Bill – What was it like recording your new album with Tom Gabel at his studio?

Ian – It was good. It was the first album he recorded there, so we were kind of breaking the place in. Everything worked really well and it was fun. It was in the middle of nowhere, so we were somewhat isolated, but it was cool being that secluded. The town where the studio is located is called Elkton and it’s about 15 miles outside of St. Augustine. The building used to be an old post office, but it doesn’t look like a post office inside anymore. There are only a few buildings in the whole town; there’s the studio, a restaurant, a car repair place and a Christian bookstore. It’s a pretty basic brick building that he just kind of gutted the inside of and transformed into a studio. We were there for about three weeks and really had a good time. It was cool because I feel like we were able to collaborate more with each other compared to on our other albums. We tried a few different things with the vocals and different guitar tones. We did some more stuff with multiple vocal tracks and stuff like that this time around. We were a little more adventurous I guess. I think we’re all pretty happy with how it turned out. Granted it’s still pretty new and fresh, but I think it’s kind of exactly what we intended to do.

Bill – Cheap Girls spent most of last year on tour and pretty much wrote all of your new record on the road. You were also able to test a lot of the material in front of live audiences. In what ways do you think this helped the songwriting process for Giant Orange?

Ian – Well, we always write and learn our songs at home. Since we never really have that long of a break, we’ll get a few songs done and then go back on tour. We’ll typically try one or two new ones on each tour. I don’t think it necessarily determined what went on the record this time around; they weren’t really tested in that sense, but this was the first time where we cut songs from the record. We recorded more than we actually put on there and were able to pick certain ones. These songs had been played a lot more, just in general, whether that was at practice or on tour. Where before, there’d always be one or two at the very last minute that were learned very quickly, sometimes even minutes before we started recording them. Every song on this one, we went into recording it and pretty much knew and were really comfortable with the structure of each song.

Bill – What’s the meaning of your new album’s title?

Ian – Oh, it’s just a punch line to an inside joke from a couple years ago. It’s a really long joke, but the name kind of stuck. It actually works well as like a standalone title and it sounds alright, so we just went with it.

Bill – How would you say the new record differs from your previous material?

Ian – I think it’s more thought-out. Even though we recorded more songs than we put on it, I think we knew a little more of what we wanted it to be in general. We wanted to have a little diversity between the songs, but also establish some common themes with the music. I think the record is a little longer than our previous ones, but I don’t think it’s like a long, slow record or anything. Overall, I would say the songs are a little more deliberate and more detailed.

Bill – Tell me about the album’s first single, “Ruby.” How was it written and what do its lyrics deal with?

Ian – Lyrically, it’s a little confusing. I’m not sure if it’s all that cut and dry. It’s a song that we wrote last winter and one that we kind of knew from the beginning was going to be one of our favorites. I know we were all really excited when we finished it. It felt good and it felt like we achieved what we were going for. We actually just made a video for that song with Travis Dopp from Small Brown Bike. He’s wanted to make a video with us for a long time and he kind of came up with everything. He wrote the story and filmed a lot of it in this antique shop in Marshall, Michigan. We just showed up for an evening and that was it.

Bill – Giant Orange is your first release for Rise Records. What do you like best about your band’s partnership with the label?

Ian – They’re very easygoing and they let us make whatever record we were going to make. They didn’t really ask to hear it or anything until we were done, like entirely done with it and mastered and everything. They put a lot of trust in us. They had heard demos of course back when we started talking to them about putting out the record in general. They were pretty trusting, so that was nice. They let us make a record and we just handed it in and they were totally cool with it.

Bill – What’s the music scene like in your hometown of Lansing, Michigan?

Ian – It’s calm, there’s not a lot of venues. They’ve got about two or three, if that. There’s like one main venue, this bar where we play all the time. Then there are always one or two others that are new or kind of changing. There are lots of bands and a lot of bands within bands. There’s a core group of musicians and they just kind of have a bunch of different bands. As far as bands that tour a lot, there’s not really too much of that.

