Lucky Issue Thirteen

Free
 Side:
In Todd Brat
ru d
Strike Anywhere
theMars Q and not U
voltA Hey mercedes
mike Guy Maritime ny Nollen
Antho
The Lawrence
Arms
 m er’s Ear
Swim issue 13
Editors
Chris Pernula
Adam Sever

Contributors
Michael Stenerson
Ryan Atienza
Ashley Brookins
Josh Bachman
Paul Pernula
Jimi Nguyen

Cover: Jackson Roman, Backside Smith

Here: Cutty, Bertleman
Photos: Michael Stenerson

Contact us:
9487 Polaris Lane North
Maple Grove, MN 55369
SwimmersEarMag@aol.com
For Immediate Release:

For years now American businesses have moved their companies to countries like China, Japan, and Taiwan,
because they can pay their workers pennies per hour. World Industries skateboard company stated that they are
now manufacturing their boards in China, so their decks are less expensive than American made brands.

We at Swimmer’s Ear thought this was a great idea, so we have moved our whole operation to China. This will
allow us, the editors, to stay in America, and not do a damn thing, while our counterparts in China will be work-
ing hard providing you with the best local coverage. Plus, this will help us make a much bigger profit so we can
finally do what we really love, Pog collecting.

You’re probably thinking, “How can workers in China provide local skateboard coverage in Minnesota?” Let
me explain. We have designated certain Chinese people as people from Minnesota. Look below for these people
in future issues, as well as these other local skaters: Mike Munzinrider, Andy Paulsen, Steve Nesser, and Clint
Peterson.

Benji Meyer

Jack Boyd Dom Hess

Swimmer’s Ear working hard on the newest issue

Youngin’ Phil Wright ollies the Byerly’s gap while some lanky idiot gets in the shot to film. Photo: Paul Pernula
 I’ve never been too good with secrets...

Stuck #1&#2

Stuck Mag is a big magazine.

Really, it’s like twice the size of
Swimmer’s Ear, which kinda
makes it hard to hold and turn
pages, so you better read in on
the floor or sitting at a table.
Stuck is a free magazine from
Columbus, Ohio. They called it
Stuck because they think most
kids in the midwest grow up
thinking they’re stuck in the
Our number one fan, Troma Entertainment presi- midwest. And this theme some-
dent and Toxic Avenger creator Lloyd Kaufman. how comes up in almost every
interview in the entire magazine
and it gets a little annoying.
Anyway, issue one has interviews with pro skateboarder and Ohioian
Kristian Svitak, artist Tim Biedron, BMXer Matt Lippot, and am profiles
with Minnesota’s Brian Heck and Steve Fauser, who’s from some other
state. The worst part of issue one is a “Back 2 School” Fashion Shoot. In
the color pink no less. After seeing this section, Stuck dropped 23 points
in the Cool Zines Stock Exchange. Luckily they apologized for it in
issue two. And speaking of issue 2, they got rid of all the shit from issue
one and made a great magazine. Issue two has interviews with pro snow-
boarder Matty Peterson, Alien Workshop designer Don Pendelton, Writer
Mark Lewman, the band Rise Against, and am profiles with Neen
Williams and Sammy Holtan. If they continue with the same formula
they used for issue two, then Stuck will be a really good magazine.
Check your local skate shop for an issue of stuck or go to stuckmag.com.

Good thing this was shot above the waist

because this is where Lloyd took off his pants.
Photos: Jimi Nguyen Street Theater #6, $2

Street Theater is a black and

“Replicas of Nothing” white cut and paste photo
LUUN Motion Media copy zine from Minneapolis.
There is an article about the
For a state with no mountains, Minnesota CBG Tour to FDR Skatepark
doesn’t seem to have a problem with churning in Philly, where it seems there
out talented snowboarders. It’s almost as if was more drinking and party-
they’re being grown in vast open fields and ing going on than skateboard-
harvested in the fall, just in time for the board- ing. The totally wasted theme
ing season. This particular film features some is continued throughout the
excellent riding from the likes of Pat Milbery, zine. The best part of the zine
Zac Marben, Erich Dummer, Jordan and Jonas is the Bj Morril interview. It
Michilot, Jeff Meyer, Ricky Tucker, Matt has nice photos and good con-
Seifert, and about 100 others. It also boasts a tent. Street Theater #6 also
soundtrack of MN-only music. I’ve been burnt out on D4 and Slug for a has interviews with Stacy Lowery and the band Useless
while, but other than that I was happy with the selections. This state is Wooden Toys. Overall, Street Theater gets an “A” for
overflowing with good music, so if a R.O.N. 2 is in the making then effort, and the design is cool, due to the cut and paste
they’ve got plenty of bands to choose from. I was thinking of listing a quality, but more skating and less drinking would be a
few, but that would be lame. It’s more fun to discover them on your nice change. And make the shit free. I wouldn’t have
own. You can start by not listening to 93X. bought it, except for the fact that I wanted to review it.

