Punk Rock '77 thru Today

Octane Lounge Review

2012-02-20T12:57:00.002-07:00

It's Friday night. I love Fridays cause that means the week is over and I can blow off some steam until next week begins. At least that was the plan. What more can you ask for, but some great bands, booze and great friends. This night I found myself in Sun City, AZ. Before you say anything, Sun City has changed from retirement homes to strip malls and outlet stores. The young have invaded and so did I.

Located on the border of Surprise is nice little club in a strip mall, called the Octane lounge. What makes it great is the fact this surrounded auto parts stores, detail shops and storage units, so I doubt a pair of custom rims are going to complain about the noise. The negatives are the fact that it has a uni bomber shack sized stage (CBGBs if anyone remembers the stage), elongated bar, pool tables and two darts machines and professional sound booth, all of which take up too much room. This means that your looking at 100 people or 110 if we don't breath. the Octane is not about numbers though, it has a life of it's own and not located near any main hubs and with the different crowds in the area, it has a life all it's own. In fact, you kinda get that stereo-typical Arizona bar feel. Cowboys driving suburbans and bikers riding Goldwings and custom Harleys. The one thing that stands out is the fact the all the waitresses are actually singer/guitarists in pushup bras, that well, like to have fun and really get the crowd going.

When I arrived that the club, it was just getting going. It wasn't until asked to pay a cover that things got, well weird. There was a booking issue. After conferring with the sound guys, things came into focus. These guys are pros with extensive experience. They are also not bashful about it. They also have experience with stage lighting and stage effects, enough to make anyone nervous. They did however make up for the over-confidence in the fact that they had backup bands and backup waitresses.

The first band to take the stage after a brief and thorough sound check (I did mention the sound guys were very experienced, right?) was Evesol. Evesol is a metal/screamo fusion of jazz/funk bass, trash guitars, old-school metal drums, one alternative singer and one guy that is just Deicide/Iced Earth in one voice box. I was impressed by the band ability to make it look like a hardcore on the stage. They had a lot of energy and did play some good stuff. It was all going great til they tried a ballad. Everyone knows a good ballad starts slow and the builds and they just crawls. Not my choice for a last song. Just saying.

Next up, was Enirva. I was thinking it was going to be a clawhammer set. I just got that vibe. Man, I was so wrong. These three guys jump up on stage and pulled a Zeke. I do not lie. If you like Zeke and Against the Grain with some Melvins. See these guys. Tonight was the night the Octane Lounge lived up to its name. Oh shit, yeah. These guys pull off the great live set I have seen in years. The guitar and bass were dead on pulsating with the Drums. They even pulled a fast Black Sabbath cover. And just to make me heart race, they pull 7 minute Buzzo tribute by playing a song while standing right next to their amps. 3 guys with big fucking balls out sound. It wasn't until talking to the guys that I figured out they were in bands in Seattle. I am willing to bet they went to the same show I did or at least spent a lot of time at the Moe. Lesson learned here is one, you gotta see these guys live and two get your ass to Seattle to see Zeke and the Melvins play at their home club, the Moe.

All in all, I think I wanna bring some hardcore to this club.

Republicans on Welfare New Interview

2012-02-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

Republicans on Welfare are an amazing punk band out of Kenosha, WI. They have an awesome EP out. They have been around for years and have an amazing list of bands they have shared the stage with. They also put on a great live set. I got Tim to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
My name is Tim, I am vocals/guitar for Republicans On Welfare and our other members could not be present but there is also other founding member Mark also on vocals/bass, Frank guitar/bass and Alonso Drums.

How did the band start?
Republicans on Welfare started basically out of the want to be drunk and destroy shit. The beginning was Myself and Mark getting together knowing we both owned a guitar and bass and pretty much got drunk and high until two songs came out and then nearly got arrested(thats another story) but we got together with a friend Brandon who owned a drumset and did what we could with it going threw a few extra guitar players that we used for a practice spots but it never worked out. We ended up in Marks basement and us three turned into Republicans on Welfare in October of 2004. Since we had a few lineup changes as far as drummers go and upgraded to a four piece in 2010 but we can go on forever with explainations and stories but i think you guys can get a point.

How did you come up with the name?
The name was originally going to be Asian Sex Claw(as well as other nonsense that was forgotten) for no reason other then we just liked it at the time but we shot around many names and realized we were somewhat serious and the name we choose grew off of us. We were pissed off adolescents and grew hatred for society as well as politics with the likes of president Bush and things at the time we wanted a name with humor as well as a serious staement and the oxy moron idea sparked and Republicans on Welfare was born with the help of Marks father in the mix of the creation.

Who would you say are your influences?
As far as a group whole it varies so much but Rock N Roll in general is a big one with sound and style but overall musically we were influenced a lot by bands like Fear, Adolescents, The Angry Samoans, Misfits, Rancid, G.G. Allin, Dead Boys, Johnny Thunders, The Dwarves even Frank Zappa but the list is so long but we were also influenced most in our large local scene and bands that led the scene like 10-96, Beautiful Bert, Birth DFX, Self Destruckt, The Yates Kids and this list can continue forever as well here but a major thing keepin us going was the world around us and coruption in politics and society and the war and everything else there is to be witnessed in this generation but you can not go wrong with drugs and women which is a great one as well.

What is the punk scene like in Kenosha?
Kenosha has had a large important scene here for a long time. We are considered a 3rd generation Keno-Core band but in the day bands would tour here on a regular basis as well many would play here due to the large attendence. Bands such as No-FX, Operation Ivy, M.D.C., Crucifucks to name a few started out early playin even in garages and such before large sucecess and many other bands continued to come to Kenosha for a good show. G.G. Allin was a normal visitor as welll as U.K. Subs who have lived in Kenosha for some time and Kenosha also is the home of U.K. rockers Billyclub(members of U.K. Subs, Exploited). I have been told many stories that sound great but I was not there for these great times since i was not born or just a baby. As for my time I grew up going to a show with hundreds of people all going nuts and Punk Piknik which is a year annual event hosted by local bands is generally at least four or five hundred strong. In the last few years many venues been shut down or banned from punks due to underage behavior and destruction and it is very hard to get an all ages show on a regular basis in town which brings people to fall out or move away as well as people going to jail or dieing and since has dimmed out a consistent scene. It always goes up and down. Were waiting on it to spark up again to a peak and hopefully gain a consistent all ages venue aside form the many bars and i.d. required venues. Kenosha even has a rising band who signed to Metalblade records called Lazarus A.D. i recomend them to be checked out if you like metal music but this is a punk rock interview i will just leave it at this.

Describe the song writing process...
The song writing process is easy one either makes a riff and the others build onto it but as far as the old ones go myself or Mark wrote them as a whole but with out new material we focus hard and all work together and notice things get more complex.

What have you released?
as far as releases we released a 8 song ep in 2006 with out second drummer Sean as a three peice titled "Stop the Abuse" and was available from us or on Interpunk.com(not sure if any more are available)
In 2010 we recorded and never finished a demo which was intended to be a full length and "Poop Tits" also i belive we have a ruff of "I Dont Wanna be Saved" and "Music Is Not a Crime" on our page and we are not happy with them as well as recorded them in one take cocain sessions but are still hoping to finish them one day and redo parts with a buddy Tic who did a good job but we also have a few more due out once we continue
and in 2011 we did a split with keno-core pals Gimme Crack titled "Posers, Hoes and Assholes" we belive did three tracks on there"Stuffin The Muffin" "Obsess To Opress" and "White Collar Crime" as well as a bonus we did with my father thats his own obscene version of "Louie Louie"
Currently we have a recording in process as well but got delayed due to our fourth memeber temporarily in the west coast and the drum tracks got deleted and were working on recovering them or waiting to rerecord the tracks hopefully sometime around the new year and it has no title yet but is some of our best and serious work.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Over the last 7+ years are glad to played with to many to mention and would love to go through and say who but as far as a known basis we done some pre shows for bands like Dropkick Murphys, The Briggs, The Tossers, Motorhead, Sublime with Rome and D.R.I. thats all that comes to mind

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
we have fun doing anything but we are more at home in a small club but we played some pretty big stages and enjoyed the experience for sure and wouldnt mind doing it again anytime

Have you toured?
Nothing big as in we would do a weekend here or there never to crazy but we had some tours lined up but it never worked out due to finances or a past member backing out before we had it planned and ready to go but we are always up for it and would like to sometime in the near future!

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Not really... locally we got a few because its some of the music that helped influence us to grab a fiddel and start up a band and its always nice to hear some old school music from childhood but other then that we kinda like everyone as long as you are not a dick.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Hattrix is a local bar we call home but Punk Piknik is a favorite because its home turf as well its outside and you got hundreds of people jumpin around all day and most the time we cant even stand up ourselves(even tho were known to be wasted anyways)

What do you see is the future of Republicans on Welfare?
We would like to see us go on forever but we dont have a special vision or want really other than playing our music and sharing it with anyone with a open ear but if possible do some touring if we get the finances together but we take it a step at a time and prepare to accept whatever will come out of it as long as us and our listeners have fun.

How can people contact the band?
republicansonwelfare@yahoo.com is our e-mail
we hate facebook and its hard to use but "like" our page i think its under www.facebook.com/republicansonwelfarekenocore
or the band also has a myspace page as well www.myspace.com/republicansonwelfarekenocore
we hope to update it soon sorry and cheerz!

the Snallygasters New Interview

2012-02-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

the Snallygasters are yet another amazing punk band out of Baltimore. They have an amazing live set, they really do blow up the stage and have shared it with a huge list legendary punk bands. I also have an awesome EP out. I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
(the Fabulous) Dave Worthless - vocals
Mikey Stilts - guitar
Roger Sanchez - bass
His Holiness, Kevin Pope - drums

How did the band start?
A guy called Brandon, who was our first singer, got us all together in late 2008 with a vision for a "dangerous" punk band complete with a campy visual horror element that wasn't the cliche Misfits ripoff. The rest of the band soon grew out of that, mostly, and parted ways with him and, after some shakeups, we finally have a stable line up, although now that's been put that out there in writing, someone's probably going to leave.

How did you come up with the name?
The Snallygaster is Maryland's answer to the Jersey Devil and Bigfoot. It's a mythical creature that lived in western Maryland that looked like a cross between an eagle and dragon with tentacles like a squid. It stole cattle and was kind of a boogeyman for the youngins out that way. The Smithsonian apparently even sent a team to investigate claims at the turn of the 20th century. The septagram that we use as a logo was put up on barns to keep the Snallygaster at bay. When we were looking for a name and couldn't come up with one, Stilts went on a vision quest and came back with the name, only we ended up tacking on an "-s" at the end like the Lone Rangers from "Airheads" because that's just how we roll.

Who would you say are your influences?
Pretty disparate, actually. Dave's a huge mark for the Clash and Rancid. Roger has not only a Thin Lizzy logo but actually the face of Phil Lynott tattooed on his body. Kevin's an old rocker with a penchant for Y&T, although he does like the Clash. Stilts lists Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and the Who as his favorite bands.
Somehow we manage to meet in the middle somewhere. People have heard the likes of US Bombs, the Cockney Rejects, the Sex Pistols, Blanks 77, and the Templars in our music, which I suppose all influenced us one way or the other in addition to the other bands listed above.

What is the punk scene like in Maryland?
I can't speak for the rest of Maryland, but Baltimore is hit or miss. Some shows will be packed and you can't explain why but then a national act will roll through town and there will literally be 7 paying people. However, places like the venerable Sidebar still put on shows. Great DIY spaces like the Charm City Art Space and houses like the Barclay House also keep the scene going. Honestly, we've had better experiences in general (in this band and others) with playing shows in the rest of Maryland. Frostburg out in western Maryland has a great little joint called Duncan's. The DC suburb of Silver Spring boasts the Quarry House Tavern which has been putting on Sunday matinee shows for quite some time that are always a blast.

Describe the song writing process...
More often than not, Stilts will write the music first. It may come up while noodling around at practice, hitting on a riff that the whole band will then pick up on and go through. He'll then take that idea home and demo the whole song using a drum machine and his computer. That will get passed on to Dave who will then write lyrics (if Stilts hasn't come up with something already). Lately, Roger has been having more input on things, both musically and lyrically. All songs, however, no matter who writes them, end up as a pretty polished demo because Stilts has OCD and won't rest until the thing is more or less set down in stone.

What have you released?
So far, we've released the Black Aggie EP (available from interpunk and at thesnallygasters.bandcamp.com as well as via iTunes, Amazon, and other online mp3 retailers) which has five songs, two of which were written specifically for this record and then the three original demo songs the band did when it first got together.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
TSOL, Shot Baker, Supreme Commander, Daycare Swindlers, the Queers, Common Enemy, Sonic Negroes, Luxury Pushers, the Cheats, Old Man Markley, Burning Streets, Copstabber

Have you toured?
Not really. At this point, we have a 4 hour circle around Baltimore that we'll play in, but as for a real tour, no.

Do you prefer small clubs or large venues?
The sound is more important than the size of the venue, although the intimacy of a small venue is always a plus. It's a lot easier to get into the music when you can actually reach out and touch someone, if you want, and that goes for the band as well as the audience. While it's certainly nice to have the room on a big stage in a large hall, punk rock loses some of it's vigor when there's that separation. Growing up, I (Stilts) always went to small places, be they lecture halls at the University of Pittsburgh, house shows, or the backroom of a bar. I remember seeing videos of some of the English bands I really liked, such as Conflict and Discharge, where they're playing these huge rooms and there's this literal barrier between the band and the crowd. Sure, some kids hop up onstage and dance around for a bit before going back, but there always seemed to be something missing. Now that I'm in a band of my own, while I certainly have a strong sense of personal space and tend to let people know it (the guitar is a weapon!), I like the intimacy that comes with playing in a small club or house show. It's more fun for me that way. Even Dave, who is our general misanthrope who would live as a hermit if we let him, enjoys playing when people are right in his face. It's punk rock, you know?

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Playing with Copstabber, Supreme Commander and the Screws from DC are always a good time. It's always a pleasure to play with our friends from Stillborn and Dead End Lane up in Baltimore, too.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Hands down, the Sidebar Tavern. Outside of Baltimore, it's a toss up between Duncan's in Frostburg and the Quarry House Tavern down in Silver Spring, MD.

What do you see is the future of Snallygasters?
We're finishing up recording some songs for a 7" that we'll be releasing in Spring 2012 and an upcoming compilation being put together by our friend Drew from Stillborn. We're taking a bit of a break until February or March of 2012, then we're storming back into the trenches, so to speak, with a whole new set. We'd definitely like to play out of town a bit more in 2012.

How can people contact the band?
thesnallygasters@gmail.com
thesnallygasters.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/thesnallygasters

All Torn Up! New Interview

2012-02-17T18:00:00.002-07:00

All Torn Up! is yet another awesome punk band coming out of New York. They are actually pretty amazing to see live and have shared the stage with some great punk bands. They also have a great demo out that you can download for free. I going Joey to tell their story...

Introduce yourself...
Hey, I am Joey Steel. I'm the lead vocalist for All Torn Up! (ATU) We are a NYC hardcore band.

How did the band start?
Soren (drums), Cello (guitars) and I met in 2007. We jammed with a bassist and did not call ourselves All Torn Up! We really had no ambitions to do much more than making some original garage based hardcore and having fun.
When we started we were just really experimenting with different sounds, while trying to stay true to our love of gritty, violent hardcore. Our bassist left, and we met Bryan. We jammed and everything we had been trying really came together.
We spent some time trying to get our sound to be something special, but rooted in the music we loved. We argued a lot and became All Torn Up! We each brought something special and stepped it up as we spun it together.
About 6 months ago All Torn Up! took our next step in our evolution. We decided we need to make some changes in what we were doing and got a new bass player, Philippe and a 2nd guitarist Brian.
All Torn Up! has grown in a a lot of ways over the years, and we have surprised ourselves with what we have done. Now with a new line up we are surprising ourselves again, and hopefully we will surprise you all too, soon enough.
We have and will always be about trying to have meaning and content in everything we do. We want to help make this world a better place. We see injustice in every motion in everyone, and we see how incredible we are capable of being with each other, and we just want to get in everyone's faces, bring conscious political punk out to people, and encourage the scene and all underground shit to ACTUALLY represent something this fucked up capitalist society, and this racist, misogynistic, homophobic fucking country could ever represent. It has been these ideas that have kept us working hard, when all else seemed to be going wrong, and it is our love for each other and our ideas that keeps us together.

