I discovered Portrayal of Guilt a year or two ago when their first 7" first hit the web and I saw a lot of people chatting about them. After checking it out, it was clear to me that the band definitely lived up to the hype, delivering a powerful brand of emotional hardcore.
When I saw they were touring right away I was super stoked and tried to bring them through Detroit. Unfortunately, schedules didn't work out so I wasn't able to make it happen, but in talking to Matt a little bit I realized I had actually booked his old band Illustrations a few years back when they were on tour with the mighty Seizures.
I figured now would be a good time to check in on Portrayal, as they just recorded a new record with Matt from Majority Rule and seem like a band set to make some big things happen in 2018.
Talk a little bit
about your family and childhood. What was your upbringing like and what
presence (if any) did music have in your house as a kid?
My childhood and upbringing were pretty “run-of-the-mill” in
my opinion. My parents divorced early on, so I spent time at both houses.
Neither of them really exposed me to any music in specific. They would play
music around the house from time to time, but I thought nothing of it. I wasn’t
really interested in music until I started skateboarding & discovered
everything I listened to on my own time.
Alright so how did
you gravitate to skateboarding and who were some of the first bands that
started catching your attention through that whole realm?
I started skateboarding not long after Tony Hawk’s Pro
Skater came out in ‘99. I’m sure many can relate to that. Through those games I
discovered bands such as AFI and Suicidal Tendencies, among others. The Girl “Yeah
Right!” video introduced me to Interpol and Le Tigre, bands I’ve continued to
enjoy throughout the years. The list goes on...
So what was the next
step for you in terms of starting to go to shows? What were some of the first
bands you saw, venues you were going to, and what impressions did those
experiences have on you?
The first band I saw live was The Jonbenet at The Sanctuary
in San Antonio. Of course I’ll never forget that, though everything to come
after is a blur. Shows weren’t as inspirational to me as music was. I had a
friend living with me around the time I first started going to shows who left
me with his entire hard drive of music, containing bands such as Yage, Pg.99,
Majority Rule, Funeral Diner, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Hot Cross, Neil
Perry, La Quiete, Raein, among plenty of others. This was my first exposure to
any sort of heavy, emotional music. I went through plenty of phases between
then and now, but this music has always been very dear to my heart.
So at what point did
you pick up an instrument, and when did you first start playing in bands?
I started playing bass in high school when I was living in
the UK. It was around then that my interest in music started to grow and I
eventually picked up guitar, though these were just hobbies back then.
I was asked to play in my first band not very long after I
started going to shows in ‘06 and played in a few throughout the years until
starting a band called Illustrations in 2010. That project ended abruptly last
year, spawning Portrayal of Guilt.
What lead to you
living in the UK and how long were you there? What are some of the similarities
and differences you've noticed, both in terms of broad cultural differences as
well as how the music scenes tend to operate?
My dad was stationed there for work and felt it was best if
I was out there with him, though I hated every minute of it. Not the location,
just the general situation. We were out there for two years. To be honest, I
was so out of my head during that time that I couldn't explain the experience
even if I wanted to. Plus, I hadn't been to any shows yet. It was a rough time
for me.
Yeah I wanted to ask
about Illustrations....I know you guys had been at it for a while and put out a
full length last year, did some touring (Fall of Troy?), but it seemed like
once I saw Portrayal form I never heard about Illustrations any more. What happened?
Creative differences.
Word. So talk about
the formation of Portrayal. What sort of
influences/vision did you guys talk about when the project took root?
James was drumming in Illustrations near the end of the band
and we had already spoken with Blake about starting another project a couple of
months before the band had actually ended. As I mentioned before, I've always
been keen on emotional, dark and dissonant sounding music thanks to my early
exposure to the genre. There was no real vision involved until we finished
writing our self-titled EP. I think that release speaks for itself.
You've definitely hit
it hard in terms of touring thus far. What have been some of your best
experiences on the road up to this point and how has being so active so quickly
impacted the dynamics within the band?
