Extended Cut! The Story of DAMIEN MOYAL (As Friends Rust, Morning Again, Shai Hulud, Culture)

Episode Overview

• Damien Moyal provides a comprehensive oral history of his career, tracing his journey from his entry into the early '90s South Florida music scene to his roles in influential hardcore bands like Culture, Morning Again, and As Friends Rust.
• The conversation explores the formation and evolution of his various musical projects, highlighting the interconnected nature of the Florida hardcore scene and the distinct creative motivations behind each band.
• Moyal delves into his significant lyrical shift with As Friends Rust, moving from political commentary to a more vulnerable, introspective, and self-deprecating style that became a hallmark of the band.
• The discussion reflects on the chaotic, community-driven nature of early hardcore shows and contrasts it with modern online activism, which is a key theme on the new As Friends Rust album.
• Moyal provides updates on his current and upcoming projects, including new albums from As Friends Rust and Damien Done, a new death metal band called Ekstasis, and his zine "LORE," which documents Florida hardcore history.

Key Concepts

• Early Florida Music Scene: Moyal's initial exposure to local music was through Tampa's death metal scene, before discovering the tail end of the first South Florida hardcore wave. Early shows were characterized by a mix of genres, with punk, hardcore, and alternative bands playing together.
• Formation of Key Bands: The discussion details the origins of several influential bands, including Culture (formed with serious, immediate intent), Morning Again (conceived as a more metal version of Culture without the vegan straight-edge identity), and Bird of Ill Omen (an outlet for a darker, more unhinged sound).
• The "Cheers Years" of Hardcore: The mid-1990s in South Florida are described as a pivotal, close-knit period for the local scene, centered around venues like the "PR House" and characterized by strong community and crossover appeal between bands.
• Lyrical Evolution to Introspection: A major turning point in Moyal's writing was his conscious decision with As Friends Rust to "turn the mirror inward," focusing on personal, vulnerable, and relatable themes, often using self-deprecation and humor.
• Deconstruction of "Coffee Black": The iconic singalong from the As Friends Rust song was created simply through repetition, while the song's lyrics are a satirical critique of suburban archetypes who use "safe neighborhood" as a euphemism for a "white neighborhood."
• Artist's Detachment from Past Work: Moyal discusses his tendency not to follow the music of bands after he has left them, seeing it as a natural part of his forward-moving creative focus on new projects.
• Modern Activism and Hypocrisy: A central theme on the new As Friends Rust album is the critique of "armchair activism" and the conflict between presenting an activist persona online versus the personal comfort that often prevents real-world action.
• Preserving Scene History: Moyal's zine, "LORE," is dedicated to documenting the history of influential but overlooked Florida hardcore bands, such as Timescape Zero, whom he considers the "true progenitors of metallic hardcore in South Florida."

