Like a steel toe boot to the face, here's Sick Ward!

Seattle's Sick Ward are less like a band and more like a unified sonic assault team.  Their music is like a carpet bombing campaign going down your ear canals.  Heavily influenced by '82 style British Street Punk with some early Southern California Hardcore thrown in as well, these guys relentlessly pound on your ear drums until you can't tell which side is up anymore!

Interview by J Jordan Castro

Let’s start off with some introductions!  Who are you guys and what do you all do in the band?

Rob: I'm Rob, I sing and occasionally write songs too.

Brandon: I play guitar.

Zach: I'm Zach and I play the drums.

Mike:  I'm on bass.

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

ROB: We are all old friends, emphasis on the old part. We played in various bands together and decided to do a Blitz cover band for Halloween one year and called it The Warriors. We had a lot of fun and kind of formed a band out of that.

BRANDON: We've all played in various bands together over the years and after the Blitz cover set, decided to start up a band influenced by all of the punk bands that we were listening to at sixteen years old.

ZACH: These two summed it up nicely.

Who would you say is your main musical influence?  Can you tell me about the first time you heard them and what was it about their music you felt set them apart?

ROB: For Sick Ward, my big influences are UK '82 bands like The Underdogs, Blitz, Demob, and The Samples. I started getting into that stuff as a teenager and it really struck a different chord in me than the other more hardcore stuff I was listening to. I liked the melodic aspects of the songwriting and the more dynamic stuff singers were doing in those bands, rather than just straight up yelling.  

BRANDON: My main influences for this project are the obvious UK '82 bands with a large emphasis on the Varukers, Exploited, Blitz and even a little Adolescents. Like I said earlier, these were the bands that all of us were really into as shitty teenagers. They were the epitome of punk to me at the time and they still get a lot of play on my turntable. We're not trying to be a tribute band or anything, just grabbing some influences here and there.

ZACH: UK 82 punk has always been a big influence for me. Mike and I played in a UK 82 style band together when we were teenagers, so now it's almost like we've come full circle. One of the phrases we've used at practice was "What would GBH do?" Hahaha.

MIKE:  These guys have nailed the influences.   A lot of the American HC/punk stuff I first got into way back when it seemed pretty chaotic and sounded a million miles a minute.  What set some of the UK bands apart for me was how the songs weren't necessarily any slower, but just had more of a defined composition... more room to sing along, and very powerful. 

What sorts of things influence your song lyrics?  Are there any subjects you won’t write about or maybe don’t feel comfortable with?

ROB: I'm really into dystopian fiction – George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Phillip K. Dick, and a lot of those kinds of themes make their way into my lyrics. I try not to write lyrics about things that don't apply to me or my life, and I think it's kind of cheap for bands to sing about things like war and genocide when they never experience those things first hand. 

Sick Ward recently played a few shows with Denver CO’s The Nervous on their “mini” tour.  How do you think that went?   Did you feel audiences were pretty responsive to your music?

ROB: The Nervous are good buddies of ours and invited us to play a couple shows with them in Seattle and Victoria, BC. It was super fun, we ate strangely flavored chips, rode ferries, got super drunk, and went sightseeing. Oh and played shows, that was cool too.

ZACH: Those shows were great! We've been friends with the Nervous folks for a long time so it was a lot of fun to travel with your friends and play music in a different country. I feel the shows went pretty well. Being a new band it's hard to bring in people sometimes, but the people that were there were excited and that's always good to see.

MIKE:  The shows were a blast – it's always great to play with old friends in different cities, and the response was pretty great too.

Speaking of audiences, I’ve been reading a lot about bands speaking out against audience members using their phones while at shows.  What sorts of things do audience members do that distract you most when you’re playing?

ROB: I actively antagonize people if they are on their smartphones while we are playing. Most of the time I'll just sneak up next to them and swipe on their screen to embarrass them. I think it's super rude to stand in front of a band and be completely checked out to the point where you're not even watching them play. I did that to some dude in Vancouver, BC when we were playing and afterwards he came up and apologized and thought it was funny.

ZACH: I watched Rob do that and I applaud him for doing it. I find it's incredibly rude. If you aren't into the music, or just can't be away from your phone for a bands set (and our set is maybe 20-25 min tops) than go somewhere where you can zone out that isn't in the way of those trying to enjoy themselves.

