by Jason Walsh
In the mid 70s, a band emerged in Cleveland, Ohio, that would later transform into one of the most influential American punk outfits. Rocket from the Tombs, though short lived, morphed into the band Frankenstein, and after encouragement from Joey Ramone, relocated to New York City, where they finally became the legendary Dead Boys. “Young, Snotty, and Loud” and “We Have Come for Your Children” remain classic records in the annals of the seventies underground era, as well as the band’s renown anthem, “Sonic Reducer.” Fronted by Stiv Bators, the band included Jimmy Zero, Jeff Magnum, Johnny Blitz, and a fellow named Gene O’ Connor on lead guitar, better known as Cheetah Chrome.
Cheetah is one of the most iconic and prolific guitarists in the history of American Punk Rock and throughout the years, has continued to remain an active musician, reforming Rocket from the Tombs as well as his own solo and studio work, and has dropped in on numerous sessions with bands from all over the place.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Cheetah about the future of Rocket from the Tombs as well as other projects which includes Joan Jett’s Blackhearts, and most importantly to him, balancing it all out with a family.
JW: So what do you got going on this year?
CHEETAH: Starting off I’m going to do some recording with Rocket from the Tombs. We’re going to be working on that, got the whole big gang, David Thomas, Richard Lloyd, and then I’ll be releasing some new material of my own that I recorded over the past year, and then I’ll be doing some shows here and there, some with the Blackhearts, some without, some with Rocket.
JW: Where you going to be recording the Rocket from the Tombs stuff?
CHEETAH: At Suma studio which is out in Painesville, Ohio. It’s where we’ve always done our stuff with the Black Keys, just did their new record. It’s got quite a history actually, done the James Gang and Grand Funk.
JW: So this is going to be a new record of new material?
CHEETAH: Yeah, well, we don’t know if it’s going to be a record yet or what because with the internet and all that we’ve been doing some stuff where it’s just downloading online but they do it with an MP3 with a real high quality. We’re thinking we might do something like that, but we haven’t decided on that yet. Just want to get it out.
JW: I got you, and in a case like that, there’s less production you have to worry about in getting the records out. You put it up there and “boom,” it’s available.
CHEETAH: Yeah, well, you know, it’s like the fact that MP3s right now, the way they’re done on ITunes and all that, they’re pretty crappy really. The files are small, you know, and it sounds like you’re getting a good deal but you’re not. They don‘t sound as good as vinyl, they don’t sound as good as CD, and if you do it and make it a bigger file, it’s the same quality. You don’t lose anything. So, we’re thinking about doing it that way.
JW: So are you thinking about hitting the road at all or are you just going to go in the studio and do some recording?
CHEETAH: Well, we always like to do that. We got a whole bunch of songs that are new. We’re only going to go in and do a few right now. I would guess we’ll probably want to do some touring this year. We’ve picked the last couple of years where, you know, not many gigs at all in 2006. In 2007 and 2008 we were pretty much all doing other projects, so I guess this year we’ll get together a bit more and hopefully do at least a week on the East Coast, a week on the West Coast.
JW: Very cool. So, tell me about the solo stuff you’re working on right now.
CHEETAH: Well I’ve just been, you know, I’ve got a studio in my basement and I’ve been working on various things over the years, like different demo tapes and stuff. The result of it came out really good, so it’s kind of like “The Basement Tapes,” you know, where just different things I’ve done over the years that I like, I want to stick them out. Some of them I’ll fix them up and some of them I’ll just leave them like they are.
JW: Are you still playing out the solo stuff? I see you have some different dates this year.
CHEETAH: Yeah, you know New York is a tricky market. I usually go up to Toronto a lot, up by the Midwest and all that. The East Coast is the hardest because I live in Nashville and if I use a band, I usually use a local band. In New York, I’ll use either the Black Angels, and now I’ve been using the Blackhearts for some shows. In Toronto, I use this band, The Screwed, and out on the West Coast I would use Sweet Justice. I’ll fly into town a couple days ahead of time, we rehearse a few days, and do some nice long rehearsals so it’s not like a complete mess. Nashville being centrally located, it’s either I got to fly out there or they got to fly here. I figured we start, you know there’s a lot of expenses involved in getting started and right now New York just doesn’t have any clubs, and the ones that they do have don’t want to pay you anything, you know. They are all just offering you door deals and it feels like the 80s again. I actually had an offer where they were like “you can run the club and you can sell tickets.” I was like, wait a minute, that’s like freakin’ Gildersleeves or something.
JW: 80s mentality in a 2009 economy.
CHEETAH: Yeah, like no, I didn’t play for years because of that. I mean, New York, I didn’t play from 1996 to 2003 for exactly the same reason. Then, as soon as there were clubs around that wanted to pay you at least, you know, give you a guarantee, “yeah…ok,” then I played in New York a lot. Then slowly they all moved out to Brooklyn and now they’re all claiming poverty. So, I don’t know, it’s the same old bar business it’s always been out there.
JW: How long have you been out of the city now?
CHEETAH: Oh god, since ’96 I guess.
JW: So you’ve been gone for quite a while and you’ve been in Nashville all that time?
CHEETAH: Yeah.
JW: And that’s a great city for musicians, not just Country. There’s so much going on down there.
CHEETAH: Oh yeah and I just love it because it’s very low key, and like you said, there’s musicians all over the place. You got guys from Cinderella down here, Jack White lives down here, guys from English bands are here, you know. If you want to go out and hang out, you’ve got a very, very good crowd to hang out with. I don’t really play here. I have my little thing I do in my basement and all that, and I play all the time, but as far as playing a show, I haven’t played here in two years. Even national acts coming through don’t draw in Nashville and that’s the only sad thing about it, because everybody and their brother is a musician and everybody’s too cool to go see somebody else play (laughs).
JW: Who’s going to go pay $50 to go see a band play some big venue when they can just go up the road and go see all their friends in a bar?
CHEETAH: Exactly, and the bar bands here, the competition’s pretty strong, especially in country music. Rock ‘n roll, there’s only a couple clubs but there’s quite a thriving rock ‘n roll scene going on here. I haven’t been part of it in a while. Last time I was out and saw some bands they were good. There’s a band called the Pink Spiders that are from down here that’s real good and there’s this band Paramore that just went platinum I guess.
JW: It sounds like you’re going to be pretty busy, you got a lot of stuff on your plate, but at the same time, you’re not straining yourself out too much.
CHEETAH: Well, that’s the thing, I got a kid that’s going to be four in March and right now, he’s my priority, so you know, I’m going to be 54 and I don’t like jumping in the van and going out for six weeks. That’s like ridiculous. I don’t have to do it. I just do gigs that are worth doing. Periodically, you hit markets that you like, have fun, pay the rent, and that’s all you got to do.
JW: Is it weird having different bands that you hook up with in different cities? Are you doing the same material, or are you doing different stuff with different bands when you go do this, or do they kind of know what you have in mind when you head to say, Toronto or out West.
CHEETAH: No, I’ll send them a CD and usually they’re all pretty well familiar with the Dead Boys stuff, so I just name the songs and they learn those. The new stuff and the solo stuff, I send them a CD a couple months ahead of time and they can rehearse it a bit on their own and I usually try to get in three or four nights ahead of time so we actually have some good rehearsal time. It’s not like a “wham-bam” thing. We do at least two nights rehearsal.
JW: Get everything nailed down and play the shows. But you know, each different venue, you look over and you got different guys playing the same stuff. Is that kind of weird though?
CHEETAH: No, because we’re all friends, you know what I mean, it’s all guys I know. I mean I hooked up with the Blackhearts, like friggin’ Thommy Price, I’ve known him forever. The Black Angels, I’ve done many gigs with them, same with The Screwed. It’s all people I know well and I know I can trust them. It’s not like Chuck Berry coming to town and hiring musicians, you know (laughs).
JW: Right, right. So what keeps you still doing this? Do you still have a love for this, a passion for this, or is it just a job for you?
CHEETAH: Oh, I love it. I mean, I love to play and I do it every day pretty much now. I’ll at least go down and play my guitar for an hour, sometimes two, or I’ll get in and mix something. There’s always something to be done. I just really enjoy it, it’s very kind of therapeutic for me, and playing live I enjoy a lot. It’s kind of becomes a pain in the butt when you got all the family involved now. I am kind of sick of the travelling, but at the same time I take my family with me more now when I play out. So like when I go to Canada, I’ll take them with me, or New York or something like that. So it’s nice, I get to hang out and my son gets to come see me play. He’s pretty interested in music and all now too.
JW: You said he’s 4?
CHEETAH: Yeah, he’s going to be 4.
JW: Does he get what’s going on?
CHEETAH: Oh yeah, yeah. Big Beatles fan right now. He heard the Beatles, I was listening to Sgt. Pepper’s for some reason, I guess I was trying to study a bass sound or something like that, and he was like, “Dad, what’s this music?” and I was like, The Beatles. “Play another one, play another one!” and next thing you know, I was like, “oh, I got more Beatles stuff.” I started playing it for him and now he knows all the words. Now, I’m trying to get him into the Stones (laughs). He likes a few Ozzy things too.
JW: And at the end of the day, going home is the best thing, huh?
CHEETAH: Oh yeah. I’m lucky and I’m very glad I’m able to share it with my family. It’s fun to be able to get out on the road and all that, but like I’ve done that for years and years and years, so now it’s just nice to be part of the family life, you know.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
D.O.A.
D.O.A.: Avengers from the North Celebrate 30 Years of Hardcore
Some words with punk legend Joey Shithead
interview by Jason Walsh
The late 70s was an era when popular culture was immersed in the phenomenon created by "Saturday Night Fever" and the decadence of Studio 54. From the streets of Vancouver, a band emerged to challenge the ills of society and plights of the proletariat, and with their first 1978 EP, "Disco Sucks," they began this unrelenting, frontal assault that would amazingly last three decades.
With the release of their second LP, "Hardcore '81," Joey Shithead and the guys from D.O.A. brought a new term into the vernacular of the thriving underground music scene. "Hardcore" was now synonymous with the faster, more aggressive incarnation of punk rock and the newly appointed moniker spread throughout North America and the world. Their mantra of "talk minus action equals zero" coupled with blazing guitar riffs, reactionary lyrics, and deviant stage antics brought Dead on Arrival to the forefront of the hardcore scene and pioneers of the genre.
Fast-forward to 2009. Joey Shithead has continued to fly the flag for the underground movement, never wavering from the cause. D.O.A. just released their newest offering, "Northern Avenger," and will be touring the world in support. I had a chance to catch up with Joey following a brutal snowfall in the Northwest that blanketed British Columbia. We had a chance to talk about recording the new album with notable Metallica producer Bob Rock, his independent label," Sudden Death Records," the upcoming D.O.A. tour, and what drives him, thirty years later, to continue taking the stage.
JW: So what happened yesterday? You guys had a big blizzard up there?
JOEY: Yeah, we had like a foot of snow, which is like, hey we live in Canada but this is the one part of Canada where it's not very snowy. We usually get one or two big snowfalls a year; some years we don't get any snow.
JW: Do you still live in Vancouver?
JOEY: Yeah, in Vancouver, right. Like Vancouver, Victoria. The only two towns that really are not covered with snow like the rest of Canada for three or four months a year, right? So, yeah, this blizzard sucks and completely screwed up everything especially with Christmas and all that kind of stuff. What town are you in?
JW: I'm in Virginia but I spent the last week up in Michigan and we had snow every day, chilling with my kids and sledding every day, so for us it was perfect.
JOEY: Yeah, yeah (laughing)
JW: So you had a 30th anniversary mark. What's that like for you, having done this for three decades now?
JOEY: Well, that's a pretty general question. It's good, it's fine. We've just done a few special shows and stuff like that, and there's more coming up in the New Year, like this whole stretch out to the end of '09, 'cause there's a new album out and such, right. At some point in the future, you know it might be the 30th-and-a-half or burning up 31 (laughs) or that kind of thing, right. It doesn't really feel any different. I mean, obviously change is a gradual thing as it goes along as opposed to a sudden thing. I didn't just sit there and think, "god, we've been playing fucking punk rock for thirty years, right?" (laughs...) Although somebody else might have said that, "oh my god, they've been...hahaha."
JW: I mean, to you it's really just a number. It doesn't really change what you're doing?
JOEY: Put it this way. Sure, yeah, it's got special significance that we've been going thirty years, pretty well continuously. The only time we weren't playing was for about twenty months, between '90 and '91, in that period, right? So, I would suppose in a continuous sense, we'd be pretty close to being the longest running punk rock band in the world, now that the Ramones aren't around anymore. The only other ones I could think of that would be kind of close would maybe be the Dickies, but I don't think they stuck together the whole time, but they've been pretty active for most the time if you ask me, right? There might be somebody else but most of them, there was a ten or fifteen year hiatus where they didn't do anything, right, so. To me, D.O.A.'s kept going and keeps drawing people. You know, actually we're getting the younger crowds all the time, too, and I think that's because people see D.O.A. as being a progressive band as opposed to being a nostalgia act, right?
JW: Right.
JOEY: Because we come up with new ideas and new albums, and it's the same sound granted, because, hey, that's our style. Why change it? If you want to go for a different style, become a different band I always say, right? Don't change your style so drastically that you're unrecognizable, y'know. 'Cause that's always been the kiss of death when people go, "OK, this is just pure nostalgia." Then you're verging into that corny, vaudeville review, right, in a modern sense.
JW: What has kept you continuing to do this for all this time? Like you said, there hasn't been a big, long hiatus. You've been the centerline of this band. What keeps you motivated to keep doing this?
JOEY: Y'know when I started out, there was kind of three basic motivations when we got together. One, to have a lot of fun, cause a lot of trouble, and to go out and try and change the world. Those kind of motivations haven't changed. I mean, obviously I'm not twenty years old anymore, right? I'm over 50, I'm 52, right? To me, D.O.A. has always been a perfect soapbox for me, to say what I think about the world through actions and song and whatnot. That's, to me, what's really kept me going. You know, it feels good to get people excited, it's fun to play, and you get to say what you think. That's what keeps it going. That, and an awful lot of gaff tape. (and we both laugh...) The key ingredient besides beer. Beer and gaff tape: two things that are never very far away from D.O.A., right?
JW: That should be the next album?
JOEY: Hahaha, Beer and Gaff Tape. Yeah, it gets it pretty close, right?
JW: So, is it still fun for you?
JOEY: Oh yeah, no, I actually really enjoy it. We played a couple of big shows in the fall (2008) in Chicago at the Riotfest and the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, also in the fall. Those things were like a total riot. We're going to China, leaving in about two weeks, we're going there for a week. So to me, that will be a total eye-opener. If you can go and do things that are different or at least a little bit momentous or doing something for a cause, like a benefit type show that's got some meaning to it, then that's fun. I love doing that. To go now, on the other hand, and go on a trip where it would be six months of playing every single town between here there and everywhere, and passing by every strip mall, or club in a strip mall kind of thing, I wouldn't think that would be that fun. That's what bands should do when they're young and that's what D.O.A. did. We've done over 3000 shows accumulated over the thirty years, right? You know, we had road trips when we were young where the trip would be eight months long and you'd be home for four days out of the eight months. You know, we'd think nothing of going somewhere for three months, right, so that's how you do it, that's how you build up a reputation. That's a good thing to do for a band, right?
JW: This tour that you're heading over to China to do, is this supporting the new album or is this just something you want to do?
JOEY: No, I think when D.O.A. goes somewhere, yeah of course we like to promote the new album, I think it's a good album and stuff like that, but D.O.A. is really based on reputation, right? And that's why you get kids coming out that have never seen the band and that's why we can go to a place that we've never been to and draw a crowd, right, because it's the reputation of the band for like wild, unbridled mayhem coupled with blatant sloganeering and also coupled with obnoxious guitar riffs.
JW: Now talking about going and doing shows, you got people coming out who saw you back in the day and now they're bringing out their kids and maybe even in some cases, bringing out their grandkids to see you guys.
JOEY: Well I haven't seen the grandkids thing. The one thing I have noticed sometimes, we have a really well-known truck called "Reek Fleming" that we take on some of the trips. It's about twenty years old, people recognize it, and amazingly it still runs. Sometimes there will be a knock on the door and they'll go like, "hey, yeah I went to see you guys at the Smiling Buddha thirty years ago and I'm just dropping my kids off at the show." (laughs...) You know, that kind of thing. We used to get people saying, "yeah, I heard about you guys from my older brother and sister." Definitely, you're getting a bit of the kid thing from the parents, right? It's interesting, you know 'cause everybody, as they go through life, they have to change and usually people become somewhat responsible or in a lot of times they have families, whether they're responsible or not, right? I goes along, they don't go to shows like they used to. But sometimes they'll show up, and yeah, sometimes we'll get people that will come up and stay at the show, them and their kids. Usually the kid won't think it's too cool if the parents hang around. I mean that kind of fucks it up for them. They'd be smart enough to say, "OK, you go experience D.O.A. I'll pick you up in four hours.Try not to get arrested in the meantime."
JW: "I got knocked out by my Dad in the pit." That's just not something you want to talk about at the dinner table.
JOEY: Hahaha, yeah that would suck. That would be just a little too odd.
JW: Let's talk about the new record a little bit. First of all, produced by Bob Rock, and when I think of that, that's like the fifth member of Metallica. What was it like working with him?
JOEY: Bob's an old friend of mine, so it was pretty easy, like we didn't have to get to know him. He's a funny guy and pretty easy-going, which I guess you would have to be to work with something like Metallica, not to say Metallica are bad guys, but you know what I mean, it sounds like it was pretty intense at times. With us in the studio, it was a laugh. We'd do a track and from the studio over the talkback, I'd say to him, "so, how was that?" and then he'd quip back, "wow not bad, but when are you going to start trying?" Then I'd shoot back, "as soon as you start producing." Stuff like that. It was actually pretty much a howl, right? You know, funny guy and yeah, some people go, "wow, that's really cool you got Bob Rock" and other people get totally kind of weirded out by it almost, right? But I think, if a good producer is capable of getting like a great sound, which obviously Bob is. Like what a good producer would do in any case, he'll try to see what the strengths of the band is and work on those strengths, you know what I mean? That's what he did with D.O.A. on this album so that's why we came up with what I think is a real good album, right?
JW: And the album is called "Northern Avenger." I really dug it and I read on there what Bob was calling your guitar, or was that the name you had for it?