Quotes

• At 0:36 - "Thank you to every listener, every supporter, every guest, because without you, the podcast would not be what it is today." - Jeff Kaiser gives a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to the podcast's success.
• At 25:00 - "The first band that I remember being like, 'They're from here? From Florida?'... would have been like one of the Tampa like death metal bands." - Damien Moyal explains that his first awareness of a major local music scene was the Tampa death metal movement, not hardcore.
• At 26:38 - "You didn't make a distinction between what kind of band they were necessarily. So even though I was like super into hardcore... I still, you know, listened to the Pixies and I still listened to Sepultura." - Moyal reflects on the eclectic nature of the music scene in the early '90s.
• At 39:15 - "We have studio time booked in 10 days, we're going to record an album." - Moyal recalls the immediate and serious commitment of Culture right after he joined, a stark contrast to his previous bands.
• At 54:21 - "Let's do a band like Culture, minus all the vegan straight edge stuff... and also maybe minus like a lot of the melodic stuff and let's just do it like way more metal." - Moyal recounts John Wylie's pitch to start Morning Again after they had both left Culture.
• At 57:29 - "Those were kind of the Cheers years, I guess." - Moyal describes the close-knit, community-like atmosphere of the South Florida hardcore scene during the mid-1990s.
• At 1:00:08 - "This isn't a thing I did, it's actually a thing I do." - Damien reflects on the moment he realized that making music had transitioned from a hobby into a central part of his identity.
• At 1:02:21 - "I remember some of the Strongarm guys would be up front piling up and singing along with everybody else." - Moyal recalls the surprising crossover appeal of Morning Again's early music, noting how members of the Christian hardcore band Strongarm were fans.
• At 86:43 - "The bands that I've left... maybe it's a testament to like, maybe it's a good thing I'm not in those bands because apparently, I just didn't like the music enough, you know, to continue on as a fan." - Damien explains his tendency to not listen to his former bands' music after his departure.
• At 90:50 - "We were just trying to write something just way more dark and unhinged than some of the more controlled metallic hardcore stuff that we had been playing in other bands." - Damien on the musical motivation behind starting Bird of Ill Omen.
• At 93:51 - "I remember in between songs asking people to look around for a tooth... she found the tooth and handed it to me and I, I like stuck it back up there, and I remember for like three years it didn't budge." - Damien tells a story about knocking out his crown on stage during a chaotic show.
• At 97:31 - "I went to Europe with Culture in '97 and when I came back I was like, 'That's it, that's all I want to do now.' So I got to move to Gainesville." - Damien explains that his passion for Culture was the reason he relocated from South Florida to Gainesville.
• At 116:37 - "I'm going to... like, turn the mirror inward." - Moyal describing his conscious decision to shift his lyrical focus to be more personal and introspective with As Friends Rust.
• At 117:19 - "Maybe to save myself from being completely embarrassed about the lyrics, I'd make little jokes, you know, in the songs." - Moyal explaining his use of cheekiness and self-deprecation to make his vulnerable lyrics more approachable.
• At 123:15 - "Coffee Black is really just about kind of the the hordes of sort of suburban... the people who when they say 'it's a safe neighborhood,' they mean it's a white neighborhood." - Moyal revealing the satirical, anti-racist meaning behind the song "Coffee Black."
• At 131:52 - "I think As Friends Rust is probably the only band that... it's got to be me singing in it or it doesn't sound like the band." - Moyal reflecting on how integral his specific vocal character and lyrical style are to the identity of As Friends Rust.
• At 147:52 - "But...we're also really comfortable at home." - Damien contrasts the modern activist identity with the reality that personal comfort often takes precedence over taking direct action.
• At 148:50 - "We're all sort of showboating... we front, you know? We're...often trying to like portray ourselves as bigger kind of agents of change than...our penchant for being comfortable really allows us to be." - He reflects on the tendency for people to present a more activist persona online than they live up to in reality.
• At 164:09 - "It's always weird to me when hardcore bands complain about people getting up on the stage... to me the whole spirit that you're trying to tap into... is that sort of connectivity." - He explains that audience participation and breaking the barrier between the band and crowd is a core part of the hardcore spirit.
• At 177:15 - "New As Friends Rust record... will be called 'Any Joy.'... New Damien Done coming out in May, that's called 'Total Power.'... And then I'm doing a death metal band... that band is called Ekstasis." - Damien provides a comprehensive update on his upcoming music releases across three different bands.

Takeaways

• To transition a hobby into a career, you must recognize the moment it becomes "a thing you do" rather than just "a thing you did."
• Exploring different musical genres and projects allows an artist to express various facets of their creativity without being confined to a single identity.
• Turning lyrical focus inward to personal vulnerability can create a more disarming and relatable connection with an audience than purely external commentary.
• Don't be afraid to use humor and self-deprecation in your art; it can make difficult or deeply personal subjects more accessible.
• A memorable hook can be as simple as smart repetition; you don't always need complex writing to create something that resonates.
• It's healthy for artists to move on from past projects; focusing on new creative endeavors is a sign of growth, not disrespect for the past.
• The spirit of hardcore and punk rock is rooted in connectivity and breaking down the hierarchy between the performers and the audience.
• Critically examine your own online activism to ensure your actions align with your stated values and don't become a substitute for tangible support.
• Document and preserve the history of your local scene, as many influential pioneers are often overlooked by the broader historical narrative.
• Relocating or making significant life changes for the sake of your art can be a necessary step to fully commit to your passion.
• Allow your sound to evolve naturally; the unique styles of individual members (like a "hip-hoppy" drummer) can create a distinctive and memorable identity.
• Define the mission of a new project from the outset to ensure all members are aligned on the creative direction and goals.