I first heard Siege when I bought the compilation ‘Cleanse The Bacteria’ on Pusmort Records. It was an album that gave a great overview of the new hardcore bands emerging at the time, including the likes of Poison Idea, 7 Seconds, Corrosion of Conformity and Septic Death. But even amongst such company, Siege stood out. Their music was brutal and almost industrial in its’ unrelenting assault. However, while all of the other bands went on to release records of their own, Siege seemed to disappear. It wasn’t until some time later that I came across a bootleg EP containing tracks that the band had originally made available as a cassette. The sound quality wasn’t perfect, but the tracks were just as impressive. Of course, in those pre-internet days, it was difficult to find-out much about the band, but over the years the basic story came together. They had originally formed in Weymouth, Massachusetts during 1981, but it wasn’t until 1984 that they began recording demos and playing live. However, only a year later, they split-up after singer Kevin Mahoney failed to appear for a show at CBGB’s in New York.
After this, there was a brief reunion in 1991 with a different vocalist, Seth Putnam, but it lasted even less time than the first incarnation. Finally, in 1994, an official compilation of the demos and compilation tracks was released by Relapse Records. Since then, these tracks have been reissued several times until, most recently, Deep Six records arranged to have them remastered from the original tapes and also included three previously unreleased tracks to create a definitive Siege album.
Original members Kevin Mahoney and Robert Williams collaborated on an album as The Spoils, released by Deep Six in 2007, which inevitably started rumours circulating that a Siege reunion might be on the books. But these hopes were dashed in 2011 when Mahoney died from diabetes complications and his short-time replacement, Seth Putnam also died from a suspected heart attack.
So it came as quite a surprise when, in 2016, they announced their reformation featuring original members Robert and Kurt Habelt, as well as new vocalist Mark Fields, guitarist Chris Leamy and bass player Paulie Kraynak. Their first show was a co-headline with Infest (just imagine how great that must have been !) and they also played their first ever UK shows in Leeds during November 2016. But us soft-southerners had to wait all the way to September 2017 when, as part of what was announced as their final tour, the band finally made it to London for a date at The Dome.
After sending emails in numerous directions, I was finally contacted by their tour manager, Federico, who said that Robert would be happy to do interview and all I had to do was turn up for the soundcheck…
On the day of the gig, however, things didn’t go entirely smoothly. Having driven all the way from their previous gig in Bordeaux, they unsurprisingly arrived slightly later than planned, but regardless and despite the delay, they remained true to their words and, after completing their set-up, I met with Robert and, making the best of the warm evening, found a suitable place to sit and chat outside (the poor chap had been confined in a van for the whole day, after all !)
After this, there was a brief reunion in 1991 with a different vocalist, Seth Putnam, but it lasted even less time than the first incarnation. Finally, in 1994, an official compilation of the demos and compilation tracks was released by Relapse Records. Since then, these tracks have been reissued several times until, most recently, Deep Six records arranged to have them remastered from the original tapes and also included three previously unreleased tracks to create a definitive Siege album.
Original members Kevin Mahoney and Robert Williams collaborated on an album as The Spoils, released by Deep Six in 2007, which inevitably started rumours circulating that a Siege reunion might be on the books. But these hopes were dashed in 2011 when Mahoney died from diabetes complications and his short-time replacement, Seth Putnam also died from a suspected heart attack.
So it came as quite a surprise when, in 2016, they announced their reformation featuring original members Robert and Kurt Habelt, as well as new vocalist Mark Fields, guitarist Chris Leamy and bass player Paulie Kraynak. Their first show was a co-headline with Infest (just imagine how great that must have been !) and they also played their first ever UK shows in Leeds during November 2016. But us soft-southerners had to wait all the way to September 2017 when, as part of what was announced as their final tour, the band finally made it to London for a date at The Dome.
After sending emails in numerous directions, I was finally contacted by their tour manager, Federico, who said that Robert would be happy to do interview and all I had to do was turn up for the soundcheck…
On the day of the gig, however, things didn’t go entirely smoothly. Having driven all the way from their previous gig in Bordeaux, they unsurprisingly arrived slightly later than planned, but regardless and despite the delay, they remained true to their words and, after completing their set-up, I met with Robert and, making the best of the warm evening, found a suitable place to sit and chat outside (the poor chap had been confined in a van for the whole day, after all !)
The first thing I wanted to ask about was what were the influences or inspirations when Siege first began playing together ? The music was radically different to most of the punk or hardcore bands already established at the time, much faster and more brutal than anyone else had played before then…
‘Actually, there was one occasion that was very influential when I was a child. I saw a military-style patriotic parade and they had these incredibly loud drums, which were almost traumatizing for me at the time. But the clumsy flag-waving that went along with the parade also outraged me. Even at that young age, I was able to see the thin, flimsiness of that kind of nationalism and patriotism. But it was a lot later on, when we started to get into punk, that I became very influenced by Discharge. Particularly the ‘Why?’ record and the ‘Hear Nothing’ album, as they were more than just music, they were works of anti-war propaganda. When I saw those covers and heard that sound… it was so dissonant, abrasive and powerful, totally unlike any other music that I’d heard up until then. I’d also been lucky enough to be at the first Boston performance by Minor Threat, while I was still a kid. That was my first live hardcore show and it had a form of aggression that was unseen anywhere else in music or culture at that point. And I know this is an overused term now, but everything at that time was DIY. To find-out about a show, you had to spot a flyer on a phone-pole. Kids were renting their own halls so that bands could play. It was a very, very special time to be getting into seeing live music, writing or recording your own music, and also to be getting into record collecting. It was a magical era in a lot of ways.’