“Everything I need to know about prison I learned
from watching The Shawshank Redemption.”
This letter came from Pleasant Valley State Prison in California.
Raese’s Issue 1
Raese’s is a new skate-
boarding magazine from
Illinois. Their first issue
has interviews with Bob
Burnquist, Falco Baltys,
Dayne Brummet, Jon
Comer, Pat Channita, and
Matt Beach. Issue 1 has
really nice design and lay-
out. This issue has only
interviews and it’s unknown
if they will have more arti-
cles in future issues. I’m not sure if the people who make
this actually skate or not, because they have no skate his-
tory knowledge. For instance, they spelled EMB, proba-
bly the most famous skate shop ever as, E & B. And sec-
ondly, they misspelled Wade Spayer’s name. Wade was a
pretty influential skateboarder in the 80’s and 90’s. And
they spell his last name as Spare. If you can look past the
mistakes, Raese’s is a pretty good magazine. When I saw
the interview with Jon Comer, I thought, “Oh great,
another interview about how he lost his leg.” This inter-
view mentioned nothing about his leg, but has really good
memories of legendary vert skateboarder Jeff Phillips.
The Journal entry #8
At a recent stop to the Youth Shelter in St.
Cloud, I came across a copy of The Journal’s
entry #8. This is the first time I had seen The
Journal in a couple years and man, did it ever
get fat. Early issues were barely pushing 70
pages, and this one weighs in at just over 160
pages. What I found in Journal #8 is the
same indepth interviews, awesome photos,
interesting and well written articles, and other
goodies. Still one of the best black and white
zines ever. Those guys are doing a good
thing so support them.
Journal00@hotmail.com
Bail Magazine Issue 1
I think everyone was excited to hear about this
new magazine coming out. Mainly because it
has a big interview with everyone’s favorite
skateboarder/hollywood actor, Jason Lee. Bail is
made by those fine people at the award-winning
Punk Planet Magazine. Bail is for the older gen-
eration of skateboarder in their late 20s and 30s.
And I was immediately sucked in due to that
fact. I was totally sick of skateboarding maga-
zines with more ads than actual content and run
by a huge media corporaton who doesn’t know
what a skateboarder wants. Bail knows what
skateboarders want that they give it. Issue 1 has interviews with Jason Lee,
Stoked: Rise and Fall of Gator, director Helen Strickler, Tommy Guerrero
talking about music, the guys at German skateboard Company Hessenmob,
artist Cody Hudson, and Chicago’s Uprise owner Maya Messoriano. It also
features an article by a skateboarder during the Gulf War. The overall design
of Bail is simplistic but really nice. Not overwhelming in the least. And the
writing is intelligent. I’m not sure where to buy it, but you can always get it
from bailmag.com. Issue 1 is now sold out, and issue 2 should be out by the
time you read this.
Aquabats Doube Disc of Serious
Awesomeness DVD
It’s everybody’s favorite super hero ska band,
straight into your television on DVD. The new
Aquabats DVD is cool. It has over three hours
of footage of the band. It also has a history of
the band, but it’s more like a photo/live footage
history and doesn’t tell how the band got to
where they are now. Disc one has a complete
live show from early 2003, band history and
music videos of songs Super Rad and CD Repo
Man. Disc two has “Sweet Clips that Rip”
which includes live footage of songs like “Play Dough”, “My Skateboard”,
and “Pool Party”. In between each song there is a fight or skit with some of
the aquabats arch enemies like The Tough Looking Street Gang, Space
Monster M and the Sandfleas, and The Cobnobbler. This DVD should be a
part of every ska nerd’s collection.
 I’m too young to feel this tired.
Signal To Trust 7”
Modern Radio
With the new Signal To Trust 7”, you get
more than just the 3 tracks on the record.
You get a great piece of art, that is the
front and back cover of the packaging.
Guitarist and vocalist of STT, Brian
Severns co-designed with Heather Koopmans and hand screened
the images onto the card stock covers. It’s a great piece of framable
art. Also with lyrics like “We can ride bikes! We can ride bikes
into the garden where I hit the fence. Parties are so passe. Cake at
the zoo. I like the concept. Tiny Circles. An animal wins the fight:
a seagull versus a beaver. Parties are so passe. What can you say
to that?” on the song Victory Over the Sun, you can’t go wrong.
There were only 500 screened and I have #176.
Maritime
Adios ep
Foreign Leisure
For those who haven’t heard yet,
Maritime is the new project from ex-
Promise Ring members, Davey and Dan,
and ex-Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric.
Self released on their own label, Foreign
Leisure, the 5 song Adios ep is a blend of early Promise Ring and
Vermont (Dan and Davey’s side project). Track one, “Adios” is by
far the best song on the ep. It is a very upbeat song with saxaphone
and trumpet mixed in. The other four tracks can be compared to
phases in Dan and Davey’s musical history, with one song sounding
like it could have come from The Promise Ring’s last album
“Wood/Water” and another sounding like a song off a Vermont
album. The Maritime full length “Glass Floor” should be out in the
spring/summer of 2004. For more information check out
maritimesongs.com
Take Action Volume 3
Sub City Records
It’s hard to find a CD under 6 bucks
nowadays, even harder to find a double
disc CDunder six bucks. Unless you get
the new installment of the Take Action
Tour CD. What you get is 45 tracks from
bands like Thrice, Thursday, Slick Shoes,
Paint it Black, Vaux, and Good Riddance. And that’s just on the
first disc. On disc two you get The Ataris, Yellowcard, Cursive,
Statistics, The Explosion, and Small Brown Bike. For under $6, this
package is a good choice, not because of the bands on the discs, but
because a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National
Hopeline Network, which helps people dealing with suicide.
Thursday
“War All The Time”
Thursday’s latest full length “War All the Time”
fails to please as much as “Full Collapse”. War
almost seems like there wasn’t much effort put
into writing and recording it. There are 3 songs
that start out with relatively the same guitar
strumming, and some songs come off as annoying. The track, “War All
the Time” is the best on the album.
Statistics “Leave Your Name”
Jade Tree
Denver Dalley is back again with a Statistics
debut full length album. “Leave Your Name”
is what it’s called, and I did, but you never
called me back. Anyway, the full length is
rocking with the first track sounding like an
early Weezer tune, with some computer gener-
ated beats and synths within. Overall the CD is great. The guitar plays a
much bigger part than it did on the Statistics EP. Some of the songs are
kind of short and everytime you hear track two you will wonder why your
phone is off the hook.
Challenger “Give Them What They Want
in Lethal Doses”
Jade Tree
On first listen, Challenger’s vocalists may
sound familiar. You think “Wow, I didn’t
know Justin Timberlake could sing like this”,
but you’re wrong. Maybe you have heard the
band Milemarker. You are correct, now go get
a cookie. Challenger is Al Burian and Dave Laney from Milemarker,
but their new side project sounds nothing like the full time gig.
Challenger is influenced by bands like the Minutemen and Husker Du.
Challenger is an awesome blend of early punk and power rock.
Streetlight Manifesto
“Everything Goes Numb”
Victory
This has to be the longest non-compilation ska
CD ever produced. Nine of the twelve tracks
are over four minutes long. “Everything Goes
Numb” is five minutes short of an hour. The
title track alone will make you want this album. It’s about a robbery and
it captures the energy and nervousness that goes along with robberies and
makes a song out of it. Streetlight Manifesto has made one of the best
ska albums that I have heard in a long time. It features 3 ex-members of
the popular ska band Catch 22 and it shows that ska may have gone out
of the mainstream spotlight but it is certainly not dead.
 Hella
“The Devil Isn’t Red”
5RC
When you think of instrumental music
you may think of bands like Pele, who’s
music is slow and intricate. Or Roots of
Orchis, who’s sound is more upbeat with
a turntable element. Then there is Hella, which deserves it’s own
category in the instrumental genre. Hella plays loud, fast, guitar and
drums only instrumental music. It’s like being in a tornado but with
the safety of not being crushed by flying debris. Just two guys play-
ing the hell out of their instruments.
From Ashes Rise
“Nightmares”
Jade Tree
Here are some do’s and don’ts while
listening to “Nightmares.”
Do- Listen to very loudly.
Don’t- Listen to while stuck in traffic.
Do- Listen to while on the interstate, speeding.
Don’t- Stand near glass, it will get broken.
Do- flail your arms and kick your feet.
Don’t- play for toddlers during naptime
Do- Buy this album and stop watching Mtv.
Don’t- bother going to sleep after listening, as the title suggests, you
will get nightmares.
Death Cab for Cutie
“Transatlanticism”
Barsuk
Ben Gibbard is an amazing vocalist and
sings so beautifully that you can’t help
but attempt to replicate his singing while
you’re alone in your car. Problem is, no
one can sing like he does so you come off sounding like a frog get-
ting kicked in the balls while going through puberty . Some of my
favorite tracks are Title and Registration, A Lack of Color, and
Lightness. For whatever it’s worth, I like this album more than
DCfC’s previous release “The Photo Album” but not as much as
2000’s “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes.” Wait a sec... do
frogs have balls?
The Get Up Kids
“Guilt Show”
Vagrant
Before I bought this I had a couple people
tell me it sounded more like their older
stuff, but to me it resembles “On A Wire”
more than anything else. You could mix
the two albums up into one and I wouldn’t be able to tell the differ-
ence. Then again, I’m tone deaf. And partially blind. And I have no
sense of smell. My favorite track has to be Is There A Way Out, so if
you buy this album just skip to number twelve, close your eyes, and
think of me. God, that’s weird. Pretend I didn’t write that. Wow,
now it’s going to be really awkward passing you in the hall at school.
Spitalfield “Remember Right Now”
Victory
The packaging on this album says that
Spitalfield sounds like Jimmy Eat World,
Promise Ring, and Foo Fighters. They
only got 1 1/2 right. First of all it sounds
nothing like the Foo Fighters, and only
the first two songs sound anything like the Promise Ring. You real-
ly have to listen for it. What it does sound like though is Jimmy Eat
World, mixed with some New Found Glory. What you get with
“Remember Right Now” is 10 great songs that are totally rocking in
the New Found Jimmy Eat Glory World genre.
A Whisper in the Noise/If Thousands
“2d”
I have to start out by saying that A
Whisper in the Noise is one of my favorite
bands to see play live. There is an insane
amount of energy and suspense that flows
across the stage and out into the audience.
Some bands have pretty standard stage
performances, almost to the point where you have no reason to actu-
ally watch. Your ears do all the work and you start to daydream
about other stuff. With A Whisper in the Noise you actually want to
watch and you can’t look away. Mainly because there is so much
happening on the stage all at once. Instead of nodding your head up
and down, you have to turn it from side to side just to see every-
thing, like the cello, violin, drums, french horn, piano, and bass. I
had thought that “2d” was going to be a full length, but AWITN
only has four songs on this album. I don’t know if I’d consider the
other four tracks “songs.” If Thousands is more like noises and
experimental sounds. The wood and wire packaging gets bonus
points for originality, even though I ended up getting splinters and
tetanus. Same thing happened in eighth grade tech. ed.
The Plastic Constellations
“Mazatlan”
2024 Records
I went to the CD release show for this
album and got shot in the eye with a con-
fetti cannon. For the past three weeks I’ve
had to wear an eyepatch, and people keep
making fun of me. One guy told me I looked like “a butt pirate in
search of booty.” Fuck that guy. Someone else said I was the ghost
of Lisa Left-Eye Lopez. That’s so disrespectful. All in all, the taunts
and sideways glances have been worth it, because the show kicked
ass and so does the album. Way to go TPC.
The Elected
“Me First”
Sub Pop
The Elected play mellow tunes that are
perfect for relaxing to. If napping were a
sport, The Elected would be Gatorade. I’m
not saying that like it’s a bad thing. I love
naps and Gatorade. One time I drank too much Gatorade right
before a nap and woke up in a puddle. But that’s just between you
and me. If you tell anyone I’ll kill you.
 Heros don’t do any good with tears in their eyes.

