martes, 12 de febrero de 2013

Interview With Curby/Obscene Extreme


Let's face it: if we talk about extreme music in general, the Obscene Extreme Fest is the festival. This festival represents everything the Underground is and should be, in its purest essence. The OEF takes the flame of the DYI (do it yourself) well in high place, in order that all the lovers of the Extreme Music we illuminate ourselves with it. this festival, my friends, is a dream come true for thousands or hundreds of thousands of fans around the world noise. Therefore, the OEF, based in the Czech Republic, will take place in countries such as Mexico and Australia, and perhaps, in a short time, in other parts of the world. So if those who do the blog, the OEF is the festival of Our Dreams, why not look to Curby, soul and mind of OEF, and interview? Our friend Walter Barrionuevo (Prion bassist) facilitated contact us, and Curby, with all the best wave in the world, answered all our questions, making this an unforgettable interview. With you, the Lord Obscene Extreme: Curby!


PR: Curby Hello how are you? First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to the interview
Curby: Hello! Thanx a lot for this chance and sorry for my delay, but I'm constantly mega busy these days...

PR: Well, let's begin. What was the impetus for the birth of the OEF? How did the possibility of carry out the idea of a festival as special as the OEF?
C: I always wanted to do a big grindcore festival...there wasn't anything like that back in 99 when I started Obscene Extreme... Fuck The Commerce festival was my big influence, I was there in 98 and it was simply an excellent festival, and it was one of that things that kicked my ass to do something...My first idea was doing just one festival for my 25th birthday but reactions after the first volume were so great from both - fans and bands that I had to continue! Now it's an every day work, all year long, but I don't regret all the time I invest as every festival gave me back much more...that friendly atmosphere, all those fans coming from far away, it's simply a unique chance to meet grindcore fanatics from all over the World in a single place and enjoy some really great bands, legends of grind music but also promising new bands! And man, the first volume and even the second one were crazy, I didn’t have much experiences but year after year I did better...

PR: Do you remember the first groups which were you contacted to play at the festival? Was it difficult to get bands like Agathocles and Cripple Bastards to participate in that first edition?
C: Oh yeah, something like 30 bands played it and the headliners were AGATHOCLES and CRIPPLE BASTARDS...it wasn't that difficult as I did a Czech tour of AGATHOCLES in 1998 I guess, the tour was called "How Much Blood Do You Need Yet" and it was simply crazy, really great shows and we became really good friends with AGATHOCLES...maybe someone can remember that Burt (the drummer of AGATHOCLES) organized back then his own festival in the middle of summer in his town WEE LEWAAT and he always invited a Czech band so I just came with one of them and had super fun here...I met CRIPPLE BASTARDS the first time there as well...so inviting those bands and others, it wasn't that difficult. We were pen-friends, traded records and so on for a long time... The first volume was great man and even at the end I had a birthday party and CRIPPLE BASTARDS came to my small village and we did really a brutal party! Then on the way back to Prague CRIPPLE BASTARDS had a really bad car accident, but in the end it went all good…


PR: What is the criteria for selecting the groups? There are ideological parameters, in addition to the music, that groups must meet in order to play the OEF?
C: You know, it’s a very easy thing, I have been a fan of extreme music since 1986 or 1987 or something like that…I really love music, it’s my big passion and I always wanted to help the bands and I just continue to help our scene, it’s as easy as that…there’s not much chances for young bands to play on a big stage so that’s what we do with Obscene Extreme festival!!! So every year I listen to lots of bands and try to pick up the best ones for the fest! 
But it’s always good when I can see the band live as playing live is something different than a record. I just want to choose bands that will kick our ass at the fest! I really love grindcore, but I like Swedish death metal as well, thrash, good gore grind, crust, d-beat, even punk and hardcore…

PR: How is the organization of the event? How many people are working so that everything goes as well as it should be?
C: Sure! Usually most of the work is my work, like booking bands, selling tickets, booking flights, hotels etc. etc. Martin helps me a lot doing artworks of our flyers, posters, website, everything around computers etc., James writes all those awesome intro texts for each band for our website and fanzine, Sobi translates all to English, all this work is really important to do a good festival! And of course during the festival there’s like 150 people helping on the site…

