San Francisco punk rockers Dead To Me recently dropped a new album titled Moscow Penny Ante on Fat Wreck Chords. The band, having been around since 2003, has had their fair share of changes with musicians coming and going, but never really lost their sound. Their ability to mix up a bunch of genres like reggae and ska into their punk rock groove always stood out to me. Having caught them twice this year, you could say I dig them a little.
Having toured the US in 2011, the band will be heading to Europe for a tour in 2012. I seriously do not think these guys, between touring and recording, ever take a break.
Photo by Katie Hovland
Recently I had the opportunity to chat with bassist / vocalist Chicken. He was more than kind in doing an interview with me. Check it out:
BHP: So, how’d 2011 treat you guys?
Chicken: This year has been great for us! We have toured pretty much non stop and we recorded a new album and released it. So needless to say we have been very, very busy. It’s a good thing.
I’ve been lucky enough to see DTM twice this year, once in SXSW. Any comments about that magical evening in March?
That night was crazy. I learned how to play guitar listening to Screeching Weasel, so I was pretty bummed out about what happened. I just wish the whole thing never happened. It was a bummer too because the other bands that played (Dead To Me, Banner Pilot, The Flatliners) all worked really hard to get to Austin for SXSW and we all played great sets. Unfortunately, no one remembers because of the whole Ben Weasel fiasco.
DTM played CMJ in NYC recently. How did it go for you guys?
CMJ in New York was so much fun. Fat Wreck did a great job of putting together an amazing evening of awesome bands. We had a blast! We played two shows in one day in NYC, and that is super hard to do. Just getting around NYC with all our gear is a nightmare, but we pulled it off. We played a free show in SoHo at the Chrome Bag store with kegs of beer and lots of drunk New York hipsters. Good times.
Your band’s style mixes up a plethora of punk rock goodness that spans from almost a street punk to a reggae-vibe. Was this style how DTM always was since its inception or has the band experimented throughout the years?
We have always just wanted to write songs that we want to hear. If it has a little Reggae vibe to it, then so be it. We love bands from all different genres like Hip Hop, Reggae, Hardcore, World Music, etc… so we just want to be able incorporate all of our influences into the songwriting process.
Fat Wreck Chords has been there for you since your debut. How does it feel to be on their roster? You actually worked for them for a few years correct? Being employed by Fat Mike on two different levels…nice.
Yeah, it is awesome being on FAT. I used to work in the mail room there and it was so much fun. It was like a family vibe for sure. We did tons of stuff together, not just work. We would play in bands together, go to shows together, go out to eat all the time and all that. Now being in a band on the label, I consider it an honor. When I call the label and have questions about this or that, I am talking to people that have known me personally for over ten years now, so I trust them completely. It’s a great feeling for sure.
DTM’s new album Moscow Penny Ante dropped a couple months back. It is a great release by the way. What can you tell me about this new release?
We are all really excited about our new record, Moscow Penny Ante. I love the job Matt Allison did producing it and am so excited to be playing new songs live, it rules. We have been touring so much over the last two years that this batch of songs is a very good reflection of the live spirit of DTM. It is much more cohesive than African Elephants and has a little more straight forward delivery I think.
Does the title have any reference to your country of origin?
No, I grew up in California. The title is taken from a term Malcolm X used to define his crew of small time thugs in Harlem, NY. I feel like a small timer in a sea of boys in bands that want to be big time and I could care less. I am happy with everything we have been able to do and I’m riding this thing until the wheels fall off. I never though in a million years that because of songs I wrote in my bedroom, it would take me to places as far away as Moscow.
What was done differently on this album that stands out over previous releases?
I feel like there as an overall confidence in song writing on this new record that wasn’t as apparent on previous releases. We got experimental on African Elephants and I love that record for that, but on Moscow Penny Ante I felt way more confident with what my melodies would end up sounding like and how I wanted the guitars to sound.
Will the band be taking a break anytime soon. Seems like you boys have been touring all over the world this year?
What is a break? I’ve never heard of that before.
Aside from DTM, your drummer Ian does some amazing artwork on used vinyl. I am kicking myself in the ass for not buying one when you played in Cleveland. How long typically does it take him to turn a beat up vinyl into a work of art?
