Creator of one of the most monstrous guitar sounds in recorded history, Jake Smith should be familiar to most of you readers. If not then I would once again ask you, why are you here? But either way, read on as we discuss Crucifix and East Bay Hardcore history.
A Hardcore Conversation continues!
You are Jake Smith, guitarist for Crucifix and other bands, correct?
Guilty as charged. I've played drums (Saucers, Allies, Jennifer Blowdryer, Bad Attitude, Jayne Doe, Arbeitz Frei, Bozone, The Snapp) and guitar (Crucifix, Faith No More, Vince Black, Sister Nancy, Thretning Verse, Bad Manners) in a bunch of bands. I also fronted Police State (before Crucifix). Crucifix was the first band I played guitar for. I injured my shoulder and couldn't play drums for almost a year.
I guess that answers my question about other bands you’ve been in [laughs]. Are you originally from the Bay Area? And, when were you in Faith No More?
I was born in SoCal, but we moved up here when I was a baby, and I was raised in Southside Berkeley. We also lived in Honolulu for 2 years, in the McCully District. I was the original (Faith No More) guitar player in 1983. We did one show with that lineup at the On Broadway in the fall of '83. Mike Bordin (Faith No More/Ozzy Osbourne drummer) and I were pals; he replaced me in Bad Attitude and later played in the first Police State lineup in 1982.
I found this juvenile arrest photo of you on your Facebook from the Berkeley PD. Can you tell me more about this?
[Laughs] Yeah, this kid, Hans Holsing, and I got busted for trespassing. We were on the roof of Willard Jr High smoking weed. Berkeley cops handcuffed me, pushed me to my knees, then kicked me over when I didn't lie on my stomach fast enough. Had to break my fall with my shoulder to protect my face. The roof surface was mad rough. I was 15.
Oh man, that’s crazy! I can see the bloody scrape on your right shoulder.
But there's more - about a year later, the cops knock on my door, and I don't answer. They call and tell me this girl I dated briefly in 7th grade says I punched her in the face and took her purse last night near my house. I go down to the station with a neighbor who was a lawyer. Cop says she gave a description and ID'd me from the mug shot. Hair brown, eyes brown, etc.
Only 1 problem - I had bleached blonde hair with like an inch of roots. I told them to call my hairdresser, who'll confirm I've been blonde for months. That dye job saved my ass.
Holy shit, I have a totally similar cop story in my hometown in Pennsylvania, which is also a college town. Cops showed up at my parents’ house, saying some college student girl had accused me of assaulting her while she took the trash out at her apartment building! I was 14, though, and Dynasty, the television show, saved my life (and ass) because it happened on a Wednesday night, and my friend pointed out that we watched Dynasty every Wednesday night, and I would’ve been firmly planted on our couch watching the Carringtons versus the Colbys.
My "ex" had fallen in with a bad crowd and was trying to get revenge for this guy who got busted for robbing our house. His trial was the same day. Spicy. Punk literally saved me. This was a Friday, and I would have spent the weekend in juvie.
What were your parents like when you were growing up?
Divorced. I was raised by my mom. Typical permissive Berkeley upbringing.
Did they encourage your interest in playing music?
Both my parents are musicians and were actively gigging when I was a kid. My dad was in signed bands managed by Bill Graham, and is on a Country Joe & The Fish record, among others. My mom toured with black country singer Stoney Edwards. I didn't have a choice about playing music. It was more like "which instrument?" I started on the flute, tried a few other wind and brass instruments, and eventually landed on drums. Guitars were always around.
How did you first get into punk and hardcore?
Dave "Yippie" Velasquez, aka Dave Slave. He turned me onto the Damned, Buzzcocks, shit like that. We were in the Saucers/Allies, and he was later in this cool dark wave band, Necropolis of Love. At first, I was one of the youngest people at gigs; it was the tail end of the 1st wave of the SF punk scene. Then, when hardcore really took off, everyone was a teenager. College stations KALX and KUSF were huge for me in discovering new music.
How did you meet the other guys in Crucifix, and were you a fan before you joined?
