Another friday night, another show. Well, I think it was a Friday. I can't remember. Regardless, another trip to Berkeley to see Mr. Park play his acoustic guitar. Also playing was some guy named Kevin Seconds, apparently he kind of started positive hardcore. I'm not a huge fan of stuff on the Skiba split, but was interested in hearing it live. We showed up a bit early, and saw Mike going in, and waited outside till they were ready. We headed upstairs, and I thought we had come into the wrong place. Epic Arts is a converted apartment, and now serves as a volunteer-run cooperative art gallery. It was fantastic. We grabbed some comfortable seats (two out of the twenty provided) after perusing some of the art, and waited for Mike to start.

If you've seen Mike before, you know what went on. He started out with his DVD playing, listing his favorite records, heroes, and questioning the role of asians in popular entertainment. Very inspiring, just as before. After that, things went slightly different. Mike was in a gushing mood. And by gushing I mean shuffling his feet, thanking Kevin between every single song, and rambling about topics ranging from Netflix to the new Degrassi series (he's a fan), to informing us all that the long-standing one employee of Asian Man is leaving to go to college soon. He played a mix of songs, many from his For The Love of Music full-length, a few new ones from his disc coming out in August, and some acoustic Chinkees songs. Oh, and he played A Girl Named Spike. The highlight was the requested acoustic rendition of Justice, the first acoustic song I heard by him, back in '99 on an ARA cd. So amazingly good. Simply put, you have to go see Mike play sometime, and the Living Room Tour would be a great time to do it.

Mr. Seconds took the stage next, with two and a half decades of music experience, he was exactly as you would expect him...nervous as all hell. One of the most endearing things on earth in a musician in an intimate, 50 person area is to see them be "normal". So here's a guy who forged his own path, standing in front of a bunch people who, like myself, probably weren't alive when he started playing music, struggling with his capo. Awesome. He strummed his way through quite a few songs, most of the ones on the Skiba split, and made some great conversation in between songs. Apparently his wife Allison has been playing keyboard at shows with him. His voice sounded kind of rough that night, a welcome change from the split, in my opinion. Given the chance I'd go see him again in a heartbeat.

The highlight of the whole night had to be when Mike pressured Kevin into trying some acoustic renditions of 7 Seconds songs. The only one he got part of the way through was Bully, and it was just kind of awesome.I thought I had experienced the best Mike Park show experience seeing at the Gilman a few months ago, but I obviously was wrong. This was just plain cool. Everyone everywhere should see both these guys if you can.

If I lived in Boston instead of San Francisco, I would have definitely called the rain we got on Sunday night a "wicked pissah". However, even a few inches of h20 (go!) falling from the sky couldn't ruin a great show like this. The DNA Lounge website said that the show started at 8pm, but I didn't get my ass in gear until 8:30. As I braved the traffic down Oak St in the rain (finding out halfway down that my rear brakes weren't hooked up) I hoped that I wasn't going to miss too much of it. After locking up my bike, I stepped inside the Lounge to the sweet sounds of Axe Records studio band, The Impalers.

The Impalers played a mix of originals and covers, one of which being a pretty sweet Upsetters piece. Their sound was that of traditional jamaica ska, similar to what you'd find on Soul Jazz records LP's and they nailed it perfectly. The keys led the charge with most of the melody and it moved most of the folks on the floor to shuffle their feet a bit. While I don't think that they're a constant touring/live act, if you've got the chance, I'd recommend seeing them, as it's like a bit of time capsule back to Jamaica in the early 60's.

Bay Area rudies The Soul Captives took the stage next, and rocked us with their blend of ska and soul similar to a melding of the Pietasters early, mellower moments and the Slackers. In fact, if you took out the majority of The Slackers' punk/rock influences and put instead some latin and a touch of hip-hop, you'd nail their sound right on the head. It was a mix of instrumentals and songs with vocals, with some of the vocals being filled by Lori, the "newest captive" in their group. Rather than the stereotypical "girl ska" voice (see: Gwen Stefani, Monique Powell), she had a voice that reminded me of the Selecter's Pauline Black or any of the number of early Jamaican voices. Beautiful.

As LA's kings of dirty reggae took the stage, the crowd filled out and moved up. After a bit of trouble with the bass guitar, the Aggrolites unleashed their torrent of skinhead reggae and roots rock on us for over an hour. The majority of the crowd was moving, and every song moved right into the next, with the oddly Wahlberg looking frontman Jesse led the crowd in singalongs for Pop the Trunk and a few others, and kept the energy up the whole time. After leaving stage for a few seconds, they proceeded to take us all to the moon with their rendition of the seminal Skinhead Moonstomp. Good god, I've rarely heard that song done so well. After that, a cover of The Beatles' Don't Let Me Down, roughed and sexed up in their own peculiar manner. Overall, they left the house soaked from dancing, and happy as can be.

This show encapsulated all that was mostly missing in the mid 90's ska explosions: roots, reggae, and rock. Grab some tickets and and your boots, then go see any of these bands when you can. A+++

Photos from the show

An hour drive and an hour's wait in line in the basement of Santa Clara's student lounge led up to this oddly matched show. I came for the RX Bandits, and while I was glad I got their early (as the show sold out quickly), I could have lived without seeing any of the opening bands.

Amity was probably the best, as their kind of noodling whiny emo-pop punk interesting (yeah, that shows how horrible the others were). Nothing memorable, and overall a pretty bland stage presence. I can't really say much more, as there isn't much to say.

I'd heard some good things about Over It from some friends and other zines. I hope to god the band was sick that night. It's either that, or their producer flogs them in the studio and pretty much makes the songs up in ProTools, as their live performance sounds nothing at all like their recorded documents. Add to that a complete lack of stage presence and some nicely out of rhythm drumming, and I'm pretty much done.

Shafter (heh, shaft) are Yellowcard without the hooks or the violin. They're local to Santa Clara, so people knew them, danced, etc. Still boring, and if you actually can hear the lyrics, you'll burst out laughing (As I did).

The Bandits played (finally) and killed it. Their set was composed of mostly stuff from The Resignation but included a few tracks from Progress (Nugget, most notably for me) and one older song which I can't remember the name of. If you've never seen them, and appreciate their music in the slightest, you're doing yourself a great disservice. Their style of jam-influenced ska/reggae/rock is fully realized in the live setting, with crazy fills on the drums, impromptu between song jams from the horn section and the intensity of an early 80's hardcore band. It's hard to say anything about these guys without just gushing, because they do what they do so well.

