The Anxieties - Mining Punks Past To Fortify It's Future

Portland's long running punk outfit The Anxieties are at it again.  And if you're asking yourself: well what exactly that J?  Okay, I will try to put to words what I hear and feel when I put on their records. Well.... um..... it's punk!  What a lazy writer I am huh?  But there it is, plain and simple, love it or hate it, that's what it is.  Their music is fabulously stripped of all dead weight so it moves fast, the attitude and delivery is snotty and the riffs are catchy as a hangnail on a mohair sweater.  Their influences are all over the place from early 80's SoCal Skate Punk to the searing 77 Euro and Aussie stuff.  If you dig bands like The Stitches, The Gaggers, and The Briefs - you're gonna get all hot in the noggin (and maybe a few other places, who knows!) when you hear these guys.  Top notch punk from people who not only know the history of their craft well, but really seem to "get it".  I think that's the key ingredients here. Yeah there's a million punk bands out there, it's not hard to play but most of them don't seem to grasp what it's really all about.  At least not in the same sense I interpret it. So when I come across a group out that seems to have what I'm looking for, I grab hold and hang on tight and if you're into any of the music I mentioned above; you should too because the great ones are hard to come by now days and I count The Anxieties as one of 'em.

Interview by J Castro

Who is currently in the band and what does everyone do in it?

Scott Von Rocket – spazzy rhythm guitar and surf riffs, rants & raves (as you'll likely see by my answers to these questions...)

Tommy Tension – hitting things with unbridled enthusiasm

Travis “Sweet Trav” Thoughtcrime – jagged 4-string rumbling

Erik Electron – precision 6-string surgery

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

SCOTT: I formed the band in 2003 with original drummer Dylan Auf Kilter out of the ashes of our previous band, The Wristrockets and recruited our friends Tristan Tower and Matt Adore to join us on lead guitar and bass. Since then all useable parts of members who've left (3 drummers, 3 lead guitarists, and 1 bassist) have been continuously cannibalized and reassembled in the lab until we ended up at the line-up you see before you today.

What band or musician first inspired you to want to pick up an instrument and learn to play and/or write music?

SCOTT: I don't think it really shows up as influence in the songwriting, but definitely the album “Wrong” by Nomeansno. When I heard that sick, overdriven tone on those thumping bass notes on the opening track, I just thought “Oh man, I want to know how to make a sound like that!” I generally play guitar rather than bass now, but that was definitely what set the ball rolling...

How would you describe your band to your grandparents?

SCOTT: I would probably tell my grandfather “You know all the things you liked to give me a hard time about when I was in high school, like wearing eyeliner, and having funny hair and my ears pierced? Just imagine that as a sound.” He was fantastic, but a very old-school American man. He was always kind to me and the teasing was always good-natured, but he definitely didn't get why I felt the need to be punk. I doubt he would have ever wanted to actually hear the band, but he would have been proud of me for doing what I believed in, and especially for doing it on my terms.

What sorts of things do you typically enjoy writing songs about? 

SCOTT: Dystopia, mental issues, anger, loneliness, desperation, financial ruin, y'know just regular life...

I’ve heard people say that playing and writing music is therapeutic to them.  Have you ever found this to be true?

SCOTT: I have an extremely bipolar relationship with music. Most of the time it's therapeutic and cathartic and if I don't get to do it for a couple of months at a time I start to go crazy, but sometimes the stress and tedium of trying to arrange shows and practice, as well as the financial strain of trying to get music released makes me want to burn the planet to the ground.

Does it annoy you or distract you at all to see some of your audience members fondling their phones while you’re up on stage performing?

SCOTT: Not really. I mean, if somebody was just staring right at their screen the whole time that would be a bit of a bummer, but I know as an audience member as well, a lot of the time if I have my phone out I'm texting people or making social media posts actually trying to get more people out to the show.

After one of your shows, what sort of feeling or sentiment do you hope your audience walks away with? 

SCOTT: I hope more than anything that they got a charge from the kind of energy that we're putting out. I focus a lot more on what I'd call “playing like you mean it” than being note-perfect and not making any mistakes, and that's something I like to get when I see a band as well.

What is your favorite album to listen to from start to finish?

SCOTT: I really do listen to lot more of my music collection from my mp3 player set to shuffle, primarily because I have so much now that if I don't do that there's stuff that I'll never remember to listen to. But when I do pick an album to play start to finish, D.I. - What Good Is Grief To A God?, Agent Orange - Living In Darkness, or the Sharp Objects full length are always my first choices.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you that you still follow to this day?

