Tales From The Fest: Exclusive Review of “Death to JHOFF” and an interview with Johnny Hoffman and the Residents

Question: What has twenty fingers, four legs and isn't afraid to break genre? Answer: Johnny Hoffman and the Residents. I caught their live set at Capital City Punk and Core Fest and after we chatted I was given an advance copy of their EP, “Death To JHOFF,” set to release on May 31^st. I was stoked to listen to it and soon as I was back in the comfort of my luxurious Big City Pent House in Seattle (read: small apartment) I popped the CD into my expensive Stereo System (read: laptop) and gave it a go.

Death to JHOFF opens up with a song that cooks. 1347 kicks in with a shrill a “Lets Go!” and takes off into a hard driving rock and roll tune. There are two beautiful left turns that come out of nowhere. A monologue and then the speed is pulled out at the end, allowing the inner metal head in all of us to bang our heads along. This dynamism plays out beautifully and is an excellent introduction to an EP that demonstrates the fearlessness with which Johnny Hoffman and the Residents approach their craft.

The second track “Suzy” is a catchy pop-rock tune drawing on elements of the Black Keys, early White Stripes and a heavy dose of some surf rock. You’re gonna be singing this one to yourself whether you like it or not, but I assure you, you’re gonna like it. It’s a fun tune to listen to, if I still had a skateboard (yeah yeah, sk8 or die, I know) this would be a tune I’d listen to while bombing hills.

Track three is a cover of “What I like about you”, original recorded by the Romantics and released in 1979 by their label Nemperor. Johnny Hoffman stays very true to the original, at first, before launching into a break down and solo about half way into the song. “What I like about you” is one of those songs that is so ubiquitous in our culture, and has been covered several times on top of that, that its easy to hear the “Hey! Uh-huh-huh” and then tune out and nod along. This cover demands your attention at exactly the point when you would start to tune out. The guitar starts to squeal, the tempo changes, a steady distorted rhythm guitar chugs along (that’s chugs, not chugga-chugs, this isn't crabcore) behind the squealing solo that drives the song out giving way to... is that a horn section? Jesus. Trust me, the horn section isn't what you're thinking. It's soft and lets the song down nice and easy. This is a really interesting cover of a song that I honestly was not too excited to hear.

The first half of the EP is very obviously rock and roll. While it explores different aspects of rock and roll, the second half is where everything starts to get interesting. “Hind Sight” begins with vocalist Skye crooning “You can call me crazy, or you can call me fine, I’m losing all my memories, I’m running out of time.” A guitar whines and starts into a slow riff, Joe delivers a short verse and then rapper Madshroom jumps in and raps over the steady back beat and melodic guitar. This song has a lot of creative energy behind it, and it is a great example of how the band is willing to work with other artists and avoid being pigeon holed.

“All is well”, the penultimate track, starts out nice and steady with a calmly delivered verse before launching into a heavy and chaotic chorus. Reverb on the vocals brings a nice amount of space as well. At the end we are treated again to that lovely hard rock guitar that flies so gloriously over the thumping beats.

The last track “Hey” is a love song that balances nicely against the rest of the album. Switching from a soft verse that Joe sings softly over and contrasted by a chorus with a distorted guitar and Dylan’s crashing symbols, along with the shouted refrain of “Yeah!” the song slowly lets go of the listener. A really solid note to end on.

Johnny Hoffman and the residents are not afraid to break the mold, that much is clear. In my opinion, they are at their best when they embrace their old school hard rock influences; Joe letting the guitar rip and Dylan slappin' skins. But I’m also a simple man with simple taste. There is a complexity that this band is reaching for ,and while they haven’t quite gotten to it yet, I’m very excited to hear what else comes out of these guys.

At the fest, I can’t remember what was holding me up from catching the first half of their set. I might have been interviewing CFA or balance, I might have been waiting on some food by the grill, or maybe Shaun was talking my ear off about stitching together shoes. At any rate, their live performance was great. Both members play their hearts out for the crowd.

Afterward I tracked them down by their car outside to talk about the Fest, what their influences were, and what was in store later for them.

Fringe Music: So how are you guys liking the Fest?

