Utter Trash--Karate For Kids

DIY or Die

An interview with Dan Polito and Erich Hoffman of Karate For Kids

By The Nate

DIY is a term that many people use, but very few embody it for long. Rent has to be paid, food purchased, and clothing put on one's back. The term used to have a lot of weight in Cleveland's scene, but people grow old and want to settle down and have some form of security. The DIY ethic is mostly about supporting good music, or at least good ideals and decent music. For one band DIY means much more. That band is Cleveland’s very own Karate for Kids (Dan Polito – guitar and vocals, Adam Kollin – guitar, Erich Hoffman – bass, Andy Merril – drums, vocals). Their music is positive and laden with political and social commentary on everything. They put on their own shows and keep door charges low with all money going to the bands. They respect the DIY in everything because anyone can do it and as Erich says, "If I fuck it up, I'm to blame. If it rocks, everyone gets to enjoy it, and I'm still to blame."

I spoke with Dan and Erich who, along with the rest of the guys, recently started their usual summer of playing in the band. Yeah, that's right summer; K4K is only around during the months of May to late August. The band exists only when its members are home from college. They credit the large network of friends that comprise many of the bands and DIY shows for helping things get rolling lately. That support system includes what was a great DIY venue, Fort Totally Awesome (RIP). The DIY scene also helped with recent projects like a tour of the eastern seaboard down to Florida, and an upcoming split with Cleveland's rising metal-core band, Caligula.

When asked what issues motivate his band’s songs, Erich tells me of their newest tune, “just because you own adobe photoshop doesn't make you a graphic designer”. He says, "It's something I feel strongly about. It's about mosh-metal bands that hold women as possessions or talk about killing women with this 'if I can't have her no one can' attitude that infects so much of the metal and hardcore scenes. That song is a refusal of the misogyny and homophobia that we see too often. It is opposing songs like "the hard part wasn't getting over her, it was getting her blood out of the carpet". How can someone write an album full of that shit?" Dan agrees saying, "People don't get along, we realize this, but why write songs about destroying the life of someone you don't get along with? The title is about how every fifteen year old with a computer wants to be Jake from Converge and do typography and Lithographs, but they are wholly unoriginal. But the words say much more."

The importance of the DIY ethic came to Erich's eyes when he got an e-mail from the German band Jagga asking if he could book them a show. Since booking is something Erich has done from the time he was sixteen he said yes, but after battling for months he couldn't get a venue. Erich cites that as the moment when he decided DIY way or no way for him. He says, "After that I was disgusted with the for-profit nature of Cleveland's clubs and decided we could find a way to do shows on our own. I couldn't believe that this awesome band would be denied by everyone with the usual, no, uh uh, can't do it. I have no desire to see a show at the Agora or The Grog Shop anymore; I just want to see bands on my level, an even floor right next to me." Dan concurs; "It is totally a passion. Not just punk rock, DIY carries over to everything: Food not Bombs, the Cleveland Bike Co-op, Veganism and vegetarianism. We love music and doing things that don't necessarily carry over to modern society's views of productive, but they really are productive, valuable things."

Booking shows is a perfect example of the way DIY lives on. Erich got some e-mails and wanted to schedule a show on Halloween and did it in the basement of a house on W. 98th street in Cleveland. This started what until recently was a full-time Cleveland DIY venue with shows from miamore to Caligula to wilmot proviso to Halving to Against Me. The members of Karate for Kids are at least partially responsible for many things that are staples in NE Ohio's scene from www.cowboyclubonline.com to FTA. The ethic creates things, if only temporarily, and K4K can proudly claim affiliation to many creations. Now that FTA has come to an end, Dan and Erich are searching for a new venue to put on DIY shows. Dan confidently says that, "This will never go away, ever. People love going to shows and seeing the band they just saw play standing around talking with people afterwards. It builds community and friendships, people need that." And as long as Karate For Kids is around, they’ll keep doing their part to make sure that community exists.