It’s been a little over a year since I had both of you guys on the radio show.  Anklebiter and Prevention have both been busy since.  How has life been for you guys outside of hardcore since then?

Evan (Anklebiter): Not bad not bad. I’m back in school which is hard but I’ve managed to keep a good balance between school, friends, work, music, seeing my partner, etc. Can’t complain too much.

Evan (Prevention): Its been pretty run of the mill lately.  Just got a new apartment with my partner Annelise which is dope.  Other than that pretty much all I do is substitute teach, go fishing, and cook.  If you don’t factor in hardcore, life is pretty uneventful here in Springfield.

Anklebiter has played with Gorilla Biscuits, Risk, Judge, 108 and upcoming with Shelter and Have Heart.  How has that been for you and the band?  And how are you all feeling about playing with HH?

Evan (Anklebiter): It’s definitely weird considering this band started largely as a joke project that was meant to play just a couple shows a year. Beyond the honor that comes from playing with bands I’ve loved for years now who were foundational to the music I play, I’ve grown to really appreciate the environment of these legacy band shows. We bring our younger friends who give the show energy and life and they bring their older fans. It gives us an opportunity to show them what’s happening in hardcore RIGHT NOW. 

That Have Heart show is the biggest thing I’ve really been asked to be a part of. Have Heart was the first ever older band I was introduced to when getting into hardcore so this is a wild full circle moment for me and all my bandmates. I know with the New York date specifically, Pat handpicked that lineup of all newer bands. As much as I was excitedly anticipating what other reunion acts we would be playing with, I’m just as excited to share that stage with a lot of friends who have been supportive of me and my bands since day one. 

Prevention got to play with No Warning in Texas last year, and also rocked Hold Your Ground Fest in Canada.  How were those shows for you guys?

Evan (Prevention): No Warning ended up dropping that show in texas but we still rocked it with End It, Hold My Own, Statement of Pride, and the one and only Ozone.  Wished No Warning could have made it but the show was still great.  As for Canada, the drive was brutal as we worked on the friday before, drove 12 hours straight to Toronto, slept for a few hours, and then played.  After that we attended the fest for the rest of the day, went to sleep, then got up and drove back home just in time to go to sleep sunday night and go back to work.

Both of your bands are Flyover Fest Alumni and it seems like it’s become a gathering of hardcore friendship.  How has that fest been for you guys to play?

Evan (Anklebiter): Flyover Fest is special to Anklebiter in particular because it’s the first place we got a real pop. Don’t get me wrong we had played good shows prior to the first year we played the fest, but when we played in 2022, we were still a very young band who had hardly touched that part of the country before. It’s weird being from the North East yet confidently calling Tulsa, OK home turf but I genuinely do feel that way. 

All credit for that goes to Aaron and the team that books the fest. It’s the best fest I’ve been to, no doubt. It’s the perfect size, where things are intimate and it still feels like VFW hardcore, but is big enough that it’s worth the trip for bands from all over the country, or bigger bands, to make the trip to Oklahoma. I am super grateful for Aaron’s trust and confidence in us. 

Evan (Prevention): The anual pilgramage to flyover for the past 3 years has been one of the highlight of my tenure in hardcore.  It is honestly the weekend I anticipate most every year.  Flyover fest is just straight up buddy fest.  Every year the fest is jam packed with so many homies and it’s truly amazing to see all of them get such crazy responses, especially when they’re from a different region like Anklebiter.  

Being a part of something as special as this fest for so long has done so much for Prevention.  Year after year Aaron and James are willing to put on for us and Springfield as a whole, and I truly cannot appriciate it enough.  The success of this fest is a testiment to how overlooked “Flyover” states like Oklahoma really are.  Its inspiring to see how much people can do if they’re determined to create something special for their community, and Flyover does that like no other.  I think all fests should strive to be a little more like Flyover Fest.  less about money and hype, more about firendship and DIY.