Bill – Last fall you guys played Riot Fest in Chicago and opened for The Descendents and The Suicide Machines. What’s your favorite memory from that show?

Ian – That was a fun day in general. We had a lot of friends on that show, like The Flatliners and The Menzingers. We’ve known both of those bands for as long as we’ve been a band, if not longer. It was a cool day though. We played early and we all had a really good time playing. It sounded really good too. The day just got better from there. We got to see The Menzingers and The Flatliners play, and hang out with them and have drinks. I think the Rise Records people flew in for the show, so we hung out with them a bit. With The Suicide Machines being a Michigan band, we had grown up seeing them a lot, so it was great to see them and of course The Descendents too. It was a pretty unique, standout day. It was like the better parts of playing a three-day festival, but it was all focused in on one day. It was pretty cool.

Bill – What are some of the things that you’re looking forward to regarding your upcoming tour with The Sidekicks?

Ian – Well again, they’re really close friends and we just extended the tour. I think we’re going to go out for about six weeks now. It’s exciting to be headed out with people that we’re already really good friends with. I’m really excited just to be playing the East Coast. It’s kind of like a new start in a sense when you have a lot more songs to choose from. That way it’s never stale. You can play some new songs when you have a new record out, we’ve always typically done that, but it’s a lot different when the new record has been out for a little bit. That way people might actually be as much or more excited to hear the new ones as they are the old stuff. It’s like with each record the pool of songs to choose from just gets larger. It’s fun to have more to choose from that aren’t just fun for you, but for the audience as well.

Bill – What else do you guys have planned for the remainder of the year?

Ian – Well, we’re doing a full U.S. tour with The Sidekicks and after that we’ll probably head out west again. We’re on our way to a show right now. We’re actually playing with Smoking Popes tonight and were just talking about what else we might do this year. I’m sure we’ll play some more shows in the U.S. with some other bands. I think this is our first record that officially comes out worldwide. We went to Europe last summer and we’ve played there before, but I think we’ll probably go back before the end of the year. Hopefully we’ll play a few new places too and that should be exciting. I want us to stay busy in the sense of doing new things, rather than being on tour for the sake of being on tour. After a while it becomes pretty easy to do. You can usually hop on a tour and be gone all the time if you want to be. I think we’re more curious to see what kind of different tours we might be able to do. We naturally get offered a lot of tours that are pretty punk rock-focused, because a lot of our peers are all kind of punk bands, but I think we’re just curious to see what different bands we can tour with. We’re open to different music crowds and things like that, so we’ll be curious to see what that does.

Billy + Joe is comprised of Smoke or Fire singer/guitarist Joe McMahon and Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Billy the Kid. The recently formed duo began 2012 by covering one song per day for the month of January. They created both a Facebook and a YouTube page to document their work, and have since covered songs from bands such as: The Descendents, Rancid, Jawbreaker, Face to Face, Hot Water Music, Samiam and more. The pair has also written some original material and played a few shows, and plans to continue doing so in the future. Take a look at one of their videos above, a cover of Billy Bragg’s “To Have and To Have Not.”

Classics of Love started in 2008 and is of course fronted by former Operation Ivy vocalist Jesse Michaels. The band’s lineup is rounded out by the members of a group called Hard Girls and this debut full-length is their first release since a 2009 EP called Walking in Shadows. What’s evident after only a few listens of the new album is how much Classics of Love has developed over the last three years. The music and lyrics flow together seamlessly, showcasing four individuals that have grown quite adept at playing together. There’s also a definite and genuine sense of urgency found throughout the record, which is something that simply can’t be manufactured. It’s reminiscent of one of the characteristics that made Operation Ivy so great, but make no mistake, Classics of Love is indeed a unique band with its own distinct sound. Their influences include ‘80s West Coast hardcore, ska/punk and frenzied, fast-paced rock, but perhaps most impressive is the band’s ability to frame these various genres into one cohesive style. The production, courtesy of Jack Shirley, is raw and energy-packed, and really complements the songs. The lyrics speak of disenchantment, corruption of power and an opposition to various injustices, all of which are things that most can likely relate to nowadays. By all accounts, Classics of Love has made a comprehensive and highly impressive introductory album. Its songs are passionate and to the point, and in the best possible way, they leave the listener wanting more. Check out one of them below, called “Dissolve.”

