Originally published in ‘zine issue #20, 1997
Will Dandy is the guitar player from Orchid, a new band from MA with a new demo out called We Hate You. Here is an interview with Will.
D.U.: What does Orchid sound like?
Will: It’s a chaotic/heavy band, kinda like Acme or Systral or One Eyed God Prophecy. I’m really happy with how it’s turning out.
Tell us about your other band, Laceration. Describe it as if you’re talking to someone that’s never heard of Slayer, let alone Laceration.
Laceration is like beating on something hard really fast and then putting a short part with a little groove similar to booty rock in it.
Why did you start Orchid?
Well, Laceration was just a project that I did because I needed a musical outlet, but honestly, although we have tons of songs to be released, we haven’t recorded a song in a year and a half, so if you think we rip anyone off, it can’t be anyone that recent! It’s all a matter of getting it out there. You can’t find a home for 100 songs overnight. Orchid is my new release for my music writing. My style has changed a lot over a year and a half.
You are also the man behind Clean Plate Records. What is it like having a successful DIY label in terms of the priority it has in your life relative to band, school, quality time with your loved ones, etc.?
It’s hard to do lots of shit that I want to do or need to. I often feel like I sometimes don’t spend enough time with friends, especially talking to ones who don’t live in the same area as me, because I always have someone I have to call for the label, and since I feel like they’re counting on me, I call them over someone who I just want to talk to, but then I feel like I’m avoiding my other friends. I mean, I wouldn’t give it up for anything, but it can be stressful since I usually give it priority over other things that also need to get done.
Do you do any of that other punk shit like being a vegetarian, drinking heavily, or fucking shit up?
I’m a vegetarian, and I’m straight edge, although the term and all that it denotes blows. Fucking shit up is something I got over, not that I ever really did, but now I don’t even want to or think about it.
What’s the scene like at your college? Is the average person that attends your college a douchebag?
At my actual college there’s only a handful of people into hardcore, much more this year than last year, thankfully, and in the surrounding area there’s lots of kids into mosh-metal hardcore. They all suck. There’s a pretty cool emo scene and a little hardcore scene too. Not much goes on, though, besides kickboxing in the pits. The average person at my college is a hippie who talks about freedom and other crappy rhetoric, but in reality just plays in drum circles and does a bunch of drugs. Yes, douchebags.
Will Dandy • http://hamp.hampshire.edu/~wrk96/CP.html ■
