Interview with Kira Roessler of Black Flag

Photo from www.alicebag.com
By Chris Carlton

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would like to state that I do not do interviews with the purpose of being confrontational or mean-spirited to the artist. This is a hobby for me, and a fun one at that. I send out many interview requests and get very few back considering. So the ones I do get, I appreciate. I would never go out of my way to be rude or hurtful of anyone's feelings. That being said, here is my interview with Kira Roessler.

Squid Pro Quo: Thank you for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Kira. A lot of people may remember you as a former member of the legendary band, Black Flag. Can you give us a little history as to what you were doing before, and how you got involved with the band?

Kira Roessler: "I played piano from 6 to 11. I started playing bass at 14 to join my brother's prog-rock band. I was never good enough to do that. My brother and I got into punk rock and we started playing together in my first band, Waxx. I played in several other bands in the Los Angeles area for 7 years before I joined BF. I knew the guys in BF from shows and stuff, they were my favorite band when I was playing in DC3 with Dez Cadena and Henry (Rollins) called and asked if I wanted to stay after DC3 practice and jam with Bill and Greg (we practiced at the same place). After we jammed, they asked me to join.

SPQ: During your time in Black Flag did you find it difficult being a female in a predominately male, and I'm sure ignorant, punk world?

KR: "Um...ignorant? You mean that a woman might be able to play? I guess I disagree with the premise. And as to it being difficult to be a woman, I have no real frame of reference. As I mentioned, I played bass for years before BF, so I never felt that it was significant that I was a woman; I knew I could do whatever I set my mind to. That being said, it was an extremely difficult physical challenge to be in BF."

SPQ: How do you feel punk and hardcore in general has changed since the early '80s? Do you feel it's gotten better or worse?

KR: "I have no idea. I do not participate enough to have an opinion. As for 'punk' and 'hardcore,' what is the difference? I mean, hardcore is more punk than punk? We (in BF) never called ourselves 'hardcore;' that was others and after the fact." Punk was supposed to be about going against what was (I thought) so I am not attracted to bands who are following some rules about what they think they should play or look like. So hopefully it has changed in the sense that it doesn't sound anything like it did then."

SPQ: What's your relationship with your former band mates? Do you still keep in touch?

KR: "Not really. I have had minimal contact with them."

SPQ: Do you think there will be a Black Flag reunion, and would you be interested in playing if it happened?

KR: "Greg did play a gig with some former members. I have no idea but if I had to guess, I would say that he doesn't want to do a re-hash and I would tend to agree. As to whether I would do it, the opportunity to play with those guys would be very tempting."

SPQ: Post-Black Flag, you were in the band, dos, with Mike Watt. Over the years, you both recorded a few albums, the last being the '96 album, Justamente Tres. Are there any plans for a new dos album or possible tour?

KR: "Dos has a fourth record coming out in July. As for tours, Mike is a busy guy and I work for a living, so the most likely thing is that we do some gigs here and there like we have for 25 years."

SPQ: Do you have any favorite albums or songs that you've played on?

KR: "Because you didn't mention them, I will mention that I played on Twisted Roots recordings and with a band called Approximation. Dos is probably the sentimental favorite because I express myself the most in that format and happen to really like the bass. I also have come to appreciate writing material that breathes and where there are spaces, as supposed to more of the 'wall of sound' effect."

SPQ: You're an Emmy-winning dialogue editor who's worked on television as well as such feature films as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and more recently, Twilight: New Moon. How did you get started in the editing field?

KR: "Actually, through playing bass. My brother was working on composing some music for a student film that a guy named Bryan Franklin was editing/mixing. Bryan was running a small company that specialized in sound editing. We became friends and after a couple of years, I twisted his arm into hiring me. I started just answering phones and doing office work as I learned to be an editor."

SPQ: What's more fun for you: playing music or working on TV and films in the editing department?

KR: "There's that 'fun' word; always trips me up. OK, here we go. If I have to use that word, the most 'fun' is writing songs or bass lines in my room. Playing live has so many elements to it aside from the actual playing that it is therefore, less 'fun.' And work is challenging, at times creative, at times exhausting and demanding. I get paid well, so there are perhaps 'fun' moments, but they can be fleeting. I would use the word 'satisfying' for all these things."

SPQ: I know recently your home was burglarized and your custom-made bass was stolen, only to be retrieved about a week or so later, and the thief arrested. What's happened to this guy since then? Has be been prosecuted?

KR: "I have no idea whether he was even arrested. The last thing I knew was that the police had a copy of his driver's license. Remember they probably couldn't even prove he was in my house, just that he was in possession of stolen goods. They would only have followed up with me if they had come across other stolen items from my home, which they did not."

SPQ: What was it like getting that call saying your bass was found? You must have been ecstatic.

KR: "I was. I rushed to the police station and the officer said he usually makes the person explain how they know the item is theirs, but the look on my face said it all."

SPQ: Well, us fans are very happy you were reunited with your bass. Is there a website that you would like to plug where fans can get in touch with you and find out what you're up to these days?

KR: I have a Facebook page and post to it pretty regularly. Won't be long before I hit my 5,000 friends and then I will have to create another site, but I will and there is a dos Facebook page too.

SPQ: I can't thank you enough for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Kira. It's such an honor and a pleasure. Thanks again.

EDITORS NOTE: Upon receiving Miss Roessler's answers, I realized maybe I should have worded my second question differently, as to not confuse what my intentions were. Below is an open letter to Miss Roessler, and her response.

SPQ: Thank you very much for the interview and your time.

I want to apologize for any misunderstanding on question 2. What I meant by "ignorant" was the fact that there were so many guys playing in punk bands that they seemed quite macho and ignorant to a certain degree; too much machismo going on, it seemed to me. It wasn't until I heard "Not Just Boys Fun" by 7 Seconds that I actually heard a band stick up for women in punk rock. And Kevin saying that women are just as talented and strong as the guys. So, I am sorry. I should have rephrased that question.

But again I want to thank you for your time. I really do appreciate it.

All the best,
Chris/SPQ

KR: "And I am standing by my disagreement. In Hollywood when punk was starting, there were lots of girls in bands and not in bands who were key parts of the movement. The faces gracing the covers of the fanzines were as likely to be female as male. A little later, the Orange County effect occurred and the scene did skew a little more male, but the women defined the fashion, for example. And again, I never really caught shit for being a girl."

Interview with Milo Aukerman of THE DESCENDENTS

Photo from Epitaph.com
By Chris Carlton

Squid Pro Quo: Thanks for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Milo. So the Descendents are back touring after 15 years. How does it feel to be back on the road playing to packed houses full of fans?

Milo Aukerman: "I have to admit, I was a little stunned at the level of response. We go away for 15 years, and come back with an even larger audience? But from a different perspective, it does make sense: there are many out there who never got to see us in the '80s or '90s, so people are really committed to coming out for these shows. I’m totally loving it, especially because I watched the extreme toil that ALL carried out for many years, and Bill (Stevenson/drums)/Stephen (Egerton/guitar)/Karl (Alvarez/bass) deserve every bit of the attention we are currently getting."

SPQ: Can you give our readers a little history on The Descendents and how you got involved with the band?

