Last month, our friend Eric Rinebold mentioned interviewing Mike D'Aquilante , one of the brains behind the incredible "Stones To Mark A Fire" compilation. He completed it over a month ago and sent it over (I've just been busy) so here it is in all it's glory. A big thanks to both Eric and Mike for taking time out to do this.
Back in
the 90s, any self-respecting vegan-straight-edge kid had 3 records in their
collection: Earth Crisis’ Firestorm, Unbroken’s
Life.Love.Regret. and the comp, Stones to Mark a Fire, which was a
collection of 19 songs in support of animal rights activist Rod Coronado, who
was serving a sentence for his involvement in some illegal activities resulting
in the sinking of a whaling ship.
Stones was a masterpiece among slop when
it came to comps back in the 90s. And it was full of bands of various styles from
the heavy chugga chugga masters Earth Crisis, to emo newcomers Rain Still
Falls, to metalcore legends Abnegation- there was something for just about
anyone, including a reggae song by Captive Nation Rising. No song disappointed
and no other comp was able to live up to its’ standards and that is why I still
to this day listen to this comp on a regular basis.
I was
asked to do an interview with Mike D'Aquilante from Vegan Earth Order and such
bands as Ritual, Reveal, Encounter, and Abnegation. So after a few weeks of
back-and-forth emails I give you this interview which I hope will help shine
some light on the how’s and why’s Mike put together this legendary comp. Enjoy!
Can you give us a
little history behind how the CD came to be?
The
concept to do a comp to somehow benefit Rod Coronado was originally Brian from
Militant Records idea. We talked about it during a tour he (Brian) set up for
my band (ritual) and Abnegation one summer. We really wanted to put something
out that was free from all the record label drama and make something, like a CD
or LP, that would come from the scene
and go right back to it; that the scene would be supporting Rod and be the ones
who donate. We decided early on to get as many bands as possible and figure out
how to pay for it somehow. We wanted to do a double LP with a zine inside- but
the cost kept us from doing that. We chose to keep it simple and cheap so there
would be more to donate to Rod. There was never a question about donating
either. It was decided at the onset to donate any and all profit to Rod
somehow. Sean from Militant Records liked the idea as well and was helping us
all along the way. Brian had connections from his Militant Records label and I
had some connections from selling Vegan Power shirts. We figured we could sell
at least 1000 of them and decided to press it as soon as we could get it
together. All things considered- the entire comp came together pretty fast with
relatively little hassle.
Can you explain
briefly what Rod's story was for those that may not know the story behind the
comp?
Rod has
been an animal activist since he was a teenager. He was part of the Sea
Shepherd crew and in 1986, carried out an action against some Icelandic whaling
ships and whaling station that resulted in sinking two ships and over 2 million
dollars’ worth of damage. The most intriguing part of his activism story
happened in 1995 when he was convicted and sentenced to 57 months in prison for
his connection to an ALF action against a Michigan State University research lab
and the release of mink from a research farm facility. That action is where he
refused to divulge any details of anyone’s involvement.
Why did you choose to
use the profits to benefit Rod Coronado instead of another animal rights
activist or group at
the time?
Rods
story was an inspiration to us at the time. He was willing to give up his
freedom to protect anyone involved in a direct action and it brought to light
the power of the movement as well as the dedication of the activists. When many
were throwing rocks at McDonalds and gluing locks of fur stores, Rod was
putting his freedom on the line for animals. We just wanted to show that a
grass roots effort could be meaningful. I knew that we couldn’t really make
much money (after the costs of production) to aid in Rod’s defense or anything
like that- so we made up our minds to donate the money to his family to use it
for books or anything Rod would have need of while in prison. While we were all
involved with animal rights groups- we believed that Rod was a great guy to
support because he chose to remain silent and refused to sell out those
involved.
Other
comps (Voice of the Voiceless) kind of already made an effort to raise
awareness and support for a bunch of animal rights groups so we didn’t need to
do what they already did. We knew that the profit would not be huge and to
spread it out would mean that it would be spread too thin to count. We saw Rod
as someone that the public would know and that the movement would admire. We
wanted to show that we could attempt to take care of our own in our own way.
What was it about
Rod’s story that stood out for you?