How did you come up with the name?
Wow, well this was not fucking easy. At every step in ATU we have tried to be true to our different ideas and the ideas we share in common by bringing our separate talents and passions together but also really trying to operate as a serious collective respecting each others' differences. But sometimes this means not agreeing on shit, for a long fucking time.
Finally I was sitting outside my work one day, thinking about how pissed I was that we could not all agree on anything including out band name, and I thought of how this was not just a weakness. I thought it came from how passionate we are about everything. But, it was infuriating that we could not get along. I thought it was also awesome that we call cared about each other enough that we were staying in this together despite our constant disagreements. I loved the tension that we have together. It makes me a better person because it challenges me and makes me remember why my mates are special. We are all headed in different directions, but we are all together. The band is a little microcosm of the world, we are all torn up!
It has always been about something more than us, and trying to make the scene, ourselves, each other and the world a better place, by being honest about what we think and engaging in dialogue about our differences through our music. Differences are seen as a weakness, but really they are incredible. Sure we are all torn up, but we should keep trying to pull it all together, and move ahead! TOGETHER!

Who would you say are your influences?
We all like different shit, but we love to play old 80s hardcore. Music like Black Flag or even Agent Orange is really a common bond. Passionate, irreverent, mean shit. But a few bands that have come up in practices before, Agnostic Front, Misfits, Helmet, Hot Water Music, Sperm Brids, Rise Against, Orio, and obviously Witch Hunt, who has a song titled, All Torn Up. That is just a few off the top of my head. We pride ourselves in being all over the fucking place on what we listen to on any given day. But it is music like the WEIRDOS or Minor Threat that pumps my blood.

What is the punk scene like in New York?
We are lucky to be in a scene so many great bands, and more than anything so many people who are interested and excited to come out and hear new music.
I think that sometimes people in the scene get a bit stuck in a rut. Sometimes we can forget to have fun again, and we get a little too cool for school. But even bands that hate on me, personally, or whatever, I often enjoy the music they make, and no one is stabbing each other, yet, so it is all in good spirits. I think we have some incredible bands, some even more incredible fans, and some great venues.
Sure some shit sucks, but every scene has good and bad parts, we have a lo of great shit. The city and the scene is so big that really, there is room for everyone to just kind of do there own thing, mostly. Really we have a number of scenes in the city.
All Torn Up! really loves to play with out politically conscious sisters and brothers. We play with a lot of other political HC bands, and would like to play with more. But there are some great conscious caring bands with incredible fucking sounds out here and in the surrounding area, Death First, Bible Thumper, Praxis, Anti-Armada, Born in a Cent, and venues like 538 Johnson's Stolen Sleeves.
We also LOVE to play for Latino punk crowds. I think that scene here in NYC is the best, and has some of my favorite bands and people around. They let loose and enjoy life, while giving a shit about what they do and think about the world. I LOVE IT. Bands like (A) Truth, Skarroneos, Deskilibrio Social, Necrophilia, Teen Wolves, Cojoba, Huasipungo, and places like the Lake, which is like a 2nd home to us.

Describe the song writing process...
Basically usually Cello or Philippe brings in a riff and we kind of play around with that for a while, and sometimes it flows into something else, sometimes they come up with a matching part. Sometimes we just sort of sit around and talk about ideas and try to work out from there. There is a lot of studio time where we just jam, and a lot of time outside, just hanging out together, where we just kind of mill over ideas. It has been important for us to go with ideas a little bit, even when they are weird, and let them get worked out, before we turn them down. Being creative like this is not easy over a long period of time, so we just try to make it fun, and keep the stress out, and let the emotions and ideas that drive us to want and make a better world take us to new places.
I really believe that when we focus on what we believe in and sharing that with people, or confronting people with that, we will make something unique and honest, that will be passionate and powerful. That is not easy, but luckily my band mates come up with some incredible riffs. Really it is mostly them.

What have you released?
We did a Demo CD back in 2008 with a bunch of songs. We went on and did a song for a German football club, called St. Pauli (My drummer is from Hamburg, Germany, and a HUGE St. Pauli supporter. They have an incredible left wing and antifascist club over there.) in 2009. We pressed a split 7” in 2010 with our dear friends, (A)Truth which we still have a few copies of, if people are interested. And finally, when we parted ways with our old bassist, we released a short internet album called, “To An End...” of some tracks that were supposed to get distributed, but the timing never lined up.
You can get almost all of our recordings on our bandcamp website for free, http://alltornup.bandcamp.com/.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
I mentioned some above, that we enjoy and have played quite a bit with, but here are a few more memorable ones from NYC and elsewhere that we have enjoyed playing with, some of them have sadly since broken up, but I bet you can find recordings of there out there: Urban Waste, Thulsa Doom, Black Out Shoppers, Rabbi Darkside (great nyc hip hop artist), The Blame, Miscegenators, Asymmetric Warfare (Seattle), Assassinators (Denmark), Blood Bombers (Philly), No Tomorrow (NC), Sangharsha (nepal/nyc), and of course it was a pleasure playing with Jerry Only's and Dez's Misfits! But honestly for me, the best band we played with, and that is saying a lot, because this list has INCREDIBLE fucking bands on it, but the best band we played with was a three piece from Oklahoma, called Bring Down the Hammer. Fucking incredible!

Have you toured?
Nope, some day, hopefully. We are back after taking a break for a while, and ready to play new shows with mostly new songs.

Do you prefer small clubs or large venues?
Hmm, well I think the sound you get at some of these big places is incredible, and I like that, but we love DIY, and we love smaller venues that allow us to really be with the crowd. Some small venues really have awful sound, but we work through that. It is all about the experience. Small places or big ones, we will take that crowd some place they have not been in a long time, or we will kill ourselves trying to take them there.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We have played a lot of shows with (A)Truth, they are good friends of ours. I love those folks. We also have played a lot of shows with Nekrophilia, who are also good buddies. We have played with Black Out Shoppers a few times, and we fucking love their music and attitude, so that always fits real well with how we want a show to go. But honestly, we love playing with and meeting new people so, it is hard to say completely.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Yes, the Lake (run by East Rev. productions) and ABC NO RIO.

What do you see is the future of All Torn Up?
All Torn Up! will keep making mean, in your face music to change the world to. All of us in the band have other bands we play with, Star Witness, The Will, JS and The Attitude Adjusters, Beyond the Grave, and other causes and issues we care deeply about, supporting F.C. St.Pauli, fighting police brutality, communism, Occupy Wallstreet, producing other music, and even just spending time with loved ones, but this band, these ideas, what passion and energy we can evoke through this music means a fucking LOT to us, and we work hard to keep it relevant and volatile.
To us the future is all about bringing to light the shit that gets blotted out by this horrible system. We want to keep making hard fucking music, that gives expression to what we really feel, anger for the lives we have been offered and passion to tear this world apart and build a new one based on justice for all people, no matter how or where they were born.
We want to just make sweet tunes that help us all be more conscious and help others see different ideas that they can take into their lives and live by, or just use to rethink how they live in general.
We will be making new music, and hopefully putting out some more albums for people. Where ever there is injustice and oppression there must be people resisting and raising our sights to deal with it, and get through it. We want to accept our responsibility to do this, in a way that also lets people have fun and let go of this horrible system. WE enjoy the underground scene, and that there are people who want to drop out of this main stream society, so we will be down here, trying to promote and live lives in ways that we actually believe in, and helping other quit the awful society we have been offered and start to build another. We believe this is an elemental part, making music, so we will be down here, until we can't any longer.
All Power to the People!

How can people contact the band?
They can e-mail us at atunyc@gmail.com or they can friend us on facebook, just look up “All Torn Up!”. They can get much of our older music on http://alltornup.bandcamp.com/. Feel free to bootleg it, spread it, whatever. It's not about the money, it is about the music, the energy, and the message!
Feel free to contact us about shows or whatever.

the Vandals New Interview

2012-02-11T04:09:00.000-07:00

The Vandals are one of the most legendary punk bands around. As a kid, I think I went through about 50 copies of 'Peace thru Vandalism' and 'When In Rome'. They originated out of the OC scene with TSOL, Bad Religion, etc. The band itself has gone through a lot and has still remained one of the foremost legends of the punk scene. They have appeared in a movie called 'Suburbia' (does anyone remember that movie, I miss beta). They have been featured on tons of soundtracks. They even got quoted in the movie 'Triple X'. They have been known for their yearly x-mas show. They have about a dozen albums out. Have survived 2 major lawsuits. Been on some legendary record labels. They have also toured most of the planet.

Joe or Joey is a legend himself. He has been at the helm of the Vandals since the split of the original lineup. He has gone on to play in the Germs as well other reunions for charity. He has been known for his work in supporting the troops. He is also a radio show host in California where he hosts a radio show on various stations giving a legal advice to bands. I encourage anyone who is in a band to tune in and ask questions.

Introduce yourself…
JOE ESCALANTE FROM THE VANDALS

How did the band start?
A GUY NAMED JAN STARTED IT. I JOINED A FEW MONTHS LATER. IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE JUST ANOTHER H.B. PUNK BAND TO PLAY PARTIES.

How did you come up with the name?
JAN THOUGHT OF IT. IT SOUNDS PUNK, YOU KNOW?
ACCORDING TO STEVE GONZALES, THE ORIGINAL NAME FOR THE BAND WAS GESTAPO, BUT AS SOON AS THE FIRST GRAFFITI STARTED APPEARING AROUND TOWN, PEOPLE GOT NERVOUS. IT WAS ACTUALLY ON THE NEWS. THE NAME HAD TO BE CHANGED, ESPECIALLY BEFORE THEY STARTED LETTING MEXICANS IN IT, LIKE ME.

Who would you say are your influences?
THE DAMNED, DICKIES, DEVO, WEIRDOS, CLASH, BUZZCOCKS, TSOL, ANGRY SAMOANS

What is the punk scene like in Huntington Beach?
RIGHT NOW? A BUNCH OF OLD GUYS GOING TO BARS TO SEE BANDS THAT GOT BACK TOGETHER.

How has is changed since 1980?
THERE WERE NEVER ANY REAL PLACES TO PLAY IN H.B. THE REAL ACTION WAS IN COSTA MESA AT THE CUCKOO'S NEST / CONCERT FACTORY. NOW COSTA MESA HAS A GOOD VENUE CALLED DETROIT BAR. FOR ALL AGES, YOU WOULD PLAY AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES ANAHEIM OR THE CHAIN REACTION IN ANAHEIM.
OR YOU COULD PLAY AT THE SLIDE BAR, IF YOU LIKE OFFENSIVE SECURITY STAFF.

Describe the song writing process...
EVERYBODY WRITES STUFF IN THEIR HOME STUDIOS AND BRINGS IT TO WARREN TO FLESH OUT FILTER. WARREN WRITES THE MOST. WHEN HE'S TAPPED OUT, HE ASKS FOR HELP.

You first released 'When In Rome Do as the Vandals Do', tell us about the album...
BEFORE THAT WE RELEASED "PEACE THROUGH VANDALISM"
WE RECORDED IT AT UNICORN STUDIOS IN VENICE. THAT WAS A STUDIO OFTEN USED BY BLACK FLAG. THE PRODUCER WAS THOM WILSON. I MET HIM WHEN HE PRODUCED TSOL. LATER, THE OFFSPRING HIRED HIM BECAUSE, THEY TOO WERE INFLUENCED BY TSOL.

How do you feel 'Slippery When ill' and 'Fear of a Punk Planet' differed?
WE HAD INTERNAL MUSICAL DIFFERENCES SO SLIPPERY WHEN ILL WAS KIND OF A COMPROMISE. AFTER THAT, WE SOLIDIFIED OUR PERMANENT LINE UP WITH JOSH, WARREN, DAVE AND ME.

In 1996, you released two albums 'the Quinkening' and the famous 'Oi to the World' tell us about the albums...
THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM WAS WRITTEN AND RECORDED IN AUGUST AND RELEASED ON OUR OWN LABEL. IT WAS A THROW AWAY PROJECT BUT IT'S BECOME AN ANNUAL THING FOR US. THERE WERE MULTIPLE DRUMMERS. RAT SCABIES FROM THE DAMNED, ERIK FROM NOFX, BROOKS WACKERMAN FROM BAD RELIGION. NO DOUBT RECORDED THE TITLE TRACK AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
THE QUICKENING WAS TITLED AFTER A THEORY DEVELOPED BY A RADIO HOST NAMED ART BELL. MAYBE THAT CD WAS A BIT RUSHED, I DON'T KNOW.

How do you feel 'Hitler Bad, Vandals Good' and 'Look What I Almost Stepped In' differed?
I THINK MORE TIME AND EFFORT WENT INTO HITLER BAD. THAT'S OUR PEAK I GUESS. MIXED BY THE GREAT JERRY FINN, RIP. THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE TOO, I GUESS.

What else have you released?
OH, I DON'T KNOW, BBC SESSIONS, A COUPLE DVDS (SWEATIN TO THE OLDIES, LIVE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES, OI TO THE WORLD DVD).

In 2003, the band was involved in a suit over music rights, what can you tell us about that?
TAKES TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN BUT IN SHORT, DEALS WERE MADE AND 15 YEARS LATER SOME GUYS DECIDED THEY DIDN'T WANT TO LIVE WITH THOSE DEALS ANYMORE. THERE WAS A DISPUTE, IT GOT SETTLED, WE ALL LIVE UNDER A NEW DEAL NOW.

In 2004, you guys performed in Bagdad, tell us about the concert...
THE MOST FUN AND IMPORTANT SHOWS WE'VE EVER DONE. THOSE SOLDIERS ARE BRAVE, SMART, AND DESERVING OF ANYTHING WE CAN DO FOR THEM. WE HAD TWO BLACK HAWKS, ONE FOR THE GEAR, ONE FOR THE BAND. WE WOULD FLY FROM SADDAM HUSSEIN, INTERNATIONAL EACH MORNING OVER BAGHDAD TO A DIFFERENT FORWARD OPERATING BASE. UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE.

Tell us about the Radio show Joey does... How does that effect the current lawsuit with Variety?
I DO A RADIO SHOW FOR INDIE1031.COM AND RADIO WEEZER ON FRIDAYS, AND KTLK AM 1150 IN LOS ANGELES ON SUNDAYS. I GIVE ARTISTS FREE LEGAL ADVICE. OFTEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR LAWSUIT. FOR THE LATEST ON THAT ONE, CLICK THIS LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9rFYJw7sfs&feature=channel_video_title

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
ALL THE USUAL PUNK BANDS ON WARPED OTHER THAN THAT: PEARL JAM, NO DOUBT, OFFSPRING, SOCIAL DISTORTION, FISHBONE, GRANDMASTER FLASH, PUBLIC ENEMY, LL COOL J, RICHARD MARX IN FRANKFURT, DOOBIE BROTHERS, KISS, PUSSYCAT DOLLS, CAKE, PRETENDERS...

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
SMALL CLUBS INSIDE LARGE VENUES

Where have you toured?
EUROPE, AMERICAS, JAPAN, AFGHANISTAN, KYRGISTAN, KUWAIT, IRAQ, ICELAND

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
PENNYWISE, OFFSPRING, NO DOUBT, SUM 41

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
JAPAN, ROME

What do you see is the future of the Vandals?
LAS VEGAS.

How can people contact the band?
SAY OUR NAMES, THEN VANDALS.COM THAT'S EASY RIGHT?

All Eyes West New Interview

2012-02-11T03:26:00.001-07:00

All Eyes West are a great punk band springing out of Chicago. They actually have a great live set and have shared the stage with some amazing punk bands. They have toured all over the US and even a small tour of the UK. They have also released an awesome album. I got the band to tell their story...

Who would you say are your influences?
"My biggest influences as a guitarist are Bob Mould,J Mascis,Adam Franklin,and Brian Baker. I would put Mike Kirsch in there as well. I think you can hear all of those bands in the song writing. Husker Du,Swervedriver,Torches to Rome, etc... All of us are big on the 90's post punk-indie sound"

What is the punk scene like in Chicago?
"It's pretty amazing! There are a lot of great clubs,and a lot of great bands. People seem to really care about seeing live music here as well. It's not uncommon to see people that are 17 and people that are in their 40's at the same show. It's awesome"

Describe the song writing process...
"Usually. I'll have an idea for songs,I'll bring it to practice,and then everyone puts in their ideas. All of us have a say in how the songs turn out,and a lot of the time,we will learn a song,strip it back down,and re assemble it. It's a lot of fun. I've always been the main song writer in the bands I've played in,and it's nice for everyone to feel like they can contribute. "

You guys released a self-titled album, tell us about the album...
"The record was a lot of fun to make. We didn't over think anything,or shit like that. I'm a recording engineer at a studio in Chicago called Million Yen,so we just went there. We tracked everything really quick. 1 day for drums and bass,1 day for guitars,1 day for vocals,and 1 day for mixing. So 4 days total! We could have spent more time on things,but we wanted it to have a real live feel to it. I think we were able to capture that! It sounds like what the 3 us playing live sounds like."