JOEY: No, actually that just sort of fell in at the same time. I came up with the album title last fall before we started recording. I had the title and I said "hey, by the way guys the title of the album is 'Northern Avenger,' right" and that totally suited D.O.A. because D.O.A.'s always been about trying to, uh, not avenge the score as in like, "I'm going to get ya next friday night, fucker!" Not that kind of thing, right? There's things that are wrong in this world, so you try and set them right, and we're from the North obviously, so hence "Northern Avenger." But I said, "OK. Hey guys," and I said that to Bob and Jamey (Koch) the co-producer, the name of the album is "Northern Avenger" and Bob looked at my guitar which he'd known and seen thirty years previously on one of our first singles which he helped on, "The Prisoner" single, our second single. Anyways, he went, "No, no, no. Your guitar is Northern Avenger, right?" It ended up that that's the nickname he gave my old guitar that I've had since 1976 or '74. Something like that.
JW: And that's what, an old Gibson SG?
JOEY: An old SG that the body's like half gone and it's been rebuilt and it's got a metal plate on the front. It's got gouge marks bigger than the ones on Willie Nelson's guitar. (laughs) It's pretty...it's pretty classic. It's easy to play, it sounds great, and yeah, it's been stolen three times and I've gotten it back every time, right?
JW: How'd you get it back every time?
JOEY: Well, the first time a guy stole it at a show and everybody ran around the hall and they guy had stashed it out in these bushes. They finally get the guitar and I got the guitar and these girls that were hanging out with the band, they went and beat the guy up, right, and chased him off. The second time, Zippy Pinhead, who's an old buddy of ours, caught a guy stealing it in an elevator at a show in Portland. The third time, our roadie was just packing up the van, we were in like in the north of Spain. This was the worst time easily. He turned around and someone had seen him packing the stuff and got it and ran off with it and so the guy had it for like six or eight months. Eventually, I got a letter in Spanish and I could read just enough of it to realize he was talking about my guitar and he wanted to give it back and he did. You know, it cost about $400 to get it back. The funniest thing was about five years later, we went back and played in the same area in Spain and the promoter came up and said he had the guy who stole the guitar but he couldn't speak English, so he had to translate his saying he was sorry to me and he had to translate my English back to the guy who stole the guitar. So, I had two choices, I could hop across the table and beat the living fuck out of him (laughs) or I could, uh, it was almost like a priest at a confessional, so I chose the priest at the confessional routine. I got the guitar back and I wished the guy good health and all that, right, so what the hell. So I guess at the time, he said, "wow, I've got a hell of a souvenir, look what I scored," but I'm sure his friends called him an asshole, right, because that's the way it goes.
JW: Right. So what do you got going on in the New Year? After you guys are over there in Asia, are you coming back and doing the States and Canada? What's the plan?
JOEY: Yeah, we got China in January, there's California, and the Northwest like in late January then California in February. You know, California, Arizona, Nevada type thing. Then, we're off to Europe in April for the whole month of April and after that we'll do some more American shows. Probably some in the summertime but more in the fall of '09, that we'd get out your way, the East Coast and the Midwest and all that kind of thing.
JW: You taking anybody with you of note on the road?
JOEY: We were just talking about that the other day. We haven't figured it out yet and it's a ways away, so no, not yet, but yes, we will.
JW: Talk about Sudden Death Records. What made you decide to do that and now it's kind of like a full-time thing for you?
JOEY: It was really just a way to get D.O.A. records out in the first place. Like we did about four or five singles back in the last 70s, early 80s. We kind of sat down one day and says," well, everybody hates us, nobody will ever sign us, and we'll never get a record out." So, we just took the DIY route and put out the Disco Sucks 7-inch EP and that kind of started Sudden Death. But I really didn't take it seriously and we got offered another record deal, Alternative Tentacles amongst others, did that and about ten years ago I started up Sudden death, in earnest. We have about 82 different releases now. Something like that, between EPs, singles, albums, imports that we get from Europe and stuff like that that we distribute. It's been going well. The main idea was, here's my philosophy, be your own boss, think for yourself, and try to affect some sort of causes and change in this world. I thought the record label was the perfect way to put my money where my mouth is and it's been pretty good. I mean things aren't great for little labels right now, but we're hanging in there and doing OK. You can't go crazy spending on records because they're hard to sell these days.
JW: The record industry is definitely one that is suffering these days.
JOEY: Yeah, it's gone for a complete shit, right? But you know what, there has to be always some sort of conveyance to get this different type of music out. Now, whatever form it's going to be, whether it's in a CD or we're still making LPs or whether you're going to get it on the internet, you're going to download it. For sure they'll be some other applications or forms it will take as it goes on. You just have to be able to adapt, and if you don't then it's like anything else you'll just become extinct, right?
Some words with punk legend Joey Shithead
interview by Jason Walsh
The late 70s was an era when popular culture was immersed in the phenomenon created by "Saturday Night Fever" and the decadence of Studio 54. From the streets of Vancouver, a band emerged to challenge the ills of society and plights of the proletariat, and with their first 1978 EP, "Disco Sucks," they began this unrelenting, frontal assault that would amazingly last three decades.
With the release of their second LP, "Hardcore '81," Joey Shithead and the guys from D.O.A. brought a new term into the vernacular of the thriving underground music scene. "Hardcore" was now synonymous with the faster, more aggressive incarnation of punk rock and the newly appointed moniker spread throughout North America and the world. Their mantra of "talk minus action equals zero" coupled with blazing guitar riffs, reactionary lyrics, and deviant stage antics brought Dead on Arrival to the forefront of the hardcore scene and pioneers of the genre.
Fast-forward to 2009. Joey Shithead has continued to fly the flag for the underground movement, never wavering from the cause. D.O.A. just released their newest offering, "Northern Avenger," and will be touring the world in support. I had a chance to catch up with Joey following a brutal snowfall in the Northwest that blanketed British Columbia. We had a chance to talk about recording the new album with notable Metallica producer Bob Rock, his independent label," Sudden Death Records," the upcoming D.O.A. tour, and what drives him, thirty years later, to continue taking the stage.
JW: So what happened yesterday? You guys had a big blizzard up there?
JOEY: Yeah, we had like a foot of snow, which is like, hey we live in Canada but this is the one part of Canada where it's not very snowy. We usually get one or two big snowfalls a year; some years we don't get any snow.
JW: Do you still live in Vancouver?
JOEY: Yeah, in Vancouver, right. Like Vancouver, Victoria. The only two towns that really are not covered with snow like the rest of Canada for three or four months a year, right? So, yeah, this blizzard sucks and completely screwed up everything especially with Christmas and all that kind of stuff. What town are you in?
JW: I'm in Virginia but I spent the last week up in Michigan and we had snow every day, chilling with my kids and sledding every day, so for us it was perfect.
JOEY: Yeah, yeah (laughing)
JW: So you had a 30th anniversary mark. What's that like for you, having done this for three decades now?
JOEY: Well, that's a pretty general question. It's good, it's fine. We've just done a few special shows and stuff like that, and there's more coming up in the New Year, like this whole stretch out to the end of '09, 'cause there's a new album out and such, right. At some point in the future, you know it might be the 30th-and-a-half or burning up 31 (laughs) or that kind of thing, right. It doesn't really feel any different. I mean, obviously change is a gradual thing as it goes along as opposed to a sudden thing. I didn't just sit there and think, "god, we've been playing fucking punk rock for thirty years, right?" (laughs...) Although somebody else might have said that, "oh my god, they've been...hahaha."
JW: I mean, to you it's really just a number. It doesn't really change what you're doing?
JOEY: Put it this way. Sure, yeah, it's got special significance that we've been going thirty years, pretty well continuously. The only time we weren't playing was for about twenty months, between '90 and '91, in that period, right? So, I would suppose in a continuous sense, we'd be pretty close to being the longest running punk rock band in the world, now that the Ramones aren't around anymore. The only other ones I could think of that would be kind of close would maybe be the Dickies, but I don't think they stuck together the whole time, but they've been pretty active for most the time if you ask me, right? There might be somebody else but most of them, there was a ten or fifteen year hiatus where they didn't do anything, right, so. To me, D.O.A.'s kept going and keeps drawing people. You know, actually we're getting the younger crowds all the time, too, and I think that's because people see D.O.A. as being a progressive band as opposed to being a nostalgia act, right?
JW: Right.
JOEY: Because we come up with new ideas and new albums, and it's the same sound granted, because, hey, that's our style. Why change it? If you want to go for a different style, become a different band I always say, right? Don't change your style so drastically that you're unrecognizable, y'know. 'Cause that's always been the kiss of death when people go, "OK, this is just pure nostalgia." Then you're verging into that corny, vaudeville review, right, in a modern sense.
JW: What has kept you continuing to do this for all this time? Like you said, there hasn't been a big, long hiatus. You've been the centerline of this band. What keeps you motivated to keep doing this?
JOEY: Y'know when I started out, there was kind of three basic motivations when we got together. One, to have a lot of fun, cause a lot of trouble, and to go out and try and change the world. Those kind of motivations haven't changed. I mean, obviously I'm not twenty years old anymore, right? I'm over 50, I'm 52, right? To me, D.O.A. has always been a perfect soapbox for me, to say what I think about the world through actions and song and whatnot. That's, to me, what's really kept me going. You know, it feels good to get people excited, it's fun to play, and you get to say what you think. That's what keeps it going. That, and an awful lot of gaff tape. (and we both laugh...) The key ingredient besides beer. Beer and gaff tape: two things that are never very far away from D.O.A., right?
JW: That should be the next album?
JOEY: Hahaha, Beer and Gaff Tape. Yeah, it gets it pretty close, right?
JW: So, is it still fun for you?
JOEY: Oh yeah, no, I actually really enjoy it. We played a couple of big shows in the fall (2008) in Chicago at the Riotfest and the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, also in the fall. Those things were like a total riot. We're going to China, leaving in about two weeks, we're going there for a week. So to me, that will be a total eye-opener. If you can go and do things that are different or at least a little bit momentous or doing something for a cause, like a benefit type show that's got some meaning to it, then that's fun. I love doing that. To go now, on the other hand, and go on a trip where it would be six months of playing every single town between here there and everywhere, and passing by every strip mall, or club in a strip mall kind of thing, I wouldn't think that would be that fun. That's what bands should do when they're young and that's what D.O.A. did. We've done over 3000 shows accumulated over the thirty years, right? You know, we had road trips when we were young where the trip would be eight months long and you'd be home for four days out of the eight months. You know, we'd think nothing of going somewhere for three months, right, so that's how you do it, that's how you build up a reputation. That's a good thing to do for a band, right?
JW: This tour that you're heading over to China to do, is this supporting the new album or is this just something you want to do?
JOEY: No, I think when D.O.A. goes somewhere, yeah of course we like to promote the new album, I think it's a good album and stuff like that, but D.O.A. is really based on reputation, right? And that's why you get kids coming out that have never seen the band and that's why we can go to a place that we've never been to and draw a crowd, right, because it's the reputation of the band for like wild, unbridled mayhem coupled with blatant sloganeering and also coupled with obnoxious guitar riffs.
JW: Now talking about going and doing shows, you got people coming out who saw you back in the day and now they're bringing out their kids and maybe even in some cases, bringing out their grandkids to see you guys.
JOEY: Well I haven't seen the grandkids thing. The one thing I have noticed sometimes, we have a really well-known truck called "Reek Fleming" that we take on some of the trips. It's about twenty years old, people recognize it, and amazingly it still runs. Sometimes there will be a knock on the door and they'll go like, "hey, yeah I went to see you guys at the Smiling Buddha thirty years ago and I'm just dropping my kids off at the show." (laughs...) You know, that kind of thing. We used to get people saying, "yeah, I heard about you guys from my older brother and sister." Definitely, you're getting a bit of the kid thing from the parents, right? It's interesting, you know 'cause everybody, as they go through life, they have to change and usually people become somewhat responsible or in a lot of times they have families, whether they're responsible or not, right? I goes along, they don't go to shows like they used to. But sometimes they'll show up, and yeah, sometimes we'll get people that will come up and stay at the show, them and their kids. Usually the kid won't think it's too cool if the parents hang around. I mean that kind of fucks it up for them. They'd be smart enough to say, "OK, you go experience D.O.A. I'll pick you up in four hours.Try not to get arrested in the meantime."
JW: "I got knocked out by my Dad in the pit." That's just not something you want to talk about at the dinner table.
JOEY: Hahaha, yeah that would suck. That would be just a little too odd.
JW: Let's talk about the new record a little bit. First of all, produced by Bob Rock, and when I think of that, that's like the fifth member of Metallica. What was it like working with him?
JOEY: Bob's an old friend of mine, so it was pretty easy, like we didn't have to get to know him. He's a funny guy and pretty easy-going, which I guess you would have to be to work with something like Metallica, not to say Metallica are bad guys, but you know what I mean, it sounds like it was pretty intense at times. With us in the studio, it was a laugh. We'd do a track and from the studio over the talkback, I'd say to him, "so, how was that?" and then he'd quip back, "wow not bad, but when are you going to start trying?" Then I'd shoot back, "as soon as you start producing." Stuff like that. It was actually pretty much a howl, right? You know, funny guy and yeah, some people go, "wow, that's really cool you got Bob Rock" and other people get totally kind of weirded out by it almost, right? But I think, if a good producer is capable of getting like a great sound, which obviously Bob is. Like what a good producer would do in any case, he'll try to see what the strengths of the band is and work on those strengths, you know what I mean? That's what he did with D.O.A. on this album so that's why we came up with what I think is a real good album, right?
JW: And the album is called "Northern Avenger." I really dug it and I read on there what Bob was calling your guitar, or was that the name you had for it?
JOEY: No, actually that just sort of fell in at the same time. I came up with the album title last fall before we started recording. I had the title and I said "hey, by the way guys the title of the album is 'Northern Avenger,' right" and that totally suited D.O.A. because D.O.A.'s always been about trying to, uh, not avenge the score as in like, "I'm going to get ya next friday night, fucker!" Not that kind of thing, right? There's things that are wrong in this world, so you try and set them right, and we're from the North obviously, so hence "Northern Avenger." But I said, "OK. Hey guys," and I said that to Bob and Jamey (Koch) the co-producer, the name of the album is "Northern Avenger" and Bob looked at my guitar which he'd known and seen thirty years previously on one of our first singles which he helped on, "The Prisoner" single, our second single. Anyways, he went, "No, no, no. Your guitar is Northern Avenger, right?" It ended up that that's the nickname he gave my old guitar that I've had since 1976 or '74. Something like that.
JW: And that's what, an old Gibson SG?
JOEY: An old SG that the body's like half gone and it's been rebuilt and it's got a metal plate on the front. It's got gouge marks bigger than the ones on Willie Nelson's guitar. (laughs) It's pretty...it's pretty classic. It's easy to play, it sounds great, and yeah, it's been stolen three times and I've gotten it back every time, right?
JW: How'd you get it back every time?
JOEY: Well, the first time a guy stole it at a show and everybody ran around the hall and they guy had stashed it out in these bushes. They finally get the guitar and I got the guitar and these girls that were hanging out with the band, they went and beat the guy up, right, and chased him off. The second time, Zippy Pinhead, who's an old buddy of ours, caught a guy stealing it in an elevator at a show in Portland. The third time, our roadie was just packing up the van, we were in like in the north of Spain. This was the worst time easily. He turned around and someone had seen him packing the stuff and got it and ran off with it and so the guy had it for like six or eight months. Eventually, I got a letter in Spanish and I could read just enough of it to realize he was talking about my guitar and he wanted to give it back and he did. You know, it cost about $400 to get it back. The funniest thing was about five years later, we went back and played in the same area in Spain and the promoter came up and said he had the guy who stole the guitar but he couldn't speak English, so he had to translate his saying he was sorry to me and he had to translate my English back to the guy who stole the guitar. So, I had two choices, I could hop across the table and beat the living fuck out of him (laughs) or I could, uh, it was almost like a priest at a confessional, so I chose the priest at the confessional routine. I got the guitar back and I wished the guy good health and all that, right, so what the hell. So I guess at the time, he said, "wow, I've got a hell of a souvenir, look what I scored," but I'm sure his friends called him an asshole, right, because that's the way it goes.
JW: Right. So what do you got going on in the New Year? After you guys are over there in Asia, are you coming back and doing the States and Canada? What's the plan?
JOEY: Yeah, we got China in January, there's California, and the Northwest like in late January then California in February. You know, California, Arizona, Nevada type thing. Then, we're off to Europe in April for the whole month of April and after that we'll do some more American shows. Probably some in the summertime but more in the fall of '09, that we'd get out your way, the East Coast and the Midwest and all that kind of thing.
JW: You taking anybody with you of note on the road?
JOEY: We were just talking about that the other day. We haven't figured it out yet and it's a ways away, so no, not yet, but yes, we will.
JW: Talk about Sudden Death Records. What made you decide to do that and now it's kind of like a full-time thing for you?
JOEY: It was really just a way to get D.O.A. records out in the first place. Like we did about four or five singles back in the last 70s, early 80s. We kind of sat down one day and says," well, everybody hates us, nobody will ever sign us, and we'll never get a record out." So, we just took the DIY route and put out the Disco Sucks 7-inch EP and that kind of started Sudden Death. But I really didn't take it seriously and we got offered another record deal, Alternative Tentacles amongst others, did that and about ten years ago I started up Sudden death, in earnest. We have about 82 different releases now. Something like that, between EPs, singles, albums, imports that we get from Europe and stuff like that that we distribute. It's been going well. The main idea was, here's my philosophy, be your own boss, think for yourself, and try to affect some sort of causes and change in this world. I thought the record label was the perfect way to put my money where my mouth is and it's been pretty good. I mean things aren't great for little labels right now, but we're hanging in there and doing OK. You can't go crazy spending on records because they're hard to sell these days.
JW: The record industry is definitely one that is suffering these days.
JOEY: Yeah, it's gone for a complete shit, right? But you know what, there has to be always some sort of conveyance to get this different type of music out. Now, whatever form it's going to be, whether it's in a CD or we're still making LPs or whether you're going to get it on the internet, you're going to download it. For sure they'll be some other applications or forms it will take as it goes on. You just have to be able to adapt, and if you don't then it's like anything else you'll just become extinct, right?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
DEMAND IN DC
DEMAND IN DC
by Jason K. Walsh
January 20th will be one of the most historic days in the annals of American History, as the first African-American president will be sworn in as Commander in Chief. Following a campaign that found people around the nation glued to their televisions and record numbers turning out to the polls on Election Day, Barack Obama will take the oath of office on Inauguration Day as the 44th President of the United States. More than a million are expected to turnout in Washington DC ensuring the nation's capitol will be alive with activity. One such event celebrating the new regime in the United States Executive Branch is the "Demand in DC Art Show," in which live music, art, and film will join forces at the Black Cat to ring in the new leader.