I can't even describe what experiences might've been
"best" while on tour, because they're all equally amazing. We knew we
wanted to travel with this band, so that's what we're doing. It's good to get
some experience traveling together so early on because it helps us figure out
if we can handle each other for long periods of time. From the two tours and
other travelling we've done as a band thus far, I can say that we are
dynamically at our best when we're together.
Correct me if I
haven't followed correctly, but the EP was initially co-released by Contrition
and Miss the Stars, and once that sold out you guys repressed it DIY and are
having Deathwish help with distribution. How did your relationship with DW
coming together, and will you guys continue to collaborate with them going
forward?
Right. Deathwish contacted us just before the first pressing
sold out about helping us do a second, which included an exclusive vinyl color.
Though we are eternally grateful to them for helping us keep the record in
press, we wanted to keep our options open. We'll see what happens.
So let's talk about this
new record you just tracked. What was the writing process like and what new
elements (if any) were you guys trying to bring into the equation?
We practice almost weekly when we're home, which is when
we're writing. That's basically how it goes. After we released the first EP,
our friend Rick joined the band doing samples and electronics. I work on a lot
of that stuff when I'm home, as does he and we've been slowly introducing it
into our music.
I was of course very
stoked to notice that you've been working with Matt from Majority Rule on the
recording. Maybe I've been sleeping over
the years but I've never known him to be someone who works as an engineer. What was it like to work with him and what
sort of things has he been bringing to the table?
At the last show of two with Majority Rule on our most
recent tour, Matt had mentioned that he recorded out of his basement and that
it'd be cool to record some demos. We didn't really have any confirmed plans to
record our album yet, but knew we needed to as soon as possible, so I mentioned
that we could potentially make it happen when we passed through the D.C. area
on that same tour, so we did.
The demos we recorded with him came out insanely well, so
after we got home we set up some time to fly out and do the album there.
Working with him was great. We bounced ideas off of each other throughout the
process and we're more than happy with the result. Everything came together so
naturally that we ended up recording the entire thing in two days.
Europe with Centuries
is coming up of course...how did you guys connect with them and what are you
most excited/nervous about as you get ready to embark on crossing the pond?
Have any of you guys ever toured Europe before or will this be a first?
A few months ago or so we received an e-mail from Joe of
Stateless Society about touring in Europe in 2018. After a few e-mails back and
forth, he mentioned he was also looking to book a tour for Centuries and asked
if we would be interested in doing a tour together.
I had actually booked Centuries in Austin years ago and at
this point I've known a couple of those guys for quite a while, so when the
opportunity was presented, it just felt right.
I don't think we're nervous, just excited about being able
to play for people who haven't seen us before, like any other tour. I've toured
in Europe before in other bands and the experience was amazing, so I'm eager to
get back there.
What sort of
lyrical/conceptual themes can people expect to see in the new material and what
people/events/circumstances may have inspired that content?
A lot has happened in the past year and the lyrics are a
personal reflection of that.
I know you mentioned
you wanted to keep options open in terms of who might be releasing the next record...are
you guys talking to/hoping for anyone in particular or are you considering
self-releasing again?
We have a few things in mind, but we're never opposed to
self-releasing our own music. We prefer to work with our friends and people who
truly believe in what we're doing.
Last question: what's
one thing you're bummed about in punk/hardcore today, and one thing that's
inspiring to you in punk/hardcore today?
That's a good question. I'm bummed about a few things, but
I'll address one.
In the punk and hardcore scene, especially where we're from,
it's very cliquey. (Most) people and bands seem to shut out others if they
aren't cut from the same cloth. I've seen this happen far too often and that's
something I have a problem with. I feel like the scene needs to be more
open-minded to other styles of music and interests aside from their own. We
should all be able to coexist.
What's inspiring to me is to see more bands doing what they
want to do, answering to no one but themselves and being successful while doing
it. That's the dream.