I am sure he will be bringing some with him on our European tour in Jan/Feb 2012 so come to a show and try to grab one before they sell out. His pieces can take anywhere from an hour to twenty minutes to three hours sometimes. It depends on what materials he has laying around and how much time he has available to work on something.
Would you agree that punk is not dead?
It never has been and never will be!!
Did you ever think that you would be where you are now 20 years ago?
I definitely used to dream about playing in a touring punk band all the time 20 years ago. I knew with all my heart that it was what I wanted to do. I feel so insanely fortunate that I am able to do it now. I have literally traveled much of the globe and met amazing people world wide. I feel very lucky to be on FAT and lucky to have been able to play with some of my all time favorite bands over the years. It’s like living in a dream, it rules.
Awesome. Well that’s all I got…anything you care to add?
Thank you for the interview, we appreciate it! To anyone reading this, come hang out when we come t Europe in early 2012, it’s gonna be a blast!
Singer / songwriter Jeff Rowe is one of the most DIY guys I have had the pleasure of meeting. A few months back, he stopped and played a show in Akron at the Gurley House. I remembered canceling plans to see another band that night just to make sure I could see Rowe play. I’ve been a fan of his music after I reviewed his solo-debut Barstool Conversations last year. There was just something about his sincere-ness in every song that I ate up and when I found out he was touring, I really wanted to make sure I was in attendance.
That night, I chatted with Rowe for a while and I will say this: He is hands down one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. His wife was pretty damn awesome too. His stories were great and he was just so happy to be able to play for everyone at the house that night.
I finally got some time to chat with Rowe again, this time through email, as I feel more people need to know about this DIY musician. I look forward to the next time he swings through Akron and can not wait for his next release.
BHP – First and foremost, for those who do not know you, who are you and what is it that you do?
JR – I’m a songwriter (sigh) from just north of Boston. I tour a lot and do my best to have a great time and make friends along the way. I’m more of a story collector than a story teller.
You grew up in a tough town just outside of Boston. How did you deal with the hard times as a youth?
The fair city of Gloucester, Massachusetts made for an interesting childhood. In all my travels I’ve still not yet come across a place quite like it. “The Island” is really a conundrum of sorts that is packed with characters that Hemingway would have been banging the keys for if he were writing an episode of the twilight zone. I had a mixed bag of a childhood but falling in love with music in many ways created an exit strategy for me and a way to not fall into some of the trappings that we all know too well.
What types of music were you listening to while growing up?
In the kitchen and living room my mom would be listening to Neil Diamond, Joan Baez and various Motown artists…from my brothers room i would hear Metallica, Slayer and COC… From my sisters room could be heard The Dead Kennedy’s, The Pixies and the Violent Femmes… I think all of that wound up giving me a healthy appreciation for music and shaped my listening habits as a child.
So how did you get your start as a musician? Was Boxing Water the first band you were in?
I got a guitar when I was fifteen years old and started a few local punk bands and helped start a small venue that would later play a vital role for the north shore punk scene as a whole, a life source of sorts. It was a room that held maybe 40 people but we’d pack in a hundred. It still amazes me today thinking about how many bands came through our little venue that went on to be national acts. It was all very DIY for me from the start, my feeling was that if you want something to happen you’ve got to make it happen because no one is gonna do it for you.
What happened to Boxingwater? Where can I find some of their songs at?
Boxingwater was together for 6 or 7 years, we started moving around a bit and it just got to be too hard. Two of the members of Boxingwater are now in the band Landmines and they are fantastic. I was in several bands before Boxingwater but that band was the first time i took it seriously and tried to do something that would go beyond Massachusetts. Most of our stuff is now out of print but I think we may try to get some kind of discography going one of these years, I’ll send you some songs though.
Sweet! You left a punk band and completely shifted in musical style. When did you decide that punk music was not your thing anymore?
I’ve never felt that punk wasn’t my thing at all, playing acoustic is something that I’ve been doing for many years now and it just sort of took over organically and went from convenient to a legit outlet. I love playing songs alone and feeling like I’m walking a wire of sorts with no band to fall back on but at the same time I really do miss playing in a band. That is something I am going to re-visit at some point for sure. Right now its so much easier to tour and write on my own.
Playing acoustic music huh? How did that transition happen?
