For the first time ever, I’m gonna try to make my way down to Gainesville for the annual punk rock extravaganza known as The Fest in October. I really don’t know what to expect, so I asked a bunch of bands that are playing The Fest 9 some questions about it as well as some unrelated questions. The first person to get me some answers was Alex from Gatorface and No Friends. I’m actually surprised at how fast Alex got back to me considering that he plays bass and sings in Gatorface and he plays bass in both No Friends and VRGNS. I now love Alex even more since he too loves The Clash (but who doesn’t, right?) He’s also one of the guys playing in our Punk Rock fantasy Football League this year, which should be tons of fun, but more on that later. Now, the questions:
Your music is definitely melodic, so how do you feel when people (like me) call Gatorface a pop punk band?
I’m definitely not offended or put off by that. That was actually my intention when we started, I just think I’m bad at writing pop punk songs. There’s definitely elements of that, and I listen to pop punk music. I just think Gatorface sort of turned into it’s own monster. Part pop punk, part 80s hardcore, part whatever other weird ideas I had. The simplicity (at times) and structure of pop punk is there, but it’s definitely angrier/weirder stuff than your typical pop punk band.
With all the other bands and projects you guys are involved in, how do you make time for Gatorface?
Well it’s hard at times for sure, but we make it work. We double up practices with VRGNS so I can knock both bands out on the same night. And No Friends pretty much only practices when we’re writing stuff or getting ready for a tour because Tony is always out with Municipal Waste. Sometimes I feel like I’m spreading myself a little thin, but I’m trying hard to give everything equal attention.
Why did it take so long for Wasted Monuments to come out? It seemed like we fans waited forever.
That was pretty much our fault. Richard took a while to get the art done (but I think the end product was totally worth it), and by the time that was close to being finished we decided we wanted to remix and remaster some stuff because we thought the guitars could sound better. Then there was a problem with the pressing plant because we mastered the record too loud. It was kind of the perfect storm of little problems. By the time the record came out it was a year old and I felt like I lost some of my enthusiasm for the songs. When I got to hold that 12″ in my hands, see the awesome art and put it on my record player I was definitely restoked on it.
How many times have you played the Fest before and what is your most memorable Fest moment?
I’ve been playing the Fest every year since the first one. NMDS played the first 7. Gatorface played Fest 7 (I think it was our fourth show or something), played 8 and will play 9 this year. I definitely think the most memorable moment would be the NMDS set at Fest 7 which was supposed to be our last show. So many old friends from all over were there and it was a really bittersweet moment for me. People went nuts, 35 year old dudes were stage diving, it was awesome. The No Friends set last year was really great too and I look forward to playing with them again this year.
I’ve never been to the Fest. What should I expect?
There’s really no feeling like being at Fest. It’s like the punks completely take over the whole city and everyone there is really stoked and trying to have a good time. You’ll see some great bands, wait in some long lines, drink a lot, eat some cheap pizza, and run into a bunch of people that you haven’t seen in a while. It’s like a punk rock family reunion for me and it’s consistently my favorite weekend of the year every year.
What bands are you most excited to see at the Fest this year?
I usually get really excited to see friends bands play. I definitely won’t miss Dead to Me, Strike Anywhere, and Municipal Waste. Night Birds are fucking awesome. And I am looking forward to seeing Twelve Hour Turn. It’s been a long time since I saw them play.
Aside from playing the Fest, what else are you guys currently working on? Any upcoming releases?
I’ve actually been working on some new Gatorface songs for the first time in a year, but I’m not sure what we’re going to do with them. We’ll probably look into doing another EP or a 7″ when we get around to recording them. I’ve had to mentally switch modes a lot recently from writing No Friends songs, to working on the VRGNS record to writing Gatorface stuff. The Gatorface stuff is really the most challenging for me because I have to worry about vocals and lyrics on top of everything else, but it’s also the most rewarding when I’m happy with the result. Next week I’m getting together with Sam to start writing some new No Friends stuff, so that’s the next immediate project going down for me.
What have you been listening to?
I’m notorious for being late to the game on new music because I have a severe obsession with older bands. I’ve been listening to the Lemonheads (that record from ’06 with Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez on it) a lot. I just got that Dear Landlord record and I really like it. The new Off With Their Heads is really good. Mean Jeans. That last Cloak/Dagger record. Those Paint it Black EPs from last year are incredible. Other than that I’ve been a huge Clash kick again. I can’t stop listening to Give Em Enough Rope.
How do you feel about music blogs? Are there similarities to what fanzines were in the 90′s?
I think blogs are the only honest avenue left to discuss art. They’re not policed by an editor, wheels generally aren’t being greased with money for ad placement etc. The only problem with blogs is any asshole can have one and you have to weed through a bunch of bullshit to get to the good ones.
Any closing comments?
See ya at Fest!!!!!
