Civil War interview with singer Pete Jackson.

So firstly what happened with your former band Persist? Why did it all come to an end?

Everyone wanted something different, and we thought it would be best to end it.

Any lessons learnt from Persist you’ve sworn to never repeat again?

Make sure when you start a band everyone is on the same page. But, in saying that I wouldn’t change it for the world.

At what point did Civil War form and how did it all come together?

The bass player and drummer of Persist were on the same level musically and wanted to continue. That’s how Civil War began.

Would readers recognize the members from any other bands?

The two guitarists played in Corsairs, Mark was in Persist and Mine Alone/ Game On and Ryan played in Time Will Tell. And as for myself I was in Persist, Time Will Tell, Smash and currently in Square One and Civil War.

You played your first show as “Sleepwalkers” right? Why the name change?

I have a friend from LA in a band called Sleepwalker and we had a show coming up and no band name so we borrowed it for the night.

In your own words how would you describe the sound of Civil War?

Thrashy, crossover, hard riff, 80s metal 90s hardcore!!!

What bands are influencing the sound of Civil War? I can hear a lot of No Warning and even some Municipal Waste on the demo.

We all have different taste in music, so we all sort of add our own little piece to the band. For example Lee has a Slayer deal going on and myself I’m more into 80s and 90s youth crew and hard riff New York bands.

Lyrically can you break down what the songs on the demo are about?

Life through my eyes on both a personal and political stance.

What would be a dream line up of bands to play with?

Oh man, there is not enough time in the world to go through the bands I would love to play with or see! Pretty much the lineup of "This is Hardcore 2011"!

What’s coming up in the near future for Civil War? Any plans for a first release?

Just writing and hopefully a split or a 7” soon.

How can people get in touch or keep up with what’s happening in the band?

Check us out on Facebook or on Bandcamp

You can listen to or download the Civil War demo here.