Dr. Boogie: Keeping Rock n Roll Roused in the West

The beauty of being in a rock n roll band these days is that there are so many influences to draw from.  A band now can take a little from this jar, a little from that one and create something extraordinary.  That’s exactly what L.A.’s Dr. Boogie have done.  They take the charisma from bands like the Rolling Stones and T-Rex, the groove of Mott the Hoople, and the Faces, and the energy late 70’s punk like The Damned and The Boys.  This band has come up with an electrifying new spin on dirty glam, blues kissed rock n roll.  Not only can these guys play, but Dr. Boogie are the type of people that when they walk into a room, you know they’re the band.  I don’t think there’s a finer dressed musical group this side of the mighty Mississippi. Dr. Boogie are the type of band that keeps rock n roll alive.  It may not be in the mainstream much anymore, but was it ever really meant to be?  This type of music thrives better in dimly lit clubs as opposed to sports arenas anyway. 

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start by telling us who is in Dr. Boogie and what does everyone do in the band:

JEFF: Chris P. - Vocals/Guitar, Dustin James - Lead Guitar, Jeff Turpin - Bass, Luis Herrera - Drums

How did you all meet and decide to play music together?

JEFF: I met Dustin back when we were both in High School.  We were both into the same type of shit so we hit it off immediately.  We started playing music together shortly thereafter and have been playing side by side in bands ever since.  We both met Luis while playing in one of our first bands.  Our bands used to play together and then after ours disbanded we started a new group and asked Luis to come in on drums.  When we met Chris we were all looking for each other without knowing it.  Our minds were exactly in tune with one another and that is how Dr. Boogie began.  From the first time we sat down and ran through some material we knew right away that this was something special.  

How would you describe the kind of music you play to your grandparents? 

JEFF: That much needed kick in the teeth that this generation has needed for years.  

What band or musician first inspired you to want to learn how to play a musical instrument?

JEFF: The Germs  

What would you say is your favorite part about making music: writing it, recording, performing, or something else? 

JEFF: That's a tough one because they all come along with their own rewards.  I think without it all we would feel like there was something missing.  To only to do one thing without the others would eventually run its course.  

Speaking of recording, you guys have your debut LP out soon on 

Deadbeat Records.  Can you tell me a bit about it?  

JEFF: The album is out now and we couldn't be happier with it.  We worked with a longtime friend and very talented engineer Gabe Lowry on the record over at Fox Force Five Recorders in Los Angeles, CA.  Without Gabe and that specific studio I don't think we would have been able to capture the sound that we were looking for on this record.  Everyone played a pivotal role in creating and recording this album.  

Gotta Get Back To New York City LP released on Dead Beat Records 

You guys just got back from a West Coast Tour.  Can you tell me how you feel    it went and share your favorite moment of the tour with us? 

JEFF: The tour went great.  We were able to play with a lot of great bands and make a lot of new friends and fans.  The best moment had to be the show that we did with Dick Dale at The Ritz in San Jose.  Being able to share the stage with a guy like that and play in front of a sold out show at a venue of that size was definitely a great way to end the tour.  

Dr. Boogie is currently based in Los Angeles, CA.   What is the local music “scene” 

like now over there?  Do you ever feel competition between bands with so much going on? 

JEFF: The music scene is very scattered with so many people out here trying to do their thing.  It has gotten a lot better over the last few years with more and more rock 'n roll bands surfacing but the clubs out here don't seem to have as much to offer as they may in other places across the country.  

I was reading an interview with a former drummer for The Cramps and he was saying how guarded Lux and Ivy were with their image, to the point where they were imprisoned by it.  How important do you think having a certain appearance or presence is to a rock n roll band?  Do you feel more bands these days should pay more attention to that sort of thing? 

JEFF: Obviously image and aesthetic have pretty much gone hand in hand in rock 'n roll since day one and it actually is rather important to pay attention to.  You got to have it all.  Not just the look, not just the music, not just the attitude.  It’s a combination of it all.  

