WASTREL
1. Welcome to All the Cores and More! Would you please introduce yourself, where you’re from, and say what you do in the band?
Hazel: Play bass… born and raised in the Maine 2000’s music scene. Have not matured much beyond that.
Nick: Guitar.
Tyler: Drums/vocals, I am from CT originally.
Nate: Vocals.
We’re from all over central/southern Maine but practice in Poland.
2. When and how did you discover the heavy stuff and what made you want to play it? Also, if you would, tell us about when and how you got involved in the scene.
Nate: I was really into punk through middle school and got into hardcore/metal in ‘95/‘96, when someone gave me Earth Crisis-Destroy the Machines and that kind of opened the door, but I quickly gravitated more towards bands like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Dying Fetus. Late 90s/early 2000s brought metalcore, it was such a privilege to be in the Maine hardcore/metal scene at that time, it was wild. I started my first band Where Angels Tremble, we were active 2001-2002.
Hazel: I saw Elapse play at the U.U. in Auburn around 1999 and was hooked. Started playing in local bands soon after that. In high school, I worked at The Asylum off and on as a stage hand for national acts coming through. Got to work with Gwar… and hardcore Vanilla Ice… so you can't win them all.
Tyler: I was raised on Metallica, Sabbath, and classic rock/metal. It quickly snowballed into listening to death metal, deathcore, and grindcore. My friends and I decided to pick instruments when we were 12 and start a metal band. I originally played guitar. After that band I started a deathcore band in 2008 in the CT hardcore/metal scene.
Nick: Sevendust and Fear Factory were probably my first forays into listening to the heavier side of things. I used to get guitar mags and learn from the tabs. I got bored of playing the tabs to all the radio songs and came across a tab for Machine Head’s “From This Day.” I had never tried playing in drop B and it changed everything. After that, Killswitch released Alive or Just Breathing and then came Unearth’s The Oncoming Storm. My fate was sealed, I got the itch to play my own music and I joined Smokebox for a little while in ‘03-’06-ish, then Thrown From the Womb (members of Taming the Shrew and Smokebox), and Ironhide (members of Burn the Evidence). Haven’t played in a band since 2009 or so. Can't wait to get back on stage.
3. What do you think it is that makes the scene here in Maine so special? Who are some of the real ones doing great things you’d like to shout out?
Nate: Maine has always had a strong scene, as an old dude now it’s really awesome to see the scene thriving. I’ve been really impressed by Dying Mind, those guys are crushing it. But it goes beyond just the bands, it’s what Corey and Chris are doing with Cheap Life, SVU, Maine Hardcore Media, the kids that are showing up and supporting the scene. It’s so awesome to see and to be a part of.
Hazel: I think Maine's smaller, more disconnected scene actually encourages experimentation. There’s less pressure to fit into a particular sound or genre, so bands tend to pull from different influences and do their own thing. The result is a lot more variety and less of the same recycled music. Lately, dovecote and Koga are killing it.
Tyler: Maine folks are great at the DIY music scene. Lots of intention and variety going into creative endeavors.
Nick: There's just something about all of the Northeast in general. Maybe it’s the scarcity of the venues, and if you’re going to play some music, you want it to make an impression because you may not get another chance.
4. Let’s talk some Wastrel—when and how did the band come together? What was the vision for the project and what influences are you pulling from?
Nate: Playing music has been something I have missed and wanted to do for over two decades, but never did it. I had some people close to me push me to try it again. Initially my friend Ryan and I started this project. I found an app called: BandMix and created a profile and started hitting up people. It took a long time but I found Hazel and Nick first, and after some time I found Tyler. After a few practices Ryan and I had different visions of where the sound for the band should go and ultimately he stepped out of the band. If it wasn’t for Ryan pushing me I may not have pursued this dream, so I owe a lot to him. He remains one of my best friends and supportive of Wastrel. My original vision was very early 2000s metalcore (Zao, Undying, Prayer for Cleansing), but all four of us have similar but different tastes in metal so it’s been a blend of everything. I really like the sound we have developed.
Hazel: Oddly, the fact we met online, but realized we already kinda knew each other is just very…..MySpace. But when Nate reached out and mentioned Zao, I was sold.
