Hello there, how are you today?
Justin: Doing alright. Broke and sick as hell, but other than that, we’re breathing!
What have you guys been up to lately?
Justin: Well, we just got off of tour with our friends in Destruct. We each had to visit the hospital at least once. There were a lot of Germs this time around. I don?t know what these crazy Punk Rockers have been doing, but it sure isn?t clean!
You have just released your new record, Describe what this record means to you?
Justin: Well... It’s funny because some look like they wouldn’t mean a lot, and there’s others, songs like Rotting that you look at and it’s obvious I put a lot of myself into that. It’s probably the best song I’ve ever written as far as self-expression. But the truth is they all mean something to me, because even if it’s a simple song like I don’t wanna it’s how I honestly felt at the time. And there are specific circumstances that birthed those songs, so each album I do means a lot to me. It’s like a photo album or documentary on that part of my life.
What was your writing process like for this record?
Justin: A lot of late-night walks by myself. This record is actually a 2-year project. Not because it took so long to write each individual song, but we probably threw out two more albums worth of material. Some of those songs just sucked, some of them people probably would have loved, but to me, if it isn’t honest, I don?t want it on the record.
Did you approach this record differently or did you use the same methods as you did when you recorded REPRESSION?
Justin: Not really, Repression was a bad time for all of us. Maybe the worst time of my entire life. So there was a lot of anxiety and tension. Not that there isn?t now, but I think that the overwhelming desire to get SOMETHING out there probably made that record very rushed. Add to that that it was recorded in a Garage, and it doesn?t end up sounding very much like we sound live.
How did you get signed to PUNKCORE RECORDS?
Isha: We spent two and half years of our life just touring and being really poor. And we sent a demo of our songs to Punkcore. Cheap Sex put in a good word for us too.
What has changed since the band has been signed to them?
Isha: More people have heard of our band. And our CD is in stores.
What was life like before you got signed?
Isha: Pretty much the same as it is now. Hopefully we'll see a change soon
What was you mostly listening to when you was recording NO SOLUTION?
Justin: Ooh, that’s a good question. A lot of ‘Clash’ on Vinyl... Their first record all the way through Combat Rock, and yes, even ‘Sandanista’. Lots of ‘Menace’ too. A lot of ‘Queen’, ‘Bo Diddley’... And a TON of Johnny Cash. Mean as Hell is a great LP. My Roommate David and I listen to a lot of Jazz and Blues records, but I think that kick might have started after recording. I don?t really know, a lot of things. I listen to everything. When I was writing I listened to a lot of The ‘Mescaleros’.
Did you have a lot of support from other bands when you guys weren't signed?
Justin: Tons. In fact, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for a lot of bands in the scene really doing everything they could for us. Even just on a moral support level, we honestly couldn’t have done it without them. Cheap Sex & the Havoc helped a lot... Cranked Up! Menace, The Neon Maniacs... And tons of smaller bands. Really, we got a lot of help with getting shows from people in unsigned bands. Some stellar examples I guess would be All Out Attack, KTP... Ah! There’s too many. But I think I named most of them in our album thanks...
What is the punk scene like, where you come from?
Justin: Well, as Anyone who came into Punk in the early 90s knows, (And yes, I was very, very young when I got into it) There really wasn’t a scene... There were a lot of Pop-Punk bands carrying the torch then. And I?m not talking about Blink shit, or Good Charlotte stuff, I mean like MTX, Riverdales, Lookout! Records type bands. Some of the only really good Punk Bands I had a chance to see were like Blanks 77, Aus Rotten, and of course bands who never stopped, like D.I. There wasn’t a lot of variety like there is today. The first time I ever wore combat boots with Dickies (WHICH. By the way, to all you 15 year olds out there, we used to buy because you could get 2 pairs for $6.00 from places like Home Depot. That’s where that fashion came from, and it’s really lame to wear a $60 pair of dickies work pants with $70 converse and think you’re looking ‘punk’ these days..) I got bottles thrown at my head. And none of the older guys in the scene gave us any support because to them, Punk was an 80’s thing, LA hardcore. So we got shit from both ends, I can’t tell you how many times I got my ass kicked from the 80’s guys and from random Jocks or Gang-bangers on the streets. In Anaheim in the mid-late 90s it was a battlefield comparable to London in the 70s in the sense that what you we’re into defined who you were, and how much you got your ass kicked. That’s where the battle lines were drawn. It sounds cool if you weren’t there, but it really wasn’t a good time getting your ass kicked because you liked ‘The Clash’. Still, I wouldn’t want to trade places with the generation that went before US, because I wouldn’t want to be tear-gassed and stabbed everytime I tried to play a show. Things get easier for each wave of Punk, I guess. I think people are less Ignorant now, not just the mass public, but also the Punks. We’ve woken up to the fact that Violence isn’t cool and doesn’t solve anything. We see it every day in the newspapers with what’s going on in Iraq. Killing someone else or kicking their ass isn’t going to change anything, it only generates more violence.
If you could have any unsigned band as your label mate, who would it be and why?
Isha: I would have to say the Dead Pets from Leeds. They're probably the funniest band we’ve ever played with.
You guys are about to start touring, what would you say was the hardest part of being on the road?
Isha: the hardest part of being on the road for me is being away from everything that makes you comfortable. Like your bed, your shower, family and friends.
What's the strangest situation you've been in on the road, and how did you manage to get out of it?
Monkey: Hundreds of Nebraskan Midgets road raged us on the highway with shotguns. Luckily I called apon the flying Monkey cousins and they came to our rescue and carried the midgets to Sheol. Ha! That'll teach those nebraskan midget tribes!!
Is there anything you would like to add?
Justin: Yeah, thanks a lot to everyone that’s been coming out to shows. We know there’s no money out there for things like that these days, and Thanks to everyone who is BUYing the album. We lose money all the time doing this, and everytime you buy a record instead of burning it, you’re helping us to get out of massive debt. And thanks to every kid out there who opens a venue, starts a zine, or a band, you’re awesome. Keep going, stick to your guns. You’re going to lose a hell of a lot of money and have to put in a lot of sacrifice, but if it’s what you really love to do, STICK TO IT. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do, or how to do it. Your life is yours. It’s like I’ve said at some shows, “This is a night of your life, Treat it like it was the last one you could ever spend.”
Thanks again from your time, and we hope you have a good tour.
Justin: THANK YOU! Hopefully we’ll see everyone out on the Road!
