Dead Boy Productions

 

03/29/07
Hell Cesar

Dead Boy Productions with Mark of The Unseen

I'm here with Mark from The Unseen.  
How long has The Unseen been around now?

Fuck, about 13 years now, we started when we were in high school.  
 
So what are you guys up to these days?

Right now we are finishing our new album, it will be done in a few weeks. It will be out in June.  
 
How is Hell-Cat treating you guys?

Fucking amazing. So many great people that care about what we do and help us a lot.   
 
How was the opportunity to move to Hell-Cat presented?

Well, a few ways, it just kind off all lined up. First Brett G. owner of Epitaph/Hell-Cat/member of Bad Religion wanted to sign us on Epitaph, at the same time a friend of mine and also a friend of Tim Armstrong, was trying to get me in touch with Tim about Unseen being on Hell-Cat. Well, after a while I was like this is odd Brett wants us on Epitaph and Tim wants us on Hell-Cat. In the end we chose Hell-Cat because Hell-Cat is a part of Epitaph records so this way we get to work with Brett G. and Tim, a. hope that makes sense. The deal was finalized through my buddy Dave who is good friends with Tim. He kind of got a lot going for us.   
 
Was it a big change going to Hell-Cat?

Yes, right away I saw a difference we got on better tours, had better distribution especially in other countries. One of our big problems for years was no one outside America could get our albums. Epitaph-Hell-Cat has great distro.  

Did your fans care at all?

We got so much shit. We always do. We got it when we did warped tour; we got it when we made a video and a ton of other times we got shit. We have been a band for a long time and for us to continue to grow we decided to try new things. We wanted to be a band like Social Distortion or Motorhead, a band that takes different chances. The first real thing we started doing was when we started playing with bands that were a bit different instead of just playing with Aus-Rotten, the Pist, or the Casualties.   
 
You guys toured around with a good amount of bands now; which ones stand out in your mind?

Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, those stand out because people were like your gonna tour with those tough guy bands, I bet they are fuckin assholes. Truth is all three of those bands are full of amazing people that are some of the nicest most respectful human beings we have toured with. Also huge standouts are Rancid, Dropkick Murphys Casualties, Ram Allah, Anti-Flag, all great bands and good friends of the unseen.  
 
Bands you haven't toured with and want too?

Its tough we have played with a lot of bands sometimes its warped tour or just one show so it almost does not count. Lets see I’d love to play at least one gig with Danzig and Social Distortion. They are huge influences on me. Also I’d love to do a tour with Bad Religion. We are doing Warped with them and have in the past but I’d like to do a tour just Unseen and Bad Religion in a club.  
 
What kind of fans do you get coming to the shows now? Touring with bands like Tiger Army exposed you to other genres, did some kids rub off on you?

Yeah, we have some fans now that are not punk. It's been happening for like four years now with us. We have been getting skater kids and hardcore kids, to me it's cool. Part of me being into punk was not all about fashion or even music it was about class or state of mind. I can relate to a poor kid who has no father and a mom that's hooked on drugs and needs aggressive music to get through the day as much if not more then a suburban middle class kid with a huge Mohawk that has no ideas of what real tragedy is. I'm not trying to talk shit on punks I have been one for a long fuckin time I'm just saying I think a lot of punk kids are real narrow minded sometimes thinking, “Oh that kid is wearing sneakers and baggy pants why the fuck does he like the unseen.” To me punk has always been about attitude and in a way hardship. More than about 100 dollar pants. 
 
Mark, do you still play drums every now and then?

No. I have my kit, but I never play, I miss it. I kind of suck now ha-ha I got no stamina. If anyone needs a drummer get in touch ha-ha.  
 
Do you guys party much on the road?

It depends on how you describe party. Some of us drink everyday on tour. Sometimes all of us a bit too much, but we don't do coke off strippers tits or throw mad ragers. We are more the type of band to hang at a bar a few hours then get wasted at a hotel; usually just the band members drunk watching TV.  
 
Favorite Horror Flick?

Tough one, I can't pick one. Omen, Psycho, Event Horizon, the first Nightmare on Elm Street.  
 
Tell us what is in The Unseen's near future?

Finish this album, do warped tour.  

It's been great. Thanks, any last words?

Thank god creepy emo screamo is not hip anymore.