What else have you released?
"Just this album, that is all we have released so far. It came out on August 23rd, so it's only a couple months old. We do have a split 7" coming out soon with a band from England called Above Them. It will be on Jump Start Records as well."

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
"We have been really fortunate to play a lot of shows with a lot of really great bands so far! We have played with Seaweed, Rival Schools, Samiam, Braid, as well as playing with more punk sounding bands like OFF! and Soul Control. That is one of things I think is really cool about our band. We are able to play with all kinds of bands. We are not locked into a certain style."

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
"Both kinds of shows have their pros and cons. I like the shows were people seem genuinely excited to be there. It doesn't matter if it is 5 or 5000 to me,as long as people are having a good time."

Have you toured?
"Yeah! we have done 5 tours since April. One those was 2 1/2 weeks in the UK. We are trying to tour as much as we can."

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
"All the bands we have been fortunate to play with have been awesome! I would say my favorite shows have been playing with Seaweed or playing with I Hate Our Freedom. I liked both of those gigs a lot."

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
"I liked playing in England a lot. I like this venue in Newport KY called the Southgate House. It's my favorite place to play. I like the Beat Kitchen in Chicago a lot. You know we have played NYC 4 times this year,and all of those shows have been fun. NYC has been real good to us this year."

What do you see is the future of All Eyes West?
"Just touring as much as we can, and putting out records. We already have 8 songs written towards our next album. So yeah, just playing and writing."

How can people contact the band?
"You can contact us on Facebook or our website www.alleyeswest.com. There are songs to check out,and that is where you can find out about tour dates as well."

Midnight Mob New Interview

2012-02-11T02:59:00.000-07:00

Midnight Mod is an awesome punk band exploding out of the New York punk scene. They have recently released an awesome EP. They have have a gret live set and have shared the stage with some big names. They also have some great touring experience on the East Coast. I got Blackey to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
Hey! I’m Blackey DeathProof and lead singer for the band Midnight Mob.

How did the band start?
Kind of a long story, but I will keep it short. Basically Catastrophe and I were putting this project together with a different producer. I was one of many singers involved in this project and ultimately stuck but the rest of the band did not. Catastrophe was involved in bands with Squeeze for a while and started another original project on the side. What ended up happening was our producer bailed and Catastrophe and Squeeze decided to merge the two bands together. At that point we had two guitarists, drummer and me as a singer. The original bass player involved left. We began our hunt for a bass player and luck came through. A fan of Catastrophe’s former band, Visions through Sound, gave us Carly’s contact information. We gave her a call, she came down and ROCK! The original rhythm guitarist soon after departed and we picked up another. Then the replacement guitarist departed and we played around as a four piece. More luck came about when Catastrophe was hanging in a local bar and Spydyr introduced himself as “aren’t you in Midnight Mob?” Spydyr then said he played guitar and was down for jamming. We told him to come down, he did and Rock! Spydyr is the newest member and one of his
first shows was Webster Hall Grand Ballroom in front of 500+ screaming people. We’ve been this five
piece since.

How did you come up with the name?
The name came about from when Catastrophe and I were writing with the former producer. Midnight Mob was a lyric in one of the songs. We liked the sound and imagery of it so it stuck. When Squeeze & Carly came into the picture we kicked around other names just for other ideas, but it always came back to Midnight Mob. We wanted something dark, unique and cool. Also it had that gang/ band of brothers component which meant “world domination”. Let’s set the world afire.

Who would you say are your influences?
The band really draws from all different types of music. Iggy and the Stooges, Cheap Trick, Social Distortion, Danzig, GNR. There’s so many. We love metal, 70’s punk, 70’s hard rock and rockabilly.

What is the punk scene like in New York City?
It’s really changed a bunch in the last five years. A bunch of venues we used to see bands at have closed down and we lost our stomping grounds around the Lower East Side. It’s cleaned up and become more of a “hip college” area.

Describe the song writing process...
It can really happen a few different ways with us. A lot of the times someone will come up with a great riff and we just jam it out. Sometimes words will just kind of come to me, or I have some words written down that the melody inspired me to remember. Sometimes me and Squeeze get together and work a new idea out acoustically first before showing the rest of the band. The song can take on a life of its own depending on our mood. The creative process is an adventure.

You released a self-titled release, tell us about the EP…
It was probably one of the greatest feelings to hold our EP in my hands. Up to that point we were struggling so hard to put out a product with other producers at other studios and our morale was pretty low because we couldn’t get what we wanted. Eventually Dave Caggiano came to our rescue and recorded what eventually became the self-titled EP.

What have you released?
Since we released our EP we have released two new songs “All For Nothing” and “Walking Dead”. We also released a video for “All For Nothing”, which was so fulfilling. Also the band is about to start pre-
production on two more songs and will most likely put out another EP in January 2012. In addition, we are looking to get another video out there, possibly for a new song we’re working on tentatively
titled “Be Mine”.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We have played shows with a lot of awesome bands. Rick Dick of the Casualties played our EP release show fronting his side band Kickstarts. We randomly opened up for Berlin maybe two summers ago.
They were awesome by the way. There is a lot of fantastic homegrown talent that we play with on a regular basis such as: Face The King, Machine Elves, Craving Strange, Revel9, Those Hated Hearts, Jett Blackk Heart Attack. On tour we played with some great bands to look for such as: Bright Light Social Hour, The Hard Way and A Silent Protest.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
It really depends. Obviously playing big venues is a rush and totally fun to see a sea of people you don’t recognize singing your lyrics. The smaller venues are obviously more intimate, intense and in your face, which I like. I guess it comes down to I prefer the place where the energy is at.

Have you toured?
Yes and we really have had the time of our lives. We have done two tours since we started the band. We have gone as far up as Maine and as South as Savannah, Georgia. We have played to some huge crowds in packed clubs. We have also played crazy bars where there haven’t been as many people, but we end up hanging with them until sunrise and later pass out on someone’s armchair. We have met some of the greatest people. The next tour we are really looking to go nationwide and give it a real kick
in the pants.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
There are a bunch of bands we REALLY love playing with. I would have to say we love to play with this band “The Machine Elves”. Our crowds really get along and we’ve become a little family. Their performance is amazing, fun, and “smarmy” as the lead singer Joey Calveri. We also really love playing with The Hard Way, Revel 9, Face The King, The Say and Craving Strange. Revel 9 has some songs that are so awesome it hurts.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
It’s a toss up. We love playing Atlantic City, at venues that this awesome rocker chick promoter, Lauren Fearless, puts in place. The bands that play her shows are always LOUD AND ROCKIN and so are the people that show up. It’s always just a kick back time with non- stop good time with good tunes and entertainment. We also love playing Legendary Dobbs in Philly. It’s a really great club with killer sound. Philly has a cool music scene, great people, and some seriously good food. At home our former love before closing was DJ Riders. What ridiculous times we had there. Now our home base would be Jugs N Strokers on Long Island. We just had a spooky rock Halloween show there.

What do you see is the future of Midnight Mob?
Besides world domination, I see….well world domination.

How can people contact the band?
Website: www.MidnightMob.com - Link to our social networks are found here
Fan Questions & General Info: www.MidnightMob.fanbridge.com
Email: jointhemidnightmob@gmail.com
KICK IT DEATHPROOF!!!!

Coffin Flag New Interview

2012-02-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

Coffin Flag is a newer punk band out of Kentucky. They have a great song on Reverbnation and are currently working on more songs. They have been a side project of Rex84. As for live shows they are still looking for venues. I got Chris to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
This is chris of coffin flag..... I play guitar for the group romie sings and plays bass and Steve Asher is our drummer producer and recording engineer...

Who would you say are your influences?
We get our influences from metal... Sabbath, Motorhead, Slayer, etc...

What is the punk scene like in Kentucky?
The punk and metal scene in KY isn't like it used to be it used to be huge but has since fuckered out... Sucks too there were some good bands out there and there still are ...

Describe the song writing process...
We keep it simple and groovy like the earlier shit of the late 70s early 80s nwobhm type stuff...

What have you released?
We have a song called instigator baby on reverbnation.com... Other than that we don't have anything released yet...

Have you toured?
We haven't done any touring or shows yet but that is a goal of ours... eventually...

What do you see is the future of Coffin Flag?
we really are focusing on recording and writing right now... But check back laterz and we may be kickin some more ass...

Smash the State New Interview

2012-02-11T01:46:00.000-07:00

Smash the State are an amazing punk/hardcore band out of Kansas City. They have a great live set and have shared the stage with some awesome punk bands. Have a great EP out and have appeared on some comps. They have yet to tour, but who knows. I got Matt to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
We are a punk rock/hardcore band from Kansas City. Dustin Bigelow and Thad Nugent (guitars), Matt Warriner (bass), Mike Yeager(vox), and Josh Smithey ( drums). Mike, Josh, and Thad are not able to make it today.

How did the band start?
In December of 2009, at the bar. Most of us have been in previous bands together, or just know each other from the scene. We had this idea to bring back some 80's hardcore, but it evolved. Every member had different roots to pull from, whether it was political punk, to death metal, the ball kept rolling.

How did you come up with the name?
Smash the State is an old anarchist slogan. Whether it be physically, or mentally, life just needs to be tested. Don't trust the teachers, don't trust the government. Watch out for religion that preaches theirs is the only way. You are only ignorant if you refuse to educate yourself.

Who would you say are your influences?
Bad Brains, Propagandhi, Bouncing Souls, Rancid, Choking Victim, to name a few. As long as the song makes you want to dance around and either punch somebody or go get a drink and sing along. One thing we pride ourselves in is that we do not stick to just one genre. Sometimes the riffs take more of a melodic side, while at times Mike will throw in some death metal screams. It allows us to be more creative and not so repetitive. Oh yes, and whiskey,beer and smoke.

What is the punk scene like in Kansas City?
Small but rabid and growing by the minute. Kansas City is a big place so there are many places to play, Lawrence Kansas is only a 30 min. drive as well. There are house parties, warehouses, bars, and little hole in the walls. The bands are all very dedicated to the local scene as well. If you go to any show there is a guarantee you will either see someone you know, or make some new friends.

Describe the song writing process...
I hate to sound kinda boring here but one of us just comes up with a riff, and the rest of us follow. Once we get down all of our parts, then we like to throw our own influences into it. The other band members will let you know if it works or not, and nobody gets mad at suggestions. Everybody being open minded is another thing we enjoy, depending on how much whiskey is being drank at the time.

What have you released?
We have a self released E.P. - Just the Tip that you can download at one of our myspace/reverbnation sites, as well been featured on a couple of compilations featuring local as well as national bands. We should have a full length out by late spring assuming everyone can stay out of jail or still has jobs.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Luckily we have been able to disgrace the stage with the Dwarves, Nashville Pussy, Nothington, The Riot Before, Kevin Seconds, tons of our favorite local bands, Bent Left, Bombs Over Broadway, and Hipshot Killer to name a few. As a band we like to play as many shows as possible, at as many places as possible.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Small clubs and basements are preferred. There is nothing like looking right into the eyes of the person in front of you, giving them the microphone to sing along, smell the mix of sweat and abuse. When you are up on the big stage you feel separated from the people and you cant just reach out and touch some one.

Have you toured?
Due to some of our band members jobs, kids, and legal history, we haven't been able to tour as we would like. Just mostly playing shows around the Kansas City, Lawrence and a short stint in Denver. No matter where we play, we like to give people a show. In the spring of 2012 we should be touring the Midwest to Chicago, Saint Louis, Des Moines, and more.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Not in particular. We have played numerous shows with Bombs Over Broadway, Hipshot Killer, and The Rackatees, but all of the local bands here are great people to play with. Not only that but everyone is always down to either let you borrow gear if yours is fucked, or buy you a drink and get you fucked up. Its like a big half brain dead family where mostly everyone gets along.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Club Mustache. Its a local bands(Bent Left) venue/practice/show place in the basement of their house. Donations only, all ages, they have a drink called "fuck punch", you cant ask for better. On a good friday night in the summer you can barley breathe between the bodies and smoke. Also it is not a publicized place so you didn't hear it from me!

What do you see is the future of Smash the State?
Hopefully touring, making noise, and continuing the debauchery that has happened the past year. We will not slow down and continue to bring our songs about corporate greed and the continued ignorance of the American people. Also I can see lots of whiskey and beer in the very near future. We like to take our selves seriously, but not too seriously.

How can people contact the band?
The best way is to visit us at our Facebook, but we have a MySpace and a Reverbnation account as well. Sometimes we get lazy and forget for a while, but we do write back and we definitely like to party. So either just send us some hate mail, booze, or drugs, and we will be grateful for you thinking of us.
www.facebook.com/smashthestatekc
www.reverbnation.com/smashthestatekc
or email us at
smashthestatekc@gmail.com

21 Stories New Interview

2012-02-11T00:40:00.003-07:00

Out of Austria, 21 Stories is an amazing punk band. They have released a few intense EPs with an album on the way. They have toured almost all of Eastern Europe. They also have an awesome live set and have shared the stage some of the Legends of punk rock. I got the band to tell their story...

How did the band start?

The band started to play the first shows in 2008, since 2011 in the actual line-up: Pete (22,lead voc.,lead guitar), Andi (23,bass, back.voc.), Klaus (20,drums), Martin (25,guitar, back.voc.).

How did you come up with the name?

Actually the name came up as a reference to Douglas Adam's "Hichhikers Guide Through The Galaxy", where a super-computer found out that the answer of all questions in the universe is 42 - we think we have already found half of the truth about the sense of life (which is for us making music), so there's the "21"! "stories" is just a word which sounds good to us;)

Who would you say are your influences?

Our biggest influences are definitely bands like MxPx, Far From Finished, Time Again and The Briggs, but also many other bands we listen to! Generally speaking: hearing good punk rock music is what makes us wanna do the same thing.

What was the punk scene like in Austria?

Punk scene in Austria has definitely seen better days...It's hard for young bands to get good shows and it's also hard for us to set up shows for other bands (Pete and Andi are working for Carnage Punk Rock, a label/booking agency operating all over France, Austria, Germany and Czech Republic). We are trying to bring back punk rock to the people, try to make them going to the shows - and we hope there will be better days for punk rock music soon here!

Describe the song writing process...

The songwriting process is never the same, but usually Pete makes the music and some lyrics, and Andi brings the most lyircs for the songs - in the rehearsals and recording sessions the songs get changed of course, cause everybody brings his inputs.

What have you released?

We have released some DIY-EP's in the past with the old band-line-up. In April 2011 we entered the studio to record our Debut-LP - after 6 months of hard work the 12-track-album "A Bullet For The Union" is finished and about to be released soon via Carnage Records in cooperation with a german label (which we don't want to name yet, before everything is not confirmed 100%)!

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?

We played many shows and even toured together with Bands we really like, such as Far From Finished, The U.S. Bombs, The Grit, Radio Dead Ones, Cockney Rejects, Rat City Riot, Heideroosjes, Angel City Outcasts, Reno Divorce, Have Nots, TwoPointEight and many more...just to name a few!

Have you toured?

Yes, we've toured Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and other countries in Eastern Europe - usually we do these tours together with friends of us like the Barroom Heroes (GER), Radio Dead Ones (GER), The Forum Walters (AUT) or Tommy Gun (AUT). For 2012 we plan to tour Germany again, Italy and France, and do some festivals in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.

Do you prefer small clubs or large venues?

Usually we play in little clubs and we like that pretty much, cause it's very familiar and you are close to the crowd, but we definitely also enjoy playing big stages (festivals,...) of course;).

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?

-Well, we've played a lot of cool places so far, but if i'd have to name some there is the Arena in Vienna, which we all love! We live in Vienna, so we attend lots of shows there to see other bands and enjoy every show we play there as well! But i also remember one show in Romania, it was in Cluj-Napoca where all the people were partying so fuckin' hard with us and made this evening really great for us!!! Another cool show was in Czech Rep., near Prague where it was pretty much the same...

So it's hard to say if there's a favourite venue, but there are some where we enjoy a lot thinking back the time he've had there.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?

Mmmmmhh...yes, there are a few bands which are really close friends and we enjoy every single show playing with them. Brain Shake (FRA), Barroom Heroes (GER), Radio Dead Ones (GER), The Forum Walters (AUT), Tommy Gun (AUT),... But we really have to say: There has never been a band we didn't like to play with, so far we got together pretty good with all the other bands we shared stage with!

What do you see is the future of 21 Stories?

