The Nihilistics Sign With JIB Machine Records
They began as the gem of something frozen locked like a crystal in a dark splinter of black ice. Nothing moved forward everything was waiting, just marking time…..The Nihilistic’s are a hard punk rock band based on Long Island and just like their name suggests they believe that all ultimate values lose the value and that life is meaningless.
Ron Rancid, Ajax Lepinski and Troy were some of the coolest guys on the planet although if they heard that they would be forced to conquer their revulsion. We spoke regarding their signing with JIB Machine Records. In a quote from lead vocalist Ron Rancid, “The one shining beacon of light in this miserable hellhole of an existence we call life is being part of JMI. If there is anything that can make a nihilist happy it’s being signed to JMR.”
In honor of the signing “A Tribute To The Nihilistic’s” EP, A partnership between JMR and Washington DC‘s DSI records features renditions of classic nihilistic tracks by JM or artists Gwazi Darkening Skies, W70, Wrath Of Typhoon, and Gobbage. Jamore will also re-issue the 1990 game changer “Fuck The Human Race” for the first time ever on CD and digital platforms. It will also contain five bonus tracks that made up the band’s first 1990 EP “Inferno
Hello…
Ron: Don’t laugh at how old we are. We’ve probably been doing this since before you were born…
Age is only a number…Ron, aside from being on this record label, what makes you happy?
Ron: Nothing. I think it’s a component or a mechanism of my intrinsic being that I really am happy. I mean I can smile, I can laugh but then again I might be removed a few dimensions from the void of happiness. I’m just like even keeled.
Have you had your ultimate stage fantasy yet?
Ron: The ultimate stage fantasy? No, no not yet. I think my ultimate stage fantasy is probably dying on stage when I get older.
I would like to be there and I’ll pray for you…
Ron: You’ll also pick my pockets like everybody else. I’ll be like Ebenezer Scrooge, everyone will be after my meager possessions.
What made you decide to sign with JIB Machine Records?
Ajax: It certainly wasn’t for the money, that’s for sure. Well JT is a nice guy and he’s very enthusiastic about music and he’s very honest and sincere which is something that you don’t find too often in this business. We just hit it off with them.
Ron: What I like about JT is that he actually put in the contract, when we suggested it that JIB Machine Records would not fuck the Nihilistic’s. The reason being, we were negotiating with other record labels and they weren’t honest, they weren’t forthright. We would have attorneys look at documents and they were really just trying to wrestle ownership away from us for our material. JT was not like that at all.
Do you guys still perform?
Ron: We do. We played Irving Plaza August 14th.
Ajax: We have something coming up March 19th at the Kingsland in Brooklyn.
I know that the record label is planning things for you, does anyone want to talk about that?
Ron: We’re planning things for the record label that they don’t know about. We are planning merchandising and new releases and things like that.
Ajax: We’re just taking everything step-by-step and being very methodical. We are looking for a long-term relationship.
Troy, do you speak? If you could have me ask you anything on the planet what would that be?
Troy: Yes I do.
Ron: Fellatio or something? I only speak English I don’t know what that means.
Troy looks like he’s fun.
Ron: He is. He likes motorcycles and things like that.
Ajax: He is restoring a Corvette too. Nice hobby.
Ron, do you have an idol?
Ajax: Himself.
Ron: No the only time I’m idle is like when I’m lying in bed watching television. That’s the only type of idol I subscribe to or endorse.
Who’s your favorite influence?
Ron: I wouldn’t say an influence because when we first started nobody knew how to play anything like that, but how I got into punk was listening to the Sex Pistols. I would go to clubs like CBGB’s in Manhattan and I saw the Ramones, Blondie and everything, but it was the tail end of disco and it still had that Roxy kind of feel that I wasn’t into. But the anger in the sound of the Sex Pistols opened my eyes.
Ajax: I remember the summer of 1977 and the radio station LIR they were playing the Sex Pistol’s album and Devo’s first album and I thought that was the most fantastic music I’ve ever heard prior to listening to Linkray, because I got their autograph in France. The punk rock movie from England, I saw it when I was 16 when it first came out. I was like “holy shit we can play this stuff.” I thought it was the best thing I ever heard. I thought it was fantastic.
Troy: I was very much into heavy metal for a time and then when I heard the aggression of punk rock I liked that so much better. I think I was one of the first drummers in punk rock to play a double base so I could be faster than anybody else. I was 15 when we started. I used to have real long hair and then I shaved my head.
What is your best memory of playing on stage?
Ron: it’s kind of funny…well I think it’s funny… We were playing at A7 and it was a very tiny venue. It didn’t even hold maybe 50 people. It was the hard-core Mecca at that time. We were playing and some guy comes towards the stage, and he was holding his stomach. I looked down and it looked like a knife. I just remember he had these weird black and white checkered pants like a cook or a chef would wear. And he had a white T-shirt. He came to the stage and fell on my boots. But it was a very low stage. I grabbed the knife and I pulled it out. I thought he was kidding around. All of this blood started squirting out all over my boots. I kicked him in the face and he went into the audience. I don’t know if he survived or not but the place cleared out. That was just a memory that always stuck with me.
Troy: Kind of like every time I get out there and play was a good experience.
Ajax: it was when we were playing at CBGB‘s. Our first show after the “Al-Qaida Detonator” CD was released. There were some lyrics on there that could be kind of offensive to some people. So we got up on stage and just as we were about to start playing some kid in a wheelchair rolls up right in front of me, on stage. I’m thinking that this is some terrorist who wants to get revenge for the words on the CD. I thought he had explosives in his wheelchair and I thought this is how I’m going to die. So we started playing and then I noticed he had a beer in his hand and he was rocking out so I decided it was OK. I decided it was safe and he wasn’t going to blow us up. It turned out he didn’t blow us up but it took about a song or two to realize that. I was sweating bullets there for a while.
Ron: People used to send us cremated remains of their loved ones to throw out at CBGB‘s. We can send you pictures of that it’s kind of funny.
You’re like a cult type punk band kind of.
Ron: yeah, we’re a cult. What’s really cool is that the kids that used to come see us are now adults with families and they actually bring their children to see us play. We had a concert at Tompkins Park and they were like 3,000 kids screaming as if we were the Beatles.