MA: "Bill started the band with Frank Navetta and Tony Lombardo in 1978. They put out a single in 1979, “Ride the Wild”/”It’s a Hectic World,” and Bill started selling it at high school during recess/lunchtime. I was a classmate of his, and bought a copy of it, and loved it immediately. I heard where they were practicing at the time (The Church in Hermosa Beach), and showed up at a practice, professing my love for their music. They actually had a girl singer at the time, who never showed up to practice. So there was a mike set up, and I said, 'Hey I know Hectic World, lemme take a crack at it!' It wasn’t a 'tryout' at all, just me having some fun, but they asked me to join a few weeks later; not that I could sing at all, but I guess I had the right level of enthusiasm! We practiced like crazy for the next year or so, then recorded the FAT EP (1981). Then all the other records after that (dates in Wikipedia). We played locally in L.A. and San Francisco from 1981 to 1985, then did our first U.S. tour (to be followed by many others). We didn’t go to Europe until 1996."

SPQ: I see and hear a lot of you in so many young bands these days. Being an influence to so many I have to ask, who are some of your influences?

MA: "Beatles, X, Germs, Black Flag, The Last, Bad Brains. Extreme punk (especially L.A.-based), plus melody."

SPQ: Back in the band's early days, you guys played with bands that are now considered legendary in their own right. How was the scene different then as opposed to now?

MA: "Some of the bills were unreal – Black Flag + Minutemen + Saccharine Trust + Husker Du + Red Cross + us, etc. That will never happen again! We were the young unknowns on these bills, and that was OK, because the Black Flag/Minutemen guys were always helping us out, putting us on the bill, helping us record, etc. I felt like part of an extended punk family during that period (1980-1983), and it was definitely a legendary time for South Bay punk rock. The DIY ethic really crystallized during that time, thanks to Greg Ginn and SST."

SPQ: When the band's '95 comeback album came out, it was a surprise to see that Frank Navetta and Tony Lombardo played on a couple tracks ("Dog House" and "Eunuch Boy"). Where Frank and Tony brought back for those songs specifically? Or were those songs unused tracks from the '80s?

MA: "Bill invited them to contribute songs, to 'join the party,' so to speak. Frank came in with “Doghouse.” Tony had a great song that didn’t make the record, “Gotta” – it’s on one of the CD singles. Those were relatively new songs, whereas “Eunuch Boy” was an old song; in fact it was the first one I wrote for the band back in 1980 (Tony wrote the music, I wrote lyrics)."

SPQ: The band's last album, Cool To Be You, came out in 2004, but the band decided not to tour in support of the album. Why not tour behind such a strong album?

MA: "Thanks for the positive review! Unfortunately, I really couldn’t commit to the touring; I had recently started my job at DuPont and didn’t have much vacation time to use, nor could I take a leave of absence. We went into that record knowing we would not be able to support the record through touring. Fat Mike was also aware, but still wanted to put it out, ‘cause he was so into it."

SPQ: With the new tour and the band playing here in Chicago at Riot Fest in October, are there any plans for a new Descendents album?

MA: "Not at this point. I’ve got some songs, and I’ll bet the other guys have a ton (they always do!), but trying to figure out how to fit in recording will be difficult. As it stands, I’ve used every vacation day from my job that I can, so there’s no time left for recording. We’ve had to prioritize our activities because of my schedule, and so far the priority has been on doing shows, because there is such a huge demand for it."

SPQ: I understand ALL are gonna be doing a show with every singer they ever had. Will there ever be a history of the Descendents show where you'll bring out Frank, Tony, Ray or Doug to play a few songs from their time in the band?

MA: "That would be fun! Something like that has happened the last few years in Fort Collins; the band puts on an event called Stockage, where there has been a reunion of sorts (without me, though). One year, Bill played with Frank and Tony, for example (original power trio lineup! Yeah!). Sadly, Frank died a few years back, so the true original lineup is no more. Ray and Doug are still available, so maybe they can show up sometime and play on some of the old stuff."

SPQ: Being a father, it must be hard to be on the road. Do you or the other guys bring the family on the road with you?

MA: "We’re actually not on the road these days. What I mean is, we can only do a handful of shows per year, so I’m rarely out of town for more than a few days. Although it would be great to be able to play more shows, there is a silver lining, and that is that I’m not an absentee father or husband. Back in 1996-'97, we toured like crazy, and I would come back from tour and be useless as a husband. Luckily, I didn’t have kids back then. This time around, my wife and the kids are coming for a few shows, and that’s perfect. Any more than that, and they would get sick of it! Bill’s and Stephen’s wives have come to a few shows also, plus their kids. It’s a family environment (aside from the stage volume and dirty lyrics)."

SPQ: After this tour, what can we expect from The Descendents? Are you back for good, or just for now?

MA: "'For good?' Do you realize how old we are? Seriously, it’s been a blast, and as long as we can stay healthy and the shows are fun and people want to see us, we’ll keep doing it; on a limited basis, of course. I keep assuming we will eventually fade into obscurity, but so far I’ve been wrong, so I’ve stopped predicting the end."

SPQ: I know I speak for a lot of fans when I say it's great to see you guys back again after so long. Is there a website where fans can keep up with Descendents news, shows and buy merch?

MA: http://www.descendentsonline.com/

SPQ: Again, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo. It really is an honor for me to interview you, Milo. I'm looking forward to the Chicago show in October. Until then..."Thank you for playing the way you play!"

MA: "Thank you for listening, and we’ll see you in Chicago!"

Interview with Keith Morris of OFF!/The Circle Jerks/Black Flag

Photo by Katie Hovland

Chris Carlton interviewed Keith Morris of OFF!, The Circle Jerks and Black Flag via the web recently about his new band, OFF!, the state of the Circle Jerks, his influences and much more.

Squid Pro Quo: Thank you very much for taking time our of your busy schedule to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Keith. I know you've been touring nonstop with OFF! for the past few months. How did the band get together?

Keith Morris: "We can blame this OFF! mess on those swell guys in the Circle Jerks. Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), the guitarist in OFF!, came to the CJs to get us in songwriting mode in order to create a new record and of course, it turned into an ugly situation. Dimitri was fired as producer and in the process, I quit over this shitty crybaby episode. Now it was my idea to start the CJs in the first place and I wasn't gonna walk away from something I helped create. I thought to myself, 'everybody in the Jerks has 20 other things they do to make scheduling nothin' but a royal flaming CLUSTERFUCK so I'll add to the confusion by starting OFF! and creating my own schedule!' This new band's probably the best decision I've ever made. During our creative process, I told Dimitri that the other guys in the Jerks were gonna figure out a way to ruin the scenario and that the songs we've written are way too happening to be tossed out with the garbage. Let's come up with plan #B, #C and #D and make something outta this! That's when Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt) and Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) stepped up and it's been pretty much non stop party action since then."

SPQ: The short, in-your-face blasts of music that you're doing with OFF! are reminiscent of the first Circle Jerks album. Was it the band's intention to make fast, in-your-face hit-and-run music? Or was it just a natural direction to go in?

KM: "Well, we were attempting to make a CJs record but one day, Dimitri hit the strings on his guitar and I was totally wiped out! YEAH! That's where we need to take this! The way we'd work is him starting out riffing and us going back and forth as to how it should be put together which also applied to my lyric writing. He played something on the six string device which reminded me of where I came from in Hermosa Beach. He comes from a 'heavier' Nirvana-esque place and I told him to pay attention to the guitarists we'd listened to the previous day: Link Wray, who is the Father of the 'down stroke' and Johnny Ramone, who popularized it! No more 'butterfly,' which is the technique a metal or folk guy uses to strum on the strings, it has to be down strokes and attack! AIM FOR THE FLOOR!"

SPQ: The band's been touring nonstop. Any plans for a break in the tour to record a full-length album?