If you can stomach some horrible openers (or just come late or something) the Bandits are very worth seeing. After the show you'll still be wondering why they're on that label.

This past Warped, Travis and I got the chance to catch The Phenomenauts playing their brand of "spacebilly" twice in one day. It was a whole lot of fun, and seeing them with Big D could only be better. So I trekked down to the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, and after having a bit of a spat with the bus driver arrived to a mostly empty room.

The first band, the Teenage Harlets, played a mix of surf-pop punk kind of like the cheesy Dick Dale stuff mixed with the Descendents. It was fun, but nothing memorable. The best thing was that the singer spent nearly all of his time out in the crowd, getting everyone in on the action.

As the River City Rebels were getting ready, I just got more and more irritated. I would like to petition them to either stop posing or stop playing music. In the past year or so they've slipped completely into this glam image that simply doesn't suit them. While the music (for the most part) is still kind of rockin', it lacks the punch or the relevance found on Racism, Religion, and War, the lyrics are completely vapid and boring. Add in the fact that their stage show can be best described as if Reel Big Fish's schtick was playing up ever stereotype of a New York Dolls/Glam band. Good lord, just stop.

Big D came up next. I think they've pretty much become my favorite live band currently. There's just something about their energy that can't be matched. Dave's spastic floor punches and spitting emotion, Sean's bizarre dancing while singing backup, Bush, Dan and Paul's spot on horn playing and JR's speed drumming all just meshes together into a stage presence that reminds me of another Boston ska band that I miss dearly. They played a nice mix of stuff from their newest album, as well as stuff from Good Luck and Gypsy Hill and finally gave in to my request and played Jeremy, which was wonderful. The highlight had to be the two instrumental tracks The Sounds of Allston Village (from How it Goes) and Great Song (from Gypsy Hill) because they showed off their real musical chops. It's easy to forget that most of these guys are classically trained in their instruments, some sporting degrees.

Oakland's space traveling heroes took the stage with a smoke machine and a blast off into The Year 2000 and it was a lot of fun. They mix up rock, punk, rockabilly and fun into their own style, which they call "rocket roll" and it works really well. I'm not that familiar with their catalog, but their extended non-Warped set was pretty awesome. Dressed in matching jumpsuits and sporting some odd helmets, they rocked and rolled the crowd pretty damned well. I left as they finished their last song, and managed to avoid their toilet paper shooting gun, but I had a good time. Easily recommended viewing.

The best thing about this concert, and any concert at the Bottom of the Hill, is how intimate the club is. The bands are always hanging out, and everyone who plays their seems to really enjoy talking to all the kids. It's awesome to see that there are still bands that do this, and venues that seem geared toward it. By the end of the night, the place was filled with kids for Big D and the Phenomenauts and had a great vibe throughout.

I got lucky enough to do an interview with one of my favorite musicians/activists, Mike Park. Here it is, I hope you guys enjoy (Travis pipes up at the end).

Mike: My Name is Mike Park, and I'm a musician and an activist, and run a record label called Asian Man Records

Justin: Speaking of Asian Man, I asked the readers for questions, and many of them centered around the label How do you choose the bands that you sign?

Mike: It's usually like, referrals. Friends of friends. "You gotta check this band out," that's usually the one thing that gets me to listen. I do try to listen to every demo but I've gotten a lot worse at it, that's why I put on the website "we're not accepting demos" because I don't have time. I feel sorry for the bands, because I want them to be heard, and I feel guilty for not hearing the music. But yeah, it's usually just referrals, friends telling me to "check this band out".

Justin: Along the lines of the referral thing, you have a long history with bands in the Chicago area: Slapstick, The Lawrence Arms, Colossal, etc. How did that start?

Mike: That's exactly what happened! It all started with Slapstick, then the Blue Meanies and Alkaline Trio. Everyone's friends and we just kept going with it.

Justin: What CD that Asian Man has put out are you most proud of?

Mike: You know, it's the Underground Screams compilation, I don't know if you remember that.

Justin: Definitely, I love that disc.

Mike: It was the most work I've ever put into anything, we got literally hundreds of demos. I was like "what have I gotten myself into?" but I listened to everything, and I thought we put out a freaking amazing collection of music from every genre, and I was really proud of it. I just wanted to do something for the bands that were trying to work hard and get their name out. Interruption for merch sale #1

Justin: How have you grown Asian Man? Specific way?

Mike: The reason I did Asian Man in the first place was as a way to release my own music, and friends and friends of friends. The goal was really simple, I didn't ever want to make it a job, at least where it's tedious and I'm playing the "label games" (actually uses in air hand quotes). And the label games consist of numbers. You always see bands talking about numbers, "we sold this much", "we want this", and for this record label, I just don't care. We run this out of my mom's garage, have one employee and that's all we do. It's very simple and it's really something that's exciting.

Justin: You started this label for your own stuff, and now are easily one of the most respected label owners in independent music. How does it feel to have that respect now, and be such an inspiration to people who start up their own bands and record labels?

Mike: I'm very inspired by young people who take initiative to work hard for something. And so when I hear of a band who writes a letter and says "I'm a big fan, and you inspired me to start my own label in my town", that's the coolest thing I can hear. That stuff, that stuff is the most important to me. I could care less if Joe Schmoe Rockstar calls me and says "Hey, I like your label." I'm appreciative, but it's hearing the kids say it that I really appreciate.

Justin: Need a hand? (at this point Mike's jumping on the merch tables to take down the massive green Plea For Peace banner)

Mike: Naw, I've got it.

Justin: There's also questions about the bands that you're in.

Mike: Okay.

Justin: So, the Chinkees. Are you still "together"?

Mike: Yeah, we definitely are, it just comes down to time. Trying to juggle the label, the solo album. I put a Bruce Lee Band album out for the first time in nearly ten years, it's coming out in April. The Chinkees, I'm kind of like "AHHH!" I feel bad, it's definitely something I'm going to keep doing.

Justin: Do you think you've been successful in getting the positive message of the Chinkees and your other bands out?