To be honest I started playing acoustic shows years back when I couldn’t find a drummer and it forced me to take a more detailed look at my songs and how I’d be able to format them to be played acoustic. It really just kind of stuck and i got offered more shows and just went with it. My horizons have been broadened as a result and I’ve stumbled (literally) across some great music that exists beyond the bounds of the punk community.
I heard that you left Boston for Richmond, Va., to more or less perfect your musical style. Is that true? Did you have any influences there that helped you fine tune your act?
I actually moved down to RVA with a bunch of Boston friends because it was much cheaper and we thought it would be easier to tour, not to mention that Richmond is a great city as well. I made many friends down there but I’m not sure how much of an effect it had on my music or playing acoustic in general. Richmond has always had a wealth of great bands from Born Against and Inquisition up to Smoke or Fire and Landmines.
Your debut full length Barstool Conversations was dropped about a year ago, how personal were the songs on that release to you? It was not the most upbeat album, but to me hit me hard in a good way.
Barstool for me is a very personal record. There is a lot of myself and my close friends in those songs. In a way I think songs are my way of confronting some things in my life that I otherwise couldn’t find the words to articulate or convey what it was exactly that I was feeling. Those songs are all very real for me and I’m proud of that record for what it is and even though in some cases it makes my head spin that those songs had to be written, I wouldn’t change a thing.
You have toured not only the US but also overseas. What were your experiences like while traveling?
The travel is one of the absolute best parts of touring for me. Music has taken me to places that I never thought I’d get the opportunity to see and I’m real thankful for that. I’ve made some friends in far off cities and countries that I will have for the rest of my life and nothing can touch that. The experience of letting your guard down in a foreign country and just going with whatever the days and experiences bring is something that I’ll always keep close and those memories are the ones that inevitably stick when the tour is over.
You tour with your wife correct?
I always tour with my wife Alissa. She is my best friend and to be honest she’d much better with handling the rigors of the road and more adept than most folks I’ve ever traveled with. At the end of the day we both want the same things and neither one of us is willing to fracture our relationship over extensive touring so we do it together, the planning, the routing, merch etc…
You dropped an EP in the spring called New Winter, New England. I dug what I heard, but what exactly is a Tragabigzanda?
Tragabigzanda is what the city of Gloucester was called by its original inhabitants. All that seems to be left of that history is a road on the outskirts of town where wealthy folks “summer” called Tragabigzanda. I used it because I thought it was fitting because the song is really about trying to remember the innocence of teenage years and the steps that were taken to inevitably lose it. Also there is an amazing poet from Gloucester named Charles Olson that dropped it a few times in his earlier work.
Are you going to record a new full length anytime soon? Will you put that song you recorded in a hotel room in it? I forget what it was called, but I loved it when you played it live at the Gurley House.
Right now I’m writing and culling through a bunch of new songs to start piecing together the next record, not sure of any timeline, but by the end of 2012 I’d very much like to have a new record out. That song is called “simple & fair” and I’m 99.9% sure that’s going on the next one.
When we chatted the night you played Akron, you were telling me some funny stories about touring Europe. Care to entertain the readers here with one or two?
Where to begin… I’ve actually thought about compiling a bunch of road stories for a zine and giving them out at the merch table to anyone interested. I could take up pages and pages for this one. I’ll just say that I’ve got a doozy that takes place in Russia and involves a man that’s incapable of reading social queues, a potential kidnapping, wild dogs and Dostoevsky.
Potential Kidnapping? I do not think you told me that one. I would totally love to read that. So, when not touring you have quite the cool job back home in Boston. Who is it that you work for again?
I have been a professional craft brewer for the last five years with Harpoon Brewery in Boston. It’s a fantastic job that couples hard work with science… perfect for a dork like me.
Two dream jobs, man you lucked out. What’s next for Jeff Rowe?
I’ve got a split 7″ with a sick pop punk band called Mayflower. We both have an original and we cover one of each others songs. I’ll be playing Fest 10 and plan on hitting the road again in Feb. It looks like I’ve got Europe, U.S., Canada and beyond on the docket.
Check out Jeff Rowe’s website, http://jeffrowemusic.com/, for more videos and updates from this one man band (and his lovely wife). If you want to hear more of his music, head over to his MySpace page or Facebook page. Better yet, head over to Anchorless Records and grab one of his albums!
It’s no secret, Broken Headphones loves Henry Wagons and his band Wagons (two consecutive posts might hint at that…). The guy beyond hilarious and his band dishes out some of the best outlaw country/rock I’ve heard in a long time.
