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Savanna: Can you tell us who you are and what you do in the band?

Tim Maurer: My name is Tim, and I sing in the band.

Savanna: Ok, cool. So, with the elections coming up, I have to ask… Are you voting?

Tim: I’m a firm believer in voting for what you want.

Savanna: Who are you voting for? Can you tell us?

Tim: That’s between me, and the voting booth!

Savanna: Ok! (laughter) You’re stage shows are theatrical and well planned out. Was that something that just naturally happened, or was it something that was planned out, and you said, “Ok, this is what we’re going to do!”?

Tim: Well, what happened was… Years and years ago when we started the band, our feet were planted to the ground and we couldn’t move. We were… stuck in this… thing. I – we were all in theater – I was in musical theatre and everyone was doing their own thing in the theatre, whether they were in the pit or up on stage doing their thing, and we just started the band, and it was like, we had to move! We heard voices from the sky! Aliens came down and talked to us and told us our mission in life was to move! More than just the swing back and forth, or the rock out, or the kicking and stuff, you had to actually… move in unison, and do back-flips, and form the trombone monster and the glorious other things we create on stage for all our fans out there! So that is why, and how, and then… there you go!

D.T.: Very well put.

Savanna: Wow. That answers my question! This is actually good, because I wrote a question just for you!

Tim: Awesome!

Savanna: It says in your bio… It says your influence was Reel Big Fish, and it was their energy that influenced you to start the band.

Tim: Who told you that?

Savanna: It was in your bio!

Tim: Ok, that’s cool.

Savanna: So, who are your other influences?

Tim: Wow, I’ve got a lot of musical influences… I really like… okay, if you look at… I have so much – I love all kinds of music. I really love the music from Jamaica – the ska, the reggae – Desmond Decker, Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals (?), um… all those good motherfu–guys.

Savanna: You can say fucker. (laughter)

Tim: I don’t wanna cuss; it’s bad for me!

Tim: I like… I like… Reel Big Fish, love The Specials, Madness, I’m a big fan of Liberator, Bad Manners, Slackers, RX Bandits – Great bands – um… The Tortures… God, there’s so many bands out there! Those are the Ska bands… I really enjoy Greenday, The Sex Pistols, love The Clash, John Denver, Bob Dylan, uh… Stevie Wonder…

Savanna: This is a long question!

Tim: You told me!

Savanna: Ok, go on – Stevie Wonder….

Tim: The Beatles, The Who… We’re still going…

Tim: Simon And Garfunkel – I’m a huge fan of them!

Savanna: I love them!

Tim: Then we’re gonna go in that genre – that direction – I really like The Shins, Belle and Sebastian, I love, uh… The Killers are fun, The Hives are cool – I like how he moves. The Rolling Stones…

Savanna: There’s where we differ. (laughter)

Tim: That’s ok, I understand – He’s sexy!

Savanna: Oh, is he really?

Tim: Oh my God…

Savanna: I prefer Steven Tyler.

Tim: Dude looks like a lady? No!

Savanna: Yes!

Tim: Anyways, back to my musical talking…

Tim: I enjoy Travis, I enjoy The Vines, I enjoy… I already said Bob Marley, but I’m saying it again! I enjoy musicals of all shapes and sizes. The producers, I enjoy Steven Sondheim. I enjoy… Radiohead is cool – When you want to cry and feel bad about yourself. Uh, I like…

Savanna: Everything?

Tim: A lot of music.

Savanna: That is a lot of music…

Tim: Oh, James Brown! Don’t forget the James Brown! Oh man! That guy, he’s like… he moves like… (Tim starts singing, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and starts dancing, and mimicking the sounds of a guitar) POW! He’s just so freaking… on the edge. He’s so energetic! (Starts singing again) He’s just so soulful, you know, that R&B from the early movements.

Savanna: We’re going to go onto the next question, is that ok?

Tim: Yeah, sure, go, go, go!

Savanna: What about local bands? You didn’t mention any local that I know of.

Tim: You’re opening up a huge can of worms; there are just so many great local bands!

Savanna: Well, just name five, your top five…

Tim: Detricks (?) I like… God if I forget anybody they’re gonna kill me. I have so many friends in bands that are local, so, uh…

Savanna: So just say everyone…

Tim: Everyone! (laughter) Cross out that first one, and say everyone! Work Shirt Wonder! There you go, I can’t forget those guys!

Savanna: Ok, next question. 962 shows in the year 2002, most of which were at Disneyland. Can you tell us about that experience?

Tim: It was very musically great and happy. It was like musical boot camp, you work your butt off, and you get tights, you make fans – It’s like going on a world tour with out going anywhere. Seriously, you meet people from like… England, and freakin’ Detroit, and then from like, other parts of the world, you go to like Australia, China, New Zealand, And then all the sudden someone is from like, I know this sounds weird, but freakin’ Maine.

Savanna: Maine?!

Tim: Maine!