Do you feel kids now days miss out on anything growing up with electronic music and listening to digital albums? 

JEFF: Yea, soul

What is the best piece of advice you’ve read or have been told that you still live by to this day? 

JEFF: If you want it done right, do it yourself.  

Where can people go to hear and buy your music?

JEFF: Our music is available on vinyl and CD on dead-beat-records as well as digitally on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, etc.  We also have a 7 inch available on whitezoorecords.com (Italy)  

What’s ahead in 2016 for Dr. Boogie? 

JEFF: We are heading out for a US/Canada tour in April/May.  And then we'll be at the Fuck You We Rule OK festival in Tulsa, OK in July.  Also, going to try to get back into the studio to knock out some more tracks that we have been working on since the release of our debut record Gotta Get Back To New York City.

Follow Dr. Boogie on social media:  

https://www.facebook.com/drboogiemusic/

www.drboogiemusic.com

instragram.com/drboogiemusic

@drboogiemusic

twitter.com/drboogiemusic

@drboogiemusic

Be sure to catch them on their upcoming Spring Tour! 

Follow @AAmmunition

Modern Pets

Photo by Andrea Shettler

     Any ignorant fool that utters the words “punk is dead” needs to pick his ignorant ass up off the couch and direct his/her attention towards Berlin, Germany. It’s a land of culture, politics, science, and top-notch punk rock! This is the city where Modern Pets dwell. This band relentlessly hurls snarling, anxiety filled ‘77 style punk rock similar to bands like The Gaggers (R.I.P.) and American groups like The Stitches and The Briefs.  It’s fast, snotty, and the songs are driven in and pierce your eardrum just right, to ensure maximum pogo-bility. Modern Pets have been at their game and perfecting their craft for years now, releasing a number or EP’s and LP’s on various labels. Once you hear them you’re gonna want to gather them all and realize playing Modern Pets records at maximum volume is mandatory!   

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start off with introductions, who’s all in Modern Pets and what do they do in the group?

JAN: Its Axel, Tobi, Alvar, and Jan. Bass, guitar, guitar, drums and we all sing. Everybody is writing songs that we arrange together in our practice room. I am doing the main part of the organizing, Tobi and Axel do a lot of the recordings and help with organizing too and Alvar looks really good!

The band is currently based out of Berlin, Germany. Germany has a history of great punk bands back in the day, The Razors, PVC, The Pack just to name a few.  What’s it like there now, are people pretty receptive to what you guys are doing musically?

JAN: To be honest – All the bands you are mentioning are ok, but not our favorites if it comes to German Punk from back in the day. We´re more into The Buttocks, Neurotic Arseholes, A+P, Schleimkeim, Abwärts, Betoncombo, Chaos Z and the likes. Anyways, nowadays the most German Punk/Deutschpunk is really shitty if you compare it to the ‘80s or early ‘90’s, it actually pretty much sucks! The scene, especially in Berlin, totally changed, Berlin is a really international city and you have all kinds of influences and languages from all over the world. So nowadays you find all kinds of different subgenres of Punk in here: from UK influenced HC, American garage to Spanish post punk and back. The scene still is a much more political one than in the US for example as its roots are deeply connected with the squatting and antifascist movement. It’s also still really big, at least in Berlin and still you find loads of different venues and places to go if you are into Punk and anything related. To me it seems an active and vital movement. Getting back to your question: yes, people are and always were receptive to what we were/are doing, as most of them at least partly understand where our influences are coming from (people in the US seem to understand that way better though).

You guys toured Japan in 2014, how did that go? Was it your first time there?

JAN: We got invited to do a tour there together with The Kidnappers from Hamburg and Your Pest Band from Tokyo. The tour's been absolutely great and was a really special experience! None of us have been there before ever, but we all hope we can do it again someday!

Speaking of playing live, what has been the most memorable Modern Pets show, good or bad that you can remember?  Where was it and what made it so unforgettable?