BRANDON: Personally I think it's annoying as shit. People on their phones. I find it annoying in daily life let alone a live show. It's almost as bad as standing in place with your arms folded or sitting at the bar while a band is playing. The only positive to people using their phones is that once in a while you get a good live video of a performance.

MIKE:  I think the lack of anybody doing anything distracts me the most.  It's weird when everyone just stands there.  Move a little bit!

You guys are currently based in Seattle, WA.  What is it like playing shows there for a band like Sick Ward?  I know Seattle is a pretty musical town, but is there currently a descent and supportive community that gets what you guys are doing musically?

ROB: Seattle can be fickle sometimes, and response can be mixed depending on who you play for. Luckily the response to Sick Ward has been pretty positive; we are kind of an anomaly in our scene and friends seem to like what we're doing, even though we aren't playing doom metal.

ZACH: Seattle surprisingly seems to enjoy what we're doing which I can't say happens with a lot of the bands I've played in here.

BRANDON: This city obviously has a deep history of underground music but it seems to me that people are very apathetic towards punk. We don't play doom metal, have an edgy (not so) mysterious singer or draw shitty sharpie drawings of studded bracelets on our covers so we're not very cool. As far as a supportive community, there isn't much of one for what we're doing here. Let's just say I don't live here for the music scene anymore. That being said, we have had a pretty good response.

MIKE:  Overall I feel the scene here is supportive, there are just so many genres of punk and hardcore and metal and everything in between, so there is not a lot of crossover as far as crowds go.  It's very hit or miss right now.  

I noticed you released the 8 song album you have available digitally on your Bandcamp page on cassette.   With major labels bogging down vinyl pressing plants and driving up the cost of records, do you feel cassettes are going to be the format of choice for many independent labels that want to put out physical releases?

ROB: Tapes are punk.

ZACH: Tapes are affordable to duplicate for bands with limited budgets. Provided someone has a cassette player (which should be mandatory in any household with a stereo) it's a cheaper alternative to an LP if someone doesn't have a lot of cash to throw down but wants some new tunes. Also, tapes are punk.

BRANDON: I feel like tapes are the most accessible format for those who prefer something physical. Vinyl is my preferred format but tapes are cheap and easy to make so I understand why they are making a comeback.  I just wish someone with a lot of money would take a chance on designing a new modern and efficient vinyl pressing machine. You'd think that would be a lucrative endeavor with all of the demand for records right now. Waiting six months for a record is horseshit. It's already old news at that point. Tapes are punk?

MIKE:  Tapes rule and will never go away!  CD's need to go away.

And speaking of the modern age, how important do you feel social media is now to promote bands, shows and records?  Do you feel like it’s a tool that helps you get the word out more efficiently or just another pain in the ass to have to deal with?

ROB: I think it depends on how you use it. A lot of bands skip social media altogether and do just fine, but I think it's nice to be able to interact with people who like your music, and to generate conversation around what you're doing. Mostly we use it to post stupid photos and videos of each other.

ZACH: I go back and forth with how I feel about social media. I think it can be a useful tool to get your tunes out there and notify people of shows and what not. Its just abused so easily and drives me nuts for the most part. I don't really want people to know what I'm doing all the time.

BRANDON: I don't personally take part in social media very much. Mainly I use it to promote bands and shows that I'm a part of. That's about all it's good for besides keeping in touch with friends that are far away.

MIKE:  It's a great way to promote bands/shows/records.., but should not be your only tool of promotion.  Always remember to flier heavily and tell your friends!

Where are the best places to go or log on to hear Sick Ward’s music?

ROB: sickward.bandcamp.com

What lies in the future for your band?  Any more touring or recording news?

ROB: I'm currently living in Berlin, Germany, and we will continue to write music long distance and record and play shows when we are all in the same town. I'd love for us to tour overseas sometime.

ZACH: Hopefully play some more shows when we're all together, post up some more stupid videos of us...

BRANDON: We're getting ready to start playing together again now that our summer tours and travels are out of the way. Stay Tuned! We'll be playing a show or two when Rob comes back from Germany.

MIKE:  Or the 3 of us will fly to Berlin and play a few over there... 

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LA Drugz

Photo by Emilio Venegas Jr.