Well, in the future we see us headlining the biggest festivals in the world, with support bands like Social Distortion, Bad Religion and Cock Sparrer, thaha!!! No, seriously, it's hard to say. We just keep on working on our music, tour as much as we can and play as many shows as possible. When our album is released we will hit the road again and rock those asses, waitin' for us in the venues all over the world...

How can people contact the band?

If you want to step in contact with us, just write us a mail: 21stories@gmx.at we read and try to answer every mail! You can also contact us via carnage.punkrock@gmx.at, carnageconcerts@gmail.com, carnage.shows@gmail.com and of course you can find us on facebook, myspace and all those other social networks!

La Vasa New Interview

2012-02-11T00:02:00.002-07:00

Blowing up Santa Barbara, La Vasa is an awesome punk band. They have a great live set and have shared the stage with some of California's punk legends. They have limited tour experience have an album soon to be released. I got Don to tell there story, he also added a breif bio...

Bio: La Vasa! was born in Santa Barbara in late 2009 as an unhealthy male punk band weighing in over 500lbs of muscle and beer. At first this new baby of a band had no name and was even forced to perform multiple shows without a name to it's own. So sad. Now with a name and shows under their belt, this group of rebellious heathens formed from bands such as The Irritants, Surrounded By Assholes, Silent Meow, Forgainst It, and Trite, are ready to punch your earhole with energy the likes of which have never been felt. When La Vasa! is near your hair will stand on end, toenails will rot, knees will explode, mouth will go dry, and a new sense of certainty that everything is not okay will take over or something like that. Bringing back old school brutal punk tracks that are needed more than ever, La Vasa! is here...

Introduce yourself…
I'm Don Jebleone the rythm guitarist and singer.

How did the band start?
I had a bunch of songs that I wrote and put an ad out on Craigslist for people who were into playing punk rock. I got the bassist (Patrick) first and after a month or so we got a drummer (Llama). We actually played a show in Las Vegas about 3 weeks after first forming the band, but under a different name. We searched for months for a lead guitarist and finally found Marcus randomly through Craigslist as well.

How did you come up with the name?
We could not decide on a band name. Nothing was original and we had played a few shows under the name Trite, but no one liked it. One day while drinking with a Swedish friend of mine he told me about the Wasa (pronounced Vasa) a Swedish warship that sank during its maiden voyage in the 1600's. It was pulled up in the 60's and they built a museum around it that is still there today. We slapped a La in front of the Vasa cause it was more fun to say and ¡La Vasa! was born.

Who would you say are your influences?
My main influences are Leftover Crack, Star Fucking Hipsters, Misfits, No Cash, Pour Habit, and Hot Water Music just to name a few of the bands I was listening to a lot when I wrote this album. Llama is really into The Dwarves and Michael Jackson, Patrick listens to reggae mostly and Fat Wreck bands and Marcus listens to metal and hardcore mainly and we force feed him punk rock CDs as much as possible.

What is the punk scene like in Santa Barbara?
Punk scene here in Santa Barbara is decent in my opinion. I come from a small town in Florida where we would have to drive an hour to see good bands play. We get a lot of headlining bands that stop through here on their way to either LA or northern California. As well as a lot of great bands that are from here. If you ask people around town though they will tell you it's not as good as it once was. Which I think is probably true anywhere you go.

Describe the song writing process...
Usually I will come up with a melody or a guitar riff and expand it into a few different ideas or parts. I bring it to the rest of the band and each person comes up with their own parts or will change what I've done completely. More and more now that we've been playing for awhile the other guys are coming up with parts for new songs that we as a band are writing together, so it's making our new material different from what we started with. We are all excited with the direction that the new music is going.

What have you released?
We are getting ready to release our first album called "Built to Sink" on Corporate Nightmare. Hopefully, we will be announcing that date soon! For now we have a couple of songs available online.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We've been fortunate to play with a lot of great bands this last year. Some of the more notable ones are: Agent Orange, Pour Habit, Angry Samoans, The Dickies, Mad Caddies, Reagan Youth and most recently Voodoo Glow Skulls.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
I guess like most bands we like to play bigger venues that have good sound systems, but that being said some of the best shows we've played are in the backyard of some random house in Isla Vista, or next to a half pipe, or at the Double Down in Vegas. It's not so much the place, but the "vibe" and how the crowd responds to your music.

Have you toured?
We did a tour last January for a few weeks and a couple of weekend road trips to the Bay Area, etc... But nothing substantial yet. We are talking about doing an East Coast tour early next year.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We've played with so many great bands recently it's hard to pick just one or two, but I would have to say I personally like playing with the Caddies, SnakeFist, SwampcocK and Pour Habit. Not only cause I like their music but because they are easy going and enjoy drinking about as much as we do.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
If we're playing in Santa Barbara I always like Soho music club for their great sound system, but playing anywhere in IV is always cool cause the UCSB students throw down (and throw up).

What do you see is the future of La Vasa?
Not really sure where this band is headed. All I know is that we've got our first album being released in about a month, we're in the process of writing new songs, many cool shows being lined up and many more beers to be drunk.

How can people contact the band?
Reverbnation.com/lavasa
Facebook.com/lavasamusic
Purevolume.com/lavasa
Lavasa.bandcamp.com
Twitter.com/lavasa
And everywhere else.... Even myspace.

Twitch Angry New Interview

2012-02-10T23:04:00.001-07:00

Twitch Angry is an awesome punk band out of Sacremento. They have an awesome live set and have shared the stage with some of the OC most legendary punk bands. They have some touring experience. They have also released an incredible album. I got Twitch to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
Hello I am Twitch Angry.

How did the band start?
Well I had a dream... Lol, ok I stole that from martin Luther king... Well after the H.I.P.A,-CHRISTIANS broke up in the 80's I Quit listening to everything even the radio, didn't have one CD. Musically dysfunctional... I just wrote... I wrote 6 albums the one that is out now Twitch Angry is the first of six... So I was busting gear for the Fryed Brother band (there a hard core biker country music band) and I was coming back to sac on there tour bus from Oakland, and I started spitting some lyrics out and humming the tune and he told me that the shit was great I should start jamming... But he also got me hooked on fishing and i had this bass boat and see this big ass yacht,and I looked at it and said fuck this I want it and hustling and selling drugs ain't going to get me there... I know I'll put a band together go to the big show and buy this yacht... So the band was put together so I can get a yacht so I don't have to freeze my ass of fishing... In short... Oh I met the owner and he said he would sell it to me for 600,000 which is a fair price...

How did you come up with the name?
That's an easy one... It's my name... Twitch Angry, twitch cause I'm hyper Ritalin style and angry cause I am naturally pissed off 24 7 even in my sleep my wife will verify. That. And no I didn't name my self,I was named by elders... I ain't a lame...

Who would you say are your influences?
The Fryed Brother have and still are a big Influence on me... I have done everything they have told and taught me and owe a lot to Harry and Tommy Fryed and Doug,warren ,and yes bobby there drummer has even gave me some heads up knowledge for the road ,that band tours 24/7 that's what its about touring how can you destroy America sitting at home.

What is the punk scene like in Sacramento?
Shit it's ok depending on who's coming through there have been some really good pit action here and there ,if you see my official murder video and the rag video on YouTube you will see some good pit action ,we really can stir shit up, and I have been slam DANCING for 30 years, broke alot of bones at shows, been stabbed at some shows in the pit, that was all in S.F though, where I was spawned... I really love the whole scene, I've slammed danced gangloads of times at Fear, MDC, Total Chaos, D.I., Agent Orange, DRI shows now I play with them it's pretty trippy to be playing with the bands i would go out and give my soul to night after night and run a hospital bill up for my mom to have to deal with... Thanx Mom... I would lock your door tonight if I was you... Mom... LOL

Describe the song writing process...
I'm really deep, so if you want to know I'll tell ya... Something pisses me off or gets my attention I right about it... I hear the tune in my head then I see the video in my head then i right about what I saw... I also see nothing butt numbers and musical notes and letters all over the place it could really be uh interesting actually lets just call it a curse... And can you believe I don't get an ssi check. Fuck I'm not even human... I'm just the pilot driving this monkey suit... The gate was left open and now this world is my play ground... Murder is fun... Check my murder video out it was labeled disturbing by Rich Mouser where we recorded our album in Pasadena and Capital records, I think there actual words were... Twitch Angry's a fucking lunatic and he will be blackballed... Yet here I am ranked #1 in Sac on reverb, top 60 in the country and 130 or so world wide, 16,000 plays a day, and fans in the four corners of the earth... And yes sporting the Fuck all cops tatted on the side of my head selling the shit out of my F.A.C shirts with 2 middle fingers... Double fuck you coopers... Yea see... Take my skate board again see ... And I'll have to put one in ya see... Lol that was my gangster impression buggsy... Prohibition shit.

You released 'Nothing Nice', tell us about the album...
Is not released yet but I promise you it is way stronger then the first album, double standards, 211 with a 187, life's just a battle, and the next album CALLED ROTTEN TO THE CORE just kills that with the huge song of mine Hey look at me... HEY LOOK AT ME... I GOT HORNS FUCK THE BADGE AND THERE UNIFORM' THEY LIVE A LIFE OF TOTAL SCORN, THEY GOT NO CHANCE TO BE REFORMED...

What else have you released?
I have released the first album I'm just waiting either to get picked up by a label or run into some backing, fuck a drug cartel, growers, fucking mafia, I don't really care who, they just better have balls cause I do not play well with others, the plan is twitch angry #1 number 2 nothing nice, #3 rotten to the core, #4 fuck you America you fucking made me #5 Save a child fuck a priest... That's one of my personal favorites... AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST if I ain't assassinated by our friendly neighborhood police, F.B.I. or any local law enforcement I OWN THE WORLD... Then your all on your own cause, I'll be heading back home... Fucking cant wait... To fullfill my destiny and get the fuck out of here... So let's everyone out there help push my ass to the top, listen to my stuff, don't categorize me I'm not punk enough not metal enough not hard enough, just give it a chance listen to my message, I'm rewriting the bible, songs like don't need love to fuck, fuck you in the neck, the rag murder, I'm on your side, I'm on your team your not twitch angry fans, your Twitch Angry's friend's, I'm about the ghettos and street life, I will start the revolution if you let me, before this country takes everylast thing from us even our music...

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
I have opened for bands such as Rehab, Total Chaos, MDC, Fear, Agent Orange, D.I., Death Angel, fucking noise attack from o.c. there fucking fun, the Insurgence there hell of fun George fucking prick Lynch from Dokken, shit we played over 200 shows last year... There's a ton more...

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Doesn't matter the pits are fucking ragging no matter where we play but seriously I think over 100,00 plus is where I would feel right at home with those numbers I'm sure I could trigger a nice size riot cop cars turned over and burned you know plain simple adulterated fun...

Have you toured?
Yes we had to cut this years tour off short cause of my lame ass guitar player cut out in New Mexico for his girl, in my book there is no reason good enough to not terrorize America, huh when we got back i put out my first official video murder and i load a shot gun and then it goes to this envelope that has $50,000 on it i pull out this band pic of us and he DARIN STANNER OR MANSON what i called him i put a red x on his face then the next scene i shoot the shot gun and the next scene I'm dragging a body stuffed in a bag and dump it on the side of a road and drop kick it... The next day he fucking slashed all four of my wifes tires on her car... Someone I know was there when he saw it... He flipped out... Fuck him anyways he is a disgrace to any music scene hell music alone for that matter... one time our bass player max volume's grandson yea thats right gram pa max, was rushed to the hospital ,and max got the call and wanted to leave and cancel the show... I said check this out weather your there at the hospital or not, it will make no difference weather the kid lives or dies, you have no control, you want to be pissed, be pissed at god not me cause were playing the show... Well we played the show... we have played in about 8 states give or take but I am hitting 48 states next year summer for sure ...

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Like I said I love slam dancing so the meat men, fear, agent orange, M.D.C., D.R.I., Total Chaos, Slayer. Would love to play with Social Distortion, so any of those bands I would love to do a U.S. or world tour with for sure

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Yes there is any club on the road i love touring ,i love going to city's and hanging out ..i guarantee i will not disappoint no matter what you think ,or how you class us ..you see us live i will promise you this you will dance your ass of cause were that heavy of a vibe that will suck the violence right out of you check our videos out ..those pits are not staged they just simply can't reisist that backward down drum beat..its bloody fucking evil..nl..nl means not laughing....

What do you see is the future of Twitch Angry?
Total dominance of the world destruction is eminent ..and i wont disappoint i'll probably OD on a heroin overdose ,or die in a plane crash,or get shot on stage,or hit by a plane ,but i wont and cant kill my self ,its against the rules ....

How can people contact the band?
http://www.reverbnation.com/twitchangry66613
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Twitch-Angry/146610818721592?v=app_2405167945
Twitch Angry@yahoo.com

the Crusaders New Interview

2012-02-10T22:28:00.001-07:00

Blasting out of Germany, the Crusaders are an awesome street-punk/oi! band. They have an amazing live set and have done shows with some of punks legendary bands. They really haven't had a proper tour, but they have 4 amazing albums and a 5th on the way. I got Thorsten to tell their story...

Introduce Yourself...
Hi, I’m Thorsten, a 39-year-old Skinhead and I’m working as a teacher. I’m the lead singer of the Crusaders – a Dresden/Germany based Oi!/ streetpunk band and I’ve been in the scene for about 20 years. In the 90ies I used to write for a fanzine in Dresden and meanwhile I published one novel, called ‘Teenage Kicks’ and another one is in the pipeline.

How did the band start?
The band started in 1998 when I started writing English lyrics for a friend’s band but they insisted on singing in German. So Timo – our guitar player – and I decided to have a go on our own and started the Crusaders. After some time we found some mates who could play bass and the drums and finally our first line-up was completed in 1999 and with it we recorded our first CD ‘In Search of the holy grail’. After it we had several changes but with the second line-up we recorded ‘Crusade to nowhere’ and ‘The Anger Inside’ and except of the bass player also ‘Throwing down the Gauntlet’ in 2009. However, the recording was our last cooperation. After it took us two years to find new people for the band but now the band is complete again with me (voc), Timo (guit), Flori (dr) and Gessi (bass).

How did you come up with the name?
Actually, I suggested ‘Nobody’s Fools’ but for some reason Timo came up with Crusaders, a name he had read somewhere and in the end it stuck. However, we have no real connection to the crusades or the Templar order – it was just a name that sounded great.

Who would you say are your influences?
I guess it is a wide range – obviously Oi! , Punk and HC are the first things that come to my mind. We have been listening to bands like CockSparrer, Last resort, the Clash, Guitar Gangsters or Agnostic Front for years but also artist like Johnny Cash might have had an influence on us. In the end we/ I like to play powerful, aggressive Oi! music which still has a nice tune underneath. So the ‘typical’ German Oi! with gruffy vocals and the like is not really our cup of tea.

What is the punk scene like in Dresden?
To be honest – I don’t know really, since I’m a skinhead and I’ve been living in Berlin since 2001. Nevertheless, from what I see at some of the concerts I attended in Dresden the scene seems to be quite healthy even though the beginning of the millennium saw a decrease in people and events, which might also answer your next question. However, there are some good clubs in Dresden like the Chemo (Chemiefabrik) and some really great bands come from the city and the surrounding areas. You should check out Strongbow (they fucking rock), Cheap Stuff, High Society or the Eastside Boys. There are also a couple of shops for Punks and Skins as well a good number of gigs every month/week.

Describe the song writing process...
Actually it’s rather simple. Usually I write texts at home when I have an idea, so meanwhile I have about 60 songs waiting to be put to the music in my computer. Then, at a rehearsal, somebody comes up with a tune – I check which text goes with the rhythm and the general tone of the song and then we try if both sides can work together. In the course of several rehearsals we try to arrange everything – breaks, the drums, solo guitar, chorus … since we are not that busy it takes usually a while.

In 2006, you released 'the Anger Inside', tell us about the album...
12 songs which tell about things that bother us, that makes us angry but also some funny songs too. I really like the ballad ‘89’ which tells about the time when the wall came down. ‘I want a riot’ is also a great song I could recommend. I always find it difficult to say something about my own work so if you like you could add something. From a current point of view some songs could have been recorded slower and I’m not too happy with my singing at the first song.

Tell us about the 'Throwing Down the Gauntlet' album...
With some luck it will be released in December finally, after two years of waiting and stress and I think it will be our best album ever. Great choirs, great tunes, varied songs and good lyrics. Of course it is the typical mixture of aggressive and more melodic songs with the odd ballad or Ska-ish song in between. In difference to ‘The Anger Inside’ I won’t be that hectic as the last Cd was recorded too fast. Really, I think you will like it.