JAN: That´s a really hard question, maybe the one in the end of a 40 show European tour in 2013 where we were punching each other on stage in Gothenburg/Sweden, a really bad memory though. Still we learned something out of it I guess and it was a great show for the audience!

When you guys are up there playing in front of an audience, what distracts you most?  What kinds of things annoy you that you see people doing during your gigs?

JAN: As we´re having a pretty solid experience in playing live I think it’s kinda hard to distract us from the outside. A bad monitor/stage sound is always something that sucks and kinda makes you feel uncomfortable playing, but that´s how it goes sometimes. What really annoys me are stupid people in the audience; people that dance too violent or disrespect others, smaller people with their acting and moving and also people who seem like totally not interested in what you are doing. I don´t get how you can pay money to enter a show and then just stand around and shake your head and build a semi circle in front of the stage. Luckily we don´t have any of these types in our audiences too often.

You guys have released a number of records on a bunch of different record labels including Modern Action and Secret Mission here in the U.S.  How did you hook up with these guys on a different continent?

JAN: They got in touch with us and asked if we wanna release something with them. Both labels are run by amazing people and we really like what they are doing, so we're really happy about that.

Do you remember as a kid, who made you want to pick up and learn to play an instrument?

JAN: As far as I can say, I started playing drums in the early ‘90’s, it was definitely Guns n’ Roses when I was an 8 year old kid. I know that´s a bit awkward, but they definitely were the first rock n’ roll band that I was ever listening to and had a big impact on me at least for 2 years. And of course when I was 13 and started to listen to punk I always denied that I ever listened to them, he, he. But yeah, if it comes to punk it was maybe popular bands like Green Day, Nirvana, Offspring, Die Ärzte and Die Toten Hosen, Bad Religion that first touched me and then later on bands like Slime, Spermbirds, Black Flag, Crass, Discharge and Minor Threat as well as a whole bunch of popular ‘90’s Deutschpunk like Wizo or Hammerhead that got me deeper into it and really made me play what I´m doing today at least kind of. That’s excluding all the much more specific ‘70’s punk, power-pop, Beat and HC stuff that I got in touch with later that clearly had an of an effect on what we are doing with Modern Pets now. Tobi and Axel are both about 5/6 years younger than me, so for them it must have been quite different and Alvar is my age – we have a couple of similarities, but he´s from Spain, so there´s loads of local differences too.

Do you remember where you were and who first introduced you to punk music?  Tell me a bit about that, can you remember what record or song it was? 

JAN: It was my uncle, it was on the south German countryside in a village called Sülzbach (that´s close to Stuttgart), it was in the mid ‘90’s and it definitely was “A Texas Cowboy” from the Spermbirds. I remember jumping around my uncle’s room (he is really young and by that time he was still living with my grandparents) together with my sister while we were listening to it.... Good times! 

When you aren’t playing or listening to music, what other sorts of thing do you enjoy doing, any non-musical hobbies or interests?

JAN: Music is definitely the thing for all of us. Every one of us is at least playing in 2 bands at the moment, so as sad as it is, I think all of us are spending most of our time listening and playing music as well as organizing shows for other bands or putting out tapes. If I don´t do that I´m reading a lot, doing a bit of sports, watching movies and smoking pot with my housemate. I think I can more or less speak for all of us that this pretty much sums it up, if you ask me what we are doing. Some of us are also recording bands or DJ-ing, man maybe I should change something in my life he, he.

Where can people go to, or log on to, to listen or buy your music?

JAN: Hopefully your local punk record store, definitely our live shows and at our labels, Secret Mission Records, Modern Action Records, Dead Beat Records in the US; P.Trash, Concrete Jungle Records, Rockstar Records, This Charming Man Records in Europe and Black Hole Records in Japan. We also have a Bandcamp site with almost all the releases we did so far. You can download there for free or at least listen to the stuff. Its modernpets1.bandcamp.com

What lies ahead in the near future for Modern Pets?