     Hailing from different parts of the ever-growing metropolis better known as Los Angeles, LA Drugz have tapped into the cities roots of both punk and power-pop by mixing both The Beat and Nerves penchant for melodies while having enough grit to hold their own with any punk band that shares the stage with them. LA Drugz features an impressive resume of both past and present bands (Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Maniac, Bad Machine, Images) and received the EP of the year award from Lord Rutledge himself for Outside Place. If that wasn’t enough, their video for “Outside Place” is homage to one of the greatest cult classics of all time Repo Man, but the real cult classic might just be them.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Justin Maurer (guitar, lead vocals)

Where is the band from?

We're an LA band from nearly every corner of Los Angeles County. I live in East Hollywood, JD in East LA, Cezar in San Pedro and James in Carson.

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

Justin Maurer (guitar, lead vocals)

James Carman (drums, backing vocals)

Cezar Mora (lead guitar, backing vocals)

Johnny "JD" Reyes (bass)

How did the band start?

As the third lineup of Clorox Girls was breaking up, Cezar and I tried to form a Beach Boys cover band in Spanish. He had some connections in the Latino low-rider world, and we thought we could make some money by forming a cover band. Learning full Beach Boys songs with all of the harmonies in Spanish proved to be extremely difficult if not impossible. We opted to start a band that played originals instead. James plays drums in a band called Images. I was really impressed with his drumming and singing so we brought him onboard. JD is an old friend of James' so he brought him in on bass. With our powers combined, we are . . . LA DRUGZ!

Photo by Emilio Venegas Jr.

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

Shit, well, ‘60’s LA music like Arthur Lee/LOVE, The Seeds, The Standells. Also some power pop stuff like The Nerves and The Beat, UK stuff like Small Faces, The Who, early Stones and early Beatles. I guess the Nuggets comps mixed with poppy ‘70’s punk like Buzzcocks, The Kids and The Boys. 1966-1979, those are the years containing the music that we're into.

In an LA Drugz article written on the Ratboy ’69 blog, it seems like every member in the band had his or her lives altered and changed by music. I don’t mean in the typical way every musician does, I mean music gave him a mission/life choice from a potentially dangerous option.

Yeah, Ratboy is over in the Netherlands I think. Sure. Cezar grew up in North Long Beach on the border of Compton. He was literally down the street from Snoop Dogg. Cars full of people looking for a party would ask him, "Where Snoopy house at?" At that time there was a lot of gang shit going down. He told me that he could have gotten into the gang shit or music, and he chose music. James' older brother was involved in gang stuff in Carson and actually had a hit put on him. I think seeing what his older brother went through made James realize that getting into music was a better option. JD has told me that music saved his life. Me personally, I would have had a much harder time without it. I came from a pretty dysfunctional family and as a teenager got into a bit of drinking and drugs as well as some petty crime like shoplifting and vandalism, if not for falling into music so hard, I might have ended up in jail, who knows.

To piggyback off this question, how supportive are your families of playing in bands?

My dad played in an early 80s punk/new wave band in LA called The Defenders. My grandpa is still active singing in barbershop quartets. My sister played in a few bands out in New York. I come from a musical family. That said, my dad has told me "You have an expensive hobby, son." As painful as that is, he is probably right!  Ha ha!  Even though I spent ten years of my life releasing albums and touring the world with Clorox Girls, with every band you have to start over. Sometimes I have that internal conversation, "Is this really worth it?" But I'm getting off track. Yes, my family has generally been very supportive even though they like to give me advice on the reasons I should quit music and focus on a more sustainable career. We practice at James' parent's house in Carson.  They let him construct a rehearsal room and mini-recording studio, so they have been extremely patient and supportive.  Cezar's Dad has also been very supportive of his son and I'm sure JD's parents are proud of him as well.

Photo by Paul Silver

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

I agree with you that this can be a very disposable age. We live in a free culture. People expect music for free via download, streaming and in person. Everyone wants music including advertisers but no one seems willing to pay a fair price for it. Music and the musician have become commodities that our society takes for granted. That said, of course music is still a vital force. I don't see the same kind of cult dedication for bands that existed in the ‘60’s, ‘70’s, ‘80’s, or even the ‘90’s, but when the right band comes along, they will inspire scores of kids to start their own bands. The Internet can instantly broadcast music across the world, but the problem is oversaturation. It's hard to get excited when we're over stimulated and oversaturated. Also, most of the bands now don't really match up to their forefathers, so musicians have to bring some balls to the table too.

Justin, you have lived in many different cities over the years, Portland, Seattle, Madrid and now Los Angeles. Have you noticed any similarities between each cities music scene or is each one completely different?

