Lucky Issue Thirteen
Free
: e d i S n I Todd Brat ru Strike Anywhere
theMars mike Guy
voltA Maritime
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Q and not U
Hey mercedes en l l o N y n Antho
The Lawrence Arms
r a E s ’ r e m Swim issue 13 Editors Chris Pernula Adam Sever
Contributors Michael Stenerson Ryan Atienza Ashley Brookins Josh Bachman Paul Pernula Jimi Nguyen
Cover: Jackson Roman, Backside Smith Here: Cutty, Bertleman Photos: Michael Stenerson
Contact us: 9487 Polaris Lane North Maple Grove, MN 55369 SwimmersEarMag@aol.com
For Immediate Release: For years now American businesses have moved their companies to countries like China, Japan, and Taiwan, because they can pay their workers pennies per hour. World Industries skateboard company stated that they are now manufacturing their boards in China, so their decks are less expensive than American made brands. We at Swimmer’s Ear thought this was a great idea, so we have moved our whole operation to China. This will allow us, the editors, to stay in America, and not do a damn thing, while our counterparts in China will be working hard providing you with the best local coverage. Plus, this will help us make a much bigger profit so we can finally do what we really love, Pog collecting. You’re probably thinking, “How can workers in China provide local skateboard coverage in Minnesota?” Let me explain. We have designated certain Chinese people as people from Minnesota. Look below for these people in future issues, as well as these other local skaters: Mike Munzinrider, Andy Paulsen, Steve Nesser, and Clint Peterson. Benji Meyer Jack Boyd
Dom Hess
Swimmer’s Ear working hard on the newest issue
Youngin’ Phil Wright ollies the Byerly’s gap while some lanky idiot gets in the shot to film. Photo: Paul Pernula
I’ve never been too good with secrets...
Stuck #1&#2
Our number one fan, Troma Entertainment president and Toxic Avenger creator Lloyd Kaufman.
Stuck Mag is a big magazine. Really, it’s like twice the size of Swimmer’s Ear, which kinda makes it hard to hold and turn pages, so you better read in on the floor or sitting at a table. Stuck is a free magazine from Columbus, Ohio. They called it Stuck because they think most kids in the midwest grow up thinking they’re stuck in the midwest. And this theme somehow comes up in almost every interview in the entire magazine and it gets a little annoying. Anyway, issue one has interviews with pro skateboarder and Ohioian Kristian Svitak, artist Tim Biedron, BMXer Matt Lippot, and am profiles with Minnesota’s Brian Heck and Steve Fauser, who’s from some other state. The worst part of issue one is a “Back 2 School” Fashion Shoot. In the color pink no less. After seeing this section, Stuck dropped 23 points in the Cool Zines Stock Exchange. Luckily they apologized for it in issue two. And speaking of issue 2, they got rid of all the shit from issue one and made a great magazine. Issue two has interviews with pro snowboarder Matty Peterson, Alien Workshop designer Don Pendelton, Writer Mark Lewman, the band Rise Against, and am profiles with Neen Williams and Sammy Holtan. If they continue with the same formula they used for issue two, then Stuck will be a really good magazine. Check your local skate shop for an issue of stuck or go to stuckmag.com.
Good thing this was shot above the waist because this is where Lloyd took off his pants. Photos: Jimi Nguyen
“Replicas of Nothing” LUUN Motion Media For a state with no mountains, Minnesota doesn’t seem to have a problem with churning out talented snowboarders. It’s almost as if they’re being grown in vast open fields and harvested in the fall, just in time for the boarding season. This particular film features some excellent riding from the likes of Pat Milbery, Zac Marben, Erich Dummer, Jordan and Jonas Michilot, Jeff Meyer, Ricky Tucker, Matt Seifert, and about 100 others. It also boasts a soundtrack of MN-only music. I’ve been burnt out on D4 and Slug for a while, but other than that I was happy with the selections. This state is overflowing with good music, so if a R.O.N. 2 is in the making then they’ve got plenty of bands to choose from. I was thinking of listing a few, but that would be lame. It’s more fun to discover them on your own. You can start by not listening to 93X.
Street Theater #6, $2 Street Theater is a black and white cut and paste photo copy zine from Minneapolis. There is an article about the CBG Tour to FDR Skatepark in Philly, where it seems there was more drinking and partying going on than skateboarding. The totally wasted theme is continued throughout the zine. The best part of the zine is the Bj Morril interview. It has nice photos and good content. Street Theater #6 also has interviews with Stacy Lowery and the band Useless Wooden Toys. Overall, Street Theater gets an “A” for effort, and the design is cool, due to the cut and paste quality, but more skating and less drinking would be a nice change. And make the shit free. I wouldn’t have bought it, except for the fact that I wanted to review it.
“Everything I need to know about prison I learned from watching The Shawshank Redemption.” This letter came from Pleasant Valley State Prison in California.
The Journal entry #8 At a recent stop to the Youth Shelter in St. Cloud, I came across a copy of The Journal’s entry #8. This is the first time I had seen The Journal in a couple years and man, did it ever get fat. Early issues were barely pushing 70 pages, and this one weighs in at just over 160 pages. What I found in Journal #8 is the same indepth interviews, awesome photos, interesting and well written articles, and other goodies. Still one of the best black and white zines ever. Those guys are doing a good thing so support them. Journal00@hotmail.com
Bail Magazine Issue 1
Raese’s Issue 1 Raese’s is a new skateboarding magazine from Illinois. Their first issue has interviews with Bob Burnquist, Falco Baltys, Dayne Brummet, Jon Comer, Pat Channita, and Matt Beach. Issue 1 has really nice design and layout. This issue has only interviews and it’s unknown if they will have more articles in future issues. I’m not sure if the people who make this actually skate or not, because they have no skate history knowledge. For instance, they spelled EMB, probably the most famous skate shop ever as, E & B. And secondly, they misspelled Wade Spayer’s name. Wade was a pretty influential skateboarder in the 80’s and 90’s. And they spell his last name as Spare. If you can look past the mistakes, Raese’s is a pretty good magazine. When I saw the interview with Jon Comer, I thought, “Oh great, another interview about how he lost his leg.” This interview mentioned nothing about his leg, but has really good memories of legendary vert skateboarder Jeff Phillips.
I think everyone was excited to hear about this new magazine coming out. Mainly because it has a big interview with everyone’s favorite skateboarder/hollywood actor, Jason Lee. Bail is made by those fine people at the award-winning Punk Planet Magazine. Bail is for the older generation of skateboarder in their late 20s and 30s. And I was immediately sucked in due to that fact. I was totally sick of skateboarding magazines with more ads than actual content and run by a huge media corporaton who doesn’t know what a skateboarder wants. Bail knows what skateboarders want that they give it. Issue 1 has interviews with Jason Lee, Stoked: Rise and Fall of Gator, director Helen Strickler, Tommy Guerrero talking about music, the guys at German skateboard Company Hessenmob, artist Cody Hudson, and Chicago’s Uprise owner Maya Messoriano. It also features an article by a skateboarder during the Gulf War. The overall design of Bail is simplistic but really nice. Not overwhelming in the least. And the writing is intelligent. I’m not sure where to buy it, but you can always get it from bailmag.com. Issue 1 is now sold out, and issue 2 should be out by the time you read this.