What else have you released?
We released: In Search of the Holy Grail (2001) CD
Crusade to Nowhere (2003) CD/LP
The Anger Inside (2006) CD/LP
Zurück in die Zukunft 7” Split with German Oi! legend Vortex and took part in two compilations ‚Waffenbrüder‘ a tribute to OHL and a tribute to the Templars by a Russian guy.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We’ve played with several kinds of bands like Ruckers, Skinflicks, Grubby Things, Frontkick, Operace Artaban, FBI, BDK, Towerblocks … too many to mention.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Of course it is impressing to play in front of a large crow in a big venue but I think we’re rather a band for smaller clubs and since we are not that well know it makes more sense to play there. Also smaller gigs are more personal, you don’t drown in the huge mass of other bands like at festivals and it’s in general more fun.

Have you toured?
Not really – my job doesn’t allow big tours and the band is really just a hobby and nothing more. To be honest I’m not too keen on the tour stress. Yet, the odd weekend with two kicks we’ve played.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Of course the big bands – I would like to share a stage with Sparrer above all but also with Last Resort, The Guitar Gangsters, Warrior Kids or Stomper 98 for example. But you never know if the the ‘big’ stars are cool or arrogant bastards, so … we’ll see.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Hard to say. I really would like to play in England one day or the Wild at Heart in Berlin.

What do you see is the future of the Crusaders?
I think we will never be ‘big’ since we don’t put too much effort in the band. We will carry on with gigging now and then, have one or two rehearsals a month and hopefully continue producing records. Of course it would be great if we become better known and liked and had more offers for gigs but as I said it’s a hobby.

How can people contact the band?
By writing would be the easiest way - either contact us directly via e-mail (band@crusaders-dresden.de) or through the net. We have a facebook account and a myspace account and if you can’t find us there get in contact with Randale-Records our label.

The Quintessentials New Interview

2012-02-09T03:52:00.002-07:00

The Quintessentials (that's a tounge twister) are a really great punk band now located in Oregon via Hawaii. They actually put on a great show and fit right in with the Northwest. They have four and a half great albums out. Four studio and one live album and a fifth on the way. They have played shows with some of the West Coast's punk legends and have yet do a major tour. I got Les to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
I'm Les Hernandez and I'm the band's founder and songwriter. I'm on guitar and lead vocals.

How did the band start?
In the early to mid 1990s I was in a fairly well-known Pop-Punk band called The Catalogs and had another, more straight forward Punk Rock project called Crawling Chaos. When those projects ended, I kept my songs and in 1998 started The Quintessentials--sort of as a Satanic/Horror themed cross between my two former bands.

How did you come up with the name?
I had originally named the band The Products, but quickly found out that the name was already taken. "The Quintessentials" had a certain ring to it, "quintessence" meaning the most important part of something or its main essence. In magic and alchemy there are five elements or essences: earth, air, fire and water, plus a fifth. Some white-light traditions hold this to be "spirit," but in the Left Hand Path "spirit doesn't exist, as it is al carnal. So, this fifth essence is seen as the Dark Force in Nature which is the creative and destructive force, binding everything together and pushing it forward. Some call this quintessence the "Black Flame" or "Satan."

Who would you say are your influences?
Bands like the Ramones, the Rezillos, Screeching Weasel--a lot of the early Lookout! Records and Mutant Pop stuff and the old '77 sound, as far as music. As far as content, the writings of Anton LaVey, Horror books and movies--H.P. Lovecraft is a favorite! Just about anything creepy or fun.

What is the punk scene like in Oregon?
The band started out in Hawaii, so when we relocated and reformed in Oregon in 2006 it was way different. A lot of crust punks there. There are tons of venues and shows just about every night, but not enough people going out to them. I never experienced a large Punk scene there. We certainly drew better crowds in Washington and Utah.

Describe the song writing process...
It varies. Sometimes I'll read a story and get inspired--or see a movie I'll become mildly obsessed with and have to write a song about it. Some songs are more serious, like those inspired by Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan. That's something I take very seriously, so of course it's going to come through in my lyrics. Every now and then I'll just dream a song and have to learn how to play it as soon as I wake up. Other times it could start out as a complete joke that I just have to see through to completion.

What have you released?
We've released four albums and one live digital e.p.--the e.p. is only available through our bandcamp site. We're completing our 5th album, "Realm of the Great Old Ones," right now. We've been on quite a bit of compilations on several labels as well.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We've played with everyone from Tsunami Bomb and Bratmobile to the Dwarves, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Bad Religion and Blink 182. Hell, we even played with L.A. Guns! One of the strangest combinations was when we played the Crypticon Horror convention in Seattle with Reggie Bannister's band. Reggie, for those who aren't very into Horror films, was in the Phantasm series of movies. Tons of celebrities were there, but the promoter didn't advertise, so no punks showed up. There was still a decent crowd and we had a lot of fun that night.

Have you toured?
Nothing major yet, but if the opportunity presents itself and we feel it'll be worth it, we'll jump on it. We've played Seattle, Everette, Salt Lake City, Salem and Portland. We were scheduled to play a venue called The Grail once in Couer d'Alene, Idaho, but the promoter dicked us and not only didn't book any other bands, but didn't advertise or even show up--and that was driving 100 miles out of our way headed to play Utah from Portland, Oregon. Something I'll personally never do again.

Do you prefer small clubs or large venues?
I like them both. We've played everything from tiny hole-in-the-wall bars to arenas with 8,000 screaming fans. It's always fun as long as people are there having a good time with you. Portland has a lot of shows where the only people you're playing for are members of other bands on the same bill, and they're only waiting for their set so they can leave. That kind of thing just makes you not want to be there.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Not particularly. I just like playing with bands that are similar in genre--folks I can have a beer with and sort of relate to makes it more fun.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Not necessarily a favorite place, but I can tell you that I do prefer playing all-ages shows where I can still enjoy a beer. I don't really like playing 21 and over shows because it seems like the energy is all gone and everyone's trying to act like and adult and just watch instead of having fun and being a little crazy. I mean, this is Punk Rock, not that pretentious acoustic hipster shit.

What do you see is the future of the Quintessentials?
Once this album is done, more shows and hopefully more albums. I have a shit ton of songs I'm dying to record, so The Quintessentials aren't stopping for quite a while. Hell we've been at it for what, 14 years now? I think it's time we tour!

How can people contact the band?
They can reach us through our Contact link on our website, www.thequintessentials.com or through our www.facebook.com/TheQuintessentials or other social media we're on. Links are all on our website.

Two Fisted Law New Interview

2012-02-09T03:02:00.001-07:00

Two Fist Law is awesome punk band from Danbury, CT. The idea of the band is that fact that they are more then just a band, but fans themself. They have been together for 11 years. They have two awesome albums out one released in 2009 and the other just this week. Their live set is a crowd favorite and they have shared the stage with some of the East Coasts greatest punk bands. They have also played shows all over the East Coast. I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself...
Two Fisted Law is a punk band for punk fans by punk fans. Dating back to 2001 Two Fisted Law has been a part of the Northeast punk scene living in Dive Bars and all age venues for over a decade. Two Fisted Law is Jym Perrella- Vocals, Rick Foster- Guitar, Dave Haug- Bass, Matt Rosenzweig Drums and Kyle Trocolla- Guitar.

How did the band start?
Rick and Dave started Two Fisted Law back in 2001 both punk rock fans looking for an outlet they were introduced to each other by then Last Kid Picked singer (turned Two Fisted Law singer) Jym Perrella. Kyle Joined the band in 2005 after playing in other projects with Rick and Dave. Matt and Jym came on board in 2008 to cement what is now the permanent line up. The band has made a commitment to each other and to the music.

How did you come up with the name?
The name came from a 1930s John Wayne Western. A poster hanging in the practice room, then drummers basement which provided space and frequent minor electric shocks, was the inspiration for the name of the band.

Who would you say are your influences?
One of the things that makes this band unique is our diverse influence. We all grew up with different musical influences. Everything from 50s Rock and Roll like Buddy Holly to 80s Hardcore Punk bands 90s pop punk and ska and even some more modern punk and metal bands. What unites the bands taste is bands like Bad Religion, The Misfits, Nofx, Millencollin, and Social Distortion

What is the punk scene like in Danbury?
The music scene in Danbury as a whole has been a roller coaster over the years. The music has always been here and been great, in recent years stages have been hard to come by. Legendary Danbury music venue Cousin Larry's closed its doors a little over a year ago and is sorely missed by both local bands and touring bands a like. THe Heirloom Arts Theater is the one venue still holding strong here in Danbury. There are a lot of great punk bands here in Danbury ranging from every type of sound from pop punk to hardcore and thrash.

Describe the song writing process...
We have always written together very collaboratively, there is no one person who does any one part of the writing. Our songs usually start with guitar as the foundation for the format of the song and the lyrics are often written organically growing from the guitar lines. Our subject matter has run the gamut from drinking songs to political songs we write what we are feeling and experiencing at the time.

What have you released?
In 2009 we released our first full length album, United We Sit on Sling Slang Records. We just released our second full length this week, Late Nights and Bar Fights on Altercation Records. Along with this new release we have just shot a series of videos to accompany the record the first of which, May the Best Drunk Drive, is now available on BlankTV.com.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We have played with a ton of great bands from the Northeast, The Jukebox Romantics, American Pinup, Lost in Society, and Sad Plant to name just a few. We have also been fortunate enough to play with national acts like The Misfits, The Addicts, and The Toasters. One of the reasons we started a punk band was so that we could stop paying covers to go see bands we love so we have been living that dream for sure.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
We love playing shows, we will play any time any where. Our hearts still lie in smaller clubs, dive bars and the house shows that we grew up going to and playing at in our misspent youth.

Have you toured?
We have done a number of small tours up and down the east coast our first big tour will be this March when we head down the east coast and then out to Texas to play a bunch of shows at South by Southwest this year.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
There are a few bands we love to play with and have become very close friends with The Jukebox Romantics and Sad Plant are two bands right now that we love to watch so much that we play with them any chance we get.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Since Cousin Larry's closed here in Danbury the center of our Punk Rock Universe has become Snapper Magee's in Torrington CT. It completely captures everything we love about the scene, great people, great music, and a few cold drinks. This is a venue that only does punk rock and when a band is playing there is not a person sitting at the bar everyone is on their feet being part of the music.

What do you see is the future of Two Fisted Law?
We are just going to keep doing what we have always done, make music we love, meet awesome people and play with bands we love. Hooking up with Altercation Records has provided us with a lot of pretty awesome opportunities like SXSW and the videos we are releasing. We have no rock star aspirations we just want to keep being a part of the scene we fell in love with as young kids.

How can people contact the band?
www.reverbnation.com/twofistedlaw
www.facebook.com/twofistedlaw
www.twitter.com/twofistedlaw

Disgruntled Bastards New Interview

2012-02-09T02:46:00.001-07:00

Disgruntled Bastards are a fun punk band from Poplar Bluff, MO. I think they are an amazing testament to how far reaching the punk scene reallly is. They have a great live set and have so far shared the stage with only local bands, which is a very diverse set of bands from many genres. They have an awesome EP out and soon an LP to follow. I got Gregg to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
We are Disgruntled Bastards!!! We are a punk/rock band from
Poplar Bluff, MO. We consist of 5 awesome musicians:
Gregg Pearson: lead vocals
Captain J: lead-guitarist/backup vocals
Becko: bass guitar
Bastard Jack: rhythm guitar
Kyle Daniels: Drums/backup vocals
Interview wrote by, Gregg Pearson, lead vocals.

How did the band start?
Disgruntled Bastards was formed in the summer of 2010 with the
goal of obtaining free alcohol. Captain J and I decided to form a band that
would give us the freedom to have fun and not have to follow the typical
norm.

How did you come up with the name?
One sunny day Captain J and I were drinking beer and playing
guitar, Captain J suggested, Disgruntled Bastards, as the official name for
our project and it stuck, proving to be a honest extension of our
personalities. We first recruited Bastard Jack to play drums and then
recruited Becko for bass guitar. Later, with Captain J's overseas
deployment, I asked Bastard Jack to set in as lead-guitarist. I then
recruited Kyle to play the drums for the band during Captain J's absence.
Kyle turned out to be a great asset and earned his permanent place in
Disgruntled Bastards. With Captain J's expected return in October 2012
the full line-up will be back and ready to party with all of our Bastards!!!

Who would you say are your influences?
Our influences would most likely be: Social Distortion, Misfits,
Murderdolls, Dropkick Murphys, Ramones, and Sex Pistols. I'm sure there
are many more, but these are the ones that come to mind.

What is the punk scene like in Poplar Bluff?
There really isn't a punk scene here in Poplar Bluff, MO., but there is
a great local music scene that we are glad to be a part of. We have a wide
variety of genre's including: Death Metal, Rap, Country, and Rock, but I
believe we are the only punk/rock band in the immediate area.

Describe the song writing process...
Our song writing process starts with an idea, sometimes serious,
sometimes comical, then we throw a tune to it and if it fits, it fits. Lol! The
songs we have now are the by-products of Captain J and I, but recently we
have been toying with some awesome ideas and riffs that Bastard Jack
has been writing.

What have you released?
We have so far released a demo E.P., Hell Is All I Know, then we
released an early preview of the, One Hell Of A Day, L.P. Right now our,
One Hell Of A Day, album is being sold in local stores and will soon be
available via I-Tunes and other internet distributors. We are also planning
on returning to Underline Studios, for our second album, as soon as
Captain J returns.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We have had the pleasure of sharing a stage with a lot of great local
bands in the area and are looking forward to our next show where
Breaking The Fall and Fates Undertaking will be playing with us. Both
bands are awesome at what they do and we feel they will be a great
addition to our next show.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
We love small venues, the crowds are awesome and our fans are
great. We are planning some larger venues later this year in Memphis,
Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri. We feel that no matter how big or
small the venue might be, a Bastard crowd is still a Bastard crowd and that
makes it all worth it.

Have you toured?
We were planning a Southern Tour this year, but we have decided to
wait until Captain J returns. We feel that he should be here with us to
share in the opportunity, and help carry equipment. Lol!!!

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
A favorite band that we enjoy playing with? There are just too many
to really point out. We would love to share the stage with Social Distortion
some day, that would be outstanding!!!

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
We did have a favorite venue, Mainstreet Bar, here in Poplar Bluff,
Mo. They supported us when we first started and always welcomed us
when we played. The crowds were great and that's where our fan base,
commonly known as “the bastards” was first formed. Unfortunately, the
bar no longer exists, but we love all of the venues that put up with us. Lol!

Do you see is the future of Disgruntled Bastards?
No matter what happens in the future with us, we will always be
Disgruntled Bastards and continue having fun. Our hope is to someday
make it big, but I believe that is a dream for many bands. I guess as long
as we are happy and having fun doing what we love, we can't go wrong.

How can people contact the band?
Fans, booking agents, and others interested can contact us at:
www.disgruntledbastards.com or FaceBook, MySpace, Reverbnation,
SoundCloud, Twitter, and we have a couple of old videos on YouTube that
we shouldn't be judged by. Lmao!!!

the New Criminals New Interview

2012-02-09T01:58:00.002-07:00

the New Criminals are the lastest addition to Basement Records and are newer punk band out of Hollywood. There live set is amazing and they have many shared the stage with locals and a few bands on Basement. They have a great EP out and working on touring to support the EP. I got John and Adam to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
John Black: My name is John Black.
Adam Flask: Adam Flask

How did the band start?
Adam Flask: We were in a line up together. It was pretty
much like “Usual Suspects”.
John Black: The band started when we realized we could
do more damage as a group than we do individually.

How did you come up with the name?
John Black: Flask came up with the name.
Adam Flask: It took a while. It’s pretty hard to find an
original name these days. Basically, we’re criminals and the
band is new, hence… The New Criminals.

Who would you say are your influences?
Adam Flask: Too many to list really but some of my
personal favs are The Supersuckers, Social D, Screeching
Weasel and The Swingin’ Utters.
John Black: Crickets, Beatles and Spiders from mars.

What is the punk scene like in Hollywood?
John Black: The punk scene in Hollywood is as glamorous
as the transsexuals on Lexington. I enjoy the general
filthiness of Hollywood. I'm in it for the filth.
Adam Flask: Hollywood is nice and trashy, my kind of town.
L.A. has a great punk scene. You can see a killer show any
night of the week.

Describe the song writing process...
Adam Flask: I suppose we do it like most bands, you get a
riff in your head, start adding some vocal patterns and lyrics,
rob a liquor store and collaborate with the band on a tune.
John Black: The song writing process is: easy, rewarding,
impossible and infuriating all at once.

