TSUNAMI BOMB

GRADE 2 INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST / BASSIST SID RYAN AND VOCALIST / GUITARIST JACK CHATFIELD BY HUTCH G rade 2 is a trio of 21-year olds from whole experience is something we will all the U.K. who have been a punk remember for a lifetime.” band for five full years. It’s not amazing that a youth culture, going strong “It was a calm environment, and a very for 50-plus years, still attracts riled and quick process,” guitarist and vocalist Jack angry kids. But it is notable that these three Chatfield notes. “Tim worked us all out lads write damn fine songs with maturity, rapidly, differentiating our weaknesses thought, and skill. They have a full sound from our strengths, taking our abilities up with elaborate execution, not just three a notch. It was everything we could have chords and a snarl. Graveyard Island - the hoped for and then some. It’s amazing to title alluding to their home, the Isle of Wight have someone with his musical knowledge - is their third LP, and shows further growth and understanding overseeing our writing from their already impressive signature. process, and for us to see his. We learned Now on Hellcat Records, with their record so much from him.” produced by Tim Armstrong, Grade 2 also toured the States in the summer of 2019. The songs on Graveyard Island express concern and frustration for an array of Intelligent songwriting has solidified Grade socio-political issues, but through a per2’s stature in European punk circles, and their sonal lens. youth gives them a different viewpoint and energy in the oi! and punk scenes. Bassist and “The majority of our motivation is definitely vocalist Sid Ryan agrees with this. from personal experience and our surroundings,” Ryan says. “Our upbringing on “I believe so,” he says. “Although most of the the island has given us a unique perception, meaning and understanding for the scenes and I feel we write a lot better when it’s stay the same, we are definitely trying to about something we have experienced bring some modern twists to the table. If first-hand.” that wasn’t happening, everything would just remain stagnated. I think you can hear On their third LP, Grade 2 has learned to it throughout our newest album, with song deliver the same impact as their previous topics about technology within modern efforts, with more succinct tracks. Sure, living arising twice.” it’s always been punk, but punk and oi! bands can certainly indulge in five or The fact that Hellcat is delivering these tracks even six-minute songs. Graveyard Island’s to the world still stuns these young men. trimming feels very intentional, and the band’s songwriting is aware of duration “It’s an immense opportunity that we’re and repetition. incredibly fortunate and grateful to have received,” Ryan says. “We’re all huge fans “I think we demonstrated quite well on our of the bands on the label, past and present. last record, Break The Routine, that we can Now to be able to have our name amongst indulge in three-to-five minute tracks,” that, truly mind-blowing.” Ryan says. “So, [on] this record, we were definitely keen to try and bash out a few And actually having Tim Armstrong run more quick, to the point songs. In the studio, the boards for Graveyard Island was, Ryan we were actually talking about one of the reflects, “incredibly surreal.” new tracks, ‘Johnny Aggro,’ and I asked if maybe it was too short. And Tim looked at me “It’s not every day you have the chance to in horror! [laughs] He said ‘this is punk rock. work with one of your heroes,” he says. “The Ain’t no one gonna be mad about that.’” ��

