by Jay Snyder
January 5, 2008

Raw Radar War is the new project featuring legendary vocalist Jonah Jenkins. Jonah has cut his teeth in the scene for years expending precious blood, sweat and tears to create a rock n’ roll resume that is unique to say the least. His new project RRW is paving a brave new direction for the vocalist along with the musicians surrounding him as their debut album Double Equals in addition to their split disc with Deer Creek have shown that this band will plow through your senses with a piss n’ vinegar brand of crust, doom and drone that is the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb exploding in your living room. Jonah, Mario Travers (guitar/backing vocals) and Mike Cahill (drums) shed some light on the renegade behemoth that is RRW; a beast that marches to a rabid beat unlike anything else you will ever behold. Jonah was also up to the task of answering questions that pertain to his other awe-inspiring projects including Only Living Witness, Milligram and Miltown. Let’s dive in first with Raw Radar War and see just what makes this monstrosity tick.


Hellride Music: Jonah and RRW, I'd like to say thanks a lot for taking the time to sit down and answer these questions. You've got a new project that is rapidly gathering steam, Raw Radar War, how did that come about after Milligram? If you wouldn't mind, feel free to introduce yourselves and who decimates each instrument.

Mario: We were all friends for a pretty long time, playing in different bands and shortly after I had jammed with Milligram, that band broke up, and it just turned out that we were all free at the time... we decided to just say fuck it, lets' play some music.

Jonah: Yeah, having gone to very many shows with these guys back in the 80s and 90s, in Boston... we all had such long term connections to this music. We wanted to give it a try. Honestly, it took us quite a while to come up with our own interpretation of what we loved about aggressive music. We experimented and failed a few times, but what we've kept has been a result of learning from our failures, and above all, staying friends. Mario Travers plays guitar, Mike Cahill plays drums, Charles Corey plays bass and Pat Tapia plays guitar now. Scott Gallagher played guitar on Double Equals and the split with Deer Creek.


Hellride Music: You guys were originally called Septic Youth Command, how come the change? What does the new name represent?

Mario: For me it's just a cool sounding name that I think is kind of catchy, I think it developed from some ideas in the songs "Rupture Process" and or "Riven Tarmac"... and it sort of just stuck.

Jonah: Septic Youth Command was kind of a joke name, but we kept it while we were looking. The new name is more about the letterforms than anything else. I like that it is unique to us, regardless of how little it does for any marketing bullshit. The palindrome works well with the design concepts of our artist, Guy Wetherbee, aka GYY from 4WAT/Tactical Archive.


Hellride Music: Double Equals is truly an album of earth shattering proportions. What was the band's ultimate goal when you decided to lay down these tracks? Did you just want to have fun, shatter some minds or a combination of both?

Mario: I think for me it was combination of things... we wanted to create pretty crushing heavy music that was influenced by music that we all liked and that for the most part was not being done around here... and we really wanted to bring in different elements such as crust, doom, punk, and noise that would come together in a cohesive mix... I think that we really wanted to create a lasting document that we could be proud of... lastly I think we were really shooting for putting together a record sort of like Reign in Blood that you put on and it just attacks you from start to finish without getting bogged down in songs that are too long or boring... I think we managed to do all of it pretty well.

Mike: Absolutely a combination of both. Our intent was to be brutal.

Jonah: We wanted to play crushing, oppressive music that had dynamics... "Double Equals" was the result of many debates and seemingly endless revision in the practice space. We're working within the parameters of our own abilities to approximate our collective visions. When we collaborate, it almost always ends up better than when one person has a completely formed idea. We have talked a lot about experimentation and blending all of the aggressive and experimental music that we love...


Hellride Music: The lyrics on the album are excellent but are very open to interpretation. For example, in the song "Vampire Command", who are you referencing there? You say that we've got to take back control; who must we regain it from? Who is this "Vampire Command", if you don't mind me asking? What is the inspiration for imagery such as the kind a song like that creates?