Dylan: I’m having an awesome time, just soaking up the sun and the energy in there. This is one of the liveliest crowds we’ve played in front of in at least the last four shows.

Joe: Yeah I honestly didn’t think we’d mesh very well, but we had a great time.

FM: When I was listening it almost sounded like you guys had a White Stripes-y kinda sound, is that intentional?

Joe: We actually listen to a whole buncha shit, I actually listen to a lotta 80’s disco shit so. It kinda, doesn’t really translate very well I guess

Dylan: We get it all the time just being a two piece in general. They see a drummer and guitarist and think the White Stripes. But honestly we’re going more towards the Black Keys. Just being our own entity and more or less a DIY approach.

FM: Well you guys definitely had a different sound than some of the other bands here tonight, and its really refreshing to hear it. Can you talk more about your influences?

Joe: We kinda go album to album. Led Zepplin to Captain Beefheart, Jazz…..No country though, I’m not a big country fan.

Dylan: When I get asked this I say the most selfish answer. I listen to our music, and I get influence off of Joe when he comes up to me and he says he has a new song or a riff and I’m just like, playin' along to it. So that’s kinda what I influence myself with.

FM: Cool! So whats coming down the pipe for you guys then? Is there a new album or EP?

Dylan: We actually just released [our new EP] “Death to JHOFF” and this has been in the making for the last, probably 6 or so months and we just got some fine tuned recordings so its six tracks and a super do it yourself approach.

Joe: We can’t get a label though cuz we sound different on every track. We have a rap track, hard rock, we have a punk track. And there's a cover too.

FM: That’s awesome. Any big shows coming up after the fest?

Joe: We’re playin' the Aquasox Stadium in Everett on June 14^th and then Everett again at the Creative Underground Theater on the 31^st.

Dylan: That one’s gonna be the “debut show” [for the EP]. Tonight is a sneak peak of “Death to JHOFF,”on the 31^st we’re gonna have merch and we’re gonna sell the EP and its gonna be a big show.

FM: That sounds like it’ll be a great time. How long have you guys been together?

Both: A couple years now

Joe: We really started going for it the last 6 months. We’re hoping to do a September west coast tour and 

then east coast in march [2015] and then hopefully get some record label behind us.

Dylan: And if we can’t get the record label its no sweat, we already made it this far. So I mean, we’ll just keep taggin' along and push out the music, ya know?

FM: Sounds awesome guys. Last question, if you could say anything to 300 people what would you say?

Joe: Check us out and come to our show.

Dylan: Show me your boobs.

Check out Johnny Hoffman and the residents next month at the Aquasox Stadium on June 14^th and the Creative Underground Theater on June 31^st. Check back here soon for an interview with Thistopia and many more bands from the Capital City Punk and Core Fest and beyond!

Drew Smith of Burn Burn Burn talks touring, new releases, and what got them here.

We've talked about Burn Burn Burn before. Our first real article was a review of their "This Machine" EP. We did an interview with their guitar player, Adam! France, about his solo tour. Their founding guitar player, Garrett Griebel (who is currently living on the other side of the country), runs City Bear Design and has done a lot of our graphic design work. It's safe to say we're friends. The coverage they've received here is not without merit, however. They deserve all the publicity they can get.

It's great seeing a band play so many shows, release so much material, and still manage to be kind of silly. They've got a T-shirt with a slain Jar Jar Binx, proclaiming "Death to the Prequels!" They're calling their next romp down the coast "the Pickle Back to the Future Tour." These guys are real folks, who love punk, pickle-backs, and nerd culture.

I did a phone interview with Drew Smith to talk about that tour, which starts this Wednesday. Drew is an interesting guy who has worked with the Assasinators and the Americommies previously. Luckily it was kinda early when we had our chat and neither of us were too fucked up to share some good words.

Our conversation was out of order. I'm not good about writing up questions before an interview. I'm not great with professionalism either. The interview was full of nonsense and it was hard to find the important stuff and put it in order. That being said, I did it, and I think I did it well.

