A FEW WORDS WITH LEAD SINGER FUGI LaPLANTE

IE: So, Providence RI? Can you tell us about what bands to look out for there… what venues to play…or not play? What’s Providence like for hardcore and punk rock these days?

Fugi: Ahhhhh, good ol' PVD.... The 401. We have got to have the smallest scene in the country with the biggest heart. When I say small, I mean I could rattle off the names of all the people you will see at a show!

Rhode Island had a HUGE scene in the 90's and kinda slowed down as we all got older (some never grew up, and others settled down for a while, like myself for a while). Things have been picking up big time though in the last 5 or so years. Maybe because our kids are getting older and as "grown ups" we are gaining some freedom back into our lives... Like taking my kids to shows, I get them involved as much as possible with music and arts. It's important to me... and to our scene that they know our roots.

Lots of cool bands around here too... One of my favorite RI bands right now is Last Words. Fucking class sound from them boys! Then we got Reason to Fight, A Dying Breed, For Tha Glory, Loud Ones, Trans Fats (I think they're still together) and Doosh Bucket (more of a death punk band but awesome none the less) to name off a few.... Oh and of course US! We play anywhere places will let us. We got Firehouse 13 in Providence along with Fête Lounge. Then we got Gus's Barroom & Bands (The GB&B) in West Warwick which is a smaller venue that holds about 60+ people or so. That's a cool spot. You put 60 fucking people in there and you can say you sold the place out! Hahaha.

IE: This past June you guys put out your first full length on CD the old fashioned DIY way. Can you tell us a little bit about it as well as what Held Hostage is all about musically and lyrically?

Fugi: Yeah.... “International Brotherhood of Hardcore”.... Man, were to begin? We have all always been a DIY bunch of dudes! No labels, no lies... (props to Sick Of It All). We saved all loot we made from gigs, merch and even dug into our own pockets to record and put this bad boy out. We recorded at Danger Sound Studio in Providence with our longtime friend, Joe Moody, who owns the studio. He is fucking insane as you can tell by the production. We recorded that whole CD in 16 hours. Then he mixed it down for us, gave him our feedback, mixed a little more, mastered it for us too and VOILÀ, our masterpiece!

Musically, we all have different roots but all have the same taste. I am an old NYHC kinda guy, Thommy and Matt too (with more metal roots). Reggie was a metal drummer when I meet him 25 years ago. (yup, we're all that old. I am the baby in the band at 38yrs old). Roger is "the new guy" to us all. The rest of us have known each other for many years but we didn't know Roger even though he is the old timer in the band. I think he will be 46 soon. Roger’s got that old death metal/thrash sound. You know, DRI to King Diamond kinda range on that guy. But he fits us perfectly like an old hat.

I don't even know where my lyrics come from.... I mean I know what the hell I am writing at the time but no fucking clue where the thought process comes from in the first place. We got tunes like "Soldier" that the lyrics just popped into my head one day when seeing a story on the news about PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and how our American Service Men And Women come home from war, serving and protecting our asses, then they get the shaft from the very same people they keep safe. Then we got a tune called “Strugglin' With Demons”, that is about all my friends that have it worse than we do... drugs, alcohol, suicide.... I guess lyrics just come from life and not just shit I write on paper. 

IE: You guys are obviously not some young kids doing this band in your garage after school. Taking into account jobs, family responsibilities and things along those lines what is a realistic goal with the band that you would like to achieve in the next year or two?

Fugi: All in all I guess we are happy were we are. We like being local. Touring is something we all dreamed of as kids but, at this stage, we love what we got.... If it happens, it happens. We are not "selling" ourselves to any label just to hit the road. If we can drive there and we all got the time, then fuck yeah, you’ll see us play. 

PHOTO BY: MusicInPictures.net