Lyrically, your songs were also pretty different to most of the punk or hardcore in the Boston / Massachusetts scene at the time. Very few of the bands from the Boston area had any political content in their songs…
‘Very true, which is why I think it was mainly British bands who were a heavy influence on Siege. I remember getting the first Antisect album when I was still young, for example, which I loved. But what we were doing was also in opposition to the local straight-edge jocks. We were there at the birth of that ‘jock-core’ thing and if you were what they referred to as ‘preachy’, you became a target for them. So what we were doing was in defiance of the bullies who dominated the scene at that time. I would say that we were part of the second generation of Boston hardcore, along with some other bands from the Western Massachusetts area like Deep Wound and The Outpatients… Those were our peers and what we were doing was partly in defiance of the status quo of being bullied and dominated by either apolitical jocks or jocks with right-wing overtones. We were there at the birth of all of that, but before then, you’d have metalheads, Mohawk-punks, shaved-heads, brush-cuts, or nerdy students who looked like Woody Allen and they’d all be together upfront at the show. If you fell down, you knew that someone would pick you right up. But this was before people started just standing around frowning, with their arms folded and totally ignoring the music.’
‘Actually, there was one occasion that was very influential when I was a child. I saw a military-style patriotic parade and they had these incredibly loud drums, which were almost traumatizing for me at the time. But the clumsy flag-waving that went along with the parade also outraged me. Even at that young age, I was able to see the thin, flimsiness of that kind of nationalism and patriotism. But it was a lot later on, when we started to get into punk, that I became very influenced by Discharge. Particularly the ‘Why?’ record and the ‘Hear Nothing’ album, as they were more than just music, they were works of anti-war propaganda. When I saw those covers and heard that sound… it was so dissonant, abrasive and powerful, totally unlike any other music that I’d heard up until then. I’d also been lucky enough to be at the first Boston performance by Minor Threat, while I was still a kid. That was my first live hardcore show and it had a form of aggression that was unseen anywhere else in music or culture at that point. And I know this is an overused term now, but everything at that time was DIY. To find-out about a show, you had to spot a flyer on a phone-pole. Kids were renting their own halls so that bands could play. It was a very, very special time to be getting into seeing live music, writing or recording your own music, and also to be getting into record collecting. It was a magical era in a lot of ways.’
Lyrically, your songs were also pretty different to most of the punk or hardcore in the Boston / Massachusetts scene at the time. Very few of the bands from the Boston area had any political content in their songs…
‘Very true, which is why I think it was mainly British bands who were a heavy influence on Siege. I remember getting the first Antisect album when I was still young, for example, which I loved. But what we were doing was also in opposition to the local straight-edge jocks. We were there at the birth of that ‘jock-core’ thing and if you were what they referred to as ‘preachy’, you became a target for them. So what we were doing was in defiance of the bullies who dominated the scene at that time. I would say that we were part of the second generation of Boston hardcore, along with some other bands from the Western Massachusetts area like Deep Wound and The Outpatients… Those were our peers and what we were doing was partly in defiance of the status quo of being bullied and dominated by either apolitical jocks or jocks with right-wing overtones. We were there at the birth of all of that, but before then, you’d have metalheads, Mohawk-punks, shaved-heads, brush-cuts, or nerdy students who looked like Woody Allen and they’d all be together upfront at the show. If you fell down, you knew that someone would pick you right up. But this was before people started just standing around frowning, with their arms folded and totally ignoring the music.’
Rather than being strictly a hardcore band, you also seemed to incorporate a kind-of noise element to what you were doing… I always thought the track ‘Grim Reaper’ was probably influenced by bands like Flipper…
‘Absolutely ! At least, I was into them, although I’m not so sure about the other guys so much. But I’ve always been into the noisier shit… James Chance or James White and The Blacks had that kind of skronk saxophone and Flipper used a sax on ‘Sex Bomb’. But it wasn’t just their music I liked, I loved their poetry and lyrics. It was so counter-cultural and so unlike any other band that came before or since. The other guys in Siege were also very-much in to film music and ‘Grim Reaper’ actually began as a soundtrack for a Super 8 film experiment, but then it grew and grew into what it became.’
When you recently played in New York, John Zorn joined you onstage to play sax during that song…
‘That was a great honour for us ! We like to have a guest play saxophone with us at every performance, but it was stunning for us to be joined by John Zorn, especially as it was on his own turf in Brooklyn. Just to hear him play that recognisable sound, the busyness of the way he travels up and down the horn, the flurry of notes and the relentlessness of his circular breathing… What I love about him is that way that he straddles genres and transcends generic limitations. I think that’s very, very important because so much music is defined by what has preceded it. That even happens in punk rock, what we used to call ‘generi-core’… But that has never been our way. We used to listen to a lot of metal and I would listen to a lot of noise as well as classic punk. To me, the best British punk always had a raw quality which I didn’t feel was present in very many of the American bands. Of course, there were some… the band Void from DC had some good, noisy ingredients to it. That’s what I really like, not things that are tame. We were always opposed to conformism and that goes for the music in the punk rock scene as well.’
