Interview with Clearsight from Ukraine
Hello Klane, Tim, Wise and Kostya, please introduce Clearsight and its members.
Klane: Hey! I’m Klane, I sing, jump around and talk a lot of shit. 
Hindmost: Hey friend! I’m Hindmost, I play guitar and sometimes singing along as hard as I can with all my loud’n’proud emotions:)
Wise: Hello. I’m Wise. I play drums: sit, brandish my hands and sometimes hit the mark=)
Kostya: Hi, I’m Kostya and I play bass and do some backing vocals.
Do you have any released material?
Klane: We have our demo recorded and it’s about to be released in nearest future on Times Together. Actually we already have it’s highly limited edition on tapes out, but the main goal is CDs(since vinyl is unrealizable here, in Ukraine).
Hindmost: I guess our demo will be released in the end of september – beginning of october this year.
Few days ago (aug 25 2008) it was your first show, tell us about it.
Klane: Yeah, it was really great. As my first show in a band, it was such a big experience for me. It’s great to have your say and to see your friends singing along and busting out for your band. Unfortunately the show was darkened ‘cause our close friend was in reanimation in very bad condition. We dedicated that show to him in his fight for his life… Sadly, he died on 28th. R.I.P.
Wise: I was also glad to see that many new unknown people start support us: I hope it was not only on this gig.
Hindmost: It was so fucking unexpectedly for us… We wasn’t booked for this gig, and organizators have asked us in a half of an hour before the beginning. Our set was not so bad, actually we did this show after only two rehearsals. Generally speaking we weren’t the desired visitors on this gig, so
it was pretty cool to see all these kids, I didn’t knew before, singing along and having fun with us.
Kostya: The gig was good, in spite of the fact that German bands Tackleberry and Even Worse got stuck at ukrainian border and had to turn away and go home.
Our show was awesome, I was really glad to see all the happy people we played to.
You are 100% youth crew band. Tell us how popular and welcomed is this style in Ukraine?
Klane: Well it’s not really popular here, but lately some new kids appearing and getting into it. Also a lot of kids here think that comeback kid and bane are youthcrew. I’m not saying these bands are bad, but it’s really funny.
Hindmost: Some people talk a lot of shit about youth crew here, while they really don’t know anything about it. But we really don’t give a fuck about it. There’re a certain amount of people, who cares about
that kind of thinking, about that kind of living and it gives us the reason to do what we like…
Wise: Youth crew bands are not welcomed here (as much as they could be), but exactly this situation makes us more strong and vigilant.
Are you guys straight edge, vegetarians, vegans and do you support this ideas?
Klane: I’m straight edge and vegetarian. I value it high, but I also think it’s the last things to judge people by. I will never force it down other peoples throats and I have no respect for kids who do.
Hindmost: I’m diehard straight edge and I am vegetarian for many years. I believe that straight edge
is much more than banal ”don’t drink, don’t smoke and all the rest”… it’s about work on yourself, about learning from your mistakes and about control yourself… It is the hardest struggle in my life – the struggle with myself. Vegetarianism for me is a part of being straight edge. To live with no death in my mouth is a step to better myself, I guess… I can not imagine myself eating meat or stuff like that, but I will never thrust these beliefs to people’s throats. Everyone makes his own choice… Also I can’t imagine myself with a tolerant attitude to people, who thinking that they are better than anybody else just ‘cuz of their straight edge or vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. If we want people to respect our choices, we must respect the choises of others.
Wise: I’m vegetarian straight edge. I think it’s your own choice, it’s your own life and nobody can denounce you, but you must be sincere, or it would mean nothing. And it concerns not only straight edge, vegetarian and vegan lifestyle – it concerns all.
Kostya: I’m vegetarian, and I appreciate this way of living very high. I’m not a straightedge, and never was. I got my personal edge in my head and it works great. I don’t like getting high or drunk, so I don’t do that, but I like to drink some beer. I don’t have any probems with alcohol and people that surround me doesn’t have problems with me, and it’s ok.
Are there many hardline and violent guys in your scene and what you think about being violent in youthcrew scene?
