It seems like every punk band out there is dropping acoustic albums as of late. This facade may come off as lazy or desperate to some, but when stripped down right, it makes so much sense. Still, it is easy to just dismiss them because of how many are out there.
I have to give it to Unwritten Law though who first captured my fascination with the whole punk rock bands doing acoustic renditions of their songs years back. I remember hearing Music in High Places and becoming obsessed instantly. Then Rancid busted out an acoustic set in front of me live once at one of their shows and I adored it. Perhaps this aging punker just enjoys slowing down things a little bit.
When I heard Face To Face was releasing an EP of acoustic versions of their songs over the years, I was nervous. Mind you Face To Face is easily one of my all time favorite bands from my 90s, I was worried that it would not go well, but I couldn’t have been so wrong.
Hold Fast simply is songs from Face To Face’s 30+ years (with a slight hiatus) career put into an acoustic style. Perhaps sparked from their “Econo-Live Tour”, the band decided it was their turn to try. Actually, Face To Face did acoustic sets years back as I remember a friend’s band opening for them and quickly having to learn how to relearn their songs so they could stay on the bill with them – Back to this EP though.
Hold Fast is listed as an EP, but at 33 minutes, it could easily be an album. I was impressed to see 10 songs tracked on the Fat Wreck Chords release and was more impressed with where they call came from on their discography.
“All For Nothing” started off the EP with an alt-country twangy version of the catchy Laugh Now, Laugh Later track that I am sure Lucero fans would totally appreciate. I quickly realized after this song alone the amount of time put in by Face To Face to transformed them into a completely different style.
“Disconnected” was the song I was most worried to hear. This radio-friendly track that caught the most attention on Big Choice was part of the soundtrack to my life in the late 90s and I’m still quite fond of it to this day. I held off listening to this song at first and waited until the album came out to take it in. I had nothing to worry about. This song was perfected transformed from a pop punk jam to an acoustic masterpiece. I loved everything about this song from Keith’s slowed down singing to the backing vocals and even the guitar playing.
I was kind of shocked to hear “Keep Your Chin Up” the EP as it was a new song, but as soon as the chorus started I immediately understood. It fit perfectly.
“Don’t Turn Away” was completely dissected and put together as one hell of a track. The lyrics remain the same, but everything else about it screams alt-country with even some rockabilly qualities to it. This was such an enjoyable track to rediscover though a different genre. Just wait for that guitar solo.
“Aok” was another version I just absorbed and adored instantly. This is one of those other songs that was part of the soundtrack of my life and hearing it on a different caliber was just so appreciated.
I can not say every track on the EP blew me away as some were at status quo like “Ordinary” and even “Velocity”, but I did not skip past a single song. Nothing was completely unbearable which led me to believe the band truly gave it their all.
I truly feel Face To Face did this for the sake of trying something new and not looking for a quick paycheck (leave that to Me First and the Gimme Gimmes). These So. Cal. punks have matured so much since back in the day and clearly have moved past their punk rock roots musically. I really think people who never were into Face To Face are going to hear this and become fans of these renderings. I am also hoping they just decided to make new music in this style. I have the feeling it would be amazing.
Don’t dismiss this EP at all folks. Face To Face is far more talented than you think, especially if you just assume they are just some aging punk rock band looking for a quick payday.
[It’s been a while since one of my pals has guest blogged on this here ol’ site, but when Frank reached out to me recently with something he wrote asking me to check it out, I just had to share it. Great read by a great dude. – Brian]
As we gingerly step into 2018, our world has become consumed by politics. Our news are politics, our “Funny-Shows” are politics, our comedians are politics, and with all of this, our world has become a house divided. Before all this though, there was an even greater divide happening in a much more important arena, the music arena.