Aquabats Doube Disc of Serious Awesomeness DVD It’s everybody’s favorite super hero ska band, straight into your television on DVD. The new Aquabats DVD is cool. It has over three hours of footage of the band. It also has a history of the band, but it’s more like a photo/live footage history and doesn’t tell how the band got to where they are now. Disc one has a complete live show from early 2003, band history and music videos of songs Super Rad and CD Repo Man. Disc two has “Sweet Clips that Rip” which includes live footage of songs like “Play Dough”, “My Skateboard”, and “Pool Party”. In between each song there is a fight or skit with some of the aquabats arch enemies like The Tough Looking Street Gang, Space Monster M and the Sandfleas, and The Cobnobbler. This DVD should be a part of every ska nerd’s collection.
I’m too young to feel this tired. Thursday “War All The Time”
Signal To Trust 7” Modern Radio With the new Signal To Trust 7”, you get more than just the 3 tracks on the record. You get a great piece of art, that is the front and back cover of the packaging. Guitarist and vocalist of STT, Brian Severns co-designed with Heather Koopmans and hand screened the images onto the card stock covers. It’s a great piece of framable art. Also with lyrics like “We can ride bikes! We can ride bikes into the garden where I hit the fence. Parties are so passe. Cake at the zoo. I like the concept. Tiny Circles. An animal wins the fight: a seagull versus a beaver. Parties are so passe. What can you say to that?” on the song Victory Over the Sun, you can’t go wrong. There were only 500 screened and I have #176.
Maritime Adios ep Foreign Leisure For those who haven’t heard yet, Maritime is the new project from exPromise Ring members, Davey and Dan, and ex-Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric. Self released on their own label, Foreign Leisure, the 5 song Adios ep is a blend of early Promise Ring and Vermont (Dan and Davey’s side project). Track one, “Adios” is by far the best song on the ep. It is a very upbeat song with saxaphone and trumpet mixed in. The other four tracks can be compared to phases in Dan and Davey’s musical history, with one song sounding like it could have come from The Promise Ring’s last album “Wood/Water” and another sounding like a song off a Vermont album. The Maritime full length “Glass Floor” should be out in the spring/summer of 2004. For more information check out maritimesongs.com
Take Action Volume 3 Sub City Records It’s hard to find a CD under 6 bucks nowadays, even harder to find a double disc CDunder six bucks. Unless you get the new installment of the Take Action Tour CD. What you get is 45 tracks from bands like Thrice, Thursday, Slick Shoes, Paint it Black, Vaux, and Good Riddance. And that’s just on the first disc. On disc two you get The Ataris, Yellowcard, Cursive, Statistics, The Explosion, and Small Brown Bike. For under $6, this package is a good choice, not because of the bands on the discs, but because a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Hopeline Network, which helps people dealing with suicide.
Thursday’s latest full length “War All the Time” fails to please as much as “Full Collapse”. War almost seems like there wasn’t much effort put into writing and recording it. There are 3 songs that start out with relatively the same guitar strumming, and some songs come off as annoying. The track, “War All the Time” is the best on the album.
Statistics “Leave Your Name” Jade Tree Denver Dalley is back again with a Statistics debut full length album. “Leave Your Name” is what it’s called, and I did, but you never called me back. Anyway, the full length is rocking with the first track sounding like an early Weezer tune, with some computer generated beats and synths within. Overall the CD is great. The guitar plays a much bigger part than it did on the Statistics EP. Some of the songs are kind of short and everytime you hear track two you will wonder why your phone is off the hook.
Challenger “Give Them What They Want in Lethal Doses” Jade Tree On first listen, Challenger’s vocalists may sound familiar. You think “Wow, I didn’t know Justin Timberlake could sing like this”, but you’re wrong. Maybe you have heard the band Milemarker. You are correct, now go get a cookie. Challenger is Al Burian and Dave Laney from Milemarker, but their new side project sounds nothing like the full time gig. Challenger is influenced by bands like the Minutemen and Husker Du. Challenger is an awesome blend of early punk and power rock.
Streetlight Manifesto “Everything Goes Numb” Victory This has to be the longest non-compilation ska CD ever produced. Nine of the twelve tracks are over four minutes long. “Everything Goes Numb” is five minutes short of an hour. The title track alone will make you want this album. It’s about a robbery and it captures the energy and nervousness that goes along with robberies and makes a song out of it. Streetlight Manifesto has made one of the best ska albums that I have heard in a long time. It features 3 ex-members of the popular ska band Catch 22 and it shows that ska may have gone out of the mainstream spotlight but it is certainly not dead.
Hella “The Devil Isn’t Red” 5RC When you think of instrumental music you may think of bands like Pele, who’s music is slow and intricate. Or Roots of Orchis, who’s sound is more upbeat with a turntable element. Then there is Hella, which deserves it’s own category in the instrumental genre. Hella plays loud, fast, guitar and drums only instrumental music. It’s like being in a tornado but with the safety of not being crushed by flying debris. Just two guys playing the hell out of their instruments.
From Ashes Rise “Nightmares” Jade Tree Here are some do’s and don’ts while listening to “Nightmares.” Do- Listen to very loudly. Don’t- Listen to while stuck in traffic. Do- Listen to while on the interstate, speeding. Don’t- Stand near glass, it will get broken. Do- flail your arms and kick your feet. Don’t- play for toddlers during naptime Do- Buy this album and stop watching Mtv. Don’t- bother going to sleep after listening, as the title suggests, you will get nightmares.
Death Cab for Cutie “Transatlanticism” Barsuk Ben Gibbard is an amazing vocalist and sings so beautifully that you can’t help but attempt to replicate his singing while you’re alone in your car. Problem is, no one can sing like he does so you come off sounding like a frog getting kicked in the balls while going through puberty . Some of my favorite tracks are Title and Registration, A Lack of Color, and Lightness. For whatever it’s worth, I like this album more than DCfC’s previous release “The Photo Album” but not as much as 2000’s “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes.” Wait a sec... do frogs have balls?
The Get Up Kids “Guilt Show” Vagrant Before I bought this I had a couple people tell me it sounded more like their older stuff, but to me it resembles “On A Wire” more than anything else. You could mix the two albums up into one and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Then again, I’m tone deaf. And partially blind. And I have no sense of smell. My favorite track has to be Is There A Way Out, so if you buy this album just skip to number twelve, close your eyes, and think of me. God, that’s weird. Pretend I didn’t write that. Wow, now it’s going to be really awkward passing you in the hall at school.
Spitalfield “Remember Right Now” Victory The packaging on this album says that Spitalfield sounds like Jimmy Eat World, Promise Ring, and Foo Fighters. They only got 1 1/2 right. First of all it sounds nothing like the Foo Fighters, and only the first two songs sound anything like the Promise Ring. You really have to listen for it. What it does sound like though is Jimmy Eat World, mixed with some New Found Glory. What you get with “Remember Right Now” is 10 great songs that are totally rocking in the New Found Jimmy Eat Glory World genre.
A Whisper in the Noise/If Thousands “2d” I have to start out by saying that A Whisper in the Noise is one of my favorite bands to see play live. There is an insane amount of energy and suspense that flows across the stage and out into the audience. Some bands have pretty standard stage performances, almost to the point where you have no reason to actually watch. Your ears do all the work and you start to daydream about other stuff. With A Whisper in the Noise you actually want to watch and you can’t look away. Mainly because there is so much happening on the stage all at once. Instead of nodding your head up and down, you have to turn it from side to side just to see everything, like the cello, violin, drums, french horn, piano, and bass. I had thought that “2d” was going to be a full length, but AWITN only has four songs on this album. I don’t know if I’d consider the other four tracks “songs.” If Thousands is more like noises and experimental sounds. The wood and wire packaging gets bonus points for originality, even though I ended up getting splinters and tetanus. Same thing happened in eighth grade tech. ed.
