Little
credit is ever given to New Jersey. Bruce Springsteen might be the only
defense the proud inhabitants have to fight the biting remarks about
our accents, billowing smokestacks, malls, teased hair, and “shore.”
However, there is an elite circle that recognizes the true greatness
of the Garden State, embraces it’s culture, and fights each insignificant
colloquial battle like a full out war. The "Armpit of America"
has been a hotbed for punk rock, and one band continues to gain respect
even after 15 years of service, and a new drummer.
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The Bouncing
Souls, a band who no one seems to have anything bad to say about, have
come a long way from the dilapidated housing of New Brunswick where
they started playing shows to pay the rent and feed the many mouths
of the people living with them. I guess they haven’t strayed far
enough from the simple life, because they agreed to sit down and chat
with me, even though I had not formally prepared any logical questions.
Our first interview attempt was at a small bar in the East Village of
New York City called Vazac’s Hall, but affectionately known as
7B. At the time I was 20, so when the bartender asked for ID, me, my
notebook, my tape recorder and the bassist and guitarist of my favorite
band (that would be The Bouncing Souls) got out of our sticker clad
booth and headed for adjacent Tompkins Square Park.
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Luckily they
didn’t dig into me too much about getting kicked out of a bar
in the middle of the day. I guess they know what it’s like being
a kid and could still identify with me.
The band started out as a high school pastime, but evolved into one
of the most well known, but not sold-out, punk bands around. Things
may have changed a little, but after talking with a few key members,
it was definitely for the better.
Greg, the
singer, is married and now lives in California, Bryan (bass) and Pete
(guitar) both live in different sections of Manhattan, and Michael (drums),
the fledgling member of the Souls, resides in Philadelphia. With members
on each coast, and fans in between and abroad, the family keeps getting
bigger and stronger with every album released and each show completed.
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Their latest
effort, Anchors Aweigh, which was available in late August,
is the most mature installment thus far. According to Bryan, “It’s
the best song writing we’ve ever done.” This is the second
album with the new drummer, Michael McDermott, who replaced Shal--splitting
up the original line up--on 2001’s How I Spent My Summer Vacation.“With
Michael in the band it’s tighter, a little tougher sounding, more
focused,” admits Bryan, “ I think the band sounds better
now.”
It took a lot of adjusting and tweaking, and perhaps the fine-tuning
is what sets this album apart from all the rest. Bryan and Pete had
to teach the new drummer all of the old songs and in doing so, “We
had to learn how to be a band again”, said Pete. As they were
teaching Michael the songs, they realized they didn’t know how
to play them that well themselves anymore. Songs like “Born to
Lose” which they have been playing for years received new attention
and adjusting.
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Even though
the sound is different from the other Souls albums like Hopeless
Romantic, The Good The Bad and The Argyle, and Maniacal
Laughter, the fervor behind the music remains a driving force.
Still, it is not the same old stuff recycled with different lyrics,
they wouldn’t do that to the fans. “It’s a whole new
world”, Pete said, “It’s always a new world,”
adds Bryan, “every new record is a step in our giant evolution.”
Where as many of the other albums deal with topics such as friendship,
youth, girls, and throwing toilets off the roof, Anchors Aweigh
was fueled by heartbreak. By far this is the darkest we have heard from
the boys who usually jaunt around the stage, staggering to reach their
mic stands.
Though the Bouncing Souls bypassed this year’s Warped Tour, they
took off on their own U.S. tour in September, playing to packed venues
both large and small. The only difference was that the younger part
of the crowd looked younger, and the older part definitely looked older.
Just another sign that the Bouncing Souls aren’t going anywhere
anytime soon. “Unless something happens like my arms and legs
have to be cut off and I can’t play bass,” Bryan said, “
I’ll still figure something out, I’ll sing and type with
my nose.”
With the release of their DVD, Do You Remember? 15 Years of the
Bouncing Souls, all age demographics can catch up or reminisce
with the guys, Kate, Johnny X, and other hall-of-famers. After watching
it I wanted to start my own record label or change the world for the
better, (MTV free of course.) If you thought you were a fan before watching
this documentary, you will quickly find that you didn’t know half
of what it took to get their records into your collection.
You’ve had all summer to check it out, but if you haven’t,
Do You Remember is a two-disc set complete with the documentary
royale and music videos the guys have been hoarding specifically for
this purpose. The best part about the whole experience is that fans,
turned film students, created it not some uptight director/producer
with an artistic vision. The simplicity of the footage allows the viewer
to see the real Bouncing Souls, and let’s face it why would you
want to see them any other way?
Every show is energy packed, every album astounding, and maybe just
maybe we can start defending Jersey to the masses with more than Greetings
From Asbury Park. They have not been around as long as Bruce and
the boys, but they have a lot left in them, unless Bryan loses more
body parts than he has back up plans to account for.
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