JAN: We're pretty much focusing on working on new songs at the moment that might end up on another record one day and we'll tour Eastern Europe this year for the first time as well as some smaller weekend things in Spain, the UK and of course Germany and then hopefully the US again in late 2015 or next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbdwhmKo6_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yN41D9ocV4

website: http://modernpetssuck.blogspot.de/

bandcamp: http://modernpets1.bandcamp.com/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernpets

Follow @AAmmunition

Miscalculations

     Miscalculation’s bio reads like the opening of a sci-fi film “dark, asbestos-lined basement[s] . . . and a towering loft overlooking the concrete, steel and flesh of North London” or a graphic novel that poses an overarching question such as “When the earth dies how will life as we know it sustain itself?” Besides the pondering, what Miscalculations does bring to their songs, is not just a group of talented NFT members (Gaggers and Ladykillers), is a mixed cocktail of ’77 UK punk and ’79 post-punk drank by deft individuals who might wear turtlenecks, but hide razorblades in the garment’s neck folds.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Marco, lead vocalist

Where is the band from?

The band is from London, but we all have roots all over the place. I was born here, but am Italian, Mauro is from Chile, Bobby is Swedish and Shaun is English.

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

I sing and play synth, Shaun plays drums, Mauro plays guitar and Bobby plays bass.

In between Ladykillers, Gaggers, No Front Teeth Records and the other bands you guys are individually a part of, Miscalculations gets started. How did the band start?

Shaun and I are both in the Gaggers so we see a lot of each other and Shaun told me he was working on something a bit different and played it to me so I wrote some lyrics and Miscalculations was born. We both listen to a lot of post-punk and electro like Wire, The Units, Screamers and stuff like that and both love Scandinavian punk like Masshysteri, Invasionen, Tristess, Hurula, Vanna Inget and the Vicious so we knew exactly what direction we wanted to go in. We didn’t want to have too much of a definitive structure with this, we just wanted to see how these songs would organically develop. It was new territory for both of us.

Do you think music can still be a vital force in such a disposable age?

Definitely. I still think music is one of the most powerful things that will never go away. Every generation will be defined through music. I think the way people listen to music has changed for sure – it’s much more disposable now – but it’s also way more accessible and I think more people are listening to music now than ever before.

Miscalculations seem to dance the fine line between ’77 UK punk and ’79 post-punk like Wipers and Wire did. What were some of the ideas and bands that influenced both Miscalculations and the songwriting for the band?

Well, the most important thing was that we wanted to do something completely different to all the (many) other projects we are involved with. As well as the bands I mentioned earlier, we also love contemporary stuff like the Mind Spiders, Radioactivity, Bellicose Minds, The Spits, Generacion Suicida, Nicole Saboune, Shocked Minds and stuff like that so we naturally merged all the stuff we love without stressing too much on a particular sound or objective. We let it weave it’s way instinctively both musically and lyrically. The lyrical scope is so wide with Miscalculations which is something so refreshing for me.

The Miscalculations LP was released on Dead Beat Records. Was Dead Beat Records chosen because of the previous relationship The Gaggers have with the label? Did other labels coming asking to help with the release because of who is in the band?

I have known Tom for years so we had a relationship a good decade before the Gaggers LP even came out! I think Tom really has his ear to the ground and can spot stimulating punk very early on. He has great radar for invigorating music and truly does release what he loves and what he believes in. He puts his whole heart into the label and into each release so we knew we were in good hands. Tom approached us after the first 7” and as a band we thought it was a no-brainer to go with him and Dead Beat - we were very happy with the Gaggers LP and are very happy with the Miscalculations LP too. Yes, there were and are other labels interested in releasing Miscalculations records and we are currently talking to a few for some upcoming stuff. We are also starting a Miscalculations / NFT sub-label called Glass Eye Records for Miscalculations records.

50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?

