The Active Ingredient

Interview with Hanji of Standing Penance

On April 12th Standing Penance an alternative metal band from Barbados will be launching their album "The Active Ingredient”in Trinidad at Shakers on the Avenue. The band influenced by international musicians such as Metallica, Our Lady Peace, Disturbed and System of A Down has an existing album “My Pain” under the Steel Entertainment & Records LLC, Steel Entertainment & Records label.

Other features include
Road Runner Records Website - Unsigned artist of the week on
Rockwired Magazine LLC -Video Picks of 2013 For "Do Not Bury Me”
Rockwired Magazine - Top 25 bands of the year
Rockwired Magazine - Top 25 Guitarists for 2013.

Standing Penance

"Do Not Burry Me"

1. Where has band performed?

Standing Penance has performed on every single Major stage in Barbados as well as a smaller Festival in Trinidad - The Samaan Tree I believe.

2.Why Trinidad Shakers for the launch?

The decision was based on the response we got from the Trinidadians after our first performance. We got off the plane in Barbados to check our facebook pages and people somehow found our personal pages with hundreds of friend requests

At the moment we are waiting on our US Work permits and our tour schedule to come through. So it seemed like the right time to drop the second album as we had been putting it off for a while.

The Shakers thing came about also based on what people were saying, people kept saying DO SHOWS UP POS or DO SHOWS DOWN SOUTH!

We really wanted to have a NICE venue for our launch. Even though, we're down for anything.

3.How does the band feel about the launch and what are your expectations?

Excited! We got such an overwhelming response from the people of Trinidad. We're so ready to perform there.

We know how it goes in terms of shows in this region. The scene is dead. We believe we will get a good response, but we're hoping for maximum capacity.

4.Why Rock/Metal over any other kind of music?

Why any other genre and not Rock/Metal? Haha!
I can only speak for myself. I've been in bands of multiple genres.

I’ve literally played everything except Soca but in Barbados there really are not many real Rock bands and never have been. Not too much Heavy music at all. Every single one of us has a connection to the music that is unexplainable. It pours out of us, so it just kind of happened for the most part.

5.How did the band first come together?

We have never had a line up change. We all agree that if this doesn't work out we will go our separate ways because it wouldn't be SP anymore.

I knew Tearhead, since I was about 15 years old. We were in "rival" bands performing the same basic kind of music; LExx was also in the band with him. When their band broke up I was performing in a strange R&B, Fusion with a hint of distortion band. I was about ready to leave, I wasn't happy. So he came to my house one day and showed me the original demo for the song "My Pain" and I really really loved it. So I was sold.

I originally came on as the bass player as well. We recorded the album and realized we needed a bass player because the songs were missing that extra guitar. So we found Valkyrie and she basically came fresh out of playing in her room for fun onto the bass. After that it was magic.

The best thing about this band is that we tell each other ---- off, cry, tell each other our problems, fight some more, squabble, and at the end of the day you'll find all 4 of us laughing and playing together. It truly is a family, stronger than blood.

6.Is the band a full time band or do the members have other jobs?

I myself have been known to do the occasional feature or solo song but SP is my main work. We never intended it to be for this region anyway. We mostly work on pushing overseas rather than performing here, because that would be pointless and a little bit… degrading.

7.As a band from the Caribbean, what are the biggest strengths and weaknesses?

Our biggest strengths...Wow

I think we have a lot of those. It really comes down to the vocals. Everyone except the drummer sings.

Our ability to swap roles as vocalists. If Tearhead can't play and sing a song, I will try it, sometimes even if we think one of us would do a better job at it, we decide.

Our one weakness, like superman and kryptonite is an overwhelmingly WEIRD obsession with mauby. We even have this thing we do called "Stirring the mauby"
It's like a weird squat and a headbang. It's just something we do to add extra fun to our performances, for ourselves.

We went through an odd phase of saying SKINOUT!! I'm not entirely sure we're even over that phase. We just do it before we engage the crowd in a headbang session.

8.Where do you see Standing Penance in the next 5 to 10 years?

We are very optimistic. Within the next 5 years we will probably be working on album 4 and touring for it.

9.If you could perform alongside any band / musician, what band would that be?

That's such a loaded question because I know some things about the scene, that have happened already when a Caribbean band performed with international acts...

I'm down for playing with anyone. It doesn't matter, big or small, it's for the kids, the stressed out, the angry, everyone that needs that release. If another band is for all intents and purposes superior or inferior to us, it doesn't matter. We'll do it.

10.As a rock band in the Caribbean do you think it was more difficult to get your music to the public?

It's difficult getting it on local radio, but guess what, ---- THAT.

Why? because it's too damn hard to please Caribbean people. It's not like anyone that likes rock and metal is rushing to tune in to the radio anyway.

Now, differently from that. It was quite easy to get music on the radio overseas. The music business right now requires a certain business savvy.

Not to be disrespectful and put it out there, but most international radio dj's that have heard this region's definition of rock hate it and think we're monkeys swinging from trees. So we pleasantly surprised the right people and it took off amazingly easily.It literally opened a bigger door for a lot of artists, so I hope someday we get our thank yous!!!

11.Are there any people you would like to mention?

I'd really like to thank everyone at the label, Steel Entertainment, Bryan especially our manager. He goes above and beyond the call of duty for us.

My Mom!!!

Brian Lush of Rockwired Magazine. Anyone who is somebody ends up in that magazine, it's an amazing honor. Great guy and great friend of mine.

David Ray, on DAS Global Rock Radio in the US who plays all of our music and supports us as much as physically possible.

Glyne, the guy that taught me how to play.

Clayton Archer over at Shakers for supplying us with a venue in April!

12.What do you think of project REDM?

I think that's a great idea, now it's just up to the artists that have their names up on the front page to make the best of it and use it to their advantage. It's very easy to use a tool like that for good, and even easier to take it for granted. Then bands wonder why nobody comes to see them.

Standing Penance on Facebook

Want more info on Standing Penance? Visit their facebook page here
Interview by Jesse Bonterre, REDM