Photo of The Menzingers by Katie Hovland

The Menzingers are a rare example of a band that lives up to the hype. Comparing them to other groups or making genre associations is nothing more than a waste of time. To put it simply, they’re a tried and true punk rock band that’s proficient not only in a live setting, but also from a songwriting standpoint. For as young as they are, they make their job look ridiculously easy, and perhaps best of all, don’t yet seem quite aware of their highly-exceptional aptitude. April of this year saw the release of their breakout album and Red Scare debut, Chamberlain Waits. Jaded In Chicago caught up with singer/guitarists Greg Barnett and Tom May at the second annual Windy City Sound Clash and discussed the details of their latest disc, as well as record label dealings, tour stories and more.

Bill – In terms of independent punk rock, your band has experienced a sizeable growth in popularity over the past year or so. Since partnering with Red Scare Industries, what kind of things have changed for you guys?

Tom – The amount of people who come to our shows and the amount of people who like our music has increased. We started to take ourselves more seriously, but not too seriously. I’ve really noticed that it’s easier to tour and more people seem to be influenced by our music. We met a lot of people that we grew up listening to, that’s for sure, because of Toby and Brendan, (Red Scare founders).

Bill – Your debut album, A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology, was released in 2007 via Go-Kart Records. What led to the end of your affiliation with said label and how exactly did you team up with Red Scare?

Greg – Greg, who runs Go-Kart, is a great guy, but he went MIA for a bit. He was just kind of on a different path and we weren’t into the same kind of things, I guess. We were looking for something different and then we met Brendan at Fest 7 in Gainesville, Florida. He expressed that him and Toby wanted to work with us and it went from there. The whole Go-Kart thing, you know, I can’t say anything bad about Greg. He’s a great guy, but we were just going different ways. We didn’t share the same ideas of what punk rock should be.

Bill – What’s the best part about being able to call Red Scare home?

Tom – Toby. Toby’s awesome. He’s like an older brother. He’s been there, he knows what’s going on and he’s been able to guide us through it. He’s been able to teach us things, help us out and he’s helping us bring our music to more people. The whole thing is like a family and every band on the label is great, that’s the best part about it. Except The Sidekicks, they kind of suck, (laughs). The Sidekicks are the best band ever.

Greg – It’s pretty awesome. He gives us the entire catalog, like whenever he puts out a new record he gives it to us and he never disappoints. Everything that he puts out is awesome, all the bands are great.

Tom – And if you call him he’ll answer the phone.

Bill – Earlier this year, you guys issued your latest album, Chamberlain Waits, which was recorded at Chicago’s Atlas Studios by Matt Allison. What do you like most about how the recording turned out?

Greg – After demoing all the songs, I guess what I like most is the input he had in terms of how he heard the songs and how they should be recorded. We went in there and didn’t have a lot of ideas in terms of guitar tones, we didn’t have a lot of things, but Matt was really easy to work with. He knew where we were coming from, he heard the demos, but he heard them in a different way. It came out differently than I thought it would, but certainly in a better and more positive manner.

Tom – He’s like a teacher too, he’s been around and knows what he’s doing. We learned a lot from him and we drank a lot of Busch Light.

Bill – Chamberlain Waits is by all accounts a superior effort compared to your previous releases and somewhat of a new benchmark for your band. Would you say there’s a common lyrical theme or an overall message that you’re trying to convey?

Tom – I think that everything is more of a conscious effort, for sure. Trying to relate to the people that are going to listen to our music and trying to do for them what listening to punk does for us. Being able to relate to common backgrounds, themes and ideas is an important thing. I think the common theme would just be our lives.

Greg – Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. A lot of bands will name other bands as their influence for an album, but I’d say this is personal stuff. Our friends and everything that the band has gone through in the past year, that’s the biggest influence for the record.

Tom – It’s not about driving a Cadillac and it’s not about a new world order taking over. It’s about our lives and the same kind of things that everybody goes through.

Bill – Your band has been compared to everyone from Gaslight Anthem to Against Me! to Dillinger Four. What are your feelings regarding these associations?

Tom – Flattery.

Greg – I mean it’s awesome, yeah. Sometimes we’re compared to bands and we definitely don’t really see it, but the ones you named are great. We love all those bands.

Bill – Typically speaking, your songs are nothing if not unpredictable. In other words, if the listener anticipates a fast part they get a slow one, and vice versa. You guys also incorporate a lot of varying tempos and genres in your songwriting. Is this a deliberate decision or is it more just wanting to keep things interesting?

Greg – Absolutely. I feel that the way we write songs and the way we play shows, to play songs that sound the same over and over again would be so boring. We don’t want anything to do with that. When we’re writing songs and we finish one, we want the next one we’re working on to be as different from the last as possible. If not, it’s like what’s the point? Writing the same song again and again would be boring.

Bill – Who are some of your favorite bands from Pennsylvania to play shows with or what are some of your favorite venues in your home state?

Tom – Café Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre.

Greg – It’s funny because we grew up in Scranton, which has a very small music scene, but a great one. We don’t get that many touring bands there, so we kind of just grew up on our friends’ bands. We all supported and helped each other out as much as possible, bands like Title Fight, Tiger’s Jaw and Captain, We’re Sinking!. A lot of those bands are doing really well now, but like three years ago we’d all play the same exact shows together. We all probably played together in the same bands too.

Bill – Who are some of your all-time favorite Chicago punk bands?

Tom – I love The Lawrence Arms, Alkaline Trio, Smoking Popes and Rise Against. Can I say Naked Raygun for scene points? Bands like Flatfoot 56 and other Southside bands with the Irish influence are great as well. I should mention The Methadones and The Copyrights too.

Greg – Screeching Weasel is a big influence.

Tom – Too bad that guy’s a fuckin’ douchebag, (laughs). I wish his band wasn’t good.

Bill – What exactly do you have against Ben Weasel?

Tom – We prank-called him a bunch of times and he went on the radio and cried about it like a little bitch. He said we owe him $37.00. We’ll order a jumbo check and send it to him.

Bill – What are some of your fondest memories from your recent tours with NOFX and Against Me!?

Greg – Milwaukee, (laughs). You guys were there. We had a great night in Milwaukee, chugging vodka in the street. We stole Fat Mike’s Grey Goose and stayed at a Hyatt.

Tom – Milwaukee was great. As far as Against Me!, probably the first night with them when we played Rock Island, Illinois was most memorable. Just standing on the side of the stage and watching them play was incredible. We had a lot of good nights on that tour. Dead To Me was also on that tour and they’re the coolest dudes ever. We camped in Albuquerque with Dead To Me for a whole weekend and did a lot of consciousness expansion, (laughs).

Bill – After today’s Windy City Sound Clash performance, what do you guys have planned as far as touring for the rest of the year?

Greg – It’s up in the air, kind of. We have something coming up in August, but it’s not confirmed. We’ll be back in Chicago in August or early September. We’re going finish up this tour, we’re going to do a week in Canada in July and then we’re going to see what goes on in the fall. We’re not sure yet.

Bill – As mentioned above, the past year has been both a busy and exciting one for The Menzingers. Where do you hope to see your band in another year’s time?

Tom – Influencing more people and playing shows. I don’t want to go back to work. I want to go on tour and stay there.

Greg – I want to keep drinking free beer too. That’s pretty awesome.