Jonah: The Vampire Command could be whatever force is holding one back...it could be a group of people that are trying to exert physical dominance and control by fear, over one or more people... it could be one person trying to control another through emotions, or finances, or hierarchies, whether societal or organizational. My feelings are very personal, and rather than impose them directly onto songs, I try to crystallize the concepts as much as I can, and then abstract it, to allow for interpretation. I am a very passionate person, often to my own detriment, and I don't expect other people to feel what I feel... but I believe that they can extrapolate from kernels in my songs, to take what they choose. If they can relate strongly to even one line in a song, I feel that it's a success. I am often intentionally vague or abstract, to minimize the opportunity for a singular interpretation of the lyrics. It's music, not a doctrine. Vampire Command is based on my own experiences, though.


Hellride Music: There is a ripping cover of "Crucify Me" by Jerry's Kids on the album as well. I dig their work for sure. What made you decide to cover it and include it on the full-length? Is there a mutual admiration for that band among the RRW ranks?

Mario: Totally! We all grew up loving the band, going to shows at the Rat and other great long since forgotten Boston clubs and seeing some amazing shows... we've been very influenced by the bands around here that came before us such as Jerry's Kids, the Freeze, SSD, Siege (mostly the stuff on This is Boston Not LA)... and I think it was sort of a way for us to bond with the past...

Mike: A great song by a great band. I was lucky enough to play with Rockin' Bob on another project of his.

Jonah: Hell yes. We wanted to include it on the album because it provides context for the rest of the songs. We love the stripped down feel of those brutal early 80s Boston HC bands, and it factors into our overall sound. We made that song sound slightly different than the original, mainly because we have to filter it through our own minds and bodies.


Hellride Music: I read somewhere that you were going to do this release on your label Traktor7, pretty much solely from my understanding. As a big Shifty Records fan how did Gary and his superb label get involved in the picture?

Jonah: Because of a divorce that I was resolving, negative Traktor7 finances were causing huge delays with this album. Also, Gary had Chris (from Keelhaul, Flexovit Press) asking him for printing projects. So we (T7, which is basically me, Mike and Mario) had the CDs pressed, had GYY do the art and get the die-cut covers, and Gary and Chris got the printing accomplished. Gary is a truly great guy, and we feel lucky to work with him.


Hellride Music: You guys also did a split release for Game Two Records; another label that I am a huge fan of. Conan, like Gary, is truly a stand-up guy. How did you hook up with him for that release?

Jonah: Mike, Mario, Charlie and I had known Paul/Deer Creek from many years of attending Emissions (Milligram played one of the early years)... and I had known Conan from way back in 1990 when I did a zine called Look Again, and from trading music... I'm pretty sure I traded him the Only Living Witness 7" back then, for a 7" by MAYDAY, which I believe he released. He was supposed to put OLW on a comp in 1993, but Century Media were such bastards about it that he actually abandoned that entire project. Fuckers.


Hellride Music: The RRW material on the Deer Creek split showcases flat-out doom, sludge and noise theatrics. You guys surely have this going on throughout Double Equals but any reason to not include any faster material on the release?

Mario: The stuff on the split were songs that had originally been written for Double Equals but the way they came together at the time we didn't feel that they worked with the rest of the songs... so we sort of had those songs kicking around and when Game Two contacted us we just thought they would fit well with what Deer Creek was doing but I don't think it was a conscious effort to avoid doing anything fast...

Jonah: The songs on the split were actually recorded at the same time as the rest of the album. They didn't work until we spent a long time with the original tracks. I think the album would have been less interesting with those songs on there... because so much of it would have been slow stuff. We want to keep the songs dynamic, but also the releases. We spent a lot of time thinking about transitions, and the overall feeling of the release. Even the noise tracks on the CD version of the split are meant to enhance the oppressive feeling of the actual songs.