Tim: It was cool, I liked it, it was good – We got a lot of our hardcore fans in Orange County. I was good for me. It was a lot of hard work – 4 shows a night – I was my most physically fit. Now I’ve gained some weight back, you can see I kind of got that love junk going.

Savanna: Love handles are hot.

Tim: I’m just kidding, I’m down with what I – but I was freakin’ stick boy. I was working so hard, but yeah, it was good hard work.

Savanna: Ok, cool. So you guys covered the Gummi Bear song. What made you decide to cover the Gummi Bear song?

Tim: Have you ever heard of like… You know how Germany’s was bummed out because they’re like… Oh, we had the Holocaust! You know, everybody’s like “Germany equals Holocaust” – it’s like “Suburban Legends equals Gummi Bear Song.” I know it’s kind of racy to say, but I’m just saying, you know, we started playing that song when we were like, 16. I’m 24 now. I’m 24 now – do you understand the math? We played that song and it was fun, and kooky, whatever, and people latched on to it, and said, “Suburban Legends equals Gummi Bears!” And it’s been good to us, because people always want the Gummi Bear song!

Savanna: Do people bring you Gummi Bears, now?

Tim: They throw Gummi Bears at us. It’s a dangerous occupation.

Tim: And I was just kidding about the whole Germany thing, don’t put that in there!

Savanna: Oh, we will.

Tim: You will? Well, okay. Well, I love them!

Savanna: We don’t censor. (laughter)

Tim: Well I was just kidding. If it looks bad, take it out.

Savanna: Ok! (laughter)

Tim: And take what I just said out too, about taking that out. (laughter) Anyway, go ahead.

Savanna: Ok, Your music influences and appeals to a lot of different age groups. If there was one message you could bring to your fans, what would it be?

Tim: All you need it love! (laughter)

Tim: No wait, someone already said that – That was uh, Paul – was uh, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Right? (laughter) No, uh… Geeze, I would say… Live for the moment – Be happy, you know? And vote!

Savanna: And vote? Good one. We’re all about voting!

Tim: Voting is very important. I don’t think there’s ever been an election in recent memory that is as important, as tight, and as close, and as controversial, as emotionally — it’s great, and I’m happy with events of voting, like how crazy culture – like, how everyone is pissed off. I think it’s good that everyone got pissed off because now, finally, we’re not – we’re no longer going to be an apathetic nation.

Savanna: Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, so anyways.

Savanna: Ok, Zanzibar… So what’s up with that song? It’s very different. I love it, but it’s not the usual style that you hear…

Tim: (joking) Are you bashing Zanzibar?

Savanna: No, I love it, but it’s different, it’s so many different styles, it’s very eclectic. Where did you guys come up with it?

Tim: My younger brother, Chris Maurer, he plays bass in the band…

Savanna: Yep

Tim: Whoop Whoop.

Savanna: Whoop Whoop? (laughter)

Tim: That’s for Chris. He wrote the song. He’s a genius. He’s a musical virtuoso. And why he wrote the song? I don’t know! He just thought it was cool. We thought, “hey it’s a dark song – lets do it!” It became a vocalist song, and not just instrumental – we have some humming and hooing, and some chanting.

Savanna: Yeah, what language is that?

Tim: Latin.

Savanna: What are you saying?

Tim: I don’t know! I took Latin for two years and didn’t learn crap. I was just spitting out random Latin words. Plus, I was going to church as a kid, so it was just something about spitting out random words. It was something about girl, boy, god, light, hands, something, it was weird.

Savanna: Ok then… (laughter) How long have you all been playing as Suburban Legends?

Tim: Well, we were first… conceived in high school.

Savanna: All of you?

Tim: No, just three of us. Then after that we got more people. Then more people left and more people came, Then more people left, and more people came again. So I’d say about six, seven years, you know, as playing these songs – The Gummi Bears, and all those songs people ask for.

Savanna: All right. How did you all get to where you are in terms of musicianship and skills? I know some of you were in marching band, and theatre classes, but did you ever take actual lessons, or did it just come naturally?

Tim: Do you remember what I told you about the Aliens?! (laughter)

Savanna: It was all the aliens, right?

Tim: Yes! Actually, that helped, but I’ve been singing all my life. I sang in choirs growing up, I sang in bands growing up, I was in musical theatre, you know, I took some voice classes (makes a farting noise). My brother has been playing bass since he was 12. He’s 20 years old now, he’s freakin’ awesome. Brian Klemm has been playing guitar, playing blues, for a long time. Vincent Walker, the trumpet player – is a brilliant guitar player too he’s up there with Brian Klemm, maybe a different flavor of what he does -but he’s been playing a long time, trumpet in high school. A lot of the kids, like Aaron, and Dallas, Brian R. played in high school in marching band, and in musicals in the chamber pit orchestra, sonic boom thing. And uh, Derek Lee Rock – he plays a lot of instruments. He plays guitar, Sousaphone, and he plays the drums.

