Originally published in Verbicide issue #5

I had originally intended to interview Kyle Bishop — emotional hardcore magnate and vocalist of Victory Records’ Grade — for Verbicide issue #4. In September of 2001, after weeks of waiting through conflicting schedules, I finally was able to contact him and conduct the interview. However, thanks to problems with my phone, the entire recorded interview was indiscernible and had to be redone the following month! Well, I missed the deadline for issue #4, but now I’m finally able to publish this.

The new Grade album, Headfirst Straight to Hell, was banned at the superstore chain Best Buy due to the choice of cover art. Although this could be viewed as an artistic setback, how did this affect you personally?
Personally, not at all. Those kind of boundaries always come about, and that was actually kind of cool to us (laughter). We thought it was great because it gave us lots of extra press. It was disappointing that they weren’t into the imagination of the artwork, but it didn’t really set us back in any way, personally or as a band.

Have you ever experienced any other problems with censorship, either by Victory or other outside forces?
Yeah, there have been little things here and there. Like on our last record, Under the Radar, there was a song at the very beginning where I was coughing and I said, “Ah, fuck” by accident, and it got banned from a couple radio stations because it had a swear word in it. And I didn’t even realize it was in there till after we had the record out! (laughter) For the most part, if there has been any kind of censorship, we pretty much ignore it. It’s not worth paying attention to, because it’s just bad energy.

Is there a meaning behind the cover art on the new album?
Sure. It’s fully reflective of the lyrics and the music. The lyrics and the music were given to the illustrator, and that’s what he thought of when he listened to it and read it.

Interesting. You’ve toured with many other bands. Who in particular have you most enjoyed playing with, and who do you look forward to playing with in the future?
We’ve really enjoyed playing with Fugazi, AFI, Ensign, Snapcase…there’s so many bands, it’s almost impossible to say who you enjoy more, because there are so many great people out there. We look forward to playing some more shows with bands like AFI, and we would love to possibly play shows with Strung Out, or even In Flames — something different; you know, we just love playing.

How’s the tour with Murder City Devils going?
It’s going great. It’s been a bit of a struggle because their crowd is not necessarily used to what we’re doing, so at first they’re kind of like, “What the fuck is this?” But I think we’ve “stuck in their brains,” a little, hopefully.

Any bands or people in the industry that you despise?
Um, yes. But I’m not gonna talk about it! (laughter)

I didn’t think so!…Well, here’s a pretty basic question: who are your musical and artistic influences? I recall you saying something quite interesting last time we spoke about being artistically inspired by bridges and stars.
Yeah, I remember that now. I’m definitely inspired by great structures, like buildings…and bridges, especially — I hate going over them, but I love looking at them! I’m inspired by the greatness of the ocean, and the power that it has; and the greatness of the sky, and how far it reaches out…that kind of stuff just blows my mind. The scientific aspects of life really intrigue me. When it comes to music, there are so many [influences] it’s almost impossible to mention.

Any in particular that have really inspired you since you were a kid?
Motley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Husker Du, The Ramones…Jeff Buckley, for sure, has been an inspiration since about ’94 for me. Slayer has been a big one; Led Zeppelin has been a huge part of me my whole life. The Smiths; I’ve loved them for a long time. As far as newer bands, there’s In Flames, Cradle of Filth, The Haunted…it just goes on and on, I love music.

Over the course of your albums there has been a change in the sound of Grade. Was this due in any part to the change in band members, or due to growth as a band?
Both…all factors play a part in it. New band members definitely have a huge influence on the last the two records; the drummers, especially. On Under the Radar the drumming changed drastically from our earlier record, Separate the Magnets, and from Under the Radar to Headfirst Straight to Hell the drumming is improved once again — the drumming on Under the Radar wasn’t as great as Separate the Magnets.

[In regards to] guitar-playing and musicianship, Headfirst Straight to Hell is the first, the best. It’s been wonderful just to watch and hear these guys play. This record has been the largest growth that we’ve had as an album, in general, for our band. Also, in doing that, it’s become the most difficult record for people to listen to.

Why was there a change in band members?
Personalities; you know, a lot of times certain people’s lives don’t fit other people’s lives or agendas. On Under the Radar we kicked out our drummer because he just wasn’t a great musician, and it was hard to work with him. When it came to our guitar players leaving, it was because of other artistic reasons — I mean, we’re still friends with both of them.

Why did you leave the band Acrid, who had a drastically different sound than that of Grade?
I couldn’t stand the people in the band, and I didn’t like what they were thinking or doing. If you don’t like it, cut it off, right? (laughter)

A lot of bands in the “scene” portray a certain message. Do you feel Grade has a particular message, and if so, what is it?
Politically, I would say “no.” We all have strong, individual, political ideas, but we don’t try and force them down people’s throats. As a band, we’re trying to…just look at things differently. The whole point is to take a look at life and everything around you in a different way, because you’ll see things in such a better light. That’s really it, just to take a stronger and different look on life than what’s been taught to you, or shown to you, because things are a lot better than you think they are.

What was it like to be a part of the Warped Tour this summer?
Awesome. We only did it for a week, and it was tiring—

And hot as hell.
Yeah, it was really hot, but it was great. We met some really cool people, met some great bands, and really exposed ourselves to a lot of new people, which is exactly what any band wants to do.

“Labels” and “genres” are always an unavoidable factor in fans describing their musical tastes. How would you label your music, or describe it to someone?
A cathartic, emotional wreck. (laughter)

Sounds like we have a new genre! What are your aspirations for the future of Grade?
To be able to keep doing what we’re doing now; to maintain the integrity that we’ve always had…hope we gain some new fans, and to grow into something bigger. It’d be nice to live a little more comfortably, but we’re not complaining. We just want to be able to sell more records and get people to understand who we are.

Finish this sentence: “Sometimes I…”
“…hate the world.” (laughter)

This isn’t reflective of the current tour is it?
No! Not at all.