-Hey Sarah! Thanks a lot for taking the time out to do this with me. How and when did Pity Party form? Have any of you played in other bands in the past or even currently play in other bands? Julien and Dustin had played together in bands before and we have known Bob and Michael from previous now defunct bands as well but we started on Halloween of 2014 in Stockton, CA. We came up with the idea and started writing a little bit before that, but that was the first time we all got together. We recorded 3 songs in Julien’s maggot-filled kitchen, and then went to write In Heaven Everything Is Fine from there. -What’s the Bay Area DIY scene like right now? What or who should people be paying attention to? The Bay Area DIY scene is interesting. It’s not a very tight knit scene, especially as we originated from Stockton where there’s an incredibly close music scene. Everyone kinda does their own thing here in Oakland, and there are less split-genre bills. -Who did the cover art for Gnarbage? The detail in it is so great. Is there a part of it that stands out to you specifically? Our best friend, Matt Moua (@mattmouaart), from the band Cheap Shoes designed the artwork for Gnarbage. He actually asked each of us what our favorite things are, so that he could draw them into the trash tidal wave. If you look closely you can see our favorite records, the cigarettes we smoke, different little odes to our individualism. -I feel like your lyrics are especially appropriate for the times we’re living in. Would you agree? They’re dark as heck, but super relatable. Is there a specific lyric you love to scream at shows or that you like hearing people scream back to you? I would definitely agree. I feel like our lyrics are a reaction to the discomfort and chaos of braving todays society as a person who struggles with mental health. Even though we wrote Suicide Handbook the week we recorded Gnarbage, the lyrics at the end are my favorite to hear everyone sing with me. “You said shit would get better, it only ever stays the same. You said shit would get better, nothing good ever stays. You said shit would get better, all I have
are bad days.” I remember driving across the bay bridge that day so bummed out, listening to the demo of that song and coming up with that part. Getting excited that I finished the song, lighting a cigarette, and then immediately bumming myself out again about how badly life sucks.
-You recently premiered two new songs called “Grindmother” and “Pop Song Forever” during your live video session with Lost State Records. Care to share any details on where we’ll be able to hear those songs in the future? Is there maybe a new record in the works? We will be releasing our third record with those two songs featured on it, this winter. We’re too excited about this upcoming release and what we’ve been writing, so we couldn’t help but give y’all a lil taste of what we’ve been working on!!! -Gnarbage is officially over a year old. How proud are you of the record? How much does it mean to you? We’re proud of Gnarbage and we feel like it was a good representation of our songwriting at the time. We’re happy to have toured the country playing that record, and to have heard its impact in helping others feel less alone. Also! We’re so excited to show everyone our new record. With dark, yet more relatable lyricism, and poppier instrumentation - we think it’s the best thing we’ve created yet! Also - Gnarbage will finally be coming out on vinyl (better late than never) ;) next month! -I’ve frequently described your music as the soundtrack to my summer and I know I’m not the only one digging your tunes. Is that a cool feeling for you that people from across the country are vibing to you guys?
It’s really freaking awesome! We started this band as a way to exhale our sadboy tendencies, and it’s grown into something that other people can relate to and find comfort in and that FREAKING ROCKS. We just want other people to feel less alone in their pain, and the more people that hear our music, hopefully the more they will experience that.
-What’s the long term plan/hopes/dreams for the band? Keep touring, keep writing, keep having fun!!!!!!! -What’s your favorite kind of space to play in and why? House, bar, venue, backyard, etc? Bar and venues with nice stages and good sound are rad, but you can’t beat the energy of a house show! -This summer saw you go on a seriously long tour. Like over a month or something and across the entire US. Is that the most extensive tour you’ve been on so far? It was cool cause you kept playing with friends of mine from out of state and then you hit my city. The world is so small sometimes, right?
It’s such a small world!!! We played with SO MANY INCREDIBLE BANDS on this tour. This summers, 38 days is the longest tour we’ve done. -How about your tourmates, Ramona? They’re really good too. Did I hear right that it was sort of a relocation tour for them, moving from the west coast to the east? Was it hard saying goodbye after storming across the country together? They embarked on what was eventually named, “The Reverse Fresh Prince Tour” (instead of Philly-->Seattle, it was Seattle-->Philly). IT WAS SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE TO THEM! We love them so dearly, and they are some of our best friends. They are amazing musicians and incredible people and we hope we can do future tours with them!!! -Didn’t you visit the Satanic Temple in Salem, MA? Was that a destination point on tour, like something you’d been looking forward to? What was it like? I’m pretty sure as soon as we settled on playing Salem, Dustin made it a goal to go the the Temple. It was a rad opportunity to learn about what the organization represents. In fact, I'd recommend anybody reading this check them out in detail if you're interested in organizations focusing on humane and logical political discourse. Yeah I like to be super touristy and check out all the weird things in the cities so it was definitely on my list. -In case anyone reading this is out your way, where’s the best place to get burritos where you’re from? Did you find any good burrito spots on tour? Opinions on burritos in the Bay Area abound, and this is a highly contentious issue around here. but I think the general consensus for the band is on Tacos Mi Rancho in Oakland. You can get a 15-inch burrito for $10! And it's like, really good too. For our vegan friends, Hella Vegan Eats in Oakland is the best dang vegan burrito you’ll ever eat! If you’re in The City check out Taqueria El Farolito as well. Not related to the Bay, but if you’re ever in Stockton (where Julien and Dustin are from) check out El Gruellense. You’ll never find a better burrito than a serge burrito. -How was it getting to play This Is My Fest 4? A ton of awesome bands were there this year. Who were some of your favorite sets? SARCHASM!!!! We enjoyed the Declines set too they came all the way from Australia. Enjoyed talking gear with them and getting to know more Australian builders. -Have you played other festivals in the past? Are you interested in playing others and if so, which ones?
