ONE VOICE: MIKE TURLEY

Mike Turley is best known as the singer of XReflectX. His band carried the dark, passionate sound of Salt Lake Hardcore into the late 2000s and introduced a whole new generation to the hardcore scene.  Mike is also a talented artist (see the cover of his band's swansong full-length, The Hourglass End). Sadly, XReflectX retired this year but Mike remains passionate about hardcore and the world eagerly awaits his next endeavor.

How were you introduced to the Salt Lake Hardcore scene?

Through some of my closest friends I was shown certain bands and given the idea of going to a hardcore show. When I was 15 years old, I went to my first show at The Junction with Bad Luck 13 and I've kept going since.
 
What are your greatest SLHC memories?

I feel somewhat privileged to be able to have some of my closest friends also being a part of the hardcore scene. I have so many great memories of fun shows and times with Reflect and such. Like when we recorded our demo, we had no clue what we were doing and some stuff had to be rewritten and broken back down. It was funny but a total nightmare for any recording engineer. Probably one of my favorite shows was when all of our bands went out to California and played the Coming of Age Fest. Although it was lacking in attendance, it was a really good time. All the bands played great and it was a good experience.

Who are your favorite SLHC bands?

Pushing Up Daisies is definitely one of my all time favorites because of the stage presence they had and the musical style they introduced me to. Tamerlane, of course, for the time they've put into sticking around and the emotion and anger pushed out of the songs they produce.

How has hardcore and the Salt Lake scene impacted your life?

My appreciation for music was something I felt was never fully understood until i started listening to underground music like hip hop and hardcore/punk, and im glad for it. The people i've met and the lives that have touched me and my friends in the scene have made a huge impact on me as a person. Its honestly like an extended family.

What are your thoughts on the state of hardcore today and its future?

I feel like its a struggle in this time -- where hardcore has become so mainstream and such a money grubbing match -- to find decent people that can put on a traditional diy style hardcore show. I mean the majority of hxc bands nowadays don't even do their own booking for tours, which i mean isn't a big deal but lessens the point of the diy style of it all. That's something i totally respect about bands that take the time in doing so. The future of hardcore i think is slightly uncertain. I dont feel like shows are promoted well enough anymore outside of the internet. People need to understand that we as a whole need to do what we can to make this all work and not just the small minority of people that run a website or play in a band... every person that attends these shows through one way or another.