Klane: Well, there’s just some kids who play some strange game that we jokingly call “Firestorm”: they “support” hardline and militant, although most of them are not even vegans. And all they do is writing some slogans like “Kill meateater” on their myspace pages and ordering some merch from seventh dagger. I guess they think it will save Mother Nature.
Being violent in youthcrew?? I think being violent is not good at all. You may be angry, you may stand really hard for your beliefs but your mind must be clear and your heart opened.
Hindmost: All I see is people, who speak a lot. It’s very sad to see how hardcore for some people became a ”trendy brand”, that includes only clothing, tattooes and hard dances at the shows.
Many times I saw kids was singing along with the bands, and they didn’t knew the words! Actually they didn’t care about the words, ideas and beliefs… it’s not what I choose to live!
Wise: Today in Ukraine the last word in fashion is to be “hardline and violent” guy, but it’s no more than words and clothes.
Kostya: Yeah, we’ve got here some guys who likes such crap as “Jihad” and “Violent Mosh”. I think it’s a piece of crap ‘cause
1) in my opinion Jihad is contrary to vegeterianism as a “non-violent existance”.
2) gigs is not a proper place for fights. As told by wise men “Don’t fight each other, fight the real enemy”
Do the members of Clearsight play in other bands and how and when did you got into hardcore?
Klane: Clearsight is my first and only band for now.
I got into hardcore from listening to punk. I was graffiti writer and listened to rap when kid. Then one day my elder brother brought some Millencollin cd and I really liked it. I started to listen to the Offspring, Rancid, early AFI records and smoothly came to hardcore.
Hindmost: I also play in band called Still, actually I sing for Still. There will be one more band soon, where I’m gonna play, but it’s something like secret now, ‘cuz this idea only in our minds yet… I got into punk rock in my childhood. I was 6 or 7 years old kid, who listened to Sex Pistols and The Exploited, then there was the long way of listening, thinking and changing. Years have changed me and now I’m who I am… Hardcore for me is more that just music or ideas, it’s the way of living, prism through which I see this world with all it’s cruelty, rage and indifference… It’s the way of disagreement, way of searching the answers…
Wise: I played in Bread’n’Battery for 1,5 year and we even have one release “Choice is made demo” on Times Together Records. Now I play in it’s continuation – band, called Still (with some line up and music changes). Now we’re recording new material.
Kostya: Last band I played in was On The Bones. I played guitar there, musically it was hardcore punk highly influenced by AFI, Bad Religion and Social Distortion.
What are your favorite bands, musical influence and what do you do in your free time?
Klane: Just too much to notice. I think my favourite bands are Youth Of Today, Insted and The First Step. I’m a big fan of 80’s NYHC: everything from Antidote and The Abused to Underdog and Supertouch. Also the OC scene, from Justice League to The Killing Flame and DC with it’s Bad Brains, Faith and Minor Threat. I also like early nineties bands like Endpoint, Refuse To Fall, Split Lip, Temperance, which amazingly combined emo and newschool hc. Bands like Strife, Mouthpiece and Outspoken don’t require any comments I think. And I almost forgot about Iron Maiden(they’re gods), AC/DC and Black Sabbath.
As for band’s influences, we wanted to make our songs simple and really hard at the same time, like Negative Approach and Crippled Youth, with some Straight Ahead and Underdog melodiousness maybe.
My free time.. Well, I actually don’t have much, cause I work from nine to five, and the rest time I just hang out with my friends. I also play guitar a little.
