BEN WEASEL

photo: @walk.into.the.light

BEN WEASEL

How has the Twitch channel experience been so far, and what could prospective subscribers expect from a live broadcast? You don’t need to subscribe in order to watch and participate, although I appreciate it. It’s been good so far. The people in the chat room pretty much decide what we’re going to discuss. I start out with my own ideas but the viewers determine where it goes from there. Is recorded music worth doing anymore for you? Not really. We’ve finally reached the point that MaximumRockNRoll always dreamed about, where music is worth nothing. The result is that’s exactly the value people place on it, not just financially but in every other way, too. It just doesn’t seem to matter much anymore. Do you still feel a strong connection to the style of music that you pioneered, or has its relevance waned in your view? I don’t know if it was ever relevant, really. Its irrelevance was a big part of its charm. As a genre it was never great. It was always prone to generic takes, so even in the early 90s there were a lot more crappy pop-punk bands than good ones. It’s harder to do something compelling within limited parameters than most aspiring songwriters realize. That said, mainstream pop-punk has a lot going for it. The songwriting, arrangements and production tend to be much better than with the underground bands. But where the mainstream bands fall short is in the lack of spontaneity and sense of urgency, which is the price you pay for setting everything to a click track and looping instruments through computers on stage. So even the best examples in the genre don’t grab me in the way that the great rock and roll and punk bands of the past did. Do you get the same level of enjoyment from songwriting now that the prospects for recording and releasing music have become so restrictive? I don’t know if it’s the same but I get a kick out of it. I pat myself on the back and buy myself a drink when I come up with something good. I’m happy enough with my retarded little home demos. Do you sense that there’s still a place for punk rock with today’s generation of teenagers? Sure, but to me, punk was just rock and roll at a time when rock and roll had one foot in the grave. Teenagers will always get together in the garage with drums and guitars and make noise. It’s cyclical. It springs up seemingly out of nowhere, runs its course pretty quick, and leaves behind die-hards, losers and people like me who don’t have any other job prospects. Then it starts over again. That’s rock and roll. As a father, do you feel like you understand the experience of being young today through the lens of your children’s experiences? Absolutely not, nor do I wish to. Do your interactions on the Twitch channel provide you a sense of community among those who admire your work? I’m not sure. So far people are decent to each other and don’t act the fool. But it’s the Internet so it’s only a matter of time before war breaks out. For me it’s about connecting with the superfans, which right now is, as far as I can tell, the entire viewership. Those people are the ones that keep me in business so I want to know what they think and I want to give them something unique via the stream that other bands don’t offer. Are you largely unimpressed by the bands that have been directly and obviously influenced by your songwriting? That’s a fair assessment.

KJ JANSEN

KJ JANSEN

What are your earliest memories of loving music? When did you begin to realize that it would become an important outlet for you? Which bands were your first favorites, and were there any specific ones that inspired you to begin writing your own songs?

I remember being with my mom and hearing “Candy Man” by Sammy Davis Junior when I was maybe three or so. Ironically it was in a place called “The Pop Shoppe”, which was where you bought different flavours of soda in these big crates of bottles. They would refill the empties when you brought them back. It was a fun, happy place and that’s maybe what hammered home the music that went along with the memory. It made me feel good. Later, when I was eight or nine, my sisters started getting into music. One of my sisters was into what was on the radio and the other was into the less accessible stuff. I was way younger then they were and they each wanted me to be into what they were into. Subsequently, I got into both of them. I started listening to the radio a lot. My parents both came from Holland and when one of my sisters went there for a visit in the late seventies, she came back with a bunch of records that my punk Dutch cousin gave her. Sex Pistols, Stranglers etc. I taped them and brought them to school to play for my friends. I loved the music but I also loved knowing about something that the other kids didn’t. Shortly after that time I remember Boomtown Rats, Vapors and Visage records showing up at the house. I listened to those a million times. But, like a lot of people, the first band that made me realize I could write songs was The Ramones. One day the school bus didn’t come pick us up and instead of going home to tell our parents we went to a friend’s house. He had that had a sister that was into punk and  played us one of her VHS tapes with The Ramones on it. They became my everything.

When did you first pick up a guitar, and how did you learn to play? Did songwriting and playing go hand-in-hand from the beginning? When you started writing songs, were there particular influences you wanted to emulate? When did you begin developing confidence in your own playing and writing?

I didn’t really pick up a guitar until after high school. The first instrument I had was a drum set. When Mike Eggermont, Mark O’Flaherty and I started talking about actually making a band, that was gonna be my job. I was gonna be the drummer. Then when nobody wanted to write songs, I wrote some songs. Then when nobody wanted to sing those songs there was talk that I was gonna be the singer/drummer. I didn’t like the aesthetics of the singer/drummer so I decided that I’d be a standup singer and we’d get a friend to take over on drums. I realized I didn’t like the idea of that either so I saved up and bought a guitar. At the time there was a lot of inspiration to learn to play as we were getting some pressure to play a show from our friends. I’d sit in front of the tv and make barre chords on my guitar and try and hold my hand in that position for as long as the commercials lasted. Guitar fucking hurts when you start playing so thats how I got through that. There were lots of bands we wanted to emulate but most of them you had to actually know how to play to play in their style. We were in no shape to do any of that. Still aren’t. I’m very thankful that The Ramones existed to us then. We could pull off a bad version of what they were doing and get away with it. The confidence came a bunch of years after that.

Do you recall the first song you wrote that you felt proud of? Did you show your earliest songs to anyone else, and if so who were the people who showed you the most support and encouragement as you were learning? Did you record any songs prior to Chixidiggit! ?

Chixdiggit was the first time I’d ever done anything organized that involved music. The first song I was proud of…  it might have been “I Wanna Hump You”. Mostly because the other guys in the band liked it. At the time they and my sisters were the most encouraging people for me. Our friends were too but my hunch is that they just wanted to see us make asses of ourselves.

The story of Chixdiggit!'s formation has always confounded me considering how great you guys are and have been since the beginning. Was it really formed more or less as a goof and extension of the t-shirts that you made for friends? To what extent were you guys already seasoned players at the time of your formation? How comfortable were you with your own songwriting at that time?

It was pretty much an extension of the t-shirts at first. Then we started believing that we’d be this incredible band. At the time the total musical experience of the band was a year of piano i took when I was eight and Mark had a couple guitar lessons from what I recall. There was zero seasoned anything going on with the band. Zero comfort as well. I think that the lack of all that was important for us as we really had no idea of all the reasons we really shouldn’t have been doing it in the first place. 