You released 'CRIME ALWAYS PAYS’; tell us about the EP...
John Black: Flask finished tracking all his drum parts in less
than two takes per song. He then sat in the studio eating chili
fries and talking shit until we had to record vocals. It was one
of the most inspiring things I have ever seen.
Adam Flask: We’re excited about it! It was a lot of fun to
record. It’s also the first piece of vinyl I’ve ever released.
John Black: Mine too.
Adam Flask: I have to say the record pressing companies
are the real criminals.

What else have you released?
John Black: Pheromones
Adam Flask: I’ve released a handful of albums with other
bands over the years but this is The New Criminals’ first
release. We’re already working on songs for a full length.
Hopefully we can get back in the studio soon.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
John Black: The Vice Five, a good band from Whittier; Civil
Satans, old friends of mine from Oceanside; Killing California
from San Clemente...we’re on the same label as Killing
California, they are good.
Adam Flask: Your Mom

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Adam Flask: The bigger the better.
John Black: Yes

Have you toured?
Adam Flask: We’ll be touring this summer for the first time.
Look out America.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Adam Flask: We recently played with Bobot Adrenaline in
Pasadena and they were amazing to see. They’re a really
talented band.
John Black: Yeah, Bobot rules.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Adam Flask: Not really, anywhere with a good sound
system and good people works for me.

What do you see is the future of the New Criminals?
John Black: The New Criminals are the future.
Adam Flask: John said it all…

How can people contact the band?
John Black: Go to Mar Vista Lanes Sunday nights,
the Down And Out on Monday nights or go to
thenewcriminals.com

Love Canal New Interview

2012-02-09T01:28:00.001-07:00

Love Canal is an amazing punk band from So Cal. They have been together for over 30 years. They have an amazing album out and have appeared on some great comps back in the day. The amazing thing is the fact they were a one point considered a Mystic Records band, although they just did the comps. The band has been spending more time the last decade or so with family and jobs, but they are coming back... I got Arab to tell their story...

Introduce yourself
Arab, Guitar player of Love Canal, Father, Husband and all around average joe.....

How did the band start?
Love Canal started out of the remains of two bands from Huntington Beach that had broken up, I was in The Rebellions with Louie Garcia (bass)and Bobby Bop (drums) and another guy named Greg Hill, it was Gregs band and he was leaning towards more of a Rockabilly thing which was getting pretty popular in 1980-81, the rest of us wanted to play straight up Punk Rock so we ventured out on our own, our first singer was Mike Ball the OG guitar player of Suicidal Tendencies, he was living in Huntington Beach with Tony Alva, they had a band called The Skoundrelz Mike played guitar in, Mike came to our first few practices and sang, we also had this girl Kristi McCracken whos sister was the original guitar player in Secret Hate that sat in with us a few times. Not long after The singer of The Skoundrelz (Mr. Kerry) who was also one of my oldest friends since 1970 left The Skoundrelz, so we asked him to play with us.

How did you come up with the name?
After Kerry joined we didnt have a name yet, we were just writing new tunes, once we realized this was going to be a band we needed a name, Kerry threw Love Canal out there with a handful of other names and I thought Love Canal sounded punk so that was it...... Some people think we got it from the Flipper song 'Love Canal", not the case....

Who would you say are your influences?
When the band first started the 70's had just passed, we all had grown up in the 60's and 70's and grew up listening to Rock and Roll, as a guitar player I liked Hendrix, Pete Townsend and Leslie West of Mountain, Punk was fresh and new and just a stripped down Rock and Roll without the makeup and long hair, I seen the Ramones in 1976 on their first tour of the U.S. at a local fair in Huntington Beach, they had played the infamous Golden Bear the night before, at first I just thought they were some biker band, the next year they came back and I seen them at The Goldenwest Ballroom in Norwalk with The Dogs and Vanhalen opening, it was all over from there on out, the next day I went out and got a leather jacket....... So, I guess the Ramones were the first real punk influence, The Pistols, Clash, Talking Heads, Pretenders, Damned, Buzzcocks, Devo followed and within the next year local bands were popping up every where that would influence us, The Crowd in Huntington, Weirdos in L.A. were two of my early favorites that we would go see.

What is the punk scene like in So Cal?
When it first started it was kinda odd, you had a mix of all kinds of freaks and geeks, jocks and what not, I was a pro skateboarder in the late 70's and the skaters were really the first ones to take punk and make it their own, pogoing and worming were followed by slam dancing that Jim Trash of The Crowd is credited with starting. bands were starting everywhere, O.C. had several of its own scenes happening, The Beach Punks in HB with The Crowd, TSOL, China White and The Vandals, then inland a little ways in Fullerton you had The Detours, Agent Orange, Social Distortion and The Adolescents. The bands brought with them a pretty bad element, in LA it was more of the art crowd doing the punk thing, in OC it was skateboarders, surfers and every other malcontent that was looking for an outlet or excuse to Fuck Shit Up......

Describe the song writing process...
I usually come up with a guitar part and Kerry would come up with the lyrics, then we all jam and arrange stuff till it seems it works, its punk, so theres not alot of thought that goes into it, 3 chords and its a song..... Now days everybody is contributing so we have a pretty good mix of styles and songs.

What have you released?
We did a bunch of Compilations in the early 80's, a few MYSTIC comps, one with M.I.A. and Decry on Insane Indistries, we put a full length L.P. out on National Trust Records that was home of The Vandals and M.I.A., We took a hiatus and everybody got married and had kids then Kerry and I got the band back together, Louie and Bobby coudnt do it so we recruited a few other people over the last 5 years, been writing new material and just recorded 18 songs, we have a 6 song sampler CD we been tossing around, and have a 7" coming out in a couple weeks with Hostage records that has a song called the Rotten Ones thats kinda of about growing up in H.B. and then we did a cover of The Big Boys "Not In It To Lose", we plan on releasing a full length album or CD this year if we can come up with the funds or get somebody to put it out for us.....

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
I been keeping a list of bands we have played with since we started, there is hundreds of bands, some of the more popular bands.....
X, Adolescents, TSOL, Black Flag, The Cult, FEAR, Circle Jerks, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, The Dickies, The Cramps, D.O.A., GBH, The Exploited, Vandals, Descendents, Youth Brigade, Kraut, Corrosion of Conformity, DRI, D.I. The Gears, Angry Samoans, The Crowd, Wasted Youth to name a couple handfuls......

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
I like both, we have been pretty fortunate to play some pretty big shows over the years, we played the legendary Olympic Auditorium 3 times, headlining it once for an Anti Nukes benefit and most recently played the Goldenvoice 30 year anniversary show at The Santa Monica Civic. I really dont care where we play big or small, I prefer all ages shows but those are harder to come by now days cause all the all ages clubs are drying up, 21+ shows are kind of a drag but sometimes thats all there is to do......

Have you toured?
We have only done Western States stuff, nowadays is even harder as we all have families and jobs, hopefully we can get to AZ and NV this year at least.....

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
TSOL is always fun, we are playing with them in a couple weeks with The Smut Peddlers and Shattered Faith which is gonna be a crazy show!!!!, I would love to play with The Damned or The Buzzcocks as they are 2 of my favorite bands.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
San Diego has always been alot of fun, but my favorite would just be an all ages show, the kids appreciate the music and they come just for that, 21+ shows seems people are just there to get drunk and be an ass.....

What do you see is the future of Love Canal?
If you would have asked me this same question when we started, I never would have guessed that 30 years later we would still be doing it, I love playing my guitar and making music.
Right now we have a great lineup, Warren Renfrow (Final Conflict, Cadillac Tramps, Manic Hispanic) played bass with us for a year, he had other comittments so Bob Gnarly(The Veins, No Crisis, Plain Wrap, Youth Brigade) took his place, James Lugo (China White, The Skewz) played drums for a couple years and quite so Carter Blitch is splitting time between us and JFA on drums and Carey Howe (Leatherwolf, 420 Coma) is playing guitar with me. these 3 guys are all amazing and come to the band with some heavy credentials, the song writing and playing has really stepped up a few notches and we went from just being kind of a joke band to taking it a little more serious. Hopefully we can milk a few more years out of it, theres not a huge demand for 50 year old guys playing in a punk band, but I think our music is holding its own.

How can people contact the band?
We have a Facebook page that we just recently put together: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Canal/200465053350440
I do most the booking and can be reached at lovecanal@live.com

Sky Rocket Jack New Interview

2012-02-08T21:54:00.003-07:00

Sky Rocket Jack are a fun SKA band from York. They like to have fun and SKA is the best genre for fun. They have a great live set and have shared the stage with some UK legends. They a great bunch of demos on the internet and at some point recorded and album. They also have a live recording on the BBC, wow! I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
We are Sky Rocket Jack, the silliest band in the whole world.

How did the band start?
The band came from the ashes of another York-based band that never gigged called "The Billingtons". We got Naomi to take over the bass and stuck Sim onto keyboard. Lewis played guitar in The Billingtons and his musical skills on guitar were needed for Sky Rocket Jack. Our drummer Miles came along later, as we played 2 gigs with another guy called Sam. Sam decided he wanted to return to his home planet, so he left the band. Miles stepped in to replace him in June of last year (2011). T'vocalist, Mr E, is the band's main songwriter and general ringmaster. It was his concept to form it from The Billingtons, which he played drums for. Naomi, the new bassist, persuaded him to become a frontman for Sky Rocket Jack. At least that's my understanding of it all anyway...

How did you come up with the name?
It was the nickname of a murderer in Americaworld. There was a professor called Jack (unsure of last name) who had an obsession with Fireworks, so his students called him "Sky Rocket Jack", as fireworks are called sky rockets in Americaworld. He then killed someone, and became famous. His nickname was lifted from a book about murderers and used for the band. It is a good name for a daft band.

Who would you say are your influences?
Now, this is a sticky subject. We should say The Aquabats, but we didn't know they actually existed until we played our first gig and someone said "You sound like an English version of The Aquabats", so we weren't really influenced by them as such. We took our influences from bands like Half Man Half Biscuit, The Dickies, Bad Manners, The Rezillos. Stuff like that. Not "first generation" punk and ska, but soon after that. We wanted to do something different that focused on positive subjects, unlike most punk which focuses on the negatives. The band was designed to be a way for people to escape the dullness of their everyday lives. That includes band members as well as people who come to see us.

What is the punk scene like in York?
Not bad. It's not as good as it used to be say 10 years ago when punk was massive in York. We're trying our hardest to bring it back. There are a few decent punk acts around other than ourselves, and just recently a few more have come forward, like the massive 11-piece ska band called "Prawnskas". I'd like to think that we had something to do with them making a band, but I doubt that we did. In terms of the fans, we tend to get a lot of people at our home shows. Every time we've done a gig, we've had more people come down than the last time we did one. We work with a pretty cool promotions company called "Botched Job Promotions" who somehow do all their gigs for free entry. This ensures that we always play to a big home crowd. Our headline York shows are exclusive to Botched Job Promotions.

Describe the song writing process...
Someone (usually Mr E or Lewis) provides a riff or two. The band then kicks the riff(s) about and stamps on them a bit, does a big wee all over them and there we have a freshly-made song. It's about everyone putting their own stamp on someone's primary idea. And their wee.

What have you released?
We've done a series of shoddy demos and a full test-album (with our old drummer...this was never released). Just recently, we have done a live recording for the BBC, and we are going on their unsigned show at the back end of March to do a live set. In the future, we have our first album coming out for real. It is called "This is a Compact Disc". It shall contain 7 of our songs and is being sold with our own comic book that we have had created for us. The comic book contains a wild story that involves all of our song titles in some way. This album has been totally funded by us. Very recently, we have completed our first record deal. We are putting out 2 of our songs on a pink 7" vinyl single. This is being released on TV's Over Records. It's due out sometime in May/June. If anyone wants a pre-oreder, please email info@skyrocketjack.co.uk

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We've played with some great bands in the short time we have been together. Some of the memorable ones were: TV Smith, K**t and The Gang, The Toasters, Luxury Stranger, Revenge of the Psychotronic Man and Geoffrey Oi!cott. We've also got some cracking gigs coming up, with the likes of Subway Sect, Garry Bushell and The Gonads, Punishment of Luxury and The Cravats.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
SMALL CLUBS! That's an easy one. We much prefer an intimate crowd to play to. You can get up close and personal. Big venues expect too much and are usually full of grown-ups.

Have you toured?
Not Yet. We have a tour booked for the back end of February. We're calling it the "You have to start somewhere" tour. We're doing 3 consecutive nights. Starting in Leeds on the 23rd, then York on the 24th, and finally Bradford on the 25th. We're worried about being away from our loved ones on this epic 72 hour stretch! I'm not even sure if we'll make it back alive...

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We like playing with The Vexed. Kingcrows are also good to play with as they are proper nice guys and share our DIY punk morals. Generally speaking, we'll play with anyone!

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Stereo in York. Whenever we gig there, the turnout is amazing! We also liked the show at The Adelphi in Ull. It was like playing in a youth club and the toilets were really nice.

Do you see is the future of SKy Rocket Jack?
We think it's a life band. We'll keep writing new songs, independently releasing new stuff and playing gigs until one of us dies. We're a very tight unit and it would therefore take a lot for one of us to leave.

How can people contact the band?
They can have a gander at our website: www.skyrocketjack.co.uk and then they can email us on info@skyrocketjack.co.uk PLEASE LOOK AT THE WEBSITE FIRST OR WE'LL SEND SIM TO PUT CRUSHED UP CHILLI DORITOS IN YOUR BED.

the Glass Heroes New Interview

2012-02-04T04:45:00.002-07:00

What makes a band punk rock legends? It is the fact that you've been together for more than 20 years? It's it the fact that you have shared the stage with almost every awesome punk band out there? Is it that you have released so many releases? Is it a combination of that plus the ability to stay together in a place where the scene disappears and re-appears in gaps of one to three years. The Glass Heroes are punk rock legends from Phoenix. What truly makes them legends is the fact that they have always stayed true. Fads and scenes come and go, but if you stay solid and never change your flag even in the roughest of times you become a true legend. In 20 years the band has stayed just that, a punk band, that plays solid punk music. It is an honor to have Steve tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
I'm Stevie D. bassist for the Glass Heroes .
Keith Jackson on vocals and guitar
Steve Shelton on guitar and vocals
A.D. Adams on the skins
Sheltie and Keith trade off on leads on guitar. The front line has
been together for 20 years now.

How did the band start?
It was the summer of '91 and I had just done a farewell show with
another group here in town, was outside after the show on a parking
block, smoking a cig and Keith walked up and asked if I'd like to
start a punk band? I said where and when? He said tomorrow, my
place, and so we did. I knew Sheltie from a clinic or detox and we'd
hang out and listen to records, Keith and he knew each other as well
from around town. Keith and I wrote maybe like ten songs in our first
couple of weeks and brought Buck, our first drummer in and started
hammering out our songs. Sheltie joined us in the first month or so.
In maybe like our second year Bob Stubbs joined us , he drummed
formerly with Social Distortion, he supported them on the Mommy's
Little Monster Tour. We parted ways with Bob in '95 or '96. He
rejoined the fold briefly in 2002. A.D. came and stuck I'd say in
2004.

How did you come up with the name?
Keith and I were kicking names around and that one just stuck as the
thought behind it was that here in America we tend to make people into
icons, put them on pedestals, you know, larger than life like say,
James Dean or Marilyn Monroe, and at the end of the day, they're
just like the rest of us down here, in other words, subject to
breaking, shattering like glass.

Who would you say are your influences?
Our influences are vast. For myself personally, it would be the
American bands, such as The Ramones, Dead Boys, Heartbreakers,
Dolls, Stooges. As far as bassists go, it was then and always will
be Dee Dee , R.I.P. Old school still rules.

What is the punk scene like in Arizona?
It's good! Here in Phoenix there's some younger bands that bring it
on and serve up good old punk rock, pretty solid. It's inspiring
and keeps us on our game with the young bloods that are always jumping
in the mix. Warehouse parties, underground gigs and such are the
norm on any given weekend night. I mean, one does have to look for
the punk sound and just as its always been , word of mouth.
Geographically, the city is so spread out that you have to know the
spots with clubs or spaces that are rented out to support the scene.
I'm not in touch with the rest of the state, I know Tucson has a
pretty healthy punk scene.

How has it changed since the ‘90s?
Hah! When we started playing out, it was all about Kurbain and the
grunge that came along with that scene. There wasn't any punk bands
when we started up here in town. This is pretty funny, we even
played with Mud Honey once, that should give you an idea of what was
up . When Green Day and Offspring came out around the same time, our
audience literally went from the same kids with flannels and the "grunge look" and all that, to a punk rock haircut, leather jackets
and etc. That's always stuck with me as an image, from one season to
the next.

