Photo courtesy of the band’s Facebook page

In a city that’s famous for some of the early bands of hardcore, it’s a little harder to point to current hardcore bands. However, one of the most consistent hardcore bands in the area is LTW. There is plenty of photographic documentation regarding their dynamic stage show and it’s clear that’s where the band is most effective. In addition to high decibel level, the way singer Denman Anderson throws his body around with his menacing growl is something that needs to be witnessed. That said, their drummer Ian Thompson owns local label Cricket Cemetery, so it seems like there are always releases on deck for the four piece. This is especially rewarding since LTW incorporates elements of metal and noise into their hardcore, making for a more unique sound. We talked to Anderson and Thompson via email about what the band acronym means and what the band’s upcoming plans are.

Find them online: http://www.facebok.com/ltw666

See them next: Tonight at the Black Cat with Old Lines, Darkest Hour and Pig Destroyer

How did you all meet each other and how long have you been playing together?

Denman: Interestingly, I met Tim [Bean] (our bass player) years ago when he was in an excellent band, The Tenth Key, and I was booking at The Warehouse Next Door. I set up shows for bands that both John [Crum] (Love in the TIme of Cholera) and Ian (A Day in Black And White) were in, but would not actually get to know them until years later. Eventually, I was working with Bill Surl, and he was telling me about this awesome band he was doing vocals for. I was blogging a ton at the time, and just started chronicling what LTW was doing. Incidentally, once Bill left the band, that’s also how I became the new vocalist.

Ian: I don’t really remember how i met John, I’ve known him for a while though. Tim and I have been friends since high school. I met Denman a couple of years ago. We’ve been playing as LTW for over two years.

My understanding is that LTW stands for Lions, Tigers and Whales — did I hear that right? Why was that the choice you went with for a band name? Also, have people ever messaged you in any format thinking you were a different group of people? I just know that upon googling, I saw that LTW was an acronym for other bands and a communication agency too, I think.

Denman: Haha, thank you for asking this question. While the meaning of those letters is a bit of a fluid point of contention for the band, one thing is for certain: LTW DOES NOT STAND FOR LIONS & TIGERS & WHALES; THAT ITERATION OF THE BAND IS DEAD. It goes like this, when LTW first started, they had a very, almost Gravity Records, post-punk style. Once I joined, the sound began to shift towards something much darker and heavier, and finally, when Ryan (the original bassist) was replaced by Tim (our current bassist) it was an entirely different band. We thought for a long time about a name change, but we wanted to keep all of our current fans with us. So, we decided to vacum the name down to three nebulous letters. We liked the idea that it was nothing more than “LTW,” and when people asked me what it meant, I was fond of saying “Millions of Dead Cops.” There’s been a lot of talk about assigning a new meaning to the letters, which I’m sure Ian will cover at length. I like the idea of a meaningless meaning, but I always concede to whatever the band wants.

As for your other question, no. People always know it’s us they are meaning to contact. The only thing that really matters is that LTW is also a famous tattoo parlor in Barcelona, but, haha, even though we are poster children for tattoo parlors, there has never been any confusion there.

Ian: That’s such a terrible name. Our original bassist Ryan, came up with, and insisted upon that name. When we replaced him with our new bassist Tim, we wanted to make a clear distinction that this was a whole new beast. People already knew us as “LTW” anyway, so instead if breaking up or changing our name, we call ourselves L T W. L ENGTH T IMES W IDTH. The quickest way out of any situation. Always down, never up.

I’ve seen your music compared to Siege in the past, although that was from a blog post from a year and a half ago. I still see the thrash element but it actually seems like you’re taking a heavier approach, based on the Doom Room set that I saw on YouTube. What sort of sound are you going for right now? What is currently influencing your sound?

Denman: We actually get compared to all manner of band, which I love. We aren’t re-inventing any wheels, but it is great that people can never quite pin us down. A lot of what happens with us is organic. Haha, we got to play with an excellent band, Full of Hell, again at SXSW, and once we saw how much they incorporate noise we thought, “Oh great, now people are going to say we’re trying to mimic them.” But the noise, which we embrace so much that our new EP, The Reward of Cruelty, has a ten minute straight noise track on it, just gradually came about like everything else for us. After these next few shows, we’re really going to knuckle down and write more. The only thing we know for sure is that we don’t want to make songs that sound like everything on our last EP. We still want to sound like LTW, but we’re always trying to push an evolution of sound.