Both bands released two of my favorite EP’s of 2023.  Prevention “Split the World” on Delayed Gratification and Anklebiter “To Live and Withstand” on Sunday Drive.  Tell us about the process before and after for both bands. (Thanks for making regular, not beatdown hc, in 2023). 

Evan (Anklebiter): To Live and Withstand was cool because it was our first shot at trying for this band. The demo was written in a couple hours. To Live and Withstand took time and effort. We also benefited from the experience we had had from being a band for a year. When Anklebiter started, 2 of our 4 had never been in a hardcore band before. For To Live and Withstand, we knew what we wanted to do and we knew what we needed to do. I think it’s especially evident in live sets from the two “eras.”

Evan (Prevention): As Prevention has grown, the writing process has become more and more colaborative, and I think ultimately it results in a much better final project.  Usually one of us comes to practice with a grouping of a could riffs that go together and build on that.  A pretty standard writing process.  Once the songs were done we recorded with our go-to guy Brandon in Springfield and then sent the DI tracks to Bricktop Recording out of Chicago to have it reamped, mixed and mastered.  Once it was wrapped up we put it out through DGR and it seems like people really enjoy the songs.  I think these are the best songs we’ve done to date.

Anklebiter and Prevention both toured and played all over last year.  What were some new places you guys enjoyed playing and where do you plan on planning in 2024?  

Evan (Anklebiter): Anklebiter hit the west coast for the first time and I’d love to do that again at some point. Plus I could tour the Midwest once a month for the rest of my life and be super happy. 

2024 we’re taking things a lot easier since we’re writing an LP right now but two places I’m dying to hit with Anklebiter are Minneapolis and San Diego. Had INCREDIBLE shows there with one of my other bands this year and I would love to bring Anklebiter there. 

Evan (Prevention): 2023 was a big year for us as we hit so many new places.

We went farther east than we ever have, hitting places like Greenville South Carolina and Baltimore.  We also went farther north than we ever have hitting our first international show in Toronto for Hold Your Ground Fest.  This year we’ll be hitting even more new spots.

Prevention Evan I know you have been booking and running shows in Springfield for awhile now and Evan AB there’s shows happening in your local scene.  Can you guys share about whats happening in your local hc scenes.  

Evan (Anklebiter): I can’t speak for the rest of Anklebiter’s local scenes but Nick and I both live in Providence, Rhode Island and have started booking here. We’ve only had a couple shows thus far but right now we’ve got an 100% success rate and we have a lot more shows coming up as well. To speak on New England as whole, there’s people putting on crazy shows in every state of NE right now and it’s awesome to see. Bands can route through here with minimal drives, playing to completely different scenes every day.

Evan (Prevention): Springfield IL has been popping off for a little while now.  For example we just had CMI come through and play to over 120 kids on a Monday night.  Springfield is one of the most dedicated, hungry and thriving communities in the country when it come to hardcore.  The kids come out in droves 4+ times a month to see bands big and small, buy merch, dance, and have a good time.  If you’re in a band, hit us up for a show and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Do you guys mind sharing a little bit about the project you have coming between both bands?

Evan (Anklebiter): Prevention and Anklebiter are doing a split together. It’s been the works for a while at this point but we’re finally getting it done. It’ll be a split release between DGR and SDR. Very grateful to get to do so much with my favorite current hardcore band. 

Evan (Prevention): Anklebiter and Prevention will be releasing a split on April 26th through DGR and Sunday Drive Records.  I’m excited for everyone to hear these new songs as I think it’s some of the best material both bands have to offer.  There’s also some fun tours that we’ll be announcing soon along side a record release show in Providence.

Final thoughts, shout outs, listening recommendations? 

Evan (Anklebiter): Thanks for having us! If your band wants to play Providence or wants help figuring out where to play and who to book with in the North East, hit me up. 

Listening recs: 

Identifyme- against the wall

We Still Know – Collateral 

Just Us – Out Crowd

Demo – Skud

Demo II – Burning Lord

S/T – Straight Razor

In Shame – Swamp Thing

Evan (Prevention): I am the better Evan.