Young Poor & Angry Press

I caught up with Becca right after her departure from Austin TX during the South By South West music festival where she wowed fans with her blend of Runaways-style rock n roll with the song writing skill of a seasoned soul. The festival wasn’t the only thing on Becca’s mind when we spoke. The release of her new album, “I’m Alive” hit shelves recently and the 20 year old singer/song writer has been busy. “It’s been a thrill having the new album come out. I mean you work hard for something like this and then to see it there in front of you, it’s unreal.”

The album is a journey into the mind of Becca Hollicraft and deals with some pretty intense subject matter at times. The title track is a response to the death of a dear friend. “It was difficult but I live every day to it’s fullest,” Becca explained when asked about the loss of her friend. The songs all have a deeper meaning than most pop-rock records don’t convey “I don’t see myself as a role model or anything, but if young girls take strength from my songs than I feel like I’ve done my job conveying what I stand for.” Each song takes the standpoint that women need to be more assertive and Becca’s posture and the way she speaks to reporters shows us a woman whose wise beyond her years and has spent a lot of her life on the road. “It’s crazy, I’m never here anymore, I do get to see my friends and family a lot because I’ve a really supportive circle of friends. I love it though, I’m even learning all kinds of things on the road. I’m experimenting on how to work out too.”

Sitting around isn’t Becca’s style. Spend twenty minutes talking to her and you’ll discover that. The energy she has is limitless and it effects the people around her too. Manger Jodi talks of a Becca who ran around the office excitedly the day her album dropped and publicist Dana Gordon describes Becca as “A breath of fresh air.” Austin, Texas seemed to receive her well and the album has started to gain notoriety amongst the music community. I’m sure I’m not the only one who expects great things from Becca.

Young Poor And Angry: So Mary you went from Stillborn Records label manager to now starting your own label called iBot tell me a little bit about the label?

Mary Mattern: Well, the label is owned by Wakefield singer, Ryan Escolopio. We had been talking about opening a label for a while now. So, he finally did it and I jumped on board. Stillborn gave me the experience I needed to run a label and know the in’s and out’s of the music industry.

YPA:  Someone your age that’s a pretty bold statement. What do you say to critics who think that with age comes experience in this industry?

MM: I’ve been touring since I was 16. I’ve seen bands get crushed by labels, and bands succeed with labels help. I will always keep on learning from the music industry, especially since it is ever changing. My old boss is the hardest working man I know in the industry, so I’m going to take that knowledge and learn from my new work environment as well.

YPA: Nice side skirt of the question

MM: I don’t think age means anything. I know thirty year olds who know nothing about the music industry and have been in it longer than I have. It’s the mistakes you make that make you learn, and believe me, I’ve made a book full of mistakes.

YPA: Has the industry embracing the heavy music scene been a detriment to the quality of the bands coming out? In other words how do you feel about labels grabbing bands based on myspace hits and the fact they’re “heavy” bands.

MM: Theres an upside to it and a down side. Myspace is such a great tool for labels to check out bands and get a feel for what they are. Although sometimes bands get shafted because they don’t have enough plays on their myspace. I think it’s great that heavy bands are getting picked up. Even if it is based off their myspace. If they’re hard working, more power to them.

YPA: Yeah but just because they’ve got a lot of “friends” on myspace doesn’t necessarily mean their album is going to be good. Take Ventana (TrustKill records) who were signed based on their myspace page. The band is terrible and is bleeding money. How do you circumvent that situation with your label? Or is it just kind of hit or miss when it comes to predicting sales?

MM: You have to be able to judge how kids are going to react to their music, and whether or not that band is going to work just as hard as you to sell it. Especially with indie labels. You could sign a band and the next day that genre isn’t big anymore. You have to be at the right place at the right time. Meaning, you have to know your audience and see if that band fits. In a lot of cases, you work as hard as you can, and if numbers don’t show, at least you tried your hardest.