Decahedron
"Disconnection Imminent"
Lovitt Records
Ex-members of Frodus and a member of
Fugazi. The vocals sound like Ozzy, but the
instruments are all good. Loud and
hardcore/rock/metalish. CD includes a fifteen
minute video about the band's beginnings.
The Good Life
"Lovers Need Lawyers” ep
Saddle Creek
A perfect opposite to Cursive's "Ugly Organ".
Tim Kashner is a vocal mastermind... seven
songs about drinking. This ep is a teaser to a
full length that will be released later this year.
Probot "S/T"
Southern Lord Records
Good Times Bad Times
A video by Yale Nelson
As far as amature videos go, this pret-
ty much sets the standard. I’m using
the term amature lightly. These kids
aren’t pros, but they definitely have a
professional approach to filming and
editing. I’ve watched this video
many times, and the editing is nearly flawless.
Everyone in front of the camera knows what they’re
doing as well. I think all of them have appeared in
other videos over the past few years, so they know
what to do when the camera is recording. Standouts
include Yale Nelson, John Waltmann, and Bryan
Godfrey. Dan Bukstein closes the show with a solid
segment that could easily double as a sponsor-me tape.
If you’re into that sort of thing.

Dave Grohl writes music then sends it to

twelve of his favorite metal vocalists. The
result is the best mainstream metal album to
come out in years. Features Lemmy, Kurt
Brecht, Max Cavalera, and more.

Chomsky
"Let’s Get to Second"
Aezra Records

Modern upbeat indie rock with a certain 80's

charm. Lots of good songs. Some songs are
very 80's sounding but in a good way.
Frontman Sean Halleck says "We're too indie
for mainstream and too mainstream for indie..."

Four Letter Lie

2-song demo

Brian, remember when I let you borrow that

spotlight that plugs into the cigarette lighter in
your car? I need that back. You’re not gonna
need it for delivering pizzas if you’re out on
tour opening for Finch. For everyone else: Visit FourLetterLie.com,
find out when their next show is, go to it, and throw your underwear onto
the stage.

Four Letter Lie Photo: Chris Pernula

Jackson Roman, Frontside Flip Photo: Marvelous
Q
Ashley: It’s been a while since you were here last.
About a year and six days.

U
Ashley: How have you guys been since then?
We’ve done a lot of stuff since then. That was right when Different Damage

&
was coming out. Or right before it actually. And since then we’ve toured
Europe and we toured Japan. You saw us at the beginning of the U.S. tour, so
we did that tour. And then we did like more toward the West coast in March,
not and then we were supposed to tour this spring but I broke my foot, so we can-
celled that tour. Then we did like two weeks in June, then we went back and
did another two weeks in July and we went up in Canada. It was our first time
up there, like at length. We played Vancouver before but we never played any-
where else. So that was pretty cool. And then we recorded a new single and
that just came out. And we left on this tour about a week and a half or so.

Part 2 Josh: So how’d you break your foot?

Interview with John
by Josh Bachman &
Ashley Brookins
Photos by Chris Pernula
I was playing street hockey.
Josh: What a way to go.
The day before we were gonna leave on tour. We were able to prac-
tice, like while I had the cast on. I was able to play drums, but not
really a hundred percent. The thought of, you know, trying to play
live and not being able to do a hundred percent, and also having to
travel with the cast on. So I decided to just wait, and go out when I
could be a hundred percent. But we were able to write, we actually
wrote the songs for the new single while I had my cast on.
 Josh: You mentioned playing shows in other countries. The last time
you were here, you played the Babylon, which was pretty small, and you
didn’t bring any bands with you. And this time you brought some more
bands, and it’s a bigger place. Is that kinda how it is around at all the
other towns you’ve been to? Playing bigger places?
Yeah I’d say so in some places. In Minneapolis, I think it’s maybe only the
third time we’ve been here, but usually with other places we’ve been to
more often. But we’re now getting to the point where we sort of fill up the
places we used to play. Which is great. There have been a few where we’ve
had to play bigger places, and they would not fill up yet, so maybe we’ll
play them another time or two, and then they’ll fill up. So that’s kind of a
weird place to be in.

Josh: I met this kid in Canada, and he was from Germany, and I men-
tioned you guys and he had heard of you and I was surprised. Are you
surprised to see how you do in other countries?
I was a little surprised, I never know what to expect. I knew that Dischord
was well distributed in Europe, and that people were buying the records. It’s
pretty cool to see it impress a few people, and actually have a lot coming to
the shows. I’d never seen that before, for a first time in all those places.

Ashley: What can we expect from your new material?

If all goes according to plan, we’re going to write the new record over the
winter and probably record it in the spring. Then it will come out in the sum-
mer. So, within a year we are planning on having a new album out.

Ashley: Would you ever tour with Goblin if they asked you to?
Sure, I would have to.

Josh: Last time our readers learned that your favorite snack choice was
Combos. Has your taste changed?
Well yeah, I actually haven’t had Combos in a long time. But surely I don’t
miss them, but it’s been a while. My favorite snack on this trip, although, it’s
essentially candy, are dried mango slices, they’re like my favorite snack right
now... I’m eating a little better this time around. We haven’t really hit the
bulk of the long drives yet. We hit those long late night drives and we’re eat-
ing chips and tacos and the usual crap.

Josh: What do you want your last words to be?

It’s hard to say, at first I’d have to think about what bad karma I have over
here. What would I be doing? I don’t know, there’s really no good way to
go. I mean I don’t want to die.
Josh: A good “Ah, crap”?
No I think it would be positive. I can say that much, that I want it to be a
positive thing. I wanna outlive everybody so nobody’s bummed out that I’m
dead, but at the same time it would be kinda nice to have people there with
me that you love when you go. I was reading about Johnny Cash and how he
wasn’t afraid of death and how he saw it as another part of life. I like that
attitude. It’s an idea I can sort of relate to. It’s a reminder to enjoy how
lucky you are to be here. To be alive, and all the stuff you get to do every-
day. So I don’t know what I’m gonna say. But hopefully I can just say that
it was good, and I had fun.
A nthony

Age: 26
N ollen
Location: Uptown Moneyapps
Hometown: The Cedar Rapids slums (Iowa)

Favorite mediums to work with?

I like to switch it up to keep it interesting. But I would
say Acrylics, ink and watercolors, and vector art (illus-
trator graphics).

Do you have any formal training in art and design,

or are you self taught?
I went to school for fine art and for print design. But I
learned way more on my own. School taught me how
to be professional.

Other interests outside of art?

Music, video games... I pretty much spend my time
with friends or doing some sort of art/design thing. And
way too much time staring at the idiot box.

Who are some of the companies you've designed for?

Supernatural clothing, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Cal
Surf, K-salaam, Mindstate Distribution. Those are the
main ones.
How did your board graphic for Cal Surf turn out?
Actually they haven’t got it yet, but they will have it by the time this comes out. I was stoked
on the graphic they picked. It is one of my favorite characters.