SCOTT: Rather than one specific piece of advice, I would say that the experience of going on tour as a roadie for D.O.A. in 1994 taught me everything that I know about being in a band that I do still follow today. It's kind of come full circle as well, as part of my lateness in turning these answers in to you is due to the fact I just got to go out with them again on another tour at the end of May.

What is the best way people can hear and get a hold of your music?

Http://www.theanxieties.com or http://theanxieties.bandcamp.com

What lies ahead for the band in 2016?

SCOTT: Hoping to get our new full-length album Mission Failure out as our first 12-inch vinyl release. We've had a few 7-inches on vinyl, but never a full album. We also have a new EP called Buried Alive in the works. We're almost done mixing that, so it's mainly a matter of deciding if that one's going to be digital only or have physical product as well. If we decide that vinyl's not an option for that, it could actually be out before Mission Failure.

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Macho Boys: Portland Punks Positioned For Domination

I don't listen to a lot of new hardcore punk bands.  The new stuff I do like has to have at least a toe hold in the early 80's like Berlin's Dysnea Boys, the Bay Area's Neighborhood Brats or Seattle's Sick Ward.  Most of it to me either sounds contrived or just pandering to a bunch of sweaty, ignorant tough guys.  I didn't get any of that from Portland's Macho Boys.  They're a fairly new band that consists of members of Low Culture and Piss Test. They're so new in fact that they only have a six song Demo out but those six songs was all it took to win me over.  These songs are a lit powder keg of snake venom and extreme vexation with the fuse burning nearly to it's end. The music is stripped down to it's bare essentials to reduce air resistance and maximize the blunt force in which it hits your guts with.  Their songs sound well rooted, the band seems focused, driven and impassioned by their music. To me, those are the key ingredients to a good hardcore band, or any band for that matter.  Sure it sounds simple, but it's far easier said than done.

Interview by J Castro

Please introduce yourselves and tell me what everyone does in the band: 

TEKIAH: I'm Tekiah, I sing.

CHRIS: I’m Chris. I guitar.

SAMANTHA: I play bass.

SAM: Drums

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

TEKIAH: I ran into Samantha at a show and mentioned I wanted to sing in a hardcore band and she was like "oh my friend Chris wants to play music like that let me find him!" I met Chris, then Samantha made a date for us to have our first practice. While we were talking I found out Sam was going to drum, which was funny because we work together. I was really nervous at first because I've never been in a band before but the first practice went really well.

CHRIS: Yeah, Samantha asked something like “Hey Chris, when are you going to start a hardcore band now that you live in Portland?” And I said “Whenever someone asks me.” So she introduced me to Tekiah and said “we’re all in a band now.” Then we took shots.

SAMANTHA: Tequila.

SAM: Chris said, “Come jam!”  I said “OK!”

Tell me about what it’s like playing shows in your town.  Is there a community that you feel gets what your band is doing musically?

TEKIAH: For the most part playing shows in Portland is awesome. There are so many rad bands that come through and that are from here. The only thing I don't like is how little people move. It's really weird to play a full show and look at the crowd and everyone's just staring at you. I think the community here gets us and wants us to play and that's a really good feeling.

CHRIS: I agree that Portland is a great place to be in a band. It is also true that not a lot of people move when bands play, but I’m usually in the back with my arms crossed (totally enjoying myself!) so I’d feel a bit hypocritical complaining about that.

SAM: Yeah; what they said.

Can you remember what band or musician first inspired you to want to pick up an instrument and learn to play and/or write music?

TEKIAH: The Ramones without a doubt. I remember the first time I heard them and was like oh shit I want to do this!!

CHRIS: When I was a kid I totally used to strap my dad’s guitar around my neck and pretend I was in the Beach Boys. Then in my early adolescence, there were plenty of DIY punk bands that helped me realize that writing songs, playing in bands, releasing records, and touring wasn’t just a pipe dream.

SAMANTHA: Portland band The Stops inspired me to make the jump from fan to band. You’ve got to get their LP on Dirt Cult Records, or Sabotage Records if you’re in Europe. They are amazing.

SAM: Music has been a part of my life since middle school band (I played the Clarinet); I've always wanted to be in a 'Cool' band.  Although, given how much I was into church and god at that time 'Cool' was probably a Christian ska band.

In your experience, what have been some of the best and worst parts about being in a band?  Is it totally different than what you imagined as a kid?