I just hammered out a review of the latest Wagons release the other day for your reading pleasure and decided I might as well touch base with Henry through the magical forces of email. Currently Henry and his band are touring North America in support of their new release titled Rumble, Shake and Tumble. Here’s what he had to say:
Henry, what brings you back to the states?
My global brainwashing mission is in full effect! I eventually want to take over the world with one of those swirly patterns on a TV transmission. Playing music with my band is the first step.
Were you able to bring your band along this time?
I have brought 3 stinky dudes with me.
How has the tour been so far?
It’s been great. Pretty much Seattle and Canada so far. I’m still bracing myself for the rest. I want to try as many weird burgers as I can.
I understand you flew to Toronto Monday night in a small plane with old men. How did that go?
It was a little bumpy and a little grumpy (old men).
How’s the tour been this round? Did that stupid hurricane affect you at all?
The only hurricane style event we have faced was the powerful massage shower in our Toronto hotel room.
What can someone expect to see at a Wagons show?
A lot of pent up energy expressed from many hours in the van and in airport customs queues. All the bodily fluids that are retained within our bodies from a aeroplane pressurised cabin come out on stage in the form of blood sweat and tears.
Most importantly, are you rocking the headband?
You know it.
Wagons are actually playing the Beachland Tavern this Sunday! Tickets are only $8. As I have mentioned previously in posts, Wagons are already big deal in Australia. 8 bucks…do it!
Wagons ‘Rumble, Shake and Tumble’ USA/Canada Tour Sep 03 | Bumbershoot Festival – Seattle
Sep 04 | Railway Club – Vancouver
Sep 06 | Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto
Sep 07 | Zaphod Beeblebrox – Ottawa
Sep 08 | Rockwood Hall – NYC
Sep 09 | Union Hall – NYC
Sep 10 | World Café Live – Philadelphia
Sep 11 | Beachland Tavern – Cleveland
Sep 13 | Hide Out – Chicago
Sep 14 | The Basement – Nashville
Sep 15 | Hangar 9 – Carbondale
Sep 16 | Off Broadway – St Louis
Sep 17 | Hi-Tone – Memphis
Sep 19 | At the Earl – Atlanta
Sep 21 | Hotel Café – LA
Every once in a while, I’ll have a day where I feel like I am just getting too old to love what I love. I wonder if I should turn it down a notch.
Face it, a lot has changed in 20 years since I was an adolescent teenager just looking for my piece in life. I picked my crowd, chose my music, and did not have one single regret about any of it. Hell, I still don’t.
For those of you who really know me, you can see that not much has changed with me in two decades. I dress the same, act the same and listen to a lot of the same music I did back when I was a teen.
Still, every once in a while I just feel like I am starting to slow down. Then I think about the bands that have carried me along my punk rock path who are still alive and kicking and suddenly, I stop feeling sorry for myself. These bands I speak of have been around as long, if not longer than my appreciation for music has, and year after year they release new material and tour. They’ve aged, become family oriented, made sacrifices and still are able to do what they love to do the most.
Then there’s little ol’ me feeling sorry for myself… I should kick my own ass right now. I should be stoked I haven’t lost my own roots and continue on with what makes me who I am.
One of those bands I speak of is Cali’s Swingin Utters. An O.F.W.C (Original Fat Wreck Chords) band, the Utters decided to drop an all new album last year called Here, Under Protest (check out my review HERE)after a 7 year hiatus. They may have taken a time out and done their thing for a while, but they jumped right back onto their 20 year career without missing a beat proving age does not mean a damn thing and it’s all about the attitude and passion, you know the things that make you happy.
I got to see the Utters last year at a small (read: tiny) venue in Cleveland last summer and had an absolute blast. I felt like a kid all over again. I was happy to be hanging with good friends while surrounded by great music. It was a reminder to me that it does not matter how old you are or feel, you are who you are and never should question or change that.
Recently I had the chance to chat with Darius Koski, one of the bands vocalists/guitarists of the Utters. Darius was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:
BHP: I guess the first question would be, what took so long to drop new a Swingin Utters album?
D.K.: Raising our kids, working, some of us not interested in touring anymore… it was part burnout, part apathy, and partly just kind of losing track of time. We sat down and talked about what we wanted to be: a band that played long weekends here and there, mostly in California, and didn’t do much recording; or more like the band we used to be, which was a touring band that came out with records every couple of years at least… so we chose the latter.
