BL’AST!ing Off!!!

A newly resurrected BL’AST! have been on quite a tear as of late, after more than a decade of dormancy. They’ve released archival material on the Blood album in 2013 and more recently released an alternate version of their classic LP The Power of Expression, called The Expression of Power, both out on the Southern Lord Records imprint. With a new line up they’ve just hit venues across the U.S. and Europe. Founding member and guitarist Mike Neider kindly took some time to talk to me about BL’AST!’s early days, their recent archival albums, and what the future holds for BL’AST!.

m[m]:For those who have been living under a rock, could you give our readers a little background on BL’AST!’s formation and where did the hyphenated name come from?
Mike:
We were a group of friends that had grown up together. That eventually resulted in creating BL’AST! Before technology hit we realized that blast was a bit common so an old BL’AST! member drew in the hyphen and explanation point to try to separate us from the rest.

m[m]:I’ll admit that I came across BL’AST! a little late in the game. I was obviously was aware of some of the seminal West Coast punk bands: Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Youth Brigade, etc. , but with BL’AST! I had to dig a little deeper. Do you ever feel like you guys were overshadowed by some of the other bands coming out of California during the 80’s?
Mike:
Well, we were real literal. It’s not easy music to get. We just wanted to do what we do in a non conventional way. We were on SST Records which had a wide array of incredible bands so we were placed kinda on our own with respect from Dukowski and Ginn. It’s a lot to take. It’s pissed and folks are now starting to get it.

m[m]:I guess everyone kind of waxes nostalgic on the particular scene and time period they discovered hardcore and then became heavily involved in. Given that it’s been over 3 decades since BL’AST!’s formation and you guys have seen music scenes ebb n’ flow over the years, were things “better” back in hardcore’s heyday? And now that BL’AST! is playing out again, what differences are you seeing between today’s scene and the 80’s?
Mike:
Depends, it was more of a mystery back then, which was cool. Today things are more accessible and allow more to jump in which is cool.

m[m]:Switching gears, BL’AST! has released material on Southern Lord the last couple years. How did you guys hook with them?
Mike:We have been friends with Greg Anderson for some time as he was going to BL’AST! gigs and dug the tunes. Then we developed a working relationship with our companies so we spoke weekly. I told him what we had discovered and he said send it down and see what it sounds like and he killed it.

m[m]:Last year BL’AST! released Blood, a collection of recordings from the 80’s that had never seen the light of day. How were these recordings discovered? Did you ever think restoring them might be a lost cause?
Mike:Well honestly SST seemed to never want to do anything with our records and we never expected anything. Bill Torgerson (former BL’AST drummer) found them as he had moved.

m[m]:What was the process like working with David Grohl to bring these recordings to life again?
Mike:
Nothing short of AMAZING! He was insanely generous and showed tons of respect as it had always been mutual. Incredibly talented and we are very appreciative. We have known Dave since the 80`s as we had played gigs together. Stoked for him and his success as he continues to shred!

m[m]:More recently, BL’AST! released The Expression of Power, alternate versions of your classic full-length The Power of Expression. Were these recordings easier to produce than the Blood material?
Mike: Much easier, Greg took all the recordings and worked on them with Brad Boatright at Audio siege for mastering. There was not much to work with, but for what it was they killed it.

m[m]:Has the BL’AST! well of archival recordings been tapped at this point or do you still have some material hanging around for future releases?
Mike: Well Manic Ride is what was supposed to be the next release, but we believe an ex-wife threw the tapes in a dumpsite. So to just remaster that wouldn't be sufficient release. We would have to re-record and that would be cool, but you lose the significance of that time.

m[m]:You’ve did some East Coast dates and  just completed European tour -who was involved in the line up on these outings and is this just the beginning of things to come? Can we expect new material in the future?
Mike: Its amazing band right now Nick Oliveri (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator) and Joey Castillo (Wasted Youth, Sugar Tooth, Queens of the Stone Age) joining BL'AST! has been nothing short of killer soundzzz. They have not played together since QOTSA and both are killing it. We are materializing with new tunes that we hope to have done soon. The new tunes are BL'ASTy! and due!

Thanks to Mike for his time & effofts with the interview. Both Blood & The Expression of Power  are now  on Southern Lord Records.  Bl’ast website is here, and their Facebook page is here