Interview with Patrick Kindlon from End Of A Year

A long time ago (Febuary, 23rd 2010) I asked Patrick Kindlon who is the singer of End Of A Year a few questions. I was going to use this for a zine, but obviously that never worked out and I was looking through old emails and found this. Enjoy. Oh and if spread it around if you know anyone what would be into it.

HEAD2WALL - First of all, what kind of band would you call End of a Year? I was introduced to you guys as being a "Revolution Summer" band, and I see that, but I always thought of End of a Year as an unconventional (non-boring) hardcore band.

PATRICK KINDLON - That's always how I've seen us as well. Within the band, we don't talk about what sort of band we are very often. We grew up playing in hardcore bands and I think we always just presume, on some level, that's what we're doing. But then we'll play with some awful diarrhea-breath unoriginal hardcore band and we'll say "We're not this. I don't know what we are, but we're not this." So I guess I'm as confused as the listeners on this question. Maybe we're a hard indie band? But then we'll play with indie bands and feel no connection to them either.

H2W - I've heard you talk about your songs during your sets, and you often mention lust and greed as central themes. Would you say that these are a common fixation in your life? Do you feel that they're covered enough in hardcore and punk?

PK - The only theme in my life. My dad never touched my dick and I don't enter a pit of depression when a woman leaves me, so what else is there? Politics? I don't understand the appeal. So when I'm singing, I'm typically talking about things that are active in my mind all the time, and that's mostly a weird compulsion to have more than I've been told I can have.

H2W - End of a Year has a new LP coming out this year. What topics will we find you covering on the new record? And I know you have a lot of other stuff up your sleeve... What can you divulge?

PK - It's a bunch of smug assholes celebrating how much we love ourselves. 100% that's what it is. The name of the record is YOU ARE BENEATH ME and I think people can infer something from the title. I tried singing on the record and it was an abject failure, so that will have to wait until next record. I still sound like a tuneless asshole. The band sounds good though.

H2W - Would you rather play with hardcore bands, pop punk bands, indie bands, ska bands, or other types? At what shows do you think you have had the best reaction?

PK - We like playing with anyone who plays tight and serious. No one in the band aside from me is into heavy stuff aside from me, but when we play with Reign Supreme we're all on the side of the stage. That's because they are tight and serious. Same with Cruel Hand. Goofy dudes off-stage, but when they play they play serious. When we get offers for tours, the only question the band has is "can they play?" Hard to say where we get the best reaction. I'll try a ska show. At this point, I'm willing to play anything. I think we're on show 220 or some nonsense, the vast majority of those shows being hardcore shows, so any variety is fine with me. Ska city, here we come.

H2W - hat kind of interaction would you like to have with the crowd? What do you think they will take home with them after seeing End of a Year?

PK - Ideally there would be a bunch of beautiful women in the front row trying to rip my clothes off and throwing their motel room keys at me. But as things are, I would be content with people watching and taking it into their heads and liking it or disliking it.

H2W - How long have you been going to shows, and have you been in any bands prior to End of a Year?

PK - I think I went to my first show sophomore year of high school, so I guess that would make me 15 at the time? I have no memory for that sort of thing. Kids want to talk to me about shows from years ago and I can only give a vague "they were good" or "that band sucked." I have memory problems. I was in a hardcore band in high school that sounded like apes playing Pantera and I borrowed all lyrical inspiration from 108. I've been in other bands while I've been in End of a Year and some of those have been more popular locally. Kids from hicktowns south of Albany come up to me and tell me the mosh band I was in with lyrics about burning down venues full of people was the "best fuckin' shit ever" man. Weird life.

H2W - How long have you been straight edge, and what does it mean to you?

PK - Since I was 16, I think. I can get all heavy about it, but I think it's best explained like this: My thoughts are jumbled and I'm not the smartest guy. But I want things. So putting shit in my way to make life more confusing seems like a jackass thing to do. People typically describe me as
"happy" and I think being straight edge is part of that.

H2W - Could you tell me some things you like about yourself, and some that you hate?

PK - I like that I don't remember bad things. Some people carry shit around with them their whole lives. I'm grateful I don't wrestle with memories. I'm not sure I hate anything about myself, but I wish my brain was more efficient. I don't understand even basic math.

H2W - What would you say is the best show you have ever seen?

PK - I saw Lungfish in Brooklyn and it really knocked my socks off. My first or second show was Warzone and that probably started this whole thing for me, so that's big. And I always reference the time I saw Sick of It All. I think it shaped me to a large degree.

H2W - Do you have any go-to hardcore records? On the other end of the spectrum, what would you say is a guilty pleasure band that you find yourself only listening to when you are in the mood for that artist?