Hindmost: I’m listening to a lot of different music…There are a lot of bands from the late eighties like chain of strength, insted, judge, youth of today, alone in a crowd, brotherhood, bold, unity, project x, uniform choice, up front, hard stance, pushed aside, unit pride, turning point and release. I also adore nineties newschool hardcore like strife, restrain, ressurection, unbroken, trial, strongarm, outspoken, strain, refused, abhinanda, burn. I love emotional side of hardcore with bands like split lip, temperance, endpoint, shift, sense field, empathy, falling forward, enkindel, strength 691… There are many bands from NYC like warzone, cro-mags, agnostic front, cause for alarm, sick of it all. I can not imagine myself skating without 7 seconds, minor threat, black flag, adolescents, agent orange, jerry’s kids, reagan youth, descendents, mcrad, agression, bad brains, no for an answer, token entry, 411, gang green, ignite, us bombs, dys, pennywise, vision, speak 714, triple threat and of course soundtrack for my skateboarding passion – model american. There are bands I adore most of all like chain of strength, bold, judge, youth of today, hands tied, battery, wide awake, but my devoted favourite band is mouthpiece.
Influences… well, I wanna do something between youth of today, brotherhood, insted and hard stance.
Almost all my free time I dedicate to skateboarding and all my time at all I devote to my cats and of course my wife.
Kostya: Well, it’s really wide question. My favourite bands include mostly punk, hardcore and hardrock bands. Most noticeable for me are: Bad Religion, The Offspring, Minor Threat, The First Step, Ignite, Reason To Believe, Speak 714, Motorhead, Led Zeppelin. Also I’m a huge fan of John Frusciante and all of his music projects.
As for my free time.. I’m studying in the university, so I got not too much free time, but mostly I’m hanging with my mates, playing guitar and surfin the internet 
Wise: My favourite bands are mouthpiece, chain of strength, youth of today, mainstrike, insted, brotherhood, warzone, judge, gorilla biscuits, battery, wide awake, strife, hands tied, true colors, strain, loud and clear, uniform choice, face the enemy, breakthrough, bold, alone in a crowd, strongarm, release, straight ahead.
What about my musical influences, i said them above.
My influence in making music is all this discrimination, that takes place in our country, in our world. Aspiration for freedom, for cognize myself, for beeing out of the crowd of avid, stingy and self-assured peolpe. Desire to make this world better.
Do you have any political attitude?
Klane: I’m not so politically educated, but I think our government suck. They don’t care about people, all they want is to make their purse bigger. And it seems like it’s the same all over the world.
Hindmost: I don’t think we have political attitude as the band. As for me, I’m very interested in all these silly government games all over the world, all these wars, mass media bullshit, people oppression… It’s always sad to see the thuth behind their lies.
Wise: I think, that there are no worthy person in our goverment, no freedom of speech, no democracy and honest election. Our politicians only make a show, that they are working and mass media helps him in this. Unfortunately we can do not so much in a world where money and power rule.
Kostya: Yes, I have some views on how social structure and society should be, but it’s very wide question and it can’t be described in one short answer. I don’t attend any election and don’t vote for any parties here. I just don’t care ‘bout them, ‘cause all of they suck.
For what about are your lyrics? You sing in english, why?
Klane: Our lyrics is “reflect on what we face today”. It seems like the rule here is if you have a hardcore band than you have about 5 subjects to write your songs about. I think even the best music loses it’s sense if there’s no message or it’s just copy-pasted from band you’ve heard yesterday. I use to speak my mind out and write about things that surround me in my everyday life and the things I worry about.
They are in english ‘cause firstly I think it’s more musical language than russian or ukrainian and also we’d like more people to understand us and english is the best for it. I don’t think that belgian and chilean bands that I listen to would be as interesting for me if they would sing in their native language and I wouldn’t understand what are they about.
Hindmost: Words we say are the things we feel and see.
Your last words?
Klane: Live in peace.
Wise: Good luck and best wishes to all readership from TRY Crew.
Hindmost: It doesn’t matter how hard this struggle is, this is life and we have to change it for a better days, even if you can change only yours. A giant fuck off to everyone who listen to bullshit liars and believe them… You can’t kill the truth. Nothing can compare.
Kostya: Good luck, take care.
Thank you for the interview.
Klane: Thank you! Good luck with the zine.
Wise: Thank YOU for this view 
Hindmost: Thank You a lot for interest! Hope someday we’ll play in your home town:) Take care, friend.
Kostya: Guys above said the truth - “thank YOU”
MySpace page: Clearsight
November 8th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
these guys are just absolutely amazing