Nicole Brice
Jan 26, 2023
Best Heard Loud
When one thinks of punk music, the stereotypical image of spikey hair, leather jackets, and studded bracelets and belts comes to mind, but punk music can take on many forms and a uniform is NOT required.
Punk Rock is order.
Everything else is just chaos.
Straight out of Baton Rouge, La., DeadCentered is an aggressive hardcore punk band with a little rock and roll and some thrash thrown in.
Although their sound can seem a little unhinged at times, their vibe is truly unique and different. Each member of the band gives their all during a performance, and you can see the love for the music and the craft shine through each time, especially with the banter in between songs.
Like a well-oiled machine, the band is comprised of Joshua Michael Selser on guitar / vocals, Justin Tatman on bass, and Mike Poole on drums. With the classic three-piece band, these guys have solidified their sound. With many line-up changes over the years, their current offering is one to take notice of because the sound is so tight.
With three EP’s under their belt, their latest one released in 2021 is titled “Strongholds, Sheep, and Scapegoats", and the band continues to forge ahead with writing and recording new material for future releases.
Selser first picked up the guitar at 13 years old and shortly after, he taught himself bass, too. Multi-talented and multi-faceted, he lends his talent to other bands besides DeadCentered like T. Mason & the Bricklayers. Drawing inspiration from a family of musicians, and from some of his favorites such as Tom Waits, Dave Mustaine, Minor Threat, and Black Sabbath, Joshua’s talent radiates with charisma. Maintaining a busy schedule of playing music and overseeing many other projects not related to music, Josh’s passion for life and art shows in all he does.
Mike Poole is a busy man playing drums in three bands locally, but that doesn’t stop him from loving every minute of it. Citing Phil Collins as his main inspiration to play, Mike’s skills are top notch and his ferocity on the kit sets him apart from many others.
Justin Tatman is no stranger to the local music scene either, with many years of experience under his belt from playing in bands like Left with Everyday, Ghosts in Low Lights, and Minus One. In September 2022, Justin joined DeadCentered and has been jamming with them ever since.
Justin’s main drive to playing music is, “being able to communicate emotionally through sound. Through sound, I’m able to express myself by being REALLY loud and grabbing the listener’s attention.” He goes on to say, “the most amazing thing to me about music is you don’t even need words to communicate feelings. You can just let the music take you there.” Although not a technical player, Justin always puts his entire heart into his playing and looks forward to the future with DeadCentered.
Recently, the band teamed up with USER UNAUTHORIZED from Austin, Texas to play a show in the parking lot of Safe Voyage Tattoo in Denham Springs, LA. It was the perfect setting to hang out and listen to some good music, plus nothing is more punk rock than playing a show in a non-traditional setting and venue.
The thing that first struck me as unique with USER UNAUTHORIZED was the female bass player. To be honest, any band that has a female on bass has my seal of approval right away. She was tiny, but her playing was fierce. I later found out that she not only plays bass, but guitar, too.
Their set opened with a punch right to the gut and had me hooked instantly. The aggressive guitar and drums with Sage’s vocals set the tone for a raw in-your-face sound. Formed in 2019, USER UNAUTHORIZED plays hardcore punk, and they play it loud.
With an impressive discography under their belt thus far, you must check out their music. USER UNAUTHORIZED is Sage (vocals/bass), Johnny Cash (guitar), Rooster (drums), and Isabella (bass/guitar).
DeadCentered played last and opened with “To Live” and then pounded through a savage set ending with “Joyless Life of Discontent.” These guys truly love what they do, and it shows. Joshua’s playing is always on point, and his musicianship is top notch.
Check out this video from the show:
Be sure to check out the social media for both DeadCentered and USER UNAUTHORIZED and stream their music. You won’t regret it. Links are below.
USER UNAUTHORIZED:
𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 (@userunauthorized) • Instagram photos and videos
Music | User Unauthorized (bandcamp.com)
𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐑.𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 | Austin TX | Facebook
USER UNAUTHORIZED (@UUnauthorized) / Twitter
User Unauthorized on Apple Music
DeadCentered:
DeadCentered Official (@deadcentered_official) • Instagram photos and videos
Strongholds, Sheep and Scapegoats | DeadCentered (bandcamp.com)
Stream DeadCentered music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
DeadCentered (@dead_centered) / Twitter
Questions or comments? Reach out to the_nicolebrice@mixedaltmag.com