"Demand in DC is a call to the people of this country to take back their government and their country," said Justin Sane of Anti-Flag. "If you don't take control of your government, someone will. Barack Obama is a step in the right direction for the U.S. but he is not progressive on all issues and he needs to feel the heat from those of us who have a vision we want to see America achieve."
Sane cites universal health care, gay marriage, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, campaign finance reform, green energy policies, and the closing of Guantanemo Bay as some of the new issues this new president needs to address, but puts the burden of "change" on the American people.
"It is as much a celebration of the end of the Bush role, as it is a call to all concerned citizens of this nation to do their part to steer or country in a new and brighter direction," he said. "This is a time of great opportunity for us in the United States. With the Bush White House there was never a chance at having progressive policy. Barack Obama may deliver on all or none of the above, but at least there is a possibility of these things taking shape. But for these things to take shape, each and every person who believes in these ideas must make their voice audible to President-Elect Obama and hold him accountable."
Anti-Flag is just one of the bands on the bill at the celebration, which will also feature works from local artists as well as independent film screenings. An auction will also be held dubbed "Quilts for a Cure," in which four quilts made up of over 200 band t-shirts will be awarded. The auction is in connection with DC sponsor, Shirts for a Cure, a local organization who raises money to help underprivileged women fighting breast cancer who cannot afford chemotherapy nor medication costs.
Chris Barker, also known as Chris #2, is Anti-Flag's bassist and co-lead vocalist. According to him, the election's outcome had no bearing on the commencement of the festival.
"We planned this to happen on Inauguration Day regardless of winner," Barker said. "However we are excited about the steps forward that America has made with this last election. But, 48 million people voted for the other guy. That's a lot of people who need beat over the head with good ideas."
Also performing that evening is United Nations, The A.K.A.s, and Ruiner from Baltimore, Maryland. Frontman Rob Sullivan of Ruiner said the band never had a second thought about participating.
"I couldn't have turned down the opportunity," he said. "Aside from when I was younger I loved Anti-Flag, and this was such a great idea. Bands, artists, and performers of all sorts coming together to represent a 'change' in the power system of our country and the role the people played in that."
Sullivan agreed with the guys from Anti-Flag that this will be an important day for Americans, in the hopes of pointing the nation in a better direction.
"Bush is out of office and that is something to be celebrated," he said. "But at the same time, we are given another chance. As a people, we voted in record amounts to allow ourselves a new voice for the rest of the world; a world, which for the most part, finds us to be arrogant cowboys with no agendas but our own. We picked the winner and having this show in our nation's capitol is the only proper place."
The A.K.A.'s formed in New York City about five years ago, in an attempt to play a style of music they believed in while relaying political messages in a way they thought other bands in the current industry environment were lacking. Vocalist Mike Ski has participated in other politically driven events which fused the music from the underground with art. Last year, Ski organized a series of art shows with the A.K.A.'s called "Everybody Make Some Noise: 25 Artists Celebrate the Art of the Protest Sign."
"I was personally really inspired by the event and found it to be a cool alternative to the common format of normal concerts and shows, and the way it engaged the crowd in a different way," he said. "It was from the spirit and vigor of this event that we took the title of our latest album."
"Everbody Make Some Noise" is the band's second full-length which dropped in 2008 on Metropolis Records. When their friends from Anti-Flag started planning the Inauguration Day festival, combining an art show with a live-music concert, Ski was immediately on board.
"They brought us in to help coordinate the art end, help with ideas, and rock the stage," he said. "It's an important event to take part in for us as we enjoy doing new and memorable events that push the envelope, raise awareness, and challenge the things that people are used to. It's a great opportunity to send an important message and reminder that people demand change and are catalysts for it. We're proud to be involved."
"Demand in DC" is an opportunity for people in the District to come together and share thoughts and ideas and lend their opinions about the social and political conditions affecting everyone in the country. Now about to enter a new era of American leadership, the nation is struggling on several fronts and many are looking to this new administration for hope. According to Sullivan of Ruiner, the journey back to prosperity will not be easy.
"The path before our nation is going to be a long, hard one," he said. "In my opinion, border line impossible in some areas. Between the economy, a war, and the perception
of foreign nations, it's a massive rebuilding process. Our country needs to recognize that regardless of who won the election, we need to figure out how to come together. Republican, Democrat, Independent or whatever, we can't keep blaming each other based on our differences. This election marked hopefully the start of a very loud voice in our country that we want something different."
by Jason K. Walsh
January 20th will be one of the most historic days in the annals of American History, as the first African-American president will be sworn in as Commander in Chief. Following a campaign that found people around the nation glued to their televisions and record numbers turning out to the polls on Election Day, Barack Obama will take the oath of office on Inauguration Day as the 44th President of the United States. More than a million are expected to turnout in Washington DC ensuring the nation's capitol will be alive with activity. One such event celebrating the new regime in the United States Executive Branch is the "Demand in DC Art Show," in which live music, art, and film will join forces at the Black Cat to ring in the new leader.
"Demand in DC is a call to the people of this country to take back their government and their country," said Justin Sane of Anti-Flag. "If you don't take control of your government, someone will. Barack Obama is a step in the right direction for the U.S. but he is not progressive on all issues and he needs to feel the heat from those of us who have a vision we want to see America achieve."
Sane cites universal health care, gay marriage, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, campaign finance reform, green energy policies, and the closing of Guantanemo Bay as some of the new issues this new president needs to address, but puts the burden of "change" on the American people.
"It is as much a celebration of the end of the Bush role, as it is a call to all concerned citizens of this nation to do their part to steer or country in a new and brighter direction," he said. "This is a time of great opportunity for us in the United States. With the Bush White House there was never a chance at having progressive policy. Barack Obama may deliver on all or none of the above, but at least there is a possibility of these things taking shape. But for these things to take shape, each and every person who believes in these ideas must make their voice audible to President-Elect Obama and hold him accountable."
Anti-Flag is just one of the bands on the bill at the celebration, which will also feature works from local artists as well as independent film screenings. An auction will also be held dubbed "Quilts for a Cure," in which four quilts made up of over 200 band t-shirts will be awarded. The auction is in connection with DC sponsor, Shirts for a Cure, a local organization who raises money to help underprivileged women fighting breast cancer who cannot afford chemotherapy nor medication costs.
Chris Barker, also known as Chris #2, is Anti-Flag's bassist and co-lead vocalist. According to him, the election's outcome had no bearing on the commencement of the festival.
"We planned this to happen on Inauguration Day regardless of winner," Barker said. "However we are excited about the steps forward that America has made with this last election. But, 48 million people voted for the other guy. That's a lot of people who need beat over the head with good ideas."
Also performing that evening is United Nations, The A.K.A.s, and Ruiner from Baltimore, Maryland. Frontman Rob Sullivan of Ruiner said the band never had a second thought about participating.
"I couldn't have turned down the opportunity," he said. "Aside from when I was younger I loved Anti-Flag, and this was such a great idea. Bands, artists, and performers of all sorts coming together to represent a 'change' in the power system of our country and the role the people played in that."
Sullivan agreed with the guys from Anti-Flag that this will be an important day for Americans, in the hopes of pointing the nation in a better direction.
"Bush is out of office and that is something to be celebrated," he said. "But at the same time, we are given another chance. As a people, we voted in record amounts to allow ourselves a new voice for the rest of the world; a world, which for the most part, finds us to be arrogant cowboys with no agendas but our own. We picked the winner and having this show in our nation's capitol is the only proper place."
The A.K.A.'s formed in New York City about five years ago, in an attempt to play a style of music they believed in while relaying political messages in a way they thought other bands in the current industry environment were lacking. Vocalist Mike Ski has participated in other politically driven events which fused the music from the underground with art. Last year, Ski organized a series of art shows with the A.K.A.'s called "Everybody Make Some Noise: 25 Artists Celebrate the Art of the Protest Sign."
"I was personally really inspired by the event and found it to be a cool alternative to the common format of normal concerts and shows, and the way it engaged the crowd in a different way," he said. "It was from the spirit and vigor of this event that we took the title of our latest album."
"Everbody Make Some Noise" is the band's second full-length which dropped in 2008 on Metropolis Records. When their friends from Anti-Flag started planning the Inauguration Day festival, combining an art show with a live-music concert, Ski was immediately on board.
"They brought us in to help coordinate the art end, help with ideas, and rock the stage," he said. "It's an important event to take part in for us as we enjoy doing new and memorable events that push the envelope, raise awareness, and challenge the things that people are used to. It's a great opportunity to send an important message and reminder that people demand change and are catalysts for it. We're proud to be involved."
"Demand in DC" is an opportunity for people in the District to come together and share thoughts and ideas and lend their opinions about the social and political conditions affecting everyone in the country. Now about to enter a new era of American leadership, the nation is struggling on several fronts and many are looking to this new administration for hope. According to Sullivan of Ruiner, the journey back to prosperity will not be easy.
"The path before our nation is going to be a long, hard one," he said. "In my opinion, border line impossible in some areas. Between the economy, a war, and the perception
of foreign nations, it's a massive rebuilding process. Our country needs to recognize that regardless of who won the election, we need to figure out how to come together. Republican, Democrat, Independent or whatever, we can't keep blaming each other based on our differences. This election marked hopefully the start of a very loud voice in our country that we want something different."
Thursday, January 1, 2009
EERIE VON
EERIE VON
Musician, Artist, Photographer, and Fiend
interview by Jason Walsh
The birth of horror punk, with bands like The Misfits and Rosemary's Babies, emerged from one of the most unlikely places. No, not Hell, but Lodi, New Jersey. It was the late 70's when names like Glenn Danzig, Doyle, Steve Zing, and Jerry Only rose in the post-punk era to form a new brand of dark and ghoulish, aggressive music inspired by comic books, B-movies, and 50's rock 'n roll. Among those in this grim company was none other than Eerie Von.
Following his stint as a drummer in Rosemary's Babies, Eerie Von took to the bass and went on to form Samhain with Glenn Danzig, and later and more notably, Danzig. After a six-year stretch, drummer Chuck Biscuits left the band in 1994, and guitarist John Christ departed the following year. That same day Christ left, Eerie Von also stepped away from the group and Glenn has continued the Danzig project with all new members and an ever-changing lineup.
Eerie Von continued his passion for art and photography, which began at a very early age, while pursuing other musical projects as well. He has released five solo records and started Ghastly Records with former Rosemary's Babies bandmate Bob Montena: a label they began "for bands who have something new to offer to the world." I had the opportunity to discuss his craft, artistic endeavors, and what the future holds for one of the most recognizable icons from the fiendish underground movement.
JW: First, how are you doing? What are you looking towards coming into 2009? Any New Year's resolutions or revelations, or plans for the upcoming year?
EERIE VON: I don't usually do resolutions and I don't make plans. I have a new record coming out and I'd like to tour in support of it, do some more Horror/Comic cons, and continue to paint. Maybe do another movie, if I get the chance. I'm in with a huge cast of underground cult figures, in "It Came from Trafalgar," a 50's-style black-and-white Sci-Fi film, that should be out this year, I hope.
JW: I read that you were drawn to photography and painting at an early age. What led you to these two passions?
EERIE VON: Dad got a Nikon from Japan when I was eight and he showed me how to use it and taught me what he knew, just the basics, which I still rely on 'til this day. I didn't take it up full time until 13, when I had a friend who had a darkroom and learned how to process film and make prints there as well as in school. Then in High School, I shot everything for the yearbook from day one. I started drawing at probably five or six and painted all through high school. I don't know why I started doing it but I learned early that I could copy anything I wanted, but wasn't too great on my own. I was into sports and music, so I did portraits of baseball players, Elvis, and the Beatles. That's when I got good at it.
JW: Both photography and painting rely on composition and filling the space. Have you found that one tends to compliment the other and has your experience shooting helped to make you a better painter?
EERIE VON: You can't compose a photo as easily as a painting. You have to work with what you have most of the time, unless it's a studio set up or you have the money to put your subject in any situation you like, like Annie Leibowitz. I don't think my photographic eye has influenced my painting because I don't really have a set way of doing it. I kind of "wing it" every time.
JW: Asking the question with a seemingly obvious answer, why do you call your style Fiend Art?
EERIE VON: It's art for the Fiends out there. What I like and what they like. I usually figure if I would buy it, then it's cool. I would like to keep the best ones, sometimes I do, but I like it better when someone buys one and puts it on their wall.
JW: When did you start taking your art more seriously and concentrate on it more? You seem to have a pretty large body of work now.
EERIE VON: About ten years ago in Florida. At one point I was doing three to four a month. This year my output was only two-and-a-half a month. I don't take it too seriously. It's just something I do.
JW: Many of your works are available through your website and auctions. Tell me about that and also, have you done any art shows or events of that nature?
EERIE VON: I don't care for galleries and art shows. People put their stuff in galleries to sell it. I've sold almost every painting I've ever done. Hundreds. I have no need to make a big deal out of them or display them in such a way. I will do a gallery show if it means more people will get to see the paintings, but I'm not into the whole "artist" thing. It's too pretentious.
JW: Talk to me about the young kid from Lodi who discovered art and music at a young age.
EERIE VON: In the beginning, where I lived had nothing to do with discovering music. It was all my family's influence. Mom and Dad grew up in the 40's and 50's, so I heard their music. I grew up in the 60's and 70's, so I heard what was on the radio and on TV. My Aunts and Uncles and cousins influenced me as well. Not until 8th grade did I meet Doyle (Misfits) and then the whole Lodi thing, became an influence. There were a few punk rock guys in high school as well, so they turned me on to stuff. My sister played me a lot of punk stuff. She was a big influence.
Finding out from the Misfits that you could put out your own records was a big revelation. Once I found that out, I was determined to take that path.
JW: Initially you played drums and had a successful audition with the Misfits but declined. Why was that and why did you end up forming Rosemary's Babies after declining the spot with the Misfits?
EERIE VON: Rosemary's Babies was already a band, when the Misfits thing came up. I did start playing drums again, just in case they ever needed a new drummer. I was meant to be in that band, so it made sense. Personally it wasn't the right time for me to join, so I declined. I got the chance again later, but Glenn (Danzig) told me Doyle didn't like the way I was looking at his girlfriend, so it didn't work out again, and they got Robo.
JW: What was the Rosemary's Babies experience like?
EERIE VON: It was great learning how to write songs and perform in front of people, figuring out how to be part of a band and getting along with others. I also enjoyed getting to know others doing the same from around the country. Knowing there were kids who felt like I did was a big comfort during those unsteady high school years.
JW: When Glenn and you formed Samhain you began playing drums. What was the reason for their disbanding and why did you decide to start Samhain?
EERIE VON: Rosemary's Babies had run its course. We weren't going anywhere and Glenn was a serious musician. I wanted to play with the best people I could and Glenn was the best around so I decided to go with him. It's the only way you'll get better. I knew I could learn from him and I have.
JW: Early into the band's existence you switched from drums to bass, which would become your trademark in music for the next two decades. Why this switch? Had you had much experience playing bass and what about it kept you playing it?
EERIE VON: I had never played bass before. I wasn't a good drummer. I still suck. I have no ego when it comes to being in a band. If you can play it better, go ahead. So in order to make the band as good as possible, we agreed to have a real drummer come in. I'd just have to fake it on bass. I was also a terrible bass player, but I got a little better.
JW: After Samhain, you guys went on to a pretty successful run with Danzig. After Chuck dropped out in '94, you and John left the following year. Why? Had it seem to run its course for you?
EERIE VON: It was time to go. I would have preferred to stay with the original four guys and if we could have ironed out the problems within the band, I'm sure we'd still be together today. Once Chuck left, it was over for me. John hadn't been into it for years. It was no longer a vital, living, growing thing. It was dead.
JW: Do you still keep in touch with Chuck and John? What are they up to these days?
EERIE VON: Haven't heard from John in ten years. I'm still friends with Chuck and hear from him a few times a year.
JW: What about Glenn? Are you still in touch with him?
EERIE VON: No
JW: Following Danzig, you released some solo work and moved around a bit? Have you enjoyed experimenting with different types of music and living in different places? Have these experiences helped with your art and music?
EERIE VON: I've done five records since leaving Danzig. One in each place I lived. The environment and the circumstances surrounding my being there all contributed to the sound and feel of each record. When I did my second one, "The Blood and the Body," all I had was a microphone, an acoustic guitar, a fuzz box, and a Casio keyboard I bought at Toys 'R Us. That record sounds like it does because of the limitations I had to work under. I'm fine with that. That's what every record should be. Like a snapshot of who and where you were at that time.
JW: Eerie Von's Spider Cider "That's All There Is" was the last solo record you released in 2006. That was recorded while you were living in Indiana, right? What was that record about and what was your process with its inception?
EERIE VON: I was going through a divorce and was very depressed. It was like my mid-life crisis record. I cut my hair and suddenly, I felt 18 again, and with that feeling came the anger and youthful aggression I felt back then, so I just did what came naturally and that's why it's a punk rock record.
JW: You also did some work on a record you've dubbed "Kinda Country." Are you still working on that or have you finished it?
EERIE VON: My new record is kinda country, so that's why I called it that. Plain and simple. I've been writing songs for 25 years now and have gotten pretty good at it. I've paid attention and learned from all the greats who came before me and from contemporaries as well. So, if I wrote a Blues song, I'd put it away until I needed it. If I was doing a spooky record and a country song came out, I would file that away for a later date. I have lots of songs, in all different styles.
I just write them. Some I might do demos of, then I go on to the next one. When you have about twelve good ones and you decide they should be put together as a collection, you make a record.
JW: Talk to me about Ghastly Records label you started with your former Rosemary's Babies cohort. Has it been a rewarding experience running an independent label, which is a home for your solo work? You have also re-released some stuff from that first band as well.
EERIE VON: We had no label back in '83, so we had to start our own to put out our first record.
We revived the label to put out a 25th anniversary CD, but I have nothing to do with the day-to-day running of it really. Bob has put out my last two records because he had the means to. It's his thing.
JW: Lastly, a new year. Where does Eerie Von go from here, musically, artistically, and just as a person. What does the future hold for you?
