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Interview With Adam Blake from 
Ask me yesterday, today and tomorrow who my favourite band is and I will give you the same answer every time. I doubt I could write an introduction for H2O that would do them justice. Emerging from the mid-90s NYHC scene amongst such peers as Madball and Sick Of It All, H2O have consistantly released brilliant albums containing the catchiest and most positive hardcore punk you are ever likely to hear - and yes, this includes GO. Their live shows are as energetic as hell and they're nice guys to boot. Being somewhat obssessed with this band (having indelibly inked my back with their words and followed them across the country) I knew it was going to be an impossible task to limit my interview with bassist Adam Blake to 10 questions. Somehow I managed - here are the results.
1. I'm very excited to hear that H20 are releasing a DVD soon. What will it be titled, and are you intending to distribute it in Australia?
Yeah, we'd love to get the DVD out in Australia. Its gonna be called FTTW and its gonna contain the entire home video we shot between '94 and '99. As well as the entire 10th anniversary concert from NYC and all of our promo videos, including the Ice Cube cover. As far as getting it out in Australia goes, we'd love to eventually get some kind of worldwide distro for it but seeing as we're putting it out ourselves and none of us really have experience with being on the label end of things, we're gonna start small. Selling it at shows and on the website. If you know of any good distros for Australia though, let us know and hopefully we can make something happen.
2. H20 tends to cop a lot of crap about 'selling' out. The GO album, the Hazen St side project and most recently touring with The Used have all been points of criticism for some fans. What are your thoughts on this?
I'll deal with each of the above issues in turn. First the GO record - I can't speak for the whole band on this issue as we all have our opinions and they are all different. Speaking strictly for myself, I think of GO as an experiment that when it succeeded it did so in a big way. For example, I really do believe Memory Lane and Underneath The Flames are really good rock songs and that Songs Remain, Ripe or Rotting and Out Of Debt are good classic sounding H2O songs, but when it failed, it failed just as big. However all the choices that we're made regarding that record we're ours and I'm not about to cop any pleas and say it was the label or producer that made it turn out the way it did. And to be honest I know a lot of kids who really like that record too. OK moving on, Hazen Street, I think it was a great chance for the members of Hazen Street to stretch their wings musically in ways that maybe wouldn't have worked in their other bands. Maybe it was a less "hardcore" sounding record than some kids expected but I doubt the idea was to make a hardcore record for those guys...Thats what H2O and Madball are for. And lyrically its about as hardcore and real as you can get. And last but not least....The Used Tour, that blows my mind that people would have any problem with that. We have always toured with non-hardcore bands such as the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, The Misfits, Social Distortion and countless others. We view tours like that as an chance to act almost as representives for the scene which spawned us. Everynight we would give shout outs to the pioneers of punk rock and try to inform kids about the roots of the music. The Used are good friends of ours and offered us the tour based on that alone. It was not done through booking agents, labels or management. It was done through friendship and there's nothing more real than that.
3. A lot of people may not be aware that you used to play in Shelter. Were you a Krishna devotee and are you still?
Yeah, I spent 2 years in Shelter. I played bass on the Mantra record and guitar on the tours for that album. I was a devotee for quite a while although never to the extent that some of the other band members were. I still have the highest regard for the devotees although I discovered a long time ago that that path is not meant for me.
4. Ray Cappo was an icon to many hardcore and straight edge kids, but of late there have been several rumours circulating about his behaviour and the adherance to his beliefs. You played in a band with him - what is your opinion of Ray?
I am proud to call Ray Cappo my friend. His work with both Youth Of Today and later, with Shelter really helped inspire me to make some positive changes in my life when I was younger. True he and I had some ups and downs but we have discussed any issues we had and laid them to rest. As far as the rumours go, I hear them from time to time and to be honest I usually dismiss them as none of my business....although I know the stand up comedy rumor was true!!! However the latest rumour that I want to share regarding Ray is this one...That he is living in California, Is living a clean, wholesome life with his family, is teaching yoga and doing very well.
5. Do you still listen to any hardcore? What could we expect to find in your playlist right now?
I listen to everything from Avril Lavigne to Youth Of Today
6. I recently read an interview with you in a British martial arts magazine, of all places! I had no idea you studied Muay Thai - is this a major passion of yours?
Martial arts is something I have been into for a long time, its good for you and if trained correctly, can really teach you a lot about yourself. I trained Muay Thai for several years and recently started training in Brazillian Ju Jitsu.
7. What motivated you to leave London for New York all those years ago? Do you still call London home?
I moved to NYC because I had joined Shelter...It was dream come true for me in so many ways. NYC is more of a home to me now although it took a long time to feel that way as I was spending so much time on the road that I was barely ever here.
8. Some other members of H20 have families now which must make regular touring more of a challenge. Are you showing any signs of settling down?
I don't think thats gonna happen anytime soon. That path is not for me.
9. Adam, you missed the European leg of your tour because you were hospitalised and subsequently diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH). It's a pretty serious illness and one that I'd imagine to be quite scary. Do you intend to let this limit your future with H2O?
Absoutely not!!!
10. On the Adelaide leg of your Australian tour, my boyfriend at the time (another Brit also named Adam) gave you the shirt off his back - a homemade CB4 tee that he and his brother had made the night before with a paper stencil. Do you remember that, and do you still have the shirt?
Wow, I totally remember that....That was your B.F.? Thats awesome. I had the shirt for a long time but it was a little small for me and eventually just kind of disintergrated. I loved that shirt too.
Thanks Mr Blake. Your words are much appreciated.