TEKIAH: The best part about being in a band is having fun. As long as you're having fun being in a band is great. I don't think we've been a band long enough for me to feel like there's any worst part to it. Since this is my first band everything is great.

CHRIS: I’d say the best part of playing in bands is that it’s allowed me to see all sorts of places and meet all sorts of people that I might not have otherwise. The worst part is loading equipment up and down stairs constantly. 

SAMANTHA: I like working toward shared goals with bandmates, getting new people into playing, and playing in other cities. I get bummed when I play a show and the majority of the bands on the bill are all guys, or if someone asks if I’m the merch girl, or assumes that a guy helping me load my gear is in the band and I’m there to help, etc.

SAM: Exactly.

What other bands do you feel people need to hear in order to better understand your music? 

TEKIAH: Other femme hardcore bands for sure like G.L.O.S.S., I.C.E., Heavy Hands, and Firewalker.

SAMANTHA: Minor Threat.

What’s your favorite part of making music: the writing process, the recording, or performing in front of a crowd? 

TEKIAH: I love writing new songs. It's so cool to hear the finished product and think, wow we made this together.

What music do you own or listen to frequently that you feel a typical fan of yours may be surprised you enjoy?

TEKIAH: I listed to a lot of do wop like the Shirelles, the Chantels and the Supremes.

CHRIS: I listen to a ton of music that isn’t punk and certainly isn’t “hardcore” - Hip hop (like Run the Jewels, A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde), soul (like Wilson Picket, Otis Redding, Nina Simone), classic rock (like Neil Young, Big Star), indie rock (like Belle & Sebastian, Elliot Smith, Guided by Voices), etc.

SAM: Country/Bluegrass (Clifton Hicks, The Stanley Brothers, Stringbean, Dwight Yoakam); anything that Buddy Rich has been a part of.

Never mind the critics, what in your opinion has been your band’s most shining moment so far?

TEKIAH: Definitely our benefit for the Network for Reproductive Options. Samantha and I booked that show together and it had a really good turnout. All the bands were rad.

SAMANTHA: The show made over $500 for abortion access. We were fundraising as part of a nationwide event to raise funds for organizations that help people pay for abortion when they don’t have enough money or health insurance. There was a punk team called Pick Your Kingpin.

Do you ever feel like underground culture meant more to past generations that had to actually invest time and money into going to shows and record stores to discover new music as opposed to just using Google and Youtube on their phones?

TEKIAH: I think it still means just as much. Having the internet just means you can actually listen to a record before buying it instead of thinking the cover looks cool and buying it.

CHRIS: People spend too much time pining for “the good old days” I think nostalgia can be a destructive force that keeps people from living in the moment and/or moving forward. In regards to how people consume music, I mean sure, I look back fondly on the days that I had to pick up a record based solely on a recommendation, review, and whether or not the cover looked “cool.” But I also ended up with a stack of shitty fucking records as a result.

SAMANTHA: No. It’s great that people can access music really quickly. Maximum RocknRoll is undertaking the project of digitalizing their massive vinyl archive and creating a searchable database of the collection and music reviews. Having music online helps it be accessible. Not everyone can afford to buy an obscure, old, out of print $300 7”, and not everyone wants to. You can donate to the MRR archive project here: http://bit.ly/1VSIHzN.

SAM: Ditto.

What is the best way people can hear and get a hold of your music?

TEKIAH: Machoboys.bandcamp.com, you can buy our demo tape through there.

What lies ahead for the band in 2016?

TEKIAH: We're going on a short tour to California at the end of August and trying to record another demo tape. I've never been on tour so I can't wait!!!


Don't forget to follow Macho Boys on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/machoboyspdx/

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The party never stops with 48 Thrills!

Portland Oregon's 48 Thrills play honest, hard hitting punk rock with ferociously entrapping hooks . It's fun, it's loud, and it's unpretentious.  It's  music that reminds me of the bands that first drew me into DIY punk rock in the first place and it reminds me of why I still continue to love it decades later.  Call it "pop" punk, "melodic" punk whatever, but the word "great" better be in there somewhere!

Interview by J Jordan Castro

So let’s start out with some introductions, who is currently in 48 Thrills and what does everyone do in the band?

Jimmy plays bass and grunts.

Ken plays drums and hits all the high notes.

Davey is the new guy playing lead guitar and sings as much as I can get him to (which is a lot).

I am Josh and I jangle the rhythm guitar and sing to the best of my abilities.

What band or musician made you want to pick up an instrument and learn to play/write music?