‘Absolutely ! At least, I was into them, although I’m not so sure about the other guys so much. But I’ve always been into the noisier shit… James Chance or James White and The Blacks had that kind of skronk saxophone and Flipper used a sax on ‘Sex Bomb’. But it wasn’t just their music I liked, I loved their poetry and lyrics. It was so counter-cultural and so unlike any other band that came before or since. The other guys in Siege were also very-much in to film music and ‘Grim Reaper’ actually began as a soundtrack for a Super 8 film experiment, but then it grew and grew into what it became.’
When you recently played in New York, John Zorn joined you onstage to play sax during that song…
‘That was a great honour for us ! We like to have a guest play saxophone with us at every performance, but it was stunning for us to be joined by John Zorn, especially as it was on his own turf in Brooklyn. Just to hear him play that recognisable sound, the busyness of the way he travels up and down the horn, the flurry of notes and the relentlessness of his circular breathing… What I love about him is that way that he straddles genres and transcends generic limitations. I think that’s very, very important because so much music is defined by what has preceded it. That even happens in punk rock, what we used to call ‘generi-core’… But that has never been our way. We used to listen to a lot of metal and I would listen to a lot of noise as well as classic punk. To me, the best British punk always had a raw quality which I didn’t feel was present in very many of the American bands. Of course, there were some… the band Void from DC had some good, noisy ingredients to it. That’s what I really like, not things that are tame. We were always opposed to conformism and that goes for the music in the punk rock scene as well.’
Again, that was also Flipper’s attitude. They would play gigs alongside bands who were trying to play the fastest, shortest songs, so they’d deliberately agitate things by playing the longest, slowest songs they could muster…
‘I also saw The Cramps express that attitude as well. There was a fight in the audience so Lux stopped the show and said, ‘Punk is about fucking, not about fighting !’ While I don’t entirely agree with that assessment, I could really relate with any artist who was defiantly and musically individualistic.’
Going back to John Zorn, how did he become involved with that show ?
‘We realised that if we were going to perform again, we required a saxophone player. Our original singer, Screamin’ Kev Mahoney, played the sax first time around, but this time we were looking to have a guest for each new performance. I was a huge fan of Painkiller, so when we arranged to play in Brooklyn, I came up with the idea of asking John Zorn to play with us, just because I’m a fan of his work. I’ve also learned in my old age to be bold, so I had the audacity to contact him. He responded to say he was already a fan of Siege, which was very flattering for us. So we made the arrangements and it was a great, great night. We really reached that plane of transcendence where we were improvising but not really thinking about what we were playing, just emoting and feeling it, these cascading waves of dissonance and abrasion. It was an amazing night ! During this tour we’ve had a cat called Karl D’Silva, from the UK, and he is an excellent player also. He actually just came off a live collaboration with Thurston Moore before he came on board with us, so we’ve been very spoiled with excellent saxophone players.’
Going back to when the band were originally together, apart from the legendary cassette, the only tracks officially released by Siege were the ones on the ‘Cleanse The Bacteria’ compilation. How did you become involved with that album ?
‘Pushead contacted us and asked for a contribution to his comp. Much later, the cassette tracks and the comp tracks were combined on the LP which was eventually released by Deep Six. That was a lifetime later ! But we were able to recover the sound quality by ‘baking’ the original Ampex master reels and then making a digital duplicate of them. That way, the listeners and fans now have a pristine, original sound quality that has not been present on most of the bootlegs. On some of them, you’d hear that the beginning of ‘Conform’ had been snipped-off, and the beginning of ‘Grim Reaper’ was the same. Some of them even sound as if they’ve been mastered at the wrong speed, as if it’s been taken from a tape of a tape or something, so it’s been a great relief and very strengthening to finally have the record out there with the best possible sound quality.’
‘I also saw The Cramps express that attitude as well. There was a fight in the audience so Lux stopped the show and said, ‘Punk is about fucking, not about fighting !’ While I don’t entirely agree with that assessment, I could really relate with any artist who was defiantly and musically individualistic.’
Going back to John Zorn, how did he become involved with that show ?
‘We realised that if we were going to perform again, we required a saxophone player. Our original singer, Screamin’ Kev Mahoney, played the sax first time around, but this time we were looking to have a guest for each new performance. I was a huge fan of Painkiller, so when we arranged to play in Brooklyn, I came up with the idea of asking John Zorn to play with us, just because I’m a fan of his work. I’ve also learned in my old age to be bold, so I had the audacity to contact him. He responded to say he was already a fan of Siege, which was very flattering for us. So we made the arrangements and it was a great, great night. We really reached that plane of transcendence where we were improvising but not really thinking about what we were playing, just emoting and feeling it, these cascading waves of dissonance and abrasion. It was an amazing night ! During this tour we’ve had a cat called Karl D’Silva, from the UK, and he is an excellent player also. He actually just came off a live collaboration with Thurston Moore before he came on board with us, so we’ve been very spoiled with excellent saxophone players.’