Over the past five years, rock ‘n roll has been the passenger on a downward trend, taking it further and further from the main-stream, and closer to obscurity. Some would debate that the greatest reason for this is the general malaise and declining quality of the rock ‘n roll form, while others place their bets behind the “Only Big Enough for One of Us” philosophy regarding the rap vs. rock debate. Despite all the bluster and hot air one thing is quite factual, that as of last year, it is documented that hip hop has taken over the head of the pack in the music world.
With this seismic change in the musical landscape, artists that should have been on the fast track to super-stardom and all that entails have been pushed down into what was characteristically deemed the “independent” group. Artists that should get the elusive radio play and playing to thousands of people at a time are lucky to get on college radio and play the back rooms of the established venues. Those that should be in the limelight, have transitioned into unknown or the tombstone title of “niche”.
One artist that doesn’t belong in any of these secondary groups, one artists who stands on musical talent rather than glitz and bling, the most underrated artist in recent memory is The White Buffalo.
The White Buffalo, aka Jake Smith, can undoubtedly be placed at the top of the list of underrated artists in the shrinking rock genre of today’s musical society. With vocals that range from haunting, as heard in “The Whistler” and “Come Join the Murder”, and travel up the spectrum to romantic, spotlighted in “Love Song #1” and “Come On Love Come On In”, all the way to a tone that could be called soulful and introspective, divinely illustrated in “Oh Darlin’ What Have I Done”, or upbeat, like “Avalon”.
Smith’s music cannot be classified and gently placed into a nice tight fitting box. It can go from straight rock ‘n roll to a little bit of twang, from bordering country to in your face melodic yelling. And maybe there’s the rub – because with the push he’s gotten, it doesn’t make sense that he’s being pushed down into the lands of obscurity.
Case in point, ask the average, run of the mill, rock ‘n roll fan, what is the most popular show that they have watched in the last 10 years, that they still watch on Netflix, the show that had one of the best soundtracks ever, that they owned the t-shirts, the hoodies, the hats, and the merch, that they watched or recorded or DVRed EVERY TIME IT WAS ON TELEVISION, and most of them will say the same thing: Sons of Anarchy. And this juggernaut of a show, Sons of Anarchy, was the first introduction for the White Buffalo to the masses.
Smith’s music accompanied some of the most disturbing, some of the most poignant, some of the most influential, and some of the most powerful scenes of the entire show. When Clay gets his back tattoo blacked out in shame, enter “The Whistler”, or when Tara, Jax’s wife realizes her negative transformation and pulls a gun on Jax and then leaves him, scored by “Oh Darlin’ What Have I Done”, or arguably the most powerful moment of the show, when Jax rides his bike to certain doom in the series finale, there was only one song that could properly usher this show out and push the main character off of this mortal coil properly, and it was “Come Join the Murder” by the White Buffalo.
Smith had a spotlight shone on him from one of the most heavily watched shows of the decade, his music led in scenes that there was no going back from, and his music was the prototype for the entire soundtrack, and yet for some reason he is not shining his Grammys or counting his movie credits. And there is no reason for that. Other than the fact that he has been criminally underrated by the powers that be in the music industry, and this fact is in fact, a crime.
Since his contributions to SOA, he has not rested on his laurels, nor has he let the show define him. He has put together three stellar albums: Shadows, Greys, and Evil Ways, Love and the Death of Damnation, and most recently Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights, which illustrates his stunning mix of the rock ‘n roll, deep, deep blues, and outlaw country.
Smith continues to prove that he is actually the preeminent musical story-teller in music today. The White Buffalo’s music gives listeners a constant reminder that although one might look brash and gruff on the outside, the inside can be a cauldron of emotions and feelings and thoughts and ideas. Every album is a different trip to a different place, exploring different roads to get to the destination.
The masses are missing some of the greatest rock ‘n roll that has ever been produced, and what is ever more disappointing than that fact, is that they don’t even know it. The White Buffalo entrusts personal stories to the listener, that many people could relate to and enjoy. The White Buffalo is the everyman, with a badass growl, a tender soul. He’s someone you’d have a beer with anytime and the most underrated rock ‘n roll musician in recent history.