The Plastic Constellations “Mazatlan” 2024 Records I went to the CD release show for this album and got shot in the eye with a confetti cannon. For the past three weeks I’ve had to wear an eyepatch, and people keep making fun of me. One guy told me I looked like “a butt pirate in search of booty.” Fuck that guy. Someone else said I was the ghost of Lisa Left-Eye Lopez. That’s so disrespectful. All in all, the taunts and sideways glances have been worth it, because the show kicked ass and so does the album. Way to go TPC.
The Elected “Me First” Sub Pop The Elected play mellow tunes that are perfect for relaxing to. If napping were a sport, The Elected would be Gatorade. I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing. I love naps and Gatorade. One time I drank too much Gatorade right before a nap and woke up in a puddle. But that’s just between you and me. If you tell anyone I’ll kill you.
Heros don’t do any good with tears in their eyes.
Decahedron "Disconnection Imminent" Lovitt Records Ex-members of Frodus and a member of Fugazi. The vocals sound like Ozzy, but the instruments are all good. Loud and hardcore/rock/metalish. CD includes a fifteen minute video about the band's beginnings.
The Good Life "Lovers Need Lawyers” ep Saddle Creek A perfect opposite to Cursive's "Ugly Organ". Tim Kashner is a vocal mastermind... seven songs about drinking. This ep is a teaser to a full length that will be released later this year.
Probot "S/T" Southern Lord Records
Good Times Bad Times A video by Yale Nelson
As far as amature videos go, this pretty much sets the standard. I’m using the term amature lightly. These kids aren’t pros, but they definitely have a professional approach to filming and editing. I’ve watched this video many times, and the editing is nearly flawless. Everyone in front of the camera knows what they’re doing as well. I think all of them have appeared in other videos over the past few years, so they know what to do when the camera is recording. Standouts include Yale Nelson, John Waltmann, and Bryan Godfrey. Dan Bukstein closes the show with a solid segment that could easily double as a sponsor-me tape. If you’re into that sort of thing.
Dave Grohl writes music then sends it to twelve of his favorite metal vocalists. The result is the best mainstream metal album to come out in years. Features Lemmy, Kurt Brecht, Max Cavalera, and more.
Chomsky "Let’s Get to Second" Aezra Records Modern upbeat indie rock with a certain 80's charm. Lots of good songs. Some songs are very 80's sounding but in a good way. Frontman Sean Halleck says "We're too indie for mainstream and too mainstream for indie..."
Four Letter Lie 2-song demo Brian, remember when I let you borrow that spotlight that plugs into the cigarette lighter in your car? I need that back. You’re not gonna need it for delivering pizzas if you’re out on tour opening for Finch. For everyone else: Visit FourLetterLie.com, find out when their next show is, go to it, and throw your underwear onto the stage. Four Letter Lie Photo: Chris Pernula
Jackson Roman, Frontside Flip Photo: Marvelous
Q U &
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Part 2
Interview with John by Josh Bachman & Ashley Brookins Photos by Chris Pernula
Ashley: It’s been a while since you were here last. About a year and six days. Ashley: How have you guys been since then? We’ve done a lot of stuff since then. That was right when Different Damage was coming out. Or right before it actually. And since then we’ve toured Europe and we toured Japan. You saw us at the beginning of the U.S. tour, so we did that tour. And then we did like more toward the West coast in March, and then we were supposed to tour this spring but I broke my foot, so we cancelled that tour. Then we did like two weeks in June, then we went back and did another two weeks in July and we went up in Canada. It was our first time up there, like at length. We played Vancouver before but we never played anywhere else. So that was pretty cool. And then we recorded a new single and that just came out. And we left on this tour about a week and a half or so. Josh: So how’d you break your foot? I was playing street hockey. Josh: What a way to go. The day before we were gonna leave on tour. We were able to practice, like while I had the cast on. I was able to play drums, but not really a hundred percent. The thought of, you know, trying to play live and not being able to do a hundred percent, and also having to travel with the cast on. So I decided to just wait, and go out when I could be a hundred percent. But we were able to write, we actually wrote the songs for the new single while I had my cast on.
Josh: You mentioned playing shows in other countries. The last time you were here, you played the Babylon, which was pretty small, and you didn’t bring any bands with you. And this time you brought some more bands, and it’s a bigger place. Is that kinda how it is around at all the other towns you’ve been to? Playing bigger places? Yeah I’d say so in some places. In Minneapolis, I think it’s maybe only the third time we’ve been here, but usually with other places we’ve been to more often. But we’re now getting to the point where we sort of fill up the places we used to play. Which is great. There have been a few where we’ve had to play bigger places, and they would not fill up yet, so maybe we’ll play them another time or two, and then they’ll fill up. So that’s kind of a weird place to be in. Josh: I met this kid in Canada, and he was from Germany, and I mentioned you guys and he had heard of you and I was surprised. Are you surprised to see how you do in other countries? I was a little surprised, I never know what to expect. I knew that Dischord was well distributed in Europe, and that people were buying the records. It’s pretty cool to see it impress a few people, and actually have a lot coming to the shows. I’d never seen that before, for a first time in all those places.
Ashley: What can we expect from your new material? If all goes according to plan, we’re going to write the new record over the winter and probably record it in the spring. Then it will come out in the summer. So, within a year we are planning on having a new album out. Ashley: Would you ever tour with Goblin if they asked you to? Sure, I would have to. Josh: Last time our readers learned that your favorite snack choice was Combos. Has your taste changed? Well yeah, I actually haven’t had Combos in a long time. But surely I don’t miss them, but it’s been a while. My favorite snack on this trip, although, it’s essentially candy, are dried mango slices, they’re like my favorite snack right now... I’m eating a little better this time around. We haven’t really hit the bulk of the long drives yet. We hit those long late night drives and we’re eating chips and tacos and the usual crap. Josh: What do you want your last words to be? It’s hard to say, at first I’d have to think about what bad karma I have over here. What would I be doing? I don’t know, there’s really no good way to go. I mean I don’t want to die. Josh: A good “Ah, crap”? No I think it would be positive. I can say that much, that I want it to be a positive thing. I wanna outlive everybody so nobody’s bummed out that I’m dead, but at the same time it would be kinda nice to have people there with me that you love when you go. I was reading about Johnny Cash and how he wasn’t afraid of death and how he saw it as another part of life. I like that attitude. It’s an idea I can sort of relate to. It’s a reminder to enjoy how lucky you are to be here. To be alive, and all the stuff you get to do everyday. So I don’t know what I’m gonna say. But hopefully I can just say that it was good, and I had fun.
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Age: 26 Location: Uptown Moneyapps Hometown: The Cedar Rapids slums (Iowa) Favorite mediums to work with? I like to switch it up to keep it interesting. But I would say Acrylics, ink and watercolors, and vector art (illustrator graphics). Do you have any formal training in art and design, or are you self taught? I went to school for fine art and for print design. But I learned way more on my own. School taught me how to be professional. Other interests outside of art? Music, video games... I pretty much spend my time with friends or doing some sort of art/design thing. And way too much time staring at the idiot box. Who are some of the companies you've designed for? Supernatural clothing, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Cal Surf, K-salaam, Mindstate Distribution. Those are the main ones.