Going back to when the band were originally together, apart from the legendary cassette, the only tracks officially released by Siege were the ones on the ‘Cleanse The Bacteria’ compilation. How did you become involved with that album ?
‘Pushead contacted us and asked for a contribution to his comp. Much later, the cassette tracks and the comp tracks were combined on the LP which was eventually released by Deep Six. That was a lifetime later ! But we were able to recover the sound quality by ‘baking’ the original Ampex master reels and then making a digital duplicate of them. That way, the listeners and fans now have a pristine, original sound quality that has not been present on most of the bootlegs. On some of them, you’d hear that the beginning of ‘Conform’ had been snipped-off, and the beginning of ‘Grim Reaper’ was the same. Some of them even sound as if they’ve been mastered at the wrong speed, as if it’s been taken from a tape of a tape or something, so it’s been a great relief and very strengthening to finally have the record out there with the best possible sound quality.’
At the time when you were originally together, was there never an opportunity to release an EP yourselves ?
‘We had offers from a couple of larger indie-labels, and an unnamed, very big heavy metal label. But after scrutinizing the fine print on the contracts, which did not allow for the artists to keep the publishing and copyright on their work, we decided not to go forward with those particular deals. And it’s a good thing that we didn’t because perhaps the lack of availability helped the notoriety to grow. Somehow, staying out of sight a little bit actually added to the legend and the mystery supplemented our reputation just because the music wasn’t easily available. It subsequently became more sought-after and that’s why I was really pleased when we were able to put out the record with Deep Six, so that people can now finally hear us and hear something that’s full-on, savage and harsh, but also sincere and emotion-laden.’
There is an irony about the numerous bootleg releases that came out over the years. While I can understand that you were unhappy about the quality of the bootlegs, they did at least help to keep the bands’ profile high amongst fans and collectors until you were finally in the position to release the recordings properly.
‘That’s one consolation and if it had only been done once, I might be able to see it more that way. But when I think of a particular Swiss label that put out pressing-after-pressing, maybe six or eight pressings of the 7”… I mean, we weren’t hard to reach, we’d lived in Weymouth, Mass, USA our whole lives…’
And especially as they were also releasing official records by other bands who actually knew you…
‘Exactly ! And that was right at the time when we could have used that bread to create another album. That was when we really could have used some label-interest or a gesture of support. So I do have understandably mixed feelings about the bootlegs, although I do agree with your point in that they did serve as good advertising during the time before we were able to release the music properly.’
‘We had offers from a couple of larger indie-labels, and an unnamed, very big heavy metal label. But after scrutinizing the fine print on the contracts, which did not allow for the artists to keep the publishing and copyright on their work, we decided not to go forward with those particular deals. And it’s a good thing that we didn’t because perhaps the lack of availability helped the notoriety to grow. Somehow, staying out of sight a little bit actually added to the legend and the mystery supplemented our reputation just because the music wasn’t easily available. It subsequently became more sought-after and that’s why I was really pleased when we were able to put out the record with Deep Six, so that people can now finally hear us and hear something that’s full-on, savage and harsh, but also sincere and emotion-laden.’
There is an irony about the numerous bootleg releases that came out over the years. While I can understand that you were unhappy about the quality of the bootlegs, they did at least help to keep the bands’ profile high amongst fans and collectors until you were finally in the position to release the recordings properly.
‘That’s one consolation and if it had only been done once, I might be able to see it more that way. But when I think of a particular Swiss label that put out pressing-after-pressing, maybe six or eight pressings of the 7”… I mean, we weren’t hard to reach, we’d lived in Weymouth, Mass, USA our whole lives…’
And especially as they were also releasing official records by other bands who actually knew you…
‘Exactly ! And that was right at the time when we could have used that bread to create another album. That was when we really could have used some label-interest or a gesture of support. So I do have understandably mixed feelings about the bootlegs, although I do agree with your point in that they did serve as good advertising during the time before we were able to release the music properly.’
There’s a short film of the original Siege line-up that’s available on Youtube, which was supposedly filmed for Access TV. How did that come about ?
‘I don’t know how that became to be listed as an Access TV film, but it was actually made by the boyfriend of one-of-the-guys’ sister. He had a camera that he would use to film weddings and he brought that along to one of our rehearsals, that’s how it came about. It was all filmed at the legendary Siege rehearsal space, which was at a local church. We weren’t members of the church, but the folks there were very gracious in providing us with a rehearsal space. It was so fucking loud in there, they should be sainted for what they did for us ! Later on, I met a guy who is now a recording engineer and studio-owner, and he told me that he and his friends used to drink beers in the woods behind the Siege rehearsal room at the church, just so that they could listen to the music. That’s actually been one of the best things about the shows we’ve been playing, just meeting so many old friends and members of the punk family who feel the same way that I do. When I meet people like that, I feel there’s already a kinship and a mutual recognition. That’s the sweetest part of travelling and performing, just connecting with different people and seeing that there are so many out there that are like you and I, that agree that we need compassion right now. Mutual compassion for one another, that’s the destination for all of us. Mutual compassion is an inevitability. So, after meeting so many people like this, it’s going to be hard to go home after this tour !’