Savanna: Sousaphone?

Tim: The Sousaphone is a very hip new thing!

Savanna: Really?

Tim: Yeah, don’t ask me about it again. But they’re all great. Derek takes lessons – he gives lessons – he’s that good. So yes, there you go in a nutshell.

Savanna: So aliens, lessons, and marching bands.

Tim: And time. And just playing. And accepting that you’re shitty. I mean, poopy!

Savanna: If you could share the stage with one band, who would it be and why?

Tim: Alive, or dead?

Savanna: Doesn’t matter.

Tim: This is like the question you asked me earlier, remember?

Savanna: A can on worms, I know. (laughter) Name one band.

Tim: Aaaahhhhhhhh… Well, you know I’ve already played with a lot of bands that I admired growing up – RX Bandits, Reel Big Fish, you know, played with great bands like The Specials – a lot of bands that I really like. Bands that I haven’t played with that I would really like to play with, that would be a good show.

Savanna: Well, It doesn’t matter if it’s a good show – it’s just whoever you’ve like to play with.

Tim: I’d like to go see a lot of bands, like I haven’t seen Radiohead, but as for putting on a show, it would be important to hear – we’re taking all the bands I like, right, we’re trying to find one band that would work with our band…

Savanna: It’s doesn’t matter…

Tim: Yes it does!

Savanna: Then what band?! (laughter)

Tim: I would love to play with like, you know, Toots and the Maytals, you know, that’d be fun. You know, that’s me, ’cause I’m a silly Ska boy – pretty much the silliest Ska boy in the band. Everyone else would say like, Oh, Backstreet Boys or Avril Lavigne, Or Jessica Simpson! They’re big into pop – a lot of the guys in the band are big into pop, which is fine, we’ll let them be, because that’s what the aliens told them to do, and we can not question the aliens. Ok, Next question! (laughter)

Savanna: How are your traveling conditions since there are eight of you? Is it paid for, or do you have to pay for it?

Tim: Well, I’ll try to answer that as best I can. First off, we have a 15-passenger bus, I mean, van. And we have a trailer – we put our stuff in the trailer and we sleep in the van.

Savanna: Sitting up? (laughter)

Tim: Well, one person… Brian K. gets the back bench by himself. Next up is Aaron’s, next bench up is Chris, I’m on the floor, then it’s Derek on the next bench, and Vincent is on the floor, and then Brian R. and Dallas are up in front. Now varying who’s driving… the spots on the floor will change between Dallas, and me and Vince and Brian R. We’re the four most drivers – we’re the drivers.

Blake: So you guys just drive through – You don’t stop at any motels or anything?

Tim: Um, Motels are expensive and pointless because we’re usually done with shows by 1 o’clock in the morning, and we have to be out of there at 10 o’clock in the morning… BALOGNA! So we try to stay at people’s houses if we can, sometimes we do hotels, but that’s very rare.

Savanna: That was the last question, but I have one more. You guys recently went to London. Can you tell me about that?

Tim: It’s an island in the middle of the Atlantic.

Savanna: (laughter) No, tell me about the experience!

Tim: Oh! My experience? It was an experience. It was a fun experience – the best experience I’ve had as a band. I liked it a lot. We did a lot of fun things. Like play there, and go through customs, and ate food.

Savanna: Wow, you ate?

Tim: You don’t understand. They have crazy, weird food. But it was fun – It was an experience. We slept there – we had the greatest time ever. We played for a lot of cool kids. London was amazing. I bought, you know, bought things for my family, and friends, and my girlfriend and my daughter. She’s three years old – the love of my life.

Savanna: What’s her name?

Tim: Her name is Cossette. It’s like Cassette, but with an O. And I know we’re running out of time, but I just wanted to tell you that London was totally rad. You can quote me on that. It’ll be the headline of the article. TOTALLY RAD.

D.T.: I have a question – who did the art on the website and on Rump Shaker, and all those cartoons?

Tim: His name is Nic Cowan. He’s a genius artist. He also worked with… (Pauses to look into cell phone for a name) I don’t want to say his name wrong, I’m horrible with names… Don’t put that in there! (laughter) But anyway, one of our friends Nic Cowan and his brilliant beautiful artistically great partner… Have you seen that movie Surf Ninjas? You know the guy with the little fuckin’… game thing? The small ninja? That’s him! That’s him! He did the fucking artwork. He was my friend for like a year and then he tells me this! You tell friends if you were in movies, for Christ sakes! With Leslie Nielsen, and Rob Schneider! Come on! (laughter) I’m remembering those guys’ names but not the other guys’ names…

Savanna: Well, that’s it! Would you mind posing for a picture?

Tim: All right, cool!