How did your board graphic for Cal Surf turn out? Actually they haven’t got it yet, but they will have it by the time this comes out. I was stoked on the graphic they picked. It is one of my favorite characters. When you're working for a client does it ever actually feel like work, or mostly just play? It feels like work more than play. There is a lot more to it than playing on the computer or drawing. You have to deal with money, clients, other designers and programmers, it goes on and on. It can be extremely stressful dealing with business stuff. The art/design part is only about 50% of it. Where do you see yourself in five years? I don’t know, hopefully making a good living doing what I enjoy. I really never plan on making a living off my fine art (that’s for me). I would like to start my own business where I can use my art/design work and help out other artists and designers do the same.
Black Black and and white white doesn’t doesn’t do do this this artwork artwork justice. justice. For For more, more, check check out out Anthony’s Anthony’s website... website... TheCitySlacker.com TheCitySlacker.com
L Losing o s i n g Control C o n t r o l With With
He e yy M Me er rc c ee dd eess How long did it take to write and record “Loses Control”? We wrote the bulk of it (probably about 7 songs) over the course of two weeks in a remote cabin in a far northern Wisconsin town called Spread Eagle. The other 5 were scattered before and after our retreat. As for lyrics, they were pretty much morphed around until the minute I laid them down. The recording process took a full month in Cambridge. All in all, I'd put the total timeframe at about a year. Does Hey Mercedes lose control on this album? Yes, definitely. The name of the album suggests that Hey Mercedes isn’t in control of what happens to them anymore, can you explain the origin of the name and what it means? It's meant to have a few meanings actually. You can take it your way to mean that we no longer have any say in whatever happens. You can think about it in terms of trying to hang onto a speeding train or something. Or you can just take it as saying - on this album, we're pulling out all of the stops free of restraint. Personally I lean towards door number 3, but it's nice to have a title that has some depth. What did you do differently with Loses Control, that you didn’t do with Everynight Fireworks? There were a few things. Creatively, I tried writing a few songs all at once, meaning vocal melody & accompaniment together in the traditional sense. This is in contrast to the "write a cool guitar line and then try and lay a vocal melody over it" old way (although that was incorporated as well). Secondly, with Mike in the band, we've been able to really explore the realms of recording processes. He owned and operated a studio in Cleveland - so when he joined and moved to Milwaukee, he brought his equipment, and more importantly, his know-how. Hence, we found ourselves recording demos at various stages in songwriting. Lastly, we did a whole week of pre-production, as opposed to 4 hours with Everynight Fireworks. We actually set up in a practice space with the producers and talked about our songs. Surprisingly we didn't change a whole lot, just tweaked some stuff here and there.
“We didn't get called up by Rod. I think they fancied us as a bunch of rowdies. Really we were just big fans anxious to spin that big wheel.” What kind of setting did you write the songs for “Loses Control” and did that setting have any effect on how the songs were written or recorded?
I'm very eager to get out there with Hey Mercedes. I really loved the bigger cities - Berlin, Paris, London, Dublin. When touring, what do you do when you’re in between shows?
In a remote house set into a hill on a lake in October. I can't say that it made the music any more remote or cabin-feverish, but I think it did help to channel and streamline the process. Sort of like a call to arms - now is the time! How did you guys get involved with the AMP Video Brawl? To be honest, I really don't know. We've toured with "amp" bands before (Piebald, Mock Orange) and we also now have a personal posse looking out for us, so one day we got the call. I hope we win because we've never done a video... and it's something I've always wanted to do. If you win, what song will you do a video for? To be honest, I really don't know. We'd like to have a few different opinions on what should be the "single". I have my opinion, but we'll just wait and see what happens in the long run. How is it working with Vagrant? It's been really great. Luckily, we're friends with everyone there, so when something needs to get done or when we ask for help in any way, it doesn't feel like a whine session. Likewise, they never put any restrictions on us creatively, which is the perfect situation.
A lot of stuff together surprisingly. We love bowling... and socially drinking... and going to game shows! On heymercedes.com, there are pictures of you with the Price is Right name tags, did you get to appear on the show. Well, we were there but we didn't get called up by Rod. I think they fancied us as a bunch of rowdies. Really we were just big fans anxious to spin that big wheel. You’ve worked with J Robbins on the last two Hey Mercedes releases, did he produce Loses Control, and what is it like working with him? It's great working with J. He's a great friend and knows exactly how to get the best out of you and your equipment. This time, we worked with Paul Kolderie & Sean Slade at Camp Street in Cambridge. We wanted to try something different, something new and exciting, and we're so psyched with the results. Have you been more cautious about doing splits, 7inches, and compilations since playing as Braid? Yes, but surprisingly, it doesn't come up as much as it used to. Maybe we put out the word well.
You are touring this August in support for Loses Control, after the release are there any plans of playing overseas?
How many songs did you write for Loses Control? What are you going to do with the extra songs, if any?
Well, Loses Control doesn't come out until October 7th, so we plan on touring up until and through then. If we're lucky, we'll be on the road through the end of the year. Our record will be released in Europe, etc, in January or February, so at that time, we'll be looking to get over there. Japan & Australia, too.
Total, there were 17. We arrived at the studio with 15 and it was whittled down to 13 that actually made it to tape. That extra song will probably be on a Vagrant comp. The other songs we hope to record in the Spring for an EP.
How important is touring to Hey Mercedes? It's seriously the most important part of being in a band for us... along with the most rewarding. Personally, I hate recording and I don't necessarily enjoy hanging out at home twiddling the thumbs. I prefer the proactive life! Get out there, play the music, see the sites, meet the locals, and have fun.
Where there any kind of musical or personal influences that help shape the way Loses Control sounds? Mike brought in such an amazing pure rock sound and it adds so much to the way we wrote this album. As far as personally, we've all been jobless & poor for the past few months, so I'm sure some of that frustration seeps into the lyrics! What is planned for the future of Hey Mercedes?
Being in a band you obviously get to travel a lot, where have been your favorite places to play and favorite places to sight see? Wow, so many. Braid was fortunate enough to get to Europe twice, so
Lots of touring & writing. Lots of bowling.
with Justin but then they all went to work with Decibully. We worked with Justin to appease, like just wanting to record, but I guess that guy was already taken. Decibully, there’s so many people in that band. There’s seven guys and like that’s it, you have all the other musicians.
Interview by Adam Sever Photos by sarah Eva krancic (www.luckyface.org)
MARITIME
Eric, were you reluctant to join or excited? Eric: Reluctant at first because stlyisticly our bands are so different, the bands we were in. Actually it was really hard for me at first, I had to do research. The way I play didn’t match the way they played and the Dismemberment Plan played. So it made me first wonder if I was a fit, obviously we were a fit friend wise, but I wasn’t sure musically. What was it like for Dan and Davey to ask you to play with them, was it a shock? Eric: Do you mean was it weird to get the email? Yeah. Eric: We had just announced the Plan’s breakup and we were getting a lot of emails from friends saying condolances, and then at the end it would say, “ do you want to play with our band?” I was glad someome came knocking, you know. How long after the breakup of the Promise Ring did Maritime begin? Dan: Instantaniously. On that last Plea for Peace tour we did, Me and Davey sat down, just us two in Bellingham near our hotel. We were like, ok this is obviously our last tour. Me and Davey decided there was no sense waiting. What is it about Davey that makes it easy for you two to work so well together? Dan: It’s something in somebody that’s like, taking the path of least resistance, it’s like that working with Davey and we work really well together. What is the new album called and when will it be out? Dan: It’s called “Glass Floor” and it’ll be coming out in spring. And on what label? Dan: We are in the process of talking with a label right now. You’ll be surprised, but expect an announcement in a couple weeks. Was Eric your first choice for the third member of the band? Dan: Definitely. Eric: Well Victor Villereal was taken, so... Dan: That’s not true, we were working with our friend Justin for a little bit, and Ryan. And after Ryan we worked
Dan, how is Maritime different than the other bands (the Promise Ring and Vermont) you and Davey we were in? Dan: To me it’s a whole new thing. In Promise Ring, like that in itself was very different. There was a Vermont because there was a Promise Ring. We may work a little bit with Vermont, but not for a while. But now with Maritime we have a totally different way of approaching it. At first with the Promise Ring, we would play as a group, but with Maritime, me and Davey were here and Eric was in the east and it was a very weird way to write it. Eric: I came out for two weeks pre-production and I wanted it to be thin and tight. Dan had already wrote all the beats and for him to get behind the kit with all the certain things in your ear, it all changed from the song, and I think it’s pretty interesting.