Your songwriting often evokes a stadium rock feel, but Chixdiggit! has a very down-to-Earth vibe as a band. Was there some thought put into those opposing aesthetics? Lyrically there's also an interesting juxtaposition of fairly harmless humor and wit against the backdrop of hard-rockin' tunes. Shadowy Bangers, for example, has a genuinely badass vibe to it yet the lyrics are deliciously silly! What's your take on the Chixdiggit! sound?

Hey thanks! I think it started from the fact that we didn’t know how to play when we started and it made people laugh that we were pretending to be awesome and triumphant when we were basically just making the equivalent of a giant fart sound with our instruments. We’ve improved from there in the sense that we all play the same note when we’re making that fart sound. 

Your songs are interesting in that many could have easily been reworked into huge rock anthems or something with an acoustic singer-songwriter feel. The "pop punkness" of your songs seems more incidental just based on the simpler approach to arrangements and so forth - and yet Mark still cranks out very rocking solos. It kind of goes back to my earlier question - was Chixdiggit! ever meant to become associated with the fairly specific scene of Ramones-influenced pop punk?

There was no real plan for how we were going to sound when we started out. We were all into the Ramones but outside of that there wasn’t much else we all agreed on. We were all learning how to play and the easiest style of music to play was what is now called "Ramones-core". There were no bands of that style around that we knew of so we weren’t trying to do that. We just all loved the Ramones. Keep in mind that when we started it was pre-Internet and we lived in Calgary, which is pretty isolated in terms of bands touring through there. We just wanted to fuck with people and get drunk and have fun. Simple music is the easiest to play when you’re drunk. 

What's your typical writing process? Do you typically work from titles first, or do you tend to start with a riff or melodic idea? How do you "store" your ideas so as not to forget? Did you/do you record at home often? Do you write on an acoustic guitar? How do your lyrics typically develop?

There’s no real process that I stick with. Sometimes something will pop in my head and I’ll record it on my phone usually with an acoustic guitar. Sometimes a lyric will come to me and I’ll write it down. Sometimes they come at the same time. I’m just trying to make sure I save all the ideas so I don’t lose anything. I just wait for the universe to provide. I would never sit down to write a song. It either comes to me or it doesn’t. I’ve never recorded at home. We have, in my opinion, one of the best recording engineers and producers in the world in Russell Broom living here in Calgary. It’s better to let him do it right the first time and he always does. 

There are plenty of short songs in the Chixdiggit! catalog - do you enjoy writing short and concise tunes in general? On later albums there seems to be a more "fleshed out" sound in certain ways - and I recall you stating that there was a point where Chixdiggit! began playing mid-paced songs which was in fact significant but people didn't seem to notice. How has your songwriting naturally evolved over since the self-titled album?

I feel that most songs go on too long so I don’t want to contribute to that, although we did do 2012 that went on (and on). Sometimes there’s a little bit more to say so the song might be longer. Sometimes I take a short, fast song and slow it down so it’s longer only because it’s played slower. It’s true, we were a bit scared to play mid-tempo songs at the beginning there. People did not notice or care. They’re some of our more popular songs now. They only way I can explain the evolution of my songwriting (if there is one), is that, like everyone else, I’m trying to write the perfect song. And, like everyone else, I’m just coming up with what I want to hear. 

I've always been interested in your relationship with Kepi Ghoulie, since you both have similar songwriting instincts and are clearly allies. How did you first come into contact with Kepi? As a songwriter, has he inspired you in any particular way and have you learned anything specific about songwriting through your friendship with him? You both seem to "get" one another as songwriters and I think it's pretty cool!

In January of 1995 we were asked to do a West Coast tour with one of our favourite bands at the time The Best Kissers In The World. It was our first real American tour. We ended up playing in Sacramento at Old Ironsides. At the time I was a lot more mouthy than I am now and t was pretty common for someone to wanna have words with me after the show. I remember Kepi and Roach standing at the front. They looked tough as shit. After the show I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around and there was Kepi. Leather jacket, and all. I thought he was gonna punch me out. Instead the sweetest, kindest voice said “we really liked your show!”. He gave us a tape and we listened to it the whole way home. 26 hours to Calgary. Since then he’s been one of our biggest supporters and one of my best friends. He kind of kept me going when I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it anymore. As a songwriter he’s really inspiring. He’ll be driving and just write a whole song in his head. Lyrics and all. He’ll just start singing this song and I’ll ask him when he came up with it and he’ll have just written a complete song right then. I’ve seen him do it a bunch of times. He has a genius for coming up with simple but very catchy songs that aren’t ripping anyone else off. I believe that writing a good simple song is the hardest thing to do. You have to make it something that nobody else has done and still be good. I think that’s way harder than writing intricate and complicated music. Some of his songs are some of the greatest punk songs of all-time.

Your association with Fat Wreck Chords is notable for many reasons, including that Fat Mike is a big fan of Chixdiggit! What are your thoughts on his songwriting? Have you ever discussed songwriting with him specifically? Do you feel that Chixdiggit! "fits" Fat Wreck Chords well enough? Considering the low-key and down-to-earth vibe of the band, it would make sense if you didn't - but then again Fat is considered the high water mark for quality songwriting in the punk genre, so perhaps that's the fit?

Mike’s probably the most consistent songwriter in punk these days and he’s always getting better. I ofter hear people say that they used to listen to Nofx but haven’t listened past Punk in Drublic, or something like that. They’re missing the catchiest stuff. Every record he writes songs that need to be written and not a lot of bands do that. In terms of fit, I’d say we’re in exactly the right place. We’re kind of a weird band in a lot of senses, but, for example, I’d count The Lillingtons, Masked Intruder and Teenage Bottlerocket as bands on Fat that are in our specific genre. Lots of others too! Fat’s a lot more diverse than people give ‘em credit for.

Your wife Kathy is also a talented songwriter - how has it been to share a life with someone who can relate to you in that specific way? Has the music gene been passed on to your daughter? Does she know your songs? What role does music play in your family's lifestyle? Does your wife still play shows and record?

I agree. I love her songs. She’s one of the filters I run my songs through as she’s got really good pop sensibilities. I run things by the kids as well. If I play something and they don’t respond, I know it’s not good enough. My daughter plays the piano and our son, who’s only three, plays all the percussion stuff we have laying around. He actually keeps really good time. Something he obviously got from Kathy. We all play together at home a lot of the time. Usually songs that our daughter has picked that she really likes or something that I’ve written that the kids like. That’s all that Kathy wants to do right now. She’ll get out there again I’m sure but right now it’s not something that’s not on her musical radar. 

