Still UNBROKEN

A couple of months ago, Steven Miller said "whats up with your website? you did all this awesome stuff and then just bailed?

So, i thought... what better to do then another UNBROKEN interview.

Especially fitting since they are playing very very soon.
I sent Rob Moran some questions, and here's what came back.

I asked Steven his version of what happened after Unbroken broke.  What did you do? 

I wanted to take a breather from doing bands and really got into spinning records at Goth Clubs and Booking Rockabilly shows for a lot of old guys from the 50's and bands from Europe. I also still booked hardcore shows sometimes too. Followed Morrissey all over the place, had a shitty 8yr relationship end, then moved to OC for a few years...

I worked at Revelation and signed a couple bands to the label, Shai Hulud, Will Haven, Sparkmarker. It was great, but my mom had surgery and needed help, so I moved back to SD. Got asked to play in OMDB and met an incredible girl named Diana. Quit OMDB after a while, and started Some Girls. Got married to Diana, got a real job, moved to Seattle, had to leave Some Girls. Started Vows and a had a great time with old friends. Started Narrows, Got two Pugs Rosie and Basil, moved back to SD, and as I type this, I'm sitting in a hotel after playing a show on the Narrows tour and reading back what I just typed...what a crazy busy life I've had.


I'd always seen you as the backbeat of Unbroken. As an outsiders perspective, you were the quiet one. In the Indecision dvd, you were the main voice of Unbroken. How did that come about?

I'm actually quite shy until I get to know people well, but I actually had to break out of it when I was in the band. I helped book all the shows, handled the merch, layouts, helped write lyrics...so yes, I was kind of quiet, but I had to force myself to be social back then.
Mandel and I have been friends for many years and we still speak on a regular basis. He had mentioned he was doing this DVD and asked if I wanted to speak. I was shy and nervous about it, because I didn't know what he was going to ask. I have a problem looking people in the eyes when I talk, and it shows in that video. I can't even look the camera dead on...I'm not as shy as I used to be, and I'm sure people would rather I shut up sometimes.



Since Unbroken, you've been in a few bands. Talk about those, in chronological order. Which was the most fun? The most challenging?


Kill Holiday-Still have no idea why I did this band. Thought it was terrible, and I quit/got booted before the 7" even came out. I found going to see Marilyn Manson's first San Diego show more important than practice. I was right on not missing the show...BUT, I really do like the Lp they did on Rev, I think that record is really good and has some great lyrical moments. I can listen to it and enjoy it.


OMDB-Really fun band. I think we tried to crank out too many splits,singles, albums and kind of lost momentum. I really love the first 7" and a few songs on the album. All those guys in the band are good people, and I had a good time. I was still in OMDB when I started Some Girls, and I wanted to do something different, so I left the band. The shows were always fun, and Daniel is still a fun guy to hang around.

Some Girls... This band was a challenge. American Nightmare and OMDB were doing 5 shows together. Wes and I just clicked at the time, and after the tour he had 4 days to hang out and decided to stay in SD. Sal(drummer for some girls) had a little studio, and I asked him if he wanted to play drums. We had no idea what the hell we were going to do. The 3 of us sat there in the room not really talking. I just kept plowing through different guitar riffs, Wes was writing notes, and Sal was waiting for us to figure something out. Then it just hit, and we went nuts for 2 hours, recorded and left. Those 3 songs on the demo were stunning to me. The music, vocal pattern and lyrics just meshed together to create these blistering, punishing sounds. When we finally had a solid line up, it became a new challenge. How do you keep punishing your listeners, and not bore them. In some aspects, we really nailed it and won those challenging moments with little bursts of creativity and other times we failed. I think The Blues ep is unlistenable to me. I like the vocals and lyrics, but the music wasn't that great."The DNA" ep I think is the best thing we did. It was punishing, smart and a big challenge on all levels for us. I had to leave the day after I finished my guitar parts for the album. I was sad to leave those guys, but Seattle ended up being a great move.

The Vows-This was just a chance to play with some longtime friends and have a good time. Yeah, we're all SxE, we're old blah blah blah. It was nothing crazy and came together in one 4hr practice. It was just nice to play with those guys and be in a room together.