EERIE VON: I have no idea. I'd like to go back on the road and stay there. Stopping long enough only to record. If I can figure out how to paint, on the run, I'll do that too. I've been waking up in the same bed for too long. I've gotta get out of here. Thanks to all the Fiends out there, for their loyal support and kind words of encouragement. I hope to see you all very soon.
www.eerievon.com
www.myspace.com/eerievonart
www.myspace.com/itcamefromtrafalgar
Musician, Artist, Photographer, and Fiend
interview by Jason Walsh
The birth of horror punk, with bands like The Misfits and Rosemary's Babies, emerged from one of the most unlikely places. No, not Hell, but Lodi, New Jersey. It was the late 70's when names like Glenn Danzig, Doyle, Steve Zing, and Jerry Only rose in the post-punk era to form a new brand of dark and ghoulish, aggressive music inspired by comic books, B-movies, and 50's rock 'n roll. Among those in this grim company was none other than Eerie Von.
Following his stint as a drummer in Rosemary's Babies, Eerie Von took to the bass and went on to form Samhain with Glenn Danzig, and later and more notably, Danzig. After a six-year stretch, drummer Chuck Biscuits left the band in 1994, and guitarist John Christ departed the following year. That same day Christ left, Eerie Von also stepped away from the group and Glenn has continued the Danzig project with all new members and an ever-changing lineup.
Eerie Von continued his passion for art and photography, which began at a very early age, while pursuing other musical projects as well. He has released five solo records and started Ghastly Records with former Rosemary's Babies bandmate Bob Montena: a label they began "for bands who have something new to offer to the world." I had the opportunity to discuss his craft, artistic endeavors, and what the future holds for one of the most recognizable icons from the fiendish underground movement.
JW: First, how are you doing? What are you looking towards coming into 2009? Any New Year's resolutions or revelations, or plans for the upcoming year?
EERIE VON: I don't usually do resolutions and I don't make plans. I have a new record coming out and I'd like to tour in support of it, do some more Horror/Comic cons, and continue to paint. Maybe do another movie, if I get the chance. I'm in with a huge cast of underground cult figures, in "It Came from Trafalgar," a 50's-style black-and-white Sci-Fi film, that should be out this year, I hope.
JW: I read that you were drawn to photography and painting at an early age. What led you to these two passions?
EERIE VON: Dad got a Nikon from Japan when I was eight and he showed me how to use it and taught me what he knew, just the basics, which I still rely on 'til this day. I didn't take it up full time until 13, when I had a friend who had a darkroom and learned how to process film and make prints there as well as in school. Then in High School, I shot everything for the yearbook from day one. I started drawing at probably five or six and painted all through high school. I don't know why I started doing it but I learned early that I could copy anything I wanted, but wasn't too great on my own. I was into sports and music, so I did portraits of baseball players, Elvis, and the Beatles. That's when I got good at it.
JW: Both photography and painting rely on composition and filling the space. Have you found that one tends to compliment the other and has your experience shooting helped to make you a better painter?
EERIE VON: You can't compose a photo as easily as a painting. You have to work with what you have most of the time, unless it's a studio set up or you have the money to put your subject in any situation you like, like Annie Leibowitz. I don't think my photographic eye has influenced my painting because I don't really have a set way of doing it. I kind of "wing it" every time.
JW: Asking the question with a seemingly obvious answer, why do you call your style Fiend Art?
EERIE VON: It's art for the Fiends out there. What I like and what they like. I usually figure if I would buy it, then it's cool. I would like to keep the best ones, sometimes I do, but I like it better when someone buys one and puts it on their wall.
JW: When did you start taking your art more seriously and concentrate on it more? You seem to have a pretty large body of work now.
EERIE VON: About ten years ago in Florida. At one point I was doing three to four a month. This year my output was only two-and-a-half a month. I don't take it too seriously. It's just something I do.
JW: Many of your works are available through your website and auctions. Tell me about that and also, have you done any art shows or events of that nature?
EERIE VON: I don't care for galleries and art shows. People put their stuff in galleries to sell it. I've sold almost every painting I've ever done. Hundreds. I have no need to make a big deal out of them or display them in such a way. I will do a gallery show if it means more people will get to see the paintings, but I'm not into the whole "artist" thing. It's too pretentious.
JW: Talk to me about the young kid from Lodi who discovered art and music at a young age.
EERIE VON: In the beginning, where I lived had nothing to do with discovering music. It was all my family's influence. Mom and Dad grew up in the 40's and 50's, so I heard their music. I grew up in the 60's and 70's, so I heard what was on the radio and on TV. My Aunts and Uncles and cousins influenced me as well. Not until 8th grade did I meet Doyle (Misfits) and then the whole Lodi thing, became an influence. There were a few punk rock guys in high school as well, so they turned me on to stuff. My sister played me a lot of punk stuff. She was a big influence.
Finding out from the Misfits that you could put out your own records was a big revelation. Once I found that out, I was determined to take that path.
JW: Initially you played drums and had a successful audition with the Misfits but declined. Why was that and why did you end up forming Rosemary's Babies after declining the spot with the Misfits?
EERIE VON: Rosemary's Babies was already a band, when the Misfits thing came up. I did start playing drums again, just in case they ever needed a new drummer. I was meant to be in that band, so it made sense. Personally it wasn't the right time for me to join, so I declined. I got the chance again later, but Glenn (Danzig) told me Doyle didn't like the way I was looking at his girlfriend, so it didn't work out again, and they got Robo.
JW: What was the Rosemary's Babies experience like?
EERIE VON: It was great learning how to write songs and perform in front of people, figuring out how to be part of a band and getting along with others. I also enjoyed getting to know others doing the same from around the country. Knowing there were kids who felt like I did was a big comfort during those unsteady high school years.
JW: When Glenn and you formed Samhain you began playing drums. What was the reason for their disbanding and why did you decide to start Samhain?
EERIE VON: Rosemary's Babies had run its course. We weren't going anywhere and Glenn was a serious musician. I wanted to play with the best people I could and Glenn was the best around so I decided to go with him. It's the only way you'll get better. I knew I could learn from him and I have.
JW: Early into the band's existence you switched from drums to bass, which would become your trademark in music for the next two decades. Why this switch? Had you had much experience playing bass and what about it kept you playing it?
EERIE VON: I had never played bass before. I wasn't a good drummer. I still suck. I have no ego when it comes to being in a band. If you can play it better, go ahead. So in order to make the band as good as possible, we agreed to have a real drummer come in. I'd just have to fake it on bass. I was also a terrible bass player, but I got a little better.
JW: After Samhain, you guys went on to a pretty successful run with Danzig. After Chuck dropped out in '94, you and John left the following year. Why? Had it seem to run its course for you?
EERIE VON: It was time to go. I would have preferred to stay with the original four guys and if we could have ironed out the problems within the band, I'm sure we'd still be together today. Once Chuck left, it was over for me. John hadn't been into it for years. It was no longer a vital, living, growing thing. It was dead.
JW: Do you still keep in touch with Chuck and John? What are they up to these days?
EERIE VON: Haven't heard from John in ten years. I'm still friends with Chuck and hear from him a few times a year.
JW: What about Glenn? Are you still in touch with him?
EERIE VON: No
JW: Following Danzig, you released some solo work and moved around a bit? Have you enjoyed experimenting with different types of music and living in different places? Have these experiences helped with your art and music?
EERIE VON: I've done five records since leaving Danzig. One in each place I lived. The environment and the circumstances surrounding my being there all contributed to the sound and feel of each record. When I did my second one, "The Blood and the Body," all I had was a microphone, an acoustic guitar, a fuzz box, and a Casio keyboard I bought at Toys 'R Us. That record sounds like it does because of the limitations I had to work under. I'm fine with that. That's what every record should be. Like a snapshot of who and where you were at that time.
JW: Eerie Von's Spider Cider "That's All There Is" was the last solo record you released in 2006. That was recorded while you were living in Indiana, right? What was that record about and what was your process with its inception?
EERIE VON: I was going through a divorce and was very depressed. It was like my mid-life crisis record. I cut my hair and suddenly, I felt 18 again, and with that feeling came the anger and youthful aggression I felt back then, so I just did what came naturally and that's why it's a punk rock record.
JW: You also did some work on a record you've dubbed "Kinda Country." Are you still working on that or have you finished it?
EERIE VON: My new record is kinda country, so that's why I called it that. Plain and simple. I've been writing songs for 25 years now and have gotten pretty good at it. I've paid attention and learned from all the greats who came before me and from contemporaries as well. So, if I wrote a Blues song, I'd put it away until I needed it. If I was doing a spooky record and a country song came out, I would file that away for a later date. I have lots of songs, in all different styles.
I just write them. Some I might do demos of, then I go on to the next one. When you have about twelve good ones and you decide they should be put together as a collection, you make a record.
JW: Talk to me about Ghastly Records label you started with your former Rosemary's Babies cohort. Has it been a rewarding experience running an independent label, which is a home for your solo work? You have also re-released some stuff from that first band as well.
EERIE VON: We had no label back in '83, so we had to start our own to put out our first record.
We revived the label to put out a 25th anniversary CD, but I have nothing to do with the day-to-day running of it really. Bob has put out my last two records because he had the means to. It's his thing.
JW: Lastly, a new year. Where does Eerie Von go from here, musically, artistically, and just as a person. What does the future hold for you?
EERIE VON: I have no idea. I'd like to go back on the road and stay there. Stopping long enough only to record. If I can figure out how to paint, on the run, I'll do that too. I've been waking up in the same bed for too long. I've gotta get out of here. Thanks to all the Fiends out there, for their loyal support and kind words of encouragement. I hope to see you all very soon.
www.eerievon.com
www.myspace.com/eerievonart
www.myspace.com/itcamefromtrafalgar
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Interview with Jess Goldey
Jess Goldey: My Turn to Win
interview by Jason Walsh
Though the hardcore scene has always been predominantly populated by guys, guitarist Jess Goldey of My Turn to Win has never let the fact that she is a woman slow her down. As a founding member of the Philadelphia based hardcore outfit, she has continued to prove herself as an accomplished guitarist and songwriter, and one of the driving forces that keeps the band always moving forward. Started in 2004 with frontman Dave Rosney, in what the band calls the "summer of positivity," My Turn to Win has released several demos, E.P.s, appeared on a couple compilations, and most recently released their first full-length, "Weight of the World" on Awake/Strong Records, while continuing to tear down venues along the East Coast.
The 23-year-old grew up in the Philadelphia area and is currently an Elementary Education major at Temple University. With the new year around the corner, My Turn to Win looks to do a U.S. tour as well as writing new material for a possible new release down the road. I had a chance to talk to Goldey about how she found hardcore, the origins of the band, and what it's like to be a woman guitarist in one of the most aggressive styles of music.
JW: What is it that drew you to hardcore? Where did you first discover that this was something for you?
JESS: I always liked Y100. That's what I listened to on the radio. Music wasn't really that big of a deal when I was little, but when I was in high school my friend who liked similar music that I did, like alternative stuff, would always wear H20 shirts to school. I was in like 8th grade and I was like "what style is this band H20?" It's like around when "Abstinence" was just coming out. I went home and I downloaded "One Life, One Chance" on my computer, on my 56K modem, and I was hooked from there. I went out and I bought the CD at the Wall or something, and I was just hooked. They've been my favorite band ever since and from that I started loving that kind of music and it just progressed into a whole chain reaction of things. I just loved it, loved everything about it. I played hockey too and this one kid I played with, he told me he used to fill in for Kid Dynamite, so I got into Kid Dynamite from him. He just kept giving me stuff, like Less Than Jake CDs and Suicide Machines and things like that. I know he really liked Madball, and I just started listening to a lot of similar stuff and it just progressed from there. As I got older, like in high school, I started going to shows with people I was friends with and it just blew up from there.
JW: What was it about hardcore music that spoke to you? It's a lot different than some of your standard different styles of music. It is a very aggressive style and what was it about that style that really spoke to you?
JESS: I just love that the songs are really real. I can relate to them, and especially with H20, everything is so positive but at the same time it's aggressive. It's so heartfelt that you don't listen to the music, you feel it. I've compared it to people who don't understand who aren't in this scene, trying to make the analogy, like when you're in your car and you're driving and you turn on the radio because you want something to listen to and you don't really think too much about that. You just turn it on and listen to it. But when I listen to something, I feel it. It's something that I feel and I get chills time and time again. It's just this awesome feeling that I haven't found anywhere else. It's awesome and addictive and everything that anybody could ever want in a music style, in a genre, or y'know, in a lifestyle. It's just amazing.
JW: What made you decide to pick up a guitar and start learning how to play?
JESS: It's kind of funny. When I was in high school, I guess I was a senior, my schedule got fucked up somehow and I had to go into my guidance counselor. They were like, "Oh, we're going to put you in this guitar class," and I was like "O.K.?" I really didn't have any ambition to play guitar, I never really thought about it before, and they put me in this class and honestly, we didn't do anything in there. They gave us these really shitty acoustic guitars and were like "well, here, we're going to teach you how to play," but they didn't really. It was just like the first year they had the class and it was just basically me teaching myself. I thought past it and I would teach them to myself and I grew addicted to this instrument. I was like, "I love this!" For my 16th or 17th birthday, I asked my Mom and Dad for a guitar and they gave me one and I just continued to teach myself. I never really thought of like being in an actual band. At that point I was like, "Aww...this would be awesome if that could happen." I never really expected it to and especially to the degree that it's gotten to. I never imagined to do something like that.
JW: So what kind of guitar did Mom and Dad get you?
JESS: It was a Fender American Strat. A teal color. Beautiful.
JW: Do you still have it?
JESS: I do still have it. I refuse to get rid of it even though I am totally broke. I have a strong attachment to sentimental things and it was my first guitar and we shared so many memories as corny as it sounds (laughs). I don't want to give it away, sell it for something, for money. It's not worth it. It still plays great. My best friend Dave, who sings in the band, he gave me Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups to put in it and it made it sound amazing. I still love it, I still play it, and I'm never going to get rid of it.
JW: Well, you can't. That would be ridiculous. One, it came from your parents and two, you laid a lot of blood into it. It's your first guitar.
JESS: Yeah!!! I tell people, "I'm broke, I have no money," and they're like "sell something," and I'm like "I don't really have anything to sell that's worth a decent amount of money except for my guitar." They're like, "why don't you sell it? You don't even play it at shows anymore," and I'm like "Hell, no! Get out of here! That means too much to me."
JW: What are you playing now?
JESS: Right now I have an ESP LTD. It's a Les Paul style guitar. It's got a black matte finish with gold trim and gold hardware. It's got EMG pickups and sounds really ballsy. It plays great. I love it so much.
JW: So, how did you hook up with the band? How did that come about for you?
JESS: Well, I started hanging out with Dave in 2004. He used to live at this house that did shows. There was a saying, like "Dave's Night," which was like every Wednesday I think, when people would just go over there and play games. I went one night and met him and we just totally clicked and hit it off and we started hanging out. He was talking about how he wanted to do this band and call it My Turn to Win, named after a Turning Point song. It was originally just him sitting in his boxers or something with an acoustic guitar. I don't even think Dave can play the guitar. It was just him messing around with an acoustic guitar by himself writing songs about positivity and safe sex and stuff like that, like super silly. I guess he wanted to make it a serious thing and I was like, "oh, I can play guitar somewhat," and at that time I was like, "I can't really play guitar all that well, but I'd be really interested." So, I guess through message boards and things, we found our other guitar player and bass player. Our first drummer, Chad, we just knew him, so he was in it, and it just went from there. We've been through a ton of lineup changes, I'm not even sure how many, in the four and a half years we've been a band. Dave and me are the original members from the start and he's my best friend in the whole wide world even though he gets on my nerves and I get on his, but that goes with any relationship, if you know somebody and you're that close with them.
JW: And that's part of being in a band.
JESS: Oh, definitely.
JW: You get a bunch of people together that may have like interests but there's always going to be issues.
JESS: Oh, no doubt. Being in a band is like being in a relationship, but with four other people and sometimes it's going to be difficult. But, whatever, you get through those times just like with any other friendship, relationship, family problem, y'know whatever. Relationships have problems and you work on them and you get over it. Big deal. At the end of the day, you aren't always kissing and making up.
JW: How's this stretch been being in this band? You said you've been doing this for four and a half years. Is it a lot of fun? Does it keep you motivated? What is the reason why you continue to do this?
JESS: There's a lot of reasons why. I guess I can't really pinpoint one. I mean it's fun for the most part. Right now, we have had a solid lineup for a year and a half. We recently went through a drummer change, but there's not even any bad blood between any of our ex-members or anything. It's just that they had to work and couldn't fit it into their schedule or other differences. It wasn't because we hated them or they were angry with us, it just couldn't work for them. I guess really everything does happen for a reason because right now I think we're all pretty much content with the lineup and everybody gets along really well. We're like a happy little family but sometimes we all hate each other, but that's normal. You know we have our quarrels and it's stressful sometimes. It really is all worth it just because playing shows and seeing kids I've never seen before in my life yelling in Dave's face lyrics that he wrote to songs that we all wrote together is awesome. It's an unbeatable feeling, something I never thought would ever, ever dream of happening. I don't even know how to describe it, the feeling I get from playing, being up there sweating, and giving as much as I can. At the end of the set, I feel so dead physically but never more alive. We do this because it's fun and it's what we want to do, and when it stops being fun, and the bad times outweigh the good, then that's when it's not going to happen anymore.
JW: In a style that's dominated by a lot of testosterone, what's it like being a woman playing guitar in a hardcore band?
JESS: I'm not going to lie. There's a lot of attention there, whether it's me or any other female in a hardcore band. A girl can't deny the fact that this world is "dominated" by dudes and you can't ignore that. You kind of just have to accept it and learn to live with it, but at the same time know that you're just as good as any of the dudes. I think it's important to just know that is always going to be there, at least now unless something changes. So, getting mad at something like that, because that's just the way it is, I don't know, I think that's just wasted energy. I think there's a lot of other things you can put you're energy into. The scene's dominated by dudes, like more guys play hockey than girls, something like that, you know what I mean. That's just a fact. That's just how it is, but how it affects me is, well, I don't know? I just want to be considered as an equal and I think that I am. I don't have the attitude like, "oh, I'm better than this dude or I'm better than this guy because I can do this and this and this and he can't." I just want to be like everybody else. I don't have the attitude of "oh, I'm better than him because I'm a girl and I can pull my own weight." Does that make sense?
JW: Yeah it does. Do you feel when you're playing with other bands that acceptance as a peer, and not treated differently because you are a woman? Do you feel that level of acceptance with others in the hardcore community?
