not announced yet, but be on the lookout for it! We intend to come into the new year with some heat and show you what these hot dads are all about!