I met Dan a few years ago through a couple of friends. Back then Dan played in a band called Lessons Learned. We recently caught back up with each other when his newer band Truth Inside played at a venue in Macon.
Dan! What have you been up too lately man? Introduce yourself and tell everyone who you are and what you do.
Ha oh man bringing up the old band? Alright I'm Dan Cantarero, Dan Can for short because it's way easier to say. I sing in a youth crew hardcore band called Truth Inside. We've been a band for a little over a year and have played a good amount of shows. We are currently re-recording our demo for a 7" coming out soon and also working on an e.p. as well. We are hitting the road this summer for two weeks so we are all pretty stoked on that. I started a record label called Life To Live Records. I started this label basically to put some sweet records out and let others check out bands that need some attention.
Yeah man, I still have that RUN DMC rip off shirt...
Are you putting out the TI demo personally? Was Macon your first out of state show with Truth Inside? Watch you play was awesome , you guys have great energy when playing in front of an audience. What's your favorite thing about being a front man?
Ha nice man and a label called Just Another Day Records is putting out the demo. We have plans to do an e.p. with my my label and possibly another label co-releasing it but first we want to get the demo going. We have only played a few out of state shows. Last year we did a few shows going up the east coast to Lemoyne, Pennsylvania where we had the privilege of sharing the stage with a lot of awesome bands at A Time We'll Remember fest. Being in a band is all about the energy and having the time of your life. If a band isn't moving then I'm not watching. I think my favorite part about fronting the band is definitely getting in peoples faces. That and being able to mosh during the whole set rules. Playing an instrument confines you to headbanging and sweet jumps but that's just not enough for me. I guess I'm just a selfish dude ha.
I agree with you. With that being said what do you think are some great bands playing now a days that harness this type of energy?
If we are talking about YC bands I'd have to say Mindset definitely has a lot of energy. Outlast and Alert rule hard as well. Some other bands we've played with this last year that killed it are Backtrack, Product Of Waste, our local friends in Ambush, Mehkago NT, Thin Line, Injustice System, Choices Made, Change of Ideas, and of course all the bands we played with in Macon. Undertaker and Harsh Truth were awesome to watch.
Seriously, Outlast and Alert are solid bands. I can hear a strong uniform choice and chain of strength influence on Alert which is always good to hear.
Definitely man. Both have awesome lyrics and just overall rule. Outlast sounds a lot like In My Eyes who have been a pretty big influence I think. I'm not a fan of super preachy bands but it's always good to hear some uplifting words every now and then.
Since you've put out records for each of these bands, What bands have you worked with so far and whats happening in the near future?
So far the label has put out 3 releases and a 4th one about to drop this month. The first release was from a Washington D.C. band called Control. Control ruled but they decided to call it quits and start a new band called Broken Bodies. I actually just got the chance to check them out and I have to say that the new band rules equally as hard. The second release was from western Massachusetts Alert. Awesome dudes and awesome tunes. Great youth crew jams. The third release was from New Jersey's Outlast. If you love In My Eyes as much as I do then you will love this band too. These dudes keep it as real as it gets. The fourth release is from a band called Damages from Michigan. Not to be confused with any other bands called Damages ha. This band has a strong American Nightmare feel to them which is pretty sweet. They are currently on tour but will get to come home to a nice package of records waiting on them! These dudes are definitely underrated I think and need some attention. I'm glad I could put out a record for them. The next release lined up will be from a band called Overlooked. As soon as I heard there music I was immediately hooked. Really good fast and heavy hardcore. The kind of band that makes you uncross your tough guy arms, start singing along, and just having fun which is what I think going to shows should be all about. As far as releases after that, we'll see how things go for these next two. I don't like to make promises to bands I can't keep however, Truth Inside will have our E.P. finished around that time so that is definitely a possibility.
Yeah, I had the pleasure of seeing Overlooked at Breast Feast last month and it was a blast to finally see them after all the good things my friends were saying about them. Overlooked is definitely a band that harnesses the energy we were talking about earlier in the interview. (Overlooked is also playing the Beach Fest pre-show at 124 Oak Ave. in Griffin for everyone reading this that lives in Georgia on June 26, 2010 a.d.)It seems like all the bands you have put out have been solid release and I like that you are putting records out for bands that aren't getting the attention they deserve ( I would like for these bands to tour more). If I recall right, weren't you in school when you started LtL? Do you end up having to sacrifice a good bit of your spare time on LtL? If so, is it worth it, does it ever frustrate you, and do you enjoy it?
That rules and yeah I've definitely been in that place where it seems like nobody will give you the time of day so I try to check out every demo I get and reply to every email sent as well. I figured if people are taking the time in their day to make an effort to get ltl to listen to their band then why not give them the same amount of effort back? Yeah I started LTL about two years ago and I'm still currently in school ha. A huge amount of time goes into this label but it's doing something I really enjoy so it's definitely worth it to me. The only frustrating part is probably when it comes to shipping out orders. Shipping them out physically isn't even that big of a deal but a lot of the times someones address isn't correct and that is super frustrating. Then I have to email the person in hope that they actually check their email to get a new address from them and then even after all of that I'll sometimes records sent back which just sucks ha.
Thank you for doing this interview with me. Any parting words?
No problem man. Looking forward to playing in Georgia soon. We are setting up a 2 week tour this summer so lookout for that!
