‘UNDEAD HARDCORE’ — New Buffalo Hardcore Band ‘THE MAUSOLEUMS’ Set to Drop Debut EP

(EDITOR’S NOTE — THE MAUSOLEUMS, a new hardcore group comprised of some familiar faces, will be releasing its debut on Wednesday. The band includes Donny Arthur (SPACED, Final Declaration), Rob Brennan (Fatal Visions, Robbery Club, Pilot Field), Dan McCormick (SPACED, Pilot Field), Tom Brennan (Fatal Visions, Pilot Field) and Joe Morganti (SPACED, gas station). We recently caught up with Donny Arthur who was kind enough to speak to 1120 Press about the demo, the band and Buffalo’s thriving hardcore scene. Please read our piece below.)

1120 PRESS: Thank you for speaking with us and congratulations on the new release! With everything you have going on — (a 10-month-old at home, family business, SPACED etc.…) what moved you to launch this new project?

DONNY ARTHUR: Why now? Because Buffalo Hardcore rules right now. Hardcore in general rules right now! So even though I’m busy, I feel like I can’t resist the opportunity. We built the framework and top-tier bands are wanting to come here and kids are showing up for them and their local scene. Very proud to be part of Buffalo Hardcore right now. 

1120: Most on the scene in Buffalo today know you for your work in SPACED and Final Declaration. Musically, where does this new band fall in comparison and what else can you tell us about it?

DA: This project is definitely different than SPACED and FD. The main inspiration for this

one is The Misfits — a top three band for me for the last 20 years. The Misfits pioneered ‘horror punk’ but a lot of the music was rooted in hardcore. Many of their successors like Blitzkid, for example, leaned more into the punk and ‘camp’ side of it, but there really was never much of the intensity or hardcore influence that the early Misfits had. We took this influence and delivered it through a modern hardcore lens. 

1120: What should people expect from the upcoming release?

DA: People like me that love The Misfits would have never had the opportunity to see them in small clubs playing hardcore shows with real moshing, stage dives etc. I hope this band can deliver some of the vibes from what it was like to see them in the 80s, with our own spin. 

We recorded this 5-track demo/EP with our friend Nick Borgosz (Sound Authentic). Nick recorded SPACED’s first record “Spaced Jams,” did the first couple Jeweltone releases as well and Monomaniac’s EP. We’ve been working on projects for many years and it’s always a great experience. The record is four full songs and an intro, and I hope it resonates with people. 

1120: After it drops Wednesday, what else do you have planned for this project moving forward?

DA: After the record comes out Wednesday, we’ll be announcing some shows soon in Buffalo and beyond. Please learn the words — sing along, take the mic, climb on top of your friends. This is ‘mosh music’ but it’s more for the pile-ons and sing-alongs — so no horseshoe, please. Pack it in up front and have some fun with us. 

1120: Is there anything else you want to add that we didn’t ask?

DA: SPACED also has a new record coming out this fall that I am super excited about, so please keep your eyes and ears open, and ‘Thank You’ to all of the new and exciting hardcore bands popping up in Buffalo. War Bond, Hostile Makeover, Slam Dunk, Sostre and a bunch more. All these bands are made up of kids who get it. I see them at the shows, I see them having fun, I see them keeping this shit alive and I am grateful for them and their new bands. It’s easy to be a hater and tear shit down, but the real ones build it up and support each other.