JESS: For me personally, I feel accepted, that I've earned my place. I acknowledge that there are guys out there who look down upon girls being in what "dudes" activities are supposed to be. I don't have a better word for that. But I know there are guys out there that are like that, so I just keep that in mind but I don't let that bother me. I know that I hold my own just fine, playing in a band or whatever else. I don't care if a guy or girl wants to judge me for whatever. That's their own problem. If they like me then that's great, if not, I don't feel like I should waste my energy trying to change their opinion. I feel like I can definitely prove to people who think that girls shouldn't do this type of thing, I think I definitely prove them wrong. I've had a lot of girls come up to me and be like, "I want to do that. I want to be just like you." It's such a huge compliment and it's so flattering because I feel like I'm setting a good example. I'm always watching how I am acting, like what I say, especially to young girls who are saying these things and complimenting me. I hope that if I'm influencing them, that I'm saying and doing the right things in a positive way. There is such a thing as good attention and bad attention. There are girls out there that just go to shows who just stand in the back and hold their boyfriend's coats and things and just follow them around like a little puppy dog and they don't really care about the music even though they say they do. You know, like here today, gone tomorrow type of thing. There's so many girls like that, or dudes, doing it for the wrong reasons. Overall, I just want to make a good impression for these girls who say these things to me and I want to give them somebody to look up to and they'll be like, "y'know, I can do this. I can do whatever I want to do and not feel like I should be looked down upon by guys or anybody." Everybody should be able to do what they want to do. If they want to do it, there should be no reason why they can't, as long you are a strong person and follow what you want to do in your heart, there's no reason you should be shut down because people look down upon that sort of thing.
JW: Exactly, and good for you of being an advocate of that. That's the thing, I think all of us have been drawn to this music and this movement because it spoke to us and another thing, it is a sense of unity and coming together and family.
JESS: Exactly. We're all here for the same reasons, whether it's a guy or girl. It doesn't matter. We should all be considered as people here. There's not one gender that's better than the other. If you had your eyes shut and you couldn't tell who was up there on stage, it could be all girls, it could be all guys, you wouldn't know. Purple, gray, brown, black, green. It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like. Everybody should be considered equal and that's that.
interview by Jason Walsh
Though the hardcore scene has always been predominantly populated by guys, guitarist Jess Goldey of My Turn to Win has never let the fact that she is a woman slow her down. As a founding member of the Philadelphia based hardcore outfit, she has continued to prove herself as an accomplished guitarist and songwriter, and one of the driving forces that keeps the band always moving forward. Started in 2004 with frontman Dave Rosney, in what the band calls the "summer of positivity," My Turn to Win has released several demos, E.P.s, appeared on a couple compilations, and most recently released their first full-length, "Weight of the World" on Awake/Strong Records, while continuing to tear down venues along the East Coast.
The 23-year-old grew up in the Philadelphia area and is currently an Elementary Education major at Temple University. With the new year around the corner, My Turn to Win looks to do a U.S. tour as well as writing new material for a possible new release down the road. I had a chance to talk to Goldey about how she found hardcore, the origins of the band, and what it's like to be a woman guitarist in one of the most aggressive styles of music.
JW: What is it that drew you to hardcore? Where did you first discover that this was something for you?
JESS: I always liked Y100. That's what I listened to on the radio. Music wasn't really that big of a deal when I was little, but when I was in high school my friend who liked similar music that I did, like alternative stuff, would always wear H20 shirts to school. I was in like 8th grade and I was like "what style is this band H20?" It's like around when "Abstinence" was just coming out. I went home and I downloaded "One Life, One Chance" on my computer, on my 56K modem, and I was hooked from there. I went out and I bought the CD at the Wall or something, and I was just hooked. They've been my favorite band ever since and from that I started loving that kind of music and it just progressed into a whole chain reaction of things. I just loved it, loved everything about it. I played hockey too and this one kid I played with, he told me he used to fill in for Kid Dynamite, so I got into Kid Dynamite from him. He just kept giving me stuff, like Less Than Jake CDs and Suicide Machines and things like that. I know he really liked Madball, and I just started listening to a lot of similar stuff and it just progressed from there. As I got older, like in high school, I started going to shows with people I was friends with and it just blew up from there.
JW: What was it about hardcore music that spoke to you? It's a lot different than some of your standard different styles of music. It is a very aggressive style and what was it about that style that really spoke to you?
JESS: I just love that the songs are really real. I can relate to them, and especially with H20, everything is so positive but at the same time it's aggressive. It's so heartfelt that you don't listen to the music, you feel it. I've compared it to people who don't understand who aren't in this scene, trying to make the analogy, like when you're in your car and you're driving and you turn on the radio because you want something to listen to and you don't really think too much about that. You just turn it on and listen to it. But when I listen to something, I feel it. It's something that I feel and I get chills time and time again. It's just this awesome feeling that I haven't found anywhere else. It's awesome and addictive and everything that anybody could ever want in a music style, in a genre, or y'know, in a lifestyle. It's just amazing.
JW: What made you decide to pick up a guitar and start learning how to play?
JESS: It's kind of funny. When I was in high school, I guess I was a senior, my schedule got fucked up somehow and I had to go into my guidance counselor. They were like, "Oh, we're going to put you in this guitar class," and I was like "O.K.?" I really didn't have any ambition to play guitar, I never really thought about it before, and they put me in this class and honestly, we didn't do anything in there. They gave us these really shitty acoustic guitars and were like "well, here, we're going to teach you how to play," but they didn't really. It was just like the first year they had the class and it was just basically me teaching myself. I thought past it and I would teach them to myself and I grew addicted to this instrument. I was like, "I love this!" For my 16th or 17th birthday, I asked my Mom and Dad for a guitar and they gave me one and I just continued to teach myself. I never really thought of like being in an actual band. At that point I was like, "Aww...this would be awesome if that could happen." I never really expected it to and especially to the degree that it's gotten to. I never imagined to do something like that.
JW: So what kind of guitar did Mom and Dad get you?
JESS: It was a Fender American Strat. A teal color. Beautiful.
JW: Do you still have it?
JESS: I do still have it. I refuse to get rid of it even though I am totally broke. I have a strong attachment to sentimental things and it was my first guitar and we shared so many memories as corny as it sounds (laughs). I don't want to give it away, sell it for something, for money. It's not worth it. It still plays great. My best friend Dave, who sings in the band, he gave me Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups to put in it and it made it sound amazing. I still love it, I still play it, and I'm never going to get rid of it.
JW: Well, you can't. That would be ridiculous. One, it came from your parents and two, you laid a lot of blood into it. It's your first guitar.
JESS: Yeah!!! I tell people, "I'm broke, I have no money," and they're like "sell something," and I'm like "I don't really have anything to sell that's worth a decent amount of money except for my guitar." They're like, "why don't you sell it? You don't even play it at shows anymore," and I'm like "Hell, no! Get out of here! That means too much to me."
JW: What are you playing now?
JESS: Right now I have an ESP LTD. It's a Les Paul style guitar. It's got a black matte finish with gold trim and gold hardware. It's got EMG pickups and sounds really ballsy. It plays great. I love it so much.
JW: So, how did you hook up with the band? How did that come about for you?
JESS: Well, I started hanging out with Dave in 2004. He used to live at this house that did shows. There was a saying, like "Dave's Night," which was like every Wednesday I think, when people would just go over there and play games. I went one night and met him and we just totally clicked and hit it off and we started hanging out. He was talking about how he wanted to do this band and call it My Turn to Win, named after a Turning Point song. It was originally just him sitting in his boxers or something with an acoustic guitar. I don't even think Dave can play the guitar. It was just him messing around with an acoustic guitar by himself writing songs about positivity and safe sex and stuff like that, like super silly. I guess he wanted to make it a serious thing and I was like, "oh, I can play guitar somewhat," and at that time I was like, "I can't really play guitar all that well, but I'd be really interested." So, I guess through message boards and things, we found our other guitar player and bass player. Our first drummer, Chad, we just knew him, so he was in it, and it just went from there. We've been through a ton of lineup changes, I'm not even sure how many, in the four and a half years we've been a band. Dave and me are the original members from the start and he's my best friend in the whole wide world even though he gets on my nerves and I get on his, but that goes with any relationship, if you know somebody and you're that close with them.
JW: And that's part of being in a band.
JESS: Oh, definitely.
JW: You get a bunch of people together that may have like interests but there's always going to be issues.
JESS: Oh, no doubt. Being in a band is like being in a relationship, but with four other people and sometimes it's going to be difficult. But, whatever, you get through those times just like with any other friendship, relationship, family problem, y'know whatever. Relationships have problems and you work on them and you get over it. Big deal. At the end of the day, you aren't always kissing and making up.
JW: How's this stretch been being in this band? You said you've been doing this for four and a half years. Is it a lot of fun? Does it keep you motivated? What is the reason why you continue to do this?
JESS: There's a lot of reasons why. I guess I can't really pinpoint one. I mean it's fun for the most part. Right now, we have had a solid lineup for a year and a half. We recently went through a drummer change, but there's not even any bad blood between any of our ex-members or anything. It's just that they had to work and couldn't fit it into their schedule or other differences. It wasn't because we hated them or they were angry with us, it just couldn't work for them. I guess really everything does happen for a reason because right now I think we're all pretty much content with the lineup and everybody gets along really well. We're like a happy little family but sometimes we all hate each other, but that's normal. You know we have our quarrels and it's stressful sometimes. It really is all worth it just because playing shows and seeing kids I've never seen before in my life yelling in Dave's face lyrics that he wrote to songs that we all wrote together is awesome. It's an unbeatable feeling, something I never thought would ever, ever dream of happening. I don't even know how to describe it, the feeling I get from playing, being up there sweating, and giving as much as I can. At the end of the set, I feel so dead physically but never more alive. We do this because it's fun and it's what we want to do, and when it stops being fun, and the bad times outweigh the good, then that's when it's not going to happen anymore.
JW: In a style that's dominated by a lot of testosterone, what's it like being a woman playing guitar in a hardcore band?
JESS: I'm not going to lie. There's a lot of attention there, whether it's me or any other female in a hardcore band. A girl can't deny the fact that this world is "dominated" by dudes and you can't ignore that. You kind of just have to accept it and learn to live with it, but at the same time know that you're just as good as any of the dudes. I think it's important to just know that is always going to be there, at least now unless something changes. So, getting mad at something like that, because that's just the way it is, I don't know, I think that's just wasted energy. I think there's a lot of other things you can put you're energy into. The scene's dominated by dudes, like more guys play hockey than girls, something like that, you know what I mean. That's just a fact. That's just how it is, but how it affects me is, well, I don't know? I just want to be considered as an equal and I think that I am. I don't have the attitude like, "oh, I'm better than this dude or I'm better than this guy because I can do this and this and this and he can't." I just want to be like everybody else. I don't have the attitude of "oh, I'm better than him because I'm a girl and I can pull my own weight." Does that make sense?
JW: Yeah it does. Do you feel when you're playing with other bands that acceptance as a peer, and not treated differently because you are a woman? Do you feel that level of acceptance with others in the hardcore community?
JESS: For me personally, I feel accepted, that I've earned my place. I acknowledge that there are guys out there who look down upon girls being in what "dudes" activities are supposed to be. I don't have a better word for that. But I know there are guys out there that are like that, so I just keep that in mind but I don't let that bother me. I know that I hold my own just fine, playing in a band or whatever else. I don't care if a guy or girl wants to judge me for whatever. That's their own problem. If they like me then that's great, if not, I don't feel like I should waste my energy trying to change their opinion. I feel like I can definitely prove to people who think that girls shouldn't do this type of thing, I think I definitely prove them wrong. I've had a lot of girls come up to me and be like, "I want to do that. I want to be just like you." It's such a huge compliment and it's so flattering because I feel like I'm setting a good example. I'm always watching how I am acting, like what I say, especially to young girls who are saying these things and complimenting me. I hope that if I'm influencing them, that I'm saying and doing the right things in a positive way. There is such a thing as good attention and bad attention. There are girls out there that just go to shows who just stand in the back and hold their boyfriend's coats and things and just follow them around like a little puppy dog and they don't really care about the music even though they say they do. You know, like here today, gone tomorrow type of thing. There's so many girls like that, or dudes, doing it for the wrong reasons. Overall, I just want to make a good impression for these girls who say these things to me and I want to give them somebody to look up to and they'll be like, "y'know, I can do this. I can do whatever I want to do and not feel like I should be looked down upon by guys or anybody." Everybody should be able to do what they want to do. If they want to do it, there should be no reason why they can't, as long you are a strong person and follow what you want to do in your heart, there's no reason you should be shut down because people look down upon that sort of thing.
JW: Exactly, and good for you of being an advocate of that. That's the thing, I think all of us have been drawn to this music and this movement because it spoke to us and another thing, it is a sense of unity and coming together and family.
JESS: Exactly. We're all here for the same reasons, whether it's a guy or girl. It doesn't matter. We should all be considered as people here. There's not one gender that's better than the other. If you had your eyes shut and you couldn't tell who was up there on stage, it could be all girls, it could be all guys, you wouldn't know. Purple, gray, brown, black, green. It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like. Everybody should be considered equal and that's that.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
AGNOSTIC FRONT: NEW BLOOD
NEW BLOOD
Interview with Roger Miret
by Jason Walsh
When one thinks about the New York Hardcore scene, one of the first bands that comes to mind is Agnostic Front. Founded by guitarist Vinnie Stigma in 1980, AF added Roger Miret shortly after the group's inception, and through the highs and lows, the two have continued the legacy for nearly three decades. In recent times, they have added a crew of young guns to the lineup, which has rejuvenated these pioneers of the underground hardcore movement in NYC. Drummer Steve Gallo and brother Mike Gallo on bass, along with Joey James on guitar have brought a new voice to the Lower East Side crew, renewing support and continuing the tradition for the band that has inspired hundreds of hardcore outfits around the world.
As the world enters a new year, I had a chance to talk with Miret about Agnostic Front's history and longevity, the newest record, "Warriors," as well as the current tour and future projects that lie ahead. Newly relocated out West, we also discussed his new family, fatherhood, and the success his younger brother, Freddy Cricien of Madball, has had through his influence and support.
JW: So you told me you relocated to Arizona. Why did you decide to move out there?
MIRET: My wife's from out here and she wanted to finish her studies that she started at ASU years ago. I came here to support her and help her finish her studies and while we were here she got pregnant and we had our baby, Abby. Abby is 17-months old and now she's pregnant again and we're having a little boy.
JW: You think you're going to be out there permanent?
MIRET: Well I'm really liking it here, man. I mean it's affordable and right now we're raising a family, so those are things I have to think about. Back home, back east in New York City, it would be a lot to get a two-bedroom apartment, but we'd probably need a three really soon. The cost of living is more affordable and it's really pretty here. We really like it. The only thing that sucks is that we don't really have any family here, but we're creating our own.
JW: It sounds like it. It's a pretty cool area out there, different kind of climate all together, but yet with all your family back in the city, you probably kind of miss the city a little bit, huh?
MIRET: Yeah. I miss the seasons, y'know, when they come around. That's something that we really miss. Other than that, the climate is so nice over here. I like coming home from touring and coming here. I really feel relaxed, y'know.
JW: Kind of a good place to wind down after you've been on the road for a while?
MIRET: Absolutely.
JW: Well, let's talk about this last year. You guys have been pretty busy. Year before you released "Warriors," couple videos out of that, the Black 'n Blue Bowl in Brooklyn, then you guys started a big European tour after that. Talk about this last year. It's definitely been an active one.
MIRET: Well, we've been really busy. Once "Warriors" came out, we hit the markets pretty quick, but what we did was we went to Europe, and started it off in Europe and maintained it. We did Europe like three or four times and then went to South America. We recently just started touring it for the U.S. We divided the tour into four different parts in the U.S. and we just did the first part, which was all Northeast. We're going to Costa Rica this Saturday for one show and then right after that, we start our West Coast leg. Next year, January into February, we'll be doing the south and southeast, and then we'll eventually go to the Chicago area right after that. We're letting the weather go by.
JW: Yeah, that's probably a smart thing. Follow the sun.
MIRET: Exactly.
JW: The response on the record has been good. Have you been hearing some good stuff from the fans out there on the road?
MIRET: Yeah, we are. Personally, I think "Warriors" is our best offering to date. I think it's definitely a very genuine hardcore record and it speaks very much to the hardcore community. Musical wise, I think it's as intense as the lyrics. I mean it's real genuine. There's a lot of passion in "Warriors" and I think people are really starting to pick that up and y'know, enjoying it.
JW: I got a chance to meet Joey and Steve at the Black 'n Blue Bowl. Some really nice guys, and it seems like these new guys that you got in the band are really putting a bit of fire into the band. Do you think that's accurate?
MIRET: I think it's very accurate. "Warriors" is one of the first records ever that was really written by the whole band, as opposed to "Another Voice," which prior to that was written mostly by myself in the studio with my friend, Jamey (Jasta of Hatebreed). With "Warriors" we did the whole writing as a whole band, which is really cool, and you can actually hear the influences that each guy put in. It's funny because the influences they put in, is very much a kickback to the original stuff that Agnostic Front has been doing for years. I think "Warriors" has elements and combinations of all our records, a great collage of it all.
JW: I got that from Steve when he was describing the record. He was like, "I think it takes parts of 'Victim in Pain,' 'Cause for Alarm,' "One Voice,' and it kind of fuses them all together." It's hitting all the different eras of Agnostic Front. Honestly, as a fan, it's an incredible record and I put it at the top of my list as well, of what you guys have done to date.
MIRET: I think so. I mean, like I said, it's a great collage of our history. I think it's a great record and I hope it doesn't fall on deaf ears and that people really give it a chance and really listen to it. For a hardcore record, not that it's my own record, but I mean there aren't many records as strong as "Warrioirs" that are genuine. Everybody wants to do hardcore, play in a hardcore band, but the passion of a lot of these bands is not there or the longevity. I think the longevity and the secret to our legacy in Agnostic Front is the fact we are genuine and we are very passionate to what we do.
JW: And let's talk about that. Longevity. You guys have been doing this for a long time. What keeps you still as passionate about hardcore, and being in the band and doing Agnostic Front coming into 2009?
MIRET: To me, hardcore is something that spoke to me from the very beginning. It's a movement to me. It's not just music, it's not just something that sounds cool, or lyrical wise what was going on in my generation while I was a teen or whatever. Hardcore is something I committed to and I love being a part of to date. I love hardcore, y'know, hardcore is what has fueled my life. Some people went to high school. I never even went to high school. I joined Agnostic Front and that, to me, was the best diploma I ever got. That commitment I took towards the band and even towards our movement is just as intense today as it was years ago. I may not be living in squats or in vans or in abandoned buildings, blah blah blah, but I still have those memories and I still speak for the oppressed. I still put on the TV and I still see this world, y'know, and it may not be the greatest place in the world, this country. We still got a lot of issues here and we're still voicing them and I've seen the changes over the many years in my career of doing this. I've seen that we can't change the world, but we can make a difference and I've seen that. I'm here to continue making that difference for my own children for as long as I can live.