From what I've read you work with young people as an educator - are they aware of your music career? Do you see young people today retaining much of an interest in what you and I would consider to be rock n' roll? What about that kind of work is most satisfying to you? Do you find any musical inspiration in what you do professionally?

Yeah, I work with ‘at risk’ youth. Some of them are aware of what I do, but I’d say there’s not a lot of interest in guitar bands with the kids I work with. I’ll teach basic guitar to the rare one’s that are into it though. The kids I work with are pretty incredible. Most of them live lives where they have to get by on their own wits and senses of humour. They’re funny as shit. They've had a lot of gnarly stuff happen to them but they don’t give up. I get a lot of inspiration from them for how they handle the shitty cards they’ve been dealt. 

Who are some of your own favorite songwriters? Have you ever received positive feedback from other songwriters who you admire? How would you describe your own songwriting personality? Which songs that you've written are you the most proud of and why?

Other than Kepi and Fat Mike… lemme see. In terms of more established songwriters, All the Ramones, Billy Bragg, Tom T. Hall, Dolly Parton, Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick, Slade, Jackson Brown, Bryan Adams and lots more. That’s a tough one. In terms of more recent songwriters, Morten Henriksen, Mikey Erg, Luke from The Copyrights, Chris Cresswell, Emily Haines, Joey Cape, Parry Gripp, Jon Snodgrass, John K. Samson, Frank Turner, Andrea Manges… that’s tough too. I’m leaving lots of em out I’m sure. In terms of my songwriting, I’d say that what I’m trying to do is write songs that I think need to be written. i’m trying to get away from stuff that’s been done to death in terms of song subject. At the same time I’m trying to make it catchy and to the point. Just making songs that I want to hear I guess.

You've been doing solo shows and there are now KJ Jansen t-shirts available - will there be a solo album as well? What inspired you to do a solo project in the first place? What are the pros and cons compared to your activities with Chixdiggit! What are your future goals as a musician and songwriter, and how do you feel about what you've accomplished so far?

Doing solo shows is a different beast for sure. It’s like kinda the opposite of a full band show but for reasons I didn’t expect. You can’t hide behind the volume and spectacle of a rock show. You’re up there pretty much naked. It took me a while to get used to it but now I really like it. I still have a long way to go till I’ve got it down. I have lots of songs ready to get recorded but I’m just fighting to find time to get started. We have a pretty busy home with two young kids and that’s my priority right now. As the little guy gets older I’m finding more time to get things done. It’ll happen soon. I really like the songs so I’m itching to get ‘em done. Getting that out and a new Chixdiggit album are my next goals. After that we’ll see. We’ve done a lot with this band that a lot of people, including us, thought would be done after just playing one show. I’m proud of that. Lots to do still though.

Any words of advice for the aspiring songwriters out there?

My only advice for new songwriters would be to not listen to me.

NAOKO YAMANO

NAOKO YAMANO

When were you first exposed to rock n' roll music, and when did you first decide to try writing your own songs?

 

When I was 14 years old, I got to know the Beatles through radio, magazines and friends. Since then I listened it again and again. After the Beatles, I listened to KISS and went to their concert. Until that time, I was just a listener of rock n' roll music. In late 70’s, punk new wave movement was happening. Influenced by that music, I decided to start band. I wanted to cover my favorite songs but it was more easy for me to make my own music because if I make my own songs, they never beyond my ability of my guitar skill. However Shonen Knife have ever covered songs of Ramones, Buzzcocks, Delta 5, Rezillos or Mo-dettes.

 

In the early days, were there specific songwriters that you tried to emulate when you were learning how to craft songs?

 

I’ve been to listen many various music. I don’t have any specific songwriters but I’m inspired by all songs I listened to.

 

At what point did you begin to feel confident in your own songwriting? Were you showing your songs to other people for feedback?

 

I’ve never have a conscious about ‘confident’ but I’m always trying to make fun songs which have good melody lines. I get nervous when I show my new songs to other people, though.

 

Did you record demos at home or have some other way to remember your song ideas? Do you do any home demos now that it's so easy to record with GarageBand and other programs?

 

I used to use PC soft like Performa to make demos but it takes long to make demos. Recently I just use Voice Memo. I sing along my guitar and record songs using Voice Memo. And send them to our members. I have my idea for the bass lines and drums roughly on my side. When we went to a studio and built and complete the arrangements.

 

How did your guitar style develop? You have a very unique style. I have noticed that you seem to play some power chords with your thumb on the root note instead of the forefinger? Also your leads are very melodic and well-composed even though the techniques you use aren't flashy.

 

I couldn’t play the guitar when I started the band but once I learned tonic chords and subdominant chords, I could become to play all backing for songs. I have relative pitch since I was a child and I could play most of all songs without looking guitar chords. I only use tonic and subdominant and couldn’t play power chords still now. >From our album “Overdrive”, I started to use “power chords-ish”, though. I use my thumb for some chords because it’s just comfortable. I’ve ever heard that some Jazz guitar players use thumb for playing chords.

 

For guitar solo, I can’t play adlib. I always make solo melody lines beforehand. I think that’s why my solo guitar is melodic.

 

Shonen Knife lyrics have become known for their pure quality - you don't seem to write about negative feelings as a rule. Do your songs provide relief from negative stress in your life? Have you ever struggled with negative feelings or depression as a creative person?

 

I always try to make fun lyrics which make people happy through our music. I don’t want to write negative lyrics. Even if I write lyric of anger, it should have a sense of humor. I’m happy if my songs provide relief from negative stress in people’s life. I always struggle with minor negative depression in my daily life but I forget bad things quickly. However writing lyrics is very hard and difficult for me.

 

Your band's approach has always seemed very professional and self-motivated. Do you feel that Shonen Knife stands alone in the music community, or are there other bands and scenes that you feel strongly connected to?

 

I think Shonen Knife is very unique because I’m inspired by various genre of music. We don’t belong to any category or scene like , Punk, Heavy Metlal, Garage, Psychedelic or Noise. But we have many friend bands like Redd Kross all over the world.

 

In Japan underground pop punk music has become a force once again, and there are many excellent bands. Do you have any contact with the pop punk bands of Japan? My Japanese friends have commented that Shonen Knife seems to have a larger audience outside of Japan.

 

In 1990’s when we have a major contract, we had big fan base in Japan but now we are more popular outside of Japan. I write songs inspired by mainly 1970’s American and British rock. My music is a little far from main stream of Japanese rock. My melody lines are more western style. All of my lyrics are written in English. In Japan, Japanese bands’ melody lines are more Asian and lyrics are written in Japanese. But a considerable number of Japanese bands understand us.