Dead Ending is a new project from Jeff Dean, (All Eyes West, The Bomb) Vic Bondi, (Articles of Faith) Derek Grant, (Alkaline Trio, Suicide Machines) and Joe Principe, (Rise Against).

Photos by Katie Hovland at Million Yen Studios in Chicago.

When bands do split records it always comes off as a bit of a competition. Despite the fact that we know the bands involved are probably all friends, it’s still fun to see them go head to head, three songs each, no holds barred. Here we have two apparently worthy Chicago bands, a funny cover concept, (The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds take off) and some pretty, mixed grey vinyl. But, you might ask, who wins? The Sky We Scrape starts the whole thing out with “Southern Hospitality”, a mid-tempo grinder in the vein of Iron Chic or Hot Water Music. Catchy, sing-along chorus; I like it. Nice, clear, but not over-produced production too, (courtesy of Corey Wills at The Bunker). Second and third songs “Albatross” and “Fatima” add some heaviness and more intricate guitar work to the mix, but still remain catchy as hell. All in all, three very solid songs. Hawkbit, (is that a Watership Down reference?) kicks off side two with “Working in the Dungeon for the Light”, a ragged, Lawrence Arms-esque shouter with some nice bass playing. “MLK” adds some dissonance to the gang vocals, making for a more distinctive sound. In “No Folk Lies”, it seems Hawkbit saved the best for last. Kind of a Planes Mistaken For Stars/Iron Chic hybrid, catchy and driving, good stuff. So, you’re probably asking, who won, Marc? I dunno, why don’t you listen to both of the damn bands for yourself and decide? What do you think this is, The Voice?

- Marc Ruvolo

Photo by Katie Hovland

Eastland Disaster is a new Chicago band that features singer/guitarist Dan Knapik, (Textbook, Venom Lords) singer/bassist Gina Knapik, (Venom Lords) and drummer James Farn, (Kamikaze Eyes, Duress). They’re playing this Friday, January 13^th at Beat Kitchen, along with About the Mess, The Heat Tape and Dan Vapid & The Cheats. The show starts at 8:30 PM, costs $10 and is 17+. Last summer, Eastland Disaster recorded several songs with Matt Allison at Atlas Studios, some of which will appear later this year on a seven-inch for Underground Communiqué Records. Check out one of the band’s songs below, called “Still Not Over You.”

This January Underground Communiqué Records will rerelease The Methadones’ classic 2004 album, Not Economically Viable. It was remixed by Matt Allison at Atlas Studios and basically rebuilt using various master tracks from the original recording sessions. The end result is a complete and highly favorable reproduction of one of the best pop punk records of the last decade. Also included is a previously unreleased song called “Let’s Call It a Night.” The LP will be available on three different colors; white, clear red and clear with smoke, and will feature updated album art as well. Check out the new version of “Sorry to Keep You Waiting” below.

Bill – Tell me about the meaning behind your new album’s title.

Dicky – I think like all of our album titles, it has several different meanings and people can get from it whatever they want to get from it. I think the initial kind of meaning is that although we’re anything but youthful, we’re absolutely very youthful at heart. The band was born and created from our youth. Some of the guys were in high school and their early twenties when we started. Thinking back on it, that’s the only thing that’s kind of magical to me, and that’s the fact that The Bosstones were created from that kind of energy and enthusiasm. I think the endurance and longevity of our band comes from the seed that was planted when we were kids. We decided early on that we had each other’s backs and that these were the guys we wanted to go the distance with. For me that’s what the title means, but then past that I think we’re completely trying to be ironic. I also like titles to be ambiguous and I like that it sounds like a Frank Sinatra album. As a writer from Chicago, you know that Sinatra has been there before. I was told that Sinatra liked Chicago better than New York. That’s what I’ve always heard and I don’t blame him, I do too. Not better than Boston, but better than New York. So, I liked that it sounded like a classic, old Sinatra record. Then the song itself, “The Magic of Youth,” is also pretty ironic. It’s a story of a young couple that does very little with their lives, other than get high, stay together and kind of screw up everything. There’s anything but magic in any part of their lives. On top of that, and kind of corniest of all, I’m a father for the first time in my life. You stare at a baby, especially if it’s your baby, and I see nothing but magic.