Whose idea was it to throw in Orson Welles saying “here under protest is beef burgers” at the beginning of the first track on Here, Under Protest?
That was Spike’s idea. We’re kind of obsessed with “Celebrities at their Worst” CDs.
Was there a lot of material in the last 7 years previously written that was to be used on the new album or was this all newer songs?
There were a few older ones… “Kick It Over”, “Good Things”, “Time On My Own”, “Blindness Is Kind” and “Effortless Amnesiac” were written maybe 5-6 years ago, and “Heavy Head” was, for the most part, written about 20 years ago–I kind of messed with that one a little bit, with the lyrics and melody, etc. but it’s basically the same song I wrote back then.
Seems as if everyone took turns writing songs this round on the album more so than past releases. Can we expect to see that as a trend to continue with future releases?
Sure! We don’t really plan stuff like that, but I always encourage people to write. I know Jack’s writing a lot right now, and has a lot of stuff waiting around to be finished; I’ve got a load of stuff, and Johnny does as well. I need to work on Spike a bit, and then we’ll all have some songs on the next one. I think that’d be great, to have 4 different writers on the next one. It’s usually mostly me and Johnny.
How did it feel to get the band back together and on the road last year for a more long range tour?
It’s been great, and I’m really happy we’ve started up again. I’ve missed it. It’s a lot harder now that we’re older, though.
I am sure hitting the road these days is a lot harder now that you have a family. Are they cool with you touring?
My relationship with my wife has always incorporated touring–we got together while we were recording Streets of San Francisco, and went on our first US tour 2 months into our relationship, so we know the drill. My kids have gotten relatively used to it as well, but it’s a little bit tough for them at times I think. My wife’s got a lot more shit she has to do when I’m gone as well, so that sucks for her, but we manage.
Here, Under Protest was an impressive release. I was stoked to hear another folk jam thrown in towards the end of the album. Have you guys ever thought about just dropping an all folk-heavy album?
Not at all, really… That’s what me and Johnny started Filthy Thieving Bastards for.
So when can we expect a new Filthy Thieving Bastards release?
As soon as the Utters decide to take a little break. We’ve got plenty of songs for an album.
What’s going on with your solo material?
Not much. I need to work on it. I need to do something with those fucking songs.
20 years on the scene… Wow, seriously that is impressive. Did you think you would last this long?
Never really thought about it, but it’s pretty crazy that we’ve lasted this long, been as successful as we’ve been. Just to put out a record was a big deal for us, so we’re pretty lucky.
I know you have said in other interviews that you really do not listen to a lot of new punk bands these days. Is there anyone that has caught your ear lately?
Punk-wise, I like the Spits (not new, I know), Modern Action, Sharp Objects… I think the Cobra Skulls are good… Off With Their Heads.
What are some of your all time favorite punk bands?
Black Flag, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Generation X, Stiff Little Fingers, the Clash, Ramones, X, Wire… I don’t know about a million others. Those come to mind pretty quickly…
What is the term “punk” to you these days, if anything?
Just doing what we know how to do, living our life… I don’t know. I’m punk rock, but I’m not a preacher. I don’t really like talking about “punk rock” and how it “changed my life”, or anything like that. As far as being any sort of real movement, or being “shocking” or anything… I think those days are over. It’s just about doing/saying what you want, DIY, etc.
Was there any certain time that you think back to in the scene that you will never forget? Maybe a favorite show?
Just the early days of our own band. Those were really fun times. Ahhhhhh, to be young again…
How did you get Jack from One Man Army / Dead To Me to jump on board with the band? I think he is a great fit.
I just waited for him to disband One Man Army, then I asked him. I knew he’d say yes, because we’d talked about it… I just didn’t want to be partly responsible for ending One Man Army or anything… He was done with the band and it seemed like he was kind of looking for a way out, but I wasn’t gonna be the one to give it to him! Yes, he’s a perfect fit.
Any comments about Ben Weasel’s blowup at this year’s SXSW?
I think he sounds like a little piece of shit that needs to be punched in the fucking face. I’ve always kind of thought that, though.
What’s next for the Utters? Can Cleveland expect to see you return soon?