 

The Japanese culture is fascinating to many Americans like myself. One aspect of the society seems to be a very hard-working attitude that must involve a lot of pressure and stress. Do you feel that being Japanese has given you some advantage as a working band? You've continued playing for so long and have so many releases, it is really amazing!

 

I’m lazy but I can continue the band by many people’s support. I want to continue the band as far as there are our fans who want to listen to our music.

 

Your touring schedule stays very busy all the time - does the touring life suit you? It seems that it would involve a lot of exhaustion and frustration at times. Also are you at all discouraged by the current era where people don't purchase music or support bands in the same ways they once did?

 

I like touring. I think our tour schedule is very standard for touring bands. If taking days off often, it cost much expense. Only some old famous big bands can take off days between shows. I can’t help about people’s consumption trend. I play music as far as our fans exist.

 

Your guitars have always been really cool. What do you look for in an electric guitar? Do you prefer a specific guitar tone? Shonen Knife uses distortion but it's not the same as the typical punk rock crunch. Perhaps a more classic rock tone?

 

I use my custom made guitar made by Fujigen in Japan. I also use Gibson Flying V. In the US, I use Daisy Rock Guitar which adjusted to my style. I use effect pedals on stage. For distortion, it isn’t distortion but overdrive. It is Sobbat Drive Breaker 2. I adjust the sound with amp head, too.

 

Something that many people notice is that you appear to be very young. Do you feel that your music keeps you young? Do you ever feel disconnected from the life of a typical person your age?

 

Thanks! If so, I’m happy! Some of my mother’s family look young for their age. Yes, I do. I feel that my music keeps me fresh.

 

Shonen Knife has maintained an all-female line-up throughout the band's history. Do you ever hear from fans who say you inspired them to play in a rock band as girls and women?

 

Yes!! I often hear that many girl's bands from all over the world formed bands inspired by us. I’m honored about it and I hope many girls play rock.

 

You are a seasoned fan of rock music and classic punk - what other styles of music do you enjoy listening to? Do you like heavy metal, for example?

 

I don’t listen to punk or punk pop in 70’s and 80’s in recent years. I like to listen to 70’s Funk, Soul, Disco music. For example, EW & F, The Isley Brothers, Slave, Heatwave, Michael Jackson, Con Funk Shun, The Bar-Kays, Marvin Gaye, The Stylistics and more… Other than that, I like 70’s British Hard Rock like Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath or ‘70’s American Rock like Boston, Chicago, Doobie Brothers, KISS. I sometimes listen to Death Metal, too. 60’s and 70’s pop bands are good, too. I love bands like Pilot and Queen. Oh, I listen to Progressive Rock, too. My favorite is Asia.

 

I like music which I can’t play.

 

What are your impressions of the "pop punk scene"? Were you ever a fan of the prominent bands in the genre such as Screeching Weasel, The Queers, and The Lillingtons? Did you feel that Shonen Knife fit into this scene? What did you think of Lookout! Records and Fat Wreck Chords in the 90s?

 

I’m not familiar with this scene. I need to research.

 

What are your next plans for Shonen Knife, and do you foresee yourself following the musical path for many more years? Do you expect to retire and pursue other goals, or would you prefer to continue playing rock music?

 

If I can I prefer to continue playing rock music as far as our fans exit. Anyway, I want to get done to make new lyrics for our new album so far.

 

Do you have any advice for those who are passionate about songwriting? How do you feel about all of your accomplishments as a musician?

 

I’m still developing. Advice? Hmm… Listen to various many songs and make your own original songs.

ANDY SOCIAL

ANDY SOCIAL

How were you first exposed to rock music? What was your first favorite band? How were you initially exposed to punk, and when did you become a "pop punker"?

I was exposed to heavy metal and hardcore metal at an early age because my oldest brother was a metalhead but naturally I was repelled by it because thats all I would ever hear blasting loudly from his room. My mom would play oldies from the 50s and 60s in the car when I would go with her on grocery shopping trips. I used to take the trips often just to listen to the radio with her. I was initially drawn to punk rock by my friend from high school, Timmy. He played in the punk rock-est local band in south Jersey ever at the time. The band was Black Friday...and is where I met my current Sheckies drummer, King. Timmy exposed me to Minor Threat, Black Flag, and The Meatmen. Listening to the Dr. Demento radio show also exposed me to bands like Descendents, Dead Milkmen, Ramones, and Devo. Also my middle brother would bring home records from his college radio station that they wouldn't play on the radio. Among them were local Philly band Lovegutter and Dead Kennedys Bedtime for Democracy. Those 2 albums really got me interested in playing guitar and singing in a punk band... also being absolutely alone and having no friends.

You seem like someone who's always had a creative side. When did you first express your creativity through songwriting? Was The Sheckies your first band? How did you approach writing songs in the beginning, and who were you sharing your earliest songs with for feedback?

I was creative at the tender age of 3 and 4. Me and my middle bro would tape record ourselves (with an actual tape recorder which was normal tech back in those days) telling funny stories and singing original comedy compositions. 

My first music project was with my middle brother called The Groovers. We did electronic keyboard parodies and original compositions in the vein of Devo. My first punk band was with my buddy Jim Wagner in 1995 and was called Abnormal Adolescents. Every show we dressed up in insane outfits and played punk that sounded like a blend of Dead Kennedys, Nirvana, and Black Flag. It was great fun.

I wrote my first lyrical content back then...usually politically charged but soon after I realized I'm just not the political punk type. I would write songs about being a loser and hating teenage life with my buddy Jim Wagner for a longtime until he unfortunately began to experience a brain disorder.

When did you begin to develop confidence as a songwriter and find a sound that you felt was your own? How would you describe your own style of songwriting?

The day I first listened to The Queers "I Hate Everything" with Wagner - that's when it all really clicked. I'll never forget it, I said,"Wags! We need to start writing songs like this!" And since that day, everything just seemed to fall into place confidence-wise and I really began developing my own style based on that punk rock blueprint: write fun, write snotty, write dumb. Its who we were.

You've always had a good ear for harmonies and added guitar parts. Are these things that you typically write beforehand or in the studio? How has your experience recording in studios sharpened your songwriting? Which aspects of the recording process do you enjoy the most? The least?

Most of the time I have the sounds and main backgrounds and singing already in my head but for sure I've done tons of work last minute in the studio.

I think I've learned a good deal about the mixing process and what should or shouldn't be turned up or down in a final mix. I hate recording in the studio mostly because for me its stressful trying to get everything done in the allotted amount of time, but I do like studio scenarios that are laid back like recording in a buddy's house like Marky Kobane's, Ryan Keenan's, and even the old recordings at Phil's in South Jersey were always a blast.

