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Taken
from Issue #3 of The Skammunicator Fanzine
Buck-0-Nine
have been playing ska influenced music for a long time now. Ned Skatella
catches up with Jonas to get into the minds of this San Diego band after
the recent release of their latest live album.
I
read an article that said you were to punk to be ska, and to ska to be
punk. How would you describe your style of music?
We are a cross between the Dead Kennedys and Oingo Boingo.
Has
this style changed from album to album?
Most of our albums are fairly "ska consistent." I think our
First Key of Bree had some really cool from "out of left field"
changes in the arrangements. Barfly was more punk natured in the energy
of our tunes. 28 Teeth probably was less aggressive, more like 28Teeth
and a little poppier flavoured. Libido was a departure from our sound
on a lot of the tunes to experiment with new types of songs. Hellos and
goodbyes is our live record with some new unreleased songs thrown in for
good measure.
Which
album are you most proud of?
All of them were accomplishments that I am personally very proud of. Right
now I would have to say that I like em all equally for different reasons.
You
recently released a live album titled ' Hellos and Goodbyes ' are you
pleased with how the album turned out?
Very pleased. I did the artwork too!
What
are some of your favourite songs to play live?
Jenn's cold, Nineteen, Albuquerque, More than your eyes can see.
At a gig, do you prefer to see a circle skank or a mosh pit?
A mosh pit, but lately I've seen a little too much violence in the pit.
I like the old days when someone would pick you up if you fell over in
the pit. There were no blows thrown. I think violence at shows is total
bullshit!
At
gigs do you prefer a smaller more personal crowd or a larger crowd?
I like the crowd to be right there in my face where there are no security
guards or barricades between us.
What is the ska scene like in your home town of San Diego?
There isn't one.
Are
there any ska bands in the area that we should keep an eye and an ear
out for?
Not Ska bands. I'd say Emo Bands are what's popular right now. There is
a punk band called Agent 51 from San Diego that is really good. Also,
The Classified are good too. Catch 22 (ska) from the Midwest are really
good.
Many
ska bands have been drawn to money and sold out and lost their ska flavour.
What`s your opinion on ska bands selling out?
I don't see how any ska band is capable of selling out. The reason I say
this is because here in America, if you are in any way tied to a ska scene
or the genre, you will not be commercially accepted on the radio. The
only way you exist is through constant touring. There were small pockets
of time when quite a few bands from the genre became commercially successful.
It comes
and goes in waves. Like Madness had their day and The Bosstones, No Doubt,
Buck-O-Nine too. The thing to remember is that the genre of ska music
has a small and devoted following. There is no room for selling out as
far as I can tell. Unless some band that was a ska band became a country
or metal or hip hop band just to try to cash in on a certain sound that
is commercially accepted.
The
ska scene in Australia is nowhere near what you guys have in the states
what is your opinion on Aussie ska bands both talent wise and as mates?
Be honest.
The only two ska bands from Australia that I had the opportunity to meet
were the Porkers and The Ballistic Allshorts. Both bands are really impressive
and the guys in the bands went out of their way to make sure we felt comfortable
in their country. I am happy to say that the Porkers/Buck O Nine/Ballistic
Allshorts tour was one of my favourite touring experiences to date!
The
band went through a bit of a rough spot a while back. Are things all good
now? What were the reasons for the problems?
Things are all good in that we are still friends and we get together to
play music from time to time. 1999 was a very bleak year for us. It basically
killed the band in a lot of ways. First off, our record Libido was released
and was a commercial disappointment to our record company TVT. I guess
that since it didn't sell over 250,000 copies (like our 28 teeth record
did) they felt we had no more potential. It was total bullshit. We got
dropped. The song "Dinosaurs will die" by NOFX pretty much sums
up my personal feeling with TVT records. Next, our bass player quits.
We get a new bass player from Unwritten Law which was great, but then
we fire our manager, which was tough. She brought us down in a lot of
ways. We then go on tour and our new bass player almost dies in a shitty,
cold club in Pittsburgh. (Medical complications that were not drug related)
We were fighting all the time and the vibe was very very sour. We decided
to cut our losses and just be friends.
Which
one band would you give up your right arm to play alongside?
Probably none. I say that because I have already met a lot of people I
wanted to meet and basically if I didn't have a right arm, I couldn't
play guitar anymore which would completely suck!
Thanks
for taking time out to do the interview and we hope to be seeing you Down
under sooner rather than later. Thanks again guys.
No worries Mate!
www.buckonine.com
- official page
www.offramprecords
- for their latest live release
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