Burn Burn Burn got started when Drew decided he wanted to pursue a cleaner sounding project. He'd been hanging out with John, their founding drummer, a lot. Drew would scream into the mic, while playing three chords over John's drumming. At the time, Drew was a little more shaky and atonal in terms of his vocal styling. When I brought it up, he responded with, "I didn't know what the hell I was doing, I still don't know what the hell I'm doing. All I wanted to be like, and all I ever want to be like, is Fat Mike; when it comes to funny stage banter. Trying to implement that is the worst idea ever because, no matter what, you're not Fat Mike and you're not going to be a funny drunk douche bag. You're just going to be a drunk douche bag."

In the beginning Burn was a four piece. It was Drew, Chris Daniels, John Taylor, and Garrett Griebel. Travis Rimby (of CLR fame) quickly replaced Chris on the bass. That didn't last too incredibly long, and bass powerhouse, Benny Iler has been holding it down ever since. More recently, the band members have switched out a lot. John quit the band about a week before they recorded "This Machine," about a month before their nation-wide "Life is Tight Tour." Garret took over the drums for the EP, making his contributions to the final product total out to lead guitars, drums, and graphic design. Drew explained, "He's a magical ginger. He's like a leprechaun, but really tall." They had a friend from San Diego fill in on "Life is Tight," and since they got back, Ian Walter of Generation Decline has joined on drums. With Garret on the east coast, Adam has taken over lead guitar duties, while Brett Wood from On the Ground is filling in on rhythm guitar.

The new tour is equal parts promotion for the new split and a sheer need to be on the road. "Our split with Stabbed in the Back is supposed to be released right around this time. With vinyl it's always so up in the air. It might show up by the time we leave for tour, it might not. It's really cutting it. Either way, we're basically touring just because we're a band. We've got the itch and we need to. It's not the only tour we'll be doing this year anyway. Instead of doing a crazy 11 week one, like we did last year, I think we're gonna split them up and kinda regionalize it. Probably every other month, we'll just do a 2 or 3 week tour and go in different directions. If we don't have the split by this tour, we'll have it by the next tour." 

The funny thing about the split is, the Burn Burn Burn tracks were recorded before "This Machine." Drew said they were recorded for a different split that never happened. "[The tracks] were recorded, I think a month before we recorded 'This Machine.' It was supposed to be on a split with another band. With vinyl it already takes forever and that band still needed to record their's. Long story short, they broke up and became another band. We were just like 'Okaaaay. We've still got these split tracks. Who wants to be on a split with us?' So, it's going to be with Stabbed in the Back. We're super excited, because those guys are super awesome."

This tour is really exciting. The west coast is pretty easy for these guys. It's going to be a lot of meeting up with old friends. "The last tour, we toured the whole nation. Pretty much everything was foreign to us. Except the west coast and Montana. So, this will be a piece of cake." They've got a lot of great bands on bills while on this tour. It was nice to hear someone so excited about their craft and the opportunity to practice it among other masters.  "I'm most excited to play with Western Settings. They're based out of San Diego. We're playing with them on our San Diego and Tijuana dates. We're playing with the Briefs in Bellingham, SNFU and Nihilist Cunt in Reno, and our homecoming show is with a Wilhelm Scream."

Getting to play with bands you've followed for years seems like the perfect payoff, but when asked about the most rewarding part of being in a touring band, Drew said, "Honestly, it's knowing it was all done because of you. Being a touring band at this level, you get the least amount of help from anybody. Whatever satisfaction you get out of it, it's all because of the work you put into it." When I asked if he thought bands with managers lost out on some of that satisfaction, he replied, "It depends on what level they're at. You can quote me on this, if they're in a local band and they have a fucking manager, they're lame asses. One: you're not going to appreciate anything you get, and two: you have no idea how to do anything. Do you know how easy it is to book shows locally? Try booking a tour. It's hard as shit. Now, if they have a national tour booker, that's some next level shit. I don't condone or condemn any band that does that. If we got offered that, I'm not sure if we'd take it or not."

