Hardcore Keem: From Local Venues to Metalcore Vanguard

Hardcore Keem how are you Doing great man Doing great what's up ?

It's a trip that you're here . Man Didn't think you would be here , but I'm glad I ran into you in a small town called Richland and a small venue called Ray's Lion .

Ray's . Was it Ray it raised ? Is it raised golden lion ?

golden lion raised yeah the lion of all places . You guys played . You played there , man , yeah . And then , like before , then I was like , okay , all right , I have this podcast . I've had it for years and I'm like man , I would love to get keen on the podcast , but I didn't think it would work until I actually met you in person .

you know , that show almost didn't happen , right , because of the sound . Yeah , because they have like an analog system and everybody on the package uh , yeah , like we have like plug-ins , di and it was . It almost didn't happen . But um , uh , shout out to , I think , hollow front of victims .

Yeah , okay , so it explains , because you guys were having some issues too right before your set and it cut your set short , correct , right right , we only had like a 15 yeah , 15 minutes .

Yeah , it was . It was crazy . I think our our trigger wasn't like working at all or anything like that , it was , it was , it was bad you guys pulled it off , so , before we aired , talked about an ambassador .

All All right . Right , do you consider yourself an ambassador ?

Nope , why not ? No , I just , I just see that , um , I'm a guy who's like just really enjoys music and then I'm , I'm just like , uh , I'm like the bridge between , I'm like some people's bridge between , uh , people that they don't know . So like if a band you don't know , I'm like , hey , this , check this band out , this band's cool .

Yeah , I'm the middle man . All right , middle man , okay . Well , I like what you're slinging , you know like ambassador yeah , I don't .

I don't like that . Like people say oh yeah , I don't know , you know , I'm betting , I don't like it all right , I don't even really like the word influencer .

I wasn't going to say that , but consider yourself an ambassador , because some people call themselves an ambassador , but I'm like you know , ricky Rackman was the guy for me , because that's how old I am , all right , headbanger's Ball was the know to ever put out .

Oh , you be blaring it out loud yeah , I , I don't wear headphones . Oh , wow , oh . You like to hear nature . That's what you do . You like to be one with nature . I got you .

If I'm running .

I have to , I don't know . I have to have headphones on because I think hearing myself breathe is like I'm like . I'm like all right , yeah , it's kind of loud .

Oh man , that's crazy . Yeah , I don't blast it too much , I just use my phone speaker , not like I'm not that guy that puts on a jbl or some bluetooth speaker and tie it up on my waist and stuff like that . But but no , I mean , you're ambassador of all . I'll just give you that and I appreciate what you do besides the social media part .

So I believe it was back in 2020 . I was on Johnny's podcast , the vocalist of the Browning . I was on his podcast . You know we talked , we chopped it up , we always talked here and there . Then back in I think it was early 2022 , he was like , hey , the Browning is starting up again . Well , he dropped the album in 2021 .

I was like oh man , when you say new era , what do you mean , or what did he mean by that ? What do you mean , or what did he mean by that ?

So basically just heavy , like heavy balls to the wall , like the browning is like we still keep the browning essence but it's just more intense , like how you heard in , like Voice Crack , poison , like Deceiver and stuff like that , because he basically branched off off .

And you said middle school man , all right , when I think of the browning they started in 05 , man , it's been almost 20 years since I graduated college . I mean , that's how old I am .

yeah . So , um , I think my first bridge to like the metalcore sound was that worst product . Um , I loved how they used their electronics .

Yeah , for a minute there . There , I thought you were all about the drops . I thought you were all about the drops but lately , lately , you've been put picking up the background of this . You know that snake , snake , well is it ? And you were like , oh , you know , yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah yeah , like that's , that's what I loves .

I like . I love breakdowns more than you know anybody . But if you add , like a synth over a breakdown , it just makes the breakdown more complete . You know what I'm saying ? Like it just brings it all together .

If you had to pick , which one do you prefer ? What gets the reactions ? Man , because you got the wildest reactions . The man , because you got the wildest reactions , the facial expressions , dude , you got it down .

Then , okay , yeah , yeah , breakdowns first and for sure breakdown ever , ever heard . I ever heard mmm . That's actually kind of hard . I do hear a lot of . I am a man of many breakdowns . Wildest breakdown I ever heard uh , it may be probably one from probably Larcenia Rowe I don't know if you heard them . I believe they're from North Carolina .

Alright , Alright man . Favorite Browning song Favorite .

Browning song Okay .

Favorite .

Browning song . Okay , one right now is the Sadist . The Sadist is going back . That's one of my favorites , and then another one will definitely have to be Fifth Kind . Those are like up there . Those are up there for me for like Browning songs .

