Multinational hardcore band 'gets to the point'

Get to the Point play at The Studio HBC, Feb. 19. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

When everyone started taking their masks off at the show, the members of Seoul hardcore punk band Get to the Point called it: "I'm pretty sure we're all getting COVID after this," they said while on stage.

The punk show, held a couple of months ago, was halted for 50 minutes due to damage to the drumkit, and the owners of the venue ― who will go unnamed ― brought in an unlimited supply of free beer in penance for everyone to drink. In order to drink, the masks came down, and everyone got tipsy enough to start moving around more and sweating.

The show resulted in five known COVID-19 infections: each of the five members of Get to the Point.

"On the upside, the whole band got it at the same time, so we quarantined playing PUBG and resumed practice at the same time," frontman Matt Makowski, who caught COVID-19 from the Omicron variant along with three of his bandmates, told The Korea Times. "It's much worse when cases are staggered among the band members. Craig got the Delta variant though. What a loser."

The entire band all going through COVID-19 together could be seen as a sign of the times, especially considering that the band was formed during the pandemic.

Get to the Point was formed when the aforementioned Craig, the guitarist, approached Matt, suggesting that they put together a band to play "for fun hardcore." "Just maybe as an outlet, or a last hurrah before COVID snuffed out the music scene indefinitely," Makowski said. "Regardless, we put it together quite haphazardly with the precarious notion of doing a show where no one cares about how good or bad we are ― just full unadulterated rage."

Makowski hit up his Korean roommate, who owned an electronic drumkit. "He practiced pop songs on it often and had never even heard of hardcore, so it was our duty to assimilate him into what most people still consider 'scary' music."

Early on, the band took inspiration from the "Cobra Kai" spinoff of "The Karate Kid," now part of Netflix, writing a song using quotes from the TV show.

"'We might not always win, but we'll never quit a fight,' and also, 'We were enemies for a day, but Cobra Kai [brothers] are for life,'" Makowski quoted.

He also brought back Cobra Kai T-shirts from a visit home to the U.S. so they could have a band uniform, and they made a band logo inspired by Cobra Kai's logo. "We are moving away from that," he said. "It was just a bit of an obsession that had its time."

"We are putting things together quickly and we are constantly revising. Now we are standing on more solid ground about our messages and how we want to sound. Besides the Cobra Kai references, we sing about power-driven issues relative to everyone with a focus on positive outcomes, despite any obstacles or tribulations," he said.

They've released their first single, "Eye for an Eye," on Spotify, with plans to put it on other music platforms and release a music video soon. "It's about everyone having a voice ― the good and the bad ― and being lost in toxicity and righteousness, and while everyone is making enemies with each other, we can still see there is common ground to stand on together," Makowski said.

A band with three foreign members and two Korean members, none of whom have any prior experience playing in bands in the Korean punk and hardcore scene, they weren't too sure how well they'd be received. But now they're one of the busiest bands in the Korean underground.

"We were prepared to be overlooked, disregarded and unwelcomed for sure. It came to us as a surprise that it was not like that. We just wanted to try something, and it came together well. We are happy with it," Makowksi said.

"The scene has been difficult to observe over two years of [the pandemic], and it definitely hurt it a lot, but I personally dream of having the scene more widely desired and prevalent. It may have a way to go, but there are other like-minded bands/musicians/enthusiasts that are already helping that endeavor ― so it's exciting to be part of that journey."

So far, Makowski says his favorite venue to play is Club FF near Hongik University. "I just love how unpredictable the crowd will be there. Sometimes it's drunk randoms from the street, sometimes it's all Korean, sometimes all foreigners. One time a guy kissed my leg while I was performing ― it was quite strange, but I love it," Makowski said.

But he was quick to appreciate all the venues Get to the Point has played. "We like to give love to all of the venues that are willing to participate in making the scene live and thrive. However, we have given thanks and favor to those providing streams, photography, videos and other compensations that would otherwise come out of our pockets."

Get to the Point play at The Studio HBC, Dec. 18. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Previously, Makowski was the frontman of the all-expat alternative band, Foreign Object.

"As you know, as an expat band, it is difficult to keep members that are all from varying walks of life," he said. "Every year I ask myself if I should go home, and to be honest, performing with so many great people is the only thing keeping me here."

But while he can't make any promises for Get to the Point's longevity, at least two members of this band are Koreans, reducing the chances of losing them.

Makowski also added that while he was the primary songwriter for Foreign Object, now he mostly just focuses on lyrics and lets Craig craft the songs. "Craig is a great initiator and takes it upon himself to teach the songs, and write them meticulously into the way he thinks is good. Everyone else practices well and gives great input. This has been, I'd say, easily the most comfortable band I've been a part of ― and that includes U.S. bands," Makowski said.

"Foreign Object was meant to be a hardcore band, but no one wanted to do that, so it just became what it was. I kept trying to push us to go heavier, but we found a nice balance. Get to the Point was meant to be heavy from the start and after a year and a half, we've finally found a direction for our sound and that can be heard in 'Eye for an Eye.' The biggest thing I've noticed is the scene support. Being a rock band is a dime a dozen, but it feels like hardcore/punk is an endangered species and there is a strong backbone of musicians and bands that will show genuine support and love for one another."

The band has a busy month. After releasing their first single, they're playing at A.O.R on June 4, Club FF June 5, Space Station June 11, A.O.R again on June 24 and Drum Station June 25.

Visit fb.com/GettothePointOfficial or follow them on Instagram @gettothepointofficial for more information.