Hellride Music: It seems that with each passing band you are in, your vocals (Jonah) get more and more vicious. Was it a conscience move to gravitate towards heavier material or did it just happen?

Jonah: My life hasn't exactly gotten easier as I've gotten older, and 2005 (the year that we were finishing the recordings that became Double Equals) was the worst year of my life. I was emotionally devastated, and used the music to channel those feelings, instead of letting them interfere with the rest of my existence. It worked to a certain extent; at least the vocal performances convey what I was feeling at the time.


Hellride Music: Who composes the music for RRW? What would you consider the driving factors to make music of this heaviness? You can speak in terms of influential bands as well as moods.

Mario: I think the key for us is that everyone has a say in the songs we write and how they come together... this is a good thing but it can make writing songs at times a bit difficult... because we tend to try to satisfy everyone... it makes writing stuff take some time but we've found that in the end we're all generally happy. I think we try to write songs that we want to hear rather than what we think people would like... so we really try to satisfy ourselves above all else... as far as my influences, I would say Cro-Mags, Doom, Eyehategod, Nausea, Celtic Frost, Discharge, Jerry's Kids, His Hero Is Gone... .and I know when I write stuff I try to keep those influences in mind and sort of mesh that stuff together in an effort to try to come up with something new...

Jonah: yeah, we have made a conscious effort to incorporate the influence of the bands that Mario mentioned into our music... also Corrupted, Avskum, Gauze. We strive to play what feels right, what feels cathartic, what makes us look at each other after we play a song and nod in agreement.


Hellride Music: Do you feel that the production on the record is a good representation of the live sound? Where was Double Equals recorded and will you use the same studio for future endeavors?

Mario: I think the recordings are a great representation of the band... I think they capture the rawness and attack that come out in our live sound pretty well... we recorded everything with Glenn Smith, and he is just amazing... I personally wouldn't want to record with anyone else ever again... I think he's that good...

Mike: Live? Maybe. We will absolutely be working with the same people, but the studio has moved since most of == was recorded.

Jonah: Yep, what they said. Glenn Smith and Nick Z are just awesome. Everyone that reads this should do themselves a favor and book time with Glenn Smith: http://ampsvsohms.com


Hellride Music: Will there be anything that will be done differently for the next recording? Is there anything that you wanted to capture on Double Equals that you feel didn't meet expectations; or are you all generally happy with it? I'm still going to continue and stand on my limb of saying, "album of the year".

Mario: I think we're all very happy with the album... although I think we've grown quite a bit as a band since we recorded DE and I think we're hoping to create something even more powerful for the next record which we're working on writing songs for now...

Mike: I'm very happy with it... it exceeded my expectations.

Jonah: I agree. The full length is something of which we are all very proud.


Hellride Music: What is on the horizon for RRW? Are you guys going to take time to sit down and write another record soon?

Mario: We're working it out now so hopefully by spring or something we could be close to having a new record out.

Mike: Working on it.

Jonah: The songs are coming together and we'll be booking some studio time early next year, to record at least half of it.


Hellride Music: Will RRW get involved with any festivals annual festivals that are going on? Would you guys be up for playing at Emissions from the Monolith or something like that?

Mario: We'd love to do some stuff like that if given the opportunity... Emissions would be sick although we would have loved to play on it when it was in Youngstown... we made the scene out there about 4 or 5 times as fans and every time it was amazing... great bands, great people, great beer and just a ton of fun.

Mike: If it was still in Ohio we would have.

Jonah: Emissions was a big part of our lives when it was in Ohio. We loved it. It's a shame the Nyabinghi was sold, but I know Greg was just moving on with his life, understandably.


Hellride Music: Is there ever going to be any larger scale tours, or will the band mostly stick to local stuff? More importantly, is there a way to get RRW in your town or is the possibility of long distance not feasible?

Mario: I'm sure we'd consider anything that was available although we all have pretty good day jobs and mortgages and stuff so it might take a little more planning on our part... but we would consider anything.