Drew's been booking the tour himself and their label, La Escalera, is providing records to sell, making sure Burn can do all they need to on tour. I was interested in how that union came to be. Drew filled me in on the strange circumstances surrounding the summer that lead to getting signed. "La Escalera signed us right after we recorded 'This Machine.' It's kind of weird how everything went down. We had a really messy summer. It's a really long story but, we got asked to play this festival in Montana and everyone got really excited." Talk of the drive lead one of the band members to suggest a national tour. " 'We should just tour the whole country and keep the drives down to four hours' I'm doing the math in my head. I'm like, 'We'd be gone for like three months!' He said, 'We could just book from the road.' I'm like, 'We? You don't know how to do this! You mean, I book all the shows from the road?'" When all was said and done, that guy quit before the album got recorded. After Drew was a month into booking the tour already. So they went ahead and announced the tour anyway. Drew told me that La Escalera contacted them and asked, "What's up with this new release? Do you need some one to release it?" La Escalera puts out the Loss, Success, Random Orbits... It's an amazing independent label. What a great fit and an amazing opportunity.

Burn Burn Burn has a lot going for it. They're signed to great label, they've managed to survive through countless member changes, and their recent releases have been gracing my playlists (and I'm sure countless other people's) for the last year or more. If you get a chance, head on out to one of their tour dates. New merch and a solid line-up are sure to make it worth your time, even if you've seen them before. It starts on Wednesday, May 28th in Burien, WA. For more information visit their Facebook and Bandcamp pages.

"PICKLEBACK TO THE FUTURE TOUR 2014"

May 28th Burien, Wa - Black Zia Cantina

May 29th Bellingham, Wa - Make.Shift w/ The Briefs

May 30th Olympia, Wa - Trackhouse

May 31st Prineville, Or - Cinnabar Lounge w/ tuck and roll

June 1st Reno, Nv - Jub Jub's Thirst Parlor *free show* After SNFU

June 2nd Sacramento, Ca - Cafe Colonial

June 3rd Hemet, Ca - The Wheelhouse Bar w/ Slow Children

June 4th Los Angeles, Ca - The Redwood Bar

June 5th San Diego, Ca - The Tower Bar

June 6th Tijuana, Mx - El Tigre Bar

June 7th Oakland, Ca - Stork Club

June 8th Chico, Ca - The Hundredth Monkey Cafe

June 9th Portland, Or - Katie O'Brien's

June 10th Seattle, Wa - El Corazon w/ A Wilhelm Scream and DIRECT HIT!

Tales From The Fest: The Track House, OPP and Our City Shows

On Sunday morning, I woke up on Paul’s recliner, phone in hand, with a Genny-Ice tall-boy in arms reach. Twitter was still open on my phone, and it seemed like the entire internet (or at least our little slice of it), was abuzz with news, announcements and absurd pictures all stemming from the Capital City Punk & Core Fest, held on 5/17 at the Track House in Olympia.

The bands who turned out played with an intensity and fervor that I have rarely seen at shows in the PNW. Ranging from the absurd to the socially conscious, the diversity in bands at the Fest kept everything fresh. I expected Pogo Punk and some 80’s style hardcore. What I got was a cornucopia of amazing rock and roll played by people who wanted nothing more than to make the crowd move. Shot on Site, Johnny Hoffman and the Residents, The Further, Cody Foster Army (CFA), Balance, 13 Scars, Crooks To Kings, The Deceptives, Thistopia, and The Assassinators all left everything they had inside the Track House, a huge black monolith in downtown Olympia next to the train tracks on 7th and Jefferson. 

The Olympia Pyrate Punx and Our City Shows collaborated to make the fest happen, and through their combined efforts, the space was beyond welcoming. Alena, described by one of the folks at the show as “The House Mistress”, got the barbecue going before Shot On Site kicked off the Fest and spoke to me about the Track House and the Olympia Scene.

The house was originally built in 1891 for Union Pacific as a work crew house. At some point between 1992 and 1997, it became a show space for the Olympia Grunge scene, and in 2002 it was given a thick coat of black paint. Alena has been running the Track House since 2011 and has thrown over 200 shows. We spoke as she cleaned off the grill and got it ready to feed the proverbial 5000. When I asked how it was working with the Pyrate Punx, her eyes beamed “I love em! I want them to use my venue, I think they’re amazing human beings, and I love being a part of a community that treats itself like a community, not just a scene.” She mentioned that the house had had some difficulties in the past with violence and party roaches, people looking only to get drunk and cause chaos. Since she has started working with OPP, things have changed. “That’s what happens when you invite 300 people to your house, it’s always going to be crazy! But are we stewarding a consciousness of benefiting the community, or are we doing something constructive? What are we doing? Well today, we’re grillin.” Alena’s infectiously positive attitude would continue to shine throughout the night as she got the coals burning and the burgers sizzling.

