It was the beginning of this cold winter when AGAINST ME played at the WUK in Vienna, I never saw them before but I have to accept that the show was awesome!! Full of energy, lot of people singing and I think 80% of the Austrian band members were there, I remember seeing people from Astpai, Rent-o-Kill, The Eccos, Soey, The Liberation Service, GPF and well lots more… This time the interview was pretty short but interesting. Ladies and Gentlemen with you AGAINST ME!
What makes your newest release different to the others that you already have?
Against Me: This one…Well there’s a really long story behind it, we made this Cd -White Crosses- with a different drummer “George” from Hot water music, we recorded it in California with Butch Vig again, we worked with him for our Cd “New wave” too, he was on Warner Bros. but then we split ways with WB, so we started our own label and we released through it, so basically we became free agents and that’s a big difference now.
How punk rock music changed in the last years for Against Me!?
AM: I don’t really know, I don’t subscribe to any cliché, I don’t subscribe to a label which says what’s punk rock or not, you know what I mean? You could have like the new –National (band)- record which I’ve been listening since some months ago, I drive around listening to that instead of listening Minor Threat punching my windshield hahaha, I’m not saying that’s bad, there have been some many punk bands who broken out the mmmm well don’t take this term in a wrong way, the punk rock ghetto they broken out of just being like Mohawk, hard music, aggressive voices and you know there are many bands which have broken out of that and some of them sound a bit more metal but well, I think that’s awesome because they do what they really want to do. Contemporary punk I think is great there are many new bands out there making music, I think very positive about people who really push the envelope.
With which ideals Against Me started and do you keep those ideals?
AM: When the band started we were around 17 years old and now we are in our early 30s and well is not that we just got calm, is just there are things that get more important in your life, now it’s more important to me being a good father than to be like FUCK YOU ALL! And you know stuff like that, I think now I´m more respectful to others persons, not boring just respectful.
How is your life when you are not on tour?
AM: Crazy normal hahaha, it’s very normal like, I play music everyday even if it’s just fooling around, as I said I have a room at my house in Florida and I have drums and I can make my music there when the neighbours aren’t sleep or my daughter, but you try to catch up the time you missed with your family, like you own them time because you are gone all the time, It’s really hard to catch up and being normal.
Do you think there is a lack of support for punk bands at this moment?
AM: Well I was 4 years old when Minor Threat was already a band and a lot of people remember that old school as a good memory, but they don’t remember that Minor Threat on those days weren’t playing for thousands of fans but just for a bunch of people in garages or small clubs, in a way was kind of shitty when that was happening, you know what I mean? Rock & roll, punk rock will never die, they just go through different waves.
Is there any still band that AM still look up to?
AM: Of course, the classics like Tom Petty and the heartbreakers they are from the same town we are from, as I said I enjoy listening to the National, they play in such a different way that works just for them, nobody else could be able to play like them. I like Mastodon because they are fucking crazy and they play any weird kind of heavy stuff they want to play and I respect that.
Your last release was in 2010, we are in 2011, are you planning something new for 2012?
AM: We are planning to release a 7 inch next spring, just 2 songs, you know it doesn’t count much as a record but Tom built a studio in the country side in Florida and he just recorded Cheap Girls they play really good and it sounds fucking great on the Cd so Against Me basically has its own studio where we can just go and record whenever we want.
Anything you would like to add?
AM: I like to live the present and the show tonight in Vienna was great! And thanks to the Austrian people for having us and having a good time.
By: The hearing the voice team
