ONE VOICE: JOSHUA "SPIDEY" RATHBUN

Josh fronts modern-day Salt Lake Hardcore act Dogwelder but he's been a part of the hardcore scene for almost 20 years now. And, he's provided you with some of the hardest-to-find local records over at the Salt Lake Hardcore Blog.

How were you introduced to the Salt Lake Hardcore scene?

Back in '93 I had a bunch of friends who went to shows and were starting to get into hardcore. I was kinda re-discovering punk rock and hardcore was new to me and everyone else I hung out with mostly. So one night, they convinced me to go to my first show, which was Bohemia, Lumberjack and Swim Herschal Swim and it was at Club Starrz. I think the only stuff I had heard at the time was the Salt Flats cd and maybe the Dead City By A Lake tape. I think I just liked all of it. Well, not Mayberry.

Greatest SLHC memories?

A lot of my favorite times were at DV8. As much as I hated the basement shows, there were lots of them and they were good. So many awesome bands played there. I would take a venue like that over a lot of places and I miss it a lot. It really bummed me out when it burned down as it was like a second home to me. Not just for hxc shows but I went to non-hxc shows there too. I know a lot of people feel the same way. It was kind of a hardcore landmark of Salt Lake. I felt the same way about Raunch Records. The late 90's shows at the Tower were so amazing. Every single show there was fucking rad. And to me, it was just great to be able to be in a band, Dogwelder, and play shows with the people I am friends with who are in bands. I can't say that it was great stuff but it always meant a lot to be asked to be on a show.

Favorite SLHC bands?

My favorites of Salt Lake...Probably the most talented and enjoyable would be Triphammer. Up north, like Ogden/Logan area, in the mid-90's there were a bunch of great bands, like Unbound/Veterans Grove. I liked Waterfront a lot, Lifeless too. Really liked Cool Your Jets a lot. Cherem was great. I thought Salt Lake had something really good going in the early to mid 2000's and a lot of kids were going to the shows. I think it had a lot to do with Aftermath but that's just me. They were a very fun band to see. The current bands are good, what ones I have seen. Collapse and Tamerlane are good stuff. Also, outside the hardcore scene, I like Birthquake. They are just very talented. One thing that's funny is that you have bands that later on are considered shit but back in the day everyone who went to shows liked those bands.

How has the Salt Lake Hardcore scene impacted your life?

Well, I think because of hardcore I was turned on to straightedge and 16 years later. I'm still straightedge, so it's definitely had an impact. I have most all of my friends because of the hardcore scene and probably my girlfriend too. I think it is because of hardcore that I have a lot of the feelings and beliefs that I have. And Salt Lake means a lot to me. I would truly never want to move, just because of all I have here. I don't feel I need to leave to be something.

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

Personally, I think hardcore is in bad shape, especially in Salt Lake. There's no venue here for shows but people don't do shit to promote music. It's hard to see bands playing in town that you enjoy a lot and want to support but then you don't believe in supporting the promoter. It's self-defeating. I have a hard time with that.

And you know, it really chips at me because I look at what we have here and it's nothing. Yeah, I know, sometimes someone has a coffee shop to play in or the back room of a shop but I guess when it's not important to hold onto a decent venue, you have to take what you can get. I guess when the new crowd at shows would rather lean against a wall in the back than be up front, it might not matter if people show up or not. I've never understood that.

Mostly for me, I think it really hurts to be one of those people who never wanted to be the guy who rarely goes to shows or got old or got in a relationship, but at 33, I just don't always have the time. It's a bit too much to go to a show when you work long hours out of town or have a girlfriend who is working on a Masters and you don't see each other. It's hard to make time when you have a lot of personal projects to do, like I have had this year. I haven't been to a show in about 3 or 4 months.

And nowadays, I look at when shows are and most often than not, I have something going on. I haven't outgrown it because I love the music so much still but I just never have the time. I really hope that hardcore in Salt Lake gets a real venue and that people rally around it because growing up in this town with the music it make and the kids it had was the time of my life.