I was
inspired by his openness and willingness to take the heat and do the time. He
wasn’t afraid of the legal system and the consequences of his actions. That’s
why we supported him. He did the crime and was more than willing to do the
time. I felt that if the movement was going to accomplish anything, it wouldn’t
be because a bunch of kids sent letters with XveganX stickers on them or even
printed a t-shirt (like I did)- but by people taking action and facing up to
it. It was one thing to sing along to an EC song and a much different thing to
follow through with a lifestyle of change that furthered the cause of animal
rights.
Why did you choose
the title “Stones To Mark A Fire”?
There was an article written
somewhere about the Middle East struggle and the Jewish nation called 12 Stones To Mark A Fire. It was one of
the first things I read as a young punk rocker that opened my mind to the
suffering and struggle for freedom around the world. I knew that as a middle
class white kid in the US, my perspective on the real world was skewed and
simple minded- but this concept of freedom and liberation was something that
sprang from my heart when my eyes were opened. The title was chosen as a sign
to scene that the struggle against an oppressive society and for the animals
was a “fire” and the songs -and even the individuals- were the “stones” set out
to mark the struggles existence. It wasn’t intended to imply a connection- but
rather to emphasize the human condition that cries out for freedom on behalf of
those who can’t do it for themselves. Even to this day- the idea of the human
struggle for freedom is something that rings out in my heart. I believe that God
put this longing inside of each person and we struggle in an effort to find
freedom. It’s the idea that we were made for eternity and our striving here on
earth is only meant to evidence this. So we exist in God’s Kingdom as a “here
and now” as well as a “not yet” reality. This is the fire that burns
inside….the quest for eternity placed inside our hearts by God himself.
Is there any history
or story behind the artwork you used on the CD, either the sleeve or the CD
face?
The art
was done specifically for this comp by a guy named Paul who was part of the
Native / Animal Brotherhood from Canada. I asked him to create something that
would speak to the concept of the comp and the struggle associated with it. He
made the art as an expression of his native heritage and was symbolic to his
culture- from the colors to the imagery and layering. He is an awesome guy who
was excited to take part. He was hard (nearly impossible) to correspond with –
so even though my intention was to involve his activist efforts in the comp, we
couldn’t get it together to include any resources from him other than the
artwork.
The cd
face was a photo of a whaling ship that was sunk by Sea Shepard- the instance
that Rod was serving time for because he refused to cooperate or give any
details about the incident and those involved.
Are there any bands
that you wish you could have worked with or tried to get on this project that
fell through?
Not one band we asked backed
out or fell through. We had an open door policy with the bands- if they were
cool with donating a song, not making any money or having any for free, and
would sell some- they could get on the comp. Once we had a few better known
bands on it, we had no problem getting more. Brian and I only wanted to sell
them via mail or at shows and did not want a barcode on the cd or any crazy
packaging, We chose to get the cover printed and insert copied and just slipped
it into a clear bag that we sealed with stickers from Kroger. Some bands
thought it was crazy- but we just told them that this was for Rod and not for
our egos- take it or leave it. Many times I would check my Vegan Earth Order PO
box and find a DAT tape with a note saying “please put us on your comp”.
What were/are the
standout songs for you? Why?
I liked nearly every song on
the comp and spent a long time getting it mastered. I was careful about the
placement of songs and tried to give the lesser known bands good slots so
people might be inclined to listen rather than skip them. By far- my absolute
favorite- hands down- was the Abnegation song. When I heard it- I immediately
called Iggy and tried figuring out a way to move to Pittsburgh to play bass for
them…which I actually did. That song pummeled me and even topped the Earth
Crisis song (in my opinion). Even though we were super excited to get the EC
song and were glad they chose The Order- I was still crazy for Hopes of
Harmony. The EC song was the only track we paid for since the band had to go to
the studio and were already signed. Brian Militant even had to argue with Tony
Victory about using anything from the band. It came down to Brian just being
like “look – we paid for it, they didn’t record it for you- too bad”.
Many of
the songs were from friend’s bands so I was grateful for each submission- bands
like Stedding (Shane from GateKeeper) and Rain Still Falls (I was in Encounter
with Joel) and our UK friends in Statement and Unborn. The comp was far more
than just a bunch of songs to us- it was an expression of friendships and
mutual support. Even now- these friendships carry on. I speak to Karl EC often
and encourage him while he is on tour (like a band pastor). I hear from Iggy
and we joke about Abnegation shows and life in PGH. I still visit with Joel and
we exchange pictures of our kids all the time.
Can you explain why
the CD was repressed under the “Ceremony of Fire” name?
Interesting topic.