Mike: You know, I just think I'm trying my best. I mean, obviously if I was on every magazine cover, every radio station, every TV show, I could reach a broader audience, but all I can do is try my best.

Justin: For me, that's like the neatest thing. You inspire a lot of people with that message, and for myself, I'm working for Habitat for Humanity, and that attitude is what got me into it in the first place.

Mike: Hard working, tough organization!

Justin: You've been in all these bands, and worked with all these bands, with this hardworking ethic, and do you think that type of ethic is disappearing?

Mike: I do. I do. I definitely think it's different than it was 10 years ago. And twice so than 20 years ago. It's just that the idea that money is the goal for any band. It's their prerogative and their right to make a living, and I applaud them. But just the same, in terms of the philosophy of punk, punk has become more fashion-oriented, instead of being an ideology. So um, it's just kind of interesting from that standpoint.

Justin: Do you think moving to the folk-style stuff, are you trying to reach a broader audience?

Mike: It's just that as I grow older, it's harder and harder to jump around and do all that hyperactive stuff. It's hard to be in a band so I don't have time. This way I'm able to tour and play my songs, it's the best situation I could ask for, really.

Justin: When I first got here, I was kind of surprised that there were so many people here who were younger. I'm new to the Bay Area, but I didn't know if this is typical...

Mike: Well, this is Gilman and it's very famous and a huge club and is very famous for that.

Justin: Are you happier when you see older fans, or younger people who are new to the message?

Mike: Basically, music for me has always been about all ages. For me, seeing young people excited about music is great. Of course, for older people, I'd love them to come! For them it's harder to come to a club like this, it's...it's not as easy...they'd rather go to a bar. I play bars every once in a while, but it's something I really dislike.

Justin: Why?

Mike: It's just the idea that it's selective. It's something like....an -ism.

Justin: Yeah, Haha.

Mike: Yeah, like ageism! Like, why should these people be selected as the few who can go, and this sect of people be selected as the few who cannot go, it's the same thing.

Justin: I remember, speaking of bars and such, the first time I saw Less Than Jake, they said you were straight edge now, and that they wouldn't play liquor store because of it. Are you all edge?

Mike: I've never been "straight edge." (At this point Mike makes the arms crossed "X" sign, and I die laughing) I drink every once in a while, and I think that most people who know me very well have probably never seen me drunk, and if they do, it's like once or twice maybe. **A kid who lost his wallet comes up to buy a pin, but has lost his wallet. Mike gives the exceptionally nervous teenager a free pin and definitely makes his night.

Justin: And that's exactly what I'm talking about. The video was amazing, how'd you come up with it? The whole opening thing...it's so great.

Mike: Well, I thought that the attention span of young people is so short, I've gotta capture it. I thought that this way would be the best way to get the message across with some humor in there too. The resulting footage is..well, it speaks for itself.

Justin: Did you put that together yourself?

Mike: Miya did it. She's over there in the white jacket, she works at Asian Man.

Justin: The fabled one employee?

Mike: Yeah, she's the one. She really makes everything happen, she's the workhorse. **We go around taking down banners and such from the stage, while he thanks every person who says hi to him.

Travis: How's the Plea for Peace Foundation going?

Mike: It's good. It's something I'd like to be more proactive in, again, there's just so little time. I'm just kind of stuck doing what I can do. The goal for me is to just get this youth center open. That's the most important thing on my agenda right now.

Justin: That's awesome. We grew up in West Virginia, and in terms of youth centers and activities for kids, there's just nothing there.

Mike: Yeah, San Jose's such a big city, I just wonder what they're thinking.

Travis: Is the city going to match funds or anything?

Mike: That's going to be a big process: dealing with the city and asking for help, getting the surrounding businesses to support this. The last thing businesses want is a bunch of kids mingling about.

Travis: We just moved to San Francisco so we don't know a whole lot about it, is there a website to find out more info?

Mike: Pleaforpeace.com!

Justin: One last question, it's kind of a personal thing. I'm an Americorps member, and part of my service is to do a project to benefit my community. I've started working with the San Francisco Food Bank, and I'm wanting to do a benefit concert in the city. I know this is a common request, but is there a way you could play?

Mike: Yeah, just tell me when it is.

**After this, there's some hero worship that I won't print, but we also talk about the benefit concert. Look for it in the Bay Area, featuring Mike Park, the RX Bandits and Satori.

924 Gilman. The starting (and ending for some) point for some of the greatest, most well known bands in the independent music scene. From Operation Ivy to Fifteen, this venue has been a pillar in the community for a long, long time. Combined with the chance to see Mike Park, the owner/operator of Asian Man Records, frontman of seminal ska act Skankin' Pickle, more recently the frontman of The Chinkees, as well as the Bruce Lee Band, his own solo work, founder and operator of The Plea For Peace Foundation (busy man!), I was easily sold on going to this show. Add in the entertaining Dan Potthast, and ever-talented Colossal, I was making it across the Bay Bridge come hell or high water.

The night opened up with Chinkee's member Jason's other band Short Round, with a fairly pleasing blend of punk and a hint of ska. Unlike some shows I've been to lately, where if an opener resembled punk, they were probably pretty horrible at playing it, Short Round displayed a sense of melody reminiscent of the mid-90's as well as the positive fun attitude of that time as well. They only played about 6 songs, but it was an entertaining set, and they received a fairly decent response.

Next up was Shinobu, a fairly mediocre band bridging the realms of indie rock, traditional melodic emo, and punk. So incredibly bland. The vocalist/guitarist had all the stage presence of a field mouse. His inability to enunciate his between-song banter led to a widely confused audience, while his off-key crooning (poorly harmonized with by the bassist) kind of hurt my ears. Although I seem like I'm being exceptionally harsh, I will say that if they were playing another show opening for band that I liked, I wouldn't purposefully miss them. The music, for the most part, was competently played (minus the ill-advised keyboard smashing at the end of one song) and enjoyable, and overall were much less offensive to the ears than others who've tried this sound have been.