Many of your songs have a strong doo-wop feel - are there any particular doo-wop songs or artists that you were inspired by? Do you feel that your kind of pop punk songwriting owes a lot to the doo-wop chord progression and overall style? 

Sure. I love Bill Haley and His Comets, The Chantels, The Shirelles, Buddy Holly, Beach Boys, Ritchie Valens, The Four Seasons, just to name a few. Yes, we owe a lot to rock n'roll and pop punk of the past. The progressions I love best are the tried and true progressions, especially songs like "Donna" by Ritchie Valens.

You've got a deep background in other hobbies such as films and video games. Do these hobbies inform and inspire your songwriting? Do you often write songs based on personal experiences? Does the act of writing a song provide a kind of therapy for you?

Yes, I am a nerd when I'm not on stage. I'm usually content just staying home and playing classic video games or watching old horror movies. I sometimes write songs about movies or video games, but not too often actually. Songs I write are usually true accounts of actual things going on in my life, or they are capturing and describing a feeling I'm having at the moment.

What was your motivation to form Andy Social and the Antidotes? How did you determine what the sound would be, and how would you describe the Antidotes sound compared to Sheckies? Obviously there are similarities, but to my ears the Antidotes feels more like a nod to classic traditional pop punk whereas The Sheckies have their own distinct flavor (a raunchier one at times).

Well, The Antidotes were formed when my best drummer buddy, King(Sheckies Drummer) and I had a falling out and weren't friends at the time. Hey, it happens to the best if us. But during the advent of the Antidotes King and I became friends again. But we were still solid in the Antidotes, so in a move that suprised even me I kept and tried to manage both bands. It's very tough to do so. I've tried and we have had some great times and shows but at the moment I'm concentrating mostly on The Sheckies.

I always thought That The Antidotes would tackle some more serious subject matter and focus more on taking our time on the music - more leads and such. The Sheckies meanwhile had more of that "I don't care" attitude and of course that dopey aspect.

It seems that you live in a town that provides little inspiration and lacks a scene of any kind. You've also worked in kitchens doing what I consider to be very thankless work for as long as I've known you. How would you describe your lifestyle in Cape May, New Jersey? Has living there provided any kind of extra motivation for what you do creatively?

Oh yes, living in South Jersey which for some is a beautiful vacation haven can be a nightmare for locals. While most people are on summer vacation, we South Jersey folk serve the vacationers by working slave labor hours. So the quaint and beautiful vacay spot that I live in? Yea, I don't get to enjoy the beach or anything else. I'm working 50 or 60 hours a week! Then when it's cold as shit and we're out of work because the vacationers have gone home, I'm living off of unemployment. That's when it's tour time so it's a bit tough for us to even tour let alone enjoy life in South Jersey. But the thing South Jersey did for me was it showed me how to rely on myself to make my own fun, and in the form of starting a band. Enough said.

In the pop punk scene your songs are well-known, and there has even been a Sheckies tribute album. But, you've also faced a fair amount of negative criticism and even controversy surrounding your bands. What do you think accounts for this? Do you feel that the music itself is what people take issue with, or lyrics? Or something else? My take on it is that people seem to take offense to your sense of humor and not realize your true intentions.

I'll have to agree with you on this one, Grim. I blame it on the current trend of new generation of PC/Safespace punks that I just don't get. They're no fun at all. No one's gonna tell me what to say or not to say. Fuck that shit.

Your weight and health are issues that you've spoken about publicly, and are frankly issues that concern me as your friend. To what extent have you been successful in taking steps to improve your health? How has your life been impacted by your obesity, and what challenges has it posed for your musical activities?

Well on one hand the obesity made The Sheckies who we are - that dopey fat Jersey pop punk band. But on the other hand, yes - normal everyday activities such as walking can be difficult while on tour. It can be a bummer. Touring is a very physical thing. But I always seem to survive my tours, haha. I know I have mentioned taking breaks in music to focus on health - I tried it but fuck that. I found I can't live without music so I scrapped that idea. I can lose weight and play music if I want to. I just gotta focus more on eating less and when I'm hungry instead of when I'm not. After all, I am a food addict. I love the act of eating. I'm an emotional eater. Thats the aspect I plan to work on.

Do you feel that you've been properly acknowledged as a songwriter? I often worry that not enough people have taken the time to listen to your compositions and realize your talent. Do you feel underrated as a songwriter? Who are some songwriters who you admire? 

Sure, sometimes I feel like the underdog of the underdogs. But I also know I love doing it. And that's why I do it - for the love, and for meeting those who dig it, relating with them and making more friends! I live and learn about life through music. Now you understand why I cant live without it! People like you are the ones that keep my dream and fantasy of playing rock n'roll alive. I thank you for that! Others that inspire me are Danny Vapid, Kody Lillington, and even ol' Joe Queer. Amazing singers and songwriters all of them. But I don't just embrace the bigwigs, I get inspiration from smaller acts that just deserve more! Jagger Holly, The Scutches, Braceface, The Putz, The Jasons, The Kobanes, Dee Cracks, Teenage Bubblegums, and Flamingo Nosebleed all are hardworking and talented artists! Give 'em a listen!

What are some of your "bucket list" goals as a musician? What have been your proudest accomplishments as a musician so far? Do you have a favorite song that you've written? 

I definitely want to play Japan and Europe. Some of my proudest moments were getting to play with almost all of my heroes like Sloppy Seconds, The Queers, The Apers, and The Muffs to name a few. Recording The song "I Need Xanax" at the famous and now defunct Electric Cave in New Hampshire with Joe Queer and Jim Teirney was a definite high for me. Recording a song that Sheckie fans love the most at a place with so much pop punk history makes me smile! After all, The Electric Cave was basically the hangout for Joe, Wimpy,  Geoff Useless and all of the New Hampshire pop punk scene. And one of my favorite albums was also recorded there. - The Nobodys Short Songs for Short Attention Spans.

What has inspired you to stick to writing very straight-forward and traditional pop punk, knowing that many people feel the style has lost its relevance? Do you still think "Ramonescore" will be a thing in the next 10-20 years?

It's just the style I love writing the most! I love the underdog in all things - music, movies, art, video games, literature - it's a way of life. And in a way Ramonescore fits my toy shelf collector/ADHD mentality if that makes any sense.

Reflecting on what you've accomplished in music, how do you feel about your catalog of songs and the experiences you've accumulated on the road and in the studio? What advice could you offer to someone who's also passionate about music and songwriting?

Stay in school kids...haha just kidding. I hated school!