When you're working for a client does it ever actually feel like work, or mostly just play?
It feels like work more than play. There is a lot more to it than playing on the computer or
drawing. You have to deal with money, clients, other designers and programmers, it goes on
and on. It can be extremely stressful dealing with business stuff. The art/design part is only
about 50% of it.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I don’t know, hopefully making a good living doing what I enjoy. I really never plan on mak-
ing a living off my fine art (that’s for me). I would like to start my own business where I can
use my art/design work and help out other artists and designers do the same.
 Black
Black and
and white
white doesn’t
doesn’t do
do this
this artwork
artwork justice.
justice.
For
For more,
more, check
check out
out Anthony’s
Anthony’s website...
website... TheCitySlacker.com
TheCitySlacker.com
L o s i n g Control
Losing C o n t r o l With
With
e yy M
He Meer
rcc ee dd eess
How long did it take to write
and record “Loses Control”?

We wrote the bulk of it (proba-

bly about 7 songs) over the
course of two weeks in a
remote cabin in a far northern
Wisconsin town called Spread
Eagle. The other 5 were
scattered before and after our
retreat. As for lyrics, they
were pretty much morphed
around until the minute I laid
them down. The recording
process took a full month in
Cambridge. All in all, I'd put the
total timeframe at about a year.

Does Hey Mercedes lose con-

trol on this album?

Yes, definitely.

The name of the album suggests that Hey Mercedes isn’t in control of what happens to them anymore, can you explain the origin of the name
and what it means?

It's meant to have a few meanings actually. You can take it your way to mean that we no longer have any say in whatever happens. You can
think about it in terms of trying to hang onto a speeding train or something. Or you can just take it as saying - on this album, we're pulling out
all of the stops free of restraint. Personally I lean towards door number 3, but it's nice to have a title that has some depth.

What did you do differently with Loses Control, that you didn’t do with Everynight Fireworks?

There were a few things. Creatively, I tried writing a few songs all at once, meaning vocal melody & accompaniment together in the traditional
sense. This is in contrast to the "write a cool guitar line and then try and lay a vocal melody over it" old way (although that was incorporated
as well). Secondly, with Mike in the band, we've been able to really explore the realms of recording processes. He owned and operated a studio
in Cleveland - so when he joined and moved to Milwaukee, he brought his equipment, and more importantly, his know-how. Hence, we found our-
selves recording demos at various stages in songwriting. Lastly, we did a whole week of pre-production, as opposed to 4 hours with Everynight
Fireworks. We actually set up in a practice space with the producers and talked about our songs. Surprisingly we didn't change a whole lot,
just tweaked some stuff here and there.
“We didn't get called up by Rod. I think they fancied us as a bunch of
rowdies. Really we were just big fans anxious to spin that big wheel.”
What kind of setting did you write the songs for “Loses Control” and
did that setting have any effect on how the songs were written or
recorded?
In a remote house set into a hill on a lake in October. I can't say that
it made the music any more remote or cabin-feverish, but I think it did
help to channel and streamline the process.
Sort of like a call to arms - now is the time!
How did you guys get involved with the AMP Video Brawl?
To be honest, I really don't know. We've toured with "amp" bands
before (Piebald, Mock Orange) and we also now have a personal posse
looking out for us, so one day we got the call. I hope we win because
we've never done a video... and it's something I've always wanted to do.
If you win, what song will you do a video for?
To be honest, I really don't know. We'd like to have a few different opin-
ions on what should be the "single". I have my opinion, but we'll just wait
and see what happens in the long run.
How is it working with Vagrant?
It's been really great. Luckily, we're friends with everyone there, so
when something needs to get done or when we ask for help in any way,
it doesn't feel like a whine session. Likewise, they never put any
restrictions on us creatively, which is the perfect situation.
You are touring this August in support for Loses Control, after the
release are there any plans of playing overseas?
Well, Loses Control doesn't come out until October 7th, so we plan on
touring up until and through then. If we're lucky, we'll be on the road
through the end of the year. Our record will be released in Europe,
etc, in January or February, so at that time, we'll be looking to get
over there. Japan & Australia, too.
How important is touring to Hey Mercedes?
It's seriously the most important part of being in a band for us... along
with the most rewarding. Personally, I hate recording and I don't nec-
essarily enjoy hanging out at home twiddling the thumbs. I prefer the
proactive life! Get out there, play the music, see the sites, meet the
locals, and have fun.
Being in a band you obviously get to travel a lot, where have been your
favorite places to play and favorite places to sight see?
Wow, so many. Braid was fortunate enough to get to Europe twice, so
I'm very eager to get out there with Hey Mercedes. I really loved the
bigger cities - Berlin, Paris, London, Dublin.
When touring, what do you do when you’re in between shows?
A lot of stuff together surprisingly. We love bowling... and socially
drinking... and going to game shows!
On heymercedes.com, there are pictures of you with the Price is Right
name tags, did you get to appear on the show.
Well, we were there but we didn't get called up by Rod. I think they fan-
cied us as a bunch of rowdies. Really we were just big fans anxious to
spin that big wheel.
You’ve worked with J Robbins on the last two Hey Mercedes releas-
es, did he produce Loses Control, and what is it like working with him?
It's great working with J. He's a great friend and knows exactly how
to get the best out of you and your equipment. This time, we worked
with Paul Kolderie & Sean Slade at Camp Street in Cambridge. We
wanted to try something different, something new and exciting, and
we're so psyched with the results.
Have you been more cautious about doing splits, 7inches, and compila-
tions since playing as Braid?
Yes, but surprisingly, it doesn't come up as much as it used to. Maybe
we put out the word well.
How many songs did you write for Loses Control? What are you going
to do with the extra songs, if any?
Total, there were 17. We arrived at the studio with 15 and it was whit-
tled down to 13 that actually made it to tape. That extra song will prob-
ably be on a Vagrant comp. The other songs we hope to record in the
Spring for an EP.
Where there any kind of musical or personal influences that help
shape the way Loses Control sounds?
Mike brought in such an amazing pure rock sound and it adds so much
to the way we wrote this album. As far as personally, we've all been
jobless & poor for the past few months, so I'm sure some of that frus-
tration seeps into the lyrics!
What is planned for the future of Hey Mercedes?
Lots of touring & writing. Lots of bowling.