Seek him out, watch him, listen to him, go to his concerts – just do yourself a favor and enjoy his work.
There is really not much more I can say about Tim Barry these days except that the man is exceptional.
The former Avail frontman has made aging as a punk rocker just so appealing. Taking each day in stride and being the best father he can be, you might just find inspiration in him just as I have.
His solo material is more of a storytelling process with the soul purpose of letting people hear him out. Still containing his punk rock roots as well as life-long experiences, Barry just dropped an all new release on Chunksaah Records titled High On 95.
High On 95 is a mixture of acoustic tracks and collective jams with Barry’s family and friends. Just as he has always done in the past, Barry has no problem combining folk, rock, and punk and with his own personal touch making for an incredible listen.
The album was recorded once again by Lance Koehler at Minimum Wage Studios in Richmond Virginia. According to Barry, “it’s just one take” and continued with, “Lance knows the more I do it, the worse it’s gonna get. You lose something when you play it more and more. So get it right.”
One take is all it took to make one hell of an album.
The personal “Slow Down” had Barry and his guitar recollecting life in a busy city and his transition to a small town. The backing violin playing was so fitting on this track that seemingly aged from the beginning to the end.
The detail in the lyrics on “High On 95” almost seemed like personal memories of my own. This track was built up with some guitar playing and simple piano playing. What made this track even better for me was the video that his 4-1/2 year old daughter filmed all on a VHS camcorder. Life goal right there folks, especially since I have my own little versions of me these days. Check out the video below.
“O & Dp” was more of a song a close knit of friends would sign around a campfire. I especially related to this track with lyrics that were personable with life events and self-expectation.
“Riverbank” was a memorable jam that might be one of the more produced songs I have heard by Barry in a while and I loved every second of it. Friendly and real thoughts put into song while letting dogs run around the river just doesn’t get much more sincere.
The toe-tapping “Gumshoe Andy” brought back train-hopping memories of Barry. You almost wonder who this gumshoe was and what his intentions were or if it was just an inner-conscious voice taming someone’s wild tendencies.
The observations in “Porter St.” are all to familiar. This industrialization realization of a small town track has immediately become one of my favorite Barry tracks. Just listening to it had me thinking and agreeing with what day to day life has turned into.
“Chelsea” was almost a Dear John letter of a track with Barry showing pleasantries followed by dismissal for being deceitful. Friendly-sounding but stern, this tune was quick to take out the trash.
It was great to hear Barry’s sister Caitlin play violin on “Running Never Tamed Me” along with Barry. Christina Marie Gleixner provided haunting backing vocals on this track about the highs and lows of life and love as told to what I would only assume was Barry’s daughters. This was one bummer of a track, but beautiful.
At 30 minutes total, High On 95 was an amazing listen that seemed to just fly by. I have actually listened to it a few times now and some of the tracks became even more poignant once the lyrics were absorbed in my mind. It’s the kind of album you think with, relate to, and just absorb.
People, including myself, have asked Barry for years if he would ever reunite Avail. He always responds that he is not interested in doing that. For a while there, I could not understand, but as the years have progressed with the releases by Barry, I am glad he didn’t. This man has his priorities set to align with his future on his own accord. Godspeed sir.
Tour Dates:
9/23 Richmond, Virginia @ Carpenter Theatre
10/05 Washington, DC @ DC9 Nightclub
10/06 Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo
10/07 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/8 Detroit, MI @ Smalls
10/10 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
10/11 St Louis, Mo @ Blueberry Hill
10/12 Chicago, Il @ Cobra Lounge
10/13 Indianapolis @ White Rabbit
10/14 Louisville, KY @ Haymarket
10/26 Ybor City, FL @ Pre-FEST
10/27 Gainesville, FL @ FEST
11/09 Garwood, NJ @ Crossroads
11/10 Philadelphia @ Underground Arts
11/11 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs.