Last year we played the Fest in Gainesville, FL and that was relentlessly fun. So many of our friends and favorite bands around in the same few blocks. We’re hoping to play Treefort and SXSW in 2018. -Anyway, this was fun. I hope you think so too. If you have any words of encouragement or nihilism for the readers, share them here please. “If your drummer sucks, your band sucks.” - Scott Goodrich
-Hey you, cutie pies! If you’d be so kind, would you please introduce yourselves? When I interviewed your sister band they all had nicknames for themselves, so I fully expect the same from you all. Don’t disappoint. Hello everyone! We're Anthony, Devin, John, and Ricky. Our nicknames are... uhh... Dad, Daddy, Pappy, and Skahn. John is called Skahn because he never stops talking about ska music. Or talking in general. -How did Shoebox form? When I first heard the name floating around last year, I could’ve sworn it was a solo project. Am I wrong on that? Yes and no. Anthony was doing his own solo project and I (Devin) went to a show of his at Mulligan's and liked what I heard so I asked him if he'd be interested in getting together to play some music. So I got ahold of John, we had one practice where we wrote I think two songs, maybe three, over a dirty thirty in John's mom's basement. Next practice I got Ricky on board and we've been Shoebox ever since. Most of our earlier songs were a combination of parts of Anthony's last solo EP and a project Ricky and I started like 5 years ago called O.W.L.S. The name of the band goes back a ways for some of us. One day back in maybe 2010-ish(?) John and I were playing a show in Plainwell, MI in our skacore project called A Name for Ourselves at this hardcore fest taking place in, I think, a middle school. Anyways, John turns to me at one point and goes, “hey, I'm gonna go put some shoes on." He was already wearing shoes, so of course I'm like, "wtf.” We get out to his car and he pulls out a shoebox with a bunch of beers in it which naturally we proceed to partake. We still didn't have a name an hour before our first show and we looked at that half empty thirty on the ping pong table, and felt inspired. So in short, it’s an inside joke referring to a thirty pack of Justin Pbers. -It’s too easy to ask for your general influences, so I’ll go more specific with it. Who is your oldest one, your most current one, your most famous one, your most obscure one, and the one you think would surprise people?
Devin - My oldest influences are probably a mixture of Blink-182, Green Day, and Rancid. My most famous influence is dolphinitely No Doubt, however, I am also very into Alkaline Trio as of a few years ago. I've also been into Streetlight Manifesto since high school. They're famous right? They should be. My most obscure would be Five Hours or The Flaming Tsunamis. I would say people would be surprised to know that I'm a fan of Avenged Sevenfold. My mom and I saw them last year with Killswitch Engage. That shit was LIT! Recently I've been listening to some heavier stuff though like Elder, Animals As Leaders, Comeback Kid, and The Acacia Strain. But I've also been getting back into Lagwagon and forever listening to NOFX. Anthony - My oldest influence would be Tom Petty for sure, at least in terms of how long I've been listening to his music. Hearing his songs as a kid always had me standing in front of the speakers strumming a toy guitar. Those songs are still just so undeniably great. Joe Strummer... With The Clash and his stuff with the Mescaleros. His words about life and the lessons he taught me about how people should be treated are always on my mind. I've read stories about him paying for fans to get into his shows because they didn't have enough money. When The Clash had a mini-reunion (Mick Jones joined him onstage and played a few songs with Joe And The Mescaleros) it wasn't done just for some award or their own profit. It was during a benefit for firefighters. I love that. I wish I could have met him before he passed. Listen to his "Without People, You're Nothing" quote. It gives me chills every time. Also, Against Me!, blink-182, Green Day, Boxcar Racer. My current influences are The Menzingers, The Lawrence Arms, The Tallest Man On Earth, and Stubborn Strays. Most famous, Bob Dylan. I saw him live 3 years ago and that dude still got it! Obscure, Zach Weir, White Lung, Merchant Ships. Surprise, the one I think would surprise people the most is that I love Lorde's first album. John - My oldest influences (much like Devin) are Green Day, blink-182, The Offspring, and NOFX. My first band played a lot of Green Day and blink-182 covers, so I know a lot of their songs. My current influences are The Planet Smashers and Big D And The Kids Table. I love ska music (hence the nickname Skahn). So that (and 80's music) are basically all I listen to. Most famous, clearly Green Day, but I think I gained a lot of my guitar playing ability from learning a lot of Against Me! songs on my acoustic guitar. I listened to Against Me! a BUNCH from 2004-2011. They were definitely my favorite band in that time period. Obscure, just like Devin, it has to be The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches and Bomb The Music Industry (he changed his answer). Idk how obscure those bands are, but, oh wait... I'm thinking of a band... fuck‌ nevermind... they're so obscure that I can't even remember their name. Surprise, Paramore. Yeah. Such a guilty pleasure. I wish I was as good at drums as their drummer.