Next stop, POTTHAST. I'll be honest, while I was the token ska kid in my small West Virginian town growing up, I was just never that "in" to MU330. I checked out Dan's solo stuff mostly because at the time I had an Emusic account, when you could download as much as you wanted for a small price. His acoustic guitar crooning was endearing, but nothing special, until I saw him on the Ska is Dead Tour at The Bottom of the Hill last fall. Between his stage presence, voice and overall honest approach to his solo stuff, I was sold on him, and was looking forward to the same feel this time. Boy, was I surprised. Dan took the stage, backed by bass guitar and drums, plugging in an electric guitar for himself, and proceeded to rock us with some really fun, catchy punk music. I was extremely surprised, but not disappointed. Dan's voice is easily one of the most recognizable and enjoyable I've seen live, and he makes the transition to power-trio frontman with grace and aplomb. Extremely enjoyable.

Colossal's Welcome to the Problems was one of my favorite albums released last year, and having seen their live show before in Boston with the Lawrence Arms, I was all a-titter waiting for them to come out. I found it curious that they were simply setting up an additional drumset on the stage, instead of disassembling the one previously used, but basically paid it no mind, till I noticed not just the normal drummer warming up, but another as well. As they started out, Steve Choi was introduced as "a guy we just met, who's never played drums before" and they broke into their super solid set of indie/post punk rock. I'm not one to gush over a gimmick like two drummers, because they can be done in a way that really adds nothing to the music. But here, here was a use them appropriate to the situation. Using both the other drummer to fill in the small gaps where there was a drum hit, Colossal powered through their set, playing a good selection from both their LP and EP releases on Asian Man. The drumming was fantastic, the guitarwork fantastic, the bass-lines spot on, and the vocals excellent. The only complaint I could have was that the trumpet's mic was a bit low in the mix, but life goes on when you have two drummers.

Mike got up on stage, setting up a projector and screen, as well as his acoustic and amp, and got started right away. His set began with him playing to an 8 minute video that he and the other fabled AMR employee made. The video, for those who haven't seen it, has Mike showing us the records that "got him through high school", questions the audience as to who their heroes are (his include Chuck D, MLK Jr., Gandhi, and other important musical and social characters), questions the roles of asian-americans in popular culture, and spurs us on to change the state of things. I don't know what it was, but the very honest, stripped down video, combined with the lyrics of "Can You Get Me Out of Here?" were a bit much for me, and I got a bit choked up. Mike stopped the video, played a few songs, and stopped to compose himself (he was feeling it too).

While he was stopped he took a few minutes to address a request that he apparently gets a lot in emails, the concern that while the new music is good, it's just "too damned serious!" He fixed that by playing a Skankin' Pickle standard "A Girl Named Spike". It was good to hear an old favorite, and to see the huge smile on his and everyone else's face while he did so. He powered through a few more songs, then invited Hellen up on stage to play cello with him. After a short dedication from Hellen, they played "Supposed to be There Too" together, which may be one of the most moving songs ever, when heard live in it's full instrumentation. A few songs later, Mike told us all about the new album that he just recorded, backed by the guys from Colossal. So they came up, played a couple of the new songs, and they sounded great. Colossal, mixed with folk, fronted by Mike's voice. Incredible.

Mike closed the set with "Don't Sit Next to Me", and hung around to talk to kids and participate in my interview. On the way home, my brother and I talked about the show, and came to the conclusion that the honesty, rawness and intimacy of Mike can only stem from someone who's doing what they do for the love of it, and out of a desire to do the right thing. This was beyond compare one of the best shows I've ever seen, between the ambience of the venue and the talent of the performers, I'd see this show a million times over. Catch it if it's in your town.

Photos from the show

This will be featured on Punknews.org soon, but I figured I'd give you guys first dibs on reading an interview with one of my favorite bands that I did. As you can tell from the banner for their new album I've had up, I'm a bit of a fanboy and it shows.

Big D & the Kids Table have just released a new CD "How It Goes" and are currently touring with Ska legends Mustard Plug and the Voodoo Glow Skulls, amongst others, as part of the epic SKA IS DEAD tour. During this time, Sean P Rogan and Dave McWane, the guitarist and singer respectively, took some time out to answer some questions about the new album, about the old albums, and about the red sox via email.

To start with, names and positions in the band, plus favorite song on the new album.

Sean: Guitar. I can't pick a favorite, but I love How It Goes and Safe Haven turned out to be one of my favorites.

Dave: Singer. I like The Sounds Of Allston Village - Flash Light and our Specials cover - Li'l Bitch.

Speaking of the new album, you guys put a whole lot of love and care into the packaging, from the artwork, to the liner notes to the extra Rob Dobi Gorey-esque drawings. What inspired the dearth of packaging and material that came with it?

Sean: Dave's got the vision on the artwork! But speaking for all of us, we wanted the artwork to be as big and bold as the audio part of the release. There's 20 songs...that's alot. So, we put 2 booklets in the CD. The first booklet focuses on the lyrics and the insight into the songs. We figured that when we buy CD's we like to read along with the lyrics and think it's cool to know where the song writers were coming from when they wrote it...or what inspired them to write it. The Dobi art is just awesome...good visuals for the songs!

Dave: I love-love-love Edward Gorey's art - it's just amazing - and of course Rod Dobi is too.  I was given a Gorey book for Halloween and thought his style of picture would go sooooo good with some of the new songs.  So, yeah yeah we did take a lot of time with the art - half the reason was too, cause mastering took so long that we just kept adding to the booklet out of being bored...he he.

Similarily, What inspired you to do the commentary on each of the tracks?

Sean: uh, I think I just answered that. I should have read the questions first. I'm at a show in Oklahoma City, OK. We're on tour with the Voodoo Glow Skulls and our buddies from the Magnificant 7 are on the bill. I want to finish this before the show starts...so many good bands!

Dave: I think all bands should do that - it should be standard.  And it's so fucking wierd when someone thinks a song is about something it's totally not about.

At one point in the booklet you say that you wished you would have changed the fifth name in one of the songs. Does something like this happen a lot, where you get the final version of the song and go "shit, that's not right!" And if so, do you just change it live to make it right?

Sean: I'll let Dave answer this one, but the song is called New Nail Bed. As far as the music portion each song, sometimes you do want to change little things. A song will develop even after it's recorded, especially if you record it before you play it live. That's the cool part about playing shows, you have the freedom to change the little things that you would have liked to be different on the album. Led Zeppelin were masters of that.