JW: And that's the thing about hardcore music. It's always been the place to voice against the injustices, not so much we might be able to change them, but we can call out what we see and what is wrong.
MIRET: Right.
JW: So let me ask you, back in the day, how did you find hardcore or did hardcore find you? And, how did you come to become in Agnostic Front?
MIRET: Well, I mean, how did I find hardcore? I knew from when I was young, from a really young age, I can almost pinpoint that, I knew that I was definitely going to walk out of step of society. I knew I was a rebel, I knew I was a misfit, I knew I was out of the norm. I didn't like jocks. I just didn't like the normal stuff, so I knew from a very young age I was going to rebel. Once I saw movies, like "The Wild Ones" and stuff like that, that's what I wanted to be, y'know. I wanted to be James Dean. Little by little, through my life and my journeys at school, I discovered punk rock. I discovered punk rock in '78 and I was still like 13-years old, y'know what I mean, and that was what caught me. I was involved with punk rock for many years until I discovered hardcore. I had discovered hardcore by accident. I was listening to the radio and there was a pirate radio show. I forgot the name of it. Some kind of pirate radio in New York, that's how they used to broadcast stuff, and I heard a band called Urban Waste and I was like "that's pretty damn cool, y'know, I've never heard of that band." I was more into the Brit-punk stuff and that's how I discovered hardcore. I went to go see Agnostic Front, and then I went to see all these bands. I wasn't in Agnostic Front then, I was the third singer, and that's how I got into it, and the next thing you know, I realized it was more than just music. It was more of a really strong, tight-knit family. All the bands I liked, all those Brit punk bands I liked, all lived in the U.K. The Ramones were in America. Hardcore was something I came into automatically. It was my youth, and there was only a few bands that were young, and I automatically found this bond to it.
JW: So, it was something at an early age that you could identify with? It wasn't these "rock stars" on pedestals that were unapproachable. It was people that were in your neighborhood.
MIRET: Right, exactly. But even though some of these bands that may seem like rock stars, like the Clash or the Ramones, they still weren't. I didn't feel I had much to relate to them anymore as much as I did when I met the hardcore community. It was people like me and you. I was like, "oh, these people are cool." We all started all these bands and we weren't very good, but one thing led to another, y'know.
JW: And I think the thing about it was it was fun, wasn't it? I mean that's the bottom line.
MIRET: Yeah. Well it was fun, I finally found a group of people that I felt I belonged to, a place I called home. I wrote about it in one of my songs on "Another Voice." I found a whole community of people that I finally felt like this is my home, and these are the people I could protect, and they protected me. I don't know how to explain it. It was a really welcoming feeling and it's always been that way from then and 'til today, y'know.
JW: Speaking of family, Madball is doing incredible, Freddy, your brother is doing awesome. Black 'n Blue Productions is doing great things in the city. As the older brother, you got to be pretty proud of what Freddy's got going on.
MIRET: I absolutely am very proud of Freddy. I mean, I like threw him out there with Agnostic Front. Freddy is one of those single-digit hardcore guys, y'know what I mean, kids that been into hardcore since he was seven. He actually got up and sang with Agnostic Front. It wasn't safe, y'know, I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about when hardcore was dangerous. He loved the music, he loved the movement, and his passion is great, as mine is. It was just great for me to start a band for him, and to see them take that band that we started for him and kind of live in our shadows, and then kind of take it out of our shadows, and create his own monster, that was absolutely very, very cool. I'm very proud of him, of course, and he deserves it. He's as passionate and genuine as I am and everybody else.
JW: Very cool. So this one leg you're going to be touring on is with First Blood from California and you'll be playing in Arizona. How did you hook up with those guys?
MIRET: We did a tour with them in Europe about two years ago. We've been friends ever since then, so it's kind of cool that two years later that we're all going to do something in the States together. We're doing this West Coast leg and hopefully we'll be able to do some of the dates in the South and Southeast too. Those guys are really good guys, Carl and the guys in First Blood are genuine people, so it's going to be fun. I'm hoping that one of Arizona's local bands, North Side Kings will be on the bill too. I always request them. I think they are a great band, a great local band. It's kind of cool to play around here now because I've made some friends around here so it's kind of fun.
JW: After the end of this tour, are you guys going to take some time off, maybe do some recording? What's the future in 2009 for Agnostic Front?
MIRET: Well the future for Agnostic Front right now, 2009, we still have two more legs of the U.S. tour to work on. I'm having a baby in May.
JW: There is that.
MIRET: That's going to hold us up through the summer unless we do some festivals in Europe. We do have a huge tour planned in South America, which is pretty awesome. It's Agnostic Front and Madball doing South America and Central America, something that hasn't been done before. We just did South America and sold out every major city so it was pretty intense. So now, with my brother, it's going to be really something great, y'know. So, that's the plans for October. We are writing some new stuff and it's going to be fun too.
Interview with Roger Miret
by Jason Walsh
When one thinks about the New York Hardcore scene, one of the first bands that comes to mind is Agnostic Front. Founded by guitarist Vinnie Stigma in 1980, AF added Roger Miret shortly after the group's inception, and through the highs and lows, the two have continued the legacy for nearly three decades. In recent times, they have added a crew of young guns to the lineup, which has rejuvenated these pioneers of the underground hardcore movement in NYC. Drummer Steve Gallo and brother Mike Gallo on bass, along with Joey James on guitar have brought a new voice to the Lower East Side crew, renewing support and continuing the tradition for the band that has inspired hundreds of hardcore outfits around the world.
As the world enters a new year, I had a chance to talk with Miret about Agnostic Front's history and longevity, the newest record, "Warriors," as well as the current tour and future projects that lie ahead. Newly relocated out West, we also discussed his new family, fatherhood, and the success his younger brother, Freddy Cricien of Madball, has had through his influence and support.
JW: So you told me you relocated to Arizona. Why did you decide to move out there?
MIRET: My wife's from out here and she wanted to finish her studies that she started at ASU years ago. I came here to support her and help her finish her studies and while we were here she got pregnant and we had our baby, Abby. Abby is 17-months old and now she's pregnant again and we're having a little boy.
JW: You think you're going to be out there permanent?
MIRET: Well I'm really liking it here, man. I mean it's affordable and right now we're raising a family, so those are things I have to think about. Back home, back east in New York City, it would be a lot to get a two-bedroom apartment, but we'd probably need a three really soon. The cost of living is more affordable and it's really pretty here. We really like it. The only thing that sucks is that we don't really have any family here, but we're creating our own.
JW: It sounds like it. It's a pretty cool area out there, different kind of climate all together, but yet with all your family back in the city, you probably kind of miss the city a little bit, huh?
MIRET: Yeah. I miss the seasons, y'know, when they come around. That's something that we really miss. Other than that, the climate is so nice over here. I like coming home from touring and coming here. I really feel relaxed, y'know.
JW: Kind of a good place to wind down after you've been on the road for a while?
MIRET: Absolutely.
JW: Well, let's talk about this last year. You guys have been pretty busy. Year before you released "Warriors," couple videos out of that, the Black 'n Blue Bowl in Brooklyn, then you guys started a big European tour after that. Talk about this last year. It's definitely been an active one.
MIRET: Well, we've been really busy. Once "Warriors" came out, we hit the markets pretty quick, but what we did was we went to Europe, and started it off in Europe and maintained it. We did Europe like three or four times and then went to South America. We recently just started touring it for the U.S. We divided the tour into four different parts in the U.S. and we just did the first part, which was all Northeast. We're going to Costa Rica this Saturday for one show and then right after that, we start our West Coast leg. Next year, January into February, we'll be doing the south and southeast, and then we'll eventually go to the Chicago area right after that. We're letting the weather go by.
JW: Yeah, that's probably a smart thing. Follow the sun.
MIRET: Exactly.
JW: The response on the record has been good. Have you been hearing some good stuff from the fans out there on the road?
MIRET: Yeah, we are. Personally, I think "Warriors" is our best offering to date. I think it's definitely a very genuine hardcore record and it speaks very much to the hardcore community. Musical wise, I think it's as intense as the lyrics. I mean it's real genuine. There's a lot of passion in "Warriors" and I think people are really starting to pick that up and y'know, enjoying it.
JW: I got a chance to meet Joey and Steve at the Black 'n Blue Bowl. Some really nice guys, and it seems like these new guys that you got in the band are really putting a bit of fire into the band. Do you think that's accurate?
MIRET: I think it's very accurate. "Warriors" is one of the first records ever that was really written by the whole band, as opposed to "Another Voice," which prior to that was written mostly by myself in the studio with my friend, Jamey (Jasta of Hatebreed). With "Warriors" we did the whole writing as a whole band, which is really cool, and you can actually hear the influences that each guy put in. It's funny because the influences they put in, is very much a kickback to the original stuff that Agnostic Front has been doing for years. I think "Warriors" has elements and combinations of all our records, a great collage of it all.
JW: I got that from Steve when he was describing the record. He was like, "I think it takes parts of 'Victim in Pain,' 'Cause for Alarm,' "One Voice,' and it kind of fuses them all together." It's hitting all the different eras of Agnostic Front. Honestly, as a fan, it's an incredible record and I put it at the top of my list as well, of what you guys have done to date.
MIRET: I think so. I mean, like I said, it's a great collage of our history. I think it's a great record and I hope it doesn't fall on deaf ears and that people really give it a chance and really listen to it. For a hardcore record, not that it's my own record, but I mean there aren't many records as strong as "Warrioirs" that are genuine. Everybody wants to do hardcore, play in a hardcore band, but the passion of a lot of these bands is not there or the longevity. I think the longevity and the secret to our legacy in Agnostic Front is the fact we are genuine and we are very passionate to what we do.
JW: And let's talk about that. Longevity. You guys have been doing this for a long time. What keeps you still as passionate about hardcore, and being in the band and doing Agnostic Front coming into 2009?
MIRET: To me, hardcore is something that spoke to me from the very beginning. It's a movement to me. It's not just music, it's not just something that sounds cool, or lyrical wise what was going on in my generation while I was a teen or whatever. Hardcore is something I committed to and I love being a part of to date. I love hardcore, y'know, hardcore is what has fueled my life. Some people went to high school. I never even went to high school. I joined Agnostic Front and that, to me, was the best diploma I ever got. That commitment I took towards the band and even towards our movement is just as intense today as it was years ago. I may not be living in squats or in vans or in abandoned buildings, blah blah blah, but I still have those memories and I still speak for the oppressed. I still put on the TV and I still see this world, y'know, and it may not be the greatest place in the world, this country. We still got a lot of issues here and we're still voicing them and I've seen the changes over the many years in my career of doing this. I've seen that we can't change the world, but we can make a difference and I've seen that. I'm here to continue making that difference for my own children for as long as I can live.
JW: And that's the thing about hardcore music. It's always been the place to voice against the injustices, not so much we might be able to change them, but we can call out what we see and what is wrong.
MIRET: Right.
JW: So let me ask you, back in the day, how did you find hardcore or did hardcore find you? And, how did you come to become in Agnostic Front?
MIRET: Well, I mean, how did I find hardcore? I knew from when I was young, from a really young age, I can almost pinpoint that, I knew that I was definitely going to walk out of step of society. I knew I was a rebel, I knew I was a misfit, I knew I was out of the norm. I didn't like jocks. I just didn't like the normal stuff, so I knew from a very young age I was going to rebel. Once I saw movies, like "The Wild Ones" and stuff like that, that's what I wanted to be, y'know. I wanted to be James Dean. Little by little, through my life and my journeys at school, I discovered punk rock. I discovered punk rock in '78 and I was still like 13-years old, y'know what I mean, and that was what caught me. I was involved with punk rock for many years until I discovered hardcore. I had discovered hardcore by accident. I was listening to the radio and there was a pirate radio show. I forgot the name of it. Some kind of pirate radio in New York, that's how they used to broadcast stuff, and I heard a band called Urban Waste and I was like "that's pretty damn cool, y'know, I've never heard of that band." I was more into the Brit-punk stuff and that's how I discovered hardcore. I went to go see Agnostic Front, and then I went to see all these bands. I wasn't in Agnostic Front then, I was the third singer, and that's how I got into it, and the next thing you know, I realized it was more than just music. It was more of a really strong, tight-knit family. All the bands I liked, all those Brit punk bands I liked, all lived in the U.K. The Ramones were in America. Hardcore was something I came into automatically. It was my youth, and there was only a few bands that were young, and I automatically found this bond to it.
JW: So, it was something at an early age that you could identify with? It wasn't these "rock stars" on pedestals that were unapproachable. It was people that were in your neighborhood.
MIRET: Right, exactly. But even though some of these bands that may seem like rock stars, like the Clash or the Ramones, they still weren't. I didn't feel I had much to relate to them anymore as much as I did when I met the hardcore community. It was people like me and you. I was like, "oh, these people are cool." We all started all these bands and we weren't very good, but one thing led to another, y'know.
JW: And I think the thing about it was it was fun, wasn't it? I mean that's the bottom line.
MIRET: Yeah. Well it was fun, I finally found a group of people that I felt I belonged to, a place I called home. I wrote about it in one of my songs on "Another Voice." I found a whole community of people that I finally felt like this is my home, and these are the people I could protect, and they protected me. I don't know how to explain it. It was a really welcoming feeling and it's always been that way from then and 'til today, y'know.
JW: Speaking of family, Madball is doing incredible, Freddy, your brother is doing awesome. Black 'n Blue Productions is doing great things in the city. As the older brother, you got to be pretty proud of what Freddy's got going on.
MIRET: I absolutely am very proud of Freddy. I mean, I like threw him out there with Agnostic Front. Freddy is one of those single-digit hardcore guys, y'know what I mean, kids that been into hardcore since he was seven. He actually got up and sang with Agnostic Front. It wasn't safe, y'know, I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about when hardcore was dangerous. He loved the music, he loved the movement, and his passion is great, as mine is. It was just great for me to start a band for him, and to see them take that band that we started for him and kind of live in our shadows, and then kind of take it out of our shadows, and create his own monster, that was absolutely very, very cool. I'm very proud of him, of course, and he deserves it. He's as passionate and genuine as I am and everybody else.
JW: Very cool. So this one leg you're going to be touring on is with First Blood from California and you'll be playing in Arizona. How did you hook up with those guys?
MIRET: We did a tour with them in Europe about two years ago. We've been friends ever since then, so it's kind of cool that two years later that we're all going to do something in the States together. We're doing this West Coast leg and hopefully we'll be able to do some of the dates in the South and Southeast too. Those guys are really good guys, Carl and the guys in First Blood are genuine people, so it's going to be fun. I'm hoping that one of Arizona's local bands, North Side Kings will be on the bill too. I always request them. I think they are a great band, a great local band. It's kind of cool to play around here now because I've made some friends around here so it's kind of fun.
JW: After the end of this tour, are you guys going to take some time off, maybe do some recording? What's the future in 2009 for Agnostic Front?
MIRET: Well the future for Agnostic Front right now, 2009, we still have two more legs of the U.S. tour to work on. I'm having a baby in May.
JW: There is that.
MIRET: That's going to hold us up through the summer unless we do some festivals in Europe. We do have a huge tour planned in South America, which is pretty awesome. It's Agnostic Front and Madball doing South America and Central America, something that hasn't been done before. We just did South America and sold out every major city so it was pretty intense. So now, with my brother, it's going to be really something great, y'know. So, that's the plans for October. We are writing some new stuff and it's going to be fun too.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Ready two Go...
Ready two Go
by Jason K. Walsh
Though it seems the topic is not discussed as much in recent years, AIDS and the HIV virus still remain as one of most the lethal infections plaguing Americans across the country. According to estimates from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from five years ago, there are more than a million people in the U.S. living with HIV and AIDS, and of those staggering numbers, they believe at least one fourth of them are undiagnosed and unaware of their condition. In a more recent study in 2006, they released incidence estimates, which project new infections since the original census, and believe an additional 54,000 citizens suffer from the virus, of which nearly 14,000 are between the ages of 13-29.
Coming into 2009, without a true gauge of those actually affected, those numbers could bring the final totals to nearly one-and-half-million people, with no cure in sight and no forward-thinking policies from the state and federal government to bring an end to this epidemic, as well as no productive means of preventative education.
This lack of momentum towards awareness is one of the reasons why people like Brad Hanson and Marky Ramone came together to start the "Ready two Go" line of safe sex kits. Hanson started Mad BJ, Inc., the company that would later release the kits, after the seeds were planted during a dinner.
"Jim Botsford (Mad BJ's President of Marketing and Strategic Development) and I were dining with friends in St. Paul, Minnesota," Hanson said, "when the conversation turned toward a lighthearted conversation about sex in the spur of the moment. 'Wouldn't it be great to have an emergency sex kit for those times you want to be wildly spontaneous?' Though a lighthearted conversation, I took the idea seriously as I had already lost friends to AIDS and knew firsthand the consequences of not being safe in the spur of the moment."
Hanson and Botsford spent a couple weeks developing their idea before starting the company and moving forward with their plans to not only create safe kits that were "fun" and creative, but providing a "real" solution for consumers as well as vital information about HIV/AIDS and STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). Thus, the "Ready two Go" kit was born.
"Our products are designed to be discreet to thereby reduce the stigmas that surround purchasing sex products and stylish thereby removing barriers of using a condom," he said. "Through our discreet and stylish safer sex kits, we aim to provide the means to be safe every time."
They envisioned a line endorsed by artists and musicians; individuals of which they felt the younger less informed target audience would relate. Through their public relations firm, they realized they had a connection with Marky Ramone.
"Ironically, Marky was in the market to spread the word about the importance of safer sex," Hanson said. "We all knew that this had to be done in a creative, yet fashionable way. After all, he is Marky Ramone. With several renditions, we finally settled on two kits that would allow both Marky and 'Ready two Go' to engage our key demographic in the importance of practicing safe sex while being discreet."
The former drummer from the Ramones was immediately drawn to the project and felt his participation could help bring more fans to making cautious decisions.