I’d love to be back in Cleveland sometime next year, maybe in the spring? We’ll be back soon. Europe in September, some Dropkick (Murphys) dates in October, and a little Texas/west coast thing in November. I’d like to record again within the next year as well.
—Can I tell you all how much it sucks not having internet at home? I am still waiting for AT&T to fix the ‘net for me. Luckily I had this nice little piece sitting in pending that I was able to wrap up while at the paying gig. Enjoy!—
I’ve talked about this South Georgian band once or twice before and openly admit I am a huge fan of them. The band I am referring to is Ninja Gun and if you have not heard of them, you really are missing out on something good. They may be a bunch of good ‘ol boys from the dirty south, but they have impressed me and I am not afraid to say that I am a huge fan of them.
Recently the band released an EP entitled Roman Nose on Sabot Records. I had the opportunity to chat with lead-man Jonathan Coody who was more than kind to answer me some questions about the band, the new release and a whole lot more. It’s a little lengthy, but I loved all of his responses and just had to share. Enjoy!
So, how’s the day treating you?
Good so far. I’m making meatloaf for the first time ever.
Sounds delicious… So what the hell exactly is a Ninja Gun? Who in the band was the one responsible for coming up with such a great band name?
Our buddy Rian Tittle came up with it. Hold your tongue and say it.
Haha. How did the band come about?
Jeffrey and I are cousins and we played together in an adolescent Ramonesy band called “The Bleeding Gumdrops” in the late ’90s. That eventually ended and we were just kind of writing songs. We went to a show here in town one night and saw these two younger dudes in this band called Caspian playing this really dynamic music. It was kind of like Tortoise. We thought they played with a lot of restraint and tact. That surprised us being that they were 15. Jacob and Thad grew up together too and were childhood friends so they cut their teeth playing together. Really intuitive writers/players. We asked them to come out to the Trailer of Tears to hang out and jam. I had been writing the songs that would eventually become our first full length on acoustic guitar and from the very first time we played those changes together I was stoked. Still am.
Where did you guys derive your sound from? Any influences you care to mention?
Real music fans listen to a wide array of music because they recognize that raw honesty transcends genre. Personally, I find that the roots of any type of music are often the purest. I don’t care if it’s Hank Williams, The Ramones, The Kinks, Howlin’ Wolf or whoever. What you find is a sense of musical intuition in these artists that you don’t find elsewhere. It’s because their musical and emotional instincts lead them to uncharted territory. They get there by absorbing the best music available to them no matter what the source. They recognize beauty in it’s many musical forms, it moves them and then they filter all that they’ve heard through themselves. Without knowing it, the best elements of all that music is culled and synthesized naturally and the product is an original sound.
The Ramones wanted to be The Beach Boys and they sucked at being The Beach Boys, but were wildly successful at being the Ramones. That’s how it works. Good writers have to be real music fans because posers and hacks lack the character traits necessary to properly appreciate music. That’s the problem with all these little money making haircut bands that are currently polluting ears. Their music sucks and is unoriginal because their motives aren’t pure. They make music for the wrong reasons. They listen to one shitty band that gets popular because of fashion and the next thing you know, there’s another 1,000 shitty haircuts emulating that original shitty haircut and it perpetuates ad nauseum. It really is disgusting and it’s reached the trailer parks of South Georgia. Even the Wal-Martians have caught on. Hopefully that means that it’s reached the lowest rung on the cool ladder and it will soon dissipate.
Good music isn’t made because you need to belong to something. It’s made because you have a very primitive urge to articulate and communicate.
Well said man. Wow. That was one hell of an answer…
So tell me about South Georgia, specifically, Valdosta. I’veactually been there once. Care to tell everyone else in the world what life is like in the Azalea City?
TV’s Enos from The Dukes of Hazzard is from here. Doc Holliday is from here. Bill Hicks, the greatest comedian that ever lived, is from here.
Let’s see, fried food, intense racism, protestants, high school football, yep that’s about it. Life moves slower here. It’s probably because of the heat. That’s why good art from the South is so introspective. You have time to think about things here. That occurred to me the last time we were in New York City a few months ago. Those people don’t have time to contemplate anything because of constant stimuli. They’re making survival decisions every few seconds. Their scene is in constant flux so they can’t focus. I can walk out my front door and stare at an unmoving landscape. It’s very conducive to abstract thought.