How long after the breakup of the Promise Ring did
Maritime begin?
MARITIME (www.luckyface.org)
Dan: Instantaniously. On that last Plea for Peace tour we
did, Me and Davey sat down, just us two in Bellingham
Interview by Adam Sever Photos by sarah Eva krancic
near our hotel. We were like, ok this is obviously our last
tour. Me and Davey decided there was no sense waiting.
What is it about Davey that makes it easy for you two to
work so well together?
Dan: It’s something in somebody that’s like, taking the
path of least resistance, it’s like that working with Davey
and we work really well together.
What is the new album called and when will it be out?
Dan: It’s called “Glass Floor” and it’ll be coming
out in spring.
And on what label?
Dan: We are in the process of talking with a label right
now. You’ll be surprised, but expect an announcement in
a couple weeks.
Was Eric your first choice for the third member
of the band?
Dan: Definitely.
Eric: Well Victor Villereal was taken, so...
Dan: That’s not true, we were working with our friend
Justin for a little bit, and Ryan. And after Ryan we worked
with Justin but then they all went to work with Decibully.
We worked with Justin to appease, like just wanting to
record, but I guess that guy was already taken. Decibully,
there’s so many people in that band. There’s seven guys
and like that’s it, you have all the other musicians.
Eric, were you reluctant to join or excited?
Eric: Reluctant at first because stlyisticly our bands are so
different, the bands we were in. Actually it was really hard
for me at first, I had to do research. The way I play didn’t
match the way they played and the Dismemberment Plan
played. So it made me first wonder if I was a fit, obviously
we were a fit friend wise, but I wasn’t sure musically.
What was it like for Dan and Davey to ask you to play
with them, was it a shock?
Eric: Do you mean was it weird to get the email?
Yeah.
Eric: We had just announced the Plan’s breakup and we
were getting a lot of emails from friends saying condolances,
and then at the end it would say, “ do you want to play with
our band?” I was glad someome came knocking, you know.
Dan, how is Maritime different than the other bands
(the Promise Ring and Vermont) you and Davey we
were in?
Dan: To me it’s a whole new thing. In Promise Ring, like
that in itself was very different. There was a Vermont
because there was a Promise Ring. We may work a little bit
with Vermont, but not for a while. But now with Maritime
we have a totally different way of approaching it. At first
with the Promise Ring, we would play as a group, but with
Maritime, me and Davey were here and Eric was in the east
and it was a very weird way to write it.
Eric: I came out for two weeks pre-production and I want-
ed it to be thin and tight. Dan had already wrote all the
beats and for him to get behind the kit with all the certain
things in your ear, it all changed from the song, and I think
it’s pretty interesting.
How is it going from two very popular bands with a lot of years
behind it, to an almost unheard of band that is just over a year old?
Dan: It’s weird not having a record out, that’s the only problem.
When that comes out, it’ll be more like okay, we are a band. Right
now it’s kind of weird because we’re kind of floating in no man’s land.
We just did this tour to get out there and get our name out. And then
once we have a record underneath us, and that’s being pushed, it will
be a lot easier. To me it feels the same, like I don’t feel any different
being in a van for eight hours, driving. It feels the exact same in that
regard.
Eric: They broke up a year ago and the Plan broke up after the sum-
mer, so I’ve been on tour all summer, so I’m a little less removed from
the world of having multiple vans and crew to going to doing all our
own stuff. We don’t have a sound guy or a merch person. There’s
rooms where we’re playing to 50 people, and rooms where two months
ago I was playing to 1,000 people. It’s a mental kick at first but then
you also have to realize that no one has heard this music yet and no
one really knows what to expect. Come spring, we’ll be a lot better,
but still it doesn’t make it any easier to walk out on stage.
Is there more or less pressure with Maritime than there was with
TPR and the Plan?
Eric: More or less pleasure?
More or less pressure?
Dan: With the Promise Ring, we kind of got into a zone, well at least
during the Very Emergency tours we kind of got into this level where
we kind of self propelled and it kind of just kept on going. Once we
did Wood/Water and tried to do that, it got really scary, because we
were selling something nobody was buying, you know, like nobody
cared or wanted to hear the Wood/Water songs. That actually was a
blessing in disguise, ‘cause like now we’re doing the same thing where
nobody has heard this music. And we just gotta get out there and sell
it. It’s a lot more pressure than during the Very Emergency and the
Nothing Feels Good tours. We were younger too, and it was like what-
ever, there is no pressure, because I’m on tour. But now it’s shifted
over to being more about business and that sort of stuff. You get to a
different level, there is less pressure off because you assume that peo-
ple will be there and buy it. But now you gotta totally be there
and sell it.
MARITIME
You were just on tour with The Weakerthans. How did the crowd
react to the sound of Maritime?
Eric: I think really good. The first two weeks there were like 200-500
people a night and the crowd was great. And we sold tons of CDs and
everything felt like it used to. Then all of a sudden we were by our-
selves, and without the bodies there wasn’t any action. It was a mat-
ter of getting the bodies into the room, and all of a sudden you don’t
have that draw. And those 50 people love the record, but not as much
as 500 people, you know. It was a great tour.
Dan: Very awesome.
Eric: They took really good care of us, the crowds definitely jived with
us. It was good.
Dan: It was a great experience for us, for them to take us out with
them, they’re total sweethearts for taking a band that nobody knows
about out and open right before them, like second of three. It was
really nice of them.
Has there been much publicity for this band?
Dan: Well no, it’s the same thing as not having a record out. It’s hard
to promote something when there is no product. We could be like
“Hey we’re this new band.” But they’re like “Who cares, what do you
have?”
Eric: We put out an ep but even with that it’s all word of mouth. We
sold it through independent distros, so stores have them up in racks
but there’s no posters or ads or even radio saying “Hey there’s this new
band.” People that are frequent shoppers of those stores are gonna get
it, but you’re not gonna find it at Tower Records and you aren’t gonna
see it in Magnet. It’s all pretty much grass roots right now.
Dan: I like the way we’re doing it now, ‘cause I don’t think that it’s a
bad thing, I think it’s a great thing. Why promote a 5-song ep that
you pressed yourself, that are limited edition, hand numbered and all
that, you know? Just take it on the road, distribute to the people who
are there. That made sense when we did it with The Weakerthans,
but didn’t make so much sense when we were by ourselves. But we’re
still playing to some people, so whatever.
THE END
Super Sexy Pullout Poster
for all the ladies out there
“That’s
“That’s aa funny
funny place
place to
to keep
keep
your
your candy,
candy, mister.”
mister.”

Cutty
Photo: Michael Stenerson
 Guy
ke
e n R i
O p oad With M
the
On

Interview by Chris Pernula

Photography by Ryan Atienza
The Basics...
Age: 18
Location: Robbinsdale / New Hope
Sponsors: 3rd Lair, Blame it on Hip Hop
Favorites...
Trick: B/Tail
Skatespot: Pilsbury (R.I.P.)
Video: Lords- they don’t give a fuck about us. (It’s soooo good!!)
Music: A little bit of everything except no boy bands and no country.
Anything... reggae, rap, rock, old rock, emo, alternative, latin, thug
shit, punk, hip hop underground, whatev’s.
Movies: Blow, Fear & Loathing, Donnie Darko, Requiem for a
Dream, City of Gods, Backdoor Sluts 9.

How did you get into skateboarding?

My brother got me into skating. I used to watch him and the neigh-
bors skate, and it looked like fun. And Danny was sooo good.

What are some of your earliest memories of it?

Skating Lakeview everyday with the fuckin’ crew: Danny, Joe
Nabor, Jamiel, B.G., Eddie, Jahon... damn, those days were the shit!

How do you think it has changed since you started?

People are trying too hard to get noticed. People skate just to be
pro, or sponsored. Skating should be for fun.

What motivates you to skate?

Music, where we are, and having the right crew with good vibes
gets me stoked.
Who influences your skating?
My brother. He’s so good, but he stayed humble. Jamiel. He’s always trying new shit. He keeps me on
my toes. B.G. He’s just a clown, fun to skate with, down to skate haggard spots. Munzy. He’s so good,
just looks like he’s having fun when he skates. The 3rd Lair crew. We’re all tight in our own way. Nate
“King Mint” Compher gets me stoked to skate too. He’s good. Along with all the Roll heads.

Where has skating taken you?

Skating has taken me to a perfect life. I go to school, skate, kick it with homies or a girl, have fun the
whole time and do it all over again the next day.

If you could travel anywhere to skate, where would you go?

Barcelona for sho, no questions asked. I would live there if I could.

What would you be doing right now if you never started skating?
I’d prolly be a stoner or a lurker. Just chillin’ all the time, painting fruit or girls.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully still skating, maybe living in Cali. Have a legit job or education.

”
ife.

ati n g has taken m ec t l

k e to a pe rf
“S
Did you save any of your dreds after you cut them off?
HA HA yeah!! I kept all of them. They’re in a bag in my drawer of
secrets. You can have one if you want.

What do you do when you’re not skating?

Chillin’ with homies or with the girl, drawing, writing, taking photos,
movies, music.

Which Christina Agulara do you prefer: cute and innocent from

1999, or skanky and riddled with STD’s from 2003?
Let me ask you something, even if Christina Agulara was riddled with
STD’s, and she asked if you wanted to hit it, would you say no?
Of course I’m gonna hit it, I’d just have to wear one of those giant
full-body condoms like in The Naked Gun.

What is your opinion of Minnesota’s skate scene?