"They contacted me and asked me if I would do it," Ramone said. "You know, I've been involved with a lot of charities and a lot of things over the years and I thought it was a good thing to do from my state of mind because it is helping people. Over the last, I would say, five or six years, politicians haven't been talking about AIDS or research or things like that. They might have given money to it but they put it on the back burner and because of that a lot of people are squeamish to talk about it. But, it is a subject that needs to be addressed and I was approached to lend my name to it and my logo so that's what I decided to do. I knew two people who died of AIDS and it's just as bad as any other disease so to be preferential to any one disease doesn't make sense because it is a killer."
The "Ready two Go" safer sex kits come in small tins with a sliding lid adorned with an individual graphic. Inside are two latex condoms, a tube of lubricant, and a small brochure containing information about STDs, instructions for using the condoms, as well as useful hotline numbers pertaining to diseases and contraception. Marky Ramones' signature tin has the Ramones logo on the tin's lid with the inscription "Too Tuff To Break" as well as a personal message inside that reads "Wrap me good like you know you should!"
"It's a takeoff on one of the albums the Ramones did, 'Too Tough To Die' so it's called 'Too Tough To Break' It's just a clever statement. It's just something that might attract attention and from there you can read and get serious over it, you know what I mean? You got to have some kind of punchline, y'know."
Ramone believes that the product is not meant to endorse promiscuousness, but sound judgment as well as providing relevant information about the diseases out there that can be contracted by having unprotected sex. More importantly, he knows this message can translate to all walks of life.
"And it's not just AIDS," he said. "It's other venereal diseases that unfortunately are out there and the thing is it's not only young people. It's older people in nursing homes too that are getting these diseases because they're having sex and not wearing condoms. Yeah and y'know, whatever I can do to promote safe sex to help then that's the number one priority if it helps save lives."
As part of the "Ready two Go" platform to help raise social wisdom and help out the community, they are donating 10% of the net proceeds to a New York City based organization called CitiWide Harm Reduction. The agency is dedicated to help the poor and disenfranchised members in the city.
In their mission statement, they state they "offer a wide variety of outreach, services, and care, to homeless and low-income drug users living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS" and their programs have been developed to "promote bio-psycho-social wellness in a respectful and nonjudgmental manner and, ultimately, to provide participants the opportunity to develop, establish, and reach positive outcomes for themselves." Growing up in Brooklyn, Ramone appreciates the fact that part of the money raised from the product line will go to helping those who are struggling in the streets.
"In poor neighborhoods and things like that, people can't most of the time afford contraception so they'll have sex no matter what and then all of a sudden you'll have AIDS through obviously sharing needles, drug addiction, so y'know, it all goes hand in hand. I mean you can get AIDS from needles and things like that so it's not just sexual contact."
Aside from Ramone, there are several artists who have lent their unique work to the product line. One of them is Patric Carter, a former Navy SEAL who graduated from SEAL training with former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura. After retiring from military service, Carter's wife had encouraged him to pursue his passion for photography. Sadly, she passed eight years ago, but Carter continued to follow his path towards artistic creativity.
"She was and still is an enduring inspiration to me," he said. "As I developed, I began a fascination with light, and especially shadows, which reveal a whole other world."
Using the stills he captures through the camera's eye, he creates colorful circular pieces through digital manipulation. His extraordinary designs, which he refers to as "image alchemy," are born through experimentation.
"All imagery is based in photography," he said. "I shoot everything from sunsets to flowers, and then I play with them in Photoshop, having no definitive idea of what they will be until I get the good vibes from a piece. I look at it as color therapy, which makes me feel good. I feel my art has therapeutic vibrational healing values for me."
Carter was recruited by the company when they became aware of his unusual style of art. He didn't hesitate to climb onboard.
"A 'Ready two Go' investor saw my art and asked if she could send some imagery to Brad and Jim," he said. "As I have three grandchildren, I want them to have the tools needed to be safe, so that their dreams can come true. Life is too precious to take unnecessary risks. Not only is sex fun, but along with it comes responsibility, not only for yourself but your partner and the other people in your life. As an artist, I hope that I can make these safe sex kit tins attractive and convenient while passing along the message that real men use condoms because we care, and that responsible women insist that their partner is 'Ready two Go.'"
Carter and the "Ready two Go" folks collectively decided to use the image "Vera" from his collection for his signature design, which he says not only reflects his unique style but might "catch the eye" of interested customers. He says his own eye for things out of the ordinary comes from his experience in the military and the age-old soldier credo of "attention to detail" helps him as an artist.
"Being a Navy SEAL you are a trained observer," he said. "Things out of the ordinary could be very detrimental to a mission's success if not noticed. Our skills of immediate analysis, evaluation, and communication of situations are imperative for survival and success. These skills naturally transferred to my photography in ways that I am still discovering."
Now the mission for Americans is to discover how to successfully survive in a day and age when one night's pleasure can be lethal. "Ready two Go" is all about survival, awareness, and education, by providing a sensible means of avoiding dire consequences from lack of preparation. Ramone places the blame on those that Americans look to for guidance.
"Politicians should be doing that but I think in this climate, they're not doing it like they used to," he said. "Maybe because the God-church, Christian right-wing thing, they don't want to promote that in schools or churches and I know those are the places to teach. You know, what does it take? The whole idea of the church and this other thing is to save lives, et cetera. In schools, kids are very open to learning things and I would think that would be one of their top priorities."
by Jason K. Walsh
Though it seems the topic is not discussed as much in recent years, AIDS and the HIV virus still remain as one of most the lethal infections plaguing Americans across the country. According to estimates from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from five years ago, there are more than a million people in the U.S. living with HIV and AIDS, and of those staggering numbers, they believe at least one fourth of them are undiagnosed and unaware of their condition. In a more recent study in 2006, they released incidence estimates, which project new infections since the original census, and believe an additional 54,000 citizens suffer from the virus, of which nearly 14,000 are between the ages of 13-29.
Coming into 2009, without a true gauge of those actually affected, those numbers could bring the final totals to nearly one-and-half-million people, with no cure in sight and no forward-thinking policies from the state and federal government to bring an end to this epidemic, as well as no productive means of preventative education.
This lack of momentum towards awareness is one of the reasons why people like Brad Hanson and Marky Ramone came together to start the "Ready two Go" line of safe sex kits. Hanson started Mad BJ, Inc., the company that would later release the kits, after the seeds were planted during a dinner.
"Jim Botsford (Mad BJ's President of Marketing and Strategic Development) and I were dining with friends in St. Paul, Minnesota," Hanson said, "when the conversation turned toward a lighthearted conversation about sex in the spur of the moment. 'Wouldn't it be great to have an emergency sex kit for those times you want to be wildly spontaneous?' Though a lighthearted conversation, I took the idea seriously as I had already lost friends to AIDS and knew firsthand the consequences of not being safe in the spur of the moment."
Hanson and Botsford spent a couple weeks developing their idea before starting the company and moving forward with their plans to not only create safe kits that were "fun" and creative, but providing a "real" solution for consumers as well as vital information about HIV/AIDS and STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). Thus, the "Ready two Go" kit was born.
"Our products are designed to be discreet to thereby reduce the stigmas that surround purchasing sex products and stylish thereby removing barriers of using a condom," he said. "Through our discreet and stylish safer sex kits, we aim to provide the means to be safe every time."
They envisioned a line endorsed by artists and musicians; individuals of which they felt the younger less informed target audience would relate. Through their public relations firm, they realized they had a connection with Marky Ramone.
"Ironically, Marky was in the market to spread the word about the importance of safer sex," Hanson said. "We all knew that this had to be done in a creative, yet fashionable way. After all, he is Marky Ramone. With several renditions, we finally settled on two kits that would allow both Marky and 'Ready two Go' to engage our key demographic in the importance of practicing safe sex while being discreet."
The former drummer from the Ramones was immediately drawn to the project and felt his participation could help bring more fans to making cautious decisions.
"They contacted me and asked me if I would do it," Ramone said. "You know, I've been involved with a lot of charities and a lot of things over the years and I thought it was a good thing to do from my state of mind because it is helping people. Over the last, I would say, five or six years, politicians haven't been talking about AIDS or research or things like that. They might have given money to it but they put it on the back burner and because of that a lot of people are squeamish to talk about it. But, it is a subject that needs to be addressed and I was approached to lend my name to it and my logo so that's what I decided to do. I knew two people who died of AIDS and it's just as bad as any other disease so to be preferential to any one disease doesn't make sense because it is a killer."
The "Ready two Go" safer sex kits come in small tins with a sliding lid adorned with an individual graphic. Inside are two latex condoms, a tube of lubricant, and a small brochure containing information about STDs, instructions for using the condoms, as well as useful hotline numbers pertaining to diseases and contraception. Marky Ramones' signature tin has the Ramones logo on the tin's lid with the inscription "Too Tuff To Break" as well as a personal message inside that reads "Wrap me good like you know you should!"
"It's a takeoff on one of the albums the Ramones did, 'Too Tough To Die' so it's called 'Too Tough To Break' It's just a clever statement. It's just something that might attract attention and from there you can read and get serious over it, you know what I mean? You got to have some kind of punchline, y'know."
Ramone believes that the product is not meant to endorse promiscuousness, but sound judgment as well as providing relevant information about the diseases out there that can be contracted by having unprotected sex. More importantly, he knows this message can translate to all walks of life.
"And it's not just AIDS," he said. "It's other venereal diseases that unfortunately are out there and the thing is it's not only young people. It's older people in nursing homes too that are getting these diseases because they're having sex and not wearing condoms. Yeah and y'know, whatever I can do to promote safe sex to help then that's the number one priority if it helps save lives."
As part of the "Ready two Go" platform to help raise social wisdom and help out the community, they are donating 10% of the net proceeds to a New York City based organization called CitiWide Harm Reduction. The agency is dedicated to help the poor and disenfranchised members in the city.
In their mission statement, they state they "offer a wide variety of outreach, services, and care, to homeless and low-income drug users living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS" and their programs have been developed to "promote bio-psycho-social wellness in a respectful and nonjudgmental manner and, ultimately, to provide participants the opportunity to develop, establish, and reach positive outcomes for themselves." Growing up in Brooklyn, Ramone appreciates the fact that part of the money raised from the product line will go to helping those who are struggling in the streets.
"In poor neighborhoods and things like that, people can't most of the time afford contraception so they'll have sex no matter what and then all of a sudden you'll have AIDS through obviously sharing needles, drug addiction, so y'know, it all goes hand in hand. I mean you can get AIDS from needles and things like that so it's not just sexual contact."
Aside from Ramone, there are several artists who have lent their unique work to the product line. One of them is Patric Carter, a former Navy SEAL who graduated from SEAL training with former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura. After retiring from military service, Carter's wife had encouraged him to pursue his passion for photography. Sadly, she passed eight years ago, but Carter continued to follow his path towards artistic creativity.
"She was and still is an enduring inspiration to me," he said. "As I developed, I began a fascination with light, and especially shadows, which reveal a whole other world."
Using the stills he captures through the camera's eye, he creates colorful circular pieces through digital manipulation. His extraordinary designs, which he refers to as "image alchemy," are born through experimentation.
"All imagery is based in photography," he said. "I shoot everything from sunsets to flowers, and then I play with them in Photoshop, having no definitive idea of what they will be until I get the good vibes from a piece. I look at it as color therapy, which makes me feel good. I feel my art has therapeutic vibrational healing values for me."
Carter was recruited by the company when they became aware of his unusual style of art. He didn't hesitate to climb onboard.
"A 'Ready two Go' investor saw my art and asked if she could send some imagery to Brad and Jim," he said. "As I have three grandchildren, I want them to have the tools needed to be safe, so that their dreams can come true. Life is too precious to take unnecessary risks. Not only is sex fun, but along with it comes responsibility, not only for yourself but your partner and the other people in your life. As an artist, I hope that I can make these safe sex kit tins attractive and convenient while passing along the message that real men use condoms because we care, and that responsible women insist that their partner is 'Ready two Go.'"
Carter and the "Ready two Go" folks collectively decided to use the image "Vera" from his collection for his signature design, which he says not only reflects his unique style but might "catch the eye" of interested customers. He says his own eye for things out of the ordinary comes from his experience in the military and the age-old soldier credo of "attention to detail" helps him as an artist.
"Being a Navy SEAL you are a trained observer," he said. "Things out of the ordinary could be very detrimental to a mission's success if not noticed. Our skills of immediate analysis, evaluation, and communication of situations are imperative for survival and success. These skills naturally transferred to my photography in ways that I am still discovering."
Now the mission for Americans is to discover how to successfully survive in a day and age when one night's pleasure can be lethal. "Ready two Go" is all about survival, awareness, and education, by providing a sensible means of avoiding dire consequences from lack of preparation. Ramone places the blame on those that Americans look to for guidance.
"Politicians should be doing that but I think in this climate, they're not doing it like they used to," he said. "Maybe because the God-church, Christian right-wing thing, they don't want to promote that in schools or churches and I know those are the places to teach. You know, what does it take? The whole idea of the church and this other thing is to save lives, et cetera. In schools, kids are very open to learning things and I would think that would be one of their top priorities."
MARKY RAMONE
Interview with Marky Ramone
by Jason Walsh
I got a call from Marky Ramone on a cold, Sunday night to talk to him about his participation with a company called "Ready Two Go." They had just released a signature line of condoms of various artists, himself being the most notable, in an attempt to raise awareness about AIDS and STDs, as well as helping support a local charitable organization in New York City. This was one of several interviews I did for a piece that will be later published in AMP Magazine and I decided to transcribe the entire interview to pass along to friends, family, whomever that might be interested in reading it.
Aside from the condoms, we discussed his current projects, how he came to become a Ramone, and for the sake of my father, we started with Brooklyn.
MARKY: Hi Jason.
JW: Hey Marky. How you doing tonight?
MARKY: How are you?
JW: Are you still up in New York now?
MARKY: Oh yeah.
JW: How's the weather up there?
MARKY: A little chilly. I was a way for a while when the weather was warm and then when I got back you really noticed it. I guess you could say that it's gotten chilly, yeah.
JW: Is it snowing up there right now?
MARKY: No, it's about 44-45 degress.
JW: Yeah, I'm down in Virginia and I just saw a video of Albany which is just getting pounded by snow.
MARKY: Oh probably up there, yeah. Not here.
JW: Yeah, I was wondering how it was in the city. My dad grew up in Brooklyn and I grew up in Jersey and Philadelphia area.
MARKY: Ah, Brooklyn. Yeah, that's where I was raised.
JW: What part of Brooklyn are you from originally?
MARKY: Flatbush.
JW: My dad was down in the Bay Ridge area.
MARKY: Oh, OK. I know exactly where it is.
JW: So I'm doing a piece about the "READY TWO GO" line for AMP Magazine. So, basically how did you get involved with this program?
MARKY: Well they contacted me and asked me if I would do it. You know, I've been involved with a lot of charities and a lot of things over the years and I thought it was a good thing to do from my state of mind because it is helping people. Over the last, I would say, five or six years, I don't know, politicians haven't been talking about AIDS or research or things like that. They might have given money to it but they put it on the back burner and because of that a lot of people are squeamish to talk about it. But, it is a subject that needs to be addressed and I was approached to lend my name to it and y'know, my logo so that's what I decided to do. I knew two people who died of AIDS and it's just as bad as any other disease so to be preferential to any one disease doesn't make sense because it is a killer.
JW: The thing is it's not so much promoting sexuality or promiscuousness, but just kind of encouraging responsibility.
MARKY: Of course, and it's not just AIDS. It's other venereal diseases that unfortunately are out there and the thing is it's not only young people, it's older people in nursing homes too that are getting these diseases because they're having sex and not wearing condoms. Yeah and y'know, whatever I can do to promote safe sex to help then that's the number one priority if it helps save lives.
JW: Now the cool thing is this organization is very much about awareness and trying to put out the message. It's not so much that they're just trying to put out a product but they're trying to lend a message to people.
MARKY: Yes. Politicians should be doing that but I think in this climate, they're not doing it like they used to. Maybe because the God-church, Christian right-wing thing, they don't want to promote that in schools or churches and I know those are the places to teach. Y'know, what does it take? The whole idea of the church and this other thing is to save lives et cetera. In schools, kids are very open to learning things and I would think that would be one of their top priorities.
JW: Now you're a person that's known by several generations. A lot of these young kids, obviously didn't get a chance to see the Ramones.
MARKY: But they know who they are. They have the records and t-shirts and all the other stuff, but I mean if I can get to them, or anybody, it doesn't matter what age or what music they like, then my task is something that's positive and would have an effect.
JW: I saw that 10% of the net proceeds are going to an organization called City Wide Harm Reduction, a program up there in NYC, that not only provides information to individuals in the city, you know that are homeless, low-income, who might be struggling with drug addiction, and it actually helps these people out in a way that some people might not understand. Tell me what you think about that, with the donation going to them.
MARKY: In poor neighborhoods and things like that, people can't most of the time afford contraception so they'll have sex no matter what and then all of a sudden you'll have AIDS through obviously sharing needles, drug addiction, so y'know, it all goes hand in hand. I mean you can get AIDS from needles and things like that so it's not just sexual contact.
JW: So I got to ask you about this. I saw on your model the tag line is "Too Tough To Break." What's that all about?
MARKY: It's a takeoff on one of the albums the Ramones did, "Too Tough To Die" so it's called "Too Tough To Break." It's just a clever statement. It's just something that might attract attention and from there you can read and get serious over it, you know what I mean? You got to have some kind of punchline, y'know.
JW: And that's the thing, it's a serious situation but still making light of it.
MARKY: Yeah, making light of it because maybe at this point, I hope that's the right approach to get people's attention.
JW: The other thing I also noticed was one of the other promotions that they're throwing out there is that every hundredth customer wins an autographed pair of Vic Firth drum sticks.
MARKY: Oh yeah.
JW: How'd that come about?
MARKY: Oh, I wanted to do that. I thought it was a good idea and it just promotes more of this awareness and I'm willing to do that whenever I can.
JW: Aside from this, you've been pretty busy lately?
MARKY: Oh yeah.
JW: You did the Teenage Head thing, You're doing the Marky Ramone and Friends thing. And are you still doing the radio show?
MARKY: Oh yeah at Sirius radio, the only punk rock channel from East to West Coast, all over the country. That's Faction 28. Four years, I get to choose my own songs and it's on twice a week for two hours. It's just another facet of the business that I'm in that I really enjoy doing. When I was a little kid, I used to listen to all these great DJs and I grew up on that, y'know.
JW: So, something you enjoy doing still?
MARKY: Yeah, yeah. Not as much as drumming, but I like them both. Obviously, that's what I do is play the drums and that will be part of it in the DJ stuff. I also do DJ appearances at certain parties and situations so the vastness of the music business never stops. You have to be involved, y'know.