KM: "'The First Four EPs' is our album! I'm on break as I type and we'll get together next week to start writing new songs so we won't fall into the same hole as before. My initial idea was to release a four-song EP every two or three months until we had 16 or so songs then compile them into a full-blown record. It didn't work out that way as we were gonna sign with Epitaph Records but then decided to see what else was out there and test the waters. We signed with Vice Records 'cause their marketing's beyond CRAZY! Vice gave us a couple of deadlines to meet to really make this happen as they had abso-fuckin'-lutely nothing goin' on for a couple of months and told us we would be their priority until the Black Lips finished their album. We jumped at the opportunity and here we are!"

SPQ: You worked with legendary artist Raymond Pettibon on the artwork for the band's 7" EPs. Being the original singer for Black Flag (Pettibon did the album artwork during their career), did it feel like you came full circle having worked with him again after so many years?

KM: "The great thing with Raymond Pettibon is that we get to re-establish a long lost friendship as when we hung out at the Church in Hermosa Beach and were drug and boozin' buddies! I'm no longer doin' any of that stuff as I'm a diabetic so I've got no time for that but Raymond and I immediately hit it off and started carrying on like a couple of crazy teenagers! He realized how his older Bro stepped all over the bands and peeps he dealt with so we had that in common and Raymond allowed me to come into his workspace and gave me carte blanche when it came to his artwork. He's a Stud Prince Rawker of the tallest order and plays a seriously mean tambourine!"

SPQ: When you worked with Black Flag on the "Nervous Breakdown" EP or the first couple Circle Jerks albums, did any of the band members get the sense that the music you were creating was going to be as influential as it turned out to be?

KM: "We were CLUELESS! We were excited to just be doin' what we were doin' and being able to receive an invitation to the punker-dunker party. There wasn't a map or a plan as to how we'd do things; we just did them and suffered whatever consequences later on. There weren't any managers telling us what to do or record companies that sniffed around at our gigs. We had to go by the "live and learn" technique and let it all go down however it was gonna' happen! We didn't sit around talking as to what our music/noise was gonna' do out in the public 'cause our credo was pretty much just 'go for it!' and worry about all this stuff further down the road."

SPQ: How do you feel the hardcore scene has changed since the early days? Do you feel it's gotten better or worse?

KM: "I try not to pay any attention to this as it's music and it's gonna be shoved in some of the faces of the music-listening public, dark corners and under dirty rugs. As with any genre of music, some of it will stick to the wall and some is gonna be so thin and watered down, it'll slide right off. I listen to so much music that I really could care less about any one category! College rock, hardcore, sweater, foxcore, punk, prog or whatever they're labeling it; if it's great, it transcends or rises from any box it's being placed in!"

SPQ: Is there any bands out there that you feel are carrying the torch as far as making music on their own terms and not conforming to what's considered popular by today's standards?

KM: "I'm moved by Deerhunter's "Microcastle" recording, who are a drone band outta Atlanta, Georgia or The Shins who made an almost perfect "Pop" record called "Chutes Too Narrow" that came out on Sub Pop a few years back. I'm also very partial to Trash Talk, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Moon Duo and Fucked Up."

SPQ: It's been 16 years since the last Circle Jerks album of original material. Are there any plans in the near future for a new album or possible tour?

KM: "When it comes to the CJs, it all started to come down to money and the fact that we're older guys who are set in our ways; TOTAL BUMMER! The mentality became, 'We're who we are and can write/record whatever we want and our fans will buy it because it's us!' and that's REALLY weak! I told them that I wouldn't be a part of the 30th anniversary tour 'cause I'm busy with the OFF! first anniversary tour."

SPQ: You seem to still have that fire and energy in you that you had back in the late '70s and through the '80s. Your passion for your craft is obvious. Do you still find enjoyment in playing live and creating new music?

KM: "Well, I'm on a bit of a roll and OFF!'s providing me with new opportunities that my other band couldn't make happen. OFF! is going to Europe for the entire month of August to play several festivals and tour across Holland, Germany, Sweden and Norway and my feelings toward this is that I'd be a fucking idiot to not go over there and have some fun! The CJs would only talk about this and end up not doing it!"

SPQ: Who are some of your musical influences? And what drives you to be as creative as you are?

KM: "Too many: The Kinks, Iggy Pop, Jagger & Richards, MC5, Jeff Beck, John Dwyer, Jon Wurster, Ray Davies, Lennon & McCartney, Pete Townsend, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Alice Cooper, Leon Russell, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, Dave Vanian, Jerry Morris, Bob Caldwell, John Jancar, y mas!"

SPQ: Your musical history has influenced countless bands for more than 30 years and counting, with no signs of slowing down. Where can people get in touch with OFF! for tour dates, new releases and merch?

KM: "OFF! has a facebook page that has an 'Events' section that lists all of our tour info. or go to http://www.offofficial.com, which is our 'real' site!"

SPQ: Keith, I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo. It's truly an honor and a pleasure to speak with you (NOTE: via web). We're all looking forward to more OFF! releases and more amazing live performances. Thanks again.

KM: "Well that's really a misnomer as we didn't speak! Don't be a liar! Just kidding! If you wanna take the time to write questions, I'll gladly take a portion of my time to answer them. YER' WELCOME! Have fun!"

Don Giovanni Records Showcase 2012: Dirty Work and Death By Audio

Words and photos by Jason Duarte

This year was our first attending the annual Don Giovanni Records showcase.

I flew from Chicago to Laguardia, in Queens early Thursday morning, met up with my buddy Mikey Erg, and we made our way to NJ to take care of some business, rip CDs and talk all afternoon about Black Flag shows, Def Jam Records, Kraftwerk, touring, bands and other relevant topics of interest. He showed me this rare artifact:

He showed me the studio where his dad, Mickey Erg - I mean Yannich - worked on Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album, and I saw Bon Jovi's (and Eric Truchan's) high school:

We walked past THE grocery store where Mikey wrote most of the songs for The Ergs!' DorkRockCorkRod and Upstairs/Downstairs. In the parking lot, he recalled writing "Stinking of Whiskey Blues," one my favorite Ergs! tunes, and a highlight from his solo show the following night.

We took our second bus to New Brunswick, where I was introduced to the 'Fat Sandwich.' At first, I pictured a generous amount of lard between two slices of bread, but what I got was much more delicious, and filling. Exclusive to the Rutger's University campus, the Fat Sandwich wears many masks. Mine was called the 'Fat Elvis (Jason),' and consisted of gyro meat slices, mozzarella sticks, lettuce, French fries and tzatziki sauce smashed into a hoagie roll. It was amazing, and quite filling.

From there, we took a train a few stops over to Metuchen, NJ, where the infamous Forum Theatre (see the cover of Night Birds' The Other Side of Darkness below) is located.



In fact, that album hangs framed in the theater lobby. Anyway, we arrived before anyone else and anticipated the theater employees to put Dirty Work on the marquee, but Hugo remained. I was hoping they'd put 'Men In Black Who Like To Have Sex With Each Other,' but some things are too good to be true. In a way, it felt cooler with Hugo written outside, while Norm MacDonald was making dead hooker jokes on the screen inside. The movie was more incredible than usual. It was a cross between a Rocky Horror Picture Show theater experience, Dirty Work and the Pop Punk Message Bored. It was awesome. After the movie, I went back to my friends in Brick Mower's apartment with friends, Jeff and Miranda. I had some delicious Yuenglings and hung out for a bit before finally crashing out on their couch. The two days of being awake got to me. Dammit!

So the next day I walked outside and saw the band, Thursday's old house. I think this was it...