Dave: Well, I was lucky cause I got to go in and fix everything I didn't like.  After I recorded the vocals we went on tour for about 2 or 3 months - so I had a shit load of time to go naw-naw-naw that could be better.  Then when we got back - I just fixed it all.

About Jade's name in New Nail Bed - yeah I wish I hadn't said it - but whatever - I'll change it live....  I just don't like saying her name......

The new CD sounds like what a Ska cd should sound like, to me. It has this air of the great bands from the mid-90's and before: Mustard Plug, The Allstonians, Bim Skala Bim, and so many more. You also obviously channel some classics on Little Bitch. Was there a conscious choice to make a more "ska" album this time around, in comparison to Good Luck, which seemed extremely heavy and Link80-ish for most of the album?

Sean: I feel as though this album represents us the best. We're obviously older now than we were back when Shot By Lammi and Good Luck came out. I'd also like to think that we've grown as musicians and song writers. How It Goes has 20 songs on it! They can't all be punk or ska, so we tried to represent our whole range. The title track is a staight up chill, reggae song; while Girls Against Drunk Bitches is about as Hardcore as we get. We try to balance songs out with other songs. There's also some different songs on the album like 175 and Voice Alone. The album dips into a few different styles but is still in the punk/ska genre...which is what Big D is.

Dave: It wasn't really a conscious choice - it was just what we were-and-are into.  I've heard the opposite though - that this record is more heavy...but I agree with you.  But hmm yeah yeah - we're just really into SKA so we wrote a lot of SKA songs.

And why won't you play stuff from Shot By Lammi live?

Dave: We only get 30 minutes usually.  And remember no matter what you DO play, people ask why your playing what they heard that night.  If your on tour with us you'll see that we DO play everything - it just might not have been on the list the night you checked out a show.  I love HEY - WHAT! - and Jeremy from SHOT BY LAMMI.

What the hell was Find Out "damaged and destroyed" on Gipsy Hill?

Sean: We were in Brighton, England a couple of years ago on tour with some good bands, 5 Knuckle and Lightyear. Somebody threw a party after the show and we were all wasted on cider. Neil from Lightyear busted out his acoustic guitar and started playing Find Out, which was one of their favorite songs. Steve had his mini disc player and mic rolling and captured the masterpiece! We just all thought it was the funniest thing ever and decided to put it on our EP. I still laugh every single time I hear it. I love how drunk everyone sounds!

You guys have been around for a while now. I think my first exposure to you was the Moon Ska Skarmageddon 3 comp. It had the early version "In Front of Me" on it, killer comp. But in the time (something like 8 years...I think) you guys have only put out 2 LPs. There's been a few EPs and split CD's also. Is this due to a lack of recording time? Money? Was it hard being in a ska band in the post-3rd wave "collapse"?

Sean: I personally don't think it's ever been hard being in a ska band, there's always going to be a scene. However, it's hard being in a band sometimes. We're broke as hell and always exhaused...BUT, we don't have day jobs and have seen more shit in a couple of years of touring than most people will in their entire lifetime! We really do love what we do.

As for the recordings, it defnitely is a slow process for us. We could have turned How It Goes into 2 albums, but we wrote those songs together and their buddies...a team. There's 7 people with 7 different ideas. Songwriting is a long process with us, but we'd rather put out an awesome album every couple of years as opposed to a shitty album every year.

Dave: We have 3 LPs now - Shot By Lammi - Good Luck and How it Goes and a 10 song ep (which is the same length of an LP), so I think we have put out the right amout of records....  Remember we tour a lot and don't have money from labels to help us get by - so we all had jobs for a while and then there writting the songs - and fucking GOD help you if you have a girlfriend too - ha ha ha.

Was the homelessness a result of any problems you had as a band, or personally?

Sean: It just doesn't make sense to pay $500/month for a room in Boston that you stay at once every 2 months. So, we couch surfed and mooched for a while, and some of still are. Bush (our sax player) and I split a tiny room in Brighton, MA and have bunkbeds. It feels weird having bunkbeds sometimes, but you make the best of your situation. We chose this path and I truly think that it's worth it. Most people our age have "real jobs", are getting married, having kids, setting up retirement funds...all of those adult sort of things. We, on the other hand, just want to know where the hotel is, what kind of beer we're getting and what day of the week it is.

Dave: Homelessness is aways a result of a problem - but - no, not between people or personal reasons.  It was a result of have no money and wanting to tour-tour-tour and tour.  Right now we're on tour with some major label bands who have everything handed out to them and they are considered in the scene "very punk".  When they see how we do things and get by - AND have a better fucking attitude then them - they look at us like they never new what being a badass is.......  They're so confused - they've studied punk in their bedrooms and have been considered so punk by there silly suburban friends - but now - whoa - now they see they're just silly - they're just playing "I'm in a band".

When you're back in Boston, what jobs do you work to stay out of that situation again, or is the band self-supporting at this point?

Sean: The band's pretty self supporting at this point. It's no MTV Cribs situation by any means, but we get by.

Dave: I went to writting How It Goes and just lived very poor.  It's hard to get a job for 3 weeks or a month.  This time - I'll live bad and write the new dub record - STRICTLY DUB.

What's it like to play LAX in LA? Or do you? Is it personal against the whole city, or just a few fake fucks?

Sean: The kids in LA love that song! The kids that come to our shows know what the song's about. It's not about them, and they know that. That song's become one of our favorite songs to play live. The vocal breaks are amazing when kids sing them. Sometimes, like in Boston, Chicago and LA, the kids drown out Dave! It's awesome!

Dave: Would you think we wouldn't play it in LA - that's the whole point.  You can be sure to never think we'd be that lame.  Yeah, they like it - they know what I'm talking about more then anyone else.  Most Rude Boys - and "some" Punks don't role in those crowds - they spit down just as much as I do..

Have you ever played New England live? It seems like it'd be friggin' hard to pull off.

Sean: Actually, we've been playing it a lot lately. We make it a little more "Dropkick Murphy's-ish" and it works. We're proud of where we come from and it definitely goes over well when we play it in Boston.

Dave: Yeah yeah - we play that live now - I LOVE IT.... It's kinda hard - been then at the same time it's not...ha ha ha..

Are you Modern Lovers/Johnathan Richman fans, or just like the song?