JW: Coming up in the New Year, what's Marky Ramone going to be doing? Are we going to see you hitting the road or anything?
MARKY: A new DVD will be coming out about my times in the punk scene all the way up 'til now, when I started as a kid and everything with the Ramones, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, CBGB's, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, y'know, all the stuff. All the way up to doing the radio show and just basically the beginnings of the punk scene in New York City and CBGB's. If anybody wants to find out more about this they can go to myspace (http://www.myspace.com/markyramone) and that's where you can check out the condoms too.
JW: Very cool.
MARKY: And I'll be coming out, believe it or not, with a Tommy Hilfiger clothing line of leather jackets that I designed and a pair of jeans that I designed and two or three new t-shirt designs.
JW: Are you still doing the Marky Ramones and Friends project you were doing?
MARKY: Oh yeah, yeah. Still touring. I will be touring. I just did Argentina. It was a big deal this year, 2008. Beijing, I did Dubai, I did Spain, Italy, so I'm probably going to hit the States in April or May.
JW: Who is doing that with you?
MARKY: Some people from a band called AntiProduct, a girl bass player and a guy on guitar. They're really, really good. They have to be good in order to do this kind of music and I might use Michael Graves as lead singer.
JW: Just for a little background. You started off in Dust, you did Richard Hell and the Voidoids. How did you come to become in the Ramones? How did that start for you back in the day?
MARKY: They used to come and see me play with my band before they started the Ramones and we all knew each other, so when Tommy (Ramone) wanted to produce, they just came up and asked me and that's the way it went. Dee Dee was first, then John, and then the next thing I knew, I was in the band. So, I ended up with them for fifteen years and close to 1700 shows, so that's really how it was.
JW: That must have just been an incredible experience for you?
MARKY: Oh yeah, I mean it's something you work hard for and continue doing and the fruits of your labor pay off.
by Jason Walsh
I got a call from Marky Ramone on a cold, Sunday night to talk to him about his participation with a company called "Ready Two Go." They had just released a signature line of condoms of various artists, himself being the most notable, in an attempt to raise awareness about AIDS and STDs, as well as helping support a local charitable organization in New York City. This was one of several interviews I did for a piece that will be later published in AMP Magazine and I decided to transcribe the entire interview to pass along to friends, family, whomever that might be interested in reading it.
Aside from the condoms, we discussed his current projects, how he came to become a Ramone, and for the sake of my father, we started with Brooklyn.
MARKY: Hi Jason.
JW: Hey Marky. How you doing tonight?
MARKY: How are you?
JW: Are you still up in New York now?
MARKY: Oh yeah.
JW: How's the weather up there?
MARKY: A little chilly. I was a way for a while when the weather was warm and then when I got back you really noticed it. I guess you could say that it's gotten chilly, yeah.
JW: Is it snowing up there right now?
MARKY: No, it's about 44-45 degress.
JW: Yeah, I'm down in Virginia and I just saw a video of Albany which is just getting pounded by snow.
MARKY: Oh probably up there, yeah. Not here.
JW: Yeah, I was wondering how it was in the city. My dad grew up in Brooklyn and I grew up in Jersey and Philadelphia area.
MARKY: Ah, Brooklyn. Yeah, that's where I was raised.
JW: What part of Brooklyn are you from originally?
MARKY: Flatbush.
JW: My dad was down in the Bay Ridge area.
MARKY: Oh, OK. I know exactly where it is.
JW: So I'm doing a piece about the "READY TWO GO" line for AMP Magazine. So, basically how did you get involved with this program?
MARKY: Well they contacted me and asked me if I would do it. You know, I've been involved with a lot of charities and a lot of things over the years and I thought it was a good thing to do from my state of mind because it is helping people. Over the last, I would say, five or six years, I don't know, politicians haven't been talking about AIDS or research or things like that. They might have given money to it but they put it on the back burner and because of that a lot of people are squeamish to talk about it. But, it is a subject that needs to be addressed and I was approached to lend my name to it and y'know, my logo so that's what I decided to do. I knew two people who died of AIDS and it's just as bad as any other disease so to be preferential to any one disease doesn't make sense because it is a killer.
JW: The thing is it's not so much promoting sexuality or promiscuousness, but just kind of encouraging responsibility.
MARKY: Of course, and it's not just AIDS. It's other venereal diseases that unfortunately are out there and the thing is it's not only young people, it's older people in nursing homes too that are getting these diseases because they're having sex and not wearing condoms. Yeah and y'know, whatever I can do to promote safe sex to help then that's the number one priority if it helps save lives.
JW: Now the cool thing is this organization is very much about awareness and trying to put out the message. It's not so much that they're just trying to put out a product but they're trying to lend a message to people.
MARKY: Yes. Politicians should be doing that but I think in this climate, they're not doing it like they used to. Maybe because the God-church, Christian right-wing thing, they don't want to promote that in schools or churches and I know those are the places to teach. Y'know, what does it take? The whole idea of the church and this other thing is to save lives et cetera. In schools, kids are very open to learning things and I would think that would be one of their top priorities.
JW: Now you're a person that's known by several generations. A lot of these young kids, obviously didn't get a chance to see the Ramones.
MARKY: But they know who they are. They have the records and t-shirts and all the other stuff, but I mean if I can get to them, or anybody, it doesn't matter what age or what music they like, then my task is something that's positive and would have an effect.
JW: I saw that 10% of the net proceeds are going to an organization called City Wide Harm Reduction, a program up there in NYC, that not only provides information to individuals in the city, you know that are homeless, low-income, who might be struggling with drug addiction, and it actually helps these people out in a way that some people might not understand. Tell me what you think about that, with the donation going to them.
MARKY: In poor neighborhoods and things like that, people can't most of the time afford contraception so they'll have sex no matter what and then all of a sudden you'll have AIDS through obviously sharing needles, drug addiction, so y'know, it all goes hand in hand. I mean you can get AIDS from needles and things like that so it's not just sexual contact.
JW: So I got to ask you about this. I saw on your model the tag line is "Too Tough To Break." What's that all about?
MARKY: It's a takeoff on one of the albums the Ramones did, "Too Tough To Die" so it's called "Too Tough To Break." It's just a clever statement. It's just something that might attract attention and from there you can read and get serious over it, you know what I mean? You got to have some kind of punchline, y'know.
JW: And that's the thing, it's a serious situation but still making light of it.
MARKY: Yeah, making light of it because maybe at this point, I hope that's the right approach to get people's attention.
JW: The other thing I also noticed was one of the other promotions that they're throwing out there is that every hundredth customer wins an autographed pair of Vic Firth drum sticks.
MARKY: Oh yeah.
JW: How'd that come about?
MARKY: Oh, I wanted to do that. I thought it was a good idea and it just promotes more of this awareness and I'm willing to do that whenever I can.
JW: Aside from this, you've been pretty busy lately?
MARKY: Oh yeah.
JW: You did the Teenage Head thing, You're doing the Marky Ramone and Friends thing. And are you still doing the radio show?
MARKY: Oh yeah at Sirius radio, the only punk rock channel from East to West Coast, all over the country. That's Faction 28. Four years, I get to choose my own songs and it's on twice a week for two hours. It's just another facet of the business that I'm in that I really enjoy doing. When I was a little kid, I used to listen to all these great DJs and I grew up on that, y'know.
JW: So, something you enjoy doing still?
MARKY: Yeah, yeah. Not as much as drumming, but I like them both. Obviously, that's what I do is play the drums and that will be part of it in the DJ stuff. I also do DJ appearances at certain parties and situations so the vastness of the music business never stops. You have to be involved, y'know.
JW: Coming up in the New Year, what's Marky Ramone going to be doing? Are we going to see you hitting the road or anything?
MARKY: A new DVD will be coming out about my times in the punk scene all the way up 'til now, when I started as a kid and everything with the Ramones, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, CBGB's, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, y'know, all the stuff. All the way up to doing the radio show and just basically the beginnings of the punk scene in New York City and CBGB's. If anybody wants to find out more about this they can go to myspace (http://www.myspace.com/markyramone) and that's where you can check out the condoms too.
JW: Very cool.
MARKY: And I'll be coming out, believe it or not, with a Tommy Hilfiger clothing line of leather jackets that I designed and a pair of jeans that I designed and two or three new t-shirt designs.
JW: Are you still doing the Marky Ramones and Friends project you were doing?
MARKY: Oh yeah, yeah. Still touring. I will be touring. I just did Argentina. It was a big deal this year, 2008. Beijing, I did Dubai, I did Spain, Italy, so I'm probably going to hit the States in April or May.
JW: Who is doing that with you?
MARKY: Some people from a band called AntiProduct, a girl bass player and a guy on guitar. They're really, really good. They have to be good in order to do this kind of music and I might use Michael Graves as lead singer.
JW: Just for a little background. You started off in Dust, you did Richard Hell and the Voidoids. How did you come to become in the Ramones? How did that start for you back in the day?
MARKY: They used to come and see me play with my band before they started the Ramones and we all knew each other, so when Tommy (Ramone) wanted to produce, they just came up and asked me and that's the way it went. Dee Dee was first, then John, and then the next thing I knew, I was in the band. So, I ended up with them for fifteen years and close to 1700 shows, so that's really how it was.
JW: That must have just been an incredible experience for you?
MARKY: Oh yeah, I mean it's something you work hard for and continue doing and the fruits of your labor pay off.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Far From Finished
interview by Jason Walsh
A band with fierce determination began on the mean streets of New York before relocating to Boston. With more adversity than a Martin Scorsese film, Far From Finished struggled on to make their mark on the East Coast's street punk scene, showcasing their underground roots with flawless musicianship to create a unique sound that has been annihilating venues across the nation and throughout the world. Less than a month after their first release in 2005, "Eastside of Nowhere," the band embarked on their first tour and somewhere along a Pennsylvania interstate, their van collides with a deer, sending the van, trailer, and five members hurtling down a cliff to an untimely death. Somehow, they all survived, and so has the band.
Prior to their European tour, I caught up with Far From Finished at the Canal Club in Richmond, Virginia. Supporting Smoke or Fire, they played along with locals The Reserve and Friendly Fire. I had a chance to talk with the band's two newest guns, lead guitarist Adam Porris from Cleveland and rhythm guitarist Oscar Capps from Philadelphia. We talked about touring Europe, their friends from Boston, a new record in the not-so-distant future, and yes, even shitting on the side of the road.
JW: So you guys are kind of the new guys in the band
OSCAR: Pretty much. They threw us to the wolves with you, huh? (laughs)
JW: And I was just telling your guys last week I interviewed Madeline Albright and she was pretty tough so you guys should be a cakewalk.
OSCAR: Is she a cunt or what?
JW: No she was nice, but everything was Obama.
OSCAR: Oh yeah.
JW: Nanananana....foreign policy...Obama.
OSCAR: Obama, Obama.
JW: So you did a little short stint before you came down here?
OSCAR: Yeah, it was just four dates with Smoke and Fire. We did Boston, the Middle East, fucking awesome show. Then we did Philly at the Fire and that's always fun for me playing Philly.
JW: Home game.
OSCAR: Home game for me. So two home games in a row. Everybody else is from Boston. I'm from Philly. That was an awesome show. Great energy from the crowd. Then we got to get drunk, ridiculously intoxicated at my house.
JW: So you still have family there?
OSCAR: Yeah.
JW: Do you stay there still?
OSCAR: Oh yeah, yeah. I just bought a house in Audobon, New Jersey, right across the Walt Whitman and I can make the commute, more than I'd like to, but enough to keep it going, y'know. And then...ummm...what was last night?
ADAM: Baltimore.
OSCAR: Baltimore, then Richmond, and back home, and then we go to Europe. We have four weeks over there headlining. It's going to be our second headlining tour.
JW: Is this your first time or second time going with the band over to Europe?
OSCAR: This is my third time going to Europe.
ADAM: Second time.
JW: What's it like going over there? It's got to be a lot of fun.
OSCAR: Europe's a blast. Over here, like this show is cool when you find clubs that actually take care of you, y'know like appreciate everything, it reminds you of being over there. They really go out of there way to make you feel like you're at home. Most of the clubs have band flats or they spring for a hotel. It's always whatever you need they get for you.
JW: So as Americans, we could learn from that?
ADAM: Just the little things. The really little things. The first thing I check is a bathroom with a door that locks or like hand soap. I'm like, "Oh my God! A bathroom with hand soap. This is amazing." The first time we got there, that was the first thing I said to the bass player (Pesky), "Europe is awesome." They really take care of you. It's amazing. There just so excited to have you over there and it's a great feeling.
OSCAR: A bathroom with hand soap? This comes from the dud that shits on the side of the road. (laughter)
JW: (quickly changing subject) So, how long you guys going to be in Europe?
OSCAR: It's going to be four weeks. We have a couple shows with Rat City Riot, the Casualties, and, uh, anybody else over there?
ADAM: Descontrol
OSCAR: Descontrol man, is one of my favorite bands. They're from Basque country in Spain. They're like the only street punk band that sings in the Basque native language. We're playing in Sala 360.
ADAM: I've never been to this part of Spain but they talk about this as their favorite place to tour. It's great. It does take a day to drive in there and to drive out which sucks because we get all that down time when we could be playing.
OSCAR: Basque country. The people just go off in Basque land. It's that revolutionary feeling every day of the year and like punk rock just totally fits the type of people they are and that culture, y'know. They embrace it.
JW: How long have you been playing music?
OSCAR: I've been playing guitar since I was twelve and music 's always been a part of my life. I know it sounds like cliche but I don't even know if I'd be alive if it wasn't for music. It's one of the only things that keeps me from just fucking going off the deep end sometimes. Y'know, like if it wasn't for music and my family and like friends. Friends and family are like the same to me.
JW: Did you think when you were growing up and you were first picking up the guitar, trying to do the band thing, that you'd be going to Europe and doing these tours over there? Did you ever think it would come to something like that being a kid from Philly?
OSCAR: Yo, being a kid from Philly I know the first time you get off the block is like a whole new fucking world. I was lucky enough, y'know, my wife went to school in Ireland, so that was my first taste of another country's culture. Every time I get out of the country is just a blast.
JW: You know I had to join the military for that experience. How about you, Adam? When you were growing up, doing music, did you ever think you'd be going on tour in Europe and going across the country and doing the things you are doing now?
ADAM: Not a chance in hell. I was a little Jewish kid from the suburbs and if you told me when I was 15 that I would be touring the world in a rock band I'd be like "Ahhh...go fuck yourself. No way. Not a chance in hell." It's a dream beyond dreams. I couldn't ask for anything more. That's why would sleep in vans and not shower for days, so you could play music.
OSCAR: Shitting on the side of the road.
ADAM: Shitting on the side of the road. It's the best. I couldn't ask for more in life. Period.
JW: How did you hook up with the band?
ADAM: I moved to Boston in 2002. I went to school there and I auditioned for the band first time for his (Oscar's) guitar spot, but I'm not really good at playing rhythm guitar so it didn't work out too well. After their guitar player left, right before my first tour with them, this is like two weeks before the tour with the U.S. Bombs, I got a call from Marc (Cannata) the drummer and it just clicked from there. That's how I started playing with them.
OSCAR: Adam played in band called Lost City Angels with Sweeney Todd from Everybody Out and the Dead Pets and Rick Barton, formerly of the (Dropkick) Murphys and Everybody Out, which is one of my favorite bands right now. They're another band that just has great energy, y'know, like onstage. Every time you're around those guys, y'know Sweeney's so charismatic and always just takes the audience by the throat and fucking squeezes them.
ADAM: Sweeney is the man onstage. Scottish...Scotsman. And then there's Rick Barton, who is just another character, he's like "Hey! How ya doing?" I remember being in the back of a van one time with Rick and Sweeny in the front seat and they were just talking and Rick's like, "Hey! Sweeney, see that big field over there? I'm gonna buy it and just put a big roller coaster in there" and Sweeney's like "Aww, that sounds fucking great, man," and I'm like "what the hell is going on here?"
JW: So tell me about life in Boston, not being from Boston, being from the Midwest, from Ohio, and living in Boston. What's that like?
ADAM: I love it. Coming from the Midwest, midwesterners have a really natural way of being nice to everyone. It's just part of the Midwest. Then getting to Boston and you're just on a train and people are like "get the fuck out o' my way, fucking retard," and you're like "oh god."
OSCAR: Go Sox.
ADAM: Yeah, "Go Sox. Move it to the rear of the train!" I really love living in that city. I feel like I'm at home once I'm there. I'm just at a really good point playing in the band and living in Boston. It's great.
JW: What part of Boston do you stay at?
ADAM: I live in Allston which is between BU (Boston University) and BC (Boston College) which sucks because there's a bunch of college yahoos everywhere. There's some fucking Ya-dudes and it's kind of a pain in the ass.
JW: Your last record, "Living in the Fallout" came out this year. Tell me about the record. How did it do for you guys.
OSCAR: We get awesome response, y'know, from everybody that hears it. We're definitely making true believers out of people and I think it's just a matter of taking that same mentality that Marc had writing the album and just not duplicating that but starting from there and taking it to the next level for the next record. We're going to start demoing when we get back from Europe and recording eventually.
JW: How long does it take collectively to do a record?
ADAM: It's going to take about a year and a half from pre-production all the way 'til finish. You do the pre-production, you demo the songs, y'know about three tracks, and then you shop around for labels and once you finally find a deal you like, then from there it's actually recording it, getting a sound you like, and it's a long process. Marc's talked about it, the album's actually written, it's just a matter of us to get in there and start playing and learning the songs and from there.
JW: So you guys don't have a label you're actually working through right now? You're just going to put the music together and find one that works?
OSCAR: We're on Think Fast Records right now. How the last record came out, it was originally supposed to be out on Sailor's Grave and then shit went under with that label. They had an entire finished package with everything, artwork and all, and it wasn't getting released. It took a while for them to find somebody and we were lucky enough to have Think Fast pick it up and those guys have been awesome to us.
JW: And that's funny. Think Fast!
OSCAR: Yeah, yeah. Exactly. There you go.
JW: What else would you like to tell people? Why should they check you out? What are you guys all about.
OSCAR: You need to come out to our shows because whether it's 15 people in a hole in the wall or a couple thousand people, it doesn't matter because we give the same energy every night and it's a celebration and a good time. Have a couple beers with us and come out. It's a crazy live show. I can't control myself on stage. I act like a fucking retard. I think I'm Pete Townshend for 35 minutes.
JW: And that's not necessarily a bad thing, right?
OSCAR: A bad thing? Hey, you be the judge, y'know.
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