Ricky - The stuff I've been listening to the longest that's affected my playing would be bands like At The Drive In, The Get Up Kids, Less Than Jake, and Alkaline Trio. Currently, I'm listening to Engine Down, PUP, Stubborn Strays, and A Lot Like Birds. I tend to pick apart most bands I listen to and absorb whatever they're doing that I like. Most famous bands I'm into would be Weezer and Third Eye Blind. Obscure stuff... too much to list, but I particularly love Weatherbox, The Impossibles, Northstar, and Trophy Scars. Surprising stuff... I like dad rock. Motherfucking RUSH, Paul McCartney, Dire Straights, stuff like that. -By the time this zine is printed, the album will be out, but how about that full-length split you’re putting out? It must be pretty exciting for you, yeah? What does it mean to you to be putting out your first official release and doing so with Stubborn Strays? We are very excited to have something to share with people. Doing so with everyone from Stubborn Strays on board has been a ton of fun. We love them and hopefully they love us too. (It's Miller Time!!) -Where does the title of the split, Sick Kid City, come from? I (Anthony) was driving to get some chinese food with Chris and Haleigh (of Stubborn Strays), Will M, and Cassidy, and we noticed how many hospitals there are in GR, and we all said, "Sick Kid City!"
-You’re each covering one of each other's songs, right? Which ones are they and why did you choose the ones you did? I'm pretty sure we were triggered by the word “dad” in the lyrics of Metaphors For Sinking and giggled like little dummies. But honestly, we love playing that song and it is well written in its original form. The Strays covered our song titled Record Jackets... nah, really... Anthony and I (Skahn) went to a show at the Tip-Top and it was the first time we both (I think) heard the song. California has a fucked up place in MY heart (which yeah, who gives a fuck about California?), and Anthony loves the chorus of the song, and it resonates with him. -A lot of people have been clamoring for a Shoebox vs. Strays battle-set and it’s finally happening (again, will be done by the time this is printed)! How does it feel to finally be making that happen? What about it are you most looking forward to? Anything extra special planned for that day? We're ecstatic to be playing this show that has been in the works since March. We can't wait to finally have the EP available for everyone to hear. We're very lucky to have our friends Matt Wixson's Flying Circus, Chef Goldblum, and the Alien Dogs playing this show with us. We do have some surprise things planned, but you'll just have to wait and see…. even though this will be released after the show.. Lol -On social media, you recently mentioned a potential second EP that’s maybe already in the works? What can you tell me about that? Is there a title or a track list yet, maybe an expected release date? The second EP we're working on is almost done actually. We've been recording with Don over at Knavish Audio and he's doing a hell of a job. There are both a title and projected track list. The title is Bet On Cats and the track list is TBD. Hopefully we can have that out by the holidays. -If you could sign with any one music label, big or small, which would it be? We would be happy with any label. We all have our personal favorites, but I don't think we could specifically name one that we'd like to be signed by. -What is your favorite song to cover? Band - American Girl Devin - The Idiots Are Taking Over by NOFX ("he just likes playing that one by himself" Anthony)
-How did the August mini tour go? What cities and venues did you play and with whom? Did you see any cool touristy things? The August mini tour, in all honesty, was a disaster. However, we had an awesome time playing out in Buffalo and we were fortunate enough to get to check out Niagara Falls while we were out there and we got to hang out with our buddies On The Cinder. -Is touring something you’re hoping to do much more of in the future? Where would you most like to go or see on tour? Touring is definitely in our plans for the future. I think heading out west would be great. I'd love to stop in Colorado or California but there are also a lot of places in the New England area that would be great to check out too. The world is our oyster, as they say. -I know you guys are big Star Wars nerds. Anthony has a SW tattoo and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ricky not wearing a SW t-shirt. What did you think of the new trailer for The Last Jedi? Do you have any fun plans for when the movie comes out? Who are your favorite characters in the series and why? Devin - I actually haven’t seen the trailer. I'm trying to avoid the hype so I can watch the movie with a completely open mind about it. It’s Star Wars. I know I'll love it. I don’t have any plans as of yet for the release. Han Solo is my favorite. Anthony - I have seen the trailer and I cannot wait for the movie. I can't wait to see it opening day. My favorite character is Luke Skywalker. Ricky - HYPE AF!!! My favorite character is Revan. Skahn - Yeah... Star Wars is cool... -How cool is it that you get to play at Comic Con this year? Will you be checking out any panels or cosplaying or anything? Maybe getting a photo with Lando Calrissian? Devin - I'm fucking thrilled to play Comic Con. No cosplaying for tme though. I have to work the night of our show so I won't really get to hang out. I will however dedicate every song to Lando. Band - We're VERY excited to be playing Comic Con. Shout out to Darren for getting us on the
bill. Nobody is cosplaying cause we are all wet blankets. We're all going nude... that's totally a lie. -When exactly is Miller time? Anytime. Everytime. All the time. It's Miller Time! *winks and cracks beer* -I hope some of these questions didn’t suck because I love you. Please, for the readers, close this out with some nice words or good vibes if you can spare some. Devin - I don't know about anything warm or fuzzy, but in the current political climate I would like to just remind people take care of each other. It's more important now than ever that we do what we know is right. Stay vigilant. The Suicide Machines are correct when they say "hate can never cease by hate in this world." Anthony - These were great questions, Tyler! I love you bud! We all had a lot of fun answering them. I would like to say to the readers thank you for supporting such fantastic zine. Also, take care of each other. Be kind and help when you can. Let's make this world as supportive as our music scene is here in Grand Rapids. Ricky - Huge thank you to everyone who has supported us and come out to see us play. Even bigger thank you to Tyler for taking the time to interview us and being rad as fuck! Skahn - If you're reading this and you have come to a show, thank you very much! I appreciate everyone who has supported us, even if I've never met you. Thank you!