YPA: As you well know the economy has taken a downturn and labels are slowly being phased out. Why decide to start one right now? And what makes you different than another label?
MM: The economy is horrible. Our label is well aware of that. Which is why we decided to become an all digital label. So, we save on the cost of pressing and put that money into where we think it is really needed. Tour support, promotions, recording, etc. ) So many indie labels are like families. And thats no different with us. Families support each other and we plan to work hard for and with our bands.

YPA: I’ve known you for awhile Mary and you’re about as chronic a work-a-holic as I am. Aside from those late nights I see you online, what do you do for fun?

MM: [Laughs] It’s true, neither of our jobs are 9-5. I’m a grandma at heart. I like to crochet, watch movies and stay in. If I have any spare time, I like to volunteer as much as I can. Oy vey. I sound like the most boring person on the planet! HA. But I enjoy it. My fun is with my job, and I am so blessed that I can say that.

YPA: Oy Vey huh?  Hmmm since when did you become a Jew? Kidding kidding

MM: [Laughs] I do like Challah bread and honey.

YPA: There are a lot of people trying to break into this industry. What I’ve noticed is that a lot of them are very attractive females who make it. Yet women are still paid significantly lower wages regardless. How do you feel being an attractive woman in a position of power in this industry? Is it a negative or a positive the attention you receive? And how do you feel about the pay discrepancy due to your gender?

MM: The ultimate question. I don’t get treated any different than a guy in my position would. I encourage all women to do what they love to do and don’t take any shit for it. All attention I’ve got is completely positive, and it’s not because of my boobs or butt. I think women have to work a little harder to prove themselves sometimes. Right now I think in the industry, its pretty equal.  I don’t feel I get paid any less or any more than I deserve. I haven’t seen a woman get paid more or less than a man, but thats also just my experience with it.

YPA: Truth be told when I walk in for an interview I get a different response from male artists than I do when I send in one of my female staffers in. You’re telling me that kind of attention doesn’t make it any easier when pitching a new band?

MM: Being a label manager and being attractive have no relevance to each other for me. I sit behind a desk all day. I would hope a band wouldn’t sign with us based on my appearance. I don’t go into a discussion with a band wearing high heels and a push up bra and hope they sign with us because my boobs are hanging out. I’m a very conservative person and on the inside I’m just one of the guys. It’s all about how you present yourself. If you demand respect, that is what you’ll get. I’m not naive, I know sex sells, but for my preference, I’d rather be respected than sexy.

YPA: Tell me about Mary growing up? What kind of kid were you in middle and high school?

MM: Oh goodness, I was so awkward. I played stand up bass because I was taller than any of the kids in my class. Most of high school experience was touring though, my teachers were bands and my classroom was the United States and Canada.

YPA:What were your favorite bands growing up?

MM: I was a die hard ska fan. No Doubt, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, The Skatalites. Maybe it was all those years standing next to the horn section in orchestra. [Laughs]

YPA: You were a band nerd huh? [laughs]

MM: I was a band nerd, wrestler, artist, poet.The best combo. Haha. I’m surprised I never got  picked on. It’s probably the wrestling part that stopped that from happening.

YPA: Woah back up, a wrestler?

MM: Yeah, in middle school there was a girl the year before me who had wrestled and she was so good at it. I had long legs and long arms, so I tried out and got on the team. The next year there was around 8 other girls right there along with me.

YPA: What drew you into metal and hardcore?

MM: I kind of fell into it. I used to never understand hardcore. Everyone was so close knit and I never understood it. I was on a break from tour, and my friend Mike Justian, the old drummer of Unearth asked me to hop on tour to sell merch. He was then touring with Shai Hulud. It was a US tour with Madball, M.O.D., Bitter End and Hulud. I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience with hardcore.
I remember the first night, we were in Kansas I think, and I was sitting at the merch table and Madball went on and my eyes we’re GLUED to the stage. I had never heard anything like it in my life. It opened my eyes to that whole genre.  I used to be that girl that said “It’s just a music scene.” I know differently now. I got to experience one of the greatest hardcore families, in Connecticut. It was so interesting and amazing to see everyone support each other.