Minnesota’s skate scene is dope as hell. East and West coast are getting
tiresome, so seeing Midwest shit looks so fresh. We have the best crew
and the best vibes too. When you go somewhere else you sometimes get
vibed, but not here.

Pretend I’m a sixteen year old girl who saw your photos and wants
to stalk you.
Where could I find you...
On a Saturday night? Working or skating.
On a weekday night? At the park.
On a weekday morning? Skool.
Christmas Eve? Millin’ with the fam. Come and find me bitch, I’ll be
waiting with a gun and a pack of sandwiches. Haha Peace.
The Circus Life of
The Lawrence Arms
What made you go with the Circus theme for “The
Greatest Story Ever Told”
Actually, we just wrote a bunch of songs and
it turned out that they all had some circus
motifs in them. This sounds like a smart ass
answer, I know, but it's true. I guess that the
idea that being in a band is a lot like being in
the circus was really at the forefront of our
minds. I kind of feel like a clown up there
sometimes, just jumping around like a fool.
Also, Neil is studying to be a contortionist.
He can get both legs over his head now.

The band name is taken from a building you lived in,

in a lower class area in uptown Chicago, does how
you play reflect the situation you were in at the
time?
I don't know. That was a great place to live,
and the year that we spent in that building
was very formative, but I don't know how
much that really has to do with how we
sound.

A lot of great musicians come from Chicago and it’s

surrounding area, what are some of you favorite
bands from that area?
The Killing Tree, The Ghost, Rise Against,
The Honor System, Colossal, The Arrivals,
Duvall...Shit, There are tons. This is just a few.
Your lyrics suggest that you’re well read and very knowledgeable. What books would you suggest everyone should read?
Right now, I would say that everyone should read "Fast Food Nation." It's one of the most important books ever written, and it should
be mandatory that everyone in America read it. As for literature, The Satanic Verses by Rushdie is very good. Also, check out
Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita." That book influenced our new record as much as the circus shit.

How did you make “The Greatest Story Ever Told” different than “Apathy and Exhaustion”?
It's better. It's shorter. It's funnier, I think. It's a lot more diverse, but not to the point of being odd. It's got lots of dick jokes. And, it
single handedly solves most of the energy problems that have been such a burden on people in California, New England and even
Canada.

Did you plan on having Chris sing all the even numbered songs and Brendan sing all the odd numbered songs, or did it just happen that way?
It just kind of happened. We switch off live every other song, and since this time around we had the same number of songs, it just kind
of fell together like that.

Describe your song writing process. From reading the footnotes, you take lines from a lot of very different things, where do the lines come from and how
do you fit those into your lyrics?
Lines just kind of get stuck in our heads and come out while we write words. It's always the words first and then the music for me. I
write every day, and I try to read every day as well. It's the most important thing. If I want to write well, I have to do those things. It
makes for a lot of stealing and borrowing.

The Lawrence Arms tours a lot, why is touring so important to you?

Because it's fun, it's a great way to see the world. Playing shows is a great time, and if we didn't tour, no one would know who we were,
no one would buy our records, and the people that put out our records would be calling me every day saying "I don't believe that we
put all this energy into this record and you aren't gonna tour! What the fuck?" I don't need that.

What bands or people influence you most and why?

Harry Belafonte, The Doobie Brothers, Perfect Strangers, Don Delillio, Goethe, Matthew Broderick, Sammy Sosa, Warrant and John
Tesch. These people influence me because that's the stuff that I am thinking about when I'm writing. Highbrow shit, dick jokes, Faust,
Danny Faustino, whatever. That's the way that I roll.

What kind of influences helped shape “The Greatest Story Ever Told” to what it is?
Pretty much the touring experience, lots of books and a general distaste/ morbid obsession with pop culture. And Master and Margarita
and the Circus. And Operation Mindcrime.

You’ve obviously played music for a while, what is it about music that makes you want to play it?
I don't know. It's just something that I have to do. I don't really think about it.

What can be expected of The Lawrence Arms in the future?

Touring and getting wasted and having fun.

The Lawrence Arms

When did you start skateboarding?
Right around 1989.

How old are you? 28

Where is Crookston?
Northern Minnesota, right on the border of North Dakota, like an hour fron Canada. So it’s up there.

How did you get into skateboarding?

My little brother got a skateboard at the toy store once and he rode around on the floor a while and ended up
getting into it. He skated for a few years ‘till I got into it. But that’s it pretty much.

Was there any kind of skateboard scene in Crookston when you started skating?
There actually was a pretty cool little scene in Crookston. There was a handful of skaters there that were skat-
ing all day everyday, and we had a bunch of really cool spots. So surprisingly there was a rad scene for a bit,
but it did go through a time where it was just me skating for a few years.

Have you always been artistic?

Not really, I really didn’t get into art ‘till like 7th or 8th grade. About the same time I started skateboarding, or
at least looking at Thrasher Magazine. I just wanted to do the kind of art I saw on skateboards.

How’d you get the job at Consolidated?

Kinda luck. My roommate at the time (Billy Kahn) was getting stuff from Consolidated and I would talk to
the people at Consolidated once in a while if they would call for Billy. And one time they sent me a board in
Billy’s board box, so I sent a little thank you letter to Consolidated. And I had drawn a little picture on the
envelope and a few days later I got a call asking if I would be cool with Consolidated using that drawing I did
for a board graphic. After that I did like ten graphics over the next year, and at that point their artist was kinda
over it and wanted to leave, so they called me and asked if I could move out in like two weeks time. So the
wife and I packed up and left.

What did your wife think of your job opportunity, and having to move out to California?
She was into it, I think cuz up ‘till then she had kinda been strugglin’ to work like three jobs at a time just to
make sure we could pay rent and eat, so I could spend my days trying to do art related stuff. But it was tough
for sure to just up and leave everything and everyone you know. Leah was excited though, she knew that’s all
I ever wanted to do.

What is you official title? art director

What is your typical day like?
I wake up semi early, hang out with the wife ‘till she has to go to work. At that point I go to work and paint or draw for a
bit and then I just kinda do whatever needs to get done for that day, it totally changes everyday. Some days it’s drawing
board graphics, some days it’s ads, web stuff, new order forms, catalogs, stickers, editing video stuff. Then try to skate a bit
before Leah gets off work, then hang out with her till bed time. Zzzzz, then start over.

Do you design all of the Consoildated board graphics?

Everythng you see that comes from Consolidated I do the art for, EVERYTHING. I try real hard to get all my friends that
are into art to do graphics as much as I can. I have this friend from Kentucky, Partick Jilbert, who has been doing a lot of
graphics lately, but for the most part I do it all, even if someone does a graphic, I still gotta get it ready for printing and all
of that crap.

How long does it take you to create a board graphic?

Anywhere from a half hour to a day, but usually I can get one done in like 2 or 3 hours.

What’s the hardest part about designing board graphics?

Working with the pros on the team. It’s not like it’s hard, but I want to be able to take their ideas and make them look how
they want them to look. All the pros get to come up with whatever graphics they want, and sometimes they don’t have an
idea, so I gotta try to come up with something that I think they would be into. It’s kinda nerve racking ‘cause I want their
stuff to look how they want it to look. But I dunno, it’s tough.

How do you feel about putting so much time into one project, just to have it scraped off?
Great!! I actually like the way boards look after they have been skated a bit, and some times when I will paint something
just for fun I will kinda bang it up a bit and make it all dirty so it kinda looks how an old skateboard would look. I’m into it.

What other board companies graphics do you like?

Iota, for a number of reasons. Toy Machine. I dunno though, I like the way stuff used to look like ten years back, now it’s
all kinda funny, I dunno. I like it all but at the same time all of the graphics that come out now days kinda bum me out
(including my own).

Why do you think most skateboarders are artistic?

I have no idea, but it seems like most skaters are. I dunno.

What pros graphics are your favorite to design?

Clint Peterson, Alan Petersen, Karma, and Scott Bourne. All those dudes have (or had) real good and fun ideas. Or if they
don’t have ideas, those are the dudes that are pretty easy to come up with something for.

