I meet punk bands who talk with me about rap or vegan food.

Ocean: I think all of us in the band enjoy hip hop and rap. I'm the only one who is a vegan that eats veggie.

Erek: The best part about not being vegan is still eating vegan food. It's delicious and good for you!

Covid eliminated punk shows for a while.

Ocean: That time frame was traumatic! Some of the venues and people I know did not make it.

Erek: Everyone basically lost a year... But the scenes are back and better than ever.

I read about Body Farm at Maximum Rock N Roll because I have Verizon internet where I live.

Do you know someone at MRR or did you just send them stuff…

Erek: You submit everything. There are instructions on their site.

Once something is live on MRR do you receive emails, sell records and end up with shows?

Erek: Yes and no. It's a place that people get info for sure so it's possible but we really didn't see an increase in anything from the reviews specifically.

Can someone tour off of MRR reviews?

Erek: Not really, but it is a good reference to put in your tour package for people helping you out.

If I see the words power-violence in a band description I listen…I attended a Body Farm show…

Charles Bronson …..a punk band I’ve heard of..

Charles Bronson kinda define my idea of punk…

Ocean: I feel like there are a lot of bands that define how I perceive hardcore both first wave and now. Every punk in the scene has their own view of what punk and hardcore is. Lots of us can spend hours on it

Who are some of your favorite power-violence bands?

Erek: Spazz, Man is the Bastard, Infest, Charles Bronson... All solid choices

Charles Bronson the band isn’t violent…

How would you explain power-violence to someone who wants to watch a punk show which is high energy but isn’t violent…

Erek: Power violence to me is just as hard as you can get while still being a punk band. It's also a very specific scene and time period on the west coast but has influenced an entire generation of music makers and kids.

I look at your imperative of Must Mosh and contemplate the idea of fun…

Do you find punk fun?

Erek: It's fun, serious, a release and everything all at once.

Karrageenan….

Ocean is from Cali and Erek are from Pickerington….

Ocean: You have that mixed up a little...Erek was born in Michigan and moved to California with his folks as a kid.

Erek: Not from Pickerington. Never even lived there, only worked there for a few years.

Explain that relocation….

Ocean: I encouraged Erek to apply for his dream job at the time, and since I had faith in our relationship and wanted to be with him I moved to Ohio.

I saw the show which y’all moved from here last month…

Why did y’all move?

Ocean: New work opportunities and the scene here in Pittsburgh is SO cool. I feel like both of us fell in love with the city over the years and the community isn't like other places I have been, it's really unique.

Erek: Work and play all in one.

Will Body Farm still have a presence in Columbus?

Ocean: We never said that the band wasn't ever gonna come back! We spent six years of our lives attending shows of every caliber and played so many fun gigs there. Just announced a three-day weekend with our friends in Crime Light that we are looking forward to so of course Columbus is included in that.

Erek: of course. We weren't from there anyhow, but it was still our "home" City.

Does Pittsburgh have punk music or does punk only exist in Ohio?

Ocean: I feel like if there wasn't a punk scene here we wouldn't have been excited to move haha.

Erek: Punk capital USA.

Will that affect Ohio Solidarity?

Ocean: I don't think so considering both Alex and Steven are Ohio born and raised.

Explain the song Ohioan Solidarity

Erek: The song was written after the first protest we attending after the murder of George Floyd. There were large protests all across the state. It's just an anthem to express that all of Ohio was standing in solidarity against the senseless murder of people of color by the police all across the country.

Who are some of your favorite Ohio punk bands?

Ocean: BIG fan of Minority Threat, SlutBomb, En Love and like almost everything on DGR, Crime Light, Forrest Fucker, Griphook, Primitive Impulse...that's all I can remember off the top of my head! There are so many great bands from there and more keep forming. SALT and Waydown are one's to watch right now for sure.

Erek: Pillars, Kaiba, slug, stall, Butchers Dog, rejoice, matanatha, Sanguisugabogg, last gasp, yambag…there are really so many new and old.

I often reevaluate why I thought Donald Trump needed opposition…Sometimes I think I should’ve accepted that our countries’ government isn’t worth thinking about…

Ocean: In my opinion, silence and being dismissive in the face of oppression benefits oppressors like him. They want you to not care about other members of the community so that their agenda remains in place. Being compliant and quiet is part of why we are stuck in a cycle of losing rights that protect the most marginalized.

Erek: Our government is fucked, but ignoring it will never fix it. There are lots of avenues to learn, change and work towards better outcomes and that should always be a motivation.

Why is opposing the limitation of our freedoms important for someone who likes punk music?

