Cal Graham (The Chisel, Nation Unrest)

This current pandemic obviously created all sorts of weird situations, but in TTL’s operations, doing a piece on a band that’s never played a show seems wildly odd. Well, it takes a special kind of band for that and The Chisel just hits the spot with quality Oi!/Punk, that stands more on the raw and aggressive side of things, without sacrificing anthemic and melodic qualities. Hailing from London, the band includes members of scene standouts Chubby And The Gang and Arms Race. As it stands, the band is set to make its live debut in style, with none other than The Business on December 18th, at the 100 club in London. In the meantime, we’ll gladly oblige to the steady flow of incredible material that the band is pumping out, with three EPs in just over 9 months, all masterfully recorded by Jonah Falco of Fucked Up: Deconstructive Surgery (La Vida Es Un Mus), Come See Me / Not the Only One (La Vida Es Un Mus) and Enough Said (Wardance Records). The band is currently working on a LP, slated for late 2021 and we’ll be patiently waiting!

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Name five songs that you consider “perfect songs” and explain why or what they mean to you.
THE PARTISANS – Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
I generally hate writing tunes which can be perceived as ‘political’, I just hate sounding preachy when the reality is all politicians are fucked. I just want to talk about cunts being fucked over / fucking over and how I feel about it. I think this song perfectly nails that middle ground.

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN – The Cutter
I cant put my finger on why I love this tune so much, just proper different, could listen to it on repeat (and I have). Lyrics are also on point and have made their way onto my Liverpool flag that I take to the football.

SLICK RICK – Hey Young World
Not emphasising when I say as a kid this tune changed my life. I was a proper little shit who showed no regard to anyone, especially not my family and this song proper gave me a kick up the arse.

COCK SPARRER – We’re Coming Back
I don’t really need to say much when it comes to this track as I know anyone who loves sparrer feels the same way about it, you can proper feel the emotion in the tune and when that fucking chorus kicks in “So remember out there somewhere you’ve got a friend and you’ll never walk alone again”. Pulls at the heart strings a bit.

DROPKICK MURPHYS – Barroom Hero.
A lot of people dismiss DKM, especially their later stuff but I can’t get enough of them, Do Or Die in particular was huge for me growing up and this song in particular has never gotten old.

Which music genre do you listen to the most? List your five favorite albums in that genre.
I am just gonna say Punk as a coverall for a lot of stuff:

• AGNOSTIC FRONT – Cause For Alarm
• THE BUSINESS – Suburban Rebels
• CONFLICT – Increase The Pressure
• KILLING JOKE – Fire Dances
• UK SUBS – Another Kind Of Blues

Five greatest hardcore EP’s or demos of all time?
I am probably missing something here but off the top of my head

• BREAKDOWN – Demo
• SICK OF IT ALL – Sick Of It All
• YOUTH OF TODAY – Cant Close My Eyes
• STRAIGHT AHEAD – Breakaway 
• UNDERDOG – Underdog

Your five favorite rappers of all time? Name one song that best exemplifies what makes them great.
SLICK RICK – As stated above with Hey Young World.

GUNSHOT – Britcore group from the early 90’s from Hackney. Just hard as fucking nails and they also did a track with NAPALM DEATH. I’d recommend Mind Of A Razor and Crime Story.

JEDI MIND TRICKS – Retaliation. This was the first JMT song I ever heard as a kid, wasn’t too into Hip Hop other than the entry level stuff at the time so I loved it as it reminded me of WU TANG. VINNIE PAZ actually fucks with The Chisel and played us on his podcast when we first released the record, he’s a good man and his lyrics are incredibly honest, doesn’t hold back for anyone.

RAEKWON – I love Wu Tang generally but Raekwon in particular has been a mainstay for me since I was young, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx still gets a weekly repeat. Track I’d recommend Heaven & Hell.

SKINNYMAN – Council Estate Of Mind. I don’t have much to say about Skinnyman, legend in UK Hip Hop scene but this track and record is perfection all the way through. Great use of samples from Made In Britain also.

What’s the album you’ve listened to the most in your life? Do you still listen to it?
It’s probably BLACK FLAG – My War (got obsessed with ‘later’ Black Flag after reading Get In The Van) and I haven’t listened to it recently but I do still love it.