PR: The OEF is expanding, and will take all his madness and devastation sound to other parts of the world. In 2013 will be not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Mexico, Indonesia and Australia is that correct? Will there be more dates in other countries? Already there are bands confirmed for Mexico?
C: I had that idea in my head quite a few years...during the last decade I was travelling a lot with Czech bands in South America and South East Asia and even when I came to Indonesia the first time, I was like "Wow, those fans deserve their own good festival"! This year we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the festival in the Czech republic so it's the right time to come with our festival close to all of our loyal fans...I really picked up places for American and Asian festivals very carefully (for Australia it was a sure thing where it will be hahaha) and in the end I will do it in Mexico and in Indonesia because those two countries deserve to have a good open air festival…so this year we'll have Obscene Extreme America, Obscene Extreme Asia, Obscene Extreme Australia and then we'll celebrate the 15th edition in the Czech republic in July. There will be no other OEFs this year, even these 4 festivals make me really busy! And yes, almost all bands for all the festivals have been confirmed, check out our newly launched website! In Mexico we'll enjoy NAPALM DEATH, RATOS DE PORAO, DYING FETUS, MACABRE, MAGRUDERGRIND, DOOM, MALIGNANCY,  PHOBIA and lots of Mexican bands and then also bands from Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and now I have also booked an Argentinian representative -  THE KILLING!!!


PR: Who do the blog, always ponder the good vibes, positive energy transmitted by the festival itself, from the organization, as the bands and the audience. Everyone seems part of OEF with the idea that each edition of the festival is a full party. Was that the premise from the beginning, that people as a whole, spend an unforgettable moment?
C: Obscene Extreme is simply another world, it's not like any other European festival...it's a festival with a different vibe and spirit, you can do stage diving, you can be really freaky all day long and just have some fun with the same dudes like you! It's all about the music we all love, You can feel that passion for music in the air! Check out a video at our own Obscene Extreme Youtube channel and you'll understand what I mean...it's also about masks, did you see the grinding bananas for example? If not, come to OEF! Some fans have super cool ideas about their masks and I hope that also our Mexican fans will do some special masks for the show in Marquesa. The OEF is also special as it's a cruelty-free festival with vegan/vegetarian food only, supporting animal and human rights...also having a freak fest on the first day with an awesome, insane Hell show is something very special and not so common at other festivals...of course OEF is a DIY festival and supports very extreme musical styles like grindcore, death metal, thrash metal, hardcore, crust, power violence, fastcore and everything between... 

PR: Obscene Extreme together with Nasum, threw a shirt whose sales are to help Doctors Without Frontiers. Have received good response from the people? Do the shirts are available in a limited number? How and where can I buy?
C: Absolutely! I'm more than happy we can help, it's a small help but it's a help and a support and maybe our fans will know more about this organization and support them directly as this organization needs our support and they really deserve it...they are always in the first line, they don't care about politics, about religion, they just want to help people that are really in bad conditions or under pressure...Our fans really liked that idea and we sold these 100 t-shirts in 1 and a half day so we did re-print after the festival and we still have like 30 t-shirts from that very limited edition. So if you want to support, let's do it now! Go to Obscene e-shop to buy one > http://eshop.obscene.cz/

PR: Curby, what is the Underground for you? Have you had pressure from powerful brands and companies that have tried to get their products at the festival?
C: No, no, man, we go our own way and I think even big metal labels respect it and don't care much about us, we are not Wacken hahaha! To do this my way and support even small bands is really important for the whole scene...I want to see this underground scene as healthy as possible and I think also the OEF helps...and what’s underground for me? A community from all around the world that is a little bit different and does something else than the average society…imagine I have friends in every corner of this planet thanx to underground music and I was in about 80 countries, met my friends there, I have seen shows there…it’s a real network…with those 3 more festivals I see how strong the underground movement is all around the globe, I have got many emails from bands from China, Nepal, Vietnam, Korea, Philippines, Costa Rica, Cuba, India, South Africa,  and the best thing is that some of them will even play our festival this year!!!