Savanna Carel / SPSmag.com

One should not make the mistake, however, of thinking that because they’ve got a horn section that Cellphish should be pigeonholed as a Ska band – or should be grouped in any specific genre for that matter. They’ve taken the already solid and well-loved sound of their days as a trio, and have forged it with the talents of newcomers Ivan Ibarra (saxaphone) and Rich Iwason (trumpet) into a wholly unique entity that’s hard to describe, other than to say it rocks and hearing it makes you want to move. It’s also not easy to describe exactly how perfectly the addition of horns is to their music. One would have to listen to earlier recordings of their music (which can actually be downloaded on their website) and then listen comparatively to Suicide Kings – they band’s first full length album, produced and funded by the band themselves. It’s simply a perfect fit.

The first evidence of this comes immediately when all five pieces explode into the CD’s first track, “Last Time”. The band’s three core elements are still highly prominant and as rocking as ever, though the new horn section brings a richer, more full sound. It all combines into an experience that hits you like a brick wall and does not let up. The rest of Suicide Kings is marked throughout by Coddie Soto’s kinetic drumming as a foundation to the furious guitar and bass playing, and vocals of Brian Majeska and Jesse Padilla respectively, and it’s all glazed over and thickened by the warm and vivid playing of Ivan Ibarra and Rich Iwason’s horns.

The album in it’s entirety dodges labeling and generalizations. It shifts from hard-hitting to fairly easy listening, bouncing from hang-out anthems like “Party Song” to more personal tracks dealing with emotions tied to losing friends like “Mi Amiga”, and rounds itself off with “Ghon Away” which perfectly illustrates the feeling one gets when a huge burden is suddenly lifted off their shoulders – be that the euphoria of suddenly finding yourself no longer involved in an unhappy relationship, or otherwise. It’s a perfectly upbeat song which really brings full circle the journey Cellphish takes it’s listeners on.

There’s very little, if any, suffering from shortcomings in Suicide Kings. It’s a well-balanced album that leaves you with a positive feeling and a smile on your face. In short, it’s just fun to listen to. If you’re looking for something new, yet strangely familiar and welcoming, do not hesitate to pick up this disc. Or better yet, take the very first opportunity to see Cellphish perform live.
-D.T. Carel / SPSMag.com

99 cent song (purchased at the iTunes Music Store) couldn’t be played back on my $20,000 whole-home entertainment system (a shining example of the problem with DRM technology), a bunch of people suggested that I could legally buy music that would work from a Russian-based source of unprotected MP3 files called AllofMP3.com. It seemed too good to be true. Then, after I did a little homework, I found my instincts to be right. A lot of people outside of Russia were trying to get AllofMP3.com shut down. That was more than a year ago, and, to this day, AllofMP3.com is still up and running and probably getting more business than ever now that it’s in the crosshairs of the US government. That’s right. A music pirate in Russia is causing such a stir in the international copyright community that America’s top trade official is saying that Russia shouldn’t be allowed as member of the all-exclusive WTO club unless it shuts the site down.

Next.

According to Reuters:

Russia should shut down a pirate music Web site that is robbing U.S. recording companies of sales if it wants to become a member of the World Trade Organization, the top U.S. trade official said on Wednesday.

“I have a hard time imagining Russia becoming a member of the WTO and having a Web site like that up and running that is so clearly a violation of everyone’s intellectual property rights,” U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters after a speech to a services industry organization.

I never did end up buying music from AllofMP3.com. I respect copyrights and have lived in suffrage. Even though I’d gladly drop a few hundred bucks for music a year, I don’t buy songs online since I can’t get them to work where I need them to without breaking the law. So, I just don’t bother buying music at all (not a good net result if you’re in the music business).

I also never got an answer to the question I asked in my last posting about AllofMP3.com:

But here’s a question: Let’s say I get a hold of a DRM-free version of some song from a site like AllofMP3.com that’s still up and running (the fact that it’s not shut down yet leads me to believe that the Russian authorities are not yet convinced of the site’s illegality). If I wanted to make sure the copyright holders got whatever royalties were due to them, how would I do that? In other words, where do I send the check?

The record business doesn’t want to answer that question and I’m sure you can figure out why. But what about the artists?

Laura: How does it feel to be on tour with My American Heart and Bleed The Dream?

Ryan: Amazing! You forgot “The Q,” one of our favorite bands. I am so excited to be out with these bands.
Brian: Pretty cool. They’re all amazing guys.
Josh: A lot of fun. They’re cool guys. Keith let me borrow his equipment the 3rd day.
Dallas: It’s so cool to be able to play music night after night with our friends! It’s an awesome way to start out our first national tour!
Brandon: It’s devastating.

Laura: Is this your first tour and how is it going so far?
Ryan: It is our first nationwide tour. So far it’s going great.
Brian: YES! It’s a BLAST! Couldn’t be better!
Josh: First tour, yep! It’s going really well so far. All the people are the shows are great.
Dallas: This is our first national tour. So far it’s been amazing! We’re able to watch awesome bands and meet cool, new people everyday.
Brandon: Kind of… this is our first big tour.