-Hello there, friends! Would you please be so kind to introduce yourselves for the readers and tell us where you’re from? Hi! I'm Daisy, I was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and relocated to Clarkston, MI when I was a baby and have been living in some part of Metro Detroit ever since. I'm José, the bassist. I'm from Ferndale, MI kind-of-sort-of. Military brat and all that. I'm Fish! I'm from Warren, MI but have moved around a bit since then and am currently residing in West Bloomfield Hey! Steve here. Also relocated to the Clarkston area from Downers Grove, IL. Moved around growing up. Currently living in Rochester Hills. -How, when, and why did this band form? Daisys originally started as a side project for me (Daisy) in mid 2015 when I was in The Vulnerable as an outlet for more poppy and melodic songs, and because I really wanted to start a band with Steve (drummer). We got together and hashed out some demos of songs I'd been writing, bought a mic and mic stand for our practice space and made our first goal just to play one show since we'd tried to form a few bands and it never panned out. We practiced most of what ended up being Guest Room as just Steve and I while looking around for bass players for months. We asked Lauren (guitar) to be our bass player and she said no, so eventually I got Lauren in the band on guitar and taught an old friend of mine to play bass to complete the lineup, and we continued that way until Hattie (first bass player) left pretty soon after Guest Room was initially recorded. Luckily, another friend pointed me in the direction of José from Come Out Fighting saying he wanted to start a queer punk project, and the rest is history. We started the band with our goal being to play shows here and there, making sure to build an inclusive and safe space wherever we went, and once The Vulnerable disbanded, the mantra remained the same but we decided we'd try to be the biggest band in the world too. -Tell me about all of you’s other past and current music projects. I know there’s quite a few of them, yeah?
There are a ton! We'll separate them by member Daisy - Past: The Vulnerable (queer skacore), The Midwestern Sky (pop-rock), The Wasting Souls (lofi slow emo), Base 13 (alt-rock, also with Steve). Currently, I also drum in a feminist hardcore band called WOMB and have a rotating cast, semi-solo project called Flower Girl. José - I have a pretty short list for how long I've been doing this! My first band that actually played out was Laleo (grunge/jam) and I was in Piece of Mind (hardcore-punk) for like 2 weeks before the band broke up. Beyond that, I haven't left any bands, so I'm currently the guitarist of Come Out Fighting (hardcore-punk) and bassist of Given Grey (hard-rock/ metal). I've also done a bit of fill-in work, one off shows, tours, etc. Fish - I'm the baby of the group when it comes to this stuff. When Daisys started it was the first band I was in, after that I filled in on lead guitar for a Vulnerable tour and ended up becoming a member but the band broke up shortly after. Steve - Before joining with Daisy in Base 13, I had doing my own emo project, Moonslinger, since I was about 17-18 years old with my step dad's acoustic guitar. I was also in The Wasting Souls for the demo sessions when it first formed, but had to drop out shortly after. -What do you think is the best way to describe your sound? There’s a unique blend of genres on your album that I don’t think many other bands could pull off as smoothly as you do. Our sound has been dubbed as "Queerpunk Sadcore," which I like. Honestly when writing these songs and when performing them I was trying to channel Green Day, Elliot Smith, Nirvana, The Lippies and The Animals (one of my favs that totally doesn't fit in, haha) and then pepper in some of my heavier influences like GLOSS and La Dispute. A lot of the guitar work was really inspired by movie music in a weird way too. Just weird little creepy sounds I always want to incorporate into songs to give more feeling. -Let’s talk about Guest Room, your new album, for a minute. Who did you work with on it as far as recording and producing goes? How did the release party go? We were going back and forth on how to split money for recording and when to do it when my brother told me he had just bought a bunch of nice recording stuff, an interface, amp modulators, and an electronic drumset. So we drove down to Ann Arbor and layed down everything in his bedroom/closet in 6 hours. My friend Scott came along and helped produce, and then I got my friend Nick Lowe (who has an amazing project called Brightnot and runs an online artist service called Artist bit) to mix and master. We were super fortunate to have friends who did this for us free of charge just because they believed in us.