So I got three daughters . I know you have a daughter because she's included in some of the headbanging . Yeah , yeah , yeah . So you have .

So I got three daughters , and I know you have a daughter because she's included in some of the headbanging skits that you have .

So I got three daughters and they don't like that kind of music . And then they're like are you listening to bad guy music ? I'm like no , because bad guy shows bad guy movies bad guy whatever . And so , to bring it lightly , the songs that just get me going before a run , before a race , is God is Taught and man . I'm a huge fan of the Switchback man .

Switchback Switchback's a good song , yeah , yeah , man , that's a really good song , yeah man , that's really good .

I try to keep it clean for my girls , you know .

I gotcha , yeah , my daughter's favorite songs . I think she has like four , like she always like oh no five that she goes like in between she likes poison , she likes hive mind , she likes dragon . Um , she likes the fearless remix .

She really likes that song right now , so I was like oh , you like it , I love it , those remixes that you guys been putting out . Man , john , you know , johnny's on some man . Yeah , johnny johnny's he's .

He's like once he dies , like his brain has to be studied . Like yeah , he's , yeah , he . He's like if you just have like a conversation with him , he'll make you think . He's one of those type people Like he'll really make you think and he'll make you like want , want to do better for yourself .

You're like hey well , he's one of those guys . Oh yeah , oh yeah , for sure . So tell me about Deceiver and Poison , the new singles on the new album that hasn't come out yet , correct ?

Right , no , no , it hasn't come out yet . We didn't even announce it yet , but it's coming out later this year , for sure .

When he told you the style he wanted , what were your thoughts , man , and how was your reaction ?

um , uh , with his so , so , like johnny , johnny does writes like all the music , like he , he's , he's the writer , he's the uh , the uh , the architect . So when he like sends me something , he's like , hey , what you think about this , what you know ? Sometimes I'm like how , how do you come up with this stuff ?

Yeah , join his discord , like he's .

he's crazy . He does like private live streams , all that over there . So , um , no , so what was I talking about , deceiver ? So when he originally had sent me the first mix of it , I was like what ? I was kind of lost for words . I was like this is crazy . He's like all right , now , let's make it heavier . I was like it's already heavy .

And yet you can still listen to his lyrics and hear what he says . You know , if he gets any heavier is he afraid of that . That little distortion there of like people can't hear anything .

No , he's definitely not . He actually has a really um , uh , crazy , uh vocal range that , like people have even heard . I always tell him this . I was like I think you're limiting your vocals on the Browning , because his vocals are up there you can tell .

On certain songs you're like dude , he could have taken it up a notch , but right yeah , like he's hiding something he's hiding .

He really is Like he . He holds himself back with the browning stuff for sure , and he's like , nah , I don't want to like , he just he just doesn't want to really do it . But I was like , hey , you need to to , you need to show them up , show them how it's done when did you pick up a guitar ?

you said , you played bass , but you just played a guitar . What came first , bass or guitar ?

bass so so , like I've been playing bass since 2000 wait , so I think it was 2009 I picked up a guitar for like two months and high school . But then I was like really good at bass because I liked the thick sound of it .

Who influenced you to pick up the bass man , especially the music we listen to ?

um , cause you know , I originally wanted guitar , but the bass was all my parents could afford at the time . So I was like I'll do it , and then I just started doing like covers of bands . I like Guitar Tabs , baby , yeah , man . It helped me , it fueled me .

How did you come up with the idea of the social media ? I mean , dude , I've known you more on social media than the Browning , believe it or not .

so uh , originally , so like in 2013 , I was a vocalist of a band . I had my own local band and I did that for , I think , a year and a half , and then we split and then I still wanted to be a part of music , but I didn't know how . So I started the hardcore keem channel in 2018 . So my original before reactions I was doing , uh , like street moshes .

that you had facial features that people can't even get . Man , like you know , when your reaction dude , you just kill it with the reactions oh , no , never had anybody share the reactions that I do when it comes to a drop or a riff or a melody . It's just do you know you had it from the ?

beginning . No , no , I didn't know I had it at all until I didn't know I I had it and people like liked it until I started posting on social media . Really , um , once I started doing the clips back in 2018 , like just random clips on of my reactions that's when people was like , oh , snap his facial , cause .

man , nothing else hits if your reaction , you know , facial , uh reaction , don't get anybody the fact that you bring the dummy and you hit the dummy because you know you just want to hit that mosh so hard . You know , yeah , the dummy behind you , dude , that's when it connects , man , man , that's when I was just like , dude , sold , sold .

The story behind Bobby was because I broke so many gaming chairs . I think I broke like six . Well , this is seven now because the arm is broken . I broke so many chairs that it got expensive . I was like I got to get something .

But you know , the things around Bobby get expensive too , are expensive . Do you ever break stuff because of Bobby ?