Bill – This is the second album that you’ve released on your own label, Big Rig Records. What do you like best about putting out your own music?

Dicky – I feel like we’ve always kind of been responsible for it in a way. I don’t ever remember being told anything by any of the labels we ever worked with, whether they were independent or major. I feel like there’s a lot more scrambling and a lot more work this way, but I also feel like there’s a lot less pressure, because we’re going to do what we’re going to do. We’re going to make the product that we want to make, and I hate even using the word ‘product.’ Now I sound like a label executive, (laughs). We’re going to make music no matter what, but when there’s other people involved you almost feel like you owe them something or you care about their opinions. On the one hand I didn’t give a shit, but on the other hand, as a person that likes people and gets along with people, I was always interested in pleasing them to a certain extent. That’s gone now and that’s kind of nice. There’s no pressure and you don’t have to please anybody other than yourself and the people that enjoy the music, and I like that.

Bill – How would you say that the new record differs from your last album, Pin Points & Gin Joints?

Dicky – With Pin Points…, we wanted it to be ska-heavy. I don’t know why or what we were thinking at the time, but I know there was a conscious effort to put real solid ska grooves in there and pay tribute to the genre in a way that’s respectful. With The Magic of Youth, we kind of wanted to do the same thing to punk, as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones know it. We wanted to get in there and really give that kind of punk energy as far as when punk is at its best and it feels like a sharp pool cue to your gut. That’s what we tried to do and whether we achieved that or not is for anyone to decide, but those were our goals. We also let Pin Points… play out and some of the songs were longer, and we wanted The Magic of Youth to be short and concise.

Bill – The Magic of Youth was produced by Ted Hutt, who’s recently worked with The Gaslight Anthem and Dropkick Murphys. What was it like recording with him again?

Dicky – He’s awesome. He’s completely, and I don’t mean to sound corny, but he’s like one of the band members, he really is. He thinks like us, he acts like us and he works like us and has the same kind of drive. We’ve worked with different producers in the past and for them it was more important to break for lunch, but Ted will just plow right through and only break when he loses perspective. I can’t say enough good things about him. I love the way he works and I love working with him. I think my favorite Mighty Mighty Bosstones producers, and it’s neck and neck, is Paul Kolderie, who was there when the band was born, and Ted Hutt. Ted went from standing next to us, talking about Flogging Molly, or at Rancid shows and other punk shows, to producing our records. He’s one of our buddies, but he’s super-talented. I just thought he was my buddy that wore the hat and had the English accent, (laughs).

Bill – “Like a Shotgun” is one of my favorite songs on the record. What inspired its lyrics?

Dicky – Its lyrics were inspired by my child and the realization of how much you can love something and just how it kind of knocks you over like that. I wanted it to sound like it was either someone being blown away by a shotgun, or the realization of the strength and the power of love. It was a real wide distance on some sort of a spectrum, from one end to the other. Musically I think we were inspired by The Jam a little bit on that song as well.

Bill – “Sunday Afternoons on Wisdom Ave.” talks about some of your fondest childhood memories. What made you want to write that song?

Dicky – My sister just texted me and said she was listening to our new album and that she really loved that song. It’s about my father’s childhood home where we used to go and visit my grandparents in Providence, Rhode Island. It’s nothing more than that. I could write three, four, five more versions of that song, it could never end.