MAKE WAR INTERVIEW WITH BASSIST / VOCALIST EDWIN SANTACRUZ BY JOSHUA MARANHAS G et It Together, released in November 2019 through Fat Wreck Chords, is the third album by Brooklyn-based love of punk in two songs sung in Spanish on this record. “We're playing one of them live right now,” he says. “It's called "No Más." punk band MakeWar. The record is upbeat And it's about what we sometimes had to and thoughtful, with a touch of neurosis. go through being Colombian and people misjudging, saying that we are drug dealers “The night is drunk and we’re all young!” or something. So, it's about stereotypes and What a way to start an album, with a verse stuff like that.” about disorder and not sleeping in bed. “The night is young and we’re in love,” the Having songs in Spanish on Fat Wreck song “Hopeless Dreamers” continues. Chords is a source of pride and joy for him. “When we wrote [those songs], I didn't know This three-piece packs a punch. Their music that [the record] was going to be on Fat. It's gets the listener up and gets fists in the air. just fucking amazing. So yeah, I mean, I'm Get It Together is a fast record with catchy super stoked.” tunes, the kind of record that demands memorizing lyric sheets for sing-a-longs. MakeWar is making music that’s happening now. “Oh Brother,” the first video for the Edwin Santacruz, the band’s bassist and album and single from the record goes newly-minted co-singer, explains their something like this - “Welcome to your journey from Colombia and Venezuela, nine-to-five. If you call in sick, you’d better through Red Scare Industries, to Brooklyn, be dying.” A reminder to keep your heart and onto Fat Wreck Chords. young and your soul awake, even as life goes on and age catches up. “How did that happen? Weird, right? Me and Jose [Prieto, singer and guitarist] met Santacruz says, “I feel like every band that back in Florida. We went to school in Fort comes into [Fat] has all these influences Lauderdale. We clicked on the fact that we from the bands that came before. Like, were both from South America and we both Jose fucking loves Lagwagon and their liked punk, and we also didn't speak a word melodies. But at the same time, I've come of English. So, we met each other, became from a different perspective, and Greg as homies, and then, you know, fast-forward well. So, I feel like we merge these different seven years or something.” ideas into what MakeWar is now. We're not reinventing the wheel here, but I feel like we Santacruz expands on the timeline, “Jose definitely have a sound.” moved to New York. I moved after. At the time we were a folk-punk, acoustic live There’s a quiet lesson in MakeWar’s music, band, just the two of us. I was playing the maybe not a political one, but a lesson in upright bass and Jose was playing guitar and being a good human. At this point in hissinging. We tried a couple of drummers and it tory, a song like “American Fútbol” serves didn't really work out. And then Greg [Taylor] as a good reminder of what punk rock came along and I was immediately like, all should do - create an environment of unity, right, we're transforming this whole sound.” equality, and thoughtfulness. MakeWar is a band on the rise, and they have plenty Despite moving to New York, Santacruz to be proud of in their music and in their describes his love of South America and his character. �� �� ��

PHOTO BY JOSHUA MARANHAS

DOWN BY LAW “And we’re like, this’ll totally be like one of those. It’s kind of ‘greatest hits’-ish, but we did other songs too that aren’t our mainstays. We just wanted to get a good representation of the whole stretch of the career. Some of the stuff is pretty rare,”

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/GUITARIST DAVE SMALLEY AND GUITARIST/VOCALIST SAM WILLIAMS BY JANELLE JONES W ith 30 years under their belt, punk veterans Down By Law are still charting new territory for themThe 15-track album features new versions of old favorites and more obscure songs, along with a brand-new, exclusive track, selves. Case in point: their latest album, “Late Bloomer.” Quick Hits: Live in Studio (Cleopatra/Kung Fu Records), released this past October, is “We were all into the John Peel Sessions,” the band’s first-ever live studio recording. says guitarist and vocalist Sam Williams.

“You have to include some songs, like ‘Gruesome Gary,’ or you’ll be killed by an angry mob,” says vocalist and guitarist Dave Smalley, laughing. Also included are a couple of Dag Nasty songs (Smalley was their original singer) that the band have been known to play live.

“I put my heart and soul into all those albums,” Smalley says. “There’s blood, sweat, and tears in every song, so I’m gonna keep doing them occasionally, pick a few I love and do them here and there as covers.”

Of their great songwriting relationship, Smalley says, “It’s really one of the great partnerships of the punk rock era, I think. Sam and me just have this sort of cool collaboration. You don’t wanna say Lennon-McCartney. I can’t think of anything else now, so I’ll say Lennon-McCartney. It’s just a great thing.”

And on that note, Smalley also says the band are working on a new album that might be released in the late spring of 2020. ��

BLACK VALLEY MOON

Sam Williams has also started Black Valley Moon, an instrumental threepiece horror-surf punk band. Their debut LP, The Baleful Sounds of Black Valley Moon Vol. 1, was released in 2019.

“The instrumental thing is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” Williams says. “It was partially because I play in Down By Law with Dave Smalley, and he’s just so good as a singer that I have super-high standards. That’s not saying there aren’t great singers out there, but for the stuff I wanna do, it’s hard for me to find a singer.”

Rounding out the trio is drummer Dave Kamrath and bassist Don Butler. The band have been playing shows, and Williams says, “It’s a pretty versatile thing. The music fits a lot of different atmospheres.”