Tyler: Nate said it. But, contrary to what Hazel said, I am the unknown outlier in terms of knowing each other previously. I have played drums in different genres, but never seriously/consistently as a metal drummer. I similarly had a gap in playing music, but have always been open to the right project coming along and love heavy shit. The vision was presented as metalcore, but has evolved to something hopefully more disgusting.
Nick: Nate messaged me, asking if I’d be up for starting a heavy project, and I couldn't resist. I’ve brought some of the riffs that I had written in my hiatus into this band, but most of it is just what sounds natural yet exciting at practice. We’re trying to keep things simple, but brutal.
5. Tell us about your first show!
Tyler: Nate set it up with Dickie.
Nate: Dickie and I have been friends since we were 15/16. He really wanted Wastrel’s first show to be with Endure, so he set this show up to celebrate his birthday and what better way than having our first show. We’re really excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on for the last 9 months. Dickie put a lot of work into this, I’m stoked.
Hazel: It’s pretty full circle for me. I haven’t played Geno's since I was 17, so having our first show there after all these years, and getting to share that with my kids, is just wicked.
Nick: All I can say is that it's going to be so cathartic to share and play these tunes in front of people other than just ourselves.
6. What are some future plans or goals you have for the band?
Nate: I just want to play, so I hope we get more shows. I love the writing process. We’ll definitely record at some point.
Tyler: More writing, more shows, and hopefully some dope pits.
Hazel: More shows, more doom. Keep writing, experimenting, and seeing how heavy we can get.
Nick: I’ll quote Nate on this one: “Taking over the world one VFW at a time.”
7. Spooky season is here. What are some of your go-to fall artists or albums?
Nate: Type O Negative is one of my favorite bands of all time, so they get extra play time in October.
Hazel: Fall is definitely doom season. Sleep, Faetooth, Kowloon Walled City, Dreadnought get a little more rotation. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds too, especially Murder Ballads. These slow, heavy riffs and just fits this time of year.
Tyler: Black metal.
Nick: Sabbath. The end.
8. What is an artist, album, or genre—or a couple—you love but that people wouldn’t necessarily expect?
Nate: I get a lot of shit from people (rightfully so) for going to see Dave Matthews Band every summer.
Hazel: Fiona Apple's When the Pawn is truly heavy as shit. We used to cover "On the Bound" in an old hardcore band I was in, and its choppy modality fit perfect. You run that piano track through a JCM2000 and no one would be the wiser…
Tyler: Jazz. Latin Jazz.
Nick: Night Rider, Cane Hill, Caskets, and Kingdom of Giants. chef’s kiss Sorry Nate, but those guys can belt out some melodies while holding down the heavy side. My guilty pleasures, if you will.
9. Do you accept Dickie from Endure’s thesis that there’s no such thing as mosh retirement?
Nate: If it wasn’t for extra strength Tylenol and Ibuprofen Dickie would be bed ridden like Grandpa Joe. Mosh retirement is real, unless The Acacia Strain is playing.
Tyler: As a glasses wearer, it’s not often, but not impossible.
Hazel: I wouldn't call it retirement. More of a seasonal migration.
Nick: That's the hilarious part of all this. I enjoy making stupid-heavy music, but I don't get in the pit. Made that mistake at Ozzfest one year during Chimaira’s wall of death. Almost had my thumb torn off. Playing is more important to me. If I couldn't play guitar anymore, I don't know how I’d cope with the day-to-day.
10. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Let’s close with a fun one: aliens have come to earth and have just heard about this thing called “moshing.” They don’t know what music you’d do it to or what it is. What three songs are you playing for them and what moves are you teaching them?
Nate: Those extraterrestrials are going to be crowd killing to… The Acacia Strain-“Dr. Doom,” Dying Fetus-“In the Trenches,” and Orphan-“Dying Light.”
Hazel: Escuela Grind’s “Concepts of God,” Botch’s “To Our Friends in the Great White North,” and Cephalic Carnage’s “Lucid Interval.” As for the moves, I’m not teaching them anything. They need to feel it out for themselves.
Nick: Unearth-“We Are Not Anonymous,” Heaven Shall Burn-“Trespassing the Shores of Your World,” and Hatebreed-“Worlds Apart.” No instructions needed.