11/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
12/07 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
12/08 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
12/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
12/10 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill.
Forget the filler in this review. Garrett Dale is the lead singer of Red City Radio and just released three songs as a solo project.
You’d never know that Dale even fronted a punk rock band if you listened to any of these tracks.
Three songs of brutal honesty have been slammed into folkish alt-country music on Two T’s EP and I will tell ya, it’s fantastic. This gem of an EP was released by the good folk at Red Scare.
“2016 Was…Horseshit” is like Tom Waits meets Slobberbone. What more can I say about this track other than it is blunt as hell. Check the video below and add the song to your next porch drinking mix already.
Then there was “House Full Of Dogs”, a track that clearly was fueled by a drunken recollection of personal exchanges. The saxophone in the middle of the song made it that much more incredible. This track is like the bastard child of a miserable Brendan Kelly and Bruce Springsteen fling.
“Down The Rabbit Hole” was the last track on this EP. For someone like myself who is obsessed with Lucero and John Moreland, this song just fit in perfectly. Not that I ever did not respect Dale, but this song alone has me looking at him and his talent forever differently.
Given this small taste of tunes, I really hope Dale has more of this up his sleeves because I seriously think people are going be just as floored as I was when they hear it. This is music not to sit on.
There were so many good releases in 2016, but if I had to choose my top favorite, it would easily be MakeWar‘s Developing a Theory of Integrity.
Toby from Red Scare sent that album my way to check out and after listening to it at my paying gig about six times in a row, I learned that they were playing the Dag House’s final show the next night. I pretty much freaked out like a kid with excitement and was sure to see them play a quick set in the basement of a true punk house. I was so excited that I missed the last step into that basement and ate it into the wall.
After their set, I wanted to support the band and buy some merch off and ran into Jose asking him where their goods were. He told me that all the merch was packed up and the band was about to leave for Omaha, but stopped dead in his tracks, walked out to his tour van, and got me a LP. I felt stupid holding the band up, but was more impressed that Jose postponed leaving.
Jose and the rest of the guys chatted it up with me for a few and I cracked up when they told me they did not realize Omaha was so far from Cleveland and that they probably should not have booked a show that far.
I decided I wanted to do a little interview with Jose and just learn more about him and the band. He was totally down for it and the little interview I intended to do turned into quite a big one. I refuse to cut a lot of it out as I loved chatting with him so much. It’s seriously a great read.
Check out the interview I did with Jose Prieto
of MakeWar:
What’s up Jose? Thanks for taking a few moments to talk. I know MakeWar used to be Sad and French, but I don’t know the whole story.
Can you just start from the beginning and tell me how Sad and French eventually turned into MakeWar?
Well, Sad and French used to be the name I went by when playing the open mic at this great dive in Miami called Churchill’s. Churchill’s had an open mic every Wednesday and and a great welcoming group of people. It transformed me from doing silly covers to drunkenly showing them some super personal sad songs I was writing at the time about that one that got away.
After I moved to New York, I had a good handful of songs under that name and finally started playing “real” solo shows and made a couple of super low budget home recording EPs. Then my best friend from college, Edwin Santacruz, who I first met back in Florida on our first semester of school, moved to New York, crashed on my couch, and that’s how the real Sad and French began.
It was just Edwin and I, upright bass and an acoustic guitar. We knew we wanted a drummer, but we tried a couple and they just didn’t click with us. So we went ahead and recorded our first LP as a duo. Simple, raw, acoustic. The songs were written that way so why not memorize them in time and space that way. Black Numbers from [New] Jersey helped us put that LP and boom, we were a real band!