Bill – Would you say that there’s an overall theme with the lyrics on the album?

Dicky – I think it’s all kind of right this very minute, as far as how we are, who we are and what we are in this time. I was thinking about this earlier and I don’t think we could have made this record five or so years ago. Since I’ve been working at the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, I’ve been working with a lot of really young and talented people, the writers, and Jimmy himself is a really, really smart guy. I think it’s recharged my batteries. I don’t think I could have been as creative lyrically otherwise. It’s not like I’m writing stuff about the TV show, but what it did was creatively allowed me to write better and reach deeper inside myself. Thematically, the lyrics of the record are just right this very minute and deal with the excitement that we have for our band right now.

Bill – This September you guys played two concerts at Fenway Park with Dropkick Murphys and Street Dogs. What were those shows like?

Dicky – A dream come true, really. I’ve been going to Fenway Park for as long as I can remember. My father carried me in there when I was a toddler and my whole life I’ve been a Red Sox fan. It was amazing. We’ve been in the park before; the Red Sox have done nice things for us in the past with us being local boys and everything. Just being there, playing there and having the run of the place for two days was great. The way that we were treated was phenomenal and doing it with our pals, The Dropkicks, it was a real dream come true for a Boston lad.

Bill – What are you looking forward to regarding your Hometown Throwdown shows at the end of this month in Boston?

Dicky – Seeing our supporters, seeing the people up front that love the band and getting the reaction from them regarding our new record. It is our holiday, it’s our Christmas and it’s our celebration, so it’s nice. It’s always a nice way to end the year, but when you’ve had a year like I’ve had it’s a little bit more special.

Bill – Having been a band for almost 30 years, what aspects of writing music and playing shows do you still enjoy most?

Dicky – I would say doing it with my friends. I’ve played a few shows without them and it’s not the same. Doing it with these guys, the guys I got together with when we were kids, still being around and still caring about them and wanting to hear what they have to say. It’s them; it’s The Bosstones, that’s the best part of it. On top of that, creating stuff that we’re proud of and not just making something where we go, “Alright, let’s see if this garbage flies.” We still have the same passion and the same love and the same conviction for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and it’s nice to have friends like that.

Bill – What sort of things do The Bosstones have planned for 2012?

Dicky – I don’t know, a nap, (laughs). I could tell you about the year that I’ve had, but I’ll spare you the details. I guess we’re going to go out there and play shows and hit places, as many places as we can, but not as many places as we used to. We’ll play as many places as we currently can and we’ll enjoy ourselves like we have been.

Former Groovie Ghoulies frontman Kepi Ghoulie is back with a new album titled I Bleed Rock ‘N’ Roll, his first since 2009’s Life Sentence. The album starts out with the short, sweet and defining “Rock ‘N’ Roll Shark,” which sends the strong message that like a shark that stops swimming, Kepi will die if he stops rockin’. “Nikki Lee” is a very upbeat, Chuck Berry-esque rock ‘n’ roll tune, and one of the album’s strongest. The title track reinforces the opener as Kepi sings, “I bleed rock ‘n’ roll. I believe in rock ‘n’ roll. When every single friend is gone, the music just keeps playing on and out into the universe, second verse same as the first.” To Kepi, rock ‘n’ roll is more than just a job or a passion; to him it’s a way of life. Kepi also re-recorded “When I’m Gone,” which originally appeared on his solo EP, Yes Depression. The new version is electrified and the guitar work is reminiscent of something out of a rock ‘n’ roll standard. Another revisited track is “Love to Give,” which originally appeared as “(I’ve Got) Love to Give,” on the Groovie Ghoulies’ final album in 2007, 99 Lives. There is one cover that Kepi chose for this album, and that’s Johnny Thunders’ “Blame It on Mom.” I enjoy Kepi’s cover better because he left out the saxophone. My favorite track on the album is “The Fever,” for its infectious chorus and dedicated lyrics. I’m with Kepi when he says, “What the world needs now is rock ‘n’ roll.” The album closes with a melancholy acoustic song called “Hard to Forget,” which surprised me as a closer. I wish it were toward the middle of the album, so it would serve as a break, but the album is still strong. I Bleed Rock ‘N’ Roll pleasantly surprised me. Kepi branches further from his previous material and continues to make great songs, and also revisit and put a twist on some old ones.

