Band: Ex Parents
From: Roanoke, Virginia
Their formation story:
"We all had previous connections from the regional scene, tracing back many years. Bentley and Nate were living here in Roanoke and had played in bands together in the past. They’d been contemplating the idea of starting something new around the time that Matt and Sean moved to town. Matt’s old band, Kakistocracy, had played Roanoke several times long ago, and he and Nate knew each other from their hometown scene (Tri-Cities area of VA/TN).
"When Matt and Nate reconnected things started to fall into place. Sean had played in bands with several of our friends, but none of us knew him personally. As fate would have it, Sean and Nate are both teachers and met while attending a work event together. Sean sat right in front of Nate.
"When Nate noticed Sean’s American traditional tattoos and the drum key on his keychain, he struck up a conversation. Sean came to practice a few weeks later and everything immediately clicked. The four of us have been in love ever since."
Their sound in their own words:
"Ex Parents has drawn a lot of inspiration from ‘80s hardcore punk and that is definitely reflected in our sound, but we’ve leaned into a dynamism that incorporates elements of USHC, peace punk, and Scandinavian hardcore as well.
"Influences range from Poison Idea and Battalion of Saints, to Flux of Pink Indians, and Amdi Petersens Armé. Toss all that in a blender and the resulting racket might resemble Ex Parents!"
Latest release info:
"We’ve just released the second single from our upcoming debut album, with a wild ass video made by our pal Meathands. The LP will be dropping on July 7th, 2023 to coincide with the first day of The Floor Is Gone fest, here in Roanoke. The album is the result of our first foray into a proper studio, where we spent a weekend punishing the air with our noise and stench.
"We wanted to work with Jay Matheson at the Jam Room in Columbia, South Carolina since he’s recorded some of the most iconic punk records to come out of the southeast. Antischism recorded there! We were able to blast out 10 songs, which we then passed over to Geza X for mastering. Fetal Brain was kind enough to do all the artwork for the release, including a foldout poster.
"We’ve been really lucky in being able to work with some extraordinarily talented folks to make the record what it is. Culture Desert Records is doing an initial run of 300 12-inch LPs, so the physical release will be quite limited."
Future plans:
"Aside from complete global domination, we intend to keep cranking out music and playing shows. We’d like to hit the road more and do some selective touring."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Half of Ex Parents also play in our sister band, Sultry, whose demo is about to be released on Culture Desert Records as well. Roanoke has been producing some fine new talent such as Gaol, Whimper, Collective Action, Cavity Boy, Orenda, and Dimension Six. We wanted to shout out our friends in Nerve Endings as well, who are from a couple hours south of us.
"We'd be remiss not to mention Flying Panther Skate Shop. They provide the space that has become the nucleus of the Roanoke hardcore scene."
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Ex Parents on social media: Instagram | Bandcamp
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