PK - Out of Step by Minor Threat; Destroy the Machines by Earth Crisis; Constructive Semantics by Endeavor. Those are probably the three I tend to fall back to every few weeks. On the "why the fuck do I listen to this?" end of things, twice a year I'll listen to late-period Orange 9mm.

H2W - And finally what is your idea of Misery?

PK - I don't know exactly. I work hard at turning miserable shit into constructive shit as quickly as possible. The thing that scares me the most is having a kid and working a straight job.

Today In The Mail: Added Bliss

From the first time I heard the New Blacklisted album (No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me on Deathwish Inc) I knew it was going to become one of my favorite records of last year. I was never that big on Blacklisted before this record, I liked them and dug a few songs a lot but never to this level. And I guess its one of those things, something makes you look at the whole collection under a different light. I find myself semi-obsessed with this band. Listening to the new album somewhere around 100 times since I first heard it in mid December. And the rest of the discography quite a bit. They have been my top artists for almost every week since mid December, achieving as high as 500+ plays in one week alone. Now me having no job, and nothing really to do I am sure is helping this but its something strange to think I can not get bored of this record even listening to it 20+ times in a row (as I have on more then one day). I guess I am just stuck on this record. The day it went up for order I wasn't too sure how it would be so I slacked on ordering it so I guess Ive payed the price (but not too bad I would think). Now onto todays package, I picked up this record (on the second rarest color) for only 26 bucks off ebay. Now I just have to find the other three versions, to satisfy my lust.



Blacklisted - No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me (Orange And Green Mix) (Out Of 319) (Deathwish Inc Records)

The other package that came today was a Print, I've realized a lot as of late how much I like prints. I only have a few and would be very into getting more. This print that was designed and printed by Screenin 4 A Change and goes with an EP called Eccentrichine on Six Feet Under Records that goes along with the Blacklisted record I had come in the mail today. Perfect timing I guess, but timing off since as I said it goes with the EP and it didn't come today. I've been waiting for a month to hear these songs. And not so much as being impatient to have the records but really wanting to hear the songs. 2 of them are from the same sessions as the LP, one is a full band version of a song already on the LP (The P.I.G.(The Problem Is G.)) and lastly an acoustic version of Wish from their last LP, Heavier Than Heaven Lonelier Than God. We can only hope tomorrow brings this to me.



Blacklisted - Eccentrichine (Print) (Out Of 103)

Today In The Mail: Repress Day

Today I awoke to a package from Revhq, in contained to records. Both represses and both containing some of the best hardcore songs ever written. The First I pulled out was the Unbroken - Crushed On You 7" on New Age Records, and in a way this is a double. This happens a lot when you get as many records as I do. Luckily this is not a true double since this is a repress and on another label then my first version, but since I am not trying to collect all the versions of this record I wouldn't have bought more then one. One weird thing about this record is its title, on Revhq and on the labels website it is listed as being called "Crushed On You" (also the name of one of the members of Unbroken's new band, who I love). The original version of the record is called "Circa '77" on ThreeOneG, and both versions of record say this on the front. Either way Unbroken is amazing and this record is amazing (Absentee Debate is one of my fave hardcore songs of all time). The other record I ordered was the main goal of the order, it as of right now is already sold out again on from Revhq and Deathwish Inc has yet to put them up for order so I don't know how rare this record is. It has some packaging differences (Deathwish Inc on the back instead of Malfunction and is not a gatefold like the first two presses had) but is still a great score. I've been debating getting one off ebay but they have been going for around $50 for almost a year (all versions) and Its hard for me to spend that much on a record.



The Hope Conspiracy - Death Knows Your Name (White/Gold Mix) (Deathwish Inc Records)
Unbroken - Crushed On You (Circa '77) (New Age Records)

Today In The Mail: Last Week

Being in Chicago this weekend for Burning Fight made this post come a little late. But another post (or posts) will come from it. I left Friday morning so I missed a package from Deathwish Inc Records that came Friday afternoon and on Saturday a package came from Bridge Nine Records. The Deathwish package contained the first End Of A Year offering on Deathwish Inc Records (all versions of course) and an End Of A Year shirt. The other package was my Bridge Nine Mystery Box. In the comments section of the order you were to list your three favorite Bridge Nine bands, I said American Nightmare, Mental And No Warning. In my Mystery Box was two No Warning patches, No Warning Sticker, Bridge Nine Sticker, Bridge Nine Singles Collection Volume 1 CD and the gem in the box was a screened poster. The poster was for a show at CBGB's (Rip) the bands playing were Reach The Sky, Mouthpiece, Bane and American Nightmare.