Laura: What objects do you absolutely need to have on the road?

Ryan: Tea, Vitamin C, Teddy Bear.
Brian: Music (CD’s), books, drumsticks, CANDY!
Josh: Bottled H2O, Extra Winter-fresh Gum.
Dallas: Guitars, books and baby wipes.
Brandon: Hair flattener/straightener.

Laura: If you could give any touring advice to any band, what would it be?

Ryan: Get sleep and eat cheap.
Brian: Try to sleep, A LOT! Bring lots of CANDY!
Josh: Give me some touring advice!
Dallas: Don’t kill each other.
Brandon: Bring vitamins.

Laura: How has the crowd response been out of state?

Ryan: Good. Purevolume.com has helped us out a ton.
Brian: Pretty good. We’ve only played one out of state so far, but it was SICK!
Josh: We’ve only played one show out of state so it’s kind of tough to answer.
Dallas: It’s been positive so far, although this tour has only had one out of state date.
Brandon: Ok, so far. The East Coast is going to be rough, I think.

Laura: Where is your favorite place to play?

Ryan: Phoenix!
Brian: Hmmm… I like small, cool venues like the Big Fish Pub (Tempe, AZ) and the Mad I (Flagstaff, AZ).
Josh: Yuma, AZ
Dallas: Anywhere that lets us play and has good sound equipment.
Brandon: Mason Jar, and the shower… unplugged.

Laura: Closing thoughts?

Ryan: Punk the Clock Baby!
Brian: Say a prayer for us!
Josh: There’s a killer compilation for this tour that came out Nov. 9th. Punktheclock.com.
Dallas: Four more weeks baby! Word.
Brandon: Thanks to all the fans. You make it funner.

Greeley Estates is on tour until the middle of December. They are an amazing band and even greater people. If you get a chance go check them out. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

-Laura Digan SPSMag.com

I know what you’re thinking, but the title of this article doesn’t mean quite what you think it does. I’m not implying that Punk is a bad word, nor am I going to talk about why the term brings about a strong emotion – both positive, and negative, depending on who you talk to – in a lot of people. What I’d actually like to explore is the opposite: why Punk has lost its bite, and seems to be losing its political, social and emotional core.

Back in the day, swearing and the use of curse words was shocking and surprising to the ears of the public. It wasn’t expected of someone to mutter out explicit language in every sentence. It just wasn’t in the norm, and those who did it without caring stood out from everyone around them. Those words contained strong meaning and emphasis, which both empowered and frightened people. Today, however, someone can scream out “Fuck you, you motherfucking piece of shit!” on a busy street, and no one will even turn their head. When did “Punk” – including such distinguishing icons as mohawks, piercings and tattooes – suddenly go from being surprising and even threatening, to becoming perfectly acceptable to everyone, just like swear words? Even more, how did such a powerful counter culture which stood against society and the status quo transform into a watered down version of itself, and actually become the status quo? How did Punk rock go from being the state of mind of a unique portion of society – and their way of expressing themselves – to a fashion trend that can be bought at the mall? When did Punk go from being meaningful to being the next big fad that all the”cool” kids migrated towards?

This topic came up while speaking with both Jason Navarro of the Suicide Machines, and Tim McIlrath of Rise Against – these two conversations more or less prompted the writing of this article. The two of them are both prominant figures in Punk, and both of them showed concern about how the image and sound of Punk rock has gone mainstream, but the ideals and heart behind them haven’t. Furthermore, both of them appreciate the fact that kids are able to go out and purchase their Punk essentials with ease, but the fact that oversaturation of the image and sound, without the mindset, is detrimental. It can’t be coincidence that two successful and influential Punk musicians share such similar views on what’s happening to their genre.

So, where was it that Punk segregated into two groups? How did the counter culture start out as a small, mostly unified movement in the 70s and 80s, and become two separate parts somewhere in the 90s: the bands and folks who’re still doing what they’ve been doing since the beginning, and the bands who are willing to water down and bring genre into the mainstream, and the people jumping into the scene in bandwagon fashion?

I suppose there’s only one real answer: profit. It seems like everyone wants to be different from everyone else, but still be accepted, and people want to rebel against something, but only if there’s a large group doing it too. I guess it’s really no surprise that corporate America would discover this eventually, and would cash in on it by exploiting Punk rock. In the 90s, Grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were wildly popular, so everyone wanted to be depressed and lethargy was chic. Now Punk is popular, but instead of wanting to stay at home, smoke pot and write poetry, everyone wants to be against the government and stand up against the very same level of status quo they’re perpetuating. They want to bring down the system by pouring more money into it, and continuing to let the bullshit Punk bands you see on MTV and the corporations behind them crank out new albums every year. Come on, people – if you’re going to get yourself involved in something just for the sake of doing it, then at least get it right.