YPA: Being around this for as long as we both have, what is your take on the resurgence of Crews in hardcore? Do you think it’s a good thing that brings unity or something that eventually breeds violence and goes out of control like the incidents in PA and Chicago with FSU?

MM: There’s always going to be bad seeds in every group. I don’t like anything that promotes violence. If you’re promoting unity and brotherhood then more power to you.

YPA: Where do you see this all going in ten years? Think the media and such will move on from heavy music or do you think that it’s captivating enough to earn a spot in say like a grammy nomination.

MM: I’m not in the hardcore/metal industry anymore, but I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. There’s so many great bands of that genre out there. Hatebreed was actually nominated for a Grammy, so the wait is over! One day I believe a Metal record will win album of the year.

YPA: Batman or Superman?

MM: Batman. The ultimate superhero like my men non-fictious.

YPA: Walls of Jericho or Wage of Sin?

MM: Walls of Jericho.

YPA: Leopard print or zebra print?

MM: Jamey [Jasta] is going to kill me for saying this, but Zebra Print.

YPA: Pizza or Hamburgers?

MM: Pizza with Ketchup, always!

YPA: You just made me sick. [Laughs]

MM: Don’t knock it till you try it!

YPA: What is that you most dislike?

MM: When I’m compared to Liz Lemon. [Laughs] (Editor’s Note: This is what I call Mary on a regular basis.) Just kidding! When people make assumptions, its our greatest downfall as human beings.

YPA: What is the quality you most like in a man?

MM: Confidence, and I don’t mean the fake kind. Someone who actually believes in himself and what he’s doing.

YPA: What is the quality you most like in a woman?

MM: A girl that is funny. If she’s can make a whole room crack up, she and I will become friends real fast.

YPA: What is your current state of mind?

MM: New York state of mind. Busy but happy.  Also because I have that Jay Z song stuck in my head.

YPA: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

MM: I would say to have no ambition. To not want to make your dreams come true. By saying I can’t or there is no way. I know it sounds cliche, but there is always a way. If I wasn’t ambitious I think that would be the lowest point in my life.

YPA: Recently Puerto Rican Myke has passed you the torch as the second singer of Skarhead. Tell us how the experience has been so far? Big shoes to fill?

Ceekay Jones: It’s an honor to be asked to do this. PR Myke is an amazing vocalist and his energy on stage is like none other. Ive said it before, “I could never fill the shoes of PR Myke, but I do my best to represent what he brought to Skarhead”.

As a solo-artist your styles are very eclectic. Does it make it difficult to classify yourself into one genre such as hardcore or hip-hop when it’s really a bit of everything?

Definitely, and over the last few years I’ve done so many different projects in so many different styles of music that I feel like I’m just now putting it all together into a sound I would classify as my own. I’m constantly growing as a musician and in that growth my sound changes and progresses. I think thats the reason I have yet to release a solo record. When I started to record my solo stuff I had an idea of what I wanted and then in the course of recording, over the last year especially I have evolved into something entirely different than what I started with. I think it keeps me on my toes and fresh that way.

How have you seen street culture change in the past ten years or so?

Ya know, I think that statement “The more things change the more things stay the same” is fitting for that. Everything evolves and then circles back to its starting place. Although it never will be exactly the same as it was 10 years ago, I definitely see it moving in cycles. Of course dollars will alway influence a movement so we’ve definitely seen that, but in everything there is always the original style and sound that stays a float. You just gotta look deeper into a scene or a movement to find the real…

Tell us where “Gucci Punk” comes from?

“GUCCI PUNK” is me! That term I created to define who I am. I’m not your typical hardcore street grimy cat. Im into high fashion and looking good, but on the flip side I got a gutter punk mentality as well. It use to be that you were “punk” if you showed up at a show sporting a mo-hawk and leather studded jacket, but know thats mainstream “Hot Topic” gear. I like showing up to a Hardcore show or a Punk show wearing “GUCCI” or “John Varvatos” and contradict all these cats that dress and act a certain way to fit in. Im me and I represent myself, my family and my crew to the fullest. “Real Recognize Real”….I am the “Original Gucci Punk” ….WHAT !!!! [Laughs]

You’re currently working on a lot. Tell us about some of the projects you’ve got going on right now?