I think our catalog of songs - though maybe not the best sound quality - has a bit catchiness to them. I mean Kody Lillington once told me he bought my album and enjoyed my voice and songwriting, so I can't be all bad. No?

As for my road experiences, I'm proud of all of them. Living on the road is tough anyway you slice it. The people I've met there are people I've considered my special brothers in arms. They're the kindest and most generous people I'd ever meet. I've learned a lot about myself and life through their kindness and traveling. 

The advice I can give is this: If you want to start a band and travel, be sure you love what you do. If you don't, you're in a world of pain. If you're doing it for the fame or money (which is usually an empty road and the chances are nil for either in this biz), you're in it for the wrong reasons. You must sacrifice everything to do it.  After all, as AC/DC said, "It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock n'roll"!

JEFF GAMMILL

photo by Bambi Guthrie

JEFF GAMMILL

What are your earliest memories of loving music? Were there family members or others who encouraged your interest in music? What were your earliest favorite songs/artists?

Like most people, I loved music from the moment I was born. I didn’t grow up in a “musical household” with parents who played any instruments, nor was I given piano lessons or anything like that. (I wish I would’ve taken piano lessons as a child, but I also know I would’ve been a bad student.) My mother did once pick out the melody of “White Christmas” on my little Casio so that I could play that, and I was extremely impressed by her. As far as earliest favorites, I was raised on the Beatles, which I will be forever grateful to my father for. I also loved the Beach Boys. “I Get Around” plays in the 1986 movie Flight of the Navigator, and that was my jam. I was also a huge Weird Al fan, ha ha. 

Under what circumstances did you first pick up an instrument, and how did you learn to play? What songs or styles were you most interested in learning to play at that time?

I have a brother three years younger than me. At some point when I was roughly around twelve, he got it in his head that he wanted to learn guitar, so my parents bought him a cheap Hondo acoustic. He strummed it a little, but tired of it pretty quickly. I picked it up, even though I had never had any real desire of my own to play guitar, and I just never got tired of it. So it basically became my guitar. My dad busted out these old Beatles songbooks from the Sixties that he still had somehow, and I learned the few chords that I felt my hands could form and switch between. For people that don’t know, the Beatles changed the rock ’n’ roll game completely by throwing in all these crazy new chords. I couldn’t play them then, and I mostly still can’t. Once I had down C, F, G, E, A, and D (and a couple 7th variations), I decided I was pretty much good. I was, and am, extremely lazy and easily discouraged.

Shortly after that, I bought an electric guitar that I shared ownership of with my friend Mike (strange concept to think about now), and we learned how to play distorted power chords because Nirvana was happening. If I had been lazy with learning chords before, this was the final nail in the coffin. After discovering that I could make a power chord with two or three fingers and just move it anywhere on the neck, well, why would you ever do anything else? If Green Day could write the caliber of songs that they were writing with only power chords, then that was definitely the way to go.

When did you realize that you wanted to write songs? How did you approach meeting that goal? Were there particular songwriters you wanted to emulate or who provided specific inspiration?

For whatever reason, I was always writing songs. As soon as I could get my fingers to move back and forth between C, F, and G, I was writing “songs.” I never had a goal with it, it just felt like the thing to do. Of course anything I wrote was garbage; it was just part of the learning process. But my aforementioned friend Mike and I would mess around all the time with guitars and keyboards and record little experiments. When they had lyrics, they would be all abstract and meaningless because we were basically poorly emulating Nirvana, Pavement, and the Figgs. I also used to have two cassette tapes full of little recordings I made of my early compositions, which I just remembered I called “Flaming Squirrels,” which I would definitely die of embarrassment if I ever heard again. But yeah, even when I wasn’t good, I was prolific. 

Were you in bands or did you have projects prior to forming Capitalist Kids? How did Capitalist Kids come into fruition, and what were your specific goals for the sound? The first album features cartoon artwork and iconic images of what I consider to be the "canons" of pop punk (MTX, Weasel, Queers) - was the first album an intentional effort to pay homage to this style?

I was in a pop-punk band in high school with Cap Kids drummer Dugg, called Unkle Imp. We sounded (at least the songs I wrote) a little like MxPx. That was when I became a bass player. I thought I was going to be playing guitar, but then the original guitarist came back into the band and I was forced into the role of bassist. I didn’t even own a bass guitar. But I’m really glad it played out the way it did. I was never going to be a good guitarist, but the bass I sort of took to, and I’ve stayed in that position in every band I’ve ever been in over the next two decades. And as with guitar, I was self-taught. It might be more accurate to say I was taught by Mike Dirnt. Every day after school I would go home and put on Dookie and Insomniac and just play bass along to those albums front to back, using a pick like Mike rather than fingering. This will come as no shock to anyone who’s heard me play. I’ve always sung a little like Bille Joe Armstrong, and played a lot like Mike Dirnt. I still like to soundcheck with his masterful riff from “J.A.R.” Over the years I came into my own a little more, but I think probably my most blatant Mike Dirnt homage can be heard in the opening riff to “Second to Morrissey.” 

I had another band or two after Unkle Imp in my early twenties, but thankfully those imploded before we recorded anything.

Capitalist Kids started as a solo project. I had just broken up a band because the drummer was just not good enough. I had songs lying around, and so I got together with my old high school bandmate Dugg, who in the interim had been playing in a thrashy band called Nuclear Addicts. He and I have this rare musical chemistry. He just got it instantly. He has this thing which I have gotten used to over the years, but it was still amazing to me back then, where before I’ve finished playing him a song for the first time, he’s locked in to its essence and can anticipate my next move. It’s great to have that kind of connection in a band. I remember him saying to me, back then in 2004, “I love the Mr. T Experience, but I’m not sure I want to be in a band that sounds like the Mr. T Experience.” Because he had been playing much more hardcore punk. But I’m really glad he decided in the end to come along. It would be hard to overstate Dugg’s influence on the band. From his tastefulness in knowing exactly what to play and what not to play on the drums, to his excellent taste in music and turning me on to artists that would become huge inspirations to me, and that we would end up covering, to his veto power in the early days to decide which of my songs were too cheesy to get behind, he’s definitely shaped the band.