Sean: Johnathan Richman rules. He's a great song writer. I love how they play the orginal version at ever home Red Sox game. Did you hear that they won THE FUCKING WORLD SERIES?!?!? Hopefully they'll play our version at Fenway Park sometime.

Dave-
In the intro of the disc, you talk about the politics of independent labels being a possible negative thing. Were you talking about Asian Man, as Good Luck was on them, but obviously since then you've self released (Gipsy Hill on Fork in Hand) and now are on Springman?

Dave: Naw naw naw - not those label - they're great.  Mike @ Asianman is so fair and so badass and Fork In Hand and Springman too...  I ain't about to list the label that I'm reffering to - that's just bad taste - but yeah they're the ones you're thinking about - know - and love... 

You have one of the most impressive and original stage presences of any band I've seen. Especially for a guy of your stature, you totally own the front of the stage and the audience. Who are you favorite frontmen, and why?

Dave: I do - we do???  Cool man thanks.  I like Yako from Melt-Banana (they're amazing check them out).  She's a big inspiration for me - BIG!!!  And once I saw this old SKA band in San Fancisco once (they broke up and I never got the band name) who ever that guy was - he inspired me too

What in the name of god was Porch Life? (I know what it is, but why?) And does it sell well?

Sean: It's so funny! It took years to make. It does sell well but sometimes kids don't believe us when we say it's a gangster rap CD. It's so funny!

Dave: I was just so bored - drunk and - lifted..... if something make you laugh - go with it - even if it means a 20 song full length joke record.  We poke fun of each other too - so it's a record of poking fun and having fun...  Does it sell well? We'll just say some people get the joke.

Sean-
What inspired your solo stuff? Was it just stuff you didn't envision being ska? You're not going to Avoid One Thing on us, and put Big D on hiatus, are you?

Sean: Big D is my priority...fuck it, Big D is my life. However, I like to write mellow, nice songs that have nothing to do with Big D. I like to sing too and this is a good outlet. It's cool to have a side project I think. When Drexel was still playing shows, the guys in Big D that weren't in Drexel, loved going to their shows. Dave's a sick drummer, and it's only natural to do something with that, you know? I'd like to start playing shows in between Big D tours and my album should be out in late 2004/early 2005. But, Big D is definitely my main thing.

How in the world do you find time to jump out of planes so often, considering your near-constant touring schedule?

Sean: It's tough, but it's a drug, and when you need a fix, you do whatever you can to get it. I love skydiving and it's an amazing thing to do when we're not on tour. We're playing our 170th show tonight (11/11/04). There's 365 days in a year, so that leaves a good amount of time here and there to jump. Ahhh, I love it...but like all the other aspects of my life like my solo stuff, they are all on the back burner while Big D is around!

(note: here I slip up, and make an ass out of myself, for not knowing two of my favorite bands' histories as well as I thought!)
So, being from Boston, being a ska band, I've always thought that it's odd that you've NEVER played the Throwdown with the Bosstones. Is there some sort of rift there, or did it never come up? Are you fans?

Sean: We love the Bosstones and actually have played the Hometown Throwdown. You're only allowed to play it once and we played it back in either 1996 or 1997 I think, but don't quote me on the year. We actually played it the year they released their live CD.

Dave: Yeah I'm a big fan of the Bosstones.  There's no "rift", I think we where just the annoying new SKA band on the scene. They have they thing going on and can't hook up every band that plays the same style as them - yah know.  Sometimes bands think you can get them "famous" - when you're the one counting change for a super value meal.

What's it like doing a tour like Ska is Dead, where you're playing with Mustard Plug, a group of guys that I consider legends in their own time, and some of the most consistent of the ska bands still around?

Sean: We see those guys more than our own families and I'm dead serious when I say that. Other than Catch 22, their the band that we see the most. The Plug are great. We love them along with the Planet Smashers, Catch 22, Dan Potthast and the Suburban Legends. The whole Ska Is Dead tour is all Dave's, from Mustard Plug, idea.

Dave: Mustard Plug is BIG D's best friend bands - we are the closest - have the most fun with - really connect with.  I mean shit, I tried to set up Collin (guitar) with my sister and now when we go to Grand Rapids he says he want to introduce me to his sister - so yeah we're buddies.

When I saw you at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, it shocked me the difference between crowds back east, and crowds here. Your fan base is obviously more East Coast-centric, has it been hard to get more coverage out here?

Sean: Well, it makes perfect sense. We can tour the East Coast way easier than the West Coast. It's hard to get out there, but we can zip down to New Jersey for the day, you know? I think that we do alright for ourselves out west though. That San Fran show was Game 6 of the ALCS with the Yankees if I remember correctly. It was so crazy being out there for that whole thing!

Dave: You might have just seen a bunk show - Anaheim and L.A. are badass shows.  But yeah San Frann and San Diego might not be as good - I don't know.....?

How did the Halloween show go this year? I just watched the LAX video and it looked insane.

Sean: We love Boston and Halloween is our favorite show of the year. This year's show was definitely the biggest and best so far. We've played 8 years in a row with our good friends in Kicked In The Head. And yes, it was insane.

Dave: I was BAD-BAD-BADASS but some shit-brick stole me hat out of my suit case when we where playing.  I think that's low....  BUT other then that it was the best - and I mean THE BEST.

Okay, now for some ones that I really want answered, but couldn't really fit into a section...
Last five good CD's you heard.

Sean: We all have different tastes in music, which makes us what we are as a band. We all give each other shit for what we listen to, but here's my last five...

1. Nada Surf - Let Go
2. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
3. The New Amsterdams - Worse For the Wear
4. Glen Phillips (from Toad the Wet Sprocket) - Abulum
5. Wheat - Per Second, Per Second, Per Second

Dave:
Groovie Ghoulies
Dub Side of the moon - the Easy Dub allstars
My new Lounge mix...
Funky Porchini - a ninja tunes DJ
Melt-Banana
And my new Ye Ye Girls cd - old french girls singing 60's rock..

Last five BAD CD's/songs you heard.

Sean: I don't really like to talk shit about other bands, but basically most of the Emo stuff out there is pretty bad. Don't get me wrong, some of it's okay, but I'm not a fan of the whining. I believe that you can write nice, heart-felt songs without sounding like a baby. For instance, I love the New Amsterdams.