Well honestly in the last 3 years I’ve done so many projects that I wasn’t allowing me to do my own stuff, so I have cut down the load so to speak to focus on the stuff that is most important right now, like SKARHEAD and my solo record. But, I did this year release a EP with my old band “The New Tabu” and I continue to do collaborations in Hip Hop with lots of cats….

Some describe your rhyme style as “grimy.” Would you consider that a fair assessment?

I don’t know, I’m a jack of all trades. I think people only describe what they have heard from me thus far. I’m actually very well versed vocally. I sing and went to school for voice. I think in the near future I’ll be showing the world a whole new side people didn’t know I have. No one knew I could do the Skarhead thing and look what I did there. I wrote and recorded all my stuff in less than 48 hours for that new Skarhead record. I’m just getting started to show people what I can do !!!! [Laughs]

How is working in hip-hop different than working in hardcore?

Well, Its a lot different. I don’t make beats, so in Hip Hop I purely am a writer but in Hardcore its more of a band concept. I started in music as a frontman for a band so I will always enjoy that process more than the Hip Hop side. I get bored writing raps so I think thats why I end up doing so much other stuff musically. But don’t get me wrong. I love it all…I don’t think I answered that question to clearly !!! [Laughs]

Skarhead released it’s first album in more than five years. What’s it like being a part of that insanity?

Exactly how you just put it, “Insanity” ! But it is a lot of fun and like said, its an honor to be apart of. There are so many great artists involved and being amongst that list of names is dope…

There are a lot of rappers out there and not a lot of MC’s which is something that developed during the “No Limit Solider” era of the genre. You rap about similar things, yet somehow have a tendency to avoid being in that pigeon-hole. Why do you think that is?

Again, I think that is only because I’m being judged on a very small body of work thats out there to hear from me. I have definitely at times fallen victim to writing for a certain group, sound or style and because I haven’t really released anything SOLO yet Ive done myself an injustice. Again, the stuff I’m gonna unleash on the world in the next year will really change the view people have on what my style or sound truly is.

When you’re not working in the studio or on tour what do you do to keep entertained?

[Laughs] This is where I differ the most from the people I run with. I’m really a mellow cat. I stay home play guitar, stay fit in the gym and run a lot. If I have off time, I normally relax with my fam or with a lady ! Touring has enough party and stress with it, so when I’m home, I’M HOME !!!

Any vices?

Beautiful women, Gucci, my guitar and some red wine. I bet you didn’t see that answer coming right?

What’s your craziest tour and/or strip club story? Any nights resembling The Hangover?

Every Skarhead Tour has crazy stories so I have plenty. Lets just say this “If you spend anytime on the road with Skarhead, your gonna have a good time weather you want to or not.” [Laughs]

I know lots of guys collect random shit. Rick Ta Life loves the horror movie toys and Toby H20 digs on everything Nike. Anything like that for you?

GUCCI!

What have you been listening to a lot of recently?

I have the broadest musical taste of anyone I know. I can listen to anything from Punk to Hardcore to Pop to Country. A good written song is a good written song. I just like good music !!!

TuPac. Alive and hiding out? Or dead and not coming back?

He’s eating bacon wrapped hotdogs with Elvis in the bahamas…hahaha…I don’t fucking know or really care honestly. (but I love TuPac’s shit and Elvis for that matter)

As a musician how have you seen the industry change with the slow decline of labels?

That question is an entire interview in itself. Its a whole new world and if you want to survive the changing of the guard you gotta stay current in social networking with technology and creating new avenues to take. The old way of doing the music biz is dead and if you don’t adapt to the new, then it doesn’t matter how good you are your gonna get left in the dust asking why you didn’t make it….

You’re from New York originally, but now you’re out on the west coast in Los Angeles. What’s the big difference between the two places? Was it a bit of a culture shock moving from the city that never sleeps to the weed capital of the country?