Describe the song writing process…
In the beginning I would just have an idea of let's say ,what was
going on in my life at the time and write a few lines about it , then
Keith would come up with some chords and maybe some more lines and so
on like that . He has a gift of melody and song structure from start
to finish.
Presently, it's a group effort, Sheltie or Keith will bring in a
chord progression, that's pretty much worked out from start to finish, you know, an idea. Then we just start adding to it as we rehearse
more and more . For every ten songs we bring to the band, only one
sticks, and then, maybe not even that many make it . A couple of
songs we wrote on the spot in the studio as we were recording our as
of yet un-released second album "Liars, Cheats And Thieves" and
they are barn burners!
We've matured as people and a band as well. I mean, we've been
together for 20 years now, and it shows in the strength of our songs
and our live shows.

In 2005, you appeared on the ‘High Voltage Punk and Oi!’ comp, tell us about
the comp…
Okay, actually, that came out in '95 and was followed the next year
with "Oi! we are the bois" Both of those comps are on Bronco
Bullfrog Step - 1 Records. The songs of ours that came out on those
comps were from a cassette we put out here in Phoenix in '94 . Both
comps were Oi and punk bands from all over the world. On the "High
Voltage Oi ! + Punk" compilation, the Glass Heroes were a featured
band. It sold so well that it was re-released in 1997 by Hepcat
records.

That same year you guys released your first album which was self-titled,
tell us about the album…
Right, 2005 was a pretty productive year for us, what with the self
- titled album and some touring behind it as well. It came out
initially on Malt Soda and they carried it for a while. Currently it
will probably be re-distributed thru another label, which one, I
don't know, but it will. It was recorded over the course of a few
months at Villian Studios here in town by Byron Filson, he totally
nailed our live sound. Those songs were a collection of ones we'd
been playing since our inception, back when Keith and I banged out
the first dirty dozen, as well as some new ones we'd all written
along the way. Each song stands on it's own merit and strength and
there are some tasty covers mixed in as well. The Professionals, The
Saints and Chelsea and then of course our originals.

Your current release the ‘Get out alive’ 7” on TKO Records, tell us about the 7”…
Yes, that's right. " Get Out Alive " is one of Keith's songs he had
from back when he was in Detroit City with The Rogues and the flip
side is " Kick Down The Doors " a Professionals cover . It came out as
part of TKO's Contenders 7" series . After that release and subsequent
tour , we went right back into the studio to record our follow up "
Liars , Cheats And Thieves " with Rat Scabies from the Damned . It was
released on TKO 2007.

Recently in Pheonix you guys had a 19th anniversary show, tell us about the show…
Yes, actually it was our 20th that we decided to celebrate with a
show. We threw a party at the George And Dragon English Pub here in
town with some other local bands. It was a great show and the pub was
packed out. A good time was had by all on a hot and sweaty summer
night. We played on the stage the pub had just built for the show as
the old stage had seen better days. They upgraded their sound system, so it sounded godlike. I'm pretty sure there is some video online from that show, maybe youtube or something.

What else have you released?
Besides a couple of studio cassettes we released locally in the early
90's , that is the extent of it . Here's a list of some comps and one
of the splits we appeared on.
7" split w/Mean Streets ( 2011 ) Blackhole
Compilation Appearances
Carbon14 Magazine issue #27 ( 2007 )
If It Aint Broke Hit It Harder ! ( 2006 ) F- Bomb
Save The Boobies ( 2006 ) Tatdude
Straight From The Underground ( 2005 ) Smash Mag .
AZ Punk Volume 2 ( 2003 )
AZ Punk Volume 4 ( 2005 )
Sailor Jerry Presents Volume 2 ( 2010 )

Tell us about the current lineup…
Besides yours truly , there is
A.D. Adams on drums . A.D. came to us in 2004 or so , He's a seasoned
veteran by way of Washington D.C. via Detroit City . When A.D. joined
us it really brought us up a couple of notches . A drummers drummer I
'spose . I know I've never had anything to worry about behind me when
we're in the fury of a show with him in the engine room . Can't say
enough about him . He brings so much of his experience in the business
to us and in the studio he's a total pro .

And the front line of myself , Keith and Steve Shelton have been
serving it up since 1991 . As the years have gone along, our
chemistry is one of a kind. Always know where they're gonna be on the
stage , musically and physically. We're like brothers more than
anything. We go thru phases of not hanging out with one another and
then at other times still like the original gang. I feel that has
been a factor in our endurance as unit.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
The long list or the short list? Well let's see, everyone from The
Adicts to The Vibrators. Here's what comes to mind now: Duane Peters
Gunfight, Rubber City Rebels, Sex Pistols, MC5, The Business,
Peter and The Test Tube Babies, Motorhead, Buzzcocks, Damned, Fear, U.K. Subs, Hugh Cornwall from the Stranglers new group, Pork Dukes, Agent Orange, Texas Terri, Cock Sparrer, Shock Nagasaki, Blitz,
TSOL, Vice Squad, Neurotic Outsiders, Anti-Nowhere League, and
the list goes on. 20 years, that's gonna happen eh?

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
I prefer to do shows at small clubs. Hot and sweaty, smelling of
beer, old cigarette smoke, you know, just a real dive with everyone
crammed up front . The energy is always amazing and the more the
better. Gets my heart beating like that! It's an energy exchange ,
and builds til the end.

Where have you toured?
Here in America, we did the Midwest as well as the West Coast all the
way to Seattle. When we were invited over to Europe in 2009 , we had
an illness in the band and had to bow out of the festivals there and
tour. Keith and A.D. have each individually toured all over the globe
with prior bands they were in.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
I really like the local bands we do shows with , some have came and
went over the years, such as Jeff Dahl Band, Fed UPS, White Demons, and currently Labor Party.
Touring acts I always look forward to doing shows with whatever Duane
Peters brings to town and the Rubber City Rebels were a blast to tour
and play with!

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
My spot was the Emerald Lounge R.I.P. Cypress lounge was another and
currently I look forward to when we're booked at the Yucca Tap Room.

What do you see is the future of the Glass Heroes?
I asked Lady Luck that only just today and she told us that there are
some good years , and exciting times ahead of us in the future . I
think once the new release hits the streets that will open up more
opportunities for us . We're not done yet , we just were on a
documentary by Jeff Santo called " Off the Boulevard " Troy Duffy
wants us to write some new songs for a new movie of his that's being
made.
I think if our health is good and we carry on doing what we like and
what we've been doing for a couple of decades we'll go on the road
soon , regionals and the like. Recording new songs and doing what we
love to do best.

Photo provided by the band. Taken and credited to staticfiends.com

How can people contact the band?
http://www.facebook.com/glassheroes
http://www.myspace.com/glassheroes
glassheroes.com is currently undergoing reconstruction.

Section 242 New Interview

2012-02-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

Coming soon to a stage near you Section 242, is an awesome force out of San Bernardino, CA. They have done shows mostly with California bands, but have played shows in Las Vegas. They have a great live set which is showcased in their self-released album. I got the band to tell their story...

How did the band start?
THE SKUNK GOT OUT OF REHAB AND WE STARTED JAMMING WITH A POSER NAMED MATT THAT SOON GOT THE BOOT WHEN WE PICKED UP PIT.

How did you come up with the name?
SECTION 242 IS THE POLICE CODE FOR ASSAULT AND BATTERY... WHICH WAS VIC D'PRICK'S OLD INDEPENDENT LABEL WITH ONLY 2 BANDS ON IT FOR 2 YEARS.

Who would you say are your influences?
RAMONES, NOFX, DANZIG, GG ALLIN, EXPLOITED, GBH, BRUISERS, ADICTS, BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS, DR KNOW, BLOOD FOR BLOOD, OLD DROPKICK MURPHYS, ONE WAY SYSTEM, THE BUSINESS, ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE, TOYDOLLS, FEAR, COCKSPARRER, OXYMORON, CHANNEL3, ANGRY SAMOANS, MAJOR ACCIDENT, SLAYER, MISFITS, DEAD KENNEDYS, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, ANTHRAX, BAD BRAINS, LITMUS GREEN, NAKED AGGRESSION,ANTI HEROS, AND THE STREET OF THE I.E.

What is the punk scene like in San Bernardino?
SECTION 242 IS THE ONLY TRUE PUNK SCENE IN SAN BERNARDINO...EVERYONE LISTENS TO EMO OR RAP OR NEO METAL .. WE PROMOTE OUR OWN SHOWS ..WE BRING BANDS OUT OF THE AREA TO PLAY FOR THE FEW TRUE PUNX IN BERDOO LEFT.

Describe the song writing process..
WE GET TOGETHER AND RECAP ON TRUE LIFE EVENTS AND WRITE SONGS ABOUT THEM. WE ALL COME UP WITH RIFFS AND SHOOT IDEAS TILL WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS.

What have you released?
OUR DEBUT/DEMO ALBUM BROKEN CHAINS UNDER ASSAULT AND BATTERY RECORDS...

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
SECTION 242 HAS PLAYED WITH JOEY BRIGGS(THE BRIGGS), WHITE FLAG DOWN, AND MOSTLY LOCAL BANDS... BUT WITH OUR PREVIOUS BAND WE PLAYED WITH THE VIBRATORS FLATFOOT 56, D.O.A., TOTAL CHAOS, AGENT ORANGE, PORK DUKES, MOD, NARCOLEPTIC YOUTH, BEERZONE AND SOME OTHERS WE CANT REMEMBER DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
WE LOVE DIVE BARS. BUT WE LIKE LARGE VENUES CAUSE OF THE BIG CROWDS IN OUR PITS.

Have you toured?
ONLY CALIFORNIA AND VEGAS SO FAR. THINGS ARE KINDA HARD CAUSE WE ALL HAVE FAMILIES AND JOBS THAT WONT GIVE US LEAVE FOR MORE THAN A WEEK AT A TIME.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
AT THIS MOMENT WE WOULD LOVE TO PLAY WITH BLOOD FOR BLOOD, BUT SKUNK WANT S TO PLAY WITH DR KNOW.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
ANY PLACE WE HAVENT GOT 86D FROM YET.

What do you see is the future of Section 242?
PUNK ROCK LEGENDS... TOURING THE COUNTRY, EUROPE AND JAPAN.

How can people contact the band?
SECTION242PRODUCTIONS@LIVE.COM, SECTION242DRUMMER @YAHOO.COM, KBEE138@GMAIL.COM, FACEBOOK.COM/SECTION242.

Toxic Underground New Interview

2012-02-04T02:40:00.001-07:00

Toxic Underground has added Longview, WA to punk rock map. As a band these guys are amazing. They put on a great live set and have played shows with mostly local bands. They currently have a demo out that will be on their bandcamp site later this month. They also plan to go on the road this summer. I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
Toxic Underground is a hardcore punk band from Longview,WA. We are Keenan Calhoun on drums and lead vocals, Carson Calhoun on guitar and lead vocals, and Willie Johanson on bass. We have set out to revive the sound and the spirit of the classic 80s hardcore bands and above all are out to make music for the fun of it.

How did the band start?
We started because brothers Keenan and Carson Calhoun have spent years jamming together in our garage. When we were in our early teens we went to a lot of shows at the club Reid's in Longview and got into the punk scene around town. We have always had a love for the classic 80s punk bands and there were no bands that we knew of that had that same sound and feel, so we decided to start one ourselves. And that's basically how Toxic Underground was born.

How did you come up with the name?
I don't really remember how we came up with the name to be honest. I'm pretty sure that we just took two words that we liked and put them together.

Who would you say are your influences?
We are heavily influenced by Minor Threat, Seven Seconds, the Adolescents, Bad Religion, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks. We really love the sound and the intensity that those bands brought and we have tried to recreate that feel, while staying as original as possible.

What is the punk scene like in Longview?
Longview has a very strong music scene for such a small town. Most of the punk bands from our area are pop-punk bands, and we really love to play shows with them. There aren't really any hardcore punk bands like us around here, but that's just the way we like it.

Describe the song writing process...
A few songs are completely written by either Keenan or Carson but more are a collaboration between the two. Most guitar parts are written by Carson and most lyrics are written by Keenan but there is also a quite a bit of crossing over between the two of us. Most songs start simply as a concept or a riff that we develop together piece by piece into a full song. We aim for brevity and only want to write enough music and lyrics that it takes to get our point across. We want to ensure that we don't write any filler.

What have you released?
We have released only one demo that was recorded in our garage, really lo-fi. We are on the verge of releasing our 10 track album that will be available on our bandcamp page toxicunderground.bandcamp.com on February 17th for $5.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We have played shows with a lot of really great bands from the Longview area, most notably Broadway Calls. We have also played with a few touring bands like Bomb the Music Industry! Most of our shows have been in Longview but we have been working on getting ourselves out there and playing more out of town.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
We prefer smaller clubs to larger venues. In smaller clubs the crowd seems to go wilder and the audience, and the band, tend to have more fun.

Have you toured?
No we haven't, but we hope to go on a west coast tour of some sort this summer.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Gamblers Die Broke, a Ska band from Longview, is easily our favorite band to play shows with. They are a really great band and definitely deserve more exposure than they currently have.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Without a doubt, we love to play at Minus World in Longview. Minus World is owned partially by the drummer of Broadway Calls and is a really great arcade, restaurant, hang out spot, and of course music venue. They have brought in a lot touring bands to our little town and have given bands like mine a place to play and get to know bands from out of town.

What do you see is the future of Toxic Underground?
I hope that Toxic Underground will have a few more albums, go on at least a west coast tour, and have a lot of great times over our run as a band. I have high hopes and expectations but I believe the only way to have success is to put all I have into it and hope for the best.

How can people contact the band?
People can contact us at toxicundergroundband@gmail.com or on facebook at facebook.com/toxicunderground

the Freakouts New Interview

2012-02-03T22:30:00.001-07:00

the Freakouts are an awesome punk band out of Houston. They are bring back the old-school! They have a awesome live set and actually have shared the stage with many amazing bands and have a great local following from many of the local bands. They have also an amazing demo out. I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
We're The Freakouts; Ash on vocals, Meg on Bass, Steven Jones & Porter on guitars, & Allen on drums

How did the band start?
Drugs, the big bang happened, then some other stuff happened, then The Freakouts happened. And everyone freaked out

How did you come up with the name?
It just was.

Who would you say are your influences?
Joan Jett, The Ramones, & general illness inspires us.

What is the punk scene like in Houston?
Like any other punk scene I guess? Lots of music & lots of beer. We like it.

Describe the song writing process...
We all kind of put our own pieces together, but it usually starts with Porter playing something on guitar and Ash jotting down some lyrics, they bring it to the band, & everyone puts in their own part and voila!

What have you released?
Just some live tracks on a rough demo, but we will be recording a 7" soon, and releasing an album shortly after. Send donations please. haha.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Skeleton Dick, The Queers, MODFAG, Mike Terror, Hell City Kings, and on February 17th we will be playing with The Sons Of Hercules at Rudyards.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
As long as the sound works and isn't electrocuting us, we'll play anywhere, but house parties are pretty fucking awesome.

Have you toured?
Nope, hoping to this summer.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Nope, every band we play with brings something different to every show. Theres too much going on right now to pick a favorite, thats fuckin crazy.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Rudyards, Fitz, and house parties.

What do you see is the future of the Freakouts?
A fucking shit load of fun! no but really we just wana keep playing. If it takes us somewhere, then AWESOME, but we're going to be alright as long as we are just able to do what we love.

How can people contact the band?
http://www.facebook.com/TheFreakouts
www.reverbnation.com/thefreakouts

The Recently Deceased New Interview

2012-02-03T21:55:00.002-07:00

the Recently Deceased are an awesome psychobilly/punk band from Baltimore. They put on an amazing live set and have shared the stage with a diverse list of bands. They have two great releases out. They have also toured the East Coast and several other places. I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
We are Matt Mayhem (Upright Bass, Lead Vocals), Robby Whiplash (Guitars, Backup Vocals), Raz Ramone (Drums, Backup Vocals)

How did the band start?
The band started in 2009 with Matt Mayhem and Paul "Ponyboy" Burgio (who were both in another band "The Deadneks" together) wanting to take the band further and do it full time. Unfortunately the band they were in couldn't tour extensively due to family's, work schedules, mortgages (you get the point), so Matt and Paulie started their own project. This lineup consisted of Matt Mayhem (Bass), Paul "Ponyboy" Burgio (Guitar), Nicky Battz (Drums), and Sean "T-Shirt" Toleson (we called him t shirt because every show we played he bought a new tshirt, but nobody ever seen him in a tshirt ever) on Lead Vocals. This is the lineup that wrote, recorded, and toured with for the first 2 years. Due to Sean being a Baltimore City Firefighter, he couldn't tour much, but what little time he did have he made it work. Over the past 2 years the lineup has changed due to peoples work/family/etc.. restrictions, so we had to find people that could tour, that had the talent, and who are into what style of music we play, but over the few years we have been a band, we have still managed to tour the entire eastern USA (from Boston to Miami), as well as a little in the south and north, record, and put ourselves out there and a band you need to see live. We live by the motto of never canceling a gig... EVER!
Paulie stepped down after getting married and moving to Ohio (he is currently playing guitar along side his lovely wife Veronica in Switchblade Syndicate), and we hired Robby Whiplash, and he has been my (Matt) right hand man for everything. Not only has he stepped up to fill in Paulies hard to fill shoes on guitar, but he has also drummed for us when we needed him to (and is so good at it he was awarded a featured artist profile for ahead drumsticks). After Paulie, Sean stepped down as Lead Vocalist when his second child was born. He still helps with writing and recording, and can still be found on stage with us locally. Usually we have problems with our drummer not being able to tour due to his work schedule being a swing shift, so we have had to replace him to keep the shows going a few times. After a year of him not being able to tour as much as we wanted, he stepped down to focus on school and his career.