Then I walked to the New Brunswick train station and took an expensive ride back to NY Penn Station. From there, I bummed around NYC like a tourist and took the subway to Brooklyn, where I grabbed a coffee at Black Gold Records, and some pizza at Vinny's Pizza. Then I visited with Mike Hunchback at his record store, Co-Op 87 Records, easily one of the best record stores I've ever been to. Their selection was diverse and ventured into obscurities that anyone who fits in a particular niche would be delighted to find. Everything was so reasonably priced, and Mike threw in free vinyl (The Ergs' 3 Guys, 12 Eyes 7'' and Screeching Weasel's You Broke My Fucking Heart 7'') Hell yes. The best part was hanging out and chatting with him again about music, movies, shows and the like.

Then it was time to head to Death By Audio, a 1.1-mile walk from Co-Op 87. I grabbed my backpack and records and walked over. First up was Plastic Cross. It was their first show, and the band features Fid (guitar) and Tim (bass) from The Measure [sa]. They were good - more hardcore than punk, but I'm stoked to see what they sound like on record. This is them playing "Future Science" from the show:

Nuclear Santa Claust had For Science's bass player and I'd never heard them before. They sounded like hardcore Ramones-core, if you can imagine that. Check them out below:

House Boat was a good time. All four original members were there. They didn't play the tightest set, but were fun. They played the new song that will be featured on The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore compilation album, coming out later this year. Check that out below:

But first, they opened with "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

Also they also played "Real Life As a Metaphor For Real Life."

After House Boat, Mikey Erg! took the stage for his second set (for those who don't know already, he's House Boat's drummer/backup vocalist), the final one of the night. He played his solo songs off the heart-shaped 12'' released last year on Paper + Plastick Records, "Permanent Solution" by Psyched To Die, "Fuck You" by Cee-Lo Green, a new solo one, Ergs! songs: "Stinkin' of Whiskey Blues," "If You Don't" and "Books About Miles Davis," and others. The latter was the closer. Joe Keller (Ergs!/bass) and Fid (The Measure [sa]/guitar) jumped on stage to back him up and everyone lost their shit towards the end of the song, where it gets electric. You know the part. Fid played drums, and Joe did what he does best; bass. Check out "If You Don't" and a still shot from the show:

Friday night was a great time. It was nice meeting some people from the PPMB, and buying Chadd's 7'' vinyl! Stay tuned for the Don Giovanni Saturday night review. I wish I had more time for this to do it right now. I love you.

A Review of Rediscover Records in Elgin

NOTE: Freelance writer Jason Duarte books shows in Elgin and Chicago, is part of a band and blogs about the local music scene Wednesdays exclusively on Between the Bylines.


I wasn't aware downtown Elgin had a vinyl-exclusive record store until Between the Bylines editor Emily McFarlan added a link to Rediscover Records' Facebook page at the end of one of my previous posts. Intrigued, I looked up its whereabouts and decided to check it out.

I walked past it a couple of times until I realized the shop shared space with an antique store at 207 E. Chicago St. On the right side are records, and the rest of the store is chandeliers, mirrors, glassware and other antiques. The nostalgia of the records blends right.

I approached the vinyl corner of the store, and the first thing that caught my eye was the $1 LP crates. I am a big fan of these, so I scoured through them. Most of what they had was classic rock and pop, but they also carried punk and metal albums by bands like The Clash, The Cult, Talking Heads, Ministry and Black Sabbath.


Find out what else Jason discovered, his review of the shop, after the jump.

On the left side of all the wax, Rediscover Records has a "new" section. I say new in quotation marks because some of the albums are old, but sealed, or have been re-issued. Some of the new records they carried were by artists like Radiohead, Black Flag, She & Him, The Gaslight Anthem and Broken Social Scene.

Rediscover Records' prices were reasonable for an independent record store. Digital music purchasing and sharing over the last decade has proven to be a big competitor to independent record shops, and it's noticeable, as many have unfortunately fizzled away.

If you enjoy new and used vinyl, I'd recommend browsing through Rediscover Records' LPs and collection of hundreds of 7''s. The other day, I spotted two copies of "Glass Houses" by Billy Joel, both marked $1, and picked up the one with newer-looking grooves. I, for one, am going to pop in from time to time and see what's going through there.


-- Jason Duarte, Freelance Writer

Link to the story: http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/cn_bylines/2010/08/_note_freelance_writer_jason.html

'American Despair b/w The Coming' by Run Down

By Jason Duarte
Release date: July 25, 2012
7'': Firestarter Records
Rating: 3.5/5

Run Down recorded this two-song 7'' in 2007 and since then, the band adopted a new moniker - Voight-Kampff. "American Despair" is a classic-style punk tune with hints of haunting surf influence reminiscent of the Dead Kennedys, but it embodies the darkness of Rudimentary Peni and nihilistic lyrical tendencies of Pegboy as well.

After a minute-long creeping intro, much like a less melodic "Smash It Up Pt. 1" (The Damned), "The Coming" reveals its meaty innards as a faster, early-style hardcore tune by way of Black Flag. I would recommend this 7'' if you're a fan of any of the aforementioned bands. Not many go for this sound in punk rock world 2k12, though Night Birds and Culo are two current bands that share it. These two very well-written songs are a refreshing throwback and the only bummer is that it's a posthumous release.

This piece of wax is limited to 300 copies on white vinyl via Firestarter Records.

Listen for yourself:

Elgin band movin' up? Signed on indie label

NOTE: Freelance writer Jason Duarte books shows in Elgin and Chicago, is part of a band and blogs about the local music scene Wednesdays exclusively on Between the Bylines.

Gruff and throaty, yet melodic punk rock band The Brokedowns made a name for themselves around Elgin and Chicago late last century and have maintained a loyal fan base throughout.

In 1998, the Elgin four-piece released a demo tape followed by a few demo CD-Rs before the band saw its debut full-length release, "Let the Disappointment Begin," on Big Action Records in 2002. Since then, the band's released two more full-lengths and a handful of split 7-inches with other punk rock bands, like The Copyrights, The Arrivals, Turkish Techno and Sass Dragons.

The Brokedowns haven't had a full-length release since 2007's "New Brain For Everyone," but in June, an indie label with a successful catalog based out of Chicago called Red Scare Records decided it would put out the new Brokedowns album and added them to its roster of Teenage Bottlerocket, The Menzingers, The Lillingtons and others.

"There's so much going on right now with the label, and as we all know, these are bleak times for small indies like Red Scare," said label owner Tobias Jeg in a punknews.org article.

"But when I heard these songs, I just knew I had to make this happen. It reminds me of
Dillinger Four meets Black Flag meets (Naked) Raygun meets F***ed Up. It's thunderous punk rock but with great, stinging melodies and a little bit of fruitiness to make things fun."

Jeg will release the band's fourth full-length, "Species Bender," on Sept. 14.

A sneak peek at the album, upcoming shows, after the jump

On Tuesday, The Brokedowns posted two new songs to its MySpace page from the upcoming album. The songs, "Celebrity Death Panel" and "I'm a Ritual" accumulated over 200 plays in 12 hours. The new Brokedowns tunes are some of the most melodically infectious ones the band's churned out to date.

I am personally very excited for them. Signing to Red Scare is sure to bring them more fans in more places and only open more doors for the group, and after 12 years, I think they're deserving of it.

The "Species Bender" release show is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at Ronny's (2101 N. California Ave., Chicago) with fellow Elgin-ers, Bust! and The House That Gloria Vanderbilt and Minneapolis' Double Bird. The show is 21+.


-- Jason Duarte, Freelance Writer

Link to story: http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/cn_bylines/2010/08/elgin_band_movin_up_in_the_world.html

'Compared To What' and 'Live at Generation Records' by OFF!