PR: Changing the subject do you like football? You told me that your sonsecond name is Lionel, so I gather that you admire Messi hahaha. And in the e-mail you sent me confirming the interview finished writing ¡Vamos Boca!, So I am forced to wonder if you're a football fan.
C: Yeah, that's true, no joke, it's written in his passport! I love football since I was 4-5 years young, I started to play, enjoyed every World cup...and maybe you don't know but I'm a big fan of Argentina! When I saw the world cup in 1978 as a 4 year old I really liked the long hair of the Argentinian players, love Kempes and Passarela (it was my nick name when I was smal haha! everyone understood my passion for Argentina is big!). My father has always been a big fan of Brazil with Zico and Socrates and I went as always my way and was against him haha! I wanted to call my son Mario after Kempes but my girlfriend didn't like it so my second idea was Lionel...when I saw Messi for the first time I was like "WOW!" this is the man! And as you can see I was right! And I'm a Boca fan as well, when I was in Argentina I went to La plaza to see Boca against Estudiantes together with Pocho of Hurling metal and his son, what a great game, Riquelme ruled throughout the game and we won 3:0, we were singing chorales, one of the best moments of my life, really!


PR: Returning to the festival did you ever think of coming to South America with the OEF? More precisely, to Brazil, which I think is crucial in the history of extreme music.
C: To be honest I was choosing between Mexico and Brazil for the American edition...I have a huge respect for the Brazilian scene, bands like RATOS DE PORAO, old SEPULTURA, ROT and so on...and there're even now lots of great bands as VIOLATOR, SUBCUT, SOCIAL CHAOS, or newcomers like TEST or D.E.R. But unfortunately Brazil is a very big country and isolated from other countries and OEF is always open for all people...so I believe that guys from Brazil, Argentina, Usa, Panama, Costa Rica and so on will come and join us in the party. 

PR: Speaking a bit of everything, the economic crisis has had an impact in some way on the OEF? Or do the DIY thing has allowed the festival to stay out of all this madness capitalist?
C: No man, as I said before, the fans are our most important sponsor, the OEF fans are very loyal and they know what they do and why...they simply know it's all about them...and you can do a much healthier festival in this way...I still believe we are living in a very good period, no global wars, we have almost everything we need, we buy more food than we can eat...but for media it is always better to speak negative, they sale fear, all the time...to keep people in fear is a good strategy…it always works, then they can’t concentrate on really important things…

PR: Curby is there any group you've always wanted in OEF, and for some reason could never be in the line-up?
C: Probably BOLT THROWER!!! I’m trying to bring them every year but no luck at all, they play 1 or 2 festivals during the summer season and so far their choice was other festivals…and IMPETIGO for sure, or REPULSION, also AUTOPSY or CARCASS but their fee is too fat for a festival like OEF…and ABBA as well, love them haha!


PR: Ok, Curby, last. Looking back, and with the perspective that gives the time, imagined in 1999 that festival would be as big as it is today? Did you imagine that 510 bands were going to go through the festival, and that extreme music lovers around the world were going to have a goal to participate in the OEF at least once in their life?
C: No way man, I really wanted to do just a single show! But then it went this way and I'm happy...I feel that the OEF is a well-known and respected in the worldwide community and I have a good feeling from the good work we do year after year...Yeah, over 500 bands have already played Obscene Extreme festival! It sounds crazy, if you had told me this back then I'd be laughing to death...I can just say thanx for the support and will try to do every festival as good as possible!!!

PR: Curby, thank you very much for your time. Hopefully, those who do the blog, we can be present in any of the editions of the festival, either in Mexico or in the Czech Republic. And hopefully there OEF for much longer!
C: Muchas gracias amigo! Hopefully, see you in Mexico! Keep grinding!!!
Curby/obscene




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