I knew some early lineup members from around Berkeley. I wanna say a guy called Bryce, and maybe this kid Thane? I don't remember hearing or seeing them before ’81 or ’82. I had seen some really charged-out-looking kids in North Berkeley, who turned out to be them. They wouldn't talk to me at that time [laughs]. When I saw them play, I thought they were good, but very Germs-influenced. They had a cool look, but they were trying to create a sound I could relate to, and I saw the potential for them to be something great.
How did you end up joining the band?
After they heard the Police State demo on Maximum Rocknroll. They picked up on how I was also way into Discharge, GBH, and all that UK ’82 shit. My hair was cool. They were looking for a guitar player who could/would tour in 1983. I don't remember exactly who reached out, but it was probably Matt (Borruso, Crucifix bass player). He handled all the business. He booked and managed the tours. The organized guy with the notebook. It was like being invited to the cool kids' table. Very un-punk, but I'm vain, what can I tell you?
The reason why they were looking, as I remember it, was that Jimmy [Crucifix, Crucifix guitar player] didn't want to be in the band anymore, and definitely didn't want to tour with them. That was the vibe I got. I don't think we officially met until the tryout. I can't remember if Jimmy was there for that, but they were super into me getting set up in the band - they loaned me an Ampeg head and helped me learn the songs. I had to then go and buy suitable gear of my own.
I’d say it’s pretty clear you guys were into Discharge, right? What else inspired you guys?
Oh yeah, no question. Discharge, GBH, Varukers, Exploited. Sothira (Pheng, Crucifix singer) was channeling Darby Crash. Crass. I was also really into dub, Killing Joke, and Motörhead. I loved DOA. The lineup with Joey, Dave Gregg, Biscuits, and Randy. But Crucifix was all about UK ’82 British street punk for the sound, and Crass for the ideology.
Were you personally into the politics and sloganeering involved with Crucifix lyrics and imagery? Or were you more into an Exploited, GBH, Fang party kind of punk?
I was seriously political, studying anarchism and reading people like Herbert Marcuse, learning about the anarcho-syndicalists in Spain during the civil war, Durruti, and shit. The other Crucifix guys were literally just copying Crass and Discharge. I never saw any independent study or political action by them, outside of wearing cool jackets and doing the band. Both Matt and Sothira had amazing graphic design skills and easily mastered the look and slogans of a "political" punk band at the time.
I was disappointed to realize their politics were skin-deep and all borrowed from other bands. The worst example of that was the short-lived "commune" at New Method. I tried that for about a week. Matt wanted to control everything, including the money, just like in Crucifix. Same thing with the vegetarian stuff. Not sure about Matt, but Chris and Sothira were totally faking it. You know, I kept all this to myself for decades. Who wants to hear some old punk dish, old scene drama? After Sothira and Jimmy did their "1984' cash grab a few years back, and went out of their way to lie about me, I finally spoke out. First, to correct some of the things they were saying at the time, the rest just naturally followed.
How did songwriting work with the band?
I would come up with a riff, and Matt would tell me he wrote it [laughs]. Someone would have a riff, and we'd jam it out at practice. The usual process.
Were you into any metal back then? Especially as guitar influences?
Motörhead and Venom. The more underground stuff. But you wouldn't say, "I like Van Halen and Iron Maiden." Even if you secretly did. The Scorpions’ Blackout tape was a big band favorite. We all listened to a lot of ’77 too. That was our classic rock. I learned how to play guitar from the first Dead Boys LP and Never Mind the Bollocks….
What about Bay Area thrash metal? Were you into that, and did you go to any of those shows back then?
No. That was just getting started back then. Early Metallica and Exodus, but it was still pretty separate. There was this girl, Roz, who had dated Matt and knew the Metallica guys. She was turning punks onto Motörhead and metalheads onto Discharge. She was the nexus. Also, Ron Quintana. He would feature Crucifix alongside King Diamond or Venom in his zine.
What about metalheads coming to your shows?
A few, but the scenes weren't mixing as they would eventually.
What did you think of Discharge's Grave New World album? Did you go to the '86 Discharge GNW show on September 7th at the Farm?
Great question! Every few years, I think, "GNW couldn't have been that bad," but it truly is atrocious. I wasn't at the Farm gig, but I've heard the recording, and it's hilarious. The last time I saw Discharge, they had Pooch on guitar, and you could hear a more metal direction emerging on the “Price of Silence” single.
