Lambgoat mistress of interviews Sara Kafka spent some time with Last Perfection's Chris Goonan and Mark Gumbrecht prior to a recent show in New York City.

Who are you and what do you do?

Chris: I'm Chris I play drums.

Mark: I'm Mark I play guitar.

How do you feel being in the same genre as Atreyu, Eighteen Visions, Hopesfall and As I Lay Dying?

Mark: That's the worst possible question... oh my god... Well honestly, I dont see it as a bad thing because all those bands are doing pretty well. And I mean, I guess there are some stylistic parallels you could draw between them and us, but you know we don't wear any make up... So I mean, you know...

Chris: Well not at the moment... haha.

Mark: I don't know about James though I could have sworn he had some blush on earlier, but I think Matt wiped it off with his elbow or... But yeah, I mean it's cool, like pretty much bands like that we can depend on them to just make the music we love and play bigger and better. We'll just kind of ride their coat tails right in, haha.

True, you don't have to do as much work, you know? Fine ladies, hot make up...

You've had a rough history with line-up changes, is the current one a solid one?

Chris: Yeah.

Mark: Yeah, definitely, 100%.

Chris: Yeah, it seemed like their hearts weren't in the right place. Like everyone else, just like, everything just totally clicked basically.

You mentioned in a past interview that Converge was an influence on your music. So what was it like working with kurt [Ballou] on your latest?

Chris: Yeah, it was pretty awesome...

Mark: That shit sucked. (laughter)

Chris: Yeah even though you weren't there....

Mark: That's why it sucked... cause I wasn't there.

Me: Why werent you there?

Mark: I wasn't in the band at the time.

Chris: Actually, everything we wrote and recorded was actually just three members in the band.

Mark: It was Chris playing drums, James sang of course, and Matt played everything else... a very talented fellow.

Chris: No, but other than that, like Kurt was real good. Great guy, lot of good ideas, just really smart in general. Good to work with.

I don't think he's a fan of Lambgoat...

Chris: Oh no , he's not.

Mark: He's not a fan of anything from what I hear...

Chris: Nope.

Mark: He's like a total... total... awesome, incredibly talented, brilliant, mad scientist whack job, who hates everyone. That being said, I love you Kurt.

The end.

Whats the significance of the name Last Perfection?

Chris: Our old singer came up with that name. It just has to do with like how no one's perfect in the world. But, the person you actually try to look for, is like, actually the perfect person, the one.

The drums sound exceptionally natural on the record. Did Ballou do anything unusual in recording them?

Chris: He just actually, manually did like a click. He normally doesn't do that, he tried something a little different, and it actually worked really well so...

Lambgoat's review of your new album, Drawing Conclusion, apparently annoyed a few of your fans. What do you have to say about the review?

Mark: Um, I for one, when I read the review I was actually stoked. I thought it was... I mean yeah we got a 2.5 out of something? 4 or 5 out of ten right?

It was like a 4 and he said it was better than your previous album...

Mark: Yeah, and I mean the truth of the matter is, like all in all it wasn't a bad review. It was a review that had its ups and downs.

Chris: It wasn't good, but it wasnt bad...

Mark: People, I guess who are pretty fanatical about us, *cough* stooges *cough*, they got upset because they felt that the review wasn't as good as they felt it should have been. But all in all, I mean every album, you're not gonna please everybody all the time. You know every album that comes out gets good and bad reviews. I look at this one as a decently constructed and well-written review. And, I like the fact that it talked about, instead of pulling influential advantage from before, like Atreyu and all those other people, I dont know older band... basically he said One King Down or something.

Chris: I dont know about that but... haha.

Mark: I don't know if that's true haha, but I'd rather be seen as that...

Chris: It'd be cool if we'd get like a review of the music and not like the style of music.

Mark: Yeah, I mean there was a good portion of the review that sort was a rant about that particular reviewer's opinion on metalcore, whatever you want to call it. You figure, in his mailbox he got a CD by us, not a genre by everybody. You know? So there were parts I didn't like, and parts I liked.

How's the album selling?

Chris: Really well, actually. I'm pretty excited.

Mark: Yeah, I'm very very stoked. It was good, good to hear from friends of ours from different parts of the country like saying, "Oh, I went to Hot Topic and asked for the CD. And they said 'oh, we sold out of those.'" Good to hear stuff like that. So doing pretty damn well.

So You're [Chris] married to the owner of United Edge Records. I guess Last Perfection won't be getting dropped anytime soon, huh?

Chris: Actually you'd be suprised, that's actually more of a reason to drop us. Like I wouldn't say drama, but like I try to stay out of her business. And like I don't know, she basically treats like we are a band signed to label, not just like I'm her husband. But you know, we are looking to move to something bigger.

Mark: I mean, I know you directed this question at Chris and all, but I have my two cents I gotta throw in... The truth is Andrea is a very astute businesswoman. And she's very professional, and she's running a business. So as plain as day, we don't get treated any better or any worse than any other band on that label. You know her and Chris's relationship aside, we're Last Perfection, signed to United Edge, you know?

Would you look at being picked up by a larger label?

Chris: Oh yeah, definitely. Just so we could get a little more exposure. Other than that, the label's been great to us... though it'd be nice to move onto something a little bigger.

In the hardcore genre, bands form and break up in the span of months. Will Last Perfection be together two years from now?

Chris: Yeah, I can definitely see that. A lot more than two years actually.

Mark: I could see ten years, although twenty years down the road I'll probably be dead. But Last Perfection without me will still be together.

What do you guys do for a living?

Chris: Actually, I go to school full-time and I work at a sporting goods store.

Mark: Well... I like to drink a lot. I dont really have a... proper job at the moment. Haha, you know I play video games, sometimes. I give guitar lessons on the side, work on my hair, perfect my eye liner technique.... I dont have a sister, so I actually have to go steal my mom's pants, and she's 5'1" so I got kind of a man-capri look going.

But you know that could always work out. Especially if you guys get big... you could start the new thing. Some people like to get their lips pierced on the side... YOU like to wear short tight pants, you know?

Mark: Exactly!

What do you go to school for?

Chris: Architecture.

What's the worst experience you've had as a band thus far?

Mark: I dont know, I can't think of anything that was really that terrible. I mean since the current line-up of the band got together and really solidified like nothing bad has happened. I mean I'm sure there's a handful or horror stories from the previous line-up that Chris may or may not be willing to share, but you know, truth of the matter, things are pretty alright with us.

Last question, this is so important. Pulp or no pulp?

Chris: ...no pulp.

Mark: Ah! you dick! Piece of shit! Pulp, motherfucker!

Any last words?

Mark: Thanks a lot to you and lambgoat for giving us a rad interview.