It means that music is everywhere. It’s so easy now to instantly get whatever music you want either for free or at very little cost. That’s a great thing but the downside is that it does cheapen it too. Music wasn’t just about music when I was growing up, it was a commitment and, sadly,  that’s no longer a necessity – kids can now just delve into bands and scenes without pledging anything. Today its punk, tomorrow hip-hop and something else on the weekend. That wasn’t the case before because there wasn’t all this easy access – you belonged to a scene and a sound and that was it and that was so important. You searched for magazines and instantly connected with people who were wearing a shirt or a patch of a band or whatever because you knew that they had to search for those items – it wasn’t easy. There was no e-Bay, Discogs, Amazon and all the web stores that make it all so easy now.

On North London Bomb Factory’s website it states, “Miscalculations capture the cynicism, obscurity and perplexity of their surroundings and filter it down to the purest punk form” and with song titles like “Asbetos City” and “Preaching Individuality to the Masses,” how much of the lyrics have both social and political commentary? Do you feel cynicism can be used to help bring some change at all?

With Miscalculations, my approach to writing lyrics is totally different to how I write for the Gaggers or Botox Rats or Teenage Tricks or whatever. I have very specific ideas that I want to interpret in a very vague and angular manner. I put all the clues there but then it’s up to the listener to decipher and build the narrative. I always liken it to a painting. A painting is one static image that generates a thousand different reactions and sentiments from a thousand different people. They all read it differently and that’s what I aim for with Miscalculations lyrics. They are the most personal lyrics I have ever written. There is definitely some social commentary, maybe a little political too but I’m certainly not aiming to change anything or anyone.

To piggyback off the last question, there is a quote that acts like a bio/history of the band, which is “Miscalculations were formed in a dark, asbestos-lined basement in Harlow and a towering loft overlooking the concrete, steel and flesh of North London. Absorbing their environment, watching, analyzing and calculating. Miscalculating.” For those of us who don’t live in North London can you give us what that part of London is like? How did much did North London directly or indirectly affect the band’s lyrics?

I have lived in North London my whole life and Shaun has lived in both East and North London as well as Harlow in Essex. Bobby lives in East London and Mauro in South London. My environment has definitely shaped my lyrics. I am hugely influenced by the aesthetics and architecture of my surroundings. I wouldn’t say that you can instantly tell that I am from North London, or even London in general from my lyrics but the roots are there for sure and subconsciously manipulate the words.

What are some bands and/or records you are listening to right now?

Current stuff - Dino’s Boys – that LP has hardly left my turntable in months. Nightmare Boyzz, Average Times, Nicole Saboune, Buck Biloxi and the Fucks, Gino and the Goons, Criminal Code and then always listening to Crime, The Fast, Jo Squillo, Screamers, Teenage Head and stuff like that.

What’s next for Miscalculations?

A new 7” that is going to press in the next week or so and then the second full-length in the not too distant future!

Follow @AAmmunition

Gaggers

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Terminal Gagger

Where is the band from?

London

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

Terminal Gagger: Vocals

Dagger Gagger: Guitar & Vocals

Rudy Retch: Bass & Vocals

Bushy Signal: Drums & Vocals

How did the band start?

Me and Dagger started it a few years ago after knowing each other for while and being in different bands and stuff so we decided to start a band together and initially there was my cousin Chris (Busy Signal) on drums and I played bass as well as singing. Then after a bunch of 7”s and our first LP Rip You Apart, Chris left to study medicine. He’s pretty handy with a knife.

What bands did you have in mind when starting this band?

Definitely early GG / Jabbers, Dead Boys, Pagans, Eater…snotty, straightforward punk rock.

Why the decision to move from a three piece to a four piece?

That was because Chris left. So we found a new drummer, Bushy, who had already been in loads of bands with Dagger, and I gave up the bass to just sing, and we recruited Rudy.

According to the band’s bio, The Gaggers got together through a staunch hatred of everything new and polished. This motto is definitely evident in the band’s decision to record in such a raw fashion. Is this hatred a comment on your local scene or music in general?

We just all like real punk rock which, to us, needs to have that rawness and urgency otherwise it loses the ‘punk’ and just becomes ‘rock’. Nothing wrong with that but that’s not what we’re going for. There needs to be energy and bile.

