Psycotic Scum is an all female hardcore punk/crossover band from Whittier in California and this year they are celebrating their 20th anniversary.
During two decades the band played relentlessly, mostly DIY shows, and put out a few releases, including the amazing 2020 EP, "Holy Hypocrite", who made of our list of "best albums of the year".
We thought it was a great occasion to have a little chat with the band, to talk about their evolution and what motivates them to go on.
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First of all, congrats on your 20 years! That's an amazing milestone that you can be really proud of. We've seen so many hardcore punk bands come and go in much shorter amount of times. How does it feel to be celebrating two decades of Psycotic Scum?Crash: It’s unbelievable. Doesn’t feel that long but then again yeaaah…We’ve been through a lot. It feels great to say we’ve outlasted many.
Now not long ago you celebrated your anniversary by reuniting with your original singer, Kari Perez, for a show at the DIY punk festival, Circus of Disgust. How was the show and how great was it to have the full gang at it again?
Belen: It was fucking awesome to have us all back together. The energy was even heavier because the music got heavier, and the crowd response gave us even more life to hit harder during the performance. Los Angeles did not hold back and basically rioted in an empty lot that night. It was a good way to reconvene as a 4 piece once again.
So now let's go back in time for all our readers who don't have the chance to know you yet. When, where, and how did y'all meet and what was the main idea behind creating the band?
Myself (Crash-drums) and Kari(vocals)grew up on the same block in Lakewood, CA. We decided to form Psycotic Scum in 2002 at 11 and 13 years old. It was strictly for fun. No meaning behind it at the time. We had a few members that didn’t last too long. Around 2005-2006 my parents were going through a fucked up divorce and our home was empty, so I decided to trash it by throwing a gig. This is where I would stumble across our guitarist Stacia. Passed out behind my dad’s boat, I woke her up. Before I could even mutter the words “hey girl, you gotta go” She quickly responded with “where’s my phone?”(flip phone).I helped her get it out of her bag to call her ride and then she gave me her number to hang out sometime. She became our guitarist not long after that. A sort of similar situation happened between Kari and Belen meeting but in a more violent way….In 2011 we again went through another member and needed a bassist. We played a show in the La Puente area where an inebriated Belen pulled on the microphone cable of Kari, so she tossed her a little. They reconciled and Belen ended up trying out for the band not long after.
Back in the early 2000's, social media platforms weren't a thing, smartphones weren't even part of our lifestyles yet, so the DIY scene still had a whole different vibe to it. How would you describe the hardcore punk scene in LA back then?
Crash: Back then, the only way you knew a show existed was if you either heard of one by word of mouth, your homie had a flier, your homie was in a band, or you had an older family member who was into punk to show you what’s up.
In the early 2000’s I would describe it as:
-Roughcast
-Aggressive
-Unsympathetic
-Not as accepting
-Gross
Just 10 years ago, women in heavy bands were already a rare sight, so we can only imagine 20 years ago. How was an all female crossover band received in your scene?
Crash: We started out and stayed just punk rock for many years. One of the only all female punk bands in our area. In our earlier days, we definitely weren’t received well and literally had to fight our way to gain respect in the scene. To be completely transparent, we admit we weren’t the best but it our minds it was all in fun. We were also young and very hostile so if we heard anything said within arms reach, it was not going to slide by us.
What do you think about the progress that's been made to bring women and non binary artists to the front, and what do you think still needs to be done to create safer spaces for marginalized artists?
Belen: There is still work to be done. There are still misogynistic, outdated mother fuckers out there that have a hard time accepting women and non-binary individuals at the forefront. Women and nonbinary artists will continue to push through as creatives, and as long as we are present, the awareness will grow and acceptance will grow. Whether some don't accept it, we know it won't hold us back. Safer spaces can be created through advocacy and linking up with a supportive community.
Now during those 2 decades you clearly must have seen some crazy shit! Tell us, each of you, what's your craziest concert/recording/rehearsal/random memory.
Crash: For me, a crazy memory that I will never forget takes place back in 2007. We go on this mini tour with a fellow band to Arizona and end up getting shot at by ballers who were turned away by the owner of the house who’s gig it was at. After hearing the gun shots, I come running out and see a huge brawl between everyone and our singer Kari holding some guy up against our tour van by his throat and punching the shit out of his face. Through it all, none of us got hurt but the ballers ended up accidentally shooting one of their own. Idiots..
Let's talk about music now. What are the artists that without them, you wouldn't be playing heavy music and what are some that we would be surprised to find out you listen to?
Crash: We can all pretty much agree that System of a Down was an early influence for all of us. My style continues to evolve throughout the years. Personally, I would of never found my current style of drumming without: Germs, Black Flag, Rudimentary Peni, Vice Squad, SSD, Die Kreuzen, Bad Brains, RKL, White Pigs, Wasted Youth, Void, False Confession, Dr. Know, Cryptic Slaughter, Excel, Blazing Eye, Warthog, Armor, Electric Chair.. and I’ll just stop there.
Tell us what are your personal crossover classics and what upcoming bands in that genre have impressed you recently?
Crash: Personal classics include:
-Cryptic Slaughter
-D.R.I
-Corrosion of Conformity
-Excel
-S.O.D
-Razor
Recently impressed by Lifeless Dark- Who will be the Victims? 2018 demo
(Metal/punk/crossover)
Last December we heard a small cut of your new raw demo "Resuscitated", and it was brutal af! So was the artwork for it haha What was your vision behind that song and when is it "officially" coming out?
Crash: Thank you very much! Our vision for Resuscitated came out of becoming a 3 piece once our singer moved out of state. We used the meaning of Resuscitated as a metaphor for the band having a new start or coming back to life. Our music style got darker, more evil, and heavier due to the 3 of us combining our similar interests in music taste at that time. The Demo was supposed to be release in January but hey, life gets in the way. There is no set date at the moment but what we can say is the raw demo is 90% ready.
What are your plans for the rest of the year and can we expect to see you in Montreal one day?
Belen: We will be releasing the RESCUSCITATED demo to cap off the newest material we have written. Along with the music release comes promotion and a few last shows to end the year. Montreal would be badass but with criminal records, we're not so sure we can get past the border! Hahahah
Is there any advice you can give to all the young women out there who would like to start a heavy band?
Crash: Stay committed, take it serious early on, know your worth, you don’t have to show your tits or ass if you don’t want to, to get known, and don’t get pregnant. Lol
We are pretty sure the band wouldn't be here today without the help and support of many people, so we give you the final word, for all the shoutouts you'd like to say.
Shout out to the photographers/videographers who’ve documented our journey, to the promoters who’ve given us great opportunities, and shout out to anyone who has had a fist up for us throughout all these years. They all know who they are.
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