Mike: Short tours are possible. If you want to fly us in and lend us gear, we'll play anywhere.

Jonah: Heh. Yeah, travel is expensive, but we know it's unlikely that anyone can help us defray those costs, because we're not exactly going to pack the clubs in any Cities outside of Boston, never mind EBF. Our lives are full of responsibilities that don't really allow us to tour without reasonable goals in mind. In fact I disagree with the sentiment that most bands need to tour to succeed. If a band wants to tour for the hell of it, they had better be prepared to spend a lot of time and money with very little or no return. We play shows with friends, try to help support the like-minded touring bands that come through Boston, and when we have the chance, we'll play out of town.


Hellride Music: What can we expect with future RRW material? I really like the balance of elements. It is the soundtrack to a savage, socially conscience beating. Will you continue to balance the fast and slow, or will things speed up even more in the future?

Mario: I think we'll always be looking to have that balance in sound... it's what we do and we really love it... so we really want to try to keep a good mix of slow and fast stuff moving ahead... I think the biggest thing that has helped with what we're writing now is that Mike has gotten a lot better at playing slower stuff and understanding what we're looking for when we write it...Mike really started out as a punk drummer but I think he has adapted pretty well to what we want to do...so if anything we may add a few slower songs moving forward... but we'll never abandon the fast stuff

Jonah: We'll be working on improving our dynamics, and incorporating some of the influences that we have not yet incorporated. We might try something more tripped out at some point, but our overall sound will always be dark and combative.


Hellride Music: Where will the next RRW recording find a home? Will you do a split label release with Shifty again or is everything and anything subject to change?

Mario: Don't sign anything ever.

Jonah: I am hoping to work with Shifty again, but it's not up to us. If he'll work with us again, cool. Otherwise we'll release it on Traktor7. I've had plenty of bad experiences with people that I thought were cool at first, contracts or not. Gary is about as straight forward as you could ever expect from a life-long friend, never mind a person that runs a label. He's the farthest thing from shifty, really. What he says, he does, and what he says he means.

(This next section of the interview is with Jonah answering questions about his other projects)

Hellride Music: Why did Milligram break-up? It seemed that you guys were at the top of the mountain with "This is Class War" and then in a flash it was all over.

Jonah: We were no longer compatible. I wanted to make much heavier music, and wanted to play with Mario. Mario briefly replaced Darryl in Milligram, but the other two guys wanted a different situation. They ended up playing with Darryl again in Drug War, with Dave Tree on vocals, which I think was a great combination. It took RRW a while to get going, but I'm glad we started right as Milligram was ending. "This Is Class War" was a successful attempt at collaboration, in my opinion.


Hellride Music: Is there any Milligram material that is still kicking around out there that never saw a release, or do we have it all?

Jonah: There's one last Milligram song that was recorded during the TICW sessions, but I never put vocals to it, and it was never named. It's a good song. If the original reels are still intact, I'd love to sing over it at some point.


Hellride Music: Recently there has been a huge revival of Only Living Witness. How does it make you feel that after the band splintered, it is finally getting more widespread notice? What do you think the reason for all of this is? Personally, I'm a huge fan and got on board in high school; years after the band was no more so it is pretty wild that in my somewhat short time on this earth that I'm seeing reissues, covers (Shadows Fall), guest appearances with other bands (your vocal contributions with Converge and 36 Crazyfists) and other resurgences of your material. It is awesome that it is blowing up a bit more.

Jonah: Thanks man. There was a confluence of new support and nostalgia for OLW in 2006 and 2007. Thanks to things like MySpace, it's easier for people to learn about bands, new and old. The re-mastered version of Innocents sounds like that album should. It was never properly mastered for its first release, so I am very glad that we got the opportunity to present it the way it was intended to be heard.