The original Siege line-up split after going to New York to play at CBGB’s but your singer, Kevin, didn’t show-up… Presumably there must have been more to it than just that ?
‘Yeah, but I’d have to describe it as ‘creative differences’. There was volatility amongst some of the members and to some extent that friction actually added to the energy of our rare, early live performances. It was like a rollercoaster that was about to fly-off the rails and it was very exciting. I’m sure that show at CBGB’s, Siege playing with The Necros, would have been a particularly good one, but we were still teenagers at the time… Now, we can look back and realise, well, a little bit more co-operation and consideration for one another is vital. But the original singer, Kevin, was a lunatic. He used to drink whisky with honey and lemon from a margarine tin which he would bring to each rehearsal. He was a poet but also a very aggressive person in his behaviour, just as he was with his singing. I mean, over the years I’ve jammed with a bunch of different punk singers with harsh voices, but I’ve never heard anyone as harsh as him ! I’d say he was even beyond ( John Brannon from ) Negative Approach. He even used to talk that way, too and I think it was partly because we had a shitty PA system that he destroyed his vocal chords…. But for me, he was always a dear friend who brought so much humour into my life.’
‘I don’t know how that became to be listed as an Access TV film, but it was actually made by the boyfriend of one-of-the-guys’ sister. He had a camera that he would use to film weddings and he brought that along to one of our rehearsals, that’s how it came about. It was all filmed at the legendary Siege rehearsal space, which was at a local church. We weren’t members of the church, but the folks there were very gracious in providing us with a rehearsal space. It was so fucking loud in there, they should be sainted for what they did for us ! Later on, I met a guy who is now a recording engineer and studio-owner, and he told me that he and his friends used to drink beers in the woods behind the Siege rehearsal room at the church, just so that they could listen to the music. That’s actually been one of the best things about the shows we’ve been playing, just meeting so many old friends and members of the punk family who feel the same way that I do. When I meet people like that, I feel there’s already a kinship and a mutual recognition. That’s the sweetest part of travelling and performing, just connecting with different people and seeing that there are so many out there that are like you and I, that agree that we need compassion right now. Mutual compassion for one another, that’s the destination for all of us. Mutual compassion is an inevitability. So, after meeting so many people like this, it’s going to be hard to go home after this tour !’
The original Siege line-up split after going to New York to play at CBGB’s but your singer, Kevin, didn’t show-up… Presumably there must have been more to it than just that ?
‘Yeah, but I’d have to describe it as ‘creative differences’. There was volatility amongst some of the members and to some extent that friction actually added to the energy of our rare, early live performances. It was like a rollercoaster that was about to fly-off the rails and it was very exciting. I’m sure that show at CBGB’s, Siege playing with The Necros, would have been a particularly good one, but we were still teenagers at the time… Now, we can look back and realise, well, a little bit more co-operation and consideration for one another is vital. But the original singer, Kevin, was a lunatic. He used to drink whisky with honey and lemon from a margarine tin which he would bring to each rehearsal. He was a poet but also a very aggressive person in his behaviour, just as he was with his singing. I mean, over the years I’ve jammed with a bunch of different punk singers with harsh voices, but I’ve never heard anyone as harsh as him ! I’d say he was even beyond ( John Brannon from ) Negative Approach. He even used to talk that way, too and I think it was partly because we had a shitty PA system that he destroyed his vocal chords…. But for me, he was always a dear friend who brought so much humour into my life.’
You did play with him again during 2005-2007 in the band The Spoils…
‘Well, I never stopped being friends with him. He had some beefs with one of the other guys which is why he never wanted to do Siege again. He became a poet and an actor but he also still had this resentment inside himself, so it really wasn’t a possibility for him and the other cats in the band. But I was always able to stay on good terms with him and when the opportunity arose to collaborate again I was happy to do it. I wrote the album with him and it was also released by Deep Six. We were very proud of that album, especially as it would be the last time that his singing would be heard. (Kevin sadly died in 2011.) Bob, the proprietor of Deep Six, told me that fans had never stopped respecting Kevins’ voice and his work and that they would love to hear him again, so I went looking for him. His brother-in-law is Rick Jones, the bassist-singer from Jerry’s Kids, so I went to see them to try to find out where Kevin was and through that I eventually found him at a poetry reading in Cambridge, Mass. The Spoils’ album ‘To The Victor’ was the end result of that and I’m very glad it happened.’