JOSH: I originally played bass and just thought it would be cool to play in a band, for whatever reason my bass guitar hero was Johnny Personality from The Vindictives, that dude was great and sang all kinds of backup vocals which I loved. When I swapped to a 6 string I'd say that Paul Weller and Joe Strummer were people I think I try to emulate.

Daredevil LP released October 31st 2009

How would you describe your music to your music to someone that’s never heard your band before?

JOSH: High energy, sweaty, sing-a-long fun. 

One of the first things that really stood out to me about your music was your lyrics.  There are only a few active melodic punk band that I’ve heard that still impress me with their lyrics (Moral Crux and M.O.T.O. immediately come to mind).  Can you tell me about one of the most unlikely person or event that inspired you to want to commemorate to song?

JOSH: Most of the lyrics I've written have been about the usual suspects (ie: work/ex's/crushes). I have given a go at a few political songs but I always feel like I am not articulating my point well or come off not knowing what I'm talking about. So my answer is probably my dog that passed a few years ago. It probably took me 2 years to finish it, I never thought I would write a song about a dog but he was the best.

You guys are based in Portland Oregon is that correct?  With so much going on there musically, do things ever get competitive with other bands?

JOSH: You are constantly playing the same nights as other buddy bands that are playing other venues, just sorta is how it is. 

What sort of feelings or sentiments do you hope your audience walks away with after seeing a 48 Thrills performance? 

JOSH: That we were fun and didn't suck.

I’ve heard people say that playing/writing music has been therapeutic to them.  Have you ever found this to be true in your own lives?

JOSH: Definitely. I feel like I have written some of my best songs while angry haha.

Hand Claps and Ass Slaps EP released December 17th 2010

 This is the part of the interview that I call “Four Questions I Shamelessly Stole From Other Interviewers.” Feel free to elaborate as much or as little as you wish:

(1. What was the first concert you ever attended without your parents?

JOSH: When I was in high school over 20 years ago I saw Sprung Monkey and Unwritten Law at a Scottish Rite Center in San Diego

(2. What was the first band t-shirt that you can remember owning?

JOSH: Iron Maiden

(3. What’s the first album you remember picking out yourself?

JOSH: Michael Jackson Thriller

 (4. What was the first band poster that hung on your bedroom wall?

JOSH: Iron Maiden

Where are the best places to go or log on to hear and buy 48 Thrills music?

JOSH:  All of our stuff can be downloaded/streamed/purchased at 48thrills.bandcamp.com

Than's How It Go!Oh!Ohs! LP released  October 10th 2014

What’s coming up for you guys in the near future?

JOSH: We are going to record a couple songs for a 7" and film a video for one of them in a few weeks which will be a first for us.

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An interview with Patsy's Rats!

Christian Blunda and Patsy Gelb aka Portland's Patsy's Rats play the kind of rock n' roll music that gets wedged in the folds of your damaged brain the very first time you hear it. Their songs pop and burst all around you with well paced tempos, strong yet melodic guitar hooks reminiscent of Peter Case and delightful vocals that are a cross between Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry.  It's music that's too good to pigeonhole as "punk" and too interesting to dismiss simply as "pop".  It's not noisy or avant garde, Patsy's Rats simply make magnetic music that instantly charms the human soul.

Interview by J Castro

CB = Christian Blunda  PG = Patsy Gelb

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

CB: Patsy and I were fans of each other's bands 4 years ago, mine being Mean Jeans and hers being Scavenger Cunt. We started writing songs together, though the first time we performed together was playing guitars in Patsy's dad's band Giant Sand at a Portland festival called Pickathon 3 summers ago.

PG: I’ve always believed the best way to start a band is to set up a show, before you have members or songs or even a concept, then let the deadline do its work.  We did that. Oh and we did have a name, it was The Rat.

CB: As members started rotating in and out, the project became Patsy’s Rats. I am the constant rat, the others come and go as they please. Bass and drums have been played by Aaron Levy formerly of The Memories, Kyle Raquipiso of Meth Teeth, Nat Brower from Nancy, Jeff Taylor from Sleeptalker, and Stevie Pohlman from Mope Grooves.

If you can single out who the most influential person in your musical career and have the opportunity to speak to them face to face, who would that be and what would you say to them?

CB: Tough question, but it would really be an impossible dream come true if I could get Phil Lynott, Joey Ramone, and Harry Nilsson around a table with an open bar tab for a night. I'm fascinated by all three of them, plus it would be a heck of a party.