“We can play a car show or we can play a punk show,” he adds. ��

HUB CITY STOMPERS

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST REV. T SINISTER BY KELLY MCGOWAN O n the heels of their 2018 release, ing and production, Sinister came up Haters Dozen, hailed by many with the unique idea of re-recording as the ska-punk album of the the album instead. year, New Jersey’s Hub City Stompers are dropping another full-length, titled “We figured that re-releasing those Blood Sweat and Years. And it may sound classic tunes with an even tighter sound familiar. would be a great idea, and truly do the songs justice in putting them back out “The album is a 15-year anniversary obserthere,” he says. “We also wanted to add vance of our first album, Blood, Sweat and some new, unreleased material to the Beers,” vocalist Rev. T Sinister explains. album to sweeten the pot even more.”

"Blood, Sweat and Beers is, of course, an important and sentimental milestone for us, since it was our first album,” he continues. “It really set the tone for what we wanted to do when we first formed in 2002. With the 15th anniversary dawning on us, I originally thought to re-release Blood Sweat and Beers, and perhaps just remix and/or remaster it, since it is now essentially out of print and unavailable.” With the album coming out before the end of the year, the majority of the band’s shows are planned for 2020.

“We've done a lot of playing out and touring this year, with a good amount of fests and a West Coast tour under our belt,” Sinister explains. “Once things warm up a little more here in the U.S. and Reggae Bob [bass] is done getting married, we'll be hitting the road in 2020.” �� �� ��

TSUNAMI BOMB

INTERVIEW WITH BASSIST DOMINIC DAVI AND VOCALIST/KEYBOARDIST OOBLIETTE SPARKS BY JOHN B. MOORE W hen Tsunami Bomb decided then it would just happen, just like it resting on the songs of the past. Don’t to call it quits in 2005, they always used to.” get me wrong, I love those songs. I’m left behind a handful of EPs proud of what we created, but to me and two full-lengths to their name. And she was right. you have to move it forward.” And while fans were stoked by their 2015 reunion, the only thing missing Davi, Tsunami Bomb’s bass player, Move forward they did, with the was new music. had been thinking about new music release of Spine That Binds, out Nov. since the band first got back together. 8, 2019, on Alternative Tentacles. The “Honestly, when we signed up to record builds on their classic sound. do the retrospective shows, it “One of the things that really was inevitable,” says keyboardist convinced me to commit to this band “It was honestly something I never and singer Oobliette Sparks. “I again was being able to revisit the thought would happen again,” Sparks knew Dominic [Davi] would send me sound we had all created together,” says. “I had so many unresolved an idea he had for something and he says. “I had zero interest in just feelings and mixed emotions that

I had just kind of benched. It was so weird to start again, but at the same time, it wastherapeuticin a way. Gabe [Lindeman, drums] and Dominic are some of my oldest friends, and the fact that I can play music with them again is just such a gift. The second we started writing together again, it was like no time at all had passed. It's weird how you just have musical connections with some people. Maybe Dom and Gabe are my music soulmates.”

Davi agrees, “I think we are music soulmates!”

The band quickly picked up where they left off.

“We have a lot of history together,” he continues. “I’m so lucky to have them back in my life like this, and it’s stupid how talented they both are. I’m constantly in awe of them. She [Sparks] is right though, there was a lot of hurt we had to address in bringing this back. Tsunami Bomb did not end in a good place for many of us, and there were still some open wounds that lingered. I think that’s the best thing that’s come out of doing this band again. We’ve been able to right a lot of wrongs.”

Kate Jacobi joined the band in 2015, replacing original singer Emily Whitehurst, and Andy Pohl was brought in at the same time to take over on guitar. So, what was the impetus for the band getting back together in the first place?

“I had been working with Kung Fu Records around that time, and they started talking to me about how all our old albums were still selling really well,” Davi says. “They knew we had a lot of early EPs that were now out of print, and they were interested in collecting them together and putting those songs out as an LP.”

He reached out to the other members of the band and all were on board. The LP that resulted was the Trust No One collection released in 2016. Most of the original band members were on board to play shows to celebrate the release.

“We thought we could maybe create a new project that was a mix of both ‘Flag’ and ‘All,’” Davi says. “A brand new band that was an obvious call-back to the band we were, playing our old songs with the help of a new singer, and maybe writing some new ones as well. As we started working on it, though, it became so obvious that when we played together, it just was Tsunami Bomb.” �� �� ��