There was a brief reformation of Siege in 1991 featuring Seth Putnam from Anal Cunt on vocals. You’ve since said that you were unhappy with how that went and described it as a ‘false start’…
‘Yeah, it was a five-minute, false-start reunion attempt. We placed an ad in the Boston Phoenix classifieds and a young Seth Putnam was the person who answered it. He was not yet infamous at that point and he was very, very dedicated to Siege. He used to take two buses and a train to come out to Weymouth and rehearse. But at that time, one of Siege’s members was overly obsessed with King Crimson and the end-result of that would not have been good. I’m personally glad that it didn’t materialize in the end, especially since what Seth came to stand for has absolutely fucking nothing to do with Siege’s message and is totally contradictory towards it. In fact, I’m glad that you asked so many questions before you asked about him because in some interviews it’s the first thing out of the limo and it’s never a good question. I can’t listen to that shit anymore, that anti-PC-core, Goregrind stuff. I detest misogyny now and I just see what they do as a squandered lyrical opportunity. That music, that attention, that notoriety, that canvas… it could have been used to send a positive message. I think anti-PC-core has the shelf-life of bongwater.’
‘Well, I never stopped being friends with him. He had some beefs with one of the other guys which is why he never wanted to do Siege again. He became a poet and an actor but he also still had this resentment inside himself, so it really wasn’t a possibility for him and the other cats in the band. But I was always able to stay on good terms with him and when the opportunity arose to collaborate again I was happy to do it. I wrote the album with him and it was also released by Deep Six. We were very proud of that album, especially as it would be the last time that his singing would be heard. (Kevin sadly died in 2011.) Bob, the proprietor of Deep Six, told me that fans had never stopped respecting Kevins’ voice and his work and that they would love to hear him again, so I went looking for him. His brother-in-law is Rick Jones, the bassist-singer from Jerry’s Kids, so I went to see them to try to find out where Kevin was and through that I eventually found him at a poetry reading in Cambridge, Mass. The Spoils’ album ‘To The Victor’ was the end result of that and I’m very glad it happened.’
There was a brief reformation of Siege in 1991 featuring Seth Putnam from Anal Cunt on vocals. You’ve since said that you were unhappy with how that went and described it as a ‘false start’…
‘Yeah, it was a five-minute, false-start reunion attempt. We placed an ad in the Boston Phoenix classifieds and a young Seth Putnam was the person who answered it. He was not yet infamous at that point and he was very, very dedicated to Siege. He used to take two buses and a train to come out to Weymouth and rehearse. But at that time, one of Siege’s members was overly obsessed with King Crimson and the end-result of that would not have been good. I’m personally glad that it didn’t materialize in the end, especially since what Seth came to stand for has absolutely fucking nothing to do with Siege’s message and is totally contradictory towards it. In fact, I’m glad that you asked so many questions before you asked about him because in some interviews it’s the first thing out of the limo and it’s never a good question. I can’t listen to that shit anymore, that anti-PC-core, Goregrind stuff. I detest misogyny now and I just see what they do as a squandered lyrical opportunity. That music, that attention, that notoriety, that canvas… it could have been used to send a positive message. I think anti-PC-core has the shelf-life of bongwater.’
The thing with it is that it’s such a one-trick act. You can put out a record that’s obnoxious just for the sake of it and some people will find it funny, but it gets stale very quickly when you keep repeating yourself…
‘And, you know what ? I didn’t think it was very funny in the first place. I have family members who are gay and I attended Community Theatre while I was growing-up, so it was an unfortunate detour for me when I associated myself with that crew. I was Seth Putnam’s drug-buddy, but you can see how that turned out for him. I think there were always a lot of folk who, like me, are on the left side of the political spectrum and were very much against Siege collaborating with Seth. I know Kevin was also, so that drove an additional wedge between him and the band, because it can never be pleasant to see that you’ve been replaced. Personally, my allegiance backstage was always with Kevin.’
There was a very long gap between that brief reunion and the current reformation. Had there never been any talk of playing together again, either with Kevin or a totally different singer ?
‘Well, no, because I was a member of another group, Nightstick, who released three records on Relapse and one on At War With False Noise, which was a little indie label in Wales. I was busy with that because I was determined to keep creating and keep doing something different. Creating something that I felt hadn’t been heard before, something more extreme. I wanted to build something from the ground-up, without having to ride the dick of Siege. I wanted to start again and create a type of music which was harsher than anything else. So I spent quite some time with the degenerates in Nightstick, but I am relieved to be back with Siege now because the degree of professionalism is much more reassuring.’
‘And, you know what ? I didn’t think it was very funny in the first place. I have family members who are gay and I attended Community Theatre while I was growing-up, so it was an unfortunate detour for me when I associated myself with that crew. I was Seth Putnam’s drug-buddy, but you can see how that turned out for him. I think there were always a lot of folk who, like me, are on the left side of the political spectrum and were very much against Siege collaborating with Seth. I know Kevin was also, so that drove an additional wedge between him and the band, because it can never be pleasant to see that you’ve been replaced. Personally, my allegiance backstage was always with Kevin.’
There was a very long gap between that brief reunion and the current reformation. Had there never been any talk of playing together again, either with Kevin or a totally different singer ?
‘Well, no, because I was a member of another group, Nightstick, who released three records on Relapse and one on At War With False Noise, which was a little indie label in Wales. I was busy with that because I was determined to keep creating and keep doing something different. Creating something that I felt hadn’t been heard before, something more extreme. I wanted to build something from the ground-up, without having to ride the dick of Siege. I wanted to start again and create a type of music which was harsher than anything else. So I spent quite some time with the degenerates in Nightstick, but I am relieved to be back with Siege now because the degree of professionalism is much more reassuring.’