What I’ve been getting at is this: for what seems like a vast majority, it’s not about the music, being yourself, and finding something through which to pour your time, energy and belief into. It’s something you put on when you want to look cool and “hardcore”, and take off when you get home. And it doesn’t fucking matter if you can name all the Ramones albums in chronological order, or how many anarchy patches you’ve sown onto your shirt. If you can’t justify trying to be a part of the Punk culture because you honestly believe in it, then what’s the point? Will the people who’ve latched themselves onto mainstream Punk for the time being still march around in a few years spouting off anti-social cliché catchphrases, or still believe that The Clash is the greatest band in history?

I hope this article doesn’t come off as elitist, or as if I’m declaring myself a “true Punk”, and telling all the Johnny-come-latelys to get the fuck out. I personally don’t consider myself a Punk. I love the music, I respect and admire the thoughts and beliefs that the movement had in the early days (and especially the many people still hold to these beliefs), but I don’t try and label myself by it; nor do I try and put myself above people with similar views on the culture. I’m really just genuinely concerned and saddened that something like Punk – something that was so powerfully opposed to the mainstream, the commercialism, and the status quo -could be so easily boxed up in a pretty packaging and sold at retail prices. And even moreso that the public is so willing to march in single file to buy it.

-D.T. Carel / spsmag.com

As broadband was not as commonplace as it is today it might take 15 minutes or so to download a song. The worse thing was if the person you were downloading from decided to go offline, you didn’t get the file you wanted.

Anyway, along came the powers that be and after a lengthy court case, Napster was forced to close as the record industry wasn’t too happy that people were getting their music for free. (It was at this point that I gave up file sharing as I hadn’t realised I was doing something illegal.) Undeterred, lots of other sites sprouted and file sharing continued – illegally.

Since then, many legal sites have started up. Virgin have their own site and so do Apple for people who own an iPod. (little gizmo for storing hours and hours of mp3′s) Napster has just reopened their site too, only this time it’s legal. All these companies charge a fee to download single tracks or even whole albums. The only trouble is you can’t get every track from every site. It depends on which record company they’ve made deals with.

–Chirpy

DT: You guys have an album out this year. Can you give us the inside scoop, as to what it’s all about?

Tim: Sure. It’s called Siren Song of the Counter Culture. We did the whole record up in Vancouver with Garth Richardson. The central theme of the record is sort of… about the time in any person’s life when their identity is kinda starting
to take root – they’re starting to become their own person. That time in your life where you decide whether you’re going to join the volleyball team or you’re gonna start skateboarding. The time in your life where you’re gonna listen to this
music or this music – you know what I mean? Like what you do with your time, and what you want to do with your life – you know what I mean? I think everybody, and especially Rise Against fans, have been at that crossroads in their life, where it’s gonna be either go one way or another. That’s what The Siren Song of the Counter Culture is all about, as being part of Punk rock or part of a counter culture, or part of a culture that goes against mainstream culture. So, that’s something I went through, something the guys in the band went through, something I think a lot of our fans went through, so it’s kind of the essential theme of the record.

DT: Did the last album meet up to your expectations and hopes? And I’ve read that you claim it was more mature than maybe your previous stuff. And we’re wondering, did the fans react to it the way you wanted?

Tim: The last record? It surpassed our expectations by tenfold. We had no idea people would really embrace that record the way they did. We couldn’t hope for that. It was just amazing. We had a lot of fun with the unravelling, we did a lot of shows, we had a lot of cool, cool fans that we acquired through that record, and when we did RPM, we were just having a good time and wanted to write a good Punk rock record, you know? It came out of our relationship with Bill Stevenson who did the record – he was amazing. And I remember doing that record, and just being so content with the the four of us. You know what I mean? Just being so… yeah. And so yeah – it surpassed our expectations. We were glad with ourselves, and we were so glad that the people were also happy with it.

Savanna: Since you claim your music has matured since then, was the recording different than with any of your previous albums?

Tim: On (Siren Song of the Counter Culture)? Um, we spent a lot more time on it. We had a bigger budget to work with, so we spent a lot more time – we had the luxury of really trying different ideas out, without being pressed for time. So that’s definitely a major difference. We had a lot to work with – which is a lot of fun.

DT: It’s been said you guys are very Pro-animal rights. You guys are organized or are you affiliated with PETA? Or do you follow them at all?

Tim: We are affiliated with PETA – yeah, we are. We were on PETA and PETA2.com. We’ve been to the headquarters in Norfolk, you know – we do whatever we can. It wasn’t like a prerequisite of this band, but it just so happens the four of us are vegetarians; none of us eat meat. So it’s kind of like “Oh, you don’t eat meat? I don’t eat meat. You don’t eat meat? I don’t eat meat,” you know – it’s something we all care about. We’re all vegetarians. We all feel pretty strongly about it, so because all four of us are really into that – and even our crew guys, like our stage guy’s a vegan. Our merch guy is a vegetarian; actually, he just went vegan. Um… it was something that was just a natural step for us. We were just like hey, let’s bring people into what we do.

