INTERVIEW
BULLET TREATMENT/ BASEMENT RECORDS
by Taron Cochrane, November 2006

Chuck, let's get my hardest question out of the way first, How's it going?

Chuck: - Going good my man, thanks for asking. I can't complain we're really excited about people hearing the new record.

Fans of Bullet Treatment may notice that you have a "revolving door" policy with your members. Can you explain why?

- Well my old band hadn't played in awhile and I wanted to start a new project but didn't want to deal with a bunch of headaches, egos, etc. all the typical drama of a band. I had been dabbling in producing and working on a few projects and started thinking about how a lot of my favorite bands didn't have the "original" lineups still together. You know kinda how
Jerry Only is going around as the Misfits, etc. thattype of thing. So I decided to start Bullet Treatment as a project that I was going to do and just change line-ups on different releases on purpose. I thought it might add a little bit of rawness to the band, keeping it fresh. I mean the way I do things is so ass-backwards. Half the time I go in with a drummer and record, then I fill in the bass player and the singer is always last to get in. Its not like these songs are even rehearsed before they go to tape which I think also gives the songs more life. It's like anything new is always more exciting so we try to keep it that way.

This Halloween (Oct. 31st) marks the long-awaited debut of the band's first full-length album, “The Mistake”. What can we expect?

- Well like I usually say on press releases or in interviews.....Expect the exact same thing as before. We don't try to pretend we're a new fad or we write some technically profound material, we sound exactly like what'd you expect from a hardcore punk rock band. Super fast, Super short, Super simple songs. I prefer to try and capture a certain feel as opposed to trying to be some savior to the music scene, we'll save that for the Major Labels. hahaha

From the reviews I have read, people are loving you guys. What separates Bullet Treatment from the pack?

- I think that honesty has a lot to do with it. Like I said we're not trying to be something we're not. Plus I think the fact that I haven't strayed from the style that I write. It'd be easy to start putting all these killer parts in songs and make people go "Oh Wow" did you hear that part…..Big frickin' deal I think that's my punk ethos talking there. When bands try and get
all tricky I do the opposite and get easier. I've got songs that have one note. Period !!! hahaha Oh and I’m sure there's a sense of what's to come next ???

The band's name incorporates a song by the Misfits, as well as, The Ramones. Are they your main influences?

- They are both huge influences on me personally although the name thing was kind of a fluke. A buddy & me recorded those two songs for a hidden track on a comp. (I dare anyone to find those) and a few people asked what the band was called I hadn't even thought of a name and as simple as putting two previous titles together out came the band name. Again goes back to not over thinking too much.

Due to the changing roster you obviously don't tour much, what do you find is the best way to get the word out there about the band?
- The best way is word of mouth. I'm always floored when someone in some foreign country emails me and tell me that his friend of a friend who has a cousin who's sister knows a guy who was with a hooker that had gone to school with the brother of a co-worker that got the "What More Do You Want?' cd and loved it. Seriously!

This isn't your only musical endeavor. You also run an amazing record label. Tell us about that.

- Well I started Basement Records when the previous label I was working for decided to go in another direction. Again I go back to more of a structure of doing what I wanted to do personally which may not have been the best route financially but I think that's part of what has gotten me where I’m at. Doing the Radio Disaster samplers got a lot of attention and
also I made a lot of new friends and contacts. Then releasing some vinyl and doing things that weren't conventional actually helped as well. And at a time when the musical outlook was different then what I was accustomed too, I decided to stick to the true grit of DIY punk rock bands like Bleeder Resistor, Supreme Commander, The Nipples, Grave for the Fireflies, Stabbed in Back, etc. We're more of a gang of sorts and look out for each other's best interests. And me doing the band thing the guys know that I know where everyone's coming from.

Any future plans you would like to leak (in confidence of course) in regards to, Basement Records?

- I've got a few things I'd like to do but have been so busy with the band stuff lately they've had to be put on hold. But there will definitely be some more Bullet Treatment stuff coming out very soon as well as maybe a few bands that you might not think fit into the mold of the label but are sure to be great.

Basement Records has been referred to as frenzied, disfigured punk rock. Does this hold true when deciding what bands to sign?

- Yes and No, depending on the meaning you're looking in to. That "slogan" of sorts is more a way of thinking then on style per se'. To me a Hip Hop band can be very punk rock just look at Ice-T or N.WA., or a metal band like Anthrax is very punk rock in their "we do what we want" attitude. So with that thinking it's more a mindset then anything else. I might release a jazz record and if the artist has a certain amount of individuality they're a fine fit for a label
that is Frenzied, Disfigured Punk Rock !

Running a label and being in a band must be very time-consuming. Any advice you can give on how you do it?

- Don't do it is the best advice! hahaha A super huge pain in the ole buttocks…… but when you love what you're doing you don't really think about it. I do have a lot of great help from a lot of great people. My wife does a lot and helps as much as possible as do some of the bands. Dan from Supreme Commander has gone way beyond anything I could imagine to help as has Tim from Stabbed In Back. We all know what it takes and the more we help each other the more we'll see the results. Bottom line is you can't just give up and call it a day, there's always something that needs to be done. For all the bands that just sit and wait for something to  appen, I hate to say it but you'll be sitting there a long, long time.

What has been your proudest accomplishment or achievement to date?

- It's a combination of the band and label. Although the label was more something I set out to do and wanted to be successful. The band has more or less taken on it's own course and I'd actually down the road like to get a version that I'm not in and can go out and tour. I'll still be involved in the writing, etc. But it'd be nice to get a few guys who could go out and tear everyone a new ass.

Thanks so much for the interview, Chuck. Any famous last words?

- Just want to say thanks for the time, it's guys like you that help bands and labels like myself get people interested in us. Much appreciated. Here's a famous last word "To Infinity And Beyond!"

Links:

http://www.bullettreatment.com

http://www.basementrecords.net