I broke an outlet . At my old house . I broke a couple glasses . At my old house , I broke a couple glasses . I broke a display because he falls . We also had his cousin . His cousin's name was Billy . What did I break ? I broke a couple of things . Yeah , it really does become expensive . All right , yeah it . Like it , it really does become yeah .

Yeah , it's worth it , it's worth it . It's fun , it's so worth it that you're bringing your kids in your barber . That tripped me out , man .

Yeah .

How do you have this conversation when you bring up your barber , your old lady , you know just other people how do you have it ?

You're like , hey , man , let's do this , or what . So so my barber is actually my best friend from like middle school . So he , he also listens to metal , so that that one just went hand in hand . So my , my wife , on the other hand , she's not a metalhead whatsoever , like , yeah , she supports me but she doesn't listen to metal whatsoever .

why metal , though man ?

why metal ?

why metal ? Like , what got you into metal ? What was that ? That band that was like you know , I'm hooked , I'm , I'm solid , just by , you know , bringing metal to everybody , to myself . There was that one band devil's product for sure .

Okay , that was product like the my , like golden nugget , who like got me into all this , and it really just spiraled from there because , um , I used to think that like , oh , like , dang , they're like the heaviest band , and then I started listening to like oceano , like the crimson armada , and then it just opened the door and I'm like there's a lot of bands

This metal , this metal side , yeah , and it just I love it okay , speaking of oceano man , that guy is like , that guy's range is unbelievable .

Man , yeah , adam adam is he's , he's he's crazy .

All right , normally keep my my episodes clean , but I'm gonna ask you , man , do you normally raw dog your reactions or do you sample the songs before you make the reactions ?

so , uh , I usually , if I sample it , it's like the first 15 to 30 seconds . And now I don't know if I like the song with the first 15 to 30 seconds . After that it's raw . I'm raw dogging it .

Okay , thanks for going along with it . All right , that's how I am , too , man Okay .

All right , yeah , because if you can't capture me within the first 15 seconds , I know I'm not going to like the rest of the song . You can't capture me within the first 15 seconds .

I know I'm not gonna like the rest of the song . What is it about capturing you ? What ? What is it that you know that it's like all right , they got it . I'm gonna keep listening to it . What's that 15 seconds man ?

so it's . It's like . It's like uh , I can compare it to like watching a reel or like a tiktok , you know , you know if you're gonna like the video or not , you know if you're gonna to stay or not , within like the first five seconds . It's like the , the viewer retention . You know what I'm saying ?

Gotcha , do you ? Did you ever think you would be this big on social media ? Mm hmm .

Yeah , no , not at all , not at all . This was , this was just supposed to be a hobby for me . It was just supposed to be something that I just kept myself busy . I never wanted to be a youtuber or anything like that . I just I like watching youtube , but I never thought I would be like , all right , you have to keep entertaining people . No , I didn't .

do you get paid ? Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah , okay .

So yeah , yeah , yeah Now now this is my like full-time thing , which I I love it . I love it , enjoy it , because it's it's definitely open like doors for me . I met some great , amazing people , but originally , yeah , this was just supposed to be like a little , a little side thing , like it was supposed to be .

you know , that's , that's crazy man yeah , but then you bring people out of the woodworks man , whether they have a social media following or not , and then , you know , I see , I see the interaction . They tell you thank you , people pick up . They're like just using uh emojis , you know fire , fist pump and everything else .

And that's like my favorite part of it , because I feel that there's so many local bands out here where there's so many bands that has just been doing it , that has that's sitting on like gold and people don't realize it , so that's like my favorite . My favorite part is the smaller bands .

You also been bringing it back too Back in , I guess in your middle school and high school . What brought that about , man ?

middle school and high school day . What brought that about , man ? Because that's , I feel that the myspace age , or like music 10 , 10 , 15 years ago , is way better than music now . It just has more raw emotion and it just sounds better like . It just sounds well put together now . Well then , then now . So that's why I always like to do like , like my like .

You mentioned thirst . You know the backstory of thirst .

Like thirst , the band , yeah , yeah , like the florida band , yep , yep , no you shared .

Oh well , dude , that singer , she's an alum of the sausage castle . I don't know if you know that , but , dude , she's been in the metal into the metal world ever since man and she is hardcore . I follow her on snap , or I had followed her in snap , and dude , she's been trying to make it . And dude , thirst is uh , finally , yeah got what it takes .

Thirst is a good band like I didn't . I didn't uh know about them , I believe , until like last year . They're , they're really good , they're like really good . I'm glad like bands like that are coming out of florida for sure .

