Suburban Home Records Recording Artists:
Useless ID
Yotam – Vocals/Bass • Guy – Guitar/Vocals • Ishay – Guitar/Vocals • Jonathan – Drums
History: During their first years, Useless ID was mainly active in the Israeli hardcore scene. After releasing two albums on their own label, Falafel Records (named after their favorite food), the band decided to tour the United States. While on tour, they caught the ear of Kris Roe (frontman of the Ataris). The Ataris and Useless ID ended up recording a split album together on Kung Fu Records. The band were then signed by Kung Fu, who put out their next 3 albums. In addition to those albums, Useless ID have been featured on the compilations “Short Songs for Short People” and the “Rock Against Bush” comps that Fat Wreck Chords released. They’ve also been featured in the documentary “Jericho’s Echo,” which showcased punk and hardcore acts from Israel. The band’s latest album :“THE LOST BROKEN BONES”(ON SUBURBAN HOME RECORDS) finds them returning to the States to record with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at the Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
Hometown: Haifa, Israel. “It’s hard to go out on tour as airline tickets are not cheap. It’s hard to record in a good studio because there aren’t a lot of good studios. It’s hard to put out a record because there are no independent labels and especially no independent punk labels. It’s hard to play local shows because the country is so small. You pretty much have to do everything yourselves. The good side of all this, if there is any, is that our band took all these difficulties and decided that we were going to fight for it, no matter what, and not give up just because we’re from Israel and it’s a hard place to start a punk band.” They’ve now managed to move beyond the scope of just Israel, becoming an internationally recognized band that has toured all across the globe.
The Un-avoidable Politics Question: “We never ask any special credit for being a band based in the Middle East. We also never wanted to make a super strong political statement or try to get glued together with the hard time our country is getting/giving for its tricky political/religious status. We never cared about any of this at all. Whatever criticism we get for the state of politics in Israel and the Middle East, we do our best to explain the real facts that you don’t see on CNN, or in the worst case, just ignore it. We started this band in order to escape mainstream life in Israel, and there is a good reason for us to stay the way we are… our band is our escape from these difficult issues that every Israeli guy wakes up to.”
One of the most common things we hear on a daily basis is how “times are tough” for bands these days. Getting shows, finding someone to put out your records, and touring are all major hurdles that every band complains about at some point. Well, how about trying to do it in ISRAEL? When Useless ID got together over a decade ago, there was no “scene” to rely on for support, no clubs to set up shows, and there sure as hell weren’t any local record labels looking to put out punk bands. But they persevered, and today they can look back on an incredible track record – six albums, countless tours to the farthest reaches of the globe, and a slew of releases on punk stalwarts like FAT WRECK CHORDS, KUNG-FU RECORDS, and now SUBURBAN HOME in the US ,RUDE RECORDS in Europe ,BULLION/ULF in Japan, supported by Ear-say and OLEH! in Israel And they’re definitely not done yet. “The Lost Broken Bones” is without a doubt their best record yet, twelve explosive tracks of infectious power-pop that hearken back to the glory days of pop-punk. Long before the genre was bastardized by stupid haircuts and designer jeans, there were countless bands funneling their aggression into catchy melodies, and Useless ID continue to carry that torch with pride.
Day Jobs: Yotam used to be a mailman, but now he produces records for local bands. Ishay and Guy used to dabble in the age-old punk rock tradition of tossing pizza dough, but these days Ishay works in a record store and Guy runs a backline rental business that rents gear to international touring bands. Nobody knows what Jonathan does, but he has a drink named after him called a “Harpak”. It’s four shots of vodka in a glass. Matt from No Use For a Name is the only person to have ever consumed two Harpak’s and lived to tell about it.
Oleh! Extra:
These boys have an incredible track record – six albums and countless tours to the farthest reaches of the globe.
In the beginning of 2008, Useless entered the studio with Bill Stevenson, (drummer for the Descendents), and Jason Livermore, with the intention of creating the six and best Useless ID album they could possibly produce. The result, their new album The Lost Broken Bones. The album showcases many new sides of their long time musical experience through twelve explosive tracks of infectious power-pop that hearken back to the glory days of pop-punk.
With their fan base breaking through the walls of Israel, Useless ID continue to climb in popularity through constant appearances. They’ve managed to move beyond the scope of just Israel, becoming an internationally recognized band that has toured all across the world.
Tour(s): Have played shows in places many bands have never heard of. China, Russia, Palma de Mallorca, Australia, every single state in the US,Canada, Japan, Belorussia and Siberia.
Fun Fact: On their first tour of Germany, they didn’t wear a single piece of clothing on stage for the entire tour. Allegedly, they have since been forgiven by the German people.
Don’t miss your chance to see them live in Canada this Spring !
March 24 – Quebec – Dagobert
March 25 – Montreal – L’Absynthe
March 26 – Ottawa – The Rainbow
March 27 – Kitchener – The Schwaben Club
March 28 – Burlington – Red Rooster
March 31 – London – Moon Over Marin
April 1 – Oshawa – Atria
April 2 – Toronto – Soy Bomb Headquarters
April 3 – New Market – The White Rabbit
April 4 – Drummondville – La Brassée
For more information or to book an interview please contact :
Melanie Kaye PR
Office:416-408-3223
Cell:416-823-9139