Inside I caught up with Brandy Rage, Captain of the Olympia Pyrate Punx. OPP was founded in January of 2014, and since then Brandy and her motley crew of misfits have been working to get the Fest organized, while also throwing numerous other shows and growing their ranks. The Pyrate Punx are an International organization started by Chief Blackdawg in Oakland. Since their inception, they have swelled to 44 chapters worldwide, from the US to the UK to Indonesia. The OPP are all about bringing in awesome bands and throwing shows. “We wanna put Olympia back on the map. It was big in the 90’s but then what happened after that?” By bringing in bands like the Secretions and 13 Scars, Captain Brandy seems hell-bent on making Oly a destination again.

Back outside on the porch, watching bands move in equipment, I was lucky enough to meet Joey Cristina, the man behind Our City Shows. I asked him how Our City got started. “We started officially in May of last year after I got in a car accident. I think something got fucked in my head. I got in a car wreck and was like ‘I gotta be a fuckin promoter now!’” Joey wants to promote all age shows more than focus on a genre or style of music. His hope is keep the scene alive by keeping the elitism out. “There’s a lot of bands trying to book in Olympia, there just needs to be more people booking shows!”

Joey’s passion for bringing music to Olympia was evident in his voice. He spoke earnestly and passionately, as did all the promoters, as well as the bands and the crowd. It was clear that everyone involved wanted nothing more than to create a strong and welcoming community. It’s that kind of unity that is sometimes so rare to find in local scenes.

With the exception of one insane individual who broke his arm in the pit, made a splint out of duct tape and drum sticks then went back in, the whole show went off without a hitch and people left smiling and covered in sweat. Exactly the way any good fest should end. Keep your eyes open for interviews from the bands in the next coming weeks, and as always, refer to the Calendar for updates on the bands that played the Fest!

Written by: Pete GK
Peter “Rottentail” GK was born in a suburb of Philadelphia and spent much of his youth begrudgingly surrounded by Dave Matthews Band super fans. He has written music as “Peter Rottentail”, with 1 split CD released by the House of Filth Collective in Indiana PA, and has had 3 poems published. A punk, a poet, and a college graduate, Pete now resides with his girlfriend and roommate in Seattle. He spends his free time writing, petting his roommate’s cat, and softly banging his head while listening to Light Bearer.

Seattle Dispatch 5/10

I walked into the Sunset Tavern in Ballard after a lengthy bus ride from Capitol Hill on Saturday
night. Earlier in the day, I heard Sailor Mouth was playing a show, and while I wasn't sure who else was playing, I figured if nothing else I’d enjoy their set and leave happy and a little buzzed for the bus ride home. I was pleasantly surprised when Dogs of War, Gladiators and Caligula also took the stage and delivered the type of loud, heavy, rock and roll I was looking for.

The first band, Dogs of War, lived up to their name perfectly. Their stage presence is all about
power stances and vicious melodic assaults on the audience. Drum beats roll in like a B-52 bomber,
laying waste to the ground below it; guitars rattle away like machine guns before breaking into
harmonized riffs and break downs, all while lyrics are barked into the mic. I’m stoked to see these guys play again, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open.

After the dogs, came the Gladiators. Gladiators Eat Fire, and their style of psychedelic post-
hardcore, are an amazing treat to watch live. The singer, Mark, bobs and weaves around the stage,
swaying alternating between screaming his lungs out and softly singing. The guitarist Brian hangs his head low, tapping along the fret board with his hair obscuring his face. There is sweat flying from the
drummer Ian's brow, James makes his bass rumble along. There is a spacey interlude, then speed, and
then, there is chaos. I managed to ask Brian if the band had any pre-show rituals, to which he responded with a smile, “Everyone gets high except Ian.” A perfectly reasonable course of action, considering Ian plays the shit out of those drums and drives the whole beast directly into the crowds collective chest.