Shout out thirst baby right , shout out yeah , yeah , I've talked to her every now and then back in the days , I think , before you even came around 2018 , you know . So , yeah , she's . She's one hell of a vocalist man . She brings it . She's hardcore chick man . So what's your favorite band ? Man of all time , one favorite band ?

So , if not Delworth's Prada Soul Keeper , for sure Soul Keeper . Okay , it's a band out of Minnesota . Okay , minnesota , minnesota .

Favorite song hard or soft man .

Harder song favorite . If I had okay , if I had one song to die with , it would be Soul Keeper Weakness right now .

What's the band you can't get enough of ?

I can't get , I ain't gonna lie Peeling , flesh , peeling .

Flesh right now is that band .

I ain't gonna lie peeling flesh , yeah , peeling flesh right now . Is that band ?

okay , if not metal , what is it ?

rap .

For sure , rap okay for sure , number one on your playlist right now number one on my playlist . I'm curious , why'd you be like some Coco Melon stuff ?

actually actually shout out to my kids . You know , um , oh , actually it's number one on my playlist right now is the color eight , savage season okay that's , yeah , that , that's obvious non-metal rap favorites non-metal rap favorites . Uh , of course , lately it's been kendrick , because he dropped , not like Us , and that's been really good .

man it's all about the stuff that's not coming out from Nashville or Nashville popular dude , you know , it's the Americana is what they call nowadays . That's what you should be getting involved or listening to . Maybe I'll drop something , man .

Yeah , who are you listening to ? What's a country artist that's not ? That's really good . Or listening to Maybe I'll drop something , man , yeah , who are you listening to ? What's a country artist that's not ?

Dude , I love the Bakersfield honky-tonk , you know .

I like Florida Georgia line . Some old-school rascal flats Come on now .

Yeah , yeah , nah , nah , I just saw Vincent Neil emerson last night . Um , I don't know who that is . Yeah , yeah , I'll send you a few , since you send me a few , or give me a few a day , okay , I'll send you a few maybe you can check out , because it's all about the lyrics .

I gotta send you this band called Dragon Corps . They're like a power metal . They're like power metal mixed with metalcore . I got to send you them . Okay , it's like 80s power , it's like 80s core . Okay , I got to send you them .

They're good , they're really good too Favorite band to see live .

Ooh , I think recently it's been Body Snatcher . I don't know if you ever heard of them . They put on a show . They put on a show live . But I feel that it's between Body Snatcher and Victims . They're like both . Number one Victims live is John is a phenomenal vocalist . He's crazy live .

I was glad to see them with you guys , man , I was like you and the Victims . Man Hollow Front surprised me , you know , upon him burning the body .

The Texas sound is not my type . But dude Vict yeah victims is crazy live what do you ?

what are your thoughts on knock loose , knock loose I like knock loose .

Okay , knock loose is I'm not . I'm not like big into them . I like some of their stuff for sure , but they're they're doing crazy numbers . They're like killing it right now .

Yeah , yeah , I'll not loose okay , when's your album coming out , man ?

I believe , like november , I think it's definitely in the later . Yeah , it's , it's , it's , it's , it's . Yeah , that far we're in what ? Just june , or we're we're about to be in july . I know I know right , you know what I'll make it so we can drop it next month . Yeah , right , I'm pretty sure he's not going to like that .

And to watch out , for that's not even big yet . That you know of , that's just you know tight .

That's like really high , because you put out a lot , you're tight .

That's like really high Um cause you put out a lot and I'm just like man yeah .

I've been really into this band from Florida Trash Panda , for sure Trash Panda . Trash Panda , trash Panda . I'll check it out . I'll check it out . You have to check out Trash Panda for sure Trash .

Panda Trash , panda Trash Panda . I'll check it out . I'll check it out .

You have to check out Trash Panda . I heard of them before and I heard their music , but the other day when I was listening to them , I'm like hold on . I was like this is people are going to really love this . That's why I was like yo , they have to start touring and stuff like that .

They like really love this . That's why I was like yo , they have to start touring and stuff like that , they have to get on it . Okay , I'll check it out . Yeah , like your uh suggestions . Man , seriously , reactions right , how many reaction videos you put out a day ? You put them out I put them out .

For sure , death core and then Deathmetal . Yeah , if it's a genre that has Deathmetal in it , people really like that stuff too , but usually Deathcore bands .

Did I miss anything ? Want to add anything ?

Support your local scene , and then King oh yeah , you can support me if you want yeah , yeah .

So , king man , I appreciate you , man , I appreciate you having me on for your time , the friendship , the conversation at the small venue in Richland , washington . But most of all , man , I appreciate you educating the masses , dude , on the music , the bands out there that people don't even hear of . I enjoy it , the bands enjoy it . I know you're following .

All right , thank you . Thank you , man , appreciate it . We'll see you next time .