How is it going from two very popular bands with a lot of years behind it, to an almost unheard of band that is just over a year old? Dan: It’s weird not having a record out, that’s the only problem. When that comes out, it’ll be more like okay, we are a band. Right now it’s kind of weird because we’re kind of floating in no man’s land. We just did this tour to get out there and get our name out. And then once we have a record underneath us, and that’s being pushed, it will be a lot easier. To me it feels the same, like I don’t feel any different being in a van for eight hours, driving. It feels the exact same in that regard. Eric: They broke up a year ago and the Plan broke up after the summer, so I’ve been on tour all summer, so I’m a little less removed from the world of having multiple vans and crew to going to doing all our own stuff. We don’t have a sound guy or a merch person. There’s rooms where we’re playing to 50 people, and rooms where two months ago I was playing to 1,000 people. It’s a mental kick at first but then you also have to realize that no one has heard this music yet and no one really knows what to expect. Come spring, we’ll be a lot better, but still it doesn’t make it any easier to walk out on stage. Is there more or less pressure with Maritime than there was with TPR and the Plan? Eric: More or less pleasure? More or less pressure? Dan: With the Promise Ring, we kind of got into a zone, well at least during the Very Emergency tours we kind of got into this level where we kind of self propelled and it kind of just kept on going. Once we did Wood/Water and tried to do that, it got really scary, because we were selling something nobody was buying, you know, like nobody cared or wanted to hear the Wood/Water songs. That actually was a blessing in disguise, ‘cause like now we’re doing the same thing where nobody has heard this music. And we just gotta get out there and sell it. It’s a lot more pressure than during the Very Emergency and the Nothing Feels Good tours. We were younger too, and it was like whatever, there is no pressure, because I’m on tour. But now it’s shifted over to being more about business and that sort of stuff. You get to a different level, there is less pressure off because you assume that people will be there and buy it. But now you gotta totally be there and sell it.
You were just on tour with The Weakerthans. How did the crowd react to the sound of Maritime? Eric: I think really good. The first two weeks there were like 200-500 people a night and the crowd was great. And we sold tons of CDs and everything felt like it used to. Then all of a sudden we were by ourselves, and without the bodies there wasn’t any action. It was a matter of getting the bodies into the room, and all of a sudden you don’t have that draw. And those 50 people love the record, but not as much as 500 people, you know. It was a great tour. Dan: Very awesome. Eric: They took really good care of us, the crowds definitely jived with us. It was good. Dan: It was a great experience for us, for them to take us out with them, they’re total sweethearts for taking a band that nobody knows about out and open right before them, like second of three. It was really nice of them. Has there been much publicity for this band? Dan: Well no, it’s the same thing as not having a record out. It’s hard to promote something when there is no product. We could be like “Hey we’re this new band.” But they’re like “Who cares, what do you have?” Eric: We put out an ep but even with that it’s all word of mouth. We sold it through independent distros, so stores have them up in racks but there’s no posters or ads or even radio saying “Hey there’s this new band.” People that are frequent shoppers of those stores are gonna get it, but you’re not gonna find it at Tower Records and you aren’t gonna see it in Magnet. It’s all pretty much grass roots right now. Dan: I like the way we’re doing it now, ‘cause I don’t think that it’s a bad thing, I think it’s a great thing. Why promote a 5-song ep that you pressed yourself, that are limited edition, hand numbered and all that, you know? Just take it on the road, distribute to the people who are there. That made sense when we did it with The Weakerthans, but didn’t make so much sense when we were by ourselves. But we’re still playing to some people, so whatever.
THE END
MARITIME
Super Sexy Pullout Poster for all the ladies out there
“That’s “That’s aa funny funny place place to to keep keep your your candy, candy, mister.” mister.”
Cutty Photo: Michael Stenerson
Guy ke
On
the
n e R p oad With M O
Interview by Chris Pernula Photography by Ryan Atienza
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The Basics... Age: 18 Location: Robbinsdale / New Hope Sponsors: 3rd Lair, Blame it on Hip Hop Favorites... Trick: B/Tail Skatespot: Pilsbury (R.I.P.) Video: Lords- they don’t give a fuck about us. (It’s soooo good!!) Music: A little bit of everything except no boy bands and no country. Anything... reggae, rap, rock, old rock, emo, alternative, latin, thug shit, punk, hip hop underground, whatev’s. Movies: Blow, Fear & Loathing, Donnie Darko, Requiem for a Dream, City of Gods, Backdoor Sluts 9. How did you get into skateboarding? My brother got me into skating. I used to watch him and the neighbors skate, and it looked like fun. And Danny was sooo good. What are some of your earliest memories of it? Skating Lakeview everyday with the fuckin’ crew: Danny, Joe Nabor, Jamiel, B.G., Eddie, Jahon... damn, those days were the shit! How do you think it has changed since you started? People are trying too hard to get noticed. People skate just to be pro, or sponsored. Skating should be for fun. What motivates you to skate? Music, where we are, and having the right crew with good vibes gets me stoked.
Who influences your skating? My brother. He’s so good, but he stayed humble. Jamiel. He’s always trying new shit. He keeps me on my toes. B.G. He’s just a clown, fun to skate with, down to skate haggard spots. Munzy. He’s so good, just looks like he’s having fun when he skates. The 3rd Lair crew. We’re all tight in our own way. Nate “King Mint” Compher gets me stoked to skate too. He’s good. Along with all the Roll heads. Where has skating taken you? Skating has taken me to a perfect life. I go to school, skate, kick it with homies or a girl, have fun the whole time and do it all over again the next day. If you could travel anywhere to skate, where would you go? Barcelona for sho, no questions asked. I would live there if I could. What would you be doing right now if you never started skating? I’d prolly be a stoner or a lurker. Just chillin’ all the time, painting fruit or girls.
ife. ”
Where do you see yourself in five years? Hopefully still skating, maybe living in Cali. Have a legit job or education.
l has taken m g n i t t a c e k f e r t e o p a “S
Did you save any of your dreds after you cut them off? HA HA yeah!! I kept all of them. They’re in a bag in my drawer of secrets. You can have one if you want. What do you do when you’re not skating? Chillin’ with homies or with the girl, drawing, writing, taking photos, movies, music. Which Christina Agulara do you prefer: cute and innocent from 1999, or skanky and riddled with STD’s from 2003? Let me ask you something, even if Christina Agulara was riddled with STD’s, and she asked if you wanted to hit it, would you say no? Of course I’m gonna hit it, I’d just have to wear one of those giant full-body condoms like in The Naked Gun. What is your opinion of Minnesota’s skate scene? Minnesota’s skate scene is dope as hell. East and West coast are getting tiresome, so seeing Midwest shit looks so fresh. We have the best crew and the best vibes too. When you go somewhere else you sometimes get vibed, but not here. Pretend I’m a sixteen year old girl who saw your photos and wants to stalk you. Where could I find you... On a Saturday night? Working or skating. On a weekday night? At the park. On a weekday morning? Skool. Christmas Eve? Millin’ with the fam. Come and find me bitch, I’ll be waiting with a gun and a pack of sandwiches. Haha Peace.