- Jason Duarte

Photo by Katie Hovland

This fall Cobra Skulls released their debut album for Fat Wreck Chords, entitled Agitations. The band comes from Reno, Nevada and plays a unique brand of rockabilly-infused punk. Agitations is an angry and urgent record, yet it’s also focused and well-rounded, and certainly the most impressive effort thus far from Cobra Skulls. We spoke with singer/bassist Devin Peralta and discussed how the album was written and recorded, what some of its songs are about, touring, Reno and more.

Bill – Tell me about the writing process for Agitations and how you sequestered yourself inside a motel room in Reno for several weeks to write all the songs.

Devin – We toured in January and February last year with NOFX and The Bouncing Souls, and had scheduled time in March to record, but we had to push it back because we weren’t expecting to do that tour. The tour was great and after it finished we were all living in different areas. I had a bunch of ideas for songs, but I just wanted to really write as much as possible since we didn’t have much time before recording. I just wrote and wrote and wrote for several weeks. We finally got together and rehearsed for like eight days before going in the studio. We spent three weeks in the studio, which is more than we’ve ever had before to record an album. Every song that made the album I brought to the band to rehearse. We recorded every song and then every song went on the album. I don’t know if that’s standard process these days, but I feel like maybe that’s how some bands used to do it.

Bill – Once you had the songs written, how did recording go at Motor Studios in San Francisco?

Devin – It was good. Motor Studios is great and the environment there is really easygoing. It’s in a cool location in San Francisco. You don’t feel like you’re cooped up and stuck in some remote location. Luke finished drums in three days and then we went on to do everything else after that. The process was pretty detailed compared to what we’ve done on the last two full-lengths. We recorded and mixed our first album in five and a half days, and we had over three weeks just to record this album. We spent a lot of time on guitar and bass tones and we used different microphones for me to sing into, things like that. Overall it turned out really good and we’re happy with it.

Bill – As is the case with a lot of your previous songs, the lyrics on Agitations are pretty pissed off. What were some things that inspired your songwriting this time around?

Devin – I think each song kind of speaks for itself. What inspires me for each song varies. I’ve always been interested in religion and politics, but I don’t want to speak about those things on a broad scope. I touch on more environmental issues on this album and ecological concerns, as far as how humans live. We’re kind of engulfed in technology and our perspective on life has changed over the last ten years because of it. Economics and healthcare are touched on too. There are also some personal songs about relationships. It’s really whatever I’m inspired by and each song kind of reflects what I was feeling at the time.

Bill – What’s the meaning behind the record’s title?

Devin – Like you said, I guess some of the things sound like I’m pissed off, so things that bother me or agitate me, (laughs). The title could also apply to things like the whole Occupy Wall Street movement that’s going on right now. That’s an agitation to the system that we live in. It’s kind of a vague title, but I like it because it can be interpreted in different ways like that.

Bill – The song “On and On” talks about economic struggles and the strain that they can put on relationships. What motivated you to write its words?

Devin – Yeah, that song was almost on our last EP. I didn’t get around to showing it to the guys in time, but it was a good thing because it definitely evolved into a much better song. It’s more of a personal, relationship-type song. It’s not so much political or anything like that. I guess it’s more of an intimate song. However people want to interpret the song is totally cool with me.

Bill – Talk about the song “Solastalgia,” which address both consumerism and environmental issues.