Guitar nerd stuff: What kind of guitar and pickups did you use for the recording of the album?
It was a Fernandes Strat-style body with 2 DiMarzio X2N humbuckers and the very first version of the Floyd Rose tremolo. The solo on “Indochina” was done with a borrowed Strat.
Did you plan that solo out, or was it more off the cuff?
Kind of 50/50. I only knew so much on guitar. Playing it on the Strat probably made me go a little bluesier.
And what kind of amp?
Marshall. 70s Plexi 100-watt head and a 4x12 straight cab.
Can you tell us your amp settings (if you remember)? In other words, how did you achieve that monster guitar sound?
Marshall and humbuckers, master at like 3 or 3, channel volume at 8-10, lots of top end. Guitar all the way up. Sometimes, an MXR distortion pedal is used for a solo boost. The cabinet was made in England, and the wood was sturdy. Most people get a slant cab, but I wound up with the bottom of the stack, the straight cab. It was heavy to carry and in sound. Beefier than a slant cab. I sold that rig to what ended up being Third Eye Blind. I wish I still had it.
Oh man. Is that the same gear you used on the road with the band?
Exactly the same.
What about Matt, do you remember what kind of gear he was using, and did you two work together to achieve that sound?
He played a Fender bass, Precision or Jazz. I think he had an SVT. His sound was all about that fuzz pedal he used. His tone was cool, and he basically doubled the guitar, creating this wall of sound. He did what he did, I did my thing, and it just worked out. He was great on stage, too.
Crucifix toured the US in 1983 with Fang. How did you manage to do that? Was it just the four of you, or did you have a road crew? I can't imagine Freak Records or Corpus Christi Records floated you any tour support money.
[Laughs] Tour support? Road crew? Shit was bare bones back then. We had a driver/roadie, but he bailed. I actually financed that fucking tour, now that I think of it! After the 1st tour van crashed in Hayward, 20 minutes into the tour, I loaned the band enough for a 2nd van. We didn't actually coordinate a US tour with Fang. MRR had just released the “How To Book Your Own Tour" issue.
Crucifix had a network from the greater Bay Area to Sacramento, LA/SD/OC, and Reno and Vegas. Many bands had regional circuits in their area. But Maximum Rocknroll shared an extensive list of US and Canadian contacts - venues, bookers, promoters, bands, in every town with a scene. Basically, the circuit was developed by Black Flag, DOA, and a few other hard-touring bands back then. Freak Records was Matt, not a legit record label. We hadn't hooked up with Corpus Christi yet. No support. You needed to make enough for food and gas to get to the next city. You'd use stolen credit card numbers and Sprint numbers on pay phones. Fang read the same issue and booked their shows at the same time.
Fang was pretty different from Crucifix stylistically and even musically (other than being “punk”). Did you guys get along?
I got along great with Fang. They were my homies. I was already friends with Chris Wilson (Fang bass player), and we hung out a lot on that tour. The other guys in Crucifix were all saying, "Fang is following us," when both bands were just using the same MRR issue as intended. Chris and I would crack up about that. It definitely made it more fun with Fang being around so much.
I didn't really have any friends in my band. Great musical connection, but not personally. I would sneak away with Chris and eat meat. The guys in Crucifix wanted me to say I was a vegetarian, if not be one, but I resented the pressure. Not all the members were truly vegetarian anyway, so why should I have to conform? I went legit vegetarian soon after, and have been vegan for 25 years, but I don't make a big deal about it. People should do what works for them.
I saw you guys twice on that tour, once on the Penn State campus and once at CBGB. Do you have any memories from those shows?
I definitely remember the CBGB show. I thought [original Agnostic Front vocalist] John Watson was gonna knock me and my amp over! He was skanking all over the stage. Intense show. Kids were really into it. I remember being at Penn State, but not so much the show itself.
I also remember one of you telling me about using regular bar soap to spike up your hair when I asked how you guys did it (it works!). Do you remember that?
I remember asking Garry from Discharge how they did it. Bar soap and hairspray. It could have been me who shared that with you.
Well, thanks! After that tour, Crucifix recorded the Dehumanization album. Did you record the album (at least the basic tracks) live in the studio?