The thing is, right after that LP was recorded, I went out on Valentine’s Day trying to find someone or forget about someone and not be alone that night, and thats the night I met Greg Taylor. He was flirting with the girl I was talking to right before I had to go to the bathroom. And it was friendship at first sight!. Greg, who turned out to be another fellow Floridian, also loved Against Me! – which it was the sound Edwin and I were trying to go for with SNF – and also played the drums. After I showed Greg the acoustic LP, he loved it and we tried really hard to keep it that way, You know minimal drums, acoustic instruments, old school Against Me! style, but something was changing. I kept on turning the the acoustic guitar louder to a point of overdriven feedback madness and kept on playing every song faster and faster and it just sounded better. It was way more fun to play. So we switch to electric guitar and bass, and collectively decided that this band was not a solo act named Sad and French anymore. This was a completely different beast. So we changed our name to MakeWar and the rest is history… Well till now at least… haha
Damn dude, I think you answered pretty much everything I needed to know about the history of MakeWar. Thanks! Sounds like you followed suit with Laura Jane Grace in that you started solo and how have a band that pretty much is a powerhouse. How stoked are you about what MakeWar has turned into?
Its truly a dream come true man. I finally have the band I always wanted to have. Who is down to tour?
So why did you initially name yourself Sad and French? Hell, how did you guys come up with the name MakeWar?
hahaha. Sad and French comes from a drunken conversation with a good friend of mine. She used to say that I always look sad. Then she said I look like that French singer Herman Dune. We joked about me being sad and French.
MakeWar comes from a million other names we had when we decided to change our name. I knew it sounded intense. But I also knew it was a great way to describe the “wars” that were going inside my head.
So where do you all originally hail from? I know y’all live in NYC currently and lived in Miami as just previously stated.
So Greg is straight up from Florida, born and raised. Edwin is from Colombia, born and raised, but moved to the states when he was 17. I was born in Miami, but raised in Venezuela. I lived there with my parents and siblings until I graduated from high school. That’s when I decided I wanted to move to the states. The land of opportunities, shit was easy here right? I was hoping for college to be like an American Pie movie. I was gonna get my Venezuelan band called The Go Go Punkers sign to Epitaph or Fat or something, get the rest of the band to move to Florida, and we were gonna live that punk lifestyle we always dreamed of or saw on VHS tapes like Ten Years of Fucking Up or any of the Kung Fu Records silly movies, or SLC Punk.
But shit wasn’t easy man. I didn’t speak any English, the internet wasn’t really there yet, and the record labels weren’t writing offers back…probably cuz who the fuck names their band The Go Go Punkers? Probably the same guy that came up with Sad and French am I right? haha
Dude, even I thought college was going to be like American Pie. Growing up outside of the states, how were you introduced to punk rock music?
I hated school man. I was an outcast that never, ever had good grades and always failed all his classes. But I had a great handful group of friends I grew up with and all we wanted to do was skateboard and go surfing.
I was probably introduced to punk rock that way. Skateboarding and surfing VHSs. But I remember the day a friend from high school showed me Blink 182 Dude Ranch. That shit blew my mind. But then an older friend introduced me to what he called real punk. Lagwagon, NOFX, Pennywise, Bad Religion, I was hooked man.
We all probably owned 2 or 3 CDs back then, so we used to get together at someone’s house, bring all the CDs, and make mix tapes with them. There was no internet back then, or maybe there was, Napster was a thing, but downloading 1 song took hours. We were the weird kids who didn’t listen to reggaeton, and only went to parties to drink free beers and hit on girls, but hated the popular music down there. Techno and reggaeton was the music everyone used to listen to in Venezuela in the late 90s.
I need to look up Reggaeton, something tells me I am not going to dig it… Kids these days have no idea how good they got it. I remember the days of Napster and remember when CDs were released. I make mixes off of cassettes, I feel old now.
Reggaeton is the worst. I remember having a Walkman that only had a play button. I had to use a pen with tape to rewind the cassettes.
Kids will never know that struggle. Outside of the band, what do you do for a living?