Savanna: Are you vegan, or are you vegetarian?

Tim: I’m vegetarian. I’m trying.

Savanna: Do you eat dairy products?

Tim: I do, yeah. I’m trying, I’m trying. That’s my next step. I want to ease into it, so I’m not one of those vegans who goes vegan for a couple months, and then just stops.

Savanna: So do you agree with everything that PETA does? Because I’m very pro-animal. I love protecting animals – I’m against hunting, I’m against fishing, I’m against all that. I went vegetarian for a year. But, I think PETA goes a little
too far.

Tim: As far as?

Savanna: We have little books – they’re giving them out at Warped Tour, and they have pictures of slaughtered animals inside it, and stuff like that, and I just don’t think that they should be putting those images out.

Tim: Well for me personally, PETA is actually a direct reason why I’m a vegetarian. I used to go to Earth Crisis shows, and Strikes(?) shows – you know, back in the day, when they would come through Chicago. Those guys would bring PETA literature to me, and they would be playing videos, and they would be of the graphic nature that you’re talking about. And it’s that kind of stuff that I was wasn’t aware of as a fifteen year old kid going to these shows. And it was kind of stuff that really… I mean, once the show’s over, once those songs faded away, once those records stopped getting spun, it was those images that were were caught in my head. Those images that were kind of like, you know — because when I first saw the stuff, I was like yeah, that’s really terrible, but there’s no way I’m gonna give up meat. There’s just no way – like whatever. Hey I love it; being in my mouth it won’t kill me. But it was that literature and those images that really stirred me, because they’re not creating that – it’s really happening. And I’m a big fan of really letting people know the truth about what’s going on. I think that a lot of this world… people in this world put up with so much stuff, because they don’t see it happening. they don’t know it’s happening, and they don’t want to know it’s happening. You know what I mean? Like, my parents don’t want to visit the slaughterhouses, they don’t want to know what’s in that room. They just want to eat it – they just want to do what they’ve been doing, and they don’t want to think about it. I think PETA makes people really think about it.

DT: You guys are active in PETA, right? You guys take part in protests and demonstrations and stuff like that?

Tim: We do whatever we can, yeah. I’ve been to a few PETA protests, and uh… we basically do whatever we can as a band, to really follow up what they do. We loaned out our pictures for the ad their doing in Alternative Press and Revolver, which is like you win free tickets to Warped Tour and we’re in background and stuff. We did a contest with them recently, to promote awareness about Kentucky Fried Chicken, and their animal abuse going on there. So… basically, they are the think tank. They know what’s going on – they spened nine to five thinking about, and researching what’s going on in the world, and they let us know if there’s something we can fit in and do, and help them out with it, and we do.

DT: What are your views on the upcoming election? Are you comfortable talking about that?

Tim: Oh yeah. Um… you know, I’m not going to Vote for Bush. I’ll say that much. I think if you voted for Bush, I think it’s a big mistake, it’s a terrible mistake. Even if you’re a Republican, I think just for humanity in general, I think it’s a big mistake. I don’t even think that he’s a good representative of the Republican party. I think he’s a great representative of maybe the Nazi party. As a human being he’s not qualified to be President of the United States, and it’s
just really sad that he is. It’s been a true example of what you can do with the right kind of tricks and the right party. You can get all the way to the top. All the way to the President of the United States, and it’s really sad, and I think that it’s very important to register to vote. I think it’s important to vote, because after November, you know, it’s not gonna matter what your stance is, it’s too late.

DT: We’ll be stuck.

Tim: Right. It’s like, we’re being given a very real chance to make a difference in what’s going on.

DT: You guys have a price counter on your page, counting how much the war in Iraq is costing us here in America. Whose idea was that, to put it on the site?

Tim: It was originally Punk Voter’s idea, because they have it on their site. I was just kinda browsing the Punk Voter site, and I saw it there, and I was like that’s really cool. I clicked on it, and it went to this site that they have – costofwar.com, and it had this little thing that said “If you want this on your website…” It was as simple as that. I was just in the studio browsing over that, and I found that. So I e-mailed it to Juan, our webmaster, and was like “Hey, what do you think about this?” And he was like “This is great. Let’s put it on the site.” So Punk Voter had it first for sure, so I got the idea from them.

Savanna: It was a great idea, because when I went onto the site, that was the first thing I saw was the numbers scrolling, and I was like “What is that?”

Tim: Yeah, yeah. You want to know what it is, yeah.

Savanna: Then you can scroll through and see how much it costs in your state alone.

Tim: Yeah, I wish more bands would do that. It was as simple as me dicking around, you know what I mean, saw it and was like “Aw, that’s cool,”, I called up Juan “Hey, would you up that up on the site?” “Yeah dude – give me a second – all good!” As simple as that – we didn’t like spending weeks and weeks on paperwork trying to do it; just put it on the site, and it’s a great little awareness tool.