OFF! is the new band from former Circle Jerks and Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris, along with former members of Burning Brides, Redd Kross and Rocket From the Crypt/Hot Snakes. They are a band that understands the idea that great hardcore works better in small doses, so their output remains all on 45-rpm 7” EPs: a four-7” box set and now these two new releases, totaling six 7”s.


By Justin Schwier
Rating: 4/5
Southern Lord Records 7''
4/26/2011

Compared To What musically is a little different from the majority of their songs from the First Four EPs box set from last year. There’s a bit of San Diego swagger to the song, almost as if they were channeling Drive Like Jehu or Hot Snakes guitar riffage heroics. While “Rotten Apple” is a rager of a song, more in tune to classic Circle Jerks style hardcore with a section in the middle with a near spoken vocal part where Morris uses that wonderful voice to great effect. Short and fast and certainly to the point, this single adds a bit of musical growth to the band's catalog. it also comes on one of the sturdiest pieces of vinyl I’ve seen. I just wish it came with a lyric sheet and a download card too.


By Justin Schwier
Rating: 3.5/5
Vice Records 7''
4/16/2011

Live at Generation Records is another part of a series from a great record store in New York that throws free shows and has slowly been releasing the recordings. There are four songs on this one and all of them are performed with absolute precision and as raging as the studio versions. You gotta love bands that can 'bring it' live too. The only thing I really don’t like about this is that I wish there was more between song talking, as anyone who’s ever seen Keith Morris perform knows he TALKS and it’s usually some pretty great stuff that would compensate for the fact that all these songs come from last year's First Four EPs box set. Not 100% essential, but a good taste of what you’re gonna get if you see them play live.

The Queers Are Here!

The first known usage of the term "punk rock" was in the Chicago Tribune on March 22, 1970 in an article about a New York band called The Fugs, where lead singer Ed Sanders described his solo material as "punk rock - redneck sentimentality."

Punk was not just about making a different style of music for the hell of it, which is a common misunderstanding. Punk seemed to be a necessary step taken in the 1970s by those across the globe who didn't agree with the pompousness and sentiment of the era's rock 'n' roll bands and society.

"Punk rock had to come along because the rock scene had become so tame that [acts] like Billy Joel and Simon and Garfunkel were being called rock 'n' roll, when to me and other fans, rock 'n' roll meant this wild and rebellious music," said John Holmstrom, founder of "Punk Magazine."

By 1977, the punk movement was in full swing. England had The Clash and The Sex Pistols. The U.S.'s punk scene stretched from The Germs in California all the way to The Ramones in New York. Australia had The Saints.

While it had a tendency to spawn in urban areas, punk was not just found in big cities. Many obscure towns birthed some of the longest-living and most influential punk bands of the era. One such place was in Portsmouth, N.H.

In 1977, then-vocalist John Hayes (also known as Wimpy Rutherford) was practicing with guitarist and current vocalist Joe King when his friend, Kevin came running in saying, "'Come out to the car, come out to the car, you gotta hear this tape I got,' Hayes said.

"So we went out to his car and we sat in his car and we listened to 'You're a Loudmouth, Baby' and 'PT Boat On the Way to Havana' and I've never heard The Ramones or anything like that before and that was the day - that was the actual day - that we just stopped doing all the shit we were doing and went down a whole other road. Once I heard the energy of that kind of thing, that just sent me right down the road."

"We were just inspired by The Ramones and Black Flag and we kind of just wanted to start a band," said King. "We were fooling around with our instruments and then we just said, 'Let's start a band.' And that was really it, to just have a legal reason as it were, to drink and try to pick up girls and stuff like that," said King.

At this time, Hayes and King (also known as Joe Queer) played in a local punk band called The Bugs and another called The Falling Spikes. Then in 1981, Hayes, King and bassist Tulu declared themselves "The Queers."

"Joe and I were both just sick of the crap of the '70s, the music that was out and what people listened to, like fuckin' Steely Dan and The Eagles and all that kind of crap, and we just wanted to be anti all that," Hayes said.

King and Hayes just wanted a name people would remember that was provocative and also pissed off the art community.

"We just wanted a name that we could spraypaint around our town to piss 'em off, so that's kind of where it came from and it stuck with us," King said.

When The Queers started out, punk was just punk. There was no "this type and that type" like there is today.

"You were nasty and snotty and played power chords with no beats and it was really, everything was kind of similar," Hayes said. "The only dissimilar things you had was, you had the east coast American and west coast American and then the English."

The Queers released two 45 rpm records between 1982 and 1984.

"I remember when we put out the first two Queers records, it was so small then, I remember being at my house, I was a just little kid, living in my little apartment and in came a letter from Jello Biafra and he said, 'Hey, I heard your two singles on some radio station somewhere, where can I get a hold of them? Thanks, Jello Biafra,'" Hayes said. "So even people like that were already in touch with other people that were doing the same. It was pretty small, pretty close-knit. I sent him the singles, I sent him a letter back and I never heard back, but I had come to find out that the guy's an asshole."

In the mid-'80s, the bandmates went separate ways.

King got into the restaurant business, and owned a two-story bar/café in New Hampshire at the time that had burgers, nachos and things of the sort.

"It's creative and there's a good energy," King said. "A lot of people complain about the restaurant business, but it doesn't have to suck, you know, it could be really fun if you get a good crew in there." We had the dining room area (where) there would be a lot of grilled salmon and Italian food and stuff. It was a pretty cool place and I miss cooking. Every once in a while, I wish I still had the restaurant."

King took me back to the 1980s and early 1990s when he had his own place in N.H.

"I was really dedicated, it was a small place. We only sat 46 upstairs and 46 down in the lounge. Everything was fresh," King said. "So, I cooked my own turkey for the roast turkey sandwiches, I cooked my own roast beef, I cut my own French fries, I made my own tomato sauce - I used canned tomatoes - but I used as much stuff fresh as I could, whether it's a burger or whatever. There's a right way and a wrong way to make it, so I didn't just have a restaurant that I opened up to throw frozen French fries in the fryer, no. I didn't do that, that'd be kind of boring."

As King got into the restaurant business, original bassist, Tulu and Hayes went to Boston.

The bandmates were doing their separate things until 1990 when King put out the first record with bassist Greg Urbatis, drummer Hugh O'Neill and guitarist "Young" Sean Rowley.

"I owned the restaurant then, Hugh and B-Face (bass) worked for me - my friends, you know. We were the punks and so I said, 'Let's make one album. Let's get together and make one more album, we'll put it out ourselves and we'll call it a day, but at least it'll be a great punk album,'" King said. "OK, so we hadn't played in about a year, but we still had a bunch of songs. I met Ben Weasel out in Chicago, I sent him an old recording or something. And he got on Lookout! (Records) in 1992 or 1993 and I was working at the restaurant and Larry Livermore called me from Lookout! and he said, 'Do you want to make an album?' So here I am in N.H. and I'm thinking 'Hey, fuck it, I was going to buy a restaurant in Portsmouth, N.H. There was a great deal, I had the money, I was going to go in there at the restaurant downtown and Larry called."

At that time, Lookout!'s own Green Day was just hitting it big.

"I said, 'You know what, I haven't gone down that path in life and I need to learn those lessons. So I know I'll probably regret this, but I'm not going to buy that restaurant,' so I didn't buy it," King said. "The people went in there and they made a lot of money. But I went down that path in life with music and I traveled and that's what happened."

To King, it was weird because he and his friends just wanted to have fun and play on weekend and work the restaurant business.