Dave: The Used, Yellow Card, Ashley Simpson
I don't know all their names - cause I get them mixed up - but the shitty sing and scream medio-core bands......... I guess all of them - remember I just got off the last years warped tour - so you hate one of them you hate'em all.

Whatever happened to Drexel?

Sean: Big D is the main focus so Drexel couldn't get the time it desereved. But I think Dave can probably do a better job explaining than me.

Dave: Aaron plays for The Lot Six now and I play in BIG D - we had no time.  WE WERE BADASS....ha ha ha.  See I'm a drummer first - this whole singing thing was an accident.

...the other few members of your band (French Horn 4 life!)?

Sean: I think that you're referring to Marc Flynn's marching trombone. It's got the same amount of tubeing as a regular slide trombone, but has valves so when marching, you don't hit the guy in front of you with the slide. Anyway, Marc left the band because of our touring schedule and other interests in life. He's a good buddy still.

...the hat Dave lost at the Warped Tour in Boston a couple years ago? You smashed my brother and my two friends and me when you dove after the thieving punk.

Dave: Shit are you ok - sorry about that - you know you own one nice thing - and fuck-nuts try and take it away........   Yeah I needed to get that back - I don't like it when kids come to BIG D shows and steal from us - it's one of the one things that gets me pissed.  Fucking kid could'a probably went out and bought 5 fucking hats - but naw he had to take me - rip my hair out when he grabbed it - and wave at me as he jets.... see it gets me going - ha ha ha.

How awesome are the Groovie Ghoulies, and are you passionate?

Sean: They're our label mates now...we like them a lot.

Dave: THEY ARE THE BEST - THE BEST BAND OUT THERE RIGHT NOW - I MEAN IT.  We heard Passionate for the first time in Switzerland with US - the Ghoulies and Fishbone, we had long long drive and we're really tried, after hearing "Passionate" we felt so - so good.  The Ghoulies were the best band on this years Warped.  And it's funny cause I always gotta dumb down how much I like them - when I rap with'em.

To end this, I'm just going to type two words, then go wild.
RED SOX.

Sean: I wish that I was in Boston instead of Colorado Springs, CO when they won. Fuck. Oh well, there's still next year...but we'll be on tour again I'm sure. I'm not bitter, but it's not every day that the Sox win the World Series.

Dave: When you're right you're right - thanks man.......

There are few bands that I am completely in love with anymore. Most of my favorites have had their downs as well as their mighty ups, and many have disappeared into the abyss of hiatuses or reunion shows. Against Me! has yet to let me down, be it on record or in person, and I'm thankful for that. Sunday night's bizarre amalgamation of sasscore heroes The Blood Brothers and roots punk folk stallions Against Me! along with a valiant attempt at angular-ish hardcore by True North and a synth revival by DOD served up a healthy heaping of diversity and talent that is a hard package to beat for 10 bucks.

As we walked up, we found out that the show was already sold out, as the mass of bodies outside the Great American Music Hall should have told us. Getting in was fairly painless, and we meandered around, bumping into Warren from Against Me!. DOD took the stage pretty quickly after the scheduled start time (something I'm not quite used to) and began their onslaught of dancy Le Tigre-esque synth punk pop. Fronted by two young women (I'm not going to call a band who sounds like Le Tigre girls...) backed by two young men on guitar and drums, they entertained us through their 20 minute set. The highlight of their set was watching the aforementioned bearded drummer of AM! "raise the roof" to their set. The other highlight was the amazing amount of energy that these folks had. It was pretty incredible, considering their obvious youth and "small band" status. Girl #1 Gaelan referred us all to their myspace page, which apparently serves as their homepage as well. They are worth checking out if you are into either some of the dancier indie rock that's been coming out, or the post-riot grrrl rumblings of The Striped Cat.

True North took the stage with a presence to rival that of....a chihuahua. Not that their songs are filled with noise and intensity (which they are), they just had very little confidence in the songs while they were up there. The music itself sounded confused. I definitely think that these Gainesville natives are big fans of Hot Water Music, and have similar intentions for their music. It just doesn't come across live. The songs sounded incredibly sloppy, and when the lyrics were decipherable, I wished that they had stayed unintelligible. I can honestly say that we will eventually see a quality performance and body of music from these folks, but they need to figure out what it is that they want to play and figure out how to play it. WIthout a rhythm section driving that kind of hardcore, it gets repetitive and bland, inspiring hecklers like the tough guy/girls behind me to start yelling. Maybe next time.

Seattle, Washington's spastic, hip, and flagrantly effeminate rockers came up next. I'm not a huge fan of the Blood Brothers, but I appreciate the odd talent that goes into their music. It's something to craft start stop hardcore songs with piano and synth with lyrics about teenage pregnancy and abortion while appealing to 15 year old girls. It's not my thing, but I can (kind of) see why people enjoy it. The most impressive part of their set was how obviously tight the band is musically. This type of spastic-core is something that if played sloppily, could come out sounding like a synth falling in a blender. Luckily, the entire band seems to be incredibly talented and carried through their sound into the live setting quite well. Several songs from their new disc CRIMES were played, which are all noticeably more relaxed and less spastic than previous songs and albums. Fans were even given a chance to pick up the album directly from the band at the show, before it comes out in stores.

Sitting on the front of the stage, sweat soaked and waiting for Against Me! I couldn't help but worry if the crowd was there for the Bloods or AM!. After all, the scene swoop-hairs were in amazing affect all over the floor and I couldn't spot many folks who appeared to be there just for our boys from Florida. Boy was I wrong. From the start of Cliche Guevara, it was obvious that everyone who was left in the club loved them like fat kids love cake. The band ripped through an ad-libbed set list including the aforementioned track, Sink.Florida.Sink, Those Anarchists..., Baby, I'm An Anarchist, You Look Like I Need A Drink, The Disco Before the Breakdown, Reinventing Axl Rose, and pretty much everything in between. They closed with We Laugh At Danger, and did a two song encore of TSR and Walking is Still Honest. Everything in between was just amazing. I last saw this band in Bernie's In Columbus, where the crowd was overrunning them, and I couldn't believe the amount of energy and tightness then. That was nothing compared to Sunday.

