my take on a hardcore zine
Ask me anything
Ask me anything
A couple of questions with Endless Heights guitarist, food connoisseur and gucci enthusiast Jem Siow
How did you get into hardcore
As a 13-year old I thought this nu-metal dude that worked at my local JB was the man and took his advice to buy Parkway’s ‘Killing With A Smile’. That’s still my favourite Australian release and one of my favourite releases of all time to today. The first show I went to was a Parkway show in early ‘06 with Her Nightmare, Stronghold and Jungle Fever and kept going back after that.
How did endless heights get together? Do you feel the your youth coupled with the amount of time together is a advantage
When I was 15 I wanted to start a serious gigging band with my best friends so that’s what I did. Joel, Matt, Chich and I all went to highschool together and Diaz was a great dude who we really wanted to start this new, exciting adventure with. A couple years down the track we’re at a stage that we always dreamed of being at and it’s a deeply fulfilling sensation. Being young is awesome, I just turned 19 this week and the rest of us are mostly teenagers. I feel it definitely helps us relate to a younger audience, that and the fact that we’ve found something we feel so passionate towards at such a young age is a huge blessing, giving us the drive we have. There are people who wonder their whole lives with no sense of certainty in the career or experiences they pursue so being able to have a clear direction so early in life is something I’m really grateful for.
The band seems to have a very positive vibe, has that always been the plan to come across that way lyrically/ attitude wise
The only belief or principle we’ve ever subscribed to is to be honest in everything we do, and if the positive vibe that comes from us is what people are getting then I guess that’s just who we are. Joel writes the lyrics, so in that department everything is definitely on a very personal level. On a broader level what this band represents as a whole has a lot of meaning to us so hopefully our listeners walk away with something meaningful to them.
With the release of dream strong late last year and also a tour run in support of it, what else have you got in store for 2012
We will be releasing another two records this year and doing a whole bunch of tours and shows all over the country. 2012 will be the biggest year yet and we’re 100% fully excited about it.
You also play flute at the con am i right? Has music always been a massive part of your life?
Yeah I’m starting my second year of flute performance at the Sydney Con this year which should be cool. I guess for me it’s just about performing and being in front of people - music just seems to be the medium that I’ve settled into in my later years in life. I’ve played music since I was a little kid but it only really became a huge focus for me later in highschool. I used to enter talent quests every year since I was in primary school and do all sorts of things I thought were cool at the time from retarded rhythmic gymnastics to rap covers to acapella rock covers too.
Will there be more jem vs food eps in the future?
Dude I have a whole bank of unedited clips on a hard drive which I’m yet to get to. It’s just hard to find time to do it with Matt (who plays bass too) but yes there will be. Heckle John Hatfield to get on those clips from tour… he gets lazy easily from being so fully grown and old.
Is it true that gucci is sueing you for misrepresentation
No man they are endorsing me on account of being a full time Gucci emperor. Gucci paradise every body, G u c c i paradise.