Well, I was born in Western NY, so I’m not from the NYC. I moved to New Mexico in High School and then moved around from there until I ended up in LA because of my original band touring and playing the West Coast so much. I love NY and always will, but I will never live there again. I love the West Coast. The weather, the vibe and did I mention THE WEATHER ? [Laughs]..Ive always been a traveling man so I don’t have culture shock where ever I go.

What kind of kid were you in high school?

I was an athlete. I turned Pro [while] Snowboarding when I was fifteen. I toured the world competing in half-pipe and big air until I was nineteen. Music was just something I enjoyed. I always looked a lot younger than I was (and still do) so I didn’t get my play in High School. I just smoked mad weed and Snowboarded. Mind you, I was in New Mexico in a small ass town so life was a bit different than the city folk.

You’ve worked with KRS One, Cro Mags, House of Pain, Alkaline Trio and a slew of other artists. What’s been the most memorable/insightful experience you’ve had? Has there ever been any star struck moments?

Ive been blessed so far. working with everyone has been so chill. Ive never been star struck though. Having Matt Skiba do the song “Kill for LA” with me was dope. Im a huge Alkaline Trio fan and hes a really chill cat so that was fun. Working with people you listen to or get inspiration from is always a blessing…I just try to absorb any kind of mojo they have and use it on my stuff.

Favorite breakfast cereal?

Don’t eat cereal, but as a kid I wished I could eat Golden Grams. My parents are ex professional Athletes so I was brought up on the healthy tip. I did sneak some bowls of sugar cereals at my friends houses growing up though…hahaha…My breakfast now is a Protein shake followed my Starbucks Chai !!! [Laughs]

If you could hang out with any three people on a desert island; who would you pick and why?

Damn thats a tough question. My first response was, I’d make it four and it would be my two brothers and my parents, but then I wouldn’t be getting laid so I can’t have that. Hmmmmm, probably then it would be my best friend Norm and two really hot chicks. If Im getting deserted then at least Ill be chilling on the beach with hot chicks and my best friend! [Laughs]

Any last words?

Much Respect…Look out for my solo stuff and I just wanna thank everyone for the support so far. Go buy the new Skarhead “DRUGS MUSIC AND SEX” record if you haven’t already !!! Big ups to my brotha from anotha mutha LORD EZEC aka DANNY DIABLO and all my BnB Brothers….Like I said your gonna see a lot of me starting this year. I’m just getting started in this bitch !!! hahahaha….ONE

So you just wrapped Brothers, how was that experience?

We wrapped that two years ago actually, well, just about. It was fun but so long ago I don’t recall many of the details.

You’ve been in a lot of movies. Big and small. What’s been the most enjoyable experience filming experience thus far?

I just finished a movie called UNSTOPPABLE that Tony Scott directed and that was very enjoyable. I don’t know that it was “the most” enjoyable movie I’ve done but being the most recent I will go with that one.

Tell us about the Star Fucking Hipsters project?

Sturgeon (the lead singer, formerly of Choking Victim, also the lead singer of Leftover Crack) is a friend of mine and he mentioned that he thought it would be cool if when they came through LA they got some footage of me beating him up in an interrogation room. My brother-in-law who introduced us decided that we’d shoot their entire video here and we just went about doing that. It’s for their new single called 3000 MILES and it should be up on YouTube or available on their MySpace soon.

What was one of your favorite episodes of Boy Meets World?

The first one, I had to grab Corey and slam him into a locker. It was also my first acting job.

As a follower of yours on twitter I noticed a tweet about making the Breakfast Club into a TV show. You expressed a slight disgust for such allowed to be possible.. what are your thoughts on the latest craze (so-to-speak) of taking old classic films, and even 80’s and 90’s TV shows, and re-vamping them for ‘’today’s generation’’?

We as a society seem to have run out of ideas. Sucks for us.

Going along with my previous question do you think they will ever remake Boy Meets World? If so, would you want to make an appearance in the show?

That’s funny. Laughing Silently To Myself

What prep work did you do to get ready to play Seth Ryan in American History X?