What was it that made you decide that it was finally the right time for Siege to perform again ?
‘I think it went back to when Bowie died… I remember when we were little kids, first getting into music, and we used to say, ‘We’ll know when we’re getting old when Bowie dies !’ We used to say that to one another quite a bit. So when it happened, I really thought about it and decided to make the call. We talked and decided that Siege would reform and begin performing again. So we started playing at special events over the last year and a half, culminating
in this tour. My personal motivation for doing this is to spread a positive message with Siege’s music. It seems to me that the lyrical message is now more timely and relevant than ever and I’m very proud that we’ve been able to go from city to city opening with ‘Break Down The Walls’ every night. You would have to be a fool not to see the timeliness and importance of that message now.’
So, to a great extent, it’s something that you felt you had to do ?
‘Well, I’ve heard people say that Art is a form of masochism and that it has to come out. I think that anyone who has been in a punk rock band knows that. You put your own bread in to it and you’re lucky if you get anything back… I mean, we played our share of Tuesday nights for pizza money, that’s for sure. Someone once said that a poet is the conscience of his generation, but I think you could say that about any art-form. When we were younger, there was a lot of ridiculous stuff that was done for shock value, both the songs and the antics, but as you get older the message you put across and just saying something bolstering, positive and uplifting becomes more and more important. We’re rising as a kind of response to what’s been happening politically and it’s an honour to do this, but it’s also a duty. We played two sold-out shows in Leeds earlier this year, which were a wild, joyous celebration of this music that we love. For us to be able to be here in the UK , after all this time, is a very sweet victory.’
‘I think it went back to when Bowie died… I remember when we were little kids, first getting into music, and we used to say, ‘We’ll know when we’re getting old when Bowie dies !’ We used to say that to one another quite a bit. So when it happened, I really thought about it and decided to make the call. We talked and decided that Siege would reform and begin performing again. So we started playing at special events over the last year and a half, culminating
in this tour. My personal motivation for doing this is to spread a positive message with Siege’s music. It seems to me that the lyrical message is now more timely and relevant than ever and I’m very proud that we’ve been able to go from city to city opening with ‘Break Down The Walls’ every night. You would have to be a fool not to see the timeliness and importance of that message now.’
So, to a great extent, it’s something that you felt you had to do ?
‘Well, I’ve heard people say that Art is a form of masochism and that it has to come out. I think that anyone who has been in a punk rock band knows that. You put your own bread in to it and you’re lucky if you get anything back… I mean, we played our share of Tuesday nights for pizza money, that’s for sure. Someone once said that a poet is the conscience of his generation, but I think you could say that about any art-form. When we were younger, there was a lot of ridiculous stuff that was done for shock value, both the songs and the antics, but as you get older the message you put across and just saying something bolstering, positive and uplifting becomes more and more important. We’re rising as a kind of response to what’s been happening politically and it’s an honour to do this, but it’s also a duty. We played two sold-out shows in Leeds earlier this year, which were a wild, joyous celebration of this music that we love. For us to be able to be here in the UK , after all this time, is a very sweet victory.’
As you said, the current incarnation of Siege has been playing together for around 18 months, but you’ve stated that these European dates are going to be the final shows. Why is it that you’ve decided to treat this as a strictly limited project ?
‘There needed to be a clearly defined goal to make it possible. If it had been open-ended I may not have made it, but with a definite goal I was able to forcefully pursue it. At every show there’s been a lot of pressure and questions about whether we should keep going, but right now I’m looking forward to some writing-time this Winter… either song-writing or writing fiction. It’s best if you can be whole-heartedly devoted to something without the cumbrance of distractions squandering your creative energies in different areas and I think that having a clearly-defined goal which we could forcefully pursue is what made these exciting shows possible.’
You mentioned that you’re intending to spend time writing after this tour ends, but what else do you do outside of the band ?
‘I’m a single parent to a child with autism, which has truly opened my heart to the abundant necessity for compassion in our society. I went to school to study creative writing and I’ve always enjoyed doing that, as well as writing the lyrics for Siege. But I have my eye and my heart set on other art-forms as well. As I said earlier, Art is a masochism. We can’t stop and we mustn’t, particularly now with the putrid change in the political climate. It is our duty to create Art with a message and with meaning. It’s an unfortunate, secondary consolation that great Art comes out of horrible situations like the one we have now, but we have to remember all of the elderly, the disabled and working class people that are getting fucked. You shouldn’t just see that as an opportunity to create Art. The submission, resignation and acceptance of some people to the situation we’re in sometimes makes me ashamed to be American and working class. Our populism has been hijacked by the Right so, even if it’s not in Art, active compassion is vital and I believe that more and more citizens are going to be waking up to that. That’s the real consolation, not that we’re presented with an opportunity to create Art in protest. The people themselves are hopefully going to recognise this and rise-up against the things that have been happening. I can’t imagine that any group of people will collectively stand for this for too long.’