The cover art was done by Emily Tinklenberg, she literally pulled the image from my brain and drew it and I am in love with it. She does amazing work for awesome prices (gotta plug my pals!) As far as formatting of the art on the CDs and the layout, that was all José! Fish - I guess I'll answer the question about the release party. It was amazing! Every band that played were some of our closest friends, we wanted to spend our happy day with them. All of our close friends, family, and people who have supported us since day one were in attendance, looking back at the photos from that night always makes me super happy because of that. I'm not sure what else to say because that day has always left me a bit speechless because of how perfect it was, so I guess I'll leave it at that!
-I’ve been calling it the most powerful album I’ve heard this year and I know it’s been important and helpful to a lot of people. How does that feel to you, that your message resonates and makes an impact?
I can barely describe the feeling. I feel like I'm repaying a fraction of what my favorite bands have done for me. I feel really grateful to everyone along the way who has kept me inspired and grounded. This album is the most ambitious thing I've ever done and the songs took me from 2013-2015 to finish writing just as acoustic demos. The fact that it makes other people feel something is the coolest feeling I've ever had. -What are some of the themes you explore in your lyrics? It seems to me that many of them are about survival. Is that true at all? A lot of it is about survival, for sure. The album tells a story of two people who drift apart after one the main characters comes out as a trans woman, and the pain of losing that friendship while dealing with the pressures of being out, being mentally ill and living in poverty drive her to the point of homicidal thoughts towards the friend, which ends in her own suicide (Something to Miss/4 Walls). To anyone who knows me, it's not really a secret that the story in the album is a dramatized and cinematic version of my own life story (obviously minus the homicidal feelings towards my friends, I promise!) So while there is a story and it is a concept piece, there's another layer and much of what the lyrics describe are things that actually happened to me, or things people said to me. -The band name, Daisys, seems to derive from your name, Daisy. Is that right? And how did you all settle on that? Unless of course, it’s in reference to my mom’s favorite flower. She loves you all by the way. Aww tell her thank you!!! Originally, being the cartoon nerd I am, I tried to convince Steve we should called the band Rev Up Those Fryers (SpongeBob reference). After being assured the whole band would leave (rightfully so) if we chose that name, we spitballed a bunch of flower themed names and they were all taken, so Steve suggested Daisys and I said that was fine as long as we spelled it as a pun on my name instead of the actual word Daisies. Steve - I wasn't necessarily against the SpongeBob reference, but I felt it would've set us back slightly seeing where we are right now, but I went through a handful of names and cross checked to make sure we were being original as possible before Daisy and I settled equally.
-You loudly and proudly describe Daisys as a “queer band.� What is it like having fellow queer bandmates as opposed to maybe not having that comfort in the past? Have you encountered venues or spaces that are especially inclusive or especially not so inclusive? I've been lucky in the sense that when I came out as trans, I had another band mate (Kenny from The Vulnerable) come out to me at almost the exact same time so I didn't have to face the journey alone. Since then I haven't had any interest in working with a lineup that isn't diverse. Just because there are so many people that need and deserve a voice and I want to be a part of making that voice louder. There are a lot of great venues all over the country, and there a lot of places I feel mostly safe. Unfortunately, there are almost no venues that are protecting marginalized communities as well as they could and should be. Regardless of what I say onstage, or how many times I specify my pronouns over a PA, at least 2-4 people per show will slap me on the back and say "sick set bro, you GUYS totally killed it." And a lot of venues that don't condone oppressive behaviors still allow it. I hear racial slurs, homophobic terms, and see toxic masculine or white supremacist behavior at more shows than not. And that's one of the biggest reasons that I never shut up. Things are starting to be talked about more and more now, and that means we have the opportunity to make things better than they've ever been. I totally want to give some shout outs though. Trumbullplex always makes sure everyone is safe in their space. I've seen them throw out many people for shitty behavior. Same with Loud in Port Huron. Dave has been a fierce and vocal supporter. And of course any time you or Tonia are attached to a GR show, I know it's gonna be a good safe time. -What are some ways you think venues and spaces can be better about inclusivity and accommodating to marginalized folks? How can bands and showgoers better hold each
other accountable? I think the number one most important thing is to denormalize these behaviors. If you're friends are acting creepy towards someone, let them know it's not okay. If someone drops a slur, tell them knock it off or get out. Obviously there are a lot of reasons people can't always do those things for their own safety concerns, but any little bit anyone can do to make sure people know it's not acceptable to attack or belittle another person for who they are is a start and it all helps. And I do think it is every bands responsibility to advocate for the safety of the people in their crowd. Also, making sure anyone can go to your shows is super important. Ramps for wheelchairs, chairs for people with chronic pain, ear plugs for people who get sensory overload, and of course easy exits for anyone who may need to get out for any reason. -Would you call The Trumbellplex your home venue? What can you tell me about the