What’s it like working at Consolidated?

It’s the absolute BEST!! No joke. It’s really layed back and
fun. It’s not even like a “job”, it’s super mellow. There are
only five people that work here total and everyone helps
everyone out with everything.
Are you constantly drawing or creating art?
Yeah, like 24-7 for Consolidated and for a lot of other projects for friends and whatnot.

Who are your favorite skateboarders?

Israel forbes, Seth McCallum, the Gonz, Marc Johnson...

How often do you skate?

Like everyday. There are ramps in the warehouse and in the parking lot of Consolidated, and around
4 or 5 everyday I go street skating with a little crew of kids from Santa Cruz.

If you weren’t designing board graphics, what would you be doing?

I dunno, something art related. Or not, it’s hard to say.

What do you do when you’re not skating or working?

Drawing or painting, hanging out with my girl.

What has been you favorite board graphic that you’ve

designed?
Alan Petersen’s "death and the madein".

What has been you favorite board graphic that someone else
has designed?
The Jorden Richter "saftey gear"graphic on Blind.

What board graphic was the hardest to complete?

They are all about the same pretty much, some just take a little
longer than others.

Who or what influences you the most?

My friends for sure. I like all the stuff my friends are doing
as far as art. George Thompson, Aaron Horkey, Patrick
Jilbert. And I really like the art from old pinball machines.

What advice can you give people that want to design

board graphics for a major skate company?
I dunno really, you just gotta draw a lot and keep sending
your stuff out there to companies you like, and you can’t
really worry about money, you just gotta do as much as
you can whether you get payed or not.
Skateboarding
keeps me
skateboarding.

What does skateboarding mean to you? EVERYTHING

If the skateboarding industry took a dive, and you were out of a job, what
kind of career would you go into?
I really have no idea, I guess I would work at a pet store. Or um, do a lot of noth-
ing. No clue.

What are you favorite mediums to use?

Ink on paper, watercolor, acrylics, kinda whatever. But I don’t have any patience,
so whatever is quick and easy to use.

Have you done artwork for any other companies, bands, etc.?
A lot. I don’t even know who, but I’m working on something for someone aside
from Consolidated just about everyday. That’s all I do ever is art stuff for people.
It’s all I want to do.

If Consolidated turned you pro and you had to design your own pro model,
what would it look like?
I kinda had a funny joke pro board, kinda. It had my name on it at least... the
"GRAVES" board. My friend Amber and I came up with the graphics.

Since you work during the day, do you have to force yourself to be creative
during that time or are you constantly flowing with ideas?
The ideas come and go sorta, it’s no biggie though. It’s not just me with the ideas
though, everyone here brainstorms and has ideas all day. So it’s pretty easy.

What inspires your artwork?

Nothing really, just day to day life I guess.

What keeps you skateboarding?

Skateboarding keeps me skateboarding.
The
Mars
Volta
Interview with Cedric by Ashley Brookins & Josh Bachman
Live Photo: Ashley Brookins
Ashley: How’s the tour going?

Good. I think everyone’s a little disenchanted with having to do the states, because we just did
Mexico and Puerto Rico, and that’s a really different experience. In a way, some people in the
band, me included, were like “Ah, the states again.” We’re so used to different things now,
being put back thrown into the states feels like regular tour. Regular tour can be not fun some-
times. Walking around is not fun, I can’t do that nowadays. It kinda sucks. They want to take
pictures with you, they want autographs. If you say no, you’re an asshole.

Josh: Interviews…

Interviews I don’t mind as much, that’s okay. It’s just that I can’t go out in public and watch a
band or watch Saul every night. It’s kind of difficult.

J: Have there been any favorite shows, or favorite places you’ve played, or favorite bands
you’ve been able to play with? Like, you guys toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Yeah, those shows were good, but I think that one of the coolest ones was Puerto Rico. And
Mexico was good. Those shows were pretty great, and Japan was a lot of fun. Lawrence last
night was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun for me, but I think that other band members had a bad
show. It depends on everyone’s chemistry, things like that. How the audience is, how the audi-
ence treats Saul Williams, I really take that into account for some reason.

A: How did you meet the rest of your band members?

We met our keyboard player at a De la Soul show. This girl introduced us, because we needed
a keyboard player for our other band, Defacto. We just met when he showed up at this bar-
beque we were playing. It was really low key, just a lot of friends, he just showed up in the
middle of a song and plugged in. We’ve known him ever since. John Theodore, our drummer,
we opened up for his band Golden and the Make Up a really long time ago in El Paso at a
video arcade. Our bass player , Juan Alderete, we met him through his other band Distortion
Felix and they opened up for At the Drive-In a long time ago. So it basically comes through
touring and going to concerts, kind of organically like that.

J: Your new record is dedicated to your friend who died. Have you ever thought what it
would be like if someone dedicated an album to you after you pass on? Do you have any
idea what that would be like?

I have no idea what that would be like. I think we spend so much of our time remembering
people that we knew from El Paso that don’t have the opportunities that we have. They have
usually been under the age of thirty, so that’s one of my goals in starting this band was to try to
patch up and say our final good-byes to a lot of people we didn’t get to say good-bye to. It’s
our way of channeling whatever spirit they have left here and just having another way to get
closer to and since we don’t necessarily go to a church and pray it’s our way of doing it.

A: You guys have been known to have a lot of energy. Is there ever a time you don’t feel
like you’ve put as much effort into it?

Oh yeah, definitely. Sometimes I just stand there and I can’t go on… it’s really humid and it’s
too hot and I can’t even move at all. That sucks, I really hate when that happens. There’s been
a lot of times when that happens and you can never fight that. It just feels forced. I think that
if your band goes through a month long bout of that maybe there’s something wrong. Maybe
you’re not interested anymore. Fucking for fucking’s sake.
A: How did you originally get into music?

I watched this movie when I was really young called Kiss Meets the
Phantom of the Amusement Park. I was born in ‘74. I grew up in
California in the Bay area so you had a lot of the commercial dolls
And the movie came out during Halloween and I saw it, and my dad
was really worried because after that it was non-stop music with me
and non-stop Kiss. And then the first time I really got involved with
music was selling hot dogs at a skateboarding demo in El Paso, for
Dogtown Skateboards. And there was this skater named Eric
Dresser and someone else, I can’t remember, he was missing a fin-
ger. And this punk band called Uglor played in this ditch, and they
were really cool. I’d always been into all the Thrasher tapes that
came out and I don’t think I would have found out about that had I
not been involved with the skating. But I was never good at skating,
so I found out through that way. So the first band I saw was Uglor
and the second band was this band called Rhythm Pigs who were
kinda famous in Europe for putting El Paso on the map. Then after
that it was like Dead Kennedys and stuff like that. And then
Another State of Mind was what made me want to actually tour.
That’s the movie my parents saw and they didn’t want me to join a
band because they saw that they made no money and got paid in
pennies. They always asked me “ I don’t understand what you see
in it, they’re poor, theyre not making any money, half of them are
leaving the band.” You know you’re in love with something when
you can’t really, really pinpoint the main reason why you love it.
You just say it’s that way.

Josh: Well that’s cool, ‘cause the magazine is like skateboarding

and music, and we were like “ We should ask something about
skateboarding.” But we thought that might be stupid, there’s no
connection.
There is definitely a connection, our drum tech played drums on the
first Suicidal record, so he was emerged in the whole Venice Beach
thing so I can spend hours and hours talking about old punk stuff
with him and he’ll tell me great stories about the whole Dogtown
thing. And I was really stoked about the movie coming out. A
movie called Stoked, about Gator, you know, because I think that
really showcases that kind of dark side of skateboarding that turned me off for years. And you know, that part of the nineties
when kind of the hip hop influence came in, and a lot of people started acting like the kids in the movie Kids. And so I was
really turned off by skating and I had this really bad stereotype of skateboarders until I opened my mind a little bit more and
more and realized that there’s just a sterotype for every kind of person... But all I know is that if it wasn’t for them and their
skateboards, and people like John Lucero and Lance Mountain, I don’t think I would have discovered a lot of the punk music
that I did. So it’s really an important part of my growing up.