The Circus Life of
The Lawrence Arms What made you go with the Circus theme for “The Greatest Story Ever Told”
Actually, we just wrote a bunch of songs and it turned out that they all had some circus motifs in them. This sounds like a smart ass answer, I know, but it's true. I guess that the idea that being in a band is a lot like being in the circus was really at the forefront of our minds. I kind of feel like a clown up there sometimes, just jumping around like a fool. Also, Neil is studying to be a contortionist. He can get both legs over his head now.
The band name is taken from a building you lived in, in a lower class area in uptown Chicago, does how you play reflect the situation you were in at the time? I don't know. That was a great place to live, and the year that we spent in that building was very formative, but I don't know how much that really has to do with how we sound.
A lot of great musicians come from Chicago and it’s surrounding area, what are some of you favorite bands from that area? The Killing Tree, The Ghost, Rise Against, The Honor System, Colossal, The Arrivals, Duvall...Shit, There are tons. This is just a few.
Your lyrics suggest that you’re well read and very knowledgeable. What books would you suggest everyone should read? Right now, I would say that everyone should read "Fast Food Nation." It's one of the most important books ever written, and it should be mandatory that everyone in America read it. As for literature, The Satanic Verses by Rushdie is very good. Also, check out Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita." That book influenced our new record as much as the circus shit.
How did you make “The Greatest Story Ever Told” different than “Apathy and Exhaustion”? It's better. It's shorter. It's funnier, I think. It's a lot more diverse, but not to the point of being odd. It's got lots of dick jokes. And, it single handedly solves most of the energy problems that have been such a burden on people in California, New England and even Canada.
Did you plan on having Chris sing all the even numbered songs and Brendan sing all the odd numbered songs, or did it just happen that way? It just kind of happened. We switch off live every other song, and since this time around we had the same number of songs, it just kind of fell together like that.
Describe your song writing process. From reading the footnotes, you take lines from a lot of very different things, where do the lines come from and how do you fit those into your lyrics? Lines just kind of get stuck in our heads and come out while we write words. It's always the words first and then the music for me. I write every day, and I try to read every day as well. It's the most important thing. If I want to write well, I have to do those things. It makes for a lot of stealing and borrowing.
The Lawrence Arms tours a lot, why is touring so important to you? Because it's fun, it's a great way to see the world. Playing shows is a great time, and if we didn't tour, no one would know who we were, no one would buy our records, and the people that put out our records would be calling me every day saying "I don't believe that we put all this energy into this record and you aren't gonna tour! What the fuck?" I don't need that.
What bands or people influence you most and why? Harry Belafonte, The Doobie Brothers, Perfect Strangers, Don Delillio, Goethe, Matthew Broderick, Sammy Sosa, Warrant and John Tesch. These people influence me because that's the stuff that I am thinking about when I'm writing. Highbrow shit, dick jokes, Faust, Danny Faustino, whatever. That's the way that I roll.
What kind of influences helped shape “The Greatest Story Ever Told” to what it is? Pretty much the touring experience, lots of books and a general distaste/ morbid obsession with pop culture. And Master and Margarita and the Circus. And Operation Mindcrime.
You’ve obviously played music for a while, what is it about music that makes you want to play it? I don't know. It's just something that I have to do. I don't really think about it.
What can be expected of The Lawrence Arms in the future? Touring and getting wasted and having fun.
The Lawrence Arms
When did you start skateboarding? Right around 1989. How old are you? 28 Where is Crookston? Northern Minnesota, right on the border of North Dakota, like an hour fron Canada. So it’s up there. How did you get into skateboarding? My little brother got a skateboard at the toy store once and he rode around on the floor a while and ended up getting into it. He skated for a few years ‘till I got into it. But that’s it pretty much. Was there any kind of skateboard scene in Crookston when you started skating? There actually was a pretty cool little scene in Crookston. There was a handful of skaters there that were skating all day everyday, and we had a bunch of really cool spots. So surprisingly there was a rad scene for a bit, but it did go through a time where it was just me skating for a few years. Have you always been artistic? Not really, I really didn’t get into art ‘till like 7th or 8th grade. About the same time I started skateboarding, or at least looking at Thrasher Magazine. I just wanted to do the kind of art I saw on skateboards. How’d you get the job at Consolidated? Kinda luck. My roommate at the time (Billy Kahn) was getting stuff from Consolidated and I would talk to the people at Consolidated once in a while if they would call for Billy. And one time they sent me a board in Billy’s board box, so I sent a little thank you letter to Consolidated. And I had drawn a little picture on the envelope and a few days later I got a call asking if I would be cool with Consolidated using that drawing I did for a board graphic. After that I did like ten graphics over the next year, and at that point their artist was kinda over it and wanted to leave, so they called me and asked if I could move out in like two weeks time. So the wife and I packed up and left. What did your wife think of your job opportunity, and having to move out to California? She was into it, I think cuz up ‘till then she had kinda been strugglin’ to work like three jobs at a time just to make sure we could pay rent and eat, so I could spend my days trying to do art related stuff. But it was tough for sure to just up and leave everything and everyone you know. Leah was excited though, she knew that’s all I ever wanted to do. What is you official title? art director
What is your typical day like? I wake up semi early, hang out with the wife ‘till she has to go to work. At that point I go to work and paint or draw for a bit and then I just kinda do whatever needs to get done for that day, it totally changes everyday. Some days it’s drawing board graphics, some days it’s ads, web stuff, new order forms, catalogs, stickers, editing video stuff. Then try to skate a bit before Leah gets off work, then hang out with her till bed time. Zzzzz, then start over. Do you design all of the Consoildated board graphics? Everythng you see that comes from Consolidated I do the art for, EVERYTHING. I try real hard to get all my friends that are into art to do graphics as much as I can. I have this friend from Kentucky, Partick Jilbert, who has been doing a lot of graphics lately, but for the most part I do it all, even if someone does a graphic, I still gotta get it ready for printing and all of that crap. How long does it take you to create a board graphic? Anywhere from a half hour to a day, but usually I can get one done in like 2 or 3 hours. What’s the hardest part about designing board graphics? Working with the pros on the team. It’s not like it’s hard, but I want to be able to take their ideas and make them look how they want them to look. All the pros get to come up with whatever graphics they want, and sometimes they don’t have an idea, so I gotta try to come up with something that I think they would be into. It’s kinda nerve racking ‘cause I want their stuff to look how they want it to look. But I dunno, it’s tough. How do you feel about putting so much time into one project, just to have it scraped off? Great!! I actually like the way boards look after they have been skated a bit, and some times when I will paint something just for fun I will kinda bang it up a bit and make it all dirty so it kinda looks how an old skateboard would look. I’m into it. What other board companies graphics do you like? Iota, for a number of reasons. Toy Machine. I dunno though, I like the way stuff used to look like ten years back, now it’s all kinda funny, I dunno. I like it all but at the same time all of the graphics that come out now days kinda bum me out (including my own). Why do you think most skateboarders are artistic? I have no idea, but it seems like most skaters are. I dunno. What pros graphics are your favorite to design? Clint Peterson, Alan Petersen, Karma, and Scott Bourne. All those dudes have (or had) real good and fun ideas. Or if they don’t have ideas, those are the dudes that are pretty easy to come up with something for. What’s it like working at Consolidated? It’s the absolute BEST!! No joke. It’s really layed back and fun. It’s not even like a “job”, it’s super mellow. There are only five people that work here total and everyone helps everyone out with everything.