Sailor Mouth, a band I've had the unfortunate pleasure to see on several occasions, is always a
sleazy rock and roll delight. If you want hard driving rock and roll with growling vocals that give way to heavy grooves and filthy ballads about your girlfriend who fucked your drug dealer, then Sailor Mouth is exactly what you’re looking for. Seeing what Kale, the lead singer, will do at the live shows is half the fun. Whether gyrating on the mic stand or leaping around like a maniac, he is an excellent front man who knows how to entertain.

Caligula was the only band I was not yet familiar with before the show, and I was pleasantly
surprised when the opening chords reverberated through my chest cavity. Feeding off of stoner metal
bands past, Caligula delivers heavy crunching chords mixed with elements of hard rock. Bass drums
abound and the crowd collectively banged their heads along. But, you know, in that Seattle slightly-
subdued-but-still-way-into-it kinda way.

The Sunset Tavern, located at 5433 Ballard Ave NW in Seattle, is a great venue with a decent bar
too. If you find yourself in Ballard and want to catch a good show, I highly recommend it. Shows are
booked almost every night in May. You’re sure to find one that suits your tastes at sunsettavern.com.
For next shows from each of these bands, check out the Fringe Music Calendar!


Written by: Pete GK
Peter “Rottentail” GK was born in a suburb of Philadelphia and spent much of his youth begrudgingly surrounded by Dave Matthews Band super fans. He has written music as “Peter Rottentail”, with 1 split CD released by the House of Filth Collective in Indiana PA, and has had 3 poems published. A punk, a poet, and a college graduate, Pete now resides with his girlfriend and roommate in Seattle. He spends his free time writing, petting his roommate’s cat, and softly banging his head while listening to Light Bearer.

Generation decline talks tour and the new album.

I caught up with Generation Decline's Andy and Angel, about their new album and the tour they're starting tomorrow.

We did this interview over the phone. I slept in; and Sarah, my wife, came home for lunch which I didn't expect. The interview actually took place an hour later than we expected, but they were ready for it to happen, and understanding of the delays.

In the spirit of getting ready for the podcast, I decide to just go ahead and share this interview as an MP3.  You can hear it on our SoundCloud, shown below.



I cleared it with them to put this out as MP3. Just so you know, they don't still think this in print.

Also, good to note that I didn't edit this at all.

Ten Pole Drunk talk their beginnings, the new album, and the upcoming tour.

I met with Ten Pole Drunk at Le Voyeur about a week ago in hopes of getting some insight into their new album and their upcoming tour. It was a fitting location. We've both played their before, more than once. Probably together. It kind of just seemed like meeting some great friends for lunch. That's actually exactly what it was.

Despite the time stamp being 1 PM, I was still really groggy when I showed up. I was kind of surprised to see everyone there. Damien, the vocalist. Raquel, the drummer. James, the guitarist. Ricky, the bassist. Even Joi, the band's "babysitter." All of them bright eyed, full of smiles, and ready to tell their story. At least, to tell some jokes, thinly veiled by their story. It was comforting to see that they were already eating fries and drinking beer. They certainly didn't waste any time making themselves at home. That's what I've always loved about Ten Pole, they're at home wherever they are.

It's kind of hard coming up with questions for your friends. People you've played with a lot, shared beers with, and probably punched in the face before, generally have already told you what you need to know. It was tempting to just have a beer with them and catch up, to forget about my obligation to this blog or my commitments to them, and to just hang out. The good news was, once we got to talking, it was easy to stay on topic, even though we honestly were just kickin' it.

I started where you would expect: Asking about the origins. I asked how long they'd been playing. Raquel informed me, "It's been about a year and half since we started playing shows."

Damien sat there with a smug look, slowly nodding and added, "Dead Baby Bikes, two years ago."

"Our first show was at Dead Baby Downhill. So, that's like our band anniversary," James tried to clarify.

I was as confused as you are. Apparently Seattle is home to a bicycle club known as Dead Baby Bikes. Once a year, they do the Dead Baby Downhill. Ten Pole played their first show the same night at Studio Seven. This all sounded pretty great. I had to ask. "There's a bicycle club in Seattle called Dead Baby Bikes. They do a downhill race every year that turns into this major event afterwards. There's a couple thousand people in the streets. They do bike jousting on tall bikes, and they build stages in the street. They take over downtown. There's no cops." James is apparently an expert.

