Welcome Back, Decap.!
Written by Neha Samuel
Decapitation in the Food Court are nothing short of Urbana-Champaign legends
I may be speaking from a place of bias, but during Decapitation in the Food Court’s time in Urbana-Champaign, they have set themselves apart for unique blending of genres and iconic performances. When you see Decapitation in the Food Court on a lineup, you know you’re about to witness a show unlike anything you’ve seen before.
So, when I heard they would be in town for a show at The Mirror, a house show venue beloved by the scene, I knew that I would have to pay them a visit.
Last spring, the and and bid a temporary farewell to Urbana-Champaign with a going away show at the Canopy Club. Over the past year, they’ve played shows on the west coast and at venues in New York, and Boston, and has fond memories of their time there.
“New York and New Jersey have a lot bigger of a hardcore scene,” stated bassist Leah Tritabaugh (favorite pizza toppings: peppers, onions, mushrooms, pineapples). “It’s really grown a lot in the past couple of years”.
“We learned so much in Boston and New York”, remarked vocalist Max Knutson (favorite pizza toppings: garlic sausages and black olives). “We learned about what audiences we have, and what they respond to. It’s always a good feeling to play to an audience that’s going to like what you like”.
Another major venture the band made over the past year was switching labels from Green Street Records to the newly established Evil Gang. Evil Gang is a label started by Decapitation at the Food Court and includes bands from both Illinois and New York, including Bum Rush, Decapitation in the Food Court, Stanczyk, and Godzilla Nether Portal.
“We wanted to have like a shared place for people to like, listen to all of us, share fan bases, ‘cause like we make similar music. Rising tides raise all ships”, explains vocalists/guitarists/pianists/mixer Joe Carr. “We are all friends and in each other's bands. That’s how much we love each other's music. We want to start, you know, doing big boy things like licensing it and vinyl. And we're just like, what better way to start making serious business decisions with one other than the people you already know”.
On Halloween, Decapitation released their second album, WHAT IF WE HAD NO MONEY AND JUST SHARED EVERYTHING, through Evil Gang. The album is quintessentially Decapitation and features their trademark avantgarde production. A personal favorite track is “DOWAGER CIXI’S NIGHTMARE”, which switches from emo to Brazilian Funk, to dubstep. What makes WHAT IF a truly special album is that fans got to be a part of its creation. The band invited fans to be a part of the album by sending out an Instagram story urging them to send in recordings to be featured on it as backup vocals and insturmentals. Community participation has been an integral part of Decapitation since the beginning, as the band was formed through Carr sending out an Instagram story asking if anyone would be interested in forming a band with him.
Of course, the most important quality of any album reviewed here on Pizza.fm is what type of pizza it would be. “I think that this album would be the pizza that Walter White throws on his roof on Breaking Bad” Carr decides, after a discussion on the band on whether New England clam chowder pizza exists.
If you want to keep in touch with Decapitation in the Food Court, follow them on instagram, X, and stream their music on Apple Music, Band Camp, and Spotify.