This was a band on fire. A band with something to say, and a short time to do so. They played hard, fast and perfect. Taking time to graciously thank us, toast each other with a shot, and for Tom to give a nice speech about how you should approach the whole voting issue. The gist was that regardless of what you're doing, you should know why you are voting or aren't voting. Another refreshing speech from a performer, especially considering Fat Mike was waiting in the wings watching. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better performance.

The concert was all in all a great deal. 10 bucks for Against Me! alone would have been worth it, but adding in the hilarity of DOD and the peculiarity of The Blood Brothers was some nice icing. You know, the sugary kind on the Dairy Queen cakes of your childhood. The only problem was that True North just isn't quite the band that they want to be yet. I say go see this tour, and cheer all the bands on though. They all pour their hearts into it, and are great folks.

I've been in San Francisco all of 2 and half days as of the writing of this review. I got here at around 11pm on the night of the 12th, crashing on a friend's couch. While some may not enjoy the details of someone's life, it sets the stage for the concert quite well. While wandering downtown to get a new Social Security card, we walked past the Warfield and saw that Flogging Molly, The Street Dogs and the Briggs were going to be playing. This was kind of a breath of fresh air, because as someone who had previously only been as far west as Chicago, these two bands were nice and familiar. Old friends with whom you could relax and imagine you were sitting in the Newport Music Hall or the Axis.

Due to the newness in the city, we totally missed The Briggs. Completely. We got in as the conductor was alerting us that we had indeed reached the Savin Hill stop, just to see Mike and the rest of the 'Dogs burst into the title track of their first album. For those who aren't in the know on the Street Dogs, they are original Dropkick Murphy's singer Mike McColgan's return to music, sounding more like Do or Die than DKM has in ages. They played through a set of tracks mostly from Savin Hill, including a couple songs from their upcoming disc, Tale of Mass Deception, the title track and "In Defense of Dorchester," an ode to Mike's hometown. While this was the first time I had seen them, the feel of the Boston rock and roll is an old groove that feels good to relax in. Mike was jumping everywhere, Joe Sirois was tending to the skins with great care, and the rest of the band was top notch. They whipped out an "old boston hardcore" song according to Mike, as well as their rendition of "Boston (Borstal) Breakout" to close the set. It was a great set, punctuated by Mike's advice to the crowd that he wasn't going to tell us how to vote, what to think or do, but only that we all needed to get involved. It was as sincere as a plea against apathy that I've ever seen.

Next up we got a nice message from Jello Biafra and the folks at Punkvoter.com. A screen descended to play a video of the Dead Kennedy's frontman telling us the evils of our President, a short cut of the Will Ferrel skit on the Rock Against Bush vol. 2 DVD, and a compilation showing the waffling position of the Bush administration in regards to WMD, Iraq, and the war. It was good stuff, fairly short, and tastefully done.

This year at the Warped Tour, my brother and I were lamenting that while we loved Flogging Molly, after you've seen them more times than you have fingers, their set becomes less than new and exciting. While they are still amazing, I've passed up watching them at least 6 times in the last two years just because I wasn't in the mood. This being the first time I stayed still to watch them in two years, I was impressed at how much was the same, but also at how much is different. Gone are the duct-taped accordions, mandolins and guitars. Brand new are Dave's distinguished facial hair, shiny new instruments, and crowds big enough to fill a huge venue.

However, none of this has changed how hard they play. Flogging Molly consistently play their songs perfectly in my experience. You can't honestly ask for a stronger live band. Because this show was on the same day as the release of their new record, I expected quite a few new songs to be in the set. The opened with "Screaming at the Wailing Wall" from this album, followed by two tracks from their previous two cds. Their set was actually well balanced, relying on classics from Swagger and Drunken Lullabies to keep everyone happy, adding in sparse amounts of tracks from the new CD. Dave and company were on, hitting everything perfectly, keeping the crowd entertained and the set moving. All in all, it was one of the better performances I've seen by them, if not a bit polished.

It's odd to see how far the 'Molly has come since I first saw them. Bridget used to never speak, shying away at the back of the stage. Gone are the days when Dave would get so shitfaced drunk he would forget where he was. I'll probably never be able to see them in a club like Little Brother's in Columbus, OH where the band hangs out with the crowd afterwards, hugging and shaking hands with everyone possible. Times changes, bands get bigger, and you move from coast to coast. But the songs stay the same, and while the selection and the presentation can be altered slightly, Flogging Molly will always put on a show that makes me smile and makes me feel at home.

Lobster Records houses two of the best kept secrets of modern punk, Park and Staring Back. A little while ago, they released an EP from the Atlanta based band A Small Victory, and I sadly payed it no mind. ASV is back with another release on the ol' crustacean, and I'm fucking hooked.

Their sound is at first dismissed as another pop-punk band. At least, for the first 20 seconds of the opening track "Limousines and Cheap Cigars." However, they actually have balls behind their sound. I mean rock and roll testicles of power. They don't chug forward with pretty twinkling guitars, but rather bring out some Aerosmith inspired rock and guitar solos to spice up their mix of punk and pop. Their chops aren't bad either, and are able to pull of the rather ambitious sounds they laid down.

The melodies on this disc are pretty infectious. To the point that I was repeating each track twice before going on to the next one when I first listened to it. At times, the style of writing reminds me of Vinnie from LTJ, most notably on the closer, Blindman's Holiday. The lyrics are delivered with sincerity, and at times there are hints of Jesse from Brand New's influence in the delivery. However, unlike the Long Island heart throbs, they aren't quite as self absorbed or self destructive. Where his voice really shines is the acoustic/balls out rocker Farewell Capeside.

The addition of a mostly acoustic track is going to be of debate amongst the "true punkers" I'm sure, but I love the song. Rather than coming off as a rejected track from "Punk Goes Acoustic" or as a demo of a yet-to-realized song, it sounds like a singer/songwriter relapse to the 1970's (or an acoustic Gin Blossoms track). In the middle of it, the balls out rock comes, with smashing guitars and drums, along with a melancholy guitar solo that apes the vocal melody.

This disc is pretty awesome. It's pretty infectious, and it's pretty obvious why Lobster snatched these guys up. To be sure, we'll be hearing more of A Small Victory soon, as they move on to bigger and better things.