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Lenny from Detroit’s Poison Tongues

you’ve been in a lot of detroit hardcore bands – name them

The Hardcore bands I have been in have been are Earthmover, Cast in Fire, Nightbringer (Current) as well as Poison Tongues.

why did you start poison tongues?

I started Poison Tongues to bring the element of what I loved about hardcore back to the scene. To write songs engaging in topics that are important to me such as family, faith, a reverence of those lost, accountability, and patriotism. These are just some of the topics that are written about. I also brought with those songs a passion to bring hardcore back into Detroit on a level that I hadn’t done since the Earthmover days. A 90’s hardcore feel. Raw killer breakdowns with an element of emotion that only hardcore as a music can bring.

how much has things changed in detroit since your first band to now playing in a new band?

Things have changed in Detroit in many ways. Musically the scene has developed. For the good and bad. It seems like after the nineties the scene splintered off into its old segments that have left gaping wounds. Certain sects had started and only those certain sects would follow certain bands. Its seemed that if people followed one band that they would shy from others….I don’t know why but its very evident at many shows in the area. I hope to help disintegrate that piss poor logic and try and bring a common thread back. The thread that if we want a viable scene where every one can come, max participation should be had by all. That picking and choosing certain bands based on some sort of false alliance will only hurt the Detroit and Michigan scene as a whole. I know back in the nineties that was never an issue. As a city Detroit has gotten a bad rep. You often hear of how dangerous a city Detroit is. How their are statistics out there that give you every reason to not come here. This is every city in the world. While the media and stories run rampant about a city gone bad I can give you countless stories of people making a difference here. Of making this a better place to be. Hardcore in this town, just like this city, is on the verge of blowing up in a very good way. So many good things coming out of here right now…..especially HARDCORE music.

has the internet ruined anything for you as a hardcore kid?

I think the Internet has done a lot more good than bad for the scene. Though it depends on what type of eyes you view it through. I think technology has increased the availability of the music itself as well as the knowledge of shows and bands at a rate incomprehensible. I remember the days of mailing tape dubbed music to people with hand written letters and xerox made flyers about upcoming shows. In a way, that kept hardcore much simpler. Though it also kept it much less available to people who had never heard the music before. If this music is here to help people through life, to help people understand a mindset not of the general public consent than i believe it should be made available to all. Though I used to love the idea that the music was strictly for those who had either fallen upon it or had the mindset to appreciate it. I think it’s pretty cool to have it so available online as it is today-for everyone to enjoy. Beside I still believe this music chooses its listeners, not the other way around. I don’t believe it has ruined anything for me.