I was really into the LA ska scene in the early 90s and familiar with the skinhead subculture so I knew something about it from the beginning but I had to play basically my worst enemy. I tried for a while to look back at what kind of music or tattoos those guys were into but my only real contact with them was in fights. The director pulled in some guys from OC and I had to bite my tongue while I listened to them spout their garbage philosophy. I really hope I made them look like idiots, that was my main focus.

The tattoo you had in the movie is of an American Oi band named Anti-Heroes. Any thoughts on their lawsuit?

Maybe if they  hadn’t done such a spot on cover of Skrewdriver’s Anti-Social, Nazi morons wouldn’t have been into them.

Did you ever see the fucking sailboat? Cause I damn sure know I didn’t.

Yep, I sure did.

What have you been listening to lately?

Al Green, Gallows, Star Fucking Hipsters, Symarip, Mariachi El Bronx, Op-Ivy, John Holt, Contropotere, D’Angelo, Amebix, Against ME! Those are the most recent bands I’ve forced upon my kids. The list changes almost weekly.

How long have you been into hardcore and punk rock?

Since I was a kid. When I was 12 I started getting dropped off by my mom at the Reseda Country Club for the all-ages shows, that’s where it started.

You grew up in Manhattan and you’re in California now. Which coast’s music do you prefer?

I wouldn’t know. I like what strikes an emotional chord in me and it doesn’t really matter where it’s being made. I left Manhattan when I was really young and didn’t really grow up with NY Hardcore like the kids out there. If I was gonna go see a NYHC show, like the Cro-Mags or Gorilla Biscuits when I was a really young kid I made sure to go with a big group, those shows were a lot of fun but attracted a rougher crowd and there were always fights. But NO ONE back then was doing that fucking lame “hardcore dance.” The first time I saw that was at a Madball show 5 or 6 years ago and I was bugging out, like what the fuck are these kids doing?! I’m sure it’s what my parents would’ve thought of a pit way back when but there’s a beautiful aesthetic to a good pit and these “karate kids” look like a bunch of morons having epileptic fits…

What’s your take on all these new school hipster kids and the Rod Stewart hair?

I don’t really understand it. I don’t know what a “hipster” is really either. I thought they were the kids listening to folk and always about to kill themselves but now there are these other “hipsters” with flock of seagulls hair and eye-liner that don’t really seem like they’re suicidal but they want it to look that way. Bizarre.

Has fatherhood mellowed you a bit? I know you let some rage out on Twitter occasionally.

Yeah for sure. I’m not allowed to fight anymore, that’s my wife’s rule but I stick to it and also you want to set a decent example for your kids. I have daughters so we try to use words to defeat people in any kind of altercation. That’s what I’m trying to teach them. Or that’s it’s alright to be wrong sometimes too and even though your mad or freaked out, realizing that you’re wrong and admitting it can make all the frustration go away. If I had sons we’d just be at the MMA gym all the time and fighting with people and it’s be fun but less cerebral and there’s something really good about thinking clearly.

I see you are a supporter of Invisible Children. Do you happen to know about Outlet Thru Noise? If so, what are your thoughts?

I know nothing about them, I’ll look into it.

I have some Silly questions for you:

Twitter or MySpace?

TWITTER BITCHES

Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Both are awesome but I would put on the Beatles before the Stones…

Xbox or Ps3?

Not allowed, wife, kids etc…

Coke or Pepsi?

100% COKE, but not for quite some years as I’ve been dieting.

UFC or NFL?

NF-who? UFC!

King of the Hill vs. Family Guy?

Family GUY!

Alcohol vs. Pot ?

Been sober for almost 9 years so neither, but I am pro legalization.

Marvel vs. DC ?

Which released Sandman? (Editor’s Note: DC Comics….)

Sex Pistols vs. Ramones ?

As a kid the Pistols seemed to embody Anarchy better, as an adult my kids have not been exposed to them but will request Blitzkrieg Bop by name and I doubt that I have any Pistols on record or CD…Maybe an old cassette.