space? I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting yet. I think I would call it our home venue. We had our debut show there and our record release! They have supported us and helped build us up since day one. They are an amazing anarchist collective that puts a huge emphasis on featuring fem/LGBTQ+/poc acts on every bill. One of the coolest things is that if there is something problematic going on, you can contact them and it's almost always taken care of the next day. And they have a ramp! Which is really important. Not enough people think about accessibility, can't plug that fact enough. -How was GTG Fest and what are you most excited about doing/going on this current Fall mini-tour? GTG Fest was great! We got to play on the floor and we had a big, receptive and diverse crowd. It was also my first time seeing Bet On Rats and they were great and really nice people. Can't say enough great things about the GTG folks. I'm really excited about Ladyfest (I'm sitting in the parking lot of Junker's Tavern in Cincy as I type this!), And I'm super happy to get back out to Pittsburgh and Buffalo, I haven't been to Buffalo in over a year at this point. We're also playing a wedding shown in Ypsi for our pals Harley and Taylor and I'm probably gonna cry. Pretty much all the shows are just really great and I don't ever want to stop doing these tours. -Who are some of your absolute favorite artists you’ve shared the stage with so far? Oh my gosh. So many. Let's go by member again. Daisy - Child Bite, Selector Dub Narcotic, Unwritten Law, Ratboys, The Picassos, The Arsonist
Choir, Harley Arson, Mobina Galore, Pancho Villa's Skull, Complainer., Scientific Sunshine, Fst Fckr, Arcadia, Bathroom of the Future, Solitary Subversion... And getting to play with Tonia at the Tip Top show was great. She's a huge inspiration. José - Oh, damn. This is going to be difficult because I've played with so many incredible artists. I'm going to keep this to CURRENT MICHIGAN bands, otherwise I'll be here forever. Aggro or Die, Arsonist Choir, Bathroom of the Future, Birdhouse, Golden Torso, Foreclosed Homes, Koffin Kats, the Lowcocks, New Day Revolution, No/Breaks, Pancho Villa's Skull, The Picassos, Poison Tongues, Pure Hiss, the Purps, the Radiotypes, the Randy Bastards, Rent Strike, the Scants, Solitary Subversion, Spooky Basements, St. Thomas Boys Academy, Stubborn Strays, SUB, Teener, Terrible as the Dawn, Tidal, WOMB, The Worst Of, You Dirty Rat. I know I'm forgetting a ton. Basically if I have their sticker on my guitars, button on my strap, or a patch on my vest or shorts, I adore their music. Steve - Unwritten Law for sure, but locally, Solitary Subversion, Bathroom of the Future, Birdhouse, Sprowt. Fish - UHHHH oh boy. There's so many that i hope none of us forgot any. Ratboys, Teener, Mobina Galore, Child Bite, Lung, Thin Lips, Calamity Day, Terrible as the Dawn, Birdhouse... okay if I don't stop now the list will get out of control. -Daisy, how special was it to recently reunite with Kenny, now of Solitary Subversion, and play The Vulnerable songs again? That band was incredibly important to me. Thank you that means so much! Every time I get to play music with Kenny, it's a blast of adrenaline and nostalgia. Kenny and I put our heart and soul into that band for years and experienced some incredible things and some really low, lows together. They are one of my most treasured friends and any time we get to play together or even chat/go for a late night walk it's really special. Most recently, the two of us did the whole Is There Acceptance album with just voices and an acoustic guitar to about five people past midnight at the Phoenix Cafe. We stood in the middle of the floor with no microphones and just ripped thru the songs and made a bunch of ska jokes. It was a blast. To have the success I've had with Daisys and then have another band that people talk about makes me feel way cooler than I know I really am! -I’ve heard you’re quite into old-school/”vintage” media like VHS tapes and such. What kinds of things do you collect? Is there a specific item you especially cherish above the rest? I LOVE THIS QUESTION. I collect cassette tapes, VHS tapes and books mostly. My favorite
items if I had to narrow it down would be my Green Day cassette discography, my extensive Sonic the Hedgehog/Power Rangers VHS collection and I have almost every Star Wars VHS release ever put out. It's a great hobby. Usually very cheap and accessible. -What’s your all-time favorite Goosebumps episode and/or book?
This is a hard one. I have watched the show much more than I've read the books! It's a tie between Stay Out of the Basement and Welcome to Deadhouse right now. But R.L. Stine is a personal hero and I really dig his Fear Street books too. They're a little bit heavier/darker than Goosebumps but still have that simple light-hearted aspect to them. -During your live show and on social media, you provide hope for queer people, so would you please briefly reiterate that here, even if it feels like “preaching to the choir?” I want your words of comfort to be what we leave off on. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much. These have all been really fun to answer. What I want everyone to know is this: if you are at a Daisys show, or even just hanging out with us, you'll be respected, your feelings will be valid and we'll keep you safe. You don't have to be LGBT+ to come to our shows, and you don't have to be out of the closet to come and rage with us and feel valid in your identity. The only requirement to roll with us is to check the bullshit at the door. Respect those around you, try to learn what you can and offer something positive to those around you. We all really need that right now. We're going to tear down the standards of the punk rock scene and make it something we can all enjoy and grow with.Steve - Absolutely. Daisy and I made this vital from day one. I'm the odd one out in the band, as far as identifying as LGBTQ+, but I've been an ally since childhood, so I've seen how important it is make sure everyone is being looked after and not made to feel unsafe for being themselves at our shows or really in any setting.
