Interview with Jeff Hess(Right Idea)

Cleveland, You think Integrity. Not in this case, I hope you all enjoy this is my interview with Jeff Hess, Vocalist for The Cleveland Straight Edge known as Right Idea.

Hello, How are you? Could you please tell us your name, age, and what you do in Right Idea?

I'm doin well thanks, my name is Jeff and I'm getting up there along with John while Nate and Chuck give the band some youth. Currently I am the guy on stage during Right Idea sets that people jump off of into the crowd.

How did Right Idea come about, and Who else is in the band?

I think any kid who really gets sucked into hardcore will, at some point in time, want to be in a band. I've wanted to since I was a freshman in highschool but I always wanted to do a certain style so I needed to find the right people to do it. People with similar tastes as me can be hard to come by, especially in Cleveland in the past, so it took some time but eventually John talked me into doing it seriously. I've known John since the time he was in Committed so I knew we shared alot of the same interests in hardcore and also knew what he was capable of writing with his guitar. Next we had to find a drummer, but that was an easy choice. Nate drummed in John's band Names for Graves so it just made sense to ask him and, lucky for us, he was way into the idea. Nate currently goes to school in Seattle but he is a travelling machine so it really hasn't limited us too much. The last piece of the puzzle was a bass player, now there are quite a few talented bass players around, however this band was about friendship right from the start. So when it came down to it, we decided to ask Chuck if he wanted to learn bass just to be in the band with us since he was the walking definition of a good friend. Chuck agreed, quickly learned the songs with little scolding from John, and the rest is history. Although, I do wanna add that Geoff, Dan from Mad Minds, and Jordan and Ian from My Rulez/Overload did help us out when we were in a bind, thanks guys!

You guy's just sold out(pretty much) your latest release "Our World" out on REACT! Records. What influenced you when you wrote the lyrics for this album, personally and musicially?

I just felt like there was way too much negativity and attitudes of not looking out for one another in the scene so I wanted to go out of the way to counter this with Right Idea. I'm not saying that everyone's life is great and you should just be happy and get along with everyone cause I know that is unrealistic. But, I didn't see a need to just continue spouting off negativity either. People need to be more conscious of what they are saying or singing along to and who hears it. Some of the lyrics I had laying around from years ago when I was younger, but it's not like I've changed my outlook on life much over time so they still were sincere to me. Basically, I was just listening to alot of the bands I grew up listening to when I was thinking about lyrics and music. I tried pulling from the Turning Point demo, Straight Ahead, Side By Side, YOT, and BOLD.

You also just started up an awesome fanzine called "Think It Through", What made you decide you wanted to do a paper zine?

I've been talking about doing a zine for years, but it can be really hard to find the time to actually sit down and come up with the layout and everything. I encourage more people to do zines but I also encourage people to put effort into them. The zine should reflect the person who wrote it, be proud of who you are and what you've done! Oh and get issue two due out this January it's got twice the interviews with some great bands/artists!

I was reading throught "Patterns Of Force" another fanzine from Clevo, that you used to run a record label. What was it called, and what bands/records did you release on it? What happened to it?

LookingBack Records started up about 10 yrs. back to help promote the growing new edge bands of Cleveland at the time. The first release was the Set Straight 7" which featured John Millin on vocs. LB #2 was the GrudgeMatch 7" which was the Jochum brothers first band, when they were edge, and the rec pulls some from Unit Pride and UC. After that I began to venture on to putting bands out that I just happened to like that were new to the scene. I just picked up the Holding On demo at Double Decker records in Allentown, PA. (check this store out sometime!) and wrote the guys which led to me putting out their first record and features Derek on vocs. Following this, I picked up the Intention demo at an Atari show in Nanticoke? PA which was where all the shows happened before Bobb Mac came up with the idea of having a Positive Numbers Fest in Wilkes Barre. The Intention 7" was my fourth release and almost last, this has a Turning Point lp vibe to the music. I started the label up for fun and as a hobby but it was really alot of work so the only reason I put out a 5th record, the Panic Attack 7", was because Rancor meant alot to me back in 97 so I really wanted to be a part of it when I heard Andy Frobase and Jamie Heim had a new band. I guess I was just too early with my releases since many of the members in these bands would soon go on to bigger ones ha. For instance.....John went on to be in In the Red, Names for Graves, Cheap Tragedies, and even had stints in TFS and Running Like Thieves. The Jochum bros went on to do Final Plan, My Luck, Integrity and many others. Holding On got really big at one point so that was cool cause those guys deserved it. Zach from Intention went on to do so many bands...Full Contact/Knockdown, Hands Tied reunion, Violent Minds, Shark Attack, etc. Nate from Intention also did a bunch of the same bands with Zach and was also in AN for a bit. If you have the time I would say start up a label it is alot of fun and will give you some cool memories from your youth.