Thanks to the fact that I was pretty stoned, this conversation led to some confusion. I thought these guys were called "Dead Baby Box" when they first played that show. I was wrong. However, TPD seemed pretty impressed with that name, "Maybe we should have been Dead Baby Box." I guess it's a weekly thing for them to "try to change the band name," I was glad to contribute to the tradition.

Their real name, Ten Pole Drunk, is a reference to an old public intoxication test, where the suspect would have to walk the length of ten telephone poles without falling over. James admits he stole it. Saying, "To be really honest I stole it from someone else, Tyler, from American Dischord (AMDX). He used to be a member of [unintelligible band name] out here and that was a contender that they didn't use, and I wasn't going to let that go to waste!"

With the name out of the way, that left the question of how these guys started working together. Damien volunteered to spill the beans, "I moved up here after living in Portland for about a year. I meet this ass-hole [James] a year into school. We started jamming at our buddy's house. He had a bunch of drums and guitars. So, we just get drunk. He allowed us to get drunk and stoned and shit, but it kept us in a safe area. So, we ended up meeting her [Raquel] and were Dead Peasants. Ricky gave us our first show. We decided to kill Dead Peasants and started this band."

James added, "Our bass player left us and Ricky kind of stepped in to get us back on our feet, it just turned into this. I think it was a good move for us, because before we were just playing a really generic, straight forward form of punk rock. This changed our sound for the better."

Hearing that got me gushing about how great their style is. It's like good old-school hardcore: Still punk. Not metallic. Devoid of machismo. I asked them if that was working for or against them. A lot of the punk going on around here either has a really melodic sound, or heavy elements of metal and thrash crossing over. It didn't surprise me to hear that it did work out for them, and James was more than stoked to tell me all about it. "We used to be on this circuit, where we played the 2 Bit a lot, and there'd always be these old guys drinking beer. It made my day every time it would happen; they'd all just migrate into the pit and go out of their way afterward to say, 'I haven't seen punk rock or hardcore like this since I was a kid,' and we get that reaction all the time. People that were there in the 80's for that kind of hardcore. We played with Fang at the Chuck [Charleston] and their singer went out his way to super compliment us. Like, 'You guys remind me of when we were starting out.' It's really worked in our favor."

The other side of that, as Damien pointed out, were the shows where everyone would go outside. "When we were first starting out, there were a couple shows where it was abysmal. We had people go outside. I had an extra long cable. So, I just went outside and started yelling at the kids. I guess they were all straight-edge or something. They just went out there and mad-dogged us. Except a few crazies, out there smoking cigarettes, that just started a circle pit outside. We were doing 'Crucified.' I was just out there yelling, 'crucified for your sins!' So I sound super crazy."

I was excited to hear about how their distinct sound and old-school style would shape the new album. I heard their old demo and it didn't do them justice. I got a teaser track before the interview, a rough mix of "Godzilla." It was fairly amazing. One of the lines in it was "keeping hardcore alive," which I honestly believe they're doing.

Upon bringing up their old demo tracks, everyone laughed and assured me this new album would "blow them out of the water." The new album will consist of nine tracks, recorded with Scott, at the Boiler Room. They're shooting for a release at the end of May. There's going to be release parties in Everett and Olympia, and they're taking copies on tour with them. I think that's a big selling point for this tour. Everyone who shows up can get the new album, and most recent run of merchandise before the die-hard fans at home. Unless, the die-hards want to get out and catch an out-of-town date.

Being their first real release, you can expect all of their old songs. Everything written since October is gonna have to wait for the next album. This release has classics like, "More Chicks in the Pit," "Godzilla," "Due Process," "Are You Having Fun Yet?" and "Tacoma Low Lives." They say it's pretty much an even split between political songs and party anthems.

Which lead us to talk of tour. They've planned an awesome journey through Oregon and California to promote the album. It will take place over the first ten days in May, with a bonus "homecoming" show in Olympia on the eleventh. This is their second tour, with the first being a trek through eastern Washington, on over to Idaho. Despite that trip being full of good performances, nice bands, and great crowd response, it was kind of miserable. "Our van overheated non-stop. I think it overheated eight to ten times. So, the whole trip, in eastern Washington, while it's over a hundred degrees, we're stuck in this van where we had to have the heat blaring the whole time," James lamented. "We're going to drive at night. That's what we learned."