‘There needed to be a clearly defined goal to make it possible. If it had been open-ended I may not have made it, but with a definite goal I was able to forcefully pursue it. At every show there’s been a lot of pressure and questions about whether we should keep going, but right now I’m looking forward to some writing-time this Winter… either song-writing or writing fiction. It’s best if you can be whole-heartedly devoted to something without the cumbrance of distractions squandering your creative energies in different areas and I think that having a clearly-defined goal which we could forcefully pursue is what made these exciting shows possible.’
You mentioned that you’re intending to spend time writing after this tour ends, but what else do you do outside of the band ?
‘I’m a single parent to a child with autism, which has truly opened my heart to the abundant necessity for compassion in our society. I went to school to study creative writing and I’ve always enjoyed doing that, as well as writing the lyrics for Siege. But I have my eye and my heart set on other art-forms as well. As I said earlier, Art is a masochism. We can’t stop and we mustn’t, particularly now with the putrid change in the political climate. It is our duty to create Art with a message and with meaning. It’s an unfortunate, secondary consolation that great Art comes out of horrible situations like the one we have now, but we have to remember all of the elderly, the disabled and working class people that are getting fucked. You shouldn’t just see that as an opportunity to create Art. The submission, resignation and acceptance of some people to the situation we’re in sometimes makes me ashamed to be American and working class. Our populism has been hijacked by the Right so, even if it’s not in Art, active compassion is vital and I believe that more and more citizens are going to be waking up to that. That’s the real consolation, not that we’re presented with an opportunity to create Art in protest. The people themselves are hopefully going to recognise this and rise-up against the things that have been happening. I can’t imagine that any group of people will collectively stand for this for too long.’
With the doors already open for the gig, we decided to end the interview there. It hade been a really enjoyable conversation and one that made me even more excited to see the gig !
Anyway, Robert had to return to the venue to prepare for the show, while I went back to the pub to catch up with the legendary Grazza, former Shitter vocalist and the World’s only Australian-Cockney hybrid !
After a swift Guinness, we head upstairs to watch the support bands. Both of the UK bands that we see, State Funeral and Endless Grinning Skulls, are pretty good but suffer from the room being only 60% full. This gig really should have been in a smaller venue like the Underworld or even The Boston Rooms downstairs, where it would’ve packed and the atmosphere would have been able to build up over the course of the evening. But that being said, State Funeral had more of a UK hardcore sound, with maybe an Oi influence, while Endless Grinning Skulls have more of a crust / D-beat direction. EGS get the better response as more people arrive for the gig, but in a more appropriate venue I’m sure both bands would have had a much better reception.
Anyway, Robert had to return to the venue to prepare for the show, while I went back to the pub to catch up with the legendary Grazza, former Shitter vocalist and the World’s only Australian-Cockney hybrid !
After a swift Guinness, we head upstairs to watch the support bands. Both of the UK bands that we see, State Funeral and Endless Grinning Skulls, are pretty good but suffer from the room being only 60% full. This gig really should have been in a smaller venue like the Underworld or even The Boston Rooms downstairs, where it would’ve packed and the atmosphere would have been able to build up over the course of the evening. But that being said, State Funeral had more of a UK hardcore sound, with maybe an Oi influence, while Endless Grinning Skulls have more of a crust / D-beat direction. EGS get the better response as more people arrive for the gig, but in a more appropriate venue I’m sure both bands would have had a much better reception.
Siege take to the stage with little fanfare but from they begin the very first song, their sound is incredible. I don’t know who was in charge of the sound-desk, possibly Federico, but they certainly knew what they were doing. It was very loud, filling the whole venue, but also very clear so that you could hear what they were playing rather than it just devolving into a meaningless dirge. I have only witnessed performances as powerful and overwhelming as this on a few occasions… Throbbing Gristle at Heaven, Whitehouse at New Cross Venue, Faust with Tony Conrad, Swans in 1986, Stooges at Hammersmith Odeon… Siege were up there amongst them. They were so tight and intense. Anyone can play fast, but inevitably it will get sloppy. It takes real dedication and passion to do it as well as this. They played all the songs that we know, maybe a total of thirty minutes but it could have been an hour, or maybe just 15 minutes. Time didn’t apply, this was a different dimension. The set ends and there’s a brief pause, I don’t think they leave the stage, before they announce that their final song is going to be a cover and launch into the Discharge classic ‘It’s No TV Sketch’. It sounds great, although I have to say, it’s also probably the lightest moment of their set (who would’ve thought a vintage Discharge song would ever be the least brutal moment in a bands’ playlist ?) And then it’s over. I spoke to a lot of friends straight after this and they all had the same stunned but ecstatic look on their faces. Siege really had exceeded all expectations and I know it’s going to be a while before I witness something like this again.
It seems as if this episode in the story of Siege really has come to an end, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the end of Siege. There may be more live performances, if they can find an appropriate way to do them, and there might even be new recordings. I can only hope so. But if this was the only time I ever get to see them, damnit, this was special !
It seems as if this episode in the story of Siege really has come to an end, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the end of Siege. There may be more live performances, if they can find an appropriate way to do them, and there might even be new recordings. I can only hope so. But if this was the only time I ever get to see them, damnit, this was special !