Hellride Music: Century Media did a reissue recently that includes both OLW discs, Prone Mortal Form and Innocents in one package. It is nice to see that there is extra material added but where is the material from the first 7" and the Liar's Den demo? Why didn't they include that stuff? I heard a Husker Du cover of "Too Far Down" awhile back too. They dropped the ball on that stuff! Is there any chance that these songs will ever see the light of day?

Jonah: Century Media didn't want to pay royalties on songs they don't own, including covers and the older OLW material. I wouldn't mind releasing those tracks eventually, but they weren't properly recorded. The recording was live, in the studio, and the engineer mic'd a broken speaker on our guitarist's cabinet, so it sounds weaker than it should.


Hellride Music: As for the extra material that they did include, why was some of it not on the albums themselves (aside from the demos of course)? The awesome country western piece, "War of the Gargantuas" is so good that I can't believe it was an out take and didn't appear on Innocents!

Jonah: We didn't want to overload the album with instrumentals. I am glad that Eric was able to write in that Ennio Morricone-meets-country style...but the rest of us had nothing to do with it. He was able to focus more on that side of his creativity after OLW split.


Hellride Music: You had a very unique lyrical perspective with OLW. It was truly one of a kind. How do you feel that your writing has been influenced since then? How would you chart the change with each band? I feel similar themes to this day in parts of the RRW lyrics but each project has a unique flair as far as lyrical concepts go.

Jonah: OLW's lyrics tended to be unnecessarily complicated, especially on the first album. I learned over the years to use fewer words to express similarly opaque concepts. As I said before I usually don't like to spell everything out for the listener. I want it to evoke emotion, but nobody can force anyone to feel something that isn't already inside them. Many people have told me that they either vehemently dislike, or love my lyrics. That's good enough for me. I have always appreciated music/lyrics/poetry that allows, if not encourages interpretation. Plenty of aggressive bands have sub-moronic lyrics and imagery, and that's why people love them.


Hellride Music: Is there going to be one last OLW show? If so, when and where might it happen? Is Chris Crowley (bass for OLW) going to be participating? I heard that he had retired from music for the most part.

Jonah: We want to have one final OLW reunion show, with Chris on few songs, if he can spare the time. Between his job and the rest of his life, he's not able to practice with us. Milligram's first bass player, Bob Maloney will play bass on the songs that Chris can't. We want this to be a chance to play as OLW one final time, so that if this lineup plays again, we won't have to act as though we are still OLW, and nobody should expect that we are OLW.


Hellride Music: I saw on Eric Stevenson's (drums for OLW) Myspace page that you will be working with Craig Silverman (guitar for OLW) and Bob Maloney (ex-Milligram bassist) on an as of yet untitled project. At what stage are you at in this project and what can we expect in terms of sound?

Jonah: Right now we are just practicing for a Witness show. We have a few ideas for new songs, but no clear direction. As with our last interactions, we all have a slightly different vision of what we want it to be. It will be melodic, and dark, and not as heavy as OLW, that's all I know. We don't have a name, but we have been playing a few Miltown songs, and we will probably learn a couple of Milligram songs, too, so that we can play some shows sooner than later.


Hellride Music: Are there any plans to record this new material and play some shows? If so when might it happen?

Jonah: We would like to do that, but we are taking it slow while we prepare for the OLW reunion show.


Hellride Music: Now Jonah, I know you've got a label going as well, Traktor7. You've released a lot of quality music thus far. When did you start up the label and what was the reason/goal that you had in mind for doing it? Do you have any help for the label or is it just you?

Jonah: We started the label in 2001, with Milligram, Lamont, and Crash and Burn being the first releases. It's a low functioning label by design. We want to continue with it next year, but as I said, we are regrouping, financially.


Hellride Music: The website for the label hasn't been updated much as of late. Do you have any new releases planned for the near future?

Jonah: No, just the next RRW. We do want to continue it, but we'll have to see how everything goes.