When I lived in Portland about ten years ago, it was a very close-knit incestuous scene and all of the bands really supported each other. There were great bands like The Observers, The Minds, The Triggers, and The Hunches. The Exploding Hearts' car accident had recently happened and that was still very fresh and very painful. I am very lucky to have taken part in a cool time in Portland's musical history. I went to high school on Bainbridge Island, which is near Seattle. I cut my teeth on punk shows in Seattle in the ‘90’s. It was an interesting time full of skinheads; punk, hardcore and 3rd wave ska.  Gradually everyone got into Murder City Devils and the whole greaser thing. In Madrid, when I lived there, Malasaña was still popping off as the Rock and Roll neighborhood with a ton of great bands, DJ’s and Rock and Roll bars. After Madrid, I was in London for a couple of years then LA. I'm coming full circle because I was born here, moved away when I was 11 years old, now been back for about 5 years.

Similarities?  For the style of music that I have played, punk, Rock N’ Roll, power pop, in all of the cities it is very much the same. You have a core group of people who end up in most bands. It's hard to find a good drummer and multiple bands share the same drummer. You have the same 50-100 people going to these shows in small bars or clubs. You become a part of small, but dedicated scenes and fan bases. The easiest town to play music in, I guess, was Portland because it was so cheap to live there. My rent was $280 a month and I lived in a huge 4-bedroom house with 3 roommates. I guess it has gotten a little more expensive. L.A. is a pretty tough town to make music happen in but that said there's still a ton of cool bands and cool people who shake things up from time to time.

Justin since you are an author in addition to being a musician. Do you notice the same struggles for a new writer to have work published in much the same ways it is for a new band to get songs released and noticed? Or are the music and literary worlds two different animals?

There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. I think to be successful in both worlds you have to do a lot of schmoozing, meet a lot of people, get to know the movers and shakers and work with them in some way. It's pretty much the same for any business although people are reluctant to look at writing or music as a "business." That said, most writers and musicians are terrible business people and lose a lot of money pursuing their passion. And yeah, it’s a similar struggle. You have to have somewhat of a reputation to get noticed by any sort of media, which is ultimately what you need for success. So for a new writer or new band, no one knows who you are, but my advice would be to keep on plugging away, it might take months or even years, but good work gets noticed. If you have faith in what you do, then others will have faith too. As easy as it is to be discouraged by lack of attention, just keep doing it if it makes you happy. It's not an easy road to take. The musician life and the writer life are really difficult and frustrating paths with few payoffs on the way. That said I have met some of the best people through music and through writing so it is equally a curse and a blessing.

Photo by Emilio Venegas Jr.

In the 2013 edition of the Lord Rutledge Awards, L.A. Drugz won the EP of the year for Outside Place, how excited was the band?

Lord Rutledge has been very supportive. What a great dude. Always honored to be included on anything he puts on his site. What an excellent music blog.

Is the band’s favorite movie Repo Man? The video for “Outside Place” is practically a shot by shot remake and homage to one of the greatest cult classics of all time.

Repo Man is one of my favorites for sure. It's one of the films that really personified the gritty side of Los Angeles as well as the wacky new age religion side. As a native Angeleno and as a punk I love the shit out of this movie. The co-directors Brett Roberts and Ardavon Fatehi did a lot of research and we managed to shoot at many actual Repo Man locations. And I got to drive a car in the LA River! Swerving around like a maniac! There's at least one bucket list item checked off!

Where can people hear the band?

We play out live in LA County all of the time. Songs can be streamed and downloaded here: www.ladrugz.bandcamp.com. Our video is on YouTube and links to everything are on our slavebook aka Facebook page as well.

What’s next for L.A. Drugz?

We're planning on recording some newer songs: "All Burned Down,” “Runnin',” and “Kids of Today" for a new single. We've also been invited for some European tour dates so watch out world!

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Big Eyes

     Big Eyes from the start has had a tougher edge to them as evidenced on their debut Hard Life, but recently the band has shown a softer side. By softer, I mean switching from early-Joan Jett toughness to early Muffs style pop that still has teeth. Just listen to tracks Being Unkind and Back From The Moon, which were both, featured on Pitchfork and will be on the upcoming LP Almost Famous. The band opened the year being part of two split 7-inch releases with Audacity and Mean Jeans and has no plans on stopping with an LP and planned European tour this fall.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Kate and Chris

Where is the band from?

