Interview with Hans Bondo the singer of Major Disappointment

A lack of new good bands comming lately it's strange how a band like Major Disappointment flew right under both mine and most others radar with their debut album last year. Really liked the band and couldnt get over the Squiggy vibes it gave me so i asked Hans Bondo the singer in the band for an interview to find out more (and got a free CD in the process).

¤First of all thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Could you please introduce yourself and the band?

-Major Disappointment is Rod on guitar, Mikey Disappointment on bass, Outlaw on drums and myself, Hans Bondo on guitar and vocals

¤I just found out about you guys last year when i heard the CD. How did the band come to be?

-It started with a collection of songs that i was just going to record. The original 4 song demo was recorded in Grand Rapids Michigan with myself on guitar, bass and vocals and Contempt on drums. The studio we recorded with didn't have a fucking clue what they were doing and we weren't really happy with how the songs turned out. Shortly after that Contempt stepped away from the recording aspect of music to focused on design work and video editing. I found another studio and began recording. After i got some of the songs done i had people listen to them and they began to express interest in playing in the band. So here we are a couple years, and several line up changes later working on our 2nd cd.

¤Did any of you play in any other bands before Major Disappointment and what would you say influences your sound?

-We have all played in bands over the years but none that were as involved as MD. Our sound is influenced by many factors one of which being that we're not musicians. It's simple and raw but the spirit is there and that's what counts to us. That's what drew me to the old school oi, punk and r.a.c. bands to begin with. I could list a ton of bands that i would say influenced me personally a few being Condemned 84, Combat 84, Exploited, Diehards, Cock Sparrer and the list goes on. I don't get into many hardcore bands but Slapshot is on the list and the first Chaos UK album was outstanding. There are a lot more that range from rock to classic country that may not have had an influence on the actual sound but i would consider an influence none the less. That's just me personally, although me and Mikey pretty much listen to the same stuff. The younger guys in the group listen to all kinds of weird shit but are also into the classics. And to use the old cliche "we just sings about or lives" gives plenty of things to talk about. With global financial crisis, riots, wars, and the biggest bunch of asshole politicians in history it's all we can do to keep up. Not to say we are crying about our lives and asking for handouts like a lot of the so called "punk" bands do. It's so far gone you can't fix the shit we are in. I'm not saying i have the answers, but i have the answers for me. This is the soundtrack to Americas descent into chaos and it doesn't bother me a bit.

¤On the back of both your DVD and the CD it says TFB Productions. Since i have never heard of this label before i must ask is it a new one or a D.I.Y. by you guys?

-Its D.I.Y. I did it that way for a couple reasons one of which was so i had something to trade with other labels. I always enjoyed looking for new bands, or hard to find items. I thing that's something people got away from over the years with the internet. Sure it's convenient to look up a band online and get their whole discography in 10 minutes but it's not as rewarding as finding that one old 7 inch that was limited to 200 copies. Our dvd is limited to 300 copies. People will make copies and download it and doesn't bother me but there will always only be those 300 original copies. Those are the type of items i wanted to have available at our shows.

¤While on the subject about the DVD i must ask about some of the content. You have a segment where your guitar player Rod gets released from prison. What was that all about? He sort of looked like he belonged in Guantanamo with that beard.

-He was just in county jail although he probably belongs in prison hahaha. He had been in several fights in a short period of time and eventually they caught up to him. He had a small beard when he went in and the jail house razors are not the best quality so he just didn't shave while he was there. The end result being that he looked like a taliban member when he got out.

¤You have now recorded some new songs and the few i have heard sound great. What upcomming release/releases can we expect and when will they see the light of day?

-We are currently recording our second cd which is due to be out by spring 2012. We also plan on releasing 4 of the tracks as a single in January. The single will be the 2 tracks that were featured on the This Is Our Culture comp along with 2 others

The 7 fast ones:

¤Condemned 84 being banned from various Oi! festivals because they are "facist".

-I think it's a sad commentary on where the scene is at. I always thought the fact that oi bands weren't afraid to speak their minds is what made them so real. This whole pc thing has gotten way out of hand. Oi bands shouldn't be afraid to offend, and getting thrown off shows is just part of the game.

¤The bible.

-Don't know much about religion

¤Rancid.

-Tim doesn't know how to talk and Lars don't know if hes a hippie, punk or skin. But don't tell The Old Firm Casuals i said that. I might catch a beatdown hahahaha

¤Skinheads wearing bulletbelts instead of braces ;)

-Haha good one. I wear both. The bullets i wear are live and the caliber i use so it's not just a look. I wore braces daily for years but lately it's been the ammo belt

¤Conservative US politicians wanting to reinstate child labour?

-The whole US political scene is a fucking joke. It's just a matter of which set of lies you want to believe.

¤Skinheads wearing SHARP badges in the year 2011.

-I think the whole sharp thing is about acceptance. At least that's what i've seen over the years.

¤Piano in punksongs.

-I don't see MD having piano in a song or know why anyone would. But then again i don't claim to be a musician

¤Last and probably most important question. What do you know about the nation of Sweden?

-Haha fuck! You got me! I really don't know much about Sweden which is sad since i'm part Swedish. I'll have to get my shit together and get back with you on that one.

¤Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and yet again thanks for sending me the CD. Any last words?

-Well thank you for getting the music out there and keeping the spirit alive. The Underground Allegiance is growing and we are just getting started.

Performing two songs from their debut CD. Footage is from 2010.