Not a lot of bands hail from that city, I thought From First To Last did, anyways, from what I’ve heard and as you’ve mentioned, high school football is huge there. Were you into sports at all when younger? What was is like growing up in the dirty south?
Nah, they’re not from here (From First To Last). They lived here for a little while and were working with Lee at Earthsound where we record. I talked to them a few times and they seemed like nice enough guys. I’ve never heard any of their music.
Umm, high school football reigns supreme here. ESPN named us Titletown USA a year or so ago because we have the winningest high school football team in the nation. Eat it Texas! We have a state university here that plays in the local high school team’s stadium if that tells you anything.
Yeah, I played football and baseball until I was about 15. I took piano for about 2 years in middle school and I remember going to my piano lessons in my pads because I had football practice right afterward. I never thought playing piano was sissy or anything because I had a genuine curiosity for it. I was a music fan from birth so when I started having knee problems in middle school and couldn’t play sports anymore I wasn’t bummed. I got a drum kit.
I grew up on a hog farm in Brooks County, GA about 12 miles west of Valdosta. Farming is a lot of work with little payoff these days. Deregulation has allowed corporate farms to wipe out all the small family operations. It’s sad that the agrarian way of life is dying. My brother and I are the first in our line to not farm. My parents worked really hard to give us options in life. My instincts led me to rock and roll.
That’s kind of sad man. So, for a city surrounded by peach and hog farms, was it tough to recruit the band?
No, Jeffrey and I are cousins as I mentioned earlier, so he grew up right down the dirt road from me. Jacob and Thad grew up together as I mentioned earlier. There are a lot of real rockers around here because they grew up in a real environment. Most of the farmers that settled this area were Irish immigrants. The Irish are prone to bouts of histrionics that produce the greatest rock and roll. Totally unpretentious and real. That’s why the best stuff has always come from the South. It’s ground zero for African rhythm and Irish melody, the two main components of rock and roll.
A lot of the songs you write seem very personable and include almost a daily life feel to them. Am I right to say that?
Yeah, that’s probably fair to say up till this point. That probably won’t be true much longer. I’m writing a lot more regional music right now about different scenarios that happen around here. Ray Davies did these character sketches of people and situations he knew growing up because he felt the need to show the outside world what made him. A lot of great artists have that inclination.
When not playing or touring, what does everyone do to make spare change?
Jeffrey and I work in the kitchen of a restaurant, Jacob works in another restaurant, and Thad is the most under-appreciated latte artist in town. I do farm work too when my dad needs help.
Gainesville, FL is what, 45-minutes away? Did that music rich city help your band grow?
It’s about an hour and a half South of us. Gainesville has been super supportive of us over the years and we have tons of friends down there. Our first label, Barracuda Sound is there. Everyone there was really encouraging when we were first starting to play out of town as Ninja Gun. There are a lot of true music fans there. People judge you based on your artistic merits and not your haircut. That’s very important.
You have toured the states a few times now with mostly punk rock bands. What is the crowd reaction like when you all take the stage in front of a crowd who might think your band too is a punk rock act?
We’ve been touring since 2004 and we’ve done about 10 national tours actually. We did a lot on our own in the early days. House shows, shitty bars, etc. There’s nothing like driving a thousand miles for $20 and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dealing with shady promoters who book shows to make money off kids and screw bands are a lot more prevalent than you’d think at the ground floor level. We did our first European tour last year and it was eye opening. We’re planning on going back next Spring.
We’ve never cared about sounding like the bands we play with. I don’t like going to a show and hearing 3 bands that sound the same. Punk rock has more to do with the context in which you operate than what you sound like. What we do is honest and people recognize that when it’s presented to them. Here’s an example. We did 30 shows in 31 days when we were in Europe and Jacob and Jeffrey got food poisoning the night before the last show. It was in Geisen, Germany and we were supposed to play last after 5 crust bands from various parts of Europe. You had your Belgian crust band, your French crust band, your English crust band, etc. They all had strobe lights and we didn’t. Well, we were in the red as far as expenses go so we had to play that show just to pay for the van, gear rental, etc. After this crowd was aurally assaulted by these 5 bands, Thad and I plug in and play without Jacob and Jeffrey who were puking in/near the van. It was two electric guitars and a voice playing our little pop songs and guess what; those people loved it. We sold more merch that night than we had the whole tour. You know why? Because we didn’t judge them. They appreciated and respected the fact that we had the balls to play some pop songs in a German squat to an unsuspecting foreign audience.