A common practice with touring bands is to try to play places where they have friends, especially to ensure a place to sleep. When I brought that up, they had a laundry list of people they were stoked to see on the road, but it also sounded like the were going to wing it a bit. "We harass people," Damien assured me, "That usually works out."

The thing that excites me about this tour is the new merch. James gave me the run-down, saying "We've been busting our asses on merch. I'm so goddamn tired of screen printing. We did something a little off the beaten path with our CD's, as far as packaging goes. I don't want to give too much away, you'll have to wait for that... but, we've also got patches, stickers for the first time, a run of buttons, and shirts. We're just finishing up the last of the Godzilla shirts." I got some details about the packaging, but was sworn to secrecy. I also got a sheet of five patches and one of those fabled Godzilla shirts. I sport both regularly, now.

 The CD's are 100% DIY! Once again, James acted as band spokesperson, and excitedly laid-it-out, "We're doing it all ourselves. We're putting the labels on the CD's. we're printing the packages. We have 200 sheets of cardboard at home right now. It's a two color screen print, so it takes about ten minutes for each one, just to get the color on it. Then we still have to glue them up and do all that. Plus, there's even more than that, because there's bonuses going into each one." Everyone loves bonuses, Joi assured me that they would be different. "If you buy two CD's, you'll probably get different prizes."

At this point we decided to take a smoke break. After we got back to it, I got a lot of awesome stories about the legend of naked Damien, more stories of hot vans, a little glimpse into bringing your rowdy friends into the studio and letting them drink while recording gang vocals, and a great story about an out-of-town gig that somehow ended in drunks shitting out of a third story window. The world of Ten Pole drunk is a magical place.

You're going to have to wait for the podcast to hear anymore about it, or you can just catch them next week. Either way, be sure to tell your friends about the tour and see the band as soon as possible. Their fun, antagonistic stage show will be everything you ever hoped punk could be... and you might get hit with Damien's dong.

Oly Pyrate Punx Brought in the Secretions! Are you paying attention yet?

I'm starting to get really pissed off at the number of awesome conversations my phone loses. The newest and most precious was my conversation with Mickie Rat and Paul Filthy of Sacramento band, the Secretions. I remember them talking about the long standing the Secretions have had, Paul still being the new guy after logging eight years in the band, and being able to enjoy their friends bringing their offspring to shows.

I remember them telling me that this was near their first experience in Olympia, that this tour was awesome, and that, thanks to punks all over, this tour was not at all an uncommon success.

I first heard the Secretions (almost by accident) when I was 15. I was cruising MySpace for "socialist punk bands." I found the Socialfucks and quickly stumbled onto the Secretions by way of Ashtray. The Secretions are a punk band that pull influence from horror, pop, street, and the 50's (even if they don't realize that.) It's a fresh sound that brings back memories of security. Grandma's rocking-chair was a lot like this. That is, if Grandma sang about boners or fucking in a cemetery.

The show was everything I've been waiting for. It's been a decade since I found their music, and they held up to my idealizations. They were tight, fought technical difficulties with an iron fist, hit every song perfectly with only a 1.5 second break, and still managed a nice comedy break in the middle.

Mickie and Paul are employees of the State of California, and Danny is a fourth grade teacher. If you ever thought your dreams of being a punk rock star were out of reach, these guys are here to slap you in the mouth, in a fatherly way. They may be the most supportive and positive old-timers I've encountered thus far. Their biggest praise of Washington was the tight-knit scene, and the fact that we don't "try too hard to be punk."

They even went out to McCoy's with us after show. You know, the black bar straight down from the Track house. They have cheap shots and local scene-heads around every corner.

Either way, these guys should be familiar to you. If not, you probably know at least one band on the roster that night. Ain't Got Time to Bleed. Red White and Die. The Deceptives...

It was an amazing show. Those guys really made my night, though I found out (in a conversation that wasn't deleted) that Paul joined the band not too long after they played the first live show he'd ever seen. That's what childhood dreams are made of. That... and getting to drunk with your heroes after their fans slam you against a low ceiling.