Judging by how fast Gaggers singles sell out seems like you have a fan base that supports “out with the new and in with the old!” motto. One of the YouTube comments on your Hostage video is “the return of true punk in the UK after 20 years of total embarrassment.” Vibrator Buzz called “The Gaggers . . . the new 100 Club, [and] the new Roxy.” Does this have any effect on what the band does or the band operates? I would think the band would have to be happy with generating such a supportive fan base. Most bands are lucky to have one single sell out. Does that band have any thoughts on this?

We are definitely happy with compliments like that! People like Dirk at Vibrator Buzz know the score! I’ve always said that there’s nowhere to go in punk except backwards. We’re nearly 40 years behind the times and proud of it! The whole London punk scene at the moment has a very genuine late ‘70’s feel – the sound, the look, everything. The No Front Teeth connection helps to sell the records fast but I truly believe this is what people have been waiting for from London punk rock and there are a bunch of us doing it – The Ten-0-Sevens, The Ricky C. Quartet, Johnny Throttle, The Unreleasables, Thee Spivs, all the other bands we’re involved with…

Considering members of Gaggers also play in Teenage Tricks, Disco Lepers, Botox Rats, Black List Brigade, The Blowouts, The Seminals, The Troubadours, The Hateful, Needle Automatics, Dagger Dicks, and The London Guns; how do you find time for Gaggers with the members in all these other bands? Also seems like you guys are creating a scene in London with all these bands. How is the punk scene in London?

We are all workaholics!! We also all have full-time jobs too. Some of those bands are now defunct like the Disco Lepers, Blacklist Brigade, The Blowouts, Seminals, Hateful and Dagger Dicks. As I said earlier, the London punk is great – but very small so a lot of the scene is made up of bands! I think a lot of foreign punks think that when they come to London they will see the scene of 1977…unfortunately not, it’s not really that vibrant a scene. It’s cool, but small.

Explain the connection with No Front Teeth records.

I started No Front Teeth over ten years ago with my friend Jon and we still both run it to this day. There was a time when there were loads of people involved but we stripped it right back down to the two of us. We originally started as a zine but then started to put out records by our own bands and also to put out music by bands that we loved especially in the form of compilations. We really wanted to get a lot of those Hostage and Disaster bands more coverage in Europe.

Do you think music can still be a vital force in such a disposable age?

Definitely. The power of music will never die. I actually think music is more powerful now than ever even with the digital age supposedly killing it. Also, punks are traditionalists and will keep vinyl alive forever. No Front Teeth is a 7” label and the 7” is perhaps the most obsolete format of music, apart from the eight track! But it also holds a really powerful position – people respect the 7” and really chase it.

How is the new record entitled Blame You coming along?  Any scheduled release date?

It’s taking a while longer than expected but it’s coming along really well. All the drums are recorded. The bass and rhythm guitars are done and some of the vocals. So we still need to record the lead guitars, finish the vocals and also the backing vocals. Then there’s the mixing…so I think we’re looking at a late Summer release hopefully.

 

50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?

I’m glad that people are downloading music for free – it was about time that the music industry suffered. I know that’s a strange thing to say being in a band and running a record label but I think that the greed had to stop. As I said, punks are traditionalists so we’re not really affected by that at all. I see a lot of Gaggers stuff available for download on blogs and I take it as a compliment. Someone took the time to upload the music so that others could download it – that’s fine. Also, so much of our stuff is now out of print so how else are people supposed to hear it?

Where can people hear the band?

On blogs! Maybe iTunes at some point…or come see us live.

What’s next?

We are on the soundtrack for a new horror movie called ‘Bath Salt Zombies’ that has just been released and some other bands are the Murder Junkies, Antiseen, Dwarves, Meatmen…so we’re in good company! I guess we’ll start writing record number three. More shows. More 7”s, some splits…all good shit to get you gagging. Cheers.

Get Band email for free at ReverbNation.com

Follow @AAmmunition