Edwin and I do freelance graphic design. He focuses more on the animation industry and I work mostly on the advertising industry. Greg is a bartender, he makes people happy and drunk, and they give him money. What a great job. I sit in front of a computer all day coming up with ideas that your ad blocker is probably going to erase, or your Hulu account is going to skip, or our XM Radio host is going to talk over. But hey, I can’t complain, [it] pays the bills.
What other projects have you been involved in, or has it only been Sad and French and MakeWar?
So when I was a teen, The Go Go Punkers. It sounded like Lagwagon meets NOFX meets Millencolin. I used to write the lyrics in Spanish down into my Windows 95 shitty computer and translate them into English using probably the first translator ever use on a machine called Power Translator. We didn’t want to sing in Spanish cuz our big plan was to move to the states and get signed. We were so naive.
Then in college, I had a cool post hardcore project called Forthwith. We wanted to sound just like Thrice and I think we did. The thing was, our priorities were kind of shifted then.
After that, Edwin and I joined a new local Miami hardcore band called Zamora Bleeds. This was back in the day when screaming and singing pretty were super cool. We only played two shows. Somehow I got kicked out of the band, and after hearing this, Edwin quit. Edwin forever MVP.
Greg’s repertoire is more impressive. He was part of many Florida bands. To name a few, From First to Last, The Holy Mountain, Party Time. Then in New York he joined Mischief Brew, for a couple of tours and albums before getting hit by a cop car on his bike, He used to be a bike messenger.
Man, I kind of want to hear some Go Go Punkers now. Sounds rad and I absolutely love your plan as a teen. I gotta ask, do you pick on Greg ever for being in a band with Skrillex?
He was in FFTL pre-Skrillex era. Funny thing is that the newest FFTL single in years just came out a couple of months ago and what does Skrillex decides to call it? MAKE WAR. I think Skrillex is fucking with Greg now. Maybe not. But surely was weird. All I know is whatever ownership we had of that MakeWar hashtag we lost it after that song dropped down. #makewar is now about emo kids that love Skrillex and Jesus now.
Skrillex even ripped off the cover of that album from another band. Now, how did you get hooked up with Toby at Red Scare? Did you have to bribe him like I do just to get him to notice me?
Hahaha. I actually knew little about Toby then, I heard he was a mysterious man. Red Scare had and has some of my favorite bands, but we weren’t really ready or even looking for a new label the day I met Brendan Kelly. He had an acoustic show cancelled at The Knitting Factory because of a massive snowstorm that hit New York [in] January of 2016, I had 2 shows cancelled too. Our mutual friend Seth just opened up a bar that terrible icy weekend here in Bushwick and asked Brendan to come play the opening party. Then he asked me last minute if I wanted to open acoustically for Brendan Kelly at his newly opened bar. He promised free drinks all night long.
I liked Brendan, I liked the Lawrence Arms, I even liked that acoustic cover he did of “Kiss the Bottle”, I just never met him before. After I played my set he came up to me and said something like “dude, holy shit, I have to go after you now? fuck! That was awesome!”
After he was done with his set, we got real drunk and he said he wanted to sign my band. I really thought it was just drunk talk because he’s never seen us play., but I guess he really liked me and believed in me. So he texts Toby on the spot and somehow convinced him we were real good. I’m so happy our shows got cancelled and we got to play acoustic together. I’m so happy him and Toby were into the new record, and happy we didn’t suck when Toby saw us for the first time opening for The Falcon 2 months later. The rest is history.
It was destiny for you guys apparently. I think it worked out just fine. Your band is a melodic punk rock favorite of mine. MakeWar’s debut really seemed to have lots and lots of feelings in it whereas the latest MakeWar release, Developing a Theory of Integrity, was about growing up and just taking life as it comes. Was there a certain moment in life that just had you realize life is what you make of it and have fun?
