Hey guys! We had the pleasure of having a quick little chat with Bo Lueders, guitarist of Harm’s Way, co host of the podcast Hardlore, fellow Lord of the Rings and wrestling nerd and all around great dude! Relax and read along as he shares his love of WWE, gaming, PAILHEAD and more!
ECZ: What’s your name and what do you?
BO: My name is Bo and I play guitar in a band called Harm’s Way. I’m also a weekly jackass on the Hardlore podcast.
ECZ: What was your gateway into hardcore?
BO: Gateway would almost certainly be Blink 182 and the Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtracks that led to Misfits, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, etc.
ECZ: What are five things you can’t live without while on the road?
BO: Let’s see… baring things like clothes and a phone… Headphones, a foam roller, a pillow, lately a book, and my steam deck even though I never fuckin touch the thing
ECZ: Fitness seems to be a very important part of your life as of lately from the outside looking in, how do you stay disciplined while on the road being surrounded by such terrible (but tasty) food and beverage options?
BO: I figure we work out 4 times a week and I’m doing 30/40 minutes of cardio a night when we play… I need some calories. It’s not so hard when the whole band is like minded tbh.
ECZ: On a cheat day what’s your go to meals/snacks?
BO: At home it’s gonna be pasta, on the road it’s whatever the hell I want I need a way to get through it!
ECZ: In your local scene or Midwest in general, what’s keeping your scene thriving? We see a lot of cool shows, bands, and record shops coming from there lately!
BO: What’s keeping any music scene thriving are the old heads being supported by an influx of youth. This whole thing is a youth organization and is absolutely dependent on young people discovering, enjoying and creating their own hardcore. I’m an old guy at this point and I am genuinely happy to not know anyone at local shows these days because to me that’s healthy and natural for the scene. I’m not opposed to or saying I don’t or won’t make friends, just explaining that the youth are vital.
ECZ: Hardcore and heavy music in general seems to be on a very high upswing at the moment, what do you think is needed to keep this momentum going?
BO: What’s needed is a downswing. There’s only peaks when there’s valleys. We’ve been touring the states for a long time and it’s very easy to tell when any particular scene or city loses their core group to college or vice versa. Every 4-6 years it happens. With the exception of the bigger ones on the coasts.
ECZ: We’re all wrestling fans here, growing up were you a WCW or WWF guy?
BO: I’d watch 1 hour of WCW before RAW came on and then I was all in. We would get WWF PPVs, never WCW.
ECZ: If you could book your dream wrestling match, which current wrestlers are in the main event and why?
BO: Brody king forever and always. The man can do it all and I’m very proud of him. Him against anyone, doesn’t matter.
ECZ: We’ve personally been a huge fan of Harm’s Way since 2008, what keeps you motivated and what’s the key to the longevity of the band?
BO: I think the key for us is being actual close friends. The band is secondary to us getting to hang out and act childish together. The motivation is there within as well.
ECZ: What’s currently on your playlist and what movies/tv shows are your favorites at the moment?
BO: Playlist lately has been the PAILHEAD record from back in the day. Been obsessing. The new Virgos record as well, it will be out later this year.
ECZ: Ok, which is your favorite LOTR film from the Trilogy and based on character analysis, which character would best represent you?
BO: My favorite film is Two Towers for sure. I love the middle episode type stories. That one ends on a great note too. A character to represent me? Probably like…that old Proudfoot bastard from Bilbo’s party.
ECZ: If you could create your own LOTR soundtrack, which artist(s) past or present, any genre would you pick?
BO: I love the song at the end of Two Towers called “Gollum’s Song” because it sounds like Bjork but isn’t her. So I’d have her do it all. Make everyone uncomfortable.
ECZ: What hobbies/activities do you enjoy doing outside of hardcore?
BO: I’m a huge nerd, I love video games and fluctuate OFTEN throughout my steam library. I also have recently started reading and listening to a lot of history lectures and subjects I’ve been curious about.
ECZ: What band(s) do you recommend for someone that just got introduced to the hardcore scene?
BO: Think you always gotta start with the roots. It’s Bad Brains, Minor Threat, AF, Cro Mags, Judge, Earth Crisis and whatever else gets them to Terror.
ECZ: What accomplishments are you most proud of personal and band wise?
BO: Personally it’s just the traveling we’ve done. Traveling and experiences abroad are really my favorite thing. Band wise is just the length of our “career” and the quality of music I believe we have delivered over that time.
ECZ: Any new plans/projects we can look forward to from yourself and the band?
BO: I have just started a history podcast called Casts in Stone which has 1 episode out as of may 2025. I’m currently researching for episode 2. The band will be shut in for the remainder of the year minus a few festival one-offs.
Thank you Oscar Rodriguez for the first 3 photos. Please contact us for photo credit/removal on the last 3 photos.
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