That is so awesome. Who were some of your favorite bands you have toured with? What bands do you wish you could tour with?
Murder By Death, Against Me!, Fake Problems, Gaslight Anthem, all of those were fun. I think we’d all really like to tour with The Black Lips. They’re from Georgia and they’re doing something really cool with pop music. It’s fucked up pop music, but pop none the less.
It definitely seems like the band is getting some well deserved attention. I just saw the video for “That’s Not What I Heard” (off the new Ninja Gun EP Roman Nose) on PasteMagazine.com. How cool is that?
It’s nice that people care enough to listen. The musical landscape these days is so saturated we’re really honored that people would choose to listen to us. We make music that gets us off first and foremost, but it really is rewarding when someone finds something of value in something you’ve created.
Care to talk about Roman Nose for a moment? Why just an EP? Is Ninja Gun going to be releasing a full length anytime soon?
We liked the idea of an EP. Roman Nose is a concept EP that deals with the theme of being steadfast in what you’re doing. We believe in brevity. I like artists that can use a few words to paint a picture. We applied that thought to the number of songs on this release. Also, the time, money, and mental strain that it takes to make a good full length is something that a lot of people don’t understand. We care a lot about quality control. We have no desire to produce product every year. We want people to know that when we put something out it’s going to be worth a shit and not a waste of their money and time. We’re not the type of band that will ever adhere to some release schedule dictated to us by a record label or even the listening public. With that said, given the right resources, I’d be recording every day. We have enough hit songs right now for 2 full lengths. Restless Rubes almost killed us because of the circumstances we were in when we recorded it. That made the idea of an ep very appealing. With that said, I think we’re all ready to do something big again. The stuff we’ve been writing is the best we’ve ever done. It’s just a matter of logistics at this point.
Just curious if Daytrotter asked you to record songs with them yet? I think that would be bad ass. Even a Pink Couch Session would be rad.
Not to my knowledge, but we’d be down to do one. We did a Pink Couch session a year or so ago when we were in Brooklyn, but my voice was shot out from living a little too hard on tour. I quit smoking cigarettes a few months ago and my voice is starting to clear up again. I abused myself for a long time and it really impacted my ability to sing.
So if you’re reading this, QUIT SMOKING!!!
Agreed. Seems like each time you have played in the Cleveland/Akron area, weird shit went down. I think the one time the show was cancelled at one of the venues and last year one of the bands, Leatherface, cancelled. What happened and most importantly, when are you coming back?
Oh man do we love Ohio. Such a beautiful, fun state. We played the Zephyr in Kent on our very first tour. The bar is right beside the Cuyahoga River and it’s really cool. I love the people in Ohio. They seem just as cynical and skeptical as I am. Yeah, that Leatherface tour getting canceled was a real bummer. We still don’t know the details of why. I think someone got kicked out of their house or something. Maybe there were some border issues?
The next time you come to Cleveland let me know and I’ll make sure you all see the Rock Hall and chow down on some Melt.
We love the Rock Hall! We’ve been like 5 times. Every time we pass through Cleveland we stop. I thought it might be all Disney and stupid, but if you dig memorabilia and rock history it’s heaven. You get in for free if you’re a touring band too. Just show them a tour laminate or just give them a cd. It’s worth your time. I’ve never had Melt I don’t think. Sounds like my jam though. Melt normally implies that cheese is involved and I do like cheese.
You would love Melt then; it clogs the ateries upon your first couple bites… Finally, why should someone check out Ninja Gun?
Oh damn, I have to sell us? Ok, well…here goes. If you have ever been force-fed bullshit you will understand where we’re coming from. If you are hungry for life’s beautiful moments you’ll appreciate our desire to tell you about the ones we’ve witnessed. Maybe beauty and the truth are what we’re about. I don’t know. Give us a listen and see what you think.
Thanks Coody! Looking forward to the next time you roll though Ohio!!!
If you want to check out Ninja Gun, head on over to to their webpage: http://www.ninjagun.com
Fat Wreck Chords has been there for you since your debut. How does it feel to be on their roster? You actually worked for them for a few years correct? Being employed by Fat Mike on two different levels…nice.