Josh: What do you do when you’re not on tour or playing music?

I have a bad habit of just staying home with my girlfriend. And we watch movies, and we have a dog. And we walk our dog.
And we get really domestic. (laughs)

Josh: Does it take a lot out of you then?

Yeah it does, it does. By the time I get home, the bed is much more comfortable than walking out into real life. It’s a bit of a
trap you know, you just get in the mode of just going from city to city, and you don’t see much of the city. And you hunt for a
place to eat, especially if you have a certain diet. You go to a record store, and then you play, and then you’re tired. It used to
be when I first started touring that I could walk and walk around, and now I’m just really lazy and I feel like I really gotta con-
serve my energy or just stand still for the entire show.
Ashley: What’s the last three books that you read?
Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury. And I’m reading another Ray Bradbury book called Something Wicked This Way Comes.
And before that somebody gave me a book called Confederacy of Dunces, which is really a good book. And Omar’s girlfriend
gave me a book, I can’t remember the name of it. But I think everyone in the band reads a lot. A lot a lot. So... it’s important.
(laughs)

Josh: Five items you cannot live without.

Little Fetish Eddy, that’s my dog. Parker, my girlfriend. My small increasing record collection. And umm... music obviously.
And cinema.

Ashley: If there was one person you could hug, alive or dead, who would it be?
Josh: We had if you could fight anyone, who’d you fight, but we changed it.
(Laughs) Well, someone in dire need of a hug, maybe Sylvia Platt?

Josh: Is there an ultimate goal for Mars Volta, like how far are you gonna take this?
Hopefully we won’t fall in the same rutt that our last band did, which is why we started this band. So that we wouldn’t follow
those same ingredients that led to that demise. I think so long as we keep questioning ourselves and monkey wrenching our own
comfortable zone, and keep pulling the rug out from underneath ourselves instead of having other people do it. When I say
other people I mean expectations of fans and also expectations of record labels. As long as we keep pushing ourselves and we
don’t copy every full-length we do, and we keep sticking to our guns and experimenting. For lack of a better way of explaining
it, it’s being more selfish as far as our art is concerned. I think we’ll stay around for a while until all the grey hairs I have on my
head become a full white.

Josh: It sounds like you’re pretty happy.

Yeah, I’m very, very happy. And I haven’t been happy like this in a while, so it’s good to be here.
 STRIKE
ANYWHERE

Interview with Matt Sherwood Live Photos by Colby Black

How was it playing australia for the first time?
It didn't seem like a first tour at all, more like a glorious homecoming. We had an unusual (for us) opportunity to forge new, deep friend-
ships because we were there for three weeks playing only ten shows. We got to know the local punks and experience the very relaxed
life that can be found all over Australia. A typical tour doesn't allow us time to know the cities we play. We were grateful for the chance
to be stupid tourists.

What was it like being incarcerated in Japan?

Not as stressful as one would think, but much more expensive. The government of Japan has an agreement with the international air-
lines requiring the airlines to provide security services (i.e. guards) in the event that individuals need to be detained before deportation.
Our guards, in the emp loy of Singapore and Japan airlines, were very polite. They escorted us to the hotel in Narita where deportees
are detained. The hotel forced us to spend a huge sum on two graffiti-filled rooms. We spoke hourly to Moto (our Japanese promoter)
and Darren (one of the owners of Jade Tree, who got into Japan with no problems) through our phone that received incoming calls only.
We slept and watched a lot of weird TV. In the end the airlines were going to send us back to LA, wasting the whole trip, but the one
very nice guard helped us go on to Australia. I saw him on the way through the Tokyo airport after the tour, but he didn't remember us.
What did you gain/lose from being in that situation?
We lost a ton of time. We (the band) and Moto (our promoter)
lost a lot of money. The whole experience amplified the hell out
of my jet lag. I think most of us are really paranoid about trying to
go back. We gained some quality time in Australia with Cameron,
our host in Brisbane, and our many new friends in Sydney:
Graham, Kelley, Gary, and Thomas's Uncle Gil.
they tend to, as a crowd, be a little more homogeneous. They also
seem to grow out of punk and live music much sooner.
How does “Exit English” compare to “Change is a Sound”?
It's the same folks playing the same instruments and, topically, it's
not too different. We've tried to extend ourselves into some new
territory with a wider dynamic range and some varying tempos.
There's even a little bit of alternate tuning on Exit English.

Where has being in Strike Anywhere taken you and What did you do differently with Exit English that did-
what have you learned from n’t do on previous releas-
traveling the world? es?
Strike Anywhere has taken me to We tried some new recording
almost every state in America, methods. Eric played to a click
most of Central/Eastern Canada, track on a few songs. We wrote
most of Western Europe, more as individuals before
Scandinavia, and Australia. bringing songs to the group to
Travelling the world has shown us re-shape. Thomas had his back-
the reality of the American cul- pack stolen with all of his lyrics
tural hegemony that we complain and a few years worth of journal
about so much. Travelling has entries so he was obliged to start
shown us that this subculture, from scratch. We all con-
whether you call it punk or hard- tributed to each aspect of
core or whatever, is robust and recording, not just our own
thriving and in constant flux. instrument and its level in the
Travelling has introduced us to final mix.
many examples of a good and per-
sonally valuable life. I now have
a long list of places I'd like to be What influenced the lyrics
for a few months instead of a day on Exit English?
or two. Current events, local and inter-
national. Hidden histories.
Are there any major differ- Thomas writes from his relation-
ences in the fans over seas ship to a past that predates his
opposed to the fans in the existence combined with an
U.S.? empathetic view of everyone's
In general, I'd say that German present. It's amazing to read the
(and other European mainlander) raw text of it.
folks are the most interested in
good live music, regardless of its sub-sub-genre, and they want us You played with Kid Dynamite for the SSE Benefit.
to play every song we know twice. They'll get angry if they think How was what experience?
you didn't play a long enough set. The age of our audience has a
wider range in Western Europe. Kids from the UK are more like Absolutely amazing. We were honored to play and amazed that
Americans in that they tend to only like certain kinds of punk and KD would have a reunion. The fact that the shows helped fund
Sorentha's foundation made it even more worthwhile.
How does the Richmond music scene compare to other
scenes?
Richmond is slow and beautiful. Right now it's full of pollen and
ragweed, warm and humid. At any given moment, Richmond is
no less than three years behind the rest of the world. It's small and
if you were to start a band here everyone would know within a few
days. You're totally anonymous in some big city but it's easy to play
someone's house here and enjoy the party of it.

Your website said that you will have “Exit English”

skateboards soon, do the members of the band skateboard
and do you get a chance to skate when your on tour?
We have them and they're
great! Hooligan Skateboards
makes the decks.
( h t t p : / / w w w. h o o l i g a n
skate.com/) Matt Smith and
I skate as often as we possibly
can, at home and on the
road. We love it when local
folks show us the good
spots/parks. We also love it
when we show up early and
there's time for us to really
enjoy someone's backyard
ramp or favorite spot. We
need to plan to get to
Louisville more often.

D o y o u t h i n k s k a t e-
boarding and music go
hand in hand? How do you think they are related?
I think skateboarding, like punk rock, is a self-determined thing.
It can be a personal, solo activity. it can be a part of our subcul-
ture. it can be a competitive, high-dollar sport. I need to stop typ-
ing and go skate!

Being a vegetarian, is it hard to find places to eat

while on tour?
Not really. Just in the Midwest.

What is the goal of Strike Anywhere? What are you

trying to accomplish with Strike Anywhere?
We want to travel, make friends, and keep cheering for the Left. I
hope that when all this is over I've got some great stories.
Peter Madsen, Crooked Grind Photos by Michael Stenerson
Nick Riley, Feeble
Jackson Roman, Backside Tailslide