Yeah. We'd lay down guitar, bass, and drums, then double the rhythm guitars. Then I'd add fills and leads, then we'd record the lead and background vocals. The CD master Southern did for that format brought out a lot of little things in the guitars that I had forgotten about. He (Peter Miller, engineer on the album) had a Soundcraft or Trident board, something British, and a 1" 16-track machine, I don't remember what it was.
What were those sessions like?
That was my first record. I had only done demos on drums with a few bands. It was fun. That's when I realized I could produce. I'm also responsible for the drum sound. Those are my drums that I teched and tuned for Chris. He had a shit drum set. Like a Pearl Export. The drums, which I still own, are Ludwig late ‘70s 6-ply maple. I don't remember if Chris used my snare, but definitely the toms and kick: 13", 16", 24". Those drums have always recorded well, and Chris' playing and tone are heavy but well-articulated.
It was recorded at Peter Miller’s studio. Who is Peter Miller, and did he actually “produce” the album?
He's an English musician, recording engineer, and record producer. He didn't produce the album. We picked his studio because he was English. It turned out to be a good choice, but his spot was small, had low ceilings, and was pretty dead. Amps went inside the closets. Peter was into American rock and roll music, like Roy Orbison. He was an Orbison clone, down to the shades. We loved British punk, and he loved American rock n’ roll. Great guy with the right energy to record with. What you want in an engineer. He didn't produce the record, but he engineered it very well, though. As far as production and the sound of the record, I'd say it was a co-production with the band and me. I had been studying recording and production informally, after having disappointing results with other bands in the studio. I was present at every stage.
We, as a band, had a clear idea of what we wanted it to sound like. I was able to get us from the concept to the final sound. I crafted the guitar and drum sounds and coached Sothira through his many vocal punch-ins. He was always behind the band, timing-wise. Watch the Target Video show; he never catches up. It was impossible.
The band is playing too fast for him to keep up with the lyrics. Great frontman though. The music just got so fast. After we finished the LP, Matt asked me to shepherd his little brother John's band, Trial, through recording an EP. They also used my gear. That came out good as well. I worked as a record producer for about 10 years, including a hit or 2 in the '90s. I have gold records.
Wow, that’s awesome! What are the gold records?
One is for the Tara Kemp single "Hold You Tight," the other is for a cut I produced on the Beverly Hills, 90210 soundtrack. Super punk!
Who did the Crucifix graphics? There are photographers credited on the record but not on the artwork as a whole.
For the LP, each of us had a part. I did the photo collage, Chris did something, but Matt and Sothira were both talented visual artists. They did most of the artwork. I don't think Chris did much artwork for the band, but maybe he did. I'm not talented at that shit at all.
Also, do you know who designed the Peace Sign Nuke image that was later used for Lip Service clothing and seen on Axl Rose, etc.?
Either Matt or Sothira. It's a rad logo.
How did you hook up with Corpus Christi Records?
John Loder approached us in Boston, and we met again in SF and made a handshake deal.
You guys played with the Misfits in Southern California in ‘83. How was that?
I wasn't there.
Oh, OK, didn’t realize you’d left by then. How did you end up leaving the band?
One question you haven't asked is what my experience was like playing in the band. Unfortunately, it kinda sucked. I didn't have any friends in that group. It was very lonely and isolating. We had great musical chemistry, but they weren't interested in bonding or being friends. I'd been playing out on drums for 3 or 4 years by then, and while there's often conflict, I would always have friends in the band. I got fed up with the disrespect, hypocrisy, and frankly, exploitation.
It was a few things that pushed me over the edge - First, finding out they were lying to me about money while I'm starving and broke on tour. While they still owed me for the van. Our former driver (who bailed on the 1st tour for similar reasons) told me how we had $500 from the Suicidal Tendencies show, and they were telling me we were broke. They were buying hair dye and shit. They also decided to leave LA a day early, even though they knew I was getting tattooed by Mark Mahoney. The final straw was that the band made flyers using an old picture of the previous guitarist. After all I had put into that band, money, time, and effort, the experience of that first US tour, my role in shaping the record, to be disregarded like that was infuriating at the time.