-Hey pals, how are you doing? Thanks for doing this with me. Please, introduce yourselves and your roles in the band, to the readers. HEY GUYS, it’s Bek here talking about this awesome thing called The Quirk! It’s made up of me who sings main vocals and plays guitar, Pat who plays some mad licks on guitar, Tim holding down the low end on bass, and Ivan holding it all together on drums. -Didn’t you use Craigslist to put the pieces of the Quirk together? What was that like? Did you come across any weirdos? Were there many tryouts or did it go pretty fast? Lol! Yes! Sooooo many weirdos!!! I had found a few cool people as well but our visions were different. Pat’s ad on Craigslist made him seem very overqualified to be in a band with me because of his 20+ years of experience with bass guitar so that was honestly intimidating, but being me I sucked it up and was ready to embarrass myself once again to give it a shot. Pat had started texting me (a lot) before we met to make sure our vision was the same. I was skeptical, but we ended up meeting at Mulligans and I told my friends to check up on me in an hour lol. Pat and I ended up figuring out we had played a show together in the past with our projects (The Redlights and Dynaflow) and we both knew the guys from Murder Party! -When and where was your first show? And how has the band evolved or improved since then? Our first show was in my basement as a three piece - me on guitar, Pat on bass, Ivan on drums. We found Tim a few months later on a Facebook page, and moved Pat to more of a lead style guitar before our first “real” show at The Workshop. We are constantly evolving! We all like to nerd out on music theory so a lot of our songs are inspired by being mildly nerdy musicians who love punk and want to try something out of our comfort zone. -I like how each song on your EP sounds almost totally different than the last. Was it a goal or intention of yours to explore a range of genres or was that just a natural result of a mixed bag of influences for you all?
It’s kind of a natural flow of how we nerd together. One of us has an idea and we just keep building off of it. We also write in a lot of different keys so every song has its own unique feel. I think anyone who knows the four of us could see the influences in how they pull in different directions. Myself and Ivan are definitely into more punk and pop-punk. Pat is very chill and likes a lot more laid back experimental music. I think that's where a lot of the shoegaze comes from. Tim is more of a metal and hardcore guy who likes to indulge in overthe-top intensity. Definitely natural and not pre-planned, I don't think. It just so happens to be... in the past we have jokingly called it "shoegunk." We should copyright that...-Which of the four songs on the EP are you each most proud of and why? Set A Fire seems to be the band favorite. It’s so aggressive and angsty, it’s one of those songs that expresses so much emotion musically that it’s hard not to lose yourself in the moment. -What was your experience like working with Don Carlisle at Knavish Audio? Had any of you worked with him before? I had worked with Don before in my other project, Sorry Hunny. He makes the recording atmosphere at Knavish so chill and easy to work in. I was new to handling the whole process of recording and Don is a helluva nice guy. He must've had the patience of a saint on "gang vocals" day which was really about 7 people getting drunk and screaming into a mic. We had a great time. I'm not sure that he had as good of a time as we did, haha! -Ivan made the album cover to the EP, is that correct? Do you mind explaining the meaning of it? I like it, by the way. What’s your process like? Also, if you want to link to any of your other work, go right ahead.
I think Ivan likes death things and everything gore. I know he does some comic art and he used a tablet for the album cover. He is super talented and he is a gem to work with!
-Talk a little about your EP release show, who else played, the significance of that night, etc. I hope you didn’t have too much of a panic with the venue change! Don made from scratch, the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! So of course the EP release at the Wealthy Street Theater Annex was wonderful! I had my buds, Amuse come in from Indianapolis, and GR favorites Bet On Rats and Minkus on the bill that night. I was so happy to have everyone that had helped on the EP come and hang out and celebrate with us. It’s the first time any of us have been extremely proud of a recording. The venue change definitely had me in a tizzy, but moving it to a space where everyone felt safe and welcomed was the right thing to do. I don’t regret it.
-What’s this new song you’ve been playing with Ash from Dance Contraption playing saxophone on it? How did you link up with her? And is it fun collaborating with her and others? Looking to do more of that in the future? I’ve had some people come up to me and challenge me to write a song that “hurts.” I dismissed this in the past, but I knew it was only right for me to “bleed” and speak up about a recent incident of sexual assault I had witnessed. My friend didn’t feel comfortable speaking publicly about what had happened that night. With her permission we made this song to be her ”voice.” Ash is a musical goddess. I’ve worked with her in Sorry Hunny as well as a few other endeavors in the past year. She adds such a creative flair to every idea that is brought to her. She pretty much showed up to a Quirk practice one day and figured everything out on the spot. Fun fact: she has been holding down the number one spot on "people you may know" on Tim’s Facebook for like six months now. It must be his 'Babe With Attitude' profile picture, I can see how it would be intimidating. -How was Skate Or Die 2: A Girls Rock Grand Rapids benefit show? How are you involved with GRGR? And explain your stance on the importance of benefit shows in the punk community. I’ve been working with Girls Rock for two years now. They are doing wonderful things! Growing up in the band culture as a female musician, I’ve had to deal with sexual harassment often in the past. I wish there would have been a safe space to jam with other girls and have awesome role models when I was younger. I would say that it's important for punk bands to come together for the community in a sense of "put up or shut up." It's a lot easier to just be angry and bitch about the world than to actively do something about it. Our current culture of slacktivism being a prime example. It's not enough to say "fuck this world." That's not productive. "Fuck this world, let's make it better" and then actively taking measures, no matter how small... now that's something I can get behind. -Who would be in your dream 90s band supergroup? Bek - Donita Sparks from L7 on vocals for sure... I’ll give Tim the lead on the rest of this answer since I generally only listened to local music growing up… Tim - On guitar, and being that we are sticking with the 90's, I'd have to put Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains and Chuck Shuldiner from Death. Rounding out the lineup, give me the rhythm section of Rage Against The Machine. So you have one of the most talented and powerful vocalists, easily the best guitarist out of the grunge era who made blues-rock guitar cool again, one of the most clever metal guitarists ever, and a rhythm section that could funk you out of your shoes yet play with the power of a thousand suns. Fuck yeah.