Ask me yesterday, today and tomorrow who my favourite band is and I will give you the same answer every time. I doubt I could write an introduction for H2O that would do them justice. Emerging from the mid-90s NYHC scene amongst such peers as Madball and Sick Of It All, H2O have consistantly released brilliant albums containing the catchiest and most positive hardcore punk you are ever likely to hear - and yes, this includes GO. Their live shows are as energetic as hell and they're nice guys to boot. Being somewhat obssessed with this band (having indelibly inked my back with their words and followed them across the country) I knew it was going to be an impossible task to limit my interview with bassist Adam Blake to 10 questions. Somehow I managed - here are the results.
1. I'm very excited to hear that H20 are releasing a DVD soon. What will it be titled, and are you intending to distribute it in Australia?
Yeah, we'd love to get the DVD out in Australia. Its gonna be called FTTW and its gonna contain the entire home video we shot between '94 and '99. As well as the entire 10th anniversary concert from NYC and all of our promo videos, including the Ice Cube cover. As far as getting it out in Australia goes, we'd love to eventually get some kind of worldwide distro for it but seeing as we're putting it out ourselves and none of us really have experience with being on the label end of things, we're gonna start small. Selling it at shows and on the website. If you know of any good distros for Australia though, let us know and hopefully we can make something happen.
2. H20 tends to cop a lot of crap about 'selling' out. The GO album, the Hazen St side project and most recently touring with The Used have all been points of criticism for some fans. What are your thoughts on this?
I'll deal with each of the above issues in turn. First the GO record - I can't speak for the whole band on this issue as we all have our opinions and they are all different. Speaking strictly for myself, I think of GO as an experiment that when it succeeded it did so in a big way. For example, I really do believe Memory Lane and Underneath The Flames are really good rock songs and that Songs Remain, Ripe or Rotting and Out Of Debt are good classic sounding H2O songs, but when it failed, it failed just as big. However all the choices that we're made regarding that record we're ours and I'm not about to cop any pleas and say it was the label or producer that made it turn out the way it did. And to be honest I know a lot of kids who really like that record too. OK moving on, Hazen Street, I think it was a great chance for the members of Hazen Street to stretch their wings musically in ways that maybe wouldn't have worked in their other bands. Maybe it was a less "hardcore" sounding record than some kids expected but I doubt the idea was to make a hardcore record for those guys...Thats what H2O and Madball are for. And lyrically its about as hardcore and real as you can get. And last but not least....The Used Tour, that blows my mind that people would have any problem with that. We have always toured with non-hardcore bands such as the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, The Misfits, Social Distortion and countless others. We view tours like that as an chance to act almost as representives for the scene which spawned us. Everynight we would give shout outs to the pioneers of punk rock and try to inform kids about the roots of the music. The Used are good friends of ours and offered us the tour based on that alone. It was not done through booking agents, labels or management. It was done through friendship and there's nothing more real than that.
3. A lot of people may not be aware that you used to play in Shelter. Were you a Krishna devotee and are you still?
Yeah, I spent 2 years in Shelter. I played bass on the Mantra record and guitar on the tours for that album. I was a devotee for quite a while although never to the extent that some of the other band members were. I still have the highest regard for the devotees although I discovered a long time ago that that path is not meant for me.
4. Ray Cappo was an icon to many hardcore and straight edge kids, but of late there have been several rumours circulating about his behaviour and the adherance to his beliefs. You played in a band with him - what is your opinion of Ray?
I am proud to call Ray Cappo my friend. His work with both Youth Of Today and later, with Shelter really helped inspire me to make some positive changes in my life when I was younger. True he and I had some ups and downs but we have discussed any issues we had and laid them to rest. As far as the rumours go, I hear them from time to time and to be honest I usually dismiss them as none of my business....although I know the stand up comedy rumor was true!!! However the latest rumour that I want to share regarding Ray is this one...That he is living in California, Is living a clean, wholesome life with his family, is teaching yoga and doing very well.
5. Do you still listen to any hardcore? What could we expect to find in your playlist right now?
I listen to everything from Avril Lavigne to Youth Of Today
6. I recently read an interview with you in a British martial arts magazine, of all places! I had no idea you studied Muay Thai - is this a major passion of yours?
Martial arts is something I have been into for a long time, its good for you and if trained correctly, can really teach you a lot about yourself. I trained Muay Thai for several years and recently started training in Brazillian Ju Jitsu.
7. What motivated you to leave London for New York all those years ago? Do you still call London home?
I moved to NYC because I had joined Shelter...It was dream come true for me in so many ways. NYC is more of a home to me now although it took a long time to feel that way as I was spending so much time on the road that I was barely ever here.
8. Some other members of H20 have families now which must make regular touring more of a challenge. Are you showing any signs of settling down?
I don't think thats gonna happen anytime soon. That path is not for me.
9. Adam, you missed the European leg of your tour because you were hospitalised and subsequently diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH). It's a pretty serious illness and one that I'd imagine to be quite scary. Do you intend to let this limit your future with H2O?
Absoutely not!!!
10. On the Adelaide leg of your Australian tour, my boyfriend at the time (another Brit also named Adam) gave you the shirt off his back - a homemade CB4 tee that he and his brother had made the night before with a paper stencil. Do you remember that, and do you still have the shirt?
Wow, I totally remember that....That was your B.F.? Thats awesome. I had the shirt for a long time but it was a little small for me and eventually just kind of disintergrated. I loved that shirt too.
Thanks Mr Blake. Your words are much appreciated.