Are you constantly drawing or creating art? Yeah, like 24-7 for Consolidated and for a lot of other projects for friends and whatnot. Who are your favorite skateboarders? Israel forbes, Seth McCallum, the Gonz, Marc Johnson... How often do you skate? Like everyday. There are ramps in the warehouse and in the parking lot of Consolidated, and around 4 or 5 everyday I go street skating with a little crew of kids from Santa Cruz. If you weren’t designing board graphics, what would you be doing? I dunno, something art related. Or not, it’s hard to say.
What do you do when you’re not skating or working? Drawing or painting, hanging out with my girl. What has been you favorite board graphic that you’ve designed? Alan Petersen’s "death and the madein". What has been you favorite board graphic that someone else has designed? The Jorden Richter "saftey gear"graphic on Blind. What board graphic was the hardest to complete? They are all about the same pretty much, some just take a little longer than others. Who or what influences you the most? My friends for sure. I like all the stuff my friends are doing as far as art. George Thompson, Aaron Horkey, Patrick Jilbert. And I really like the art from old pinball machines. What advice can you give people that want to design board graphics for a major skate company? I dunno really, you just gotta draw a lot and keep sending your stuff out there to companies you like, and you can’t really worry about money, you just gotta do as much as you can whether you get payed or not.
Skateboarding keeps me skateboarding.
What does skateboarding mean to you? EVERYTHING If the skateboarding industry took a dive, and you were out of a job, what kind of career would you go into? I really have no idea, I guess I would work at a pet store. Or um, do a lot of nothing. No clue. What are you favorite mediums to use? Ink on paper, watercolor, acrylics, kinda whatever. But I don’t have any patience, so whatever is quick and easy to use. Have you done artwork for any other companies, bands, etc.? A lot. I don’t even know who, but I’m working on something for someone aside from Consolidated just about everyday. That’s all I do ever is art stuff for people. It’s all I want to do. If Consolidated turned you pro and you had to design your own pro model, what would it look like? I kinda had a funny joke pro board, kinda. It had my name on it at least... the "GRAVES" board. My friend Amber and I came up with the graphics. Since you work during the day, do you have to force yourself to be creative during that time or are you constantly flowing with ideas? The ideas come and go sorta, it’s no biggie though. It’s not just me with the ideas though, everyone here brainstorms and has ideas all day. So it’s pretty easy. What inspires your artwork? Nothing really, just day to day life I guess. What keeps you skateboarding? Skateboarding keeps me skateboarding.
The
Mars Volta Interview with Cedric by Ashley Brookins & Josh Bachman Live Photo: Ashley Brookins
Ashley: How’s the tour going? Good. I think everyone’s a little disenchanted with having to do the states, because we just did Mexico and Puerto Rico, and that’s a really different experience. In a way, some people in the band, me included, were like “Ah, the states again.” We’re so used to different things now, being put back thrown into the states feels like regular tour. Regular tour can be not fun sometimes. Walking around is not fun, I can’t do that nowadays. It kinda sucks. They want to take pictures with you, they want autographs. If you say no, you’re an asshole. Josh: Interviews… Interviews I don’t mind as much, that’s okay. It’s just that I can’t go out in public and watch a band or watch Saul every night. It’s kind of difficult.
J: Have there been any favorite shows, or favorite places you’ve played, or favorite bands you’ve been able to play with? Like, you guys toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Yeah, those shows were good, but I think that one of the coolest ones was Puerto Rico. And Mexico was good. Those shows were pretty great, and Japan was a lot of fun. Lawrence last night was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun for me, but I think that other band members had a bad show. It depends on everyone’s chemistry, things like that. How the audience is, how the audience treats Saul Williams, I really take that into account for some reason. A: How did you meet the rest of your band members? We met our keyboard player at a De la Soul show. This girl introduced us, because we needed a keyboard player for our other band, Defacto. We just met when he showed up at this barbeque we were playing. It was really low key, just a lot of friends, he just showed up in the middle of a song and plugged in. We’ve known him ever since. John Theodore, our drummer, we opened up for his band Golden and the Make Up a really long time ago in El Paso at a video arcade. Our bass player , Juan Alderete, we met him through his other band Distortion Felix and they opened up for At the Drive-In a long time ago. So it basically comes through touring and going to concerts, kind of organically like that. J: Your new record is dedicated to your friend who died. Have you ever thought what it would be like if someone dedicated an album to you after you pass on? Do you have any idea what that would be like? I have no idea what that would be like. I think we spend so much of our time remembering people that we knew from El Paso that don’t have the opportunities that we have. They have usually been under the age of thirty, so that’s one of my goals in starting this band was to try to patch up and say our final good-byes to a lot of people we didn’t get to say good-bye to. It’s our way of channeling whatever spirit they have left here and just having another way to get closer to and since we don’t necessarily go to a church and pray it’s our way of doing it. A: You guys have been known to have a lot of energy. Is there ever a time you don’t feel like you’ve put as much effort into it? Oh yeah, definitely. Sometimes I just stand there and I can’t go on… it’s really humid and it’s too hot and I can’t even move at all. That sucks, I really hate when that happens. There’s been a lot of times when that happens and you can never fight that. It just feels forced. I think that if your band goes through a month long bout of that maybe there’s something wrong. Maybe you’re not interested anymore. Fucking for fucking’s sake.
A: How did you originally get into music? I watched this movie when I was really young called Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Amusement Park. I was born in ‘74. I grew up in California in the Bay area so you had a lot of the commercial dolls And the movie came out during Halloween and I saw it, and my dad was really worried because after that it was non-stop music with me and non-stop Kiss. And then the first time I really got involved with music was selling hot dogs at a skateboarding demo in El Paso, for Dogtown Skateboards. And there was this skater named Eric Dresser and someone else, I can’t remember, he was missing a finger. And this punk band called Uglor played in this ditch, and they were really cool. I’d always been into all the Thrasher tapes that came out and I don’t think I would have found out about that had I not been involved with the skating. But I was never good at skating, so I found out through that way. So the first band I saw was Uglor and the second band was this band called Rhythm Pigs who were kinda famous in Europe for putting El Paso on the map. Then after that it was like Dead Kennedys and stuff like that. And then Another State of Mind was what made me want to actually tour. That’s the movie my parents saw and they didn’t want me to join a band because they saw that they made no money and got paid in pennies. They always asked me “ I don’t understand what you see in it, they’re poor, theyre not making any money, half of them are leaving the band.” You know you’re in love with something when you can’t really, really pinpoint the main reason why you love it. You just say it’s that way. Josh: Well that’s cool, ‘cause the magazine is like skateboarding and music, and we were like “ We should ask something about skateboarding.” But we thought that might be stupid, there’s no connection. There is definitely a connection, our drum tech played drums on the first Suicidal record, so he was emerged in the whole Venice Beach thing so I can spend hours and hours talking about old punk stuff with him and he’ll tell me great stories about the whole Dogtown thing. And I was really stoked about the movie coming out. A movie called Stoked, about Gator, you know, because I think that really showcases that kind of dark side of skateboarding that turned me off for years. And you know, that part of the nineties when kind of the hip hop influence came in, and a lot of people started acting like the kids in the movie Kids. And so I was really turned off by skating and I had this really bad stereotype of skateboarders until I opened my mind a little bit more and more and realized that there’s just a sterotype for every kind of person... But all I know is that if it wasn’t for them and their skateboards, and people like John Lucero and Lance Mountain, I don’t think I would have discovered a lot of the punk music that I did. So it’s really an important part of my growing up. Josh: What do you do when you’re not on tour or playing music? I have a bad habit of just staying home with my girlfriend. And we watch movies, and we have a dog. And we walk our dog. And we get really domestic. (laughs) Josh: Does it take a lot out of you then? Yeah it does, it does. By the time I get home, the bed is much more comfortable than walking out into real life. It’s a bit of a trap you know, you just get in the mode of just going from city to city, and you don’t see much of the city. And you hunt for a place to eat, especially if you have a certain diet. You go to a record store, and then you play, and then you’re tired. It used to be when I first started touring that I could walk and walk around, and now I’m just really lazy and I feel like I really gotta conserve my energy or just stand still for the entire show.