-If you could release a split with any band ever, who would it be? Bek - The Groodies because I will always be a Skelletones child stuck in 2006 at heart... Tim Probably has a better mainstream opinion on this so I will hand it over to him again lol. Tim - I'm not the biggest fan of their catalogue or anything, but a band I feel like we'd mesh really well with on a split would be Sonic Youth. Trading back and forth between punk and noise-rock aesthetics. Utilizing both male and female vocals. Not afraid to engulf the sound with the flames of fuzz. Someone get a hold of Kim Gordon, STAT! -The theme of this issue is being positive as heck in the face of all the garbage going on around us. So will you please close with a message to the readers about staying the course and pursuing your dreams, since The Quirk is all about being persistent? I constantly ask and challenge myself with this question… “in the current situation that I am in right now, what can I do to make my life better?” Be aware, embrace, and accept every moment for what it is. Keep doing what you love and what you know is best! Don’t let “ideals” guide your life or anyone put you in a box! Understand everything in this life is situational, you’re the only one who knows what is “right” for you. Be fair and have empathy for others. Keep an open mind and remember that not everyone will agree with you on every point of view, and that is okay.
-Hey, Lewi Pe, how the heck are ya bud? Thanks for chatting with me. I'm doing swell, thanks for having me. -When did you start playing guitar and singing? When did you write your first song? I started really singing in 7th grade when I joined choir. Also I received my first guitar that year as well, but didn't go hard with the guitar until 8th grade when I received my first acoustic. I wrote my first song in 7th grade so 2014. -Who is your biggest influence musically? Locally? Nationally? My biggest influence locally has to be The Lippies. And nationally, Green Day for sure. Right now I'm really influenced by Jack White and Remo Drive. -What pushed you to start playing and booking shows? Seeing my first local show really drove me to start playing shows. I think it was Jesse Ray And The Carolina Catfish. I was like "wow I want to do that too!" I thought it was totally badass. -So far during your live shows, you’ve mostly played solo acoustic. Have you ever considered playing electric? Or maybe expanding your songs to incorporate other instruments and a backing band? I've played a total of 2 electric shows. It's going to be more now that I have a drummer so stay tuned - it's going to be awesome! -How important is Rayne Klar to your music? I understand they’ve done all the accompanying artwork so far for the solo stuff? They're pretty darn important to my music. My uncle Ron payed them to do my first EP art. They are just so amazing at art, I love the style of everything. They're a really good friend so it means alot to be able have them make my art come alive through my shirts and EP cover. Thanks Rayne!!
-In addition to your solo project, I know you’ve got a full-band project now too called Rendered Worthless. Tell me about it, your bandmates, and what you do in that band. What do you sound like? Do you have anything cool planned for that? Rendered Worthless is like a 90's teenager band influenced by Nirvana, Weezer, and a little bit of pop-punk. We have some cool stuff planned just looking to play more shows. -Tell me a little about your friendship with Tonia Bug. How did you link up? Didn’t she write a Lippies song for you once? Also, how is the music going that you two have been working on together under the name Extraterrestrial Lies? Can we expect an official release in the future or is that more just a casual fun little side thing? Tonia is the friend everyone wants. She's cool, strong, nice. I first met her when I went to the EP release for The Lippies. After that I went to a hella ton more shows of theirs and we all became friends and we get closer every year. I donated to their first tour and then she wrote a song for me. They ended up liking it so much they made it a full band song and put it on their fulllength its track 9, "We Can't Go". Extraterrestrial Lies is going great, There will be an official EP and a release show. After that it's a chill thing won’t be too many shows. -I remember thinking you were way older when I first met you. Do you get that a lot? How does it feel to be doing such cool things at such a young age and having something of a “head start”? I’ve told you before that I wish I was doing half of what you’re doing when I was your age.
HAHA! I get that a lot. I'm super fortunate to have this "head start." It's a head start cause I found my passion early and have been putting 110% into it. I've made so many great pals and connections. I couldn't ask for a better life. Now i'm helping out the band I play bass for (Rendered Worthless) and it's so amazing. -What are your top 5 albums of all time? ;) Ugh, hard question... 1.Green Day-Dookie 2.Violent Femmes-Self-Titled 3.Nirvana-Nevermind 4.The Lippies-Self-Titled LP 5.The Lippies-Self-Titled EP -Please, close this out with some words of encouragement to other kids and young people that might be reading this. Thanks, punk. <3 Hey kids, MAKE MUSIC! You can do it. It may look difficult, but grab your buds, throw your gear in the basement, and play to have fun. You're making it look harder then it is. Check out Remo Drive-Greatest Hits. You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be disappointed. Love ya, Ty. Thanks so much!!