Well….Sean Uprising was onboard to help us put the comp out and donated the
epic Captive Nation Rising song – but fought us all along the way for our dumb
ideas and punk attitude. We wanted it to be easy to buy- no scam with the price
printed on the cover- and no bar codes. Funny to think- but he wanted the comp
to be sold in stores and marketed well….I assume because he wanted to make as
much profit as possible to donate. Brian and I did not in any way want to deal
with stores or any “real” distro companies – just the scene ones who understood
what we were doing. Sean was helping us coordinate the printing and stuff and
was taking forever- since he was working on tons of other projects. Finally- to
keep the project rolling, we told him to go ahead and coordinate a store
version of the comp that would be the same- just retail ready. After even more
delays for our covers- we see that he redid the comp, added and subtracted
bands, and even used a similar name. In a bizarre twist- people actually thought
our comp was a rip off of his. No big deal though- ours still had the vibe we
went for and his was pretty weird.
One of my favorite
tracks on the CD is by Vigil but I never heard anything else by them. Do you
know if they ever did
anything else? And weren’t they ex-members of Conviction (another great
90s band)?
One of my favorites as well.
Jim winters was in Conviction and by far one of my favorite guitar players in hardcore.
We spoke on the phone every so often back then and he mentioned that he was
working like crazy to get Vigil started. So we just planned from the get go
that we would include whatever he could get recorded. Jim is a great guy. Not
sure what ever happened with Vigil or what they did besides play a few shows.
One of the best
things about this comp was that you not only worked with new and non-established
bands, but you also made a point of working with bands that played varied
styles way outside the box of hardcore (Shenoem, Captive Nation Rising, etc).
Was this because your personal tastes were so varied or because you felt that
the project needed the various styles to appeal to a wider group of people?
Honestly- all we wanted to
do was work with bands that had enough heart to participate in the effort to
support Rod. We had no idea that so many different styles would come together-
but we were very happy to include every song that was sent to us. We never
wanted to cut any songs or remove one or anything like that. If we had time and
money- we would have done a second CD to accommodate more bands. We just wanted
the comp to come out fast. The comp was like us sending a letter to Rod saying-
“check this out- all of these kids support you and want you to have some things
you need while in prison”. We included
anyone who sent a track because we felt that if anyone they knew bought the CD
because of them, even a few, it would only add to the donation we could make.
We didn’t ask any questions as to what the band believed….we just asked for
their song.
It's
interesting that you say that the Abnegation song was your favorite (so much so
that you moved to Pittsburgh to join the band!) because at the time that song
stood out to me the most because out of all the songs by bands I didn't know on
the comp (most of them), that song blew my mind. The intro just came out
blasting and it reminded me a little of Carcass at the time, which was just a
bonus since I came to hardcore through death metal. Were there any bands that
were new to you on the comp that blew you away as well?
Yeah- I
really liked the Abnegation song because it was finally their “own” sound. They
were playing the chugga chugga stuff for so long and when they finally broke
out and played what came natural- it was solid. I really loved Stedding too.
Kind of a Syracuse version of Sunny Day
Real Estate for me. That demo was great and Shane is a great guy. I wore out
the cassette and have since lost it.
Anything else
you want to add about the process, history, story that you feel like people
should know?
Not
much else really. Other than the fact that even though so much of my youth was
spent devoted to the animal rights cause, I’ve since seen that my “creature
worship” was far less important than “Creator worship”. By that, I don’t mean
to diminish or dismiss those that are still involved with animal welfare
causes, I just felt that my own personal involvement was misdirected. This view has made plenty of old friends walk
away from me and made others pretty hostile towards what they consider me
selling out. I was a very strong and outspoken vegan that got heavily involved
in animal issues. But I feel like God revealed to me that it was my pride- not
the environment or animals- that I was serving. While I understand that the
animals don’t care why I don’t eat them, my diet was not the problem….the
problem was me all along. Though I feel that one can be meat free and support
humane animal treatment, I also know that God is more concerned with what comes
out of our mouths rather than what food goes in. I choose to serve Jesus and
not man- and this challenges me to be a good steward of His creation. But I
also cannot put the creation above its Creator. It’s ok if others don’t get
that. I wish they could, but we are all on separate journeys. I may be a
sellout since I don’t fight against the “machine” like others do, but I believe
that the liberation of people’s souls through faith in Jesus is the purest form
of revolution anyone can fight for.