PG: Oh yes, maybe we could throw Alice Cooper in there too just for fun, I would love to sit at that table no question. But honestly I think the most influential person in my musical career is my old man. He has had this kind of career my entire life and I think has gone about it in a completely unique way, for better or worse. I respect that and definitely look up to him. I get valuable insight on every aspect of a musicians life, from recording vocals to getting your guitar onto an airplane as a carry on (not easy). He is also responsible for putting some pretty special instruments in my hands, like the loud red Gretsch that is my senior by about 20 years.

CB: Yeah, Alice circa 1970 can come to the fantasy party too.

What sorts of things influence you’re song lyrics?  Are there any subjects you try to stay away from, if so why?

CB: By now, practically every thought and every turn of phrase have found their way into a song, and most of them are awful, so it can be hard to find your own voice. We're a new band still uncovering ours, but lyrically we aim to be rascally, romantic, and genuine.

PG: I agree with that, I also think our songs are playfully dark. We have song titles like “Its Gonna Hurt” “Hard Time Karen” “Empty Bottle” and “Nowhere Close”, though not intended to be strictly cynical or depressing I think that this dark side of life or whatever is just something both of us have always been respectful of.

I’ve read that playing and/or writing music can be therapeutic.  Do you find that to be true at all?

CB: I obsess over every song I write, often to their detriment I'm sure, but molding the song and evolving it into its final form is always really satisfying, no matter how long it takes or how simple the song is in the end.

PG: I think I am the opposite, I end up writing when I don’t mean to. I’m usually driving or walking or working on something else. Melodies must come from a part of my brain that works well while this other part is distracted and can’t bother it. I think I am learning a lot from working with an experienced songwriter like CB, we have completely different approaches (if you can call mine an approach) and I think they end up expanding on each other nicely. I like happy accidents and he is much more methodical. Oh maybe that didn’t answer the question… I find playing shows to be therapeutic for sure, its a special kind of “high”.

Patsy’s Rats are currently based out of Portland.  What’s it like playing shows for your band in a town like that, a town with so much going on musically?  Do you ever feel any sort of competition?

CB: I've been playing in the Portland 'punk' scene for 8 years with Mean Jeans and it's always been changing, some eras better than others. With Patsy's Rats, which is more of a pop rock project, I'm interested in branching out and playing new venues with new bands. I suppose we're lucky to live in a town with such a wide variety of both.

PG: Yeah I suppose too.  And I don’t get a competitive vibe from the Portland scene really.

And speaking of playing shows, what feeling or sentiment do you hope your audience walks away with after seeing a Patsy’s Rats show?

 CB: I just want people to walk out with the songs in their head. 

PG: Yeah!

You’re debut single is coming out soon on La-Ti-Da Records (one of our favorite labels!).  How did you hook up with the fine folks over there?

CB: Right when we finished our first recording session, we played a show at The Know that Tim Horner from La-ti-da attended. He wound up crashing on our couch, and right after he left I thought, 'shit, why didn't I ask him to put out our first record?'. So I wrote him and he obliged. The single is Rock & Roll Friend b/w Hard Time Karen and we're really excited to release it. 

If you got exiled to a deserted island but were allowed to take one meal, one person and one record to live out the rest of your days there, what would these all be?

CB: Patsy and I would bring a bucket of mushrooms and the Donny Denim Hey You! single, as long as there's a 45 adapter.

PG: But wouldn’t we wish we brought a full length album instead?  Siiiike. It IS that good.  Drugie mushrooms or normal?  I like both.

I’ve read about how many “life lessons” a person can learn by playing golf.  What sorts of these “life lessons” do you think people can learn by being in a band?

CB: The only thing I ever learned from playing golf was that I’d rather be playing guitar. Talk to me in ten years about the rest.

Where are the best places to go or log on to hear Patsy’s Rats music?

 patsysrats.bandcamp.com

What lies ahead for the band?  Any more recording or touring news?

RATS: Lots of exciting news. We have a 7-song cassette coming out in November on Burger Records. The La-Ti-Da single should be out soon, and we just filmed a music video for "Burnin' Honey" - a song that will be on our second single on Dig Records. We will be on a Europe tour opening for Giant Sand from Nov 28 - Dec 13. In early 2016 we’d like to record our first LP which we're writing now and do some US tour dates. 

Follow Patsy's Rats!  

https://www.facebook.com/patsysrats

patsysrats.bandcamp.com

https://instagram.com/patsysrats/

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