"That's the point where we made 'Love Songs For the Retarded' and put it out ourselves, we pressed like 500 vinyls or something and called it a day, but here I am," King said. "Then all of a sudden, I went down that path in life and that's how I met my wife and all my friends now are through music, so this whole big life I have was all because I took that decision not open the restaurant and take a chance and go on the road and play music and meet people and learn about life. It all worked out."

Before 1993's "Love Songs For the Retarded," The Queers' 1990 release, "Grow Up," was the band's first and, undergoing numerous lineup changes over the years, The Queers today have over 15 releases between full-length albums and 45 rpm singles. The band's 2007 release, "Munki Brain," deviates away from straight punk and into bubblegum pop and surf.

It's rare that a punk band outlives The Ramones' 22-year career, but The Queers have done it and are still traveling the world.

"You kind of get to the point doing music where listen, all of want to party, at least a bunch of us musicians, want to party and do drugs and drink and not have to work a regular job and sleep with girls you wouldn't meet otherwise," King said. "You want to do all that stuff, but ultimately, it was something inside, that I had to do music. Once I started doing music, I realized it was all about punk rock to me, and music was about being the better person and learning about life and becoming a better person through it. People think it's just about playing a gig to a bunch of drunken people, but its so much more. It's like a journey; if you don't learn anything from the journey, then I should've just stayed in the restaurant."

To King, musicians are lucky to take on the job of going out and touring and playing music to lots of people.

"Not many people get to do a job where they cheer, you know? And say 'MORE MORE MORE.' That doesn't happen when you're flippin' burgers or writing for the paper or whatever, right? You know, if you don't learn from this lucky trip that you're on right here, then you might as well go manage a fuckin' Taco Bell 'cause you're a fuckin' asshole and you haven't learned anything."

"Like George Harrison from the Beatles said: 'We woke up one day, we're the biggest band in the world but then we looked at each other and said, 'Now what?'' So yeah, that's the way I look at it, it's all about learning about life," King said.

Over the years, a lot of now-famous pop punk bands have opened for The Queers.

"A lot of the pop punk bands that got famous like Lit or Good Charlotte or Fall Out Boy or Blink-182 and tons of those other bands - Sum 41 - but really, the only truly great one was Green Day. I'm inspired by it, it's great and that's cool and more power to 'em, I mean, I did it 'cause it was something inside, but bands like us, Green Day, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Screeching Weasel, The Muffs, we didn't do it 'cause it was a career move," King said. "Now it is a career move. If you look like you dress at Hot Topic and got eye shadow on and you write some gay ass songs, you can get famous whether you have fuckin' talent or not, if you got the look.

"It was like a loser's proposition. You were either fuckin' 'Welcome to Burger King, may I take your order ma'am?' or a punk rocker. There wasn't any fuckin' safety net under you. You did it because something told you to do it. Green Day, they were going to do those songs on 'Dookie' whether they got fuckin' famous as hell or they didn't. They had those songs written - we saw 'em, they were showin' 'em to us - before 'Dookie' came out. Some of us got really famous, some of us got semi-famous and some died, some lived, some learned, some moved on, you know. But it touched all of us. Punk rock really did a bunch of cool people out."

King is now married, but playing more than 30 years of punk rock, he is definitely not looking to call it a day anytime soon.

The Queers, who tour a lot, can live off touring, but the band needs a break, King said.

"I'm opening up a recording studio and starting my first session next week, working with The Riptides from Ottawa, Canada," King said. "We're going to do a split with them and a couple other projects. I got a bunch of bands coming in. We're starting slow, but it's pretty cool. I'm spending all my money on stuff, but it's fun. To be honest, I'm more into getting behind the scenes. I see some of the newer pop-punk bands, not many of them really excite me and none of 'em can really hold a candle to Screeching Weasel or Mr. T Experience or The Muffs back in the day. So, I get inspired to show 'em how it's done properly."

Hayes is currently fronting The Jabbers, G.G. Allin's first band. The Queers' current lineup consists of King on vocals and guitar, The Bugs' Dangerous Dave on bass and backup vocals and Ryan from the Atom Age on drums.

At 7 p.m. Sunday, October 5, The Queers will be rolling through Urbana, stopping to play a show at The IMC, 202 S. Broadway, with The Independents, Roberta Sparrow and Dizzy Chair Time. Admission is $10.

Interview with Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy/Common Rider/Classics of Love

Operation Ivy
Photo by SFWeekly.com
By Chris Carlton

Squid Pro Quo: Thanks for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Jesse. People know you from your days in Operation Ivy and Common Rider, but I want to ask you about your current band, Classics of Love. Can you give us a little history on the band and how you got together?

Jesse Michaels: "The band started in 2009 when I was making some demos. A friend played a tape of the band, The Hard Girls, for me and I really liked it so I reached out to them and asked them if they would like to play with me. As soon as we played, there was instant chemistry and we have developed a good working relationship. I also really like them as people and we get along and have fun together. I never realized it but to me, this is actually the single most important thing. Given a reasonable amount of inspiration, almost any group of people that get along will produce something worthwhile because with bands, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts."

SPQ: You, like myself, are a big fan of all styles of music. From Cole Porter to Patsy Cline to Buddy Holly. What musical influences do you bring to the table when you're writing songs?

JM: "Lately, the primary influences are '80s hardcore and current neo-hardcore. So as far as old stuff, I am talking about Jerry's Kids, The Necros, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Youth Brigade, Seven Seconds, The Fix, Die Kruezen and so on. As far as new(er) bands, I am talking about bands like Set to Explode, Wasted Time, Government Warning, Socialcide, Nightstick Justice, Double Negative, early Fucked Up and so on. In addition to this, I have so much mid-tempo melodic punk ala The Clash, Menace and Stiff Little Fingers in my blood that it just always comes out somewhere."

SPQ: I know Classics of Love released the "Walking In The Shadows" EP in 2009 as well as a single for Art of the Underground last year. Are there any plans for a new EP or full length? Or a possible tour?

JM: "Yes. We have recorded demos for the LP and are very excited about our engineer and the songs. We have everything written, we are just waiting until the studio is available. So we are going to record the album in August."
SPQ: You were in the band Big Rig back in the early '90s. That band only lasted a few short months. If you don't mind me asking, why such a quick demise?

JM: "That band was primarily a project. I really liked those guys and liked the music they were playing but I did not want to turn it into a band proper because I couldn't exactly write songs in the vein that they were doing - it just wasn't quite the style I was used to. We managed to do a couple nice songs and Lookout! Records agreed to put out the EP. We also did a gig and it was fun. I am still in touch with several of the guys that were in that band, many of whom have gone on to do interesting things."

SPQ: I understand that you are/were a breakfast cook. Being a cook, I find it relaxing to do something I love. How did you get started cooking? Was it a life long passion or just something that fell into your lap later on in life?

JM: "Well, I am a good cook but I was not a very good professional cook. However, I managed to pull my weight and I tried to do extra things and be reliable to make up for my lack of natural ability. This is not false modesty, it's just how it is. The head chef at my restaurant was and is a great guy and he helped me to do it and taught me a lot about cooking and about having an incredible work ethic. There are things you can only learn by having jobs. It was a good experience and something I still do for fun."

SPQ: In this day and age of skinny jeans, bad haircuts and "mall punk" bandwagon jumping, do you feel the punk idealism and energy has been dragged through the mud in order to make a quick buck?

