by Joey O'Brien

Hardcore Rationale: So I'll start out asking, for fans of Go It Alone, what can we expect from your new project Devotion?

Mark Palm:Well, it's not Go It Alone, it's a new project like you said, but I could see it appealing to some people who liked GIA. In some ways it's a musical continuation of what we were doing on the Histories recordings.

HR: What issues do you touch on in the lyrical content of Bastard Son of Affluence Blues?

Mark:I'm not sure there are explicit issues addressed in the lyrics. I mean, the lyrics are all meaningful in one way or another, and there are certain ideas that appear in multiple places on the record, but I don't know if I'd use the word "issues" to describe what I wrote about. I didn't set out to convince anybody of anything or to argue specific points, I was just expressing some thoughts that I find interesting.I guess the most obvious lyrical theme would be questions regarding death, the idea of an afterlife, religion, the concept of some kind of eternal soul. Those sorts of ideas are mentioned in a number of songs.Basically, what happens to all of us when we die is the greatest mystery that humanity faces and I'm very interested in how that enormous unknown causes humans to behave here on Earth. I actually find that far more interesting than hypothesizing about what actually occurs after death.

HR: What are your personal beliefs on faith, religion, and the idea of an afterlife?

Mark: I do not know what, if anything, occurs after death. I don't think anyone does.That's something that really bothers me about a lot of religions: there seems to be a claim of some kind of understanding of what awaits after death, and that is such a fraud. It's disgusting to me. I don't claim to have a deep knowledge and understanding of all religions under the sun, but my experiences with Christianity, for instance, have led me to view it as a very sinister phenomenon. On the flip side, I find religion to be fascinating. I think in a lot of ways religion is a testament to the weaknesses of the human mind, but I also think that religion is humanity's most impressive achievement. It's so massive, so powerful. It exerts it's influence over almost every aspect of our lives, even if we don't believe in it.

HR: What were your influences on the new LP? Is there a particular artist of album you constantly played during the writing process?

Mark: I guess the most significant musical influences on the album would be Damnation a.d. and Soundgarden. Alice In Chains a little bit. Not that it really sounds an awful lot like those bands, but I found the musical ideas of those bands to be very influential. I've been listening to Soundgarden for 14 or 15 years now, so it's no surprise that they've had an impact on the way I write music. Aaron is a huge Soundgarden fan as well and I think you can really hear that in the way he plays the drums.

HR: I know the recording for the album is finally done, when do you plan on unveiling some of the tracks? Is there an official release date?

Mark: The album is at the mastering plant right now. The lacquers are being cut pretty much as we speak. As soon as we get the masters back we'll announce the record label and release the single and the music video and all that stuff. That should be in about three or four weeks. Keep an eye on the website (www.thesearemoderntimes.blogspot.com), there'll be an announcement real soon.

HR: Do you plan to do any tours next year?

Mark: No tour plans to speak of right now.

HR: What are you views on straight edge and being vegan? Do they still hold the same level of importance as they did say 5 years ago?

Mark: No, they do not hold the same level of importance in my life as they did 5 years ago. With that said, I'm still vegan and I still don't drink or do drugs or anything. I mean, I still feel really strongly that the way most meat and dairy products are produced is so, so twisted. I can't imagine ever changing my opinions about that. But at this point I've been vegan for a decade. It's so integrated into my life, it's not something that occupies much of my thoughts, which is why I say it doesn't hold the same level of importance as it once did. As far as straight edge is concerned, it's such a strange phenomenon. I don't really feel comfortable being seen as some kind of advocate for straight edge. Really, I'd just like people to look critically at how drugs and alcohol exercise control over our lives, and how they are used by certain power structures to keep certain segments of the population in place. If people choose to label themselves straight edge or make some kind of commitment to being drug free is not really important to me.

HR: Do you have a favorite band currently on the Legitimate Bros. roster

Mark: Black Breath is hands down my favorite Legitimate Bros band. There's really no contest. If you get a chance to see them play you will understand why I say that. I really look up to that band.