Ocean: Punk has always been a form of protest because it starts with autonomy. It's undeniable, even when it comes to fashion, that it's a declaration of challenging the social norms. The term "no gods, no masters" really sticks because so many of us yearn to be who we really are without judgement or government interference.

I used to see Ocean around and she resembles Ani DiFranco…

Ocean: I mean, we both have short hair and we are both musicians haha.

Do you think feminism and punk rock are intersectional?

Ocean: If you are a punk and your values aren't intersectional at this point, it just means you haven't learned about it or had a life changing experience that has awakened you to it. It took a long time for me to learn and grow and arrive where I am now with my thoughts on feminism and feminism in punk.

Are feminism, and politics important to your content?

Ocean: Absolutely, and my views on feminism and politics are ever evolving

I’m bringing up Kathleen Hanna because Body Farm doesn’t cover Beastie Boys “No Sleep Until Brooklyn...

Do you think Kathleen Hanna influenced punk rock and assisted in Feminism, and punk rock’s development?

Ocean: She certainly had lots of influence in the 90's but there have been many other key players before and after her. Poly Styrene, Alice Bag, Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre from first wave punk walked so that Kathleen could run.

Do you think Jim Jordan is a cuckold for the sexual assault of male athletes?

Ocean: Cuckold isn't the right term for this instance because that word implies consensual participation in fetish. He was certainly an accessory who allowed an abusive person to harm many.

Erek. Fuck Jim Jordan. Period.

He participated in an epidemic where Ohio State male athletes were sexually assaulted by Richard Strauss. Do you think there is a double standard that Jim Jordan is a House Rep for Ohio?

Ocean: He is a willing participant of upholding patriarchy, which can be just as harmful to men as it is to women and people outside of the gender binary. It isn't a double standard as he is upholding a heteronormative Christo-fascism right wing view of the world that appeals to his voter base.

Do you think normal people who like sports would want Ohio State Football canceled because Jim Jordan covered up the assault of multiple teammates?

Ocean: There are a lot of OSU fans that were and are still vocally against what happened, but clearly there are just as many football fans who don't care or feel powerless.

Would you listen to a band called the Republican Obstructionists?

Ocean: Why not?! If their views are of the Left and they have good riffs, hell yeah.

Did Body Farm take its name from Jim Jordan treating Ohio State like a Farm for a plethora of male athletes to experience sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Strauss?

Ocean: Nothing about our name or platform as a whole is inspired by Jim Jordan. He is the scum of the earth and has been a horrible rep for the state of Ohio. As far as the name is concerned: Erek had it on a list of band names saved in his phone. I had just so happened to have watched a VICE doc on scientific body farms in the US and how they are used in teaching forensic scientists, so when he read that name out loud it stuck.

If opposing abortion is so unpopular why do you think Republicans banned abortion instead of reducing inflation?

Ocean: While a majority of American's support the human right to abortion, the Right in general always panders to their voting base which became anti-abortion during the Reagan administration. Republican's and anti's have been playing the political long game and Trump helped overturn things by putting anti-choice people in positions of power. Capitalism requires more workers, people who don't have safe access to abortion remain stuck in a cycle of poverty and remain part of the machine. Why would they reduce inflation when it's obvious they benefit from our oppression physically, mentally, and financially?

Erek: Republicans, and Democrats alike, only have their reelection in mind. Very little is ever done to help anyone other than themselves.

Erek I feel like I’ve seen you involved with the logistics of running a punk show.

Erek: I have put on sled for a very long time. I started doing it when I was 16 because no one would put my band in shows so I figured I would just do it myself... And kept doing it that way. Playing with friends as often as possible.

Do you think female members of bands should receive an equal share of door revenue?

Ocean: Gender shouldn't affect a person's pay, PERIOD. Side note: lots of feminists will view you a certain way if you refer to women and girl's as "female."

I thought it was interesting that everyone I knew involved with DIY followed COVID precautions…

Ocean: I think it makes sense because in order for a DIY community to continue, regardless of pandemic, you need people! Immunocompromised and disabled people are part of the community too and caring for your community is important to punk. We were all yearning for that human connection and musical release to happen in a safe environment so we made it happen.

Please list previous Body Farm releases

Body Farm ST 7"

Body Farm/Slutbomb Split 7" Body Farm Single

3" Lathe

Living Hell 12" EP

Please tell me Body Farm’s plans for 2023…

Ocean: New songs, new releases, some three-day weekends and shows in places we haven't been yet.
Erek: UK pressing of the 12", a new 7", more mosh.

Bodyfarm, Dopesweater, Deadbody on the Web,  CML,
Crime Light at Cafe Bourbon Street
January 28, 2023
DOORS $7.00