DT: Did you guys take part in the Punk Voter tour? I know you guys didn’t play here.

Tim: No, we were in the studio during that whole time. I know me and Number Two from Anti-Flag, and Wayne Kramer from The MC5 and Billy Gould from Faith No More went to the Iowa Caucuses this year, as delegates from Punk Voter, and kinda met some candidates and met some people; just kind of let them know that hey, we’re Punk Voter. We’re serious. We’ve got a lot of kids behind us. Pay attention to us. That’s basically what we did.

DT: You guys say in your bio that you feel it’s your obligation to be a political band. Can you elaborate on that?

Tim: I think that’s sort of a Punk rock obligation. I think that historically Punk rock has always been about social change. It’s always been about being an outcast, and being someone who’s upset with the status quo, and someone who’s trying to make a difference, you know? I think that Punk rock has deviated from that, and so sometimes people come up to us and be like “Oh, you’re a political Punk band.” And it’s like a political Punk band? Since when was Punk not political? Like, what’s a political punk band? The people who are telling me that, are the people who think of Punk rock as Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. So when they see Rise Against, they’re like “Wait a minute, I know what Punk rock is> Punk rock is Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, and you guys are Rise Against – you’re not Punk rock because you’re not Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, so you must be political Punk rock. You know what I mean? It’s like this catchy phrase for what we do but come on – that’s Punk rock! Do your homework, and look at what Punk rock has always been. Right know, I think there are some serious impostors trying to make a buck in what’s going on.

DT: That’s seriously one of my biggest Punk peeves in the industry right now, is people trying to cash in on what Punk is. Like Hot Topic stores, you know? Punk is easily accessible – people can just go out –

Savanna: It’s a fashion trend now. It’s not like a way of life, it’s a fashion trend.

DT: It was Abercrombie, and now it’s mowhawks.

Tim: Right, right. When it started branching out, at first I thought it was so cool, because I thought like, this is so great that Punk rock and its ideals will finally be able to branch out to people who aren’t the hipsters in this big city, you know what I mean? People who don’t have a chance to see these shows all the time, or go to these stores or get these records. People – now it can be exposed to people who can just grab it anywhere they want. But unfortunately, the quality of what’s being, what has been ripped up is…

DT: …it’s easy to profit from it now.

Tim: Right. So what you’re getting is a really watered down of Punk rock. And I think if the ideal of Punk rock would have been carried into Hop Topic as well as the T-shirts, it would have been a great, great thing. Like if the real Punk rock bands would be at Hot Topic instead of the not real Punk rock bands, that’d be a great, great thing. I like to think that there’s some sort of – out of the gobs of kids that are walking into Hot Topic, at least a few of them are
coming out with a good idea of what it is, you know what I mean? Honestly, if there was just more Punk rock people, or just people who think that way, this world would be a better place.

DT: That was actually the last question. Do you have any closing statements or anything?

Tim: Just thanks a lot to all our Arizona fans, all in the area. They’ve been supporting us for the last four and a half years. We really notice you guys – we appreciate it. We try to get back whenever we can – we love the shows in Tucson, Mesa and Tempe and Phoenix. All the shows – they’ve been great. Thank you, everybody!

-D.T. Carel SPSMag.com

The current line-up is Richard Bolhuis (Vocals/Guitar), Liz Pomeroy (Vocals), Stephan Kiernan (Drums), Rob Campbell (Bass), and Rossa O’Neill (Trombone)

Songwriter Richard Bolhuis is the driving force leading the band. House of Cosy Cushions began as a continuation of Terrapin, Richard’s first musical project with Australian violinist Stephan O’Hara.

Richard had always sought ways to fuse his music with visual art, he collaborated with Erik Hendricks to make the ‘Palace for the Lost Ones’ music video. The video will be available for viewing here in the coming weeks.

House of Cosy Cushions performance in ‘The Paradiso’, Amsterdam in June 2004 was filmed by Fabchannel and can be viewed at fabchannel.com

They are known as a very intense live band playing music that is authentic and uncompromising. In the endless line of indie bands, House
of Cosy Cushions is a challenging and refreshing alternative.

What the Dutch press has to say about HoCC…

“After a few minutes you realise this is a super band. Frontman Richard Bolhuis has a beautiful and strong tenor-voice and writes original compositions. ‘And You Feel’ is one of those songs that takes you by surprise and has a sound that makes your flesh creep.” (Stage Magazine, Belgium)

“Fortunately there is still a band making headstrong music in Holland. Frontman Richard Bolhuis writes poetic lyrics with a dark edge.” (Fret Magazine, Holland)

‘”Shall we meet in the theatre? On an empty stage. We can make up a story. Scream and cry in rage.’ Beautiful words from the pen of Richard Bolhuis, who is an exceptionally talented person.” (Oor Magazine, Holland)

“Amsterdam’s best kept secret.” (Amsterdam Weekly)