How did you come up with the name?
I'm not sure who came up with the name, but I remember the first time I (Matt) heard it I was like "Dude, Paulie, thats it!" The name came from the movie Beetlejuice. We are all huge horror movie fans and that is a favorite of all of ours, so it just fit perfectly for our style, sound, and who we are as a band. We even open up our set to our version of the Danny Elfman theme in the beginning of the movie.

Who would you say are your influences?
Our influences have a huge range. My (Matt) influences are everything from Motorhead, Electric Frankenstein, Motley Crue, Nashville Pussy, to Danzig, Testament, Stormtroopers of Death, Metallica, to Depeche Mode, The Cure, Bauhaus, VNV Nation, to Hank III, Johnny Cash, Johnny Burnette, Elvis Presley, to The Misfits, Dead Kennedy's, Minor Threat, Subhumans, and NOFX. I grew up listening to metal on the radio in the 80's, then got into punk rock as a teenager, then Rockabilly, and eventually found Psychobilly. Robby is the BIGGEST Metallica fan on earth, he even has a Metallica tattoo, and can play every song ever recorded by them on guitar and drums (really he can). Robby is also into electronic metal like Ramstein, and Fear Factory, but when its time to unwind and relax, he will throw in some Slayer. Due to many peoples surprise, he is really into anything 90's euro pop (I'm not kidding either), he loves cheesy 90's dance music as much as I (Matt) love cheesy 80s dance music. Raz's influences draw a lot from his residence in southern California. He is really into the Cramps, (Old) Misfits, Samhain, TSOL, and the Adolescents, as well as being into old blues like, Leadbelly, and Screamin J Hawkins. His love for old punk rock definitely shows in his style of playing (with socal punk being his favorite). His 2 favorite bands he draws a lot of his style from are DI, and Fear (one day the world will know Lee Ving was right).
In a nutshell we all pull our influences from rock, pop, punk, glam, country, goth, and metal, but we all have our roots in dirty rock and roll! We have a saying when people ask us what kind of music we play, we go down the list of every style we like, and say "ALL of that, and NONE of that", we play what we like.

What is the punk scene like in Baltimore?
Growing up going to punk shows in Baltimore, the scene used to be huge. Every weekend we would have either the Casualties come down from New York, or Anti-Flag from Pittsburgh, or Aus-Rotten, or any number of great punk bands from the east coast. As time went on, people grew up and got older and stopped coming out as much, but the scene still thrived with a new wave a punk rockers. There are still punk houses and squats, the Sidebar Tavern is still putting on some of the best in punk rock from all over, as well as the Ottobar. The scene may not be a huge as it once was, but the scene is still alive with the new wave of kids coming out to shows, charging their hair, and wrecking in the pit. It always reassuring that whenever you go to a show and a band covers a misfit song, every last person in the bar rushes the stage to sing along. Punk rock is far from dead in Baltimore!

Describe the song writing process...
Usually the writing process involves someone coming up with a riff, or an idea. We bring the riff to practice and jam on it a little bit, passing it around so everyone gets to play with it and pick at it, adding licks to it, changing it up slightly, making it better then what 1 person could have come up with. After everyone molds and shapes it into something special, we come up with other parts that fit well with it, and arrange it in a song format. After we have our melody, we begin working on how to fit lyrics to it. What kind of style the song has, what kind of story could the song tell. Once we have an idea, we write (or should I say Sean writes) some killer lyrics. After we have out melody, and our story, we work on extras to fill it out and really bring it together. All the background vocals are added, and the leads. Then we record it and listen to it over and over picking at what we like and dislike. Once we have everything critiqued, we record the final version.

You released '545', tell us about the EP...
The E.P. (545) stands for 5 songs for 5 bucks. Its taking us a lot longer to release the full length album due to us not wanting to change up any of the original recordings or throw in new recordings with different members, so we released 5 songs until we can get all the original members back in the studio to finish the last bit of recording on the last song. We have already started recording our 2nd album with the current lineup, but want to preserve the integrity of the original lineup with the first album. Both will be out as soon as we get our shit together.

What else have you released?
We have a song "Deadly Friend" on the Hillbilly Wreckhouse Volume 1 compilation, as well as some upcoming releases. We will have a track on an upcoming Zodiac Killer (Skinhead Retirement Plan) compilation, as well as a track featured in an upcoming short film "Bed Bugs From Outer Space". We will also be releasing both full length albums (1 independent, and another through a label) as soon as they are finished.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We kind of pride ourselves on not riding other bands waves. I hate seeing bands fall all over themselves trying to get an opening slot for a national or well known act. We always felt that if we just put on a great show, with great songs, and keep touring all over, that one day we could be the national act that all the local bands fall all over to play with. With that said, we have had the chance to be tour support and share the stage with a lot of great bands, and a lot of us became great friends over the years of running into each other all over the country. The Koffin Kats, The Rocketz, the Nekromantix, The Chop Tops, The Howlers, The Hillbilly Hellcats, and Al and the Blackcats just to name a few. But these are friends, and we don't play with them because we think we might be able to scam some of their fans, we play with them because we like their music and we like hanging out with them.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Honestly, it all depends, big or small, if the sound is good, it a little easier on us, if the sound is bad, it could hurt us. Both have advantages and disadvantages. We put on the same show no matter where we play. Another rule we live by is playing our hearts out for 1000 people or 2 people. As long as there is 1 person in that audience that digs what we are doing, we are going to bend over backwards to make that person fall in love with us. Because the next time we come back to that city, that one person is going to bring a friend. Keep that up, and in no time, you have just built up a fanbase in that city.

Have you toured?
We have been touring the eastern USA for a few years now, everywhere and anywhere we can play. Over the few years we have managed to hit a lot of cities and meet a lot of cool people. 2012 we are doing our biggest tour to date and hitting the entire USA all at once. We usually only tour a 15 -20 consecutive days at a time, but this tour is a little under 2 months. We are all road dogs, I (Matt) personally do nothing but tour for a living between The Recently Deceased and with other bands, but in the next year I hope to be touring only with The Recently Deceased, we should be ready to live on the road full time by then.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
There are so many! We always have a blast with whoever we take on a tour with us! This past fall we took our good friends the Silverhounds on a eastern USA tour as our support act. We had a blast! There were some nights where we combined the 2 bands on stage and made up a 3rd act called "My Stupid Dead Dog" (think about the names of our bands) and did an hour set of old thrash metal covers!

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Another tough question. We have certain cities we favor over others, but as for one venue? We would have to say the Sidebar Tavern in Baltimore. That is like our 2nd home filled with family and friends. We have had amazing nights there, and we have had horrible nights there (I blame the booze), but its always a good time.

What do you see is the future of The Recently Deceased?
The future is unknown. We could lie to you and say "we're going to be huge rockstars and make a million dollars and be super famous" and all that bullshit, but we know we wont, we are way too punk rock at heart for that to ever happen. The only future we can guarantee is that we will be coming to a city or town near you, rocking as hard as we can, giving you the best show we can, and partying with you as long as we can stand up!

How can people contact the band?
We are on facebook, myspace (like anyone uses that anymore), reverbnation, and a few others that we hardly ever update, so the best way to see where we are playing, listen to tunes, find out all the important shit, go to our website at www.therecentlydeceased.com.

the Welch Boys New Interview

2012-02-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

the Welch Boys are an awesome band out of Boston. They play an amazing live set and have an amazing list of bands that they do shows with. They have toured a bit and had a big show at the CBGB before it closed. They have also released a couple of awesome recordings. I got TJ to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
I'm TJ Welch. I'm 45 years old. I am married with three boys. Like most people, I have had lots of ups and downs in my life.
About five years ago, I lost my good friend and Welch Boys drummer, Ron Holbrook. I tried to help him, but I couldn't. I believe that Ron is in heaven.
Four weeks ago, I lost my job. Right now, I'm depressed,... however, it's not all bad.... depression creates a great environment for song writing. I have written some good stuff in the past few weeks. I have faith that I will get a job soon.
Like many Irishmen, I like to drink. Alcohol is a consistent theme in our music. Drinking is a double edged sword. It helps me to unwind and relax, but it can also be hard to control.
My father gave me my first guitar when I was twelve. I'm still not a good guitar player, but I like to play. Music is theraputic to me. It is also satisfying to know that others can enjoy and identify with the music that me and the band create.
I pray for help every day, and I try to be the best husband and dad that I can.

How did the band start?
I had previously been in a band called Gage in the 90's with Al Barile and Francoise Levesque from SS Decontriol. After that, in 1999 I formed a band called The Blue Bloods. I wanted to write lyrics, and with the Blue Bloods. I only wrote music in that band... our singer Tim Baxter wrote the lyrics... so I left the Blue Bloods to form another band in 2004 called The Welch Boys. I drafted some musician friends, and we got Ed Lalli , the guitarist from Slapshot, to sing for us. It came together very nicely.

How did you come up with the name?
We had a bunch of different ideas written on a chalk board... but the only one that we could all agree with was Welch Boys. Welch is my last name. I'm the guitarist, but I'm only fifth of the band. I was ok with it. It's kind of like Van Halen. To me.. for some reason, the name has a Boston street feel to it. I like it.

Who would you say are your influences?
Our music is influenced mostly by hardcore, punk, and oi music. We all like bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SSD, Discharge, Government Issue, Cromags, Agnostic Front, GBH, The Business, Cock Sparrer, Sex Pitols, Flatfoot 56, Dead Kennedies, Black Flag, Bonecrusher, Sham 69, The Clash, The Jam, Blitz, Negative Approach, Blood for Blood, Rancid, DYS, Gang Green, Negative FX, Slapshot, Germs, Ramones, DRI, Social D, JFA, Misfits, Killing Joke, MDC, Youth Brigade, Iron Cross, Void, Siege, Exploited, Suicidal Tendencies, Husker Du, Circle Jerks, Madball, Fucked Up, C.O.C., Buzzcocks... How's that for a list?
We like alot of rock and metal. Maiden, Slade, Motorhead, Metallica, Sabbath, and every other metal band in the world. Aerosmith, Lizzy, Kyus, Zep, Saint Vitus, Purple, B.O.C., Electric Wizard, Helmet, Melvins, AC/DC. Pentagram, High on Fire.
Lyrically, we are influenced by lots of things that we read... Lately, alot of Charles Bukowski, Doug Stanhope, George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Cormack McCarthy, and Jack Handey.
We can't help but sounding like our fellow Boston bands. We love being part of the Boston punk scene, and bands like the Unseen, Darkbuster, Mission of Burma, The Freeze, SSD, Jerry's kids, The FU's, Blood for Blood, Slapshot, Street Dogs, Ducky Boys are all influential to us. Lots of people compare us to the Dropkicks, but none of us listen to them much. Although most of us have Irish ancestry, we are not big fans of traditional Irish Celtic music and pageantry. ... Although we do like the Celtics... And the Bruins, and the Sox, and the Patriots.
We sound like our surroundings.... the working class streets of Boston.

What is the punk scene like in Boston?
It is resilliant. It is always there. It's been going for thirty years. Sometimes, it goes through a slow period... but overall, it's probably one of the best punk music scenes in the world. There are plenty of great local bands. There are alot of shows and venues, and most importantly, there are alot of punk fans that support the whole scene by showing up at the shows, and buying shirts and music. It's a big family.

Describe the song writing process...
We have a jam spot with a Protools recording setup. I like to record basic instrumental demo songs, and develop them. Usually, the music comes first, and we overdub lyrics later. Someone may come in with a basic riff, or song idea, but we always seem to do alot of changing and tweaking ideas. This collaborative atmosphere usually works to make for good tunes... and everyone gets involved. Then, when we have a bunch of new tunes, we usually go to the Outpost Studio, and we work with legendary producer Jim Siegel to record a full lenght cd. He is the Phil Spector of Boston punk rock.
Lyrically, we try to write about our lives and struggles. We all like to drink, so that is a re occuring theme. We like sports. There are other things that can be heard in our song lyrics.......spiritual themes, political overtones, civic pride, hope, dissilusionment with heroes, stuggles to make a living, police brutality, regrets and dreams, paranoia, our love of freedom and our country, our mistrust of hypocritical politicians, terrorism, the UFC, fine whiskey and cigars, beer, fast cars, females ,kids, scally caps, bar fights, self doubt, family, ink, crime, revenge, unity, brotherhood, our love of a good hockey fight . We write about all sorts of stuff.

You have a self-titled release, tell us about the alum...
Our first cd was done in 2004, a few months after we had started out. It was released by Sailor's Grave records. The disc was also released in Europe by I Scream Records. I features our Skully logo on the cover.The logo is a comic book skull with crossbones superimposed over a four leaf clover. I've seen some cool tattoos with this logo. We made two videos for songs "617" and "Les Paul" We were happy with the disc, and it has done well for us.

What else have you released?
We did a second disc called "Drinking Angry" about three years ago. We did a video for the song " Head in the Sand" off of that disc. This disc was released on I Scream exclusively, because Sailor's Grave was going through a rebuilding period at the time. We are also very happy with the material on that disc, and people seem to like it as well.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We played a bunch of shows with the Dropkicks early on... But we haven't had the opportunity to play with them in a while.. They helped us out a bit when we were first getting going... And we are grateful for that.
Every time the Dead Kennedys come to town, we seem to get a chance to open for them. They are great guys.
We play with Slapshot once in a while. They are good friends. We also play with the FU's and the Business. All good guys.
Every year, we organize two memorial shows over a weekend in Boston for out late drummer Ron Holbrook. We have about six local bands play each night, and we play a set both nights. Some of the bands are The Ducky Boys, Death and Taxes, Refuse Resist, Ashers, Burning Streets, Beantown Boozehounds, Lenny Lashley, Dead Friends, The FU'sThe Blue Bloods, and a bunch of other great bands. The proceeds go to the Pinbe Street Inn which is a Boston homeless shelter. This year will be the fifth time we have done this. The bands that play this show are usually the bands that we play with around town.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Clubs are great... And I like playing them. I would like to play more shows at big venues... but we are not that popular... And we usually only play them when we get a chance to open for a bigger band.
I also like playing all-ages shows in clubs because this gives kids a chance to see us... including my sons.

Have you toured?
A little. We played CBGB's before it closed in NY. We would like to tour more... But most of us have small kids, and jobs with limited vacation time... So, at the moment... Touring is difficult to do.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Yes, When Darkbuster were still together, we played with them a few times. They are amazing. That's my favorite Boston punk band.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
I like playing the clubs around town like the Middle East upstairs, The Beachcomber, Great Scott's, The Midway. The CBGB's show was great. It is sad to see that place close down.

What do you see is the future of The Welch Boys?
This band has been re invigorated by the addition of Sam Joudrey on drums. He joined us last year. He used to play drums for Toxic Narcotic. He is the best drummer in Boston. He has helped us write a bunch of new stuff. The material is fast and aggressive. We have about fifteen songs that have been recorded as demos in our studio, and they are ready to record proffesionally. I think we will go to the Outpost studio in March, and probably release our third full lenght cd in the fall on Sailor's Grave records. Then, we will do a cd release party, and try to do a bit of touring. We are all getting older, but we have no reason to stop making music.

How can people contact the band?
We are out there on Facebook. Type in The Welch Boys and friend us. We also have a great web page done by a fan from Wales named Mark Charlie. http://thewelchboys.net/ and you can email us at info@thewelchboys.net Our videos are all over Youtube... And our cd's and shirts are avaialable from http://sailorsgraverecords.com/home.php and http://iscreamrecords.com/ I've also seen our stuff on every pirate mp3 site out there... But once you hear the music, you will want to buy the cd to fully immerse yourself in the experience... Right?

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