Well I think that “moment” you are talking about was the moment when I had my first panic attack, thinking it was a heart attack, that sent me straight to the ER and a bunch of million dollars later, I learned that I couldn’t keep hiding those feelings with just booze and random hookups. I needed to do something about it. Thats when I wrote Developing a Theory of Integrity. I needed to say goodbye to the old Sad and French memory. I needed to say goodbye to my late grandfather. I needed to focus and cure this new mental illness I was randomly introduced by because I didn’t want to depend on a depressing looking little pill every fucking day. I think Developing a Theory of Integrity is definitely about friendship and growing, not necessarily up but forward, How true friends, family, and babes help you see the party at the end of the tunnel.
Well dude, it sounds like you are on the right track. Thanks for sharing that. Who are some of your inspirations that have more or less built up your style?
Mmmmm, I guess the same as when I was young, Lagwagon is still to this date my favorite band. Anything on the first 3 or 4 Punkoramas or Fat Music for Fat People comps. Or that 90s sound Superdrag, Nada Surf, Built to spill, Appleseed Cast.
That Fat Music For Fat People Volume 2 changed my life. I still listen to it today. What is it about Lagwagon that you dig so much?
You have to understand I didn’t speak any english back then. Punk rock to me was about the feeling I felt when I listened to it. It was about those guitar octaves and solos, the fast drum beats, the vocal melodies. Joey Cape, to me, was so inventive and creative in the way he came up with his vocal melodies in Lagwagon. I didn’t know what he was saying, but I felt that he meant what he was saying and that had some sort of meaning to me. I remember kissing a girl for the first time with “Want” from Let’s Talk About Leftovers was playing in her room. I remember listening to Let’s Talk About Feeling for the first time while watching the waves get better and better from our beach house.
I remember the first time I saw them live at the Warped Tour in Florida back in 2003. I ran really fast from stage to stage because I really didn’t want to miss them. But on the way to their stage somehow lost my wallet, and I had to make a big decision then. Do I miss Lagwagon and go look for my wallet with all the money I had, my student ID, my dad’s credit card for emergencies only or do I stay here first row and watch my favorite band? I decided to stay and watch them. Tears of joy and anger were falling down my stupid teenage face and I was so fucking happy. Never found the wallet but someone mailed all my documents to my dorm a couple of weeks later. No money though.
That is the ultimate Warped story. Seriously, I could imagine that happening to myself. I did not event think of the language barrier for you growing up. So upon hearing the music, you probably liked what you heard without understanding what they were singing about, right?
Yeah man, I dont know how to explain it. Like I felt the music and vocal melodies before knowing what they were about.
You should really look into working with Cape in the future with his One Week project. With your Sad and French past, I could totally see you doing something that route, plus the dude is your fracking hero. That would be bad ass.
I know man. Joey and I actually played some shows together back in the Sad and French days. He doesn’t really know how much I admire him because I just don’t wanna be that weird fan boy. I rather be his friend. All I hope is that One week project happens and happens naturally. Then maybe I can tell him about all my Lagwagon tattoos. hahaha.
Well maybe he will read this. I have featured him on a site a few times now. Aside from Cape, who are some of your favorite artists out there today?
I’ve been listening to that new Menzingers record non stop. Before that it was Pup The Dream is Over. I really like that new Meat Wave record too! The new Nothington is perfect. I got big hopes on that new Flats record. Red City Radio is a great looking band with great catchy songs. Oh let’s not forget about Arms Aloft and Good Friend from Red Scare. We triple signed with the label at the same time. Their records are incredible. I really hope to do something with those boys soon.
Both Arms Aloft and Good Friend rule! So does pretty much everyone else you just mentioned. You are hitting the road with my pals Worship This! for a quick tour. How did you hook up with these guys?
Our friend Rob ‘Good Time” Peters introduced me to them by asking me to book them a show here in New York. I booked the back room of Legion in Brooklyn and had a great time. We hung out and drank a ton of whiskey. We bonded. Also I liked Aaron’s beard.
Only because I know of his excellence, I need to ask, how did you meet Rob? Also, Aaron’s beard is a glorious.