Devin – Exactly. There are some terms in there like ‘ecoparalysis’ and ‘global dread.’ Those are terms that come from ecopsychology, which was started in the ‘70s. Ecopsychology is about how our state of mind is both directly and indirectly affected by how we live and how we relate to nature. That song is definitely influenced by ecopsychology. ‘Solastalgia’ is this nostalgic feeling where people feel like they want to change things and use ‘green’ products, recycle, use public transportation and lessen their carbon footprint. At the same time, there are billions of people who don’t even care or don’t even know that they should care, so it’s almost like this ecoparalysis. It’s like you try to do good, but what’s the point? I’m not saying there’s no point in trying; I’m saying that I understand this feeling. I think there are many, many people who have this feeling, whether they’re aware of the term or not. I think more and more people are feeling this way in societies like Europe and the United States where we kind of have this guilt for all that we have. It’s like how do we continue to eat and travel and do what we do without destroying the earth at the same time? Solastalgia is that feeling of hopelessness, but still wanting to do something positive. That’s what that song’s about.

Bill – Tell me about the mural that prompted the record’s artwork.

Devin – That’s a mural in Balmy Alley in San Francisco. It’s called Desaparecidos Pero No Olvidados and it’s by a Peruvian artist who made the mural in I think 1989. It’s still there on the fence in this alley. The images on the mural are depictions from struggles and revolutions in his home country. I photographed the mural because I felt like it reflected the agitations of Peru and meshed well with the theme of the album.

Bill – How was your recent tour with Nothington?

Devin – It was good, it was about six weeks long. We’ve known Nothington for a while and we’re good friends with them, so it was awesome to tour with a band that we’re already comfortable with. They have a couple new members, but they were awesome guys too. It was really great to tour with them because sometimes you kind of want to go and hang out with other people that aren’t in your band and that you’re not stuck in a van with all the time. It’s good to have other people that you’re already friends with on tour. They’re an awesome band too. Their new album is amazing and definitely one of my favorites of 2011.

Bill – Of all the places you guys have played shows, is there a city in particular that’s surprised you in terms of the response you’ve gotten there or maybe somewhere that you’ve really enjoyed playing that you didn’t think you would?

Devin – When we first played Toronto I was surprised by the response we got, and actually Vancouver too. Canada has been great to us. Ottawa was great on this recent tour also. When we first played Ithaca, New York we didn’t know what to expect and there’s this little scene in Ithaca, which is great. The kids there are totally into it and there’s a great promoter who puts everything into putting on a good show.

Bill – How would you describe your hometown of Reno and the music scene there to someone who’s never been?

Devin – I’d say Reno is where the Midwest meets the West Coast. It’s ten minutes from the border of California. It’s in the shadow of Vegas, but it’s not even close to Las Vegas, it’s eight hours away. It’s two hours from Sacramento and three and a half from San Francisco, so to me it’s practically California. It’s inundated with rednecks, but otherwise it’s a pretty cool town. It’s called ‘The Biggest Little City in the World’ and it has a bit of a small town vibe to it. There’s lots of entertainment always going on because of the gambling and people coming over from California on buses. It’s overrun with tourists, but at the same time it isn’t at all as crazy as Vegas. The university is there and it’s really close to downtown. You can walk everywhere in Reno, which is great. I like Reno. It’s a high desert town and it’s pretty cool.

Bill – Bands on Fat Wreck Chords often talk about the sense of family that comes with being a part of the label. Since joining their roster, is there a band in particular that you’ve bonded the most with?

Devin – We’re good friends with Teenage Bottlerocket and Dead To Me. Those bands are really good friends of ours. We’ve gotten to know Banner Pilot pretty well, those guys are awesome. I feel like every band on Fat Wreck Chords that we know is really cool. All the bands that I’ve met and toured with and played shows with have been really down to earth and really friendly. We toured with The Loved Ones and they’re awesome. The Mad Caddies were great too.

Bill – What do Cobra Skulls have planned for 2012?

Devin – We’re taking a break right now, but we’re confirmed for Groezrock in Belgium in April and there might be something happening with Australia. That would be in March. We’re just taking the winter off to work our odd jobs while at home and hang out with our families and girlfriends. We’re going to take a quick breather and then get ready for spring and whatever comes along after that.