Seattle, by way of New York and Reno

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

Kate Eldridge - guitar and vocals

Chris Costalupes - bass

Dillan Lazzareschi - drums

How did the band start?

Kate: I started Big Eyes as sort of a solo project, I recorded a handful of songs in my room on my laptop with electronic drums and stuff back in fall of 2009, then I brought the songs to the dudes I was playing with at the time.  The lineup has changed a few times but we are solid as ever now!

How is the recording process going for the next LP titled Almost Famous? It looks like Grave Mistake putting out the LP too? After listening to Being Unkind, it seems like this new LP will be more pop than previous work. Will this be the case?

Kate: The record was recorded and mixed back in October (2012) at Red Lantern Studios by Adam Becker.  We knocked it out in 6 very long days, and I am very super proud of it and very excited for people to hear it.

Chris: Even though the first single released was very pop oriented, by all means we are a poppy band, Almost Famous expands on all of our influences, including hard rock like Kiss and Alice Cooper, punk like Descendents and The Dickies, 80’s power pop like Nick Lowe and The Knack, and so on.

Recently, Big Eyes had two tracks, Being Unkind and Back From The Moon featured on Pitchfork. How does the band feel about it? Pitchfork has a lot of followers.

Chris: We are excited for anybody to listen to our music, and it's nice to know that our music is accessible.  We get just as much enjoyment from people liking our music as we do making it.

How did the split 7” with Mean Jeans come about? Did the band get together and pitch the idea or was it the label’s idea?

Kate: We met Mean Jeans in the fall of 2011 and we immediately clicked with them.  We toured together to Awesome Fest in August 2012 and decided to put out a split together.

Chris:  Within minutes of first meeting them we were at the bar next door slamming Jagerbombs and plotting our Rock ‘N’ Roll takeover.

Originally Big Eyes were from New York, but ended up moving to Seattle. What was the reason or reasons behind the move?

Kate: Nirvana!!!  Just kidding. It's really hard to have a full time touring band based out of New York.  Rent is too expensive, everything is too expensive. Seattle is beautiful and I wanted to get out of NY so I did.

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

Chris: Music is a timeless art form, regardless of what platform it's delivered on.  Live music, vinyl, digital downloads, it all has the same result, at least on certain types of people.  People take much influence from music, it affects their daily decisions.  I find that to be incredibly true for myself and the company I keep.

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?

Chris: People need music just as much as they need water, so as long as they're getting enough of both that's fine with me.

I know Kate is the primary songwriter, but how has the new rhythm section influenced the sound of the band, arrangement of songs, etc.?

Kate: I think the new lineup is tighter than ever.  Chris and I lock in together really well, probably due to how much we practice and play together.  Dillan is a natural.  He can play any instrument you hand him and look good doing it.  The three of us have a great chemistry.  I feel very comfortable with these guys, and it's been easier than ever for me to write songs, and so my songs have becoming a little more complex.

In Amp Magazine, Kate stated “I mostly listen to music from the 1970’s and 80’s. And pop punk–I love pop punk. . . . The Replacements and Descendents are definitely two of my biggest influences.” What other band have had an indirect or direct influence on the songwriting? What bands did you have in mind when starting this band?

Kate: I was listening to a lot of Scared of Chaka, Cheap Trick, and The Muffs when I started Big Eyes.  I was definitely planning on starting a catchy punk band, but I've only ever played in catchy punk bands so I wasn't really out of my element or anything.  I just play what comes into my head, I don't ever try to write riffs or songs with a specific band or genre in mind.

Big Eyes seems to be putting in a lot of time on the road. I had read before the release of the first LP, Hard Life, and the band had toured quite a bit. Now I notice this again with the band having had two mini tours before the new LP, Almost Famous. Is this a way to test out material or just tighten up the songs? Any thoughts on this?

Chris: It's a way to conquer boredom.

Kate: We usually don't really plan tours around releases, but we had a limited edition copy of the new LP with us on this past west coast tour.  We just like to tour a lot.  Touring has definitely helped with tightening up the new songs though, which will be great for the "official" Almost Famous tour which starts at the end of May. 

Where can people hear the band?

The best place to hear us is live!

www.bigeyesband.com

bigeyes.bandcamp.com

What’s next?

Kate: We have a 4-week tour to the east coast coming up (May 28th - June 22nd).  We are going to Hawaii in July, and we are going to Europe in October.  Other than that, writing new songs!

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