After their set at the 2010 Maryland Death Fest, I had a chat with the vocalist (Mel Mongeon) and guitarist (Topon Das) from Canada's Fuck the Facts.
Coming into a festival like this, do you have high expectations for the band, or do you get nervous before you play?
Yeah, definitely... We've played this fest before, in 2007, so we knew what we were getting into but playing festivals in general is stressful because you're not in your normal environment, you have an unfamiliar back line, and you are kind of rushed for time with a tight schedule. Luckily for MDF runs pretty smoothly and because there are many grindcore bands, there are many bands playing shorter sets.
Who in the band does most of the song writing, Mel, do you write your own lyrics?
Mel- I write about 95% of the lyrics, while Topon does most of the song writing.
Over the past few years, our bass player and drummer have been doing more song writing too. Everyone in the band is involved in music writing, we come together and make it happen. It is important to involve everyone, thats what makes the band.
Where do you get inspiration for your lyrics?
Mel- Mostly from actual facts and things that I see in my daily life.
Who inspires you as a vocalist, do you have an idols?
Mel- When I first started screaming, I listened to the guy from Carcass (Jeff Walker)
Is it hard being the front woman of a grindcore band?
Mel- No, its not something we really wanted to push...
Topon- Mel isn't in the band because she's a girl, it just happened that way.
There are some people who like to push the fact that maybe it'll sell some more records, buy maybe it might sell less. Some people see us, and like us because of Mel, but at the same time some people write us off right away.
Are you proud that you may have inspired some new bands, or people?
It was never really an intent to just inspire, but if the band inspires some kid to start a band, thats great.
Topon- I am not trying to inspire the rest of the Indian guys to start playing metal you know, but we just do what we do.
On a side note, this interview took place outside of the festival underneath an expressway that runs by the club. Mel, Topon and myself were sitting down outside their van talking when police and club security came up and took the beer Topon was drinking and dumped it out then had some serious words about not drinking outside or facing the consequences of possible jail time... Fortunately, no one got in trouble and the interview continued...
Mel, how long have you been doing vocals?
For about 11 years. I didn't used to sound like this, over time I have learned to control my voice better.
Being a grindcore band, when you write new songs, do you try and push limits of speed or anything like that?
We are not really trying to push any envelopes, we don't really think we are a grindcore band. The influences are there, but we aren't straight up grindcore. We have huge influences and we try to mix a lot of styles. We are not trying to be the fastest or more technical band.
Do you ever have any trouble with language barriers?
We all speak English mainly, but a bit of French is spoken by all.
What is your favorite country to tour in?
Canada is pretty cool, so is France and Germany. All of Europe is fun, and the States too.
What country has the best looking woman?
Topon – Canada.
What country has the best looking men?
Mel- Everyone looks the same..
Topon- it is crazy, but everyone looks the same, with the internet and stuff. Everyone watches the same TV shows, and kids in Montreal and Berlin wear the same shirts...
Is playing in a band similar to having a job?
No, its definitely not a job. It's a hobby that takes up as much as a job. It is a lot of work, but we make sure it's a lot of fun. No one is making a living doing this, we do it because we want to, we want to write music and play shows.
Any last comments?
Topon- Just stoked to be here again.
