Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Black N Blue Bowl: Interview with Armando Bordas of Fahrenheit 451

Photo by David Hsu.

I spoke with Armando Bordas, singer for New York's Fahrenheit 451, shortly after the band's set at the Black N Blue Bowl. Armando helped pick the songs for the New York hardcore radio station in Grand Theft Auto IV. "It's like my favorite hardcore mixtape," he said. Armando said Fahrenheit 451 has no plans of getting back together full time ("I'm an old man."), but they will play a couple of shows in Philadelphia this summer, one opening for H2O show at the Trocadero, and another at the This Is Hardcore Fest. Fahrenheit 451's complete discography, titled If I Knew Then What I Know Now, is available now (click here to order). It comes with a DVD that includes a documentary on the band, as well as the band's complete set from their 2005 reunion show at CBGBs. You can also check out Armando, on occasion, in his band Dominican Day Parade: "It's one-minute songs about smoking and drinking beer," he says.

--On playing the Black N Blue Bowl in New York:

AB: There's always a flavor here that's not comparable to any other place, anywhere. People say New York is dead? They can fuck themselves. They don't know what's up. This is a New York staple--I was going to Superbowls when I was a kid. I saw one of my first Superbowls with AF, Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand. It was just amazing and I'm honored to be playing one here in New York.

--On CBGBs:

AB: People talk about CBGBs, they talk about the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads. Ten years after those guys left and were playing arenas and were on their New Wave shit, who kept that place open? It was hardcore. It was people like me coming down to the matinees on Sundays and hanging out. People don't recognize it, and this [the BNB Bowl] is the perfect place for people to look up and say, 'This is something.' It influenced people, it influenced kids, and it's still going. I don't see Talking Heads [anymore]. Yeah, they're in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, but what the fuck does that matter?

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