And yes, we all loved MTX, Weasel, Queers, as well as Green Day, Bracket, and Propaghandi. (“We” being myself, Dugg, and guitarist Rawn Hall, who joined the band in 2008 when we moved from Fort Worth to Austin.) But we never meant for the album to be a tribute to other bands. Obviously having the posters on the cover was the furthest thing from hiding our influences, but we thought we were making current music, as opposed to a throwback to ’90s Lookout Records. It was only when people started telling us that we brought back memories of stuff they used to listen to that we realized most people had moved on from the kind of stuff which was still very much our dictionary. Also, Rawn’s style of guitar playing never made me think Lookout Records. It’s very tight, crunchy, heavy. The leads he would play on songs like “Don’t Make Waves” and “Becki2012” are nothing like the single-string major scale leads that bands who are trying to be the Queers and Screeching Weasel play. I thought that was another strength of ours, having Rawn. He has the ability to play this style of lead that works without even having a rhythm guitar under it. Very full. You would think after all these years I would’ve watched him closely enough to figure out how he does it, but I’ve always been content just taking care of the bass.

Capitalist Kids evolved to encompass a more dynamic sound with each release, eventually taking on a more sophisticated flavor. Can you describe this process of evolution, both in terms of your own songwriting and communication among your bandmates?

I guess that would mainly be the combination of a couple things: me stretching my wings a little more over time, and Braden. Braden is our second guitarist, who we added because I wanted us to be able to do a little more guitar-wise (such as be able to do things live that we might double-track in the studio) and to have more vocal harmonies. He joined us after Lessons on Love, Sharing, & Hygiene, so he’s on all the subsequent recordings. When he joined, he was 19 or 20. He was already good, but we had no idea how good he was going to get. Part of the sophistication you mentioned is Braden’s ability to layer really inspired leads over the songs. There’s something to be said for the beefy doubled guitar of our early albums, but a second guitar was a nice addition that allowed us to grow and not repeat ourselves musically.

As far as the evolution of my songwriting, it’s tough for me to analyze. I just cranked out songs, and they eventually got a little better. They got a little less derivative slowly over time, or perhaps they’re at least derivative of enough disparate influences that they add up to something quasi-original. One thing I could say is that I never wanted to repeat myself. I don’t want that to sound pretentious. I’m sure plenty of people would listen to our catalogue and think it all sounds the same. But for me, there is no point in writing a song if it doesn’t do at least one small thing that I haven’t done before. I think we’ve all heard albums where you can tell the band was under pressure to make an album and there are filler songs. That’s never been an issue for us because we’re DIY. So we just write songs, and then when we have a big enough pile, we go record them.

I also earned a little bit of trust from my bandmates over the years, and they in turn loosened up on what they would play. A song like “Bye” or “No. 472” might not have been allowed on our first album. One small thrill for me is that on our latest album I got the guys to play an A7 chord on the prechoruses of “One Weird Trick.” That probably makes that my favorite track on the album, ha ha.

Your songcraft has a very deliberate quality to it, with an emphasis on melody. I also sense a focus on cadence and rhythm in the vocals - which produces a very tight and satisfying result. What are some of the lessons you've learned as a songwriter over time with respect to writing concisely and effectively?

Hey, thanks. It’s always nice for me when someone notices songwriting, because I think most people just respond to how hard a band rips. I am pretty deliberate, I suppose. And absolutely, melody is everything to me. Songwriting is such a strange thing. So often I feel like melodies just come to me, and when they’re strong melodies, I just feel really lucky. I don’t feel like I really did any work to get there. Then maybe I just sculpt the rest of the song around whatever inspiration I had. One thing that can be frustrating is when I get a melody that I have no words for. I used to always start from lyrics. Then for some unknown reason, around the time of at a loss, I started just getting melodies in my head that I liked, and I was like, how the hell am I going to cram lyrics into that? But sometimes at the end of the day, those songs, if they happen to work out, end up being the stronger songs. 

As far as conciseness, that’s one thing I’ve always prized. My personal preference, I don’t like listening to a song that goes on and on, so I don’t write mine like that. Never do anything four times that you can just do two times, and so forth. I think that’s one aspect of pop-punk that I’ve always loved. But it goes all the way back to the oldies. “She Loves You” is a masterpiece, and it clocks in at 2 minutes, 20 seconds. 

In recent times I gather that you've been playing more guitar and writing power pop songs. What motivated you to go in this direction? Do you have any specific power pop influences that helped you develop this aspect of your songwriting personality? How is the process different from writing a straightforward pop punk song?

This is true, I bought an electric guitar for the first time since I was a teenager. I love when people dance at our shows, so I like to write songs you can tap your toe to. So my songs for the Capitalist Kids have been getting more and more power-poppy over the years. You know, the beat of pop-punk songs can sometimes be a little flat. I try to sneak a tiny bit of swing in there so even if no one in the crowd is really moving to it, I can enjoy myself onstage. But yeah, I just wanted to have a fun project where I could go full clean guitar, and have a shameless amount of organ. (One time Rawn and I were discussing playing around with guitar tones and he said “Yeah, I know if you had your way, we would sound like the Pointed Sticks.” I just smiled and said, wistfully, “Yeah…”.) My dream would be to release something that sounded like Nick Lowe produced it on Stiff Records. I want to wear my Beatles love on my sleeve and have constant three-part harmonies. Some of the tunes for this project (which as of this writing I am calling NITE SOBS) are songs that I’ve had lying around for years that just didn’t fit with Cap Kids. I’m not a real guitar player, so I can’t really create amazing jams like the Exploding Hearts. My original vision was to shoot for a vaguely British Invasion vibe. But the songs are a little all over the place. There’s maybe one that could fit on Shake Some Action Vol. 1, one that could be a pop-punk song until you hit the bridge, a couple retro tunes, a rock song in 6/8 time, and some sort of twee pop. I’ve even got two piano ballads — yikes! I’m sure it will be incredibly unpopular, but it’s fun for me.

Getting back to your question, I don’t think its really a very different process for me; it’s just a slightly different intent. Well, I suppose it is a different process than writing for my other band, because in that band I’m writing with the knowledge that I’m going to be passing guitar duties to the other guys once I have the skeleton of the song written. It’s more collaborative. With this thing, I have to write something that I can play. I bear more responsibility for whether the final product is interesting. 

At one point I thought maybe I could take whatever poppier tunes I write to my new band, and try to write a handful of faster, angrier, “punker” songs for the Capitalist Kids, and maybe put out another album that would sound drastically different from Brand Damage. But so far that has not materialized, because I’m just at a point where writing the pop stuff is much more satisfying, and I’m not currently having any inspiration for the angsty songs. 

Reflecting on your accomplishments and success with Capitalist Kids, to what extent do you feel that you've made your mark? Are there any specific ambitions that remain with CK and/or your future projects? What is your greatest source of satisfaction as a songwriter? Are there particular people in your life who have acknowledged and given credit for your work (family, friends, fans, etc.)?