Narrows-This is probably the band I like the most post-unbroken, and by far the biggest challenge I have ever been in. Having members in Seattle, London and San Diego makes it interesting and exciting for me. We can write songs, email them to each other and build on those ideas. Then we get in a room and unload those ideas. I really love this band and did not think I would be into it as much as I am. I think about creating music record artwork,shirt designs that somehow all relate to eachother. I want the shirt to sound like our album, I want the album to
sound like the artwork. I have never enjoyed this much creativity before. For the first time in my life, I feel like an artist. I don't know how else to explain it when people ask me about this band.
Everything about it feels right and is right. I love it...

What do you think of the AP article that mentioned unbroken? The legacy that you've created?

Shocked to be mentioned on that list. I know we've done things to impact small bits of hardcore, but not on the scale with which AP was talking about...but when I see people's tattoos, or they talk to me, or I read something like that AP article, it makes me feel proud that we did something that is still remembered 13 yrs later.

Is there anything you didn't accomplish with thatband thay looking back, you with you had?

Going to Japan, that is the one thing we all still kind of talk about, but it will never happen.


Why play again in 2009?

Why not? Why did we ever play in 1991? We had things to get off our chests then and do now. It just so happens that now we have a chance to give back to people and places that do a lot of great work in our communities. Times are tough, and if we can get these feelings we have off our hearts, and do it for a good cause, then fuck it, why not? We knew it was time when we got a really nice email from Eric's mom and how happy she is we are doing this one more time. That made us all feel that what we're doing is right on numerous levels.


You're apparently somewhat of a MORRISSEY fan. How did you get involved with that?

1987 in this girls Karman Gia. I had the biggest crush on her...she played the smiths and I heard "What difference does it make". I have followed him through thick and thin ever since. I've tried to give up on him, but I can't. I still find he has something to say to me, be it in his photographs, lyrics, his voice, or just even the idea of him. We all have religions...

What did you think the first time you put the "m in manchester" dvd in and saw your brother?

I was so happy for him and his wife. If anyone I know deserved to be in that opening, it's him. He is a genuine, warm and wonderful person. I love my brother to no end. To see that was one of many reasons why he and I love Morrissey so much. As I said above, it is more than music, it is the idea of Morrissey is what he and I love. I watched that part of the DVD numerous times and I love it.

Adrian from 7 generations wants to know if you like the smiths or his solo stuff more, and why...

It's quite simple really, The Smiths is the pain of love gone wrong in the adolescent world. It is for high school kids who have been crushed by love, picked on by their parents, bullied in school, or misunderstood introverts. I love the Smiths, but more out of nostalgia. Kind of like a year book, only you enjoy opening this one and it doesn't have things like "Have a bitchin' summer written in it"

His solo stuff seems more geared for adult life. He spells things out for you with matter fact lyrics. They are simple matter affect points he makes. As adults, we don't have time for vague uber secret book references like we did in high school, he knows we need an answer now, and he gives us those answers.

Is it true that you are responsible for the LIVE IN DAGENHAM 7"?


Never heard of it.


You're older than most sxe kids and have been sxe for longer than most hc kids have even been alive. What keeps you motivated?



Fucking christ Jav, you make me seem old as hell...maybe I am. It is seeing great hardcore bands coming out all the time. SxE or not, as long is there is solid music coming out, I feel excited about hardcore.

By not caring about SxE I enjoy it. I don't give a fuck if people are SxE or not to be honest. It pretty much has almost always been a personal choice for me. It is not a mass youth culture movement, but a simple way to enjoy life, and go from A to B clean and sober. Also, the biggest reason, is that alcoholism runs deep in the family, so I decided as a personal choice to not drink. SxE is good, but people get out of control with it and make it seem like it is the only thing in this world that matters...if SxE is the only thing that is important to you, you have problems.


What is you favorite band out right now?

ON from Seattle is my favorite band at the moment. Live and on record they bring it. I know what they are doing is not groundbreaking, but there is a deep rooted feeling of sincere things going on. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I listen to their frist 7" all the time. I also really enjoy Ceremony, Outbreak and Trap Them as well. There are some great bands right now, and am I glad I stuck around to see it. I mean seriously missing out on bands like AN,Hope Conspiracy ,Champion,Bane would have been a crime.


What's next?

life and all the awesome things that come with it.