Ashley: What’s the last three books that you read? Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury. And I’m reading another Ray Bradbury book called Something Wicked This Way Comes. And before that somebody gave me a book called Confederacy of Dunces, which is really a good book. And Omar’s girlfriend gave me a book, I can’t remember the name of it. But I think everyone in the band reads a lot. A lot a lot. So... it’s important. (laughs) Josh: Five items you cannot live without. Little Fetish Eddy, that’s my dog. Parker, my girlfriend. My small increasing record collection. And umm... music obviously. And cinema. Ashley: If there was one person you could hug, alive or dead, who would it be? Josh: We had if you could fight anyone, who’d you fight, but we changed it. (Laughs) Well, someone in dire need of a hug, maybe Sylvia Platt? Josh: Is there an ultimate goal for Mars Volta, like how far are you gonna take this? Hopefully we won’t fall in the same rutt that our last band did, which is why we started this band. So that we wouldn’t follow those same ingredients that led to that demise. I think so long as we keep questioning ourselves and monkey wrenching our own comfortable zone, and keep pulling the rug out from underneath ourselves instead of having other people do it. When I say other people I mean expectations of fans and also expectations of record labels. As long as we keep pushing ourselves and we don’t copy every full-length we do, and we keep sticking to our guns and experimenting. For lack of a better way of explaining it, it’s being more selfish as far as our art is concerned. I think we’ll stay around for a while until all the grey hairs I have on my head become a full white. Josh: It sounds like you’re pretty happy. Yeah, I’m very, very happy. And I haven’t been happy like this in a while, so it’s good to be here.
STRIKE ANYWHERE
Interview with Matt Sherwood Live Photos by Colby Black How was it playing australia for the first time? It didn't seem like a first tour at all, more like a glorious homecoming. We had an unusual (for us) opportunity to forge new, deep friendships because we were there for three weeks playing only ten shows. We got to know the local punks and experience the very relaxed life that can be found all over Australia. A typical tour doesn't allow us time to know the cities we play. We were grateful for the chance to be stupid tourists. What was it like being incarcerated in Japan? Not as stressful as one would think, but much more expensive. The government of Japan has an agreement with the international airlines requiring the airlines to provide security services (i.e. guards) in the event that individuals need to be detained before deportation. Our guards, in the emp loy of Singapore and Japan airlines, were very polite. They escorted us to the hotel in Narita where deportees are detained. The hotel forced us to spend a huge sum on two graffiti-filled rooms. We spoke hourly to Moto (our Japanese promoter) and Darren (one of the owners of Jade Tree, who got into Japan with no problems) through our phone that received incoming calls only. We slept and watched a lot of weird TV. In the end the airlines were going to send us back to LA, wasting the whole trip, but the one very nice guard helped us go on to Australia. I saw him on the way through the Tokyo airport after the tour, but he didn't remember us.
What did you gain/lose from being in that situation? We lost a ton of time. We (the band) and Moto (our promoter) lost a lot of money. The whole experience amplified the hell out of my jet lag. I think most of us are really paranoid about trying to go back. We gained some quality time in Australia with Cameron, our host in Brisbane, and our many new friends in Sydney: Graham, Kelley, Gary, and Thomas's Uncle Gil.
they tend to, as a crowd, be a little more homogeneous. They also seem to grow out of punk and live music much sooner.
Where has being in Strike Anywhere taken you and what have you learned from traveling the world? Strike Anywhere has taken me to almost every state in America, most of Central/Eastern Canada, most of Western Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia. Travelling the world has shown us the reality of the American cultural hegemony that we complain about so much. Travelling has shown us that this subculture, whether you call it punk or hardcore or whatever, is robust and thriving and in constant flux. Travelling has introduced us to many examples of a good and personally valuable life. I now have a long list of places I'd like to be for a few months instead of a day or two.
What did you do differently with Exit English that didn’t do on previous releases? We tried some new recording methods. Eric played to a click track on a few songs. We wrote more as individuals before bringing songs to the group to re-shape. Thomas had his backpack stolen with all of his lyrics and a few years worth of journal entries so he was obliged to start from scratch. We all contributed to each aspect of recording, not just our own instrument and its level in the final mix.
Are there any major differences in the fans over seas opposed to the fans in the U.S.? In general, I'd say that German (and other European mainlander) folks are the most interested in good live music, regardless of its sub-sub-genre, and they want us to play every song we know twice. They'll get angry if they think you didn't play a long enough set. The age of our audience has a wider range in Western Europe. Kids from the UK are more like Americans in that they tend to only like certain kinds of punk and
How does “Exit English” compare to “Change is a Sound”? It's the same folks playing the same instruments and, topically, it's not too different. We've tried to extend ourselves into some new territory with a wider dynamic range and some varying tempos. There's even a little bit of alternate tuning on Exit English.
What influenced the lyrics on Exit English? Current events, local and international. Hidden histories. Thomas writes from his relationship to a past that predates his existence combined with an empathetic view of everyone's present. It's amazing to read the raw text of it. You played with Kid Dynamite for the SSE Benefit. How was what experience? Absolutely amazing. We were honored to play and amazed that KD would have a reunion. The fact that the shows helped fund Sorentha's foundation made it even more worthwhile.
How does the Richmond music scene compare to other scenes? Richmond is slow and beautiful. Right now it's full of pollen and ragweed, warm and humid. At any given moment, Richmond is no less than three years behind the rest of the world. It's small and if you were to start a band here everyone would know within a few days. You're totally anonymous in some big city but it's easy to play someone's house here and enjoy the party of it. Your website said that you will have “Exit English� skateboards soon, do the members of the band skateboard and do you get a chance to skate when your on tour? We have them and they're great! Hooligan Skateboards makes the decks. ( h t t p : / / w w w. h o o l i g a n skate.com/) Matt Smith and I skate as often as we possibly can, at home and on the road. We love it when local folks show us the good spots/parks. We also love it when we show up early and there's time for us to really enjoy someone's backyard ramp or favorite spot. We need to plan to get to Louisville more often. D o y o u t h i n k s k a t eboarding and music go hand in hand? How do you think they are related? I think skateboarding, like punk rock, is a self-determined thing. It can be a personal, solo activity. it can be a part of our subculture. it can be a competitive, high-dollar sport. I need to stop typing and go skate! Being a vegetarian, is it hard to find places to eat while on tour? Not really. Just in the Midwest. What is the goal of Strike Anywhere? What are you trying to accomplish with Strike Anywhere? We want to travel, make friends, and keep cheering for the Left. I hope that when all this is over I've got some great stories.
Peter Madsen, Crooked Grind
Photos by Michael Stenerson
Nick Riley, Feeble
Jackson Roman, Backside Tailslide