JM: "Every social movement that begins underground and with extremely creative, intelligent energy, eventually gets co-opted by the more normal, mainstream crowd. They take what's cool and make it tacky and obvious, and they are the ones that get the money. It happened with the hippies, it happened with the beats, it happened with goth, it happened with hip-hop, it happened with rave culture, it happened with gay pride, it happened with skateboarding; it happens. That's the nature of the world. Of course, all those crappy bands are annoying but really, who cares? I have been into music for literally 30 years and as far as I remember, there were always crappy bands. Some of the shit that went on in the '80s and '90s was so God awful, it made me want to scream. It's true that so-called hipsters are the single most annoying example of this dynamic in history because nobody has gone so far to co-opt symbols of non-conformity and make them into bland fashion, but what can you do? There are still great bands. These days, all you have to do is find one and follow the connections on the various social media. If you find one that you really like, chances are you will find 100. I think a person could spend an entire year on great Japanese bands alone and never get to the end of it. So yes, there is definitely a lot of shit out there, but there is also a lot of great stuff. The digital age means there's more of both, for better or worse. Well, the hipsters have taken tattoos, collecting obscure records, funny hair, tight pants and screaming into microphones. If real outsiders are so unimaginative that they can't come up with something different, beyond what we are all used to, then they deserve to be co-opted."

SPQ: Are there any newer bands out there that you feel are true to the music? A band where you think, "yeah, they have the right idea?"

JM: "Well, I am not very in-the-loop these days to be quite honest. But just in Oakland alone, there is a great underground hardcore scene; bands like Face the Rail, Comadre, Punch, E-Coli, and so on. Shit, there's dozens of good bands out here. La Plebe is astonishing for example. Frankly, I think the scene is better than ever, it's just that there is such a glut of underground music everywhere that it's harder to get noticed. There are always great bands in Portland and Chicago. Young people are getting smarter, not dumber. If you want to know about a lot of great bands, just use the standard web-research tools and one can find about a million in an hour. I remember just out of curiosity, I went on Interpunk once and started following all the little "people also bought" links from well-known bands I liked and within a few minutes, I had discovered this lesser-known but incredible band called The Observers, who changed my whole perspective on music. Actually they are pretty well-known in the underground punk scene but I mean lesser-known to an old fuddy duddy like me. The Spits were an incredible pop-punk band in the true sense of the word, meaning not just another Ramones knock-off. I don't know if they are still around. Government Warning was fantastic. And so on. The whole Richmond, VA hardcore scene. Out Cold from Boston - not around anymore, but they got it right all the way. In the larger stage stuff, Sharks are phenomenal. At the really commercial level, The Vaccines are great. Don't even talk to me about metal, it's ridiculous. There is tons and tons of great stuff out there. Plus it's all free now apparently, ha ha. Things are way different from when you had to dig through five record stores to find the Descendents 7" and then put it on cassette tapes to give to all your friends."

SPQ: You've played ska, straight-up punk and singer/songwriter acoustic music. What's next for Jesse Michaels? What can your fans expect from you in the coming months?

JM: "They can expect the band I am in, Classics of Love, to record a record. I don't want to jinx it but from the demos, it looks like it is going to be pretty good. So what's next is an album of '80s hardcore-influenced songs, very fast and short, with intermittent mid-tempo punk, ska and rock influences thrown in."

SPQ: Is there a website where we can find out out about news, new releases, upcoming shows and merch?

JM: "Probably either the Asian Man site or my public Facebook page."

SPQ: I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo. It was great to interview you and I'm looking forward to the new Classics of Love record. Thanks again.

JM: "Thanks for the questions and best wishes to you and all your readers!"

Interview with Matt Hart of Squirtgun

My geeky self and Matt Hart (Squirtgun)
By Chris Carlton

Squid Pro Quo: Thanks for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Matt. Fans know you as the lead singer for Squirtgun. Can you give us a little history on how the band got started?

Matt Hart: "Squirtgun started in 1992-93, though we weren’t called Squirtgun at that point. The Giorgini brothers (Mass and Flav) and the inimitable Dan Lumley were in a band at that point called Rattail Grenadier. I was in graduate school at Ohio University studying philosophy and teaching logic. For a variety of reasons that I can’t remember, Rattail’s singer (their fourth, I think) quit the band. That’s when I got the call from Mass to come to Indiana and do some demos with Rattail. The connection there is that during the late '80s, I was in a band in Evansville, IN (where I’m from originally) called Freaks of Nature, and we used to play shows with Rattail (who were from Lafayette, IN). That’s how we all became friends in the first place.

At any rate, in the spring or summer of ’93, I did go to Lafayette to do some demos, but it became pretty clear to all of us that with me singing, it wasn’t going to be Rattail anymore (they were a more hardcore/metal-ly band, and I just didn’t have the throat for that). Plus, I had a bunch of songs to add to the mix, and I started writing lyrics/melodies for some music that the other guys had already worked up. That’s how it all started. I think in those first sessions we recorded “Social,” “Mr. Orange,” “Allergic to You,” “Long So Long,” “Liar’s Corner” and “With a Grin and a Kick,” among others. Because of Mass’s connection with Lookout! (Records) at that point, it made sense for us to try and get a deal with them. Mass wanted the band to have a cartoon-y, pop-punk sort of name, and I came up with Squirtgun (I wish I hadn’t, but I did. In retrospect, I should’ve come up with Piano Smash or Death’s Head Rabbit or Notes after Blacking Out—anything but Squirtgun)."

SPQ: I had the chance to see Squirtgun play, and actually meet you a couple of years ago in Chicago when the band played with Teen Idols and 88 Fingers Louie and you guys were amazing live! Are there any plans for another Squirtgun album or possible tour?

MH: "I’m glad you liked the live show. We had fun doing those a couple of summers ago, but I kind of think that was it. The end. Maybe I’m wrong. I’ve been wrong before, and we’re all still great friends, so I guess anything is possible, but Flav is a research scientist in genetics at the University of Leicester in England now. Mass just got his Ph.D in Spanish and is teaching at several colleges/universities. I teach writing and literature at the Art Academy of Cincinnati (a four-year college of art and design) and I’m a poet (more on that below). Dan writes for the Lafayette newspaper. Additionally, Flav and I both have young children, so it’s tough to get away to rehearse, much less tour. The truth is, I haven’t even picked up a guitar, other than the toy guitar my daughter has, in more than a year. I get the same charge writing and reading poems that I got playing in bands, so it’s hard to imagine going back to music, but if something comes up that’s too good to be true…well, I’ll never say never, but there are no plans."

SPQ: Who were your musical influences growing up and do you think those influences come through in your songwriting?

MH: "Songwriting? Oh man, I’m sure it’s mind-boggling to some people, but I don’t write songs anymore at all—none. That said, the music I grew up with certainly influences who I am as a poet. In fact, I just wrote a long essay in four parts for Coldfront Mag online where I discuss exactly the connections between punk rock and my writing. You can see them here:

http://coldfrontmag.com/poets-off-poetry/by-any-means-necessary-part-1-by-matt-hart

http://coldfrontmag.com/poets-off-poetry/by-any-means-necessary-part-2-by-matt-hart

http://coldfrontmag.com/poets-off-poetry/by-any-means-necessary-part-3-by-matt-hart

http://coldfrontmag.com/poets-off-poetry/by-any-means-necessary-part-4-by-matt-hart

One thing I don’t discuss in the essays above is how much music performance, especially punk vocalists, have influenced the way I perform poetry. I think I’ve always been someone who likes singers/bands that nearly fly apart on stage. That’s certainly something I’ve always tried to do. There’s a recklessness to performance, which is both thrilling and potentially disastrous. I mean, if you’re really in it, you’re totally weird-wired and also vulnerable as hell. Every time I walk on stage/up to a mic whether it’s playing with a band or reading poetry, I’m trying for ekstasis—that is, to be literally beside myself, watching myself, the audience, the vast and the void.

