Cutting Their Teeth

Adding a broader sense of meaning to oneself usually entails some serious intrinsic exploration, often accompanied by hours of yoga and coinciding deep meditation, the purpose of which is to let go of the daily grind and get in touch with some inner version of you that apparently suffers from various social phobias. However, for some people, meaning in life of a more classic fashion can be found in variations of heavy metal riffs and hardcore-infused rock ‘n’ roll. Let’s not indulge in a debate on which is the more respectable forum for all this. Let us instead at least admit to ourselves which is the more revered and championed, which would lead us to the dark and weary influence of the almighty metal song. Many budding musicians have succumbed to its beckoning and have made some damn good music in its wake. One such group is the Redding hardcore band, Till Death.
Till Death, who recently dropped the ‘Do Us Part’ from the end of their name, have been scorching through the typically hit or miss Redding, CA hardcore scene for the last two years. Cementing themselves as an extremely broad-based band appears to be a prominent concern for the group. Three members claim to be straight-edge and two, according to chief songwriter and lead guitarist Curt Baer “definitely are not.” Behind the persistent drive of Baer, Till Death has secured itself firmly atop the heap of NorCal’s many hardcore groups. Of course, for a hardcore band to exist in the all too conservative realm of Shasta County, you might venture to say that the group has been met with some resistance from local venues. Also rumored are some misconstrued rivalries with local indie rock bands, which Baer assures me is untrue. “There isn’t a whole lot of effort being made to put bands that are different on the same bills, so that’s kind of where the division is. Sometimes I won’t even hear about a show until after it happens. For the most part, anytime that different styles of bands play together, everything is cool,” asserts Baer. Certainly, the consensus seems to be that those who are into hardcore shows can really only watch them at the oft-shady Millville Grange Hall in Palo Cedro, but there is a reasonable explanation for that as well.
“I think that’s just a matter of booking. I know that my band and a couple of the other harder bands are actually banned from playing at the TAG [Teen Center in Redding, now known as The Space] because we were too hard and kids would start moshing and stuff. We can pretty much do whatever we want out at the Grange. It’s not really like an indie environment,” explains Baer.
There are numerous explanations as to why Till Death has become Redding’s premier metal/hardcore group. Perhaps the best reason is the fact that after the Redding hardcore boom in the late ‘90s, the genre laid low for a few years. It wasn’t until Till Death began booking hardcore shows again that a new generation of doe-eyed, ethically tattooed boys in black would again rise to the call. “Right now [the scene] is really strong and there are a lot of kids who come out and support shows. It’s a totally positive environment,” states Baer.
As with many young bands who are still developing their sound, lineup changes have been all too common with Till Death. They recently concluded a two-month long bassist search right on the heals of finally securing a trustworthy and enthusiastic lead vocalist in the form of Matt Briner. “[Matt’s] stage presence is 10 times better than any of the other guys we had before. His voice is rad and his lyrical ability is rad so hopefully he’ll take over and write all the songs in the future because I write all the music as it is,” states Baer. Another consistent contributor to Till Death’s raw sound is Curt’s younger brother Brett on lead and rhythm guitar. Equally talented and tattooed, the younger Baer apparently took some notes from his older brother on fluid, aggressive guitar chops and manic stage performance. “I started playing guitar a little before him and then I just kind of started showing him stuff. We both think along the exact same lines when it comes to guitar. The things I write he can immediately pick up and make better and we can just totally go back and forth and play off each other. I wouldn’t want anyone else in the band aside from him playing guitar, we just totally click,” explains Curt.
With an astounding lack of sibling rivalry, the group’s plan of attack seems to be that of virtually every local band, regardless of genre. “We definitely have touring plans coming up soon. We would love to be signed but that’s not our ultimate goal. Probably the ultimate goal we have is just to get our music out and get as many people stoked on it as we possibly can,” says Baer.
With an upcoming opening slot on the shocking Death By Stereo show at the Millville Grange Hall on July 26th, Till Death appears to be gearing for bigger and better things as the year treads on. The group’s name change, to them, exhibits their desire to instill a broader depth to themselves. It seems that with the natural talent being blasted into your eardrums at one of Till Death’s energetic live shows, along with it comes a unique urge to remain unfettered and indifferent to hardcore’s many coveted standards. It is with this urge in mind that Till Death should remain a band worthy of checking out in the years to come.

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