I was like 19, kind of a hot head, sleep deprived, hungry, and already homesick, and it was just too much. When Sothira and pals did their cash-grab "1984"-so-called reunion to play Dehumanization with only 1 member on the record, it dredged up a lot of old feelings. But that was a real missed opportunity to properly mark the 35th anniversary of that record. I would have participated, but no one asked me. Sothira did tell people that I was asked, but that didn't happen. I had stayed off the record about any of that shit for years, but that kind of made me feel like I had to get my point of view out there to counter what I saw as misinformation.
So that probably means you’re not in touch with any other former Crucifix members?
I hear from Matt every year when he sends me a check and a statement. He has upheld the original terms we had with Corpus Christi. I have nothing but praise for his actions here. Matt is Kustomized Records. He began pressing the LP when Southern went out of business.
Yeah, did you see/hear the Kustomized Records re-release of Dehumanization? Were you involved at all? I saw on Discogs that it was mastered from a vinyl copy. Do you know what happened to the tapes?
My only gripe is that he remastered from a clean vinyl copy, as the masters were lost. I would have used the CD version - John Loder was a terrible mastering engineer, and the CD master was a huge improvement. The sound of the original record was definitely harmed by Loder's mid-heavy mastering. If you get a chance, A/B the 2 formats.
If only I had a CD player! It does sound pretty close to the original record, though, which is more than you can say about a lot of modern reissues. What can you tell us about the Crass Ranch?
I didn't make it that far - I left the tour in LA and Drew took over. At this point, I regret bailing, but I'm full of regrets nowadays! It would have been extreme highs and lows, and at the time, I didn't think I could handle the lows being the band's punching bag across 2 continents. Now that we're 40-plus years on, there's a whole different perspective. I'm proud of the music we created, live and on the LP.
As you should be. Did you play in any punk bands after you left Crucifix?
Not for years. Really not until I flirted with Decry and ended up joining Thretning Verse. Have you heard our Time for War EP? There were some other LA punk/garage bands, but nothing notable.
What are you doing now?
I'm living in the Bay Area after being gone in LA and Brooklyn for 20 years. I've been DJ’ing here and there and playing drums in a few bands. I actually played a show last night with a great country band called The Famous. Looking for a guitar situation. I'm learning timbales, something I've always wanted to do.
What kind of stuff do you DJ?
Either golden era hip-hop, vintage reggae, punk/post-punk, or vintage soul. All vinyl.
Nice. What bands were you in while you were in Brooklyn? I’m wondering if we might’ve crossed paths unknowingly since I lived and played there while you were there, too.
Bradley Dean & The Terminals (look them up on Bandcamp), Missing Footage, The Rats NYC, Mighty Fine, Resister NYC.
What can you tell us about 1 Take Jake?
1 Take Jake is my hip-hop persona. I released one 12" on Danya/Reality records, the same label that released "The Show" b/w "La Di Da Di" and "The Roof Is on Fire." I was a mediocre rapper, but it really got me into modern production. I got that name from drum sessions I did in one take. The late Stan Franks, a great Berkeley musician, gave me the name. It worked as a rapper name, so I went with it. I'm also rapping on the Tara Kemp single "Piece of My Heart." Got to rap on Soul Train and meet Don Cornelius.
What do you think of Orbital’s sampling of the "Peace or Annihilation" intro?
I had no problem with it. I never received any money for it, which I probably should have, but Annihilation was written before I joined, so I wouldn't expect publishing, just some mechanicals. Same thing for Maynard from Tool, quoting it.
Do you still listen to punk and hardcore? And do you go to any shows?
I do, as well as everything else. I still go to shows - saw the Fang reunion, and I have tickets to the Damned, Madness, Nick Lowe, and Nick Cave. Local bands I like include Hot Laundry and The Mummies.
This one might be weird [laughs], so if you’re like, WTF, feel free to disregard! I’m sure you’re familiar with the Faith/Void LP? I’ve always thought that you guys and Void shared a similar sound (although obviously image-wise and lyrical content-wise, you guys were almost polar opposites) in terms of super intense, heavy, Hardcore Punk that’s a bit off kilter and always close to running off the rails. Any thoughts on that?
I honestly had to revisit that record. I think the vocals are pretty similar. Void's drummer was sick! He's doing a lot of syncopated stuff within punk. Chris was more linear, but powerful.
Anything you wanna add? Any websites or anything?
No, I'm good. Thanks for your interest!
Tagged: a hardcore conversation, crucifix
