It's been really tough finding information on you guys. It's quite understandable though, considering you're a fairly new band. Could you walk us through the formation of Incendiary?

Brendan: Sure! We started in July of 2007. I was getting tired of playing drums in a band and wanted to try singing. The lineup was originally myself on vocals, Dan on bass, and 3 of my other friends. After one of the kids moved, the other 2 dropped out and rather than giving up, me and Dan decided to find new people. We eventually got our friend Audley on guitar, Bob the Cat on guitar and Dan on drums.

Was this the first band you've tried singing for?

B: Yeah, save a few joke recordings with friends and a guest vocal spot on the Soldiers record, it was all new to me.

I'm shocked because when I first got the demo awhile back, I felt that your vocals were one of the stronger aspects to the songs.

B: Thanks man! It's funny because I really struggled with losing my voice in the beginning. One thing that I wanted to set out doing from the start, was screaming how I scream. I wasn't particularly interested in trying to sound "low" or "tough".

Yeah, there are far too many hardcore and metal bands that have to 'try' to sound "low" and "tough" and most of the time it just comes off as desperate and laughable.

B: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I mean obviously Jamie Hatebreed and Vogel sound fucking tough as nails and if I could sing like that, I obviously would. A lot of times I think that style comes off as insincere, but yeah, I wanted Incendiary to have a sincere and angry sound to it.

True! But the reason I was into your delivery was that it sounded very natural and not forced. A natural pissed-off vibe.

B: Haha yup, that is just me screaming, period. I sound pissed off because when I sing, I am.

Well, its simplicity at it's finest. With two members of your band sharing time with Trustkill band, Soldiers, do you find Incendiary being unjustly compared to that band or have the fans and media been able to separate each group as it's own entity?

B: Well although Bob has filled in, Brian Audley is actually the only "real" member of Soldiers. I wouldn't say there is much comparison at all since I think our influences are different and myself and Rick sound totally different, and in my opinion, Soldiers are a better band haha. That band has been nothing but supportive to us since we've started and although we play together a decent amount, I NEVER get tired of playing with them.

Speaking of influences, what particular bands have heavily influenced your own as a whole, so far?

B: When me and Dan started this band, there seemed to be this unspoken thing that we were interested in the mid-90s Victory hardcore sound. Strife is one of my favorite bands of all time, so they have been a huge influence, in addition to bands like Snapcase and Indecision. Also, we are proud to be from one of the best scenes in the country in Long Island so the bands that I grew up on, like Subterfuge and The Backup Plan have always influenced my take on hardcore.

That actually leads into my next question. Long Island, NY has a long history of great bands and a strong hardcore community. Do you feel the current scene there is still strong in regards to the quality of bands and positive support from the kids, venues and promoters?

B: In all honesty, I think the scene right now is the strongest its been in a very, very long time. Long Island has such a diverse scene that it keeps things fresh and exciting. On the one hand you have the bigger named LI bands like Crime In Stereo, This is Hell and Soldiers, but in addition we have a wave of bands who, while maybe not touring as much, have gotten a hell of a lot of much deserved spotlight. To name a few, the Agent, Capital, and Thieves and Assassins. Finally we have bands even newer still, like Backtrack, Call it Fire and Iron Chic who are creating a great new buzz in the scene. We also have one of the best promoters in the country in Ronie Singh who, in my mind, has singlehandedly kept LIHC on the map by constantly booking quality shows.

Would you include your own band in those who rarely play shows, at least outside of Long Island? I never really notice you playing away from there. Is there a reason that you have yet to branch out to other areas for shows?

B: Yeah…work, haha. No, to be serious me and Dan knew that this band was never going to be full time. We aren't going to be able to do U.S. tours and such. At the same time, we try to push the limits as far as having full time jobs and playing shows out of state. It can be tough to get on shows out of state when you aren't a full time band but we've been lucky enough to play a bunch of shows in the city and upstate as well as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. We are definitely weekend warriors and plan on hitting the road a little harder come the winter.

That's good to hear because I'd like to catch you guys live one of these days.

B: Where are you from again?

South Jersey Shore-area, near Atlantic City.

B: Oh yeah man, we have shows in Jersey in the works already! If you were to say Arizona it would have been a different story, but I don't see much of a reason we can't eventually play in almost every state on the East Coast. We're actually planning a little longer of a tour, around ten days, come spring. Like I said, if you're a committed band with everyone on the same page, full time jobs don't hold you back as much as you would think. I think people tend to ease up on playing shows when they know they aren't going to be a full time band, but that really isn't necessary.

That's cool! I'm definitely looking forward to it. Like you guys, I work my ass off with 2 jobs, so its not easy for me to jump in a car and drive 2 hours or longer to a show and get back late, while having to get up at 5am for work the next morning.

B: Believe me, I can totally identify! I work 45 hours a week in the city not including commute, plus I play on a competitive rugby team that plays in 3 different states...so I'm busy as fuck, haha.

Yeah, I see many bands that get in the habit of not playing because they aren't a 'full-time' band and know most people aren't expecting tours or a ton of shows.

B: Yeah, I guess I never stood that mentality. I have ALL the respect in the world for full-time bands. It was just never an option for me. I chose the school route, so student loans reared their ugly head.

For those reading this who have yet to hear your music, how would you describe Incendiary's sound?

B: Well I always have a tough time with this, so I'm just going to go with what I've heard other people say; we get Indecision, Strife, and Snapcase a lot, all of which are super flattering. I've also heard one person say we sound like Biohazard but if you listen to us with that in mind, be prepared to be let down. I guess those are all good because those 3 bands have probably influenced what I WANTED to sound like the most.

I think those are pretty accurate. I wouldn't necessarily think of Biohazard instantly but it's not out of the question.

B: Yeah, I don't hear it at all, haha. I wish we were that tough.

Maybe one day, right?

B: Sure man! We've only just begun!

True! This November you will be recording your debut full-length for Eternal Hope Records. How did your partnership with Eternal Hope come about?

B: Chris has always had a relationship with Long Island bands and I know that my friend's old band, Invade, had nothing but great things to say about him. I contacted Chris and asked him to check out our band, never even thinking I would get a response. Sure enough, he checked us out and was into it and things progressed from there. He really took a chance on us since we were a relatively unknown band and has shown nothing but support for everything we have done. When it came time to discuss plans for a full-length, I don't think anyone in the band even considered trying to go anywhere else.

You've released a demo, a 7"/CDEP package entitled "Amongst The Filth" and now have a full-length on deck. How would you describe your progression from your demo to the 7" and what sort of progression can we expect from the full-length?

B: Well although I'm pretty satisfied with how the demo came out, I think that it was just 5 guys trying to figure out a sound. The 7 inch was recorded with the present lineup and we had a more focused idea of exactly what we wanted. Lyrically, I started to figure out some of the directions I wanted to take the band in. The full length is still being written but I think its already miles ahead of anything we've ever done. It's much heavier and the songs are more focused, both the actual music and the direction of my lyrics.

I'm looking forward to it! Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I hope everything goes great in the studio next month.

B: Hey, thank you man! It is much appreciated.