Hundredth | Staying Positive
Written By: Jeremy Seick

ou want to see a hard working band? Chadwick Johnson of Hundredth can tell you about how they have only been home for one out of the last eighty days (touring without an album to sell), and how it has by no means been a walk in the park, after a run in with a drunk driver, a flipped trailer and many deaths back home, all the while staying positive about whatever comes next. There is only one reason why these guys continue to torture themselves, and it is not their love for Taco Bell, it is a strong conviction for the message that they are promoting through their music and their lifestyles on the road. My hat is off to the dudes in Hundredth for their hard work and dedication to being a positive testimony in this scene. It may not look like you pictured it, but this is the path to success.

For me it seemed like I had never heard of you and then over night I was seeing you everywhere. How long have you guys been at it before Mediaskare came along? Did the transition feel this quick for you?

Chadwick Johnson: Everything has happened really fast actually. Some of us had played together in bands before Hundredth, and once we got together again, things just seemed to pick up really quickly. We played our first show in August of 2008, recorded an EP in October of that year, which we sent to Mediaskare. We began touring full-time immediately after we got done recording the EP and we signed to Mediaskare in December of 2008. So the first couple months as a band were really eventful. All of that happened really fast. We knew we wanted to be out on the road full-time because we knew that was going to be the only way we could make things happen, so we had already financed a van and purchased a trailer and began booking tours on our own, before we even touched a contract. We’re still really early on as a band, but for how fast we got going and how busy we have been over the past year and a half, we have already been through a lot of things and are maturing as a band very quickly. We’ve been touring full-time for just over a year now on no record whatsoever, just trying to get our name out there and develop and mature as a band before our first release, which comes out March 30th, 2010.

After reading through your tour blogs it seems like you guys don’t take anything too seriously, no matter how bad your trailer gets smashed up or how much Taco Bell must continuously consume in order to survive. What keeps you guys on the road and always so positive?

CJ: We laugh at any situation we are put in, sometimes situations that totally shouldn’t be laughed at, but that’s what keeps us sane. At the moment, we haven’t been home but for one day out of the past 80. We’re at the threshold of losing our minds and we’re laughing at pretty much everything that happens. I feel like we have already been through a lot not only as a band but also as individuals in the past year. We’ve had a member change. We’ve dealt with the death of 8 friends at home over 4 months last year. We’ve flipped a trailer. We’ve been rear ended by a drunk driver. We’ve toured relentlessly and did what we had to do to make shows and still play with everything we have.

After facing so many things last year, we slowly learned that dragging our heads does nothing for us and it does nothing for those around us. Our chins stay up regardless of the situation and we refuse to let anything drag us down. We walked through Hell last year, but we kept walking and it taught us a lot. Tragedy brings out strength in all of us. It’s a time where we can crumble and put our faces in the dirt in defeat, or we can choose to rise above anything that stands in our way and move steadfast towards our dreams. Luckily, we chose the latter-half and we had each other and friends at home along the way.

You guys were working with Andy of A Plea For Purging for a stint, how did that relationship form?

CJ: Andy and all of A Plea For Purging are some of our best buds. We played a random show with them in Georgia on our first tour and we got to know each other and kept in touch. We played Nashville quite a bit and then ended up touring with them and Venia last fall. It was a super fun time. We always hit Andy up for random advice or just to check up on the Doo-Doo boys. (A Plea For Purging)

Talk to us a bit about coming up in the South Carolina scene?

CJ: We all pretty much grew up in South Carolina, going to shows all over the state. As far as Hundredth coming up South Carolina, I feel like we are really lucky. We have tons of support from South Carolina, and we are really appreciative of it. Our hometown shows are really personal, and our Charleston and Greenville shows feel like and are considered hometown shows to us also. It’s a really welcoming feeling when we come home from a long tour and have a solid show where we can just hang out with our friends. We are really stoked for the CD Release weekend we are about to do in South Carolina. We want to give South Carolina the first chance to pick up the record and we are going to play it live from front to back.

What would you say sets Hundredth apart from other hardcore acts?

CJ: Our band, both the lyrics and music are really personal to all of us. I feel like that translates live. Every lyric is personal, every riff and lead is felt and played with passion and emotion. We’re up-front and honest about the struggles we go through and we’re not afraid to get angry about the things we see wrong with the world. Every single show we give everything we have. If we aren’t drenched with sweat and flushed red from screaming the lyrics by the end of the set, we didn’t do our job. Our music is raw and so is our emotion. Our band is an emotional vent and outlet for us, so we always hope that translates live. This band means everything to us.

As a signed touring band you have been given an amazing platform from which you can promote absolutely anything that you want. What is it that you want to get across to fans?

CJ: Above all of our personal beliefs about how we believe the world can be “fixed”, we want in instill hope and positivity to everyone. We want to encourage dreams to be followed, and promote rising above fear and circumstance. We want to relate to those struggling, and walk beside them. We want to be the catalyst to help end negative mindsets and the idea that someone isn’t good enough or doesn’t belong at shows. We’re all outcasts and we’re all in this together. Above all, we want to put out records and a live show that helps people get through dark and tough times in their lives, because that’s what our songs have done for us. When someone at one of our shows tells us they felt something special, or they felt the emotion and it made them think about their life in-depth, that is when we get the confirmation that we are doing what we’ve been mandated to do.

What are some of your favorite cities to play in thus far? Tell us the story…

CJ: This is a tough question. Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Greenville in our home-state are always awesome. We love playing in Nashville always. On these past couple tours we have played some new favorite places. Salt Lake City and Southern California were both really awesome. Those are some notable places, just based off crowd participation and the overall vibe of the people that come out to our shows there. Our material is still pretty unknown, so I’m sure in a year, there will be loads of cities that will be our favorites. For now, kids have to go to our MySpace to listen to our music so it’s a bit limited, but pretty soon we hope our shows to be sing-a-long central.

What does the next few months hold for Hundredth?

CJ: Like I said earlier, we haven’t been home but for a couple hours in the past 80 days, so we are looking forward to relaxing month at home before our next tour, the Fist Pumps and Posi Jumps Tour with The World We Knew, Continuance and A Textbook Tragedy. While we are home for the month we are playing a South Carolina CD Release Weekend run with our friends in Blacklines. Our record comes out while we are at home. We are really stoked to do our first tour with the record out. After the tour in April, we have some more time off, and just confirmed an awesome tour for the summer. We will be on tour all of 2010, so stay posted for announcements! Make sure you pick up our debut-record “WHEN WILL WE SURRENDER” out MARCH 30th! If you are walking through darkness, keep your chin up. We’ll see you soon hopefully.