I think we made the best album that we could make with Brand Damage, and I’m proud of it. And it’s been cool to see that it was fairly well-received in our niche little world. I always wanted to have one of our records go into a second pressing, and we did that (but only because the first pressing was only 300). They played one of the tracks on NPR, which was neat. Whatever mark we may have made is laughably small in the grand scheme of things, but I’ll take what I can get. You never really have any way of knowing how many people are hearing and/or enjoying your stuff, outside of the occasional e-mail or comment at the merch table. The main thing for me is that I can listen to it over a year after we made it and I still feel like we did a good job. But when other people like it, that’s also very satisfying. So I’m just going to say Brand Damage is my greatest source of satisfaction.

I honestly think we are as successful as we are ever going to be, my singing voice being what it is. We’re just a DIY band; we’re not a business. Our music is not for everybody. I would still love for it to have a chance to be heard by as many fellow weirdos as might potentially be into it, but there’s only so much you can do. As far as ambitions for Cap Kids, we’ve been able to tour America, Canada, UK, and Europe, which is pretty amazing for a dumb little band like ours, but we would still like to get to Japan one day. 

Sometimes I will end up hearing for the first time a song that has existed for decades, and it blows me away. And there’s really no way for me to track down the songwriter and say “You did a good thing and I appreciate it! Kudos!” It’s kind of a fun fantasy to think about someone fifty years from now somehow stumbling onto a Cap Kids tune, and saying “Hey, this isn’t bad.” I guess what I’m saying is that we are underappreciated in our own time, and we’ll be vindicated in the future, ha ha.

How do you see your CK songs in the context of modern pop punk? What's your take on the general climate of the current pop punk scene? Are there any particular current bands playing the style that you enjoy listening to? Do you feel that traditional pop punk music is timeless, or will it become increasing irrelevant as people from our generation grow older?

I feel that good songs are timeless, regardless of genre. I’m not too hip to all the pop-punk out there today, but I will say that hands-down the best pop-punk that exists right now is an EP called Cupola by Royal Dog. The only problem is that Royal Dog is not a band, it’s just a guy named Anthony (silent “h”). He was in Who Needs You before that, and Wringer before that. Royal Dog needs to be a band, and they need to put out more music. The EP is amazing.

There is a Italian band called Mega who I think are great. Not dissimilar to the late, great Methadones.

One qualm I have with the current pop-punk scene is that there is way too much auto-tune going on. This may sound hypocritical because we used it on Too Big To Fail(wasn’t our idea), but the fact remains, it needs to stop.

Your father made a career as a comic book artist - how did you perceive his work when you were growing up? Do you see any similarities between your father and yourself with respect to creative drive, talent, etc.? What does he think of your songs and what you've accomplished with music? Have you considered hiring him to do an album cover?

I looked up to my pop (Kerry Gammill) as a kid, and I definitely tried to find some sort of career as an artist. I got an associates degree in animation once. Now I just do graphic design. I could never be an illustrator like him. He told me once that he enjoyed “Let’s Go Waterboarding” and thought it was clever. I did try to get him to do an album cover, but he could never find the time. I suspect he also didn’t want to necessarily be associated with some of our politics, ha ha.

Have you considered or tried writing songs in different genres of rock - for example heavy metal? Do you ever engage in songwriting challenges or exercises to help develop your repertoire? Do you feel that your songwriting tool kit could expand into other styles of music, like rap?

Metal, no; doesn’t appeal to me. You have to remember that the number one thing for me is melody. If I was going to branch out it would sooner be something like writing songs for a Broadway musical (and I don’t mean the Green Day kind; I mean like straight up Little Shop of Horrors or something.) The only thing I do to develop my repertoire is any time I hear a song that is better than anything I could write, I try to learn how to play it. The hope being that some of the genius of it will be absorbed into me over time.

Believe it or not, I did record little rap songs when I lived with my brother many years ago. Lyrics and rhymes obviously do transfer over. But hip hop is not my passion or my calling, ha ha. My brother Steveo still raps occasionally. 

When you listen to music, do you find yourself analyzing structure and form more now than when you were younger? Do you "study" songs in order to achieve a higher level of compositional competence?

Hey, look, I accidentally answered this question with my last response! I do analyze form a little more, but it’s not a case of Mark Twain becoming disillusioned with the wonder of the Mississippi River or anything. Music is still magic to me. When I hear a great song, I still hear the overall effect of it more than seeing every little gear underneath it. It’s usually only after I learn the chords that I feel like I’ve seen behind the curtain. 

You have cited Dr. Frank as an influence - how would you describe his specific impact on you as a songwriter? What lessons have you gained from his craft? Was his example partially what inspired you to pursue a more sophisticated sound?

Yes, Dr. Frank was obviously a gigantic influence on me. Most notably his clever compound rhymes, but also top-notch melodies. He is one of the only people around to whom the term “craft” actually applies. His songs are brilliantly crafted and meticulously sculpted into perfection, like a little Cole Porter tune except it makes you want to pogo around and spill beer everywhere. Probably hearing someone sing lyrics that were not abstract in any way, but were still very meaty and interesting and clever and fun, impacted me in a huge way in my formative years.

I told this story recently on a podcast, and it might come off like bragging, but fuck it, I’m going to tell it again because I think it’s funny. The Capitalist Kids had the honor a while back of opening for the Mr. T Experience in San Antonio, and Dr. Frank really dug our set. Afterwards he said to me “You guys have really good songs, and that’s not something you see that often.” I managed to spurt out “Well, you know MTX is like my favorite band of all time,” and Frank says “Well, maybe that’s why I like it.” 

What's next for you creatively and musically? What advice might you give to aspiring songwriters? Can you share any lessons learned from past mistakes or shifts in perspective that have helped you grow as an artist?

Man, I’m honored that you would bother to interview me in the same series as Kim freaking Shattuck, but the idea that I’m on a level to be giving advice to aspiring songwriters… that might be too much of a stretch for me. Don’t quit your day jobs. There’s no money to be made unless you’re trying to write something to be used in an Apple commercial or something, so you better just be doing it because you’re passionate about it. Make your songs shorter. Learn some music theory. (I never did, so you’ll have a big leg up on me.) Don’t be like me—learn more chords. They will open up more possibilities for different melodies. There are an infinite number of other bands out there, so just try your best not to be generic and boring, but if you’re just starting out you might have to just keep doing it and doing it before you find your voice. It took me about 13 years of constant output to get to songs that I think are good—and even those most people don’t have any use for, so be prepared for a lot of apathy. Listen to They Might Be Giants, then cry because you can never write anything half as good as John Linnell as long as you live, then wipe your tears and write something for yourself anyway. Don’t try to be cool. Just do you.

What’s next for me is to keep writing until I run out of chord progressions. Cheers!