What are some of your favorite song lyrics? Lyrics that have been important to you or that had an impact on you?
Any lyric that I can relate to. I really don’t like lyrics where I don’t know what the fuck they’re saying, and I mean that in a lyrical sense rather than delivery. I don’t really read and I’ve never read a poem, just give me what I want and fuck off! Haha.

An example of what I mean and who captures it perfectly is the lad Paul Bearer from SHEER TERROR:
“I’ve got my own life, I’ve got my own gripes,
I don’t really give a fuck about your pain,
You are my enemy, you are my blasphemy,
I would rather kill you than hear you complain”

Do you have an absolute all time favorite band or musical artist?  What makes them so special to you?
I don’t have any favourites but if I had to choose it would be one of my mates, so I’ll say BIG CHEESE and CHUBBY AND THE GANG.

Do you remember the first time music had an impact on you?
Yep, I was watching VH1 Classic and SEX PISTOLS came on, it was around the same time THE PRODIGY – Firestarter came out as well. It just made sense.

What were you listening to in elementary school? Then in high school? How much of that music is still a part of your playlists today? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
All the music I have listed above I was listening to through school. I didn’t get into Hardcore ’til I was around 16 but before that I loved Punk and Oi!

In my later years I’ve gotten into a lot of electronic music, especially Goth / Post-Punk stuff that I wouldn’t have touched as a kid. I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised these types of music aren’t a million miles away from each other. I especially love any EBM stuff like DAF, NITZER EBB, PORTION CONTROL. I also play in an EBM group called NATION UNREST.

What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve ever seen? What makes them stand out?
COCKNEY REJECTS at the Bridgehouse 2
DEAD STOP last show at Lintfabriek, Belgium
NEGATIVE APPROACH / AGENT ORANGE at Lintfabriek, Belgium
UNDERDOG reunion Manchester
ANDREW WK at Stage Dive Day Out, Sweden
KILLING JOKE at Roundhouse

I can’t be arsed going into detail but they’re all shows which either mad shit happened (which I may or may not have been involved in) or it’s just something that blew me away or I wasn’t expecting to see.

Is there any band that you’ve always wanted to see live but never had the chance to catch them? Any classic show that you wish you could have experienced?
I’ve seen most bands I’d like to but I’ve never seen YOUTH OF TODAY. Every time they’ve played over here I’ve had other arrangements I couldn’t get out of. 

What are some of your all-time favorite music books and/or zines, documentaries, biopics?

• NYHC Chronicles (documentary) – Think it captures what I think of that scene perfectly
• Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 (documentary)  – It’s just funny as fuck
• Henry Rollins – Get In The Van (book) – This made me feel like it was ok to sometimes fucking hate everyone.
• Stinky Turner (Cockney Rejects) – Just a book full of mad stories, one of the only books I’ve ever finished.

Is there any classic / universally acclaimed artist that you missed out on when they first came out and discovered way later? Any artist that you didn’t like at first and learned to appreciate over time?
88 FINGERS LOUIE 

Do you have an artist that you love in a genre that you don’t usually listen to? What makes them stand out?
A lot of what is regarded as ‘Emo Trap’ (hate that term). A lot of it is not my cup of tea but people like WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL, DOVES, YAWNS, ZUBIN and NEDARB really stand out from that crowd.

Do you have any unpopular music opinion that you would like to defend? Something that you love and yet can hardly find anyone to agree on how great it is?
I like a lot of US 90’s Pop Punk shit, so LAGWAGON, NOFX, NO USE FOR A NAME etc. I am not defending it as I couldn’t give a fuck if anyone thinks it’s shite or not. Lagwagon in particular are fucking banging.

Name one or several cover songs where the cover is better than the original? What makes them superior?
THE WEDDING PRESENT – Getting Better (The Beatles), what makes it superior is that The Beatles are shite.

When shows are being played again, who do you want to see live first?
I want to see my own band finally play a fucking show.

What albums have been on heavy rotation lately? 
Just going off my Spotify heavy plays
SHAM 69 – That’s Life
BIG CHEESE – Punishment Park
RANCID – …And Out Come The Wolves
VANILLA MUFFINS – The Drug Is Football
DROPKICK MURPHYS – Sing Loud, Sing Proud
SICK OF IT ALL – Blood, Sweat And No Tears

What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
BIG CHEESE, STINGRAY, MASTERMIND, LAWFUL KILLING, VIOLENT WAY, MESS

Is there a band that you’ve discovered live recently that blew you away?
KALEIDOSCOPE at Hardcore Hell. Quality.

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