Actually, I want a similar thing to occur when I’m writing; I want to 'wake up' typing with a poem in front of me. I get pretty wound up whatever I’m doing, but this keeps it exciting. Sometimes it’s great, and sometimes it’s terrible. Extremity is crucial. The experience has to be full-throttle. Volcano mixed with trickster mixed with stars and giant heart. Giant vision, giant voice.

In this respect, my influences were and still are bands like Alice Cooper, Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, The Sex Pistols, The Circle Jerks, The Germs, Lifetime and Jawbreaker. More recent bands I’ve really been into are The Blood Brothers, Forgetters, Shellac, Titus Andronicus, The Gaslight Anthem and The Hold Steady.

I like performances (and try to give performances when I read) that are volatile, dynamic, noisy and declarative. I mean, whether I’m at a poetry reading or a rock show, I always want to have my face blown off and leave feeling like I’ve just seen something which is nearly inexplicable, totally surprising and somehow also provocative (both physically and intellectually). I want to be moved, and I want to move other people. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, 'Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis.' To me, this is the bedrock of punk rock, and it’s exactly the reason so many of us are so wide up awake even in our sleep. I’m looking in performances for something ecstatic (and there it is again, ekstasis), something outside the outside, totally in fits—like breathing fire by creating a flame thrower in one’s gut, not metaphorically but for real with the real."

SPQ: Back when you first started out playing in bands, pre mid-90's punk explosion, was it hard to find places to play outside of house parties?

MH: "We definitely played some house parties, but we also played a lot of gymnasiums and college student centers, VFW Halls, and little all-ages clubs that would pop up here and there (then disappear just as quickly). For example, Mass’s Spud Zero in Lafayette, which was around for a couple of years and hosted everybody from The Zero Boys and Screeching Weasel to Naked Raygun and Green Day. There were plenty of places to play, and when there weren’t, we created them. We did it ourselves, and that continues to influence who I am. I don’t ever have the sense that there’s something I can’t do. Not having money or resources is no excuse to not follow one’s dreams and passions. DIY all the way. Make it happen.

SPQ: How do you feel the scene has changed since those early days? Do you feel the scene has gotten better or suffered in the wake of "mall punk" and bands like Green Day going multi-platinum?

MH: "Well, given that Squirtgun’s most famous song is in a movie called Mallrats, I don’t really think I can disparage mall punk. I mean, where I come from, mall punk is all there was/is? I was mall punk in 1984. There was no such thing as punk rock in southern Indiana back then. We had nothing to do and nowhere to go, so we hung out at the mall—and hatched plans to have shows in people’s basements, etc. I once played a show in a stairwell, between a basement and a first floor. I played a show in a kitchen in Knoxville, TN. I’ve also played shows in soccer arenas. The point is: punk is and always has been about doing it yourself. The labels don’t matter. Labels are the antithesis of punk.

As for the scene, I don’t really think there’s much to say. And even if I did think there was something to say, it wouldn’t make any difference—which is a great thing. I’m just one guy, and I don’t even go to shows anymore, so I don’t really know anything about the scene—not even whether or not there is (or ever was) one. The important thing is that to some extent or other, there will always be young people in revolt—both literally and figuratively/artistically. And that means things may ebb and flow, but punk rock and its various tributaries (those established and those not even thought of yet) are a fact of our existence, which is lucky for us."

SPQ: Are there any newer bands out there, not necessarily punk bands, that you really enjoy listening to?

MH: "More recent bands I’ve really been into are The Blood Brothers, Forgetters, Shellac, Titus Andronicus, The Gaslight Anthem and The Hold Steady. Additionally, I love jazz—especially super noisy, squealy, squawky, tear your hair out jazz, e.g. Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Sun Ra. Love those Sonic Youth Records (SYR), Sonic Youth records (the super feedback-y noisy ones), Storm and Stress, DNA.

But man, I listen to everything from classical music to bluegrass to hardcore.

I always wanted to be in a hardcore band. Johnny Whitney, late of The Blood Brothers, has the most kick-ass voice of anybody. Blake Schwarzenbach, too. And Darby Crash."

SPQ: In recent years, as mentioned, you've worked at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and have even started writing poetry. Has any of your writing been published?

MH: Just to be clear, I started writing poetry long before I was in Squirtgun and I’ve continued writing it very seriously all these years. I have three published full-length collections, Who’s Who Vivid (Slope Editions, 2006), Wolf Face (H_NGM_N Books, 2010) and Light-Headed (BlazeVOX, 2011). A new book of poems—my punk rock book of poems—Sermons and Lectures both Blank and Relentless will be published in the spring of 2012 by Typecast Publishing. I’m really excited about that one. My hope is to open some punk shows reading from it. It’s pretty out there, weaving together references to early punk rock, my own personal life, and various philosophers/philosophical positions as a way to talk about human feeling/being, visionary activity and transcendence. The poems are really fiery, and it would be awesome to deliver them in front of a wild at heart, punk rock audience.

Speaking of the Sermons and Lectures, I should mention that a different section of it appears at the end of each of the essays I linked you to above.

Beyond that, there’s a ton of my poetry out there for anybody who’s interested. I also give tons of readings, so it’s pretty easy to catch me live. Over the last 10 or 15 years, I’ve given readings from NYC to San Francisco and everywhere in between. Last summer, I read in China for the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and the U.S. Department of State. This fall, I’ll be back in NYC and also Portland, OR and Seattle. It’s great work if you can get it."

SPQ: Can you give us some of your influences as far as literature?

MH: "Yeah, I tend to like things that are surprising (both in terms of their content and the way/s they use language). I love the Romantics, the Surrealists, The Beats, The New York School Poets, etc. Here’s a reading list:

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (especially the Conversation poems)

John Keats

John Clare

The Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud

“Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville

Emily Dickinson (one of our weirdest poets!)

Walt Whitman

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein

The Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein

The Dada Painters and Poets, Ed. Robert Motherwell

The Poetry of Surrealism, Ed. by Michael Benedikt

The Dream Songs by John Berryman

The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara

The Sonnets by Ted Berrigan

Flannery O’Connor

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Wallace Stevens

On the Road, Dharma Bums, The Subterraneans and Big Sur by Jack Kerouac

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

Gregory Corso (anything)

On Bear’s Head by Philip Whalen

Dean Young (anything)

Indeed I Was Pleased with the World by Mary Ruefle

This Is Not a Novel by David Markson

Grave of Light: Selected Poems by Alice Notley

Haruki Murakami (especially the short stories)

Donald Barthelme

Kenneth Koch

Lydia Davis

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender

The Tennis Court Oath by John Ashbery

The Savage Detectives and 2666 by Roberto Bolano."

SPQ: Do you enjoy writing poetry as much or more than writing music or is there a nice counterbalance between both art forms?

MH: "I love writing/reading/performing poetry. Writing music, I was never very good at. I never really cared all that much about being a musician. I wanted to be a front man. I wanted to go the distance lyrically/melodically in dissonance and harmony, but more than that, I wanted to be a presence on stage. I wanted to throw myself against the wall. I wanted to be music. With poetry, I can do that. I do that. I try every day to do that."

SPQ: Is there a website where we can get news on what you're up to; where we can get some info on your literature writings, music news, possible new releases, upcoming appearances or merch?

MH: Yes indeed: www.matthartpoet.com. Also: www.artacademy.edu.

SPQ: I would like to thank you again for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo. It was a pleasure talking with you, Matt. And I hope we get to hear more from you in the future. Thanks again.

MH: Thanks, Chris. It was fun.