How old were you when you got into Hardcore/Punk? How/When did you find the Straight Edge?

Well for me I got into punk and hardcore at an extremely young age but that's due to my older brother and a bunch of kids his age living on my block. My one neighbor, Doug, made friends with even older guys than my bro's crew and I soon found myself at age 11 hanging and skating with hardcore kids while listening to NYHC: The Way It Is on a cassette player. This is the reason I always try to help out younger kids getting into the scene and send them some bands to check out or something. People need to flyer more to new kids and look out for them at shows insted of forming cliques. I didn't really fully understand and begin to call myself edge til sometime in highschool, but in middle school I'm sure I told some kids I was ha.

Who were some of the first bands you ever saw growing up?

Well I knew about hardcore for a little while before my first show but my parents really weren't into the idea of me going to any shows. Finally, Slapshot was coming through on tour and my bro and me made such a big deal that my dad agreed to drop us and our friends off at the club to see 'em. That was my first show and it featured a young Integrity, Face Value and Endpoint. Then I just began going to all the local shows I could after that until I was old enough to drive and found some friends who were into roadtrips. Roadtrips for shows can be a blast, many times the trip would be as great or better than the show!

To alot of people these days the Straight Edge has seemed to have gone dull in the hardcore/punk world. What your opinion on this?

To me, the edge is just how a person lives their life. It has become a way of life for me so it's not really something that can go dull within me. I respect everyone's choice and as long as people aren't hurting anyone (including themselves) and are happy with where they are or where they plan on being in life, then that is cool with me. People should just always look to better their lives...whether it's emotionally, spiritually, materialistically, physically, or whatever. It doesn't matter, as long as it's what they truly want to do. Be yourself!

Okay, I saw that you've tried the new Volcano taco from Taco Bel, convience me to try one, ha!

Dude.....don't! Haha, well if you haven't yet then do it, but only if they include the red shell. The red adds no taste but somehow makes it that much better than a regular taco. I ate way too many of these when they came out and got burnt out quick, no Taco Bell for awhile now. The spicy cheese sauce def made this a great meal at first though. Food is awesome, by the way!

We've just found a time machine, you can go back in time to any show, anywhere. What show would you go back to, whether or not you've seen it?

This question is way too tough since about 60 shows tie for ones I would want to attend. Basically any late 80s show in NYC or Ct. would be cool with me. Def would have liked to have seen Youth of Today or Straight Ahead in their primes but at least I caught some of the reunion shows. I dunno the lineups for stuff like Roger Miret's benefit, Pete's Sake, Aaron Straw's benefit were pretty solid. Just way too many shows to choose from, I can't do it.

What's going on with Right Idea in 2009, any touring or album's to be on the look out for? Will Right Idea ever do an actual CDR?( DONT!)

Yikes, we kinda did that 3 song cdr sampler just because our record wasn't out in time for the Youngblood showcase last year. Honest mistake, won't happen again....unless you get the Guatemalan press of our demo. We're wortking with a couple labels right now to get the repress of Our World going, so that should be surfacing early on in 2009, as well as a s/t 7" from the demo era being released overseas. Also, a while back we recorded a song for a comp coming out on Upside Down records which also features alot of cool bands like Mindset, True Colors, One Voice, etc. We already have some weekends planned for this winter too and hopefully some larger stretches will be played in the springtime so hit us up for shows!

What's your favorite Judge song, and why?

Haha I'm done with questions that force you to choose one, I can't do it. The 7" trumps the lp for me though. Although, I've always liked the song Like You.That 7" is so pissed and hard though I gotta stick with it.

Any last words, shoutouts, shit talking?

Feb. 7th in Parkersburg hope to see you guys there, put flyers in random spots around town you never know what kid may discover hardcore thru you. Live clean and stay straight well past '08. Dare to care and remain clear throughout next year. 'Peanut' is the dumbest nickname ever possibly...but Overload is good tunes, check em out!

P.S. Jeff, How do I get one of those sweet Straight Edge letterman jackets?

I better see one on you in the next group pic man!

Everyone go check out Right Idea, thanks to Jeff Hess for the interview again.

Thanks for everyone reading, comments are appreciated.

Jacob

We All Go Down Together Webzine

Right Idea