Rob saw me at one of my highest moments in life. I was on tour with Sad and French (pre Greg) in Fort Collins, Colorado. We played the famous Surfside 7. After the show, Jon Snodgrass, who is one of my favorite humans of all time, asked me if I wanted to stick around an extra day and maybe sing a song with the Descendents at the annual Descendents Live Karaoke they do there. I was speechless.
If I ever have kids or dogs one day, I’ll be so proud of telling them I got to sing “Cheer” with the Descendents at Surfside 7 one day, and in Rob’s words, I killed it! He posted the video of me doing that and sent me the link. So fucking glad someone taped that! Somehow in the next year or so he moved to New York and hit me up and we’ve been friends since. We both have a really good appreciation of hot wings. We like go out of our way to find the best wings. Im so happy he is coming with us on this tour. Rob knows how to have a good time.
So I’ve heard. So, what has the response been like to anyone who as not seen/heard of you while on tour?
New fans really like the energy we have. And they are all in love with Edwin, he is the best looking member. That’s until they smell Greg. Then they are in love with Greg. Greg has this weird after-drumming-never-shower pheromones that I don’t really understand.
Personal question: Are you still cool with me since i shorted you a dollar at the Dag House last Fall? I promise I will pay it back one day. I seriously felt like a jackass for that one.
You did? I don’t remember… that is the problem about the dag house. it’s a black hole. You should buy me a dollar scratcher instead. if I win, we’ll split it.
Deal. If you win it’ll be like that Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda movie from the 90s.
You know Greg hates Nic Cage… Who hates Nic Cage?!? He is such a great actor. That was It Could Happen To You. Great movie. Raising Arizona, Amazing movie. Face Off... speechless… Adaptation is perfect.
What about Con-Air or The Rock? Both are guilty pleasures of mine. That is though, hilarious Greg hates Nic.
I havent seen those two in yeeeeearrrrrs… I’ll have to re-watch those!
What is next for MakeWar? I hope there is new material out there.
We are writing non stop. There’s definitely new music coming. Maybe next year. We are playing Pouzza Fest in Montreal. That should be tons of fun! We are planning a super cool tour in June that I don’t think I can talk about? Maybe ask me this question again in May, yeah?
Sounds like a plan dude, thanks for chatting it up! Good luck on your upcoming tour.
MakeWar is heading out on tour with Worship This! next week. If they are playing your town, make sure you check them out.
It seems like every punk band out there is dropping acoustic albums as of late. This facade may come off as lazy or desperate to some, but when stripped down right, it makes so much sense. Still, it is easy to just dismiss them because of how many are out there.
The detail in the lyrics on “High On 95” almost seemed like personal memories of my own. This track was built up with some guitar playing and simple piano playing. What made this track even better for me was the video that his 4-1/2 year old daughter filmed all on a VHS camcorder. Life goal right there folks, especially since I have my own little versions of me these days. Check out the video below.
Then there was “House Full Of Dogs”, a track that clearly was fueled by a drunken recollection of personal exchanges. The saxophone in the middle of the song made it that much more incredible. This track is like the bastard child of a miserable Brendan Kelly and Bruce Springsteen fling.
There were so many good releases in 2016, but if I had to choose my top favorite, it would easily be 
What’s up Jose? Thanks for taking a few moments to talk. I know MakeWar used to be Sad and French, but I don’t know the whole story. 
So why did you initially name yourself Sad and French? Hell, how did you guys come up with the name MakeWar?
I was probably introduced to punk rock that way. Skateboarding and surfing VHSs. But I remember the day a friend from high school showed me Blink 182 Dude Ranch. That shit blew my mind. But then an older friend introduced me to what he called real punk. Lagwagon, NOFX, Pennywise, Bad Religion, I was hooked man.
Both Arms Aloft and Good Friend rule! So does pretty much everyone else you just mentioned. You are hitting the road with my pals Worship This! for a quick tour. How did you hook up with these guys?