End Of A Year - S/T (White) (Deathwish Inc Records)
End Of A Year - S/T (Clear With White) (Deathwish Inc Records)
End Of A Year - S/T (Clear With Black) (Deathwish Inc Records)
End Of A Year - S/T Pre-Order Shirt (Black) (XL)



Print from my Bridge Nine Mystery Box

Today In The Mail: Holy Terror Kind Of Day 3.0

Two packages came today the first was my Compact Disc version of the new Pulling Teeth album Paranoid Delusions|Paradise Illusions came. As I was one of the first 300 people to order it I got a copy of the newest edition to the Witches Sabbath 7" series. Of this series I am only missing the first one (that was also put out by Deathwish Inc). The second package was from Hellfish Family and is another Integrity shirt, I think this makes four ha. Can not wait to wear it.



Integrity - Free Charlie (Brown) (XL)
Pulling Teeth - Paranoid Delusions|Paradise Illusions (Deathwish Inc Records) (CD)
Pulling Teeth - Witches Sabbath V (Out Of 300) (Deathwish Inc Records)

Today In The Mail: The Lights Begin At The Burn Of Day

Today when I woke up four packages had already come for me. The first package was one I have been waiting on since October. Its the Adult Crash photo book with covers 7". The record was what held this package back for so long but it was well worth the wait. The pictures are cool to see because they are great but not done by a dude who calls himself a photographer even. Sometimes to me the flashy (not a pun) and glitzy side to band photography throws me off and annoys me. That could be part of the excitement I feel as I flip through this book. It reminds me of zines. It reminds me of the types of photos I take, where some can turn out great but more are just captured moments in their purest forms. No light tests and no photoshop affects. Photos aside (I know its a photo book) the writes ups are just as diverse by the bands being covered. I mean reading through you can find quips and real heartfelt write ups by the likes of Paul Bearer, John Joseph and Tim McMahon. If you have an extra 12 bucks lying around buy this. Support Six Feet Under Records.

The next package I opened was 3 records that were old Deathwish Inc restocks that I had to grab up and one fresh from the pressing plant. They were the Killing The Dream - I Rewrote It 7", Terror/Ringworm Split 7" and the Horror Show - Holiday 7" (that is not photoed because it is only for a trade). And the other record that was so fresh was the Internal Affairs - Evil Egyptians 7" (this order was held back a week because it was a pre-order for this record). This record is a 7" version of the Internal Affairs X Dalek 12" that came out Fall of last year and sold out very quickly. So I'm sure this record was pressed so that others could get copies and so they could have something cool to sell on their last tour (that is going on now).

The third package was a soft one so I knew it held no records for me. Its the Withdrawl - Tarot Longsleeve I have been waiting on for ages now. I guess they are working on a 7" and should also have a crew neck up soon with a design by Stephen Kasner (you may know him as the guy who did most of the darkest Integrity's artwork for records and shirts). Super siked on both those. Stop sleeping on this band.

The last package was three records I got off Ebay the other day. One is my second and far more rare copy of The Promise - My True Love 7". The other two are versions of the Terror/The Promise/Plan Of Attack - Live Split. The first copy of this record I bought was way back in 2003 in Cleveland at Hess Fest 2003 (Bane, Terror, Throwdown, The Promise, Suicide File, and Others). Me and my main man Eric each bought a copy from The Promise (and I picked up a longsleeve that randomly disappeared that I would kill to have another of). That night as The Promise drove down to Alabama for Furnace Fest their van burned with all their copies record that they had not sold the day before (not many) or the ones that Organized Crime Records had held on to (not many I'm sure). Over the years I got Eric's copy, the mailorder version on purple marble and the normal press on gold. One of the two I got today was this on green, Its the Plan Of Attack Version Out Of 100. The other was another of The Promise's copies but this one is a much more green blue then any I have ever seen. On further inspection of my other two copies I realized I they are a good representation of the color variations of this incredibly rare version of this record. The proof is in the pics.

The pictures kind of jump around but I'm sure you guys are smart enough to figure it all out.


Adult Crash - Photographs By Dave Brown (Six Feet Under/Vicious Circle Records)
Adult Crash (White) (Out Of 150) (Down To Nothing, Cloak/Dagger, Kill Your Idols, The Slumlords) (Six Feet Under Records)



Internal Affairs - Evil Egyptians (Coke Blue W/ Multi Splatter) (Out Of 409) (Deathwish Inc Records)



Terror/Ringworm (Clear) (Out Of 1500) (Deathwish Inc Records)
Killing The Dream - I Rewrote It (Gold) (Out Of 1300) (Deathwish Inc Records
The Promise - My True Love (Grey) (Out Of 384) (Deathwish Inc Records)



Withdrawal - Tarot (Red) (XXL)



The top two are the ones I got today, the left one is The Promise version as you can tell it is a transition version between the Green (of the right Plan Of Attack version) and the bottom two are the ones I have had for a while. You can see that the right one is another yet version of this as it is much darker. The green one is numbered out of 100, as are the others but as you read above who knows how many actually exist.