What’s cool is that everyone in the band is going to have a different answer to what is influencing our sound. I listen to everything from heavy bass to Thai psych, but what influences me for LTW right now is a lot of goth, industrial, and deathrock, a lot of scumfuck garage like Brainbombs, blackened funeral doom like what Parasitic Records is putting out now, and a thousand more things I am unaware of. (Haha, oh right, and probably a lot of very violent tumblrs as well.)

Ian: Siege is so good. That wouldn’t be my first choice but if someone say’s LTW sounds like SEIGE i won’t argue with that. I’m sure this sounds like too perfect of an answer…but…we don’t really go for anything. We are a punk band at the end of the day. Me personally, I’m inspired by daily events. Things I see around me. Bullshit that interrupts and plops down on the floor of my life everyday. All the negative shit that needs to come out. I don’t know, I guess if our music is getting darker, so are we? My job, the government, roommates, rent, depression. Musically, all I’ve been listening to recently is Juicy J, Project Pat, Gucci Maine, Kevin Gates, and Passing Phases.

Ian, when did you start Cricket Cemetery? Has it always been concurrent with LTW? What are you trying to achieve with the label? Are you focusing mostly on D.C. bands?

Ian: I started Cricket Cemetery in late December of 2010. I released the first LTW 7″ and needed a label name. It was more for fun. I didn’t intend on starting a label. Cricket Cemetery made total sense to me, and I thought it sounded cool. I very quickly realized that there was more music I wanted to put out (on vinyl), and that running a label was definitely what I should be doing. I am trying to achieve WORLD DOMINATION. Nah, I very simply want to further the progress of the bands I work with and hopefully make a positive impact on my surrounding community, and in other places as well. The label initially was for bands from this area. But I just, don’t care I guess? Punk from Sweden. Hardcore from New Hampshire/Massachusetts. Death Grind from St. Louis, Pop/ Soul from Minneapolis. Cricket Cemetery 2013 — Coming correct, never clean. Chirp.

Denman, are you still DJing at Velvet Lounge?

Denman: I love that place, but, no I haven’t DJ’ed there in a long time. I do spin every fourth Thursday at Little Miss Whiskeys. And it’s sort of great because I shift the format drastically based on however I’m feeling. Sometimes I’ll play outsider psych, sometimes metal, sometimes UK garage, sometimes heavy bass or old school dubstep, whatever. To be honest, the DJ community that I feel he most connected to doesn’t really exist in DC, so I’m at a bit of a loss in that dept. But hey, if anyone out there wants to start a night that’s in line with Lil Death and SICK, please hit me up.

What are your future goals for LTW? Any plans for future releases?

Denman: We just want to keep pushing ourselves to be better every time. Personally, I’m always working on my vocals, and I’m never happy with them. Thankfully I have a past that includes real vocal training, but that doesn’t really translate into hard vocals outside of breath support. People that front things like goregrind bands blow my mind. Other than that, we want to keep connecting to more people across the country, play more amazing shows, put out more albums, and meet more sick bands.

We have a hefty load of new releases in the work, but I’ll let Ian field that one.

Ian: To write and record for future releases we’re working on, as well as get the fuck out of D.C. and tour as much as possible. Our release schedule looks something like this.

Spring – The Reward of Cruelty 12″
Summer – L T W / Bring The Drones Split 5″
Fall – Olde Shame / L T W Split 7″
Winter – ###### 7″

What are your thoughts about the state of hardcore and metal locally right now? Does it seem like there’s a void?

Denman: D.C. is not a metal city, and I, with heavy blackened heart, doubt it will ever be. There are definitely people keeping punk and hardcore alive in the DIY arena here, and even though we feel more outside of that than we wish we were allowed to be, it’s both thriving and vital. The unfortunate thing is that space is limited in this post-gentrified DMV, and it isn’t exactly open to extreme or experimental sounds. When you have an economy based on bureaucracy, that then couples that with rampant high-end commercial growth, you’re only going to get so much creativity and culture. But we appreciate all the support we do get from D.C., and we don’t take that for granted.

Ian: There are some cool bands for sure. I certainly do my best to support the bands I like, and get out to shows. I love Void, you too?