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L.A.'s eerie smog sunset burns on the
Santa Monica skyline as photographer
Kristin Callahan directs four Excel members
in hopes of capturing the perfect orange
hued fire backdrop. Despite the over-1
whelming number of graffiti-laden "Suicidal
Tendencies Jr trappings that normally
accompany the band's press and promo-
tional photos, Excel has it firmly in mind to
put the misconceptions that surround them
to rest. They are neither a Venice nor a
"Suicidal band. The four members,
vocalist Dan Clements, bassist Sean Ross,
guitarist Adam Siegel and drummer Greg
Saenz, all hail from Los Angeles. Dan is the
only Venice native. They are, more than any
geographical delineation, a product of LA's
once burgeoning hardcore scene.
"We're totally different than Suicidal,"
stresses Dan. "Mike [Muir] puts it best
the only real similarity between Excel and
Suicidal Tendencies is that, like them, we've
done everything ourselves from the very
beginning. I'll tell Mike about some time we
got gypped in the pay and he'll say. That
reminds me of the time. That's where the
similarities end."
"Power grinding hardcore" is how the
Excel boys describe their sound. Rooted in
territory marked by Metallica at one end and
Minor Threat at the other, they attack their
music with fast, furious, creative zeal. This
is not some run-of-the-mill speed metal
affair, nor by-the-book hardcore. Check the
recent The Joke's On You Lp (Caroline), and
you'll see exactly why this bunch calls
themselves Excel.
"When we started to go see bands," says
Dan, "the best ones to see were those that
put out the most energy-Stalag 13 or 7
Seconds. We've kept that in our basic sound
and attitude. Our live act is like an old 7
Seconds show-kids everywhere, singing
along, stagediving-it's in our roots."
Dan and Adam met in 1983 when they
played in a band called Chaotic Noise.
When they resurfaced under the name
Excel in 1985 they began to gain momen-
tum. "We used to be so desperate for shows
back in the Chaotic Noise days that we'd
show up at the Cathay DeGrande's six-band
hardcore gigs and sneak onto the bill,"
chuckles Dan. "We'd arrive with all our
equipment and con the sound man into
believing we were supposed to be the first
band on the bill."
It wasn't until their Split Image Lp debuted
on Suicidal Records that Excel gained
attention and respect from hometown
crowds. They're still fighting for both..
Treading on the metallic edge, Excel is
frequently billed with some of the bigger
names from the speed metal set-usually
with disastrous results. Miles removed from
the "served on a silver platter" egotism
they've encountered from the likes of
Testament, Flotsam and Jetsam and
countless others, Dan and company display
a definite distaste for the pomp and self-
importance of the metal scene.
anyone else. Maybe more crazy because
they aren't on all the drugs the cholos in my
neighborhood take-no PCP or crack. They
don't mind kicking ass or wrapping a
skateboard around somebody's head.".
We arrive at Streets of Venice skate shop,
the place where Dan spends most of his
time vending boards, clothes and ac-
cessories to local skaters. The outside of the
building is covered with a jarring array of
graffiti by accomplished artist, Adam.
Earlier in the day, Adam brought us down
to an abandoned railroad underpass, a
known hot-spot for the town's many spray-
"We were a band before there was speed paint maestros (he is considered one of the
metal," states Dan..
best). Everything from simple tags to.
gigantic murals decorate the steel and con-
crete canvas. A few stripped cars dot the
landscape. "It's usually pretty safe to do
anything here," says Adam. "Graffiti is still
underground, like skating used to be."
"The only bands that have anything good
to say about us understand the early hard-
core scene we came from-the Cro-Mags,
for instance."
"Did I tell you about the time Dan got in
a fight with the road manager from Flotsam
and Jetsam?" asks Greg. "First, they
wanted us to raise the price of our T-shirts
because ours were ten dollars and theirs
were fifteen. Theirs weren't selling, so they
blamed us. They told us to move from where
we were selling, even though we had given
them the better spot in the first place. Dan
said, 'No.' They told him, "Look pal, this is
a Flotsam and Jetsam show, so Dan flew
off the handle and popped the road
manager in the side of the head. Then, after
the show, the promoter came over and
thanked us for playing because the show
would have been a failure without us.
"I guess our bitch lies in the fact that we
always end up getting shorted in the pay
and treatment when we're the main draw.
Recently, we played with Candlemass.
There were about 800 to 1,000 people there
when we played, but by the end of
Candlemass' set, there were maybe 200
people in the club. They ended up getting
paid $1500 and we got a whopping $300.
Plus, they wanted to use our equipment,
take our drum riser, all sorts of bullshit."
"When we become a headlining band,"
says Sean, "we're going to retain all the
values we learned in our punk rock years.
We're never going to take the drum riser for
ourselves or tell the sound man to keep the
system at half volume until we go on.
There's no need for any of that."
Sunset. We pile into Dan's mini-van and
drive through the streets of Venice. It's a
pleasant California beach town, often linked
with an invisible gang culture. "I grew up
in a different neighborhood," says Mexico-
born Greg. "Hardcore Chicano cholos.
When I saw white boys from Venice dress-
ing up like cholos I thought, "Let them come
to my neighborhood, they'd die! Then, in
Venice, I find out they're just as crazy as
Story by Mike Gitter
Excel's success wasn't exactly overnight.
Dan explains: "I remember sitting in the
parking lot outside gigs and people would
have the Welcome To Venice tape blasting
on their stereos. They'd always seem to flip
it over before we came on. That's especially
strange since we've been linked with
Suicidal more than any band I can think of."
TO REALIZE THAT SMATRA HAVE ALWAY
Speaking of which, Dan, Sean and Adam
are also known for their skating prowess.
Sean has skated since age ten. "My dad's
the one that got me into it," he says. "My
dad, Christian Hosoi, his dad and I would
skate the Marina Del Ray skatepark. I've
sort of burned out on it since then. Back
then it was a lifestyle, now it's a business,
an industry. I think skateboarding was really
happening in '78 or '79,"
"So many kids involved with skating.
today are just interested in being better than
their best friend," says Dan. "I always
skated for fun and that's all. I'll do an ollie
off a picnic bench and all of a sudden some
kid will appear and do a 180 off the same
bench. That's not what it's about."
What do the kids who come into the shop.
want? "There are two types of shoppers.
One knows what he wants and could care.
less if the skateboard has a giant dragon
on the bottom, and the other kid comes with
his father and doesn't really know what he
wants. He decides based on what his friend
has and what kind of graphic the board has
on it."
Tagged "skate metal" in recent adver-
tisements, how does Excel feel about the
way skating and thrash metal have been
linked together, mostly due to companies
like Vision and bands like Anthrax?
"The fact that Metallica and DRI put out
skateboards shows how commercialized
skateboarding has become," says Greg.
"A band like Anthrax posing in skate
clothes is completely offensive to kids who
take skating seriously." adds Dan.
"However, a lot of record companies are
starting to realize that skaters have always
been pioneers in music. They were the first
to jump on everything from Devo to Minor
Threat to the Misfits to Metallica."
Case in point-Excel!
Photo by Kristin Callahan
AZEN PIONEERS 1N
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