Hellride Music: You offer a pretty cool option on the website for your label that I don't see very often. You can download the music and just buy the digipaks for the album. I've honestly never seen it done that way. What was the reason to start doing that? Has it been successful, do people download the music and then pay up for the case? Or do people just get the music and run?

Jonah: That was an experiment, more than anything else. We didn't sell many of the empty digipaks, but that's fine. We wanted to spread the word about the bands, and that helped. One of our bands, Black Helicopter, went on to sign with Thurston Moore's label. We are psyched for them.


Hellride Music: Of all your projects and albums, what would you consider your favorite moments. As far as recorded material goes, what records are you the happiest with when it comes down to sitting down at the end of the day and reflecting upon your victories?

Jonah: I tend to view the projects in different lights. Although Miltown was ultimately a colossal failure, financially, it helped me to free myself from label ties...and I am very proud of some of those songs. I find myself gravitating back to This Is Class War, Innocents, and to RRW- ==, as they seem to work very well as collections of material, the sequencing, the artwork, the production, all of those elements make me feel good about those projects.


Hellride Music: What music and literature has been providing you with the most inspiration lately? I know that you work in a library so I figure printed materials must be a huge influence on lyrical and ideological composition.

Jonah: Right now I am researching the Winter War in Finland. I am fascinated by the dichotomy of the first nation in the world to grant universal suffrage gaining their independence by fighting alongside the Nazis against the Russians. The concept of Finlandization is driving a lot of the writing that I'm dong for this new album. I've also been reading what I can about sustainability, in terms of natural resources, but also in terms of human motivation, the desire to create, the desire to collaborate to improve and promote sustainable environments, both emotional and physical. I'm not just concerned with ecology and life on this planet. I'm concerned with the human ability (or inability) to cope with pressures, to adapt out of necessity, without losing what makes existence enjoyable. Also, recently I've enjoyed reading Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, and Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. In general, though, I do think that "print" is not necessarily the best medium for learning quickly. I love books and yet I believe that the construct of a physical book is overvalued in the academic world. As objects, they can be beautiful and have intrinsic value beyond the content, but the content is often available in other forms, forms which can sometimes be better for different learning styles, and disciplines. I trust that people that truly want to learn will not discriminate based on the format or medium of information distribution.


Hellride Music: After all the experience in your musical career, what advice would you give to younger musicians who want to get rich and famous?

Jonah: Be prepared to be unhappy yourself if you are striving to make people like you, or to make lots of money. Do what makes you happy. One cannot create something pure and/or fulfilling without alienating one's self from a majority. Encourage collaboration with your peers, and listen to each other, and embrace mistakes as long as you are learning. Expect delays in every endeavor, particularly when you want success. Finish projects like a carpenter - measure twice, cut once.


Hellride Music: One last general question…how do you do it? You've got a job, play in an ever shifting roster of bands, run a label and still manage to sit down and have time for interviews. How have you achieved such a balance in life that gives you time to do all of this? I try to work, write, play in bands and do college and half the time I feel like my head is on fire. I'm sure it is rewarding but there has got to be some manner of stress involved. How do you do it?

Jonah: My job allows a lot of flexibility. Working in an academic library setting, many of us have lives outside of work...and the process of research can be time consuming... so people give each other a lot of latitude in this kind of environment. Also, I have incredibly supportive friends and family. I have a beautiful girlfriend who treats me with great respect, and I her. Having a life that is not based on the success of my musical endeavors allows me to balance a lot of priorities. My mind is always racing, usually when it shouldn't be, so the pace I keep tends to keep me calmer than if I had to sit still and do nothing. That's when I am lost.

Hellride Music: Jonah and RRW, thanks so much for doing this. I'm glad you guys were game for an interview, it means a lot. Leave us with some closing comments.

Jonah: Thank you man, for the time it took to come up with these questions. We really appreciate the support and kind words. And thanks to anyone that bothered to read this.


Read the Hellride review of Double Equals

Visit the Raw Radar War website at www.rawradarwar.com