Beer, whiskey, vodka, Country-Hip-Hop bands and, of course, balls; just some of the many topics that crop up in the crazy world of American punk rockers, Bullets To Broadway…
‘I’m a big Country fan; I grew up on Country music, I didn’t get into punk rock till much later,’ explains bass player and vocalist for Nashville’s Bullets To Broadway when I asked them about their musical influences, ‘those people sang about how their lives were, they didn’t write songs because it was cool, they loved music and they wrote songs about what was really going on, you know? When people wrote about picking cotton, it was because they were fuckin’ doing it. I think it’s more honest. Country is just pop now; I’m more Country than half those people! My mum was into Country; we also had a lot of hip-hop in our house.’
‘You should have started a Country-Hip-Hop band!’ laughs Geis.
Despite the jokes, gathered around a table in Danny’s Bar, the American punk rockers Bullets To Broadway all seem slightly subdued, obviously working hard to keep themselves motivated, when all they'd really like to do right now is curl up and fall asleep. Having only been in the country since yesterday, still pretty jet-lagged and about to embark of a tour of the UK and Europe with Less Than Jake, the main way they seem to be keeping themselves going is with the aid of alcohol, as Matt highlighted when I asked them if they'd had a chance to take in any of the sights yet, 'We saw some beer yesterday... '
Geis: We did go to Duty Free! [all laugh] I bought a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of Vodka and we drank the bottle of whiskey last night, there’s like that much left [indicates that most of the bottle was empty] but we still have the bottle of vodka left. So, we hung out with Jack Daniels and various beers last night.
Kevin: Stella! Stella was my girl last night.
From the obvious camaraderie between the band and the entertaining performance they put on for the Bedford audience tonight, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Bullets To Broadway had been playing and touring for years; yet (in the current form at least) they're a relatively new band who's last year has been a whirlwind to say the least. 'We’re not even a year yet!' says vocalist Kevin, who seems surprised himself looking back at how far they've come in such a short space of time, 'yeah,' adds Guitarist, Ryan Geis, 'we’re almost at the year anniversary of this band'.
It all began in February last year, when former Teen Idols members, Heather (bass and vocals), Matt (drums) and Kevin (vocals) got together with Gainesville guitarists Geis and Gui:
Matt: Geis came to Nashville and we did some demo stuff and everything, and we didn’t really know what was gonna happen with the band, it was just kinda like, ‘ah, we’ll do it and see if we get something started’. And then I sent some stuff to Fat Mike [NOFX, Fat Wreck Chords], just some demos we did, he thought it was cool and asked us to play with NOFX down in San Francisco, so that’s when we were like, ‘we need another guitar player’ and he [Geis] mentioned Gui [former Rehasher guitarist]. We played our first show on June 14th of last year.
Since their formation, touring has been a pretty constant task for the band, taking up support slots with the likes of Suicide Machines, NOFX, Bad Religion and now, with their tour with Less Than Jake beginning on April 1st, it seems even more relentless than ever (though the band were quick to point out that they'd made some time available for a break in Amsterdam, 'I don’t know why…' says Geis with a cheeky smile, '…we might go bike riding or hiking…' [all laugh], but the band seem adamant that they can take the pace:
Heather: It only gets tiring if you get too wasted.
Matt: Yeah, I’m already sick and I got here yesterday, yeah, like, pretty sick and that sucks. But usually I get sick one time a tour, so I’m getting it out the way right at the beginning.
Geis: We’d all rather play every night than have days off.
Heather: Yeah, days off we just spend more money and sit around and shit.
Geis seems to sum up what is perfectly obvious from just watching these guys, ‘it’s also easier ‘cause the five of us are the best friends.’ It's written on their faces, the jokes they share, the way they talk over each other and finish each other's sentences, they have fun hanging out together. Even though guitarist Gui seems quieter than the other band members, he’s content to let the others do the talking, and nods in agreement, smiling from under a mane of bleached-blond dreadlocks. 'Even though it gets a bit gruelling sometimes,' Geis continues, 'none of us are assholes, none of us have problems with each other. I mean, I’m an asshole now and then, but…' [laughs].
Similarly, what makes the gruelling schedule easier is also the fact that Bullets To Broadway and Less Than Jake are old friends. ‘Me and Gui are from Gainsville,’ explains Geis, ‘so are those guys. Me and Gui were in a band with Roger (from Less Than Jake) called Rehasher and me and Matt worked for Less Than Jake for like the past five years, so they’re just kinda like friends, they’re like our best friends, so it’ll be really fun to see them tomorrow’.
Matt: We’ve already got lots of messages saying, ‘get ready!’ I’m like, ooh boy, here we go!’
Geis: Basically, yeah, the next two weeks will be fun, but I’m not sure if I’m gonna remember them!
While all of them seem to agree that playing live is the most important aspect of being a band, Bullets To Broadway also have another important objective, 'bad jokes. We just wanna tell as many dick and fart jokes in a half-hour show as possible,' laughs Geis, ‘it’s not a ‘show’; it’s us five goof balls on stage’. ‘When we play live,’ echoes Matt, ‘we just wanna make sure that everyone realises how much fun we’re actually having.
So Bullets To Broadway are all about having fun, but having toured with the likes of NOFX and Bad Religion, well known for their strong political views, does politics creep into their music? ‘A little,’ admits Geis.
Kevin: We just write about stuff that’s relevant in our lives at the time. If Bush did something really fucking stupid, like goes and bombs another country for no good reason, you know, we’ll write about it.
Matt: But there’s other things that we write about, like friendships and relationships, getting fuckin’ wasted!
Geis: Yeah, we don’t set out to write a political song at all. If it happens, it happens. And yeah, the purpose of us playing on stage is not to be like, ‘this is the way the world should be, blah blah blah’.
After the successful release of their 2005 E.P, ‘Drink Positive’, work for a full length follow-up has already started; the band hope to begin recording in the Autumn, but already they have big plans. ‘I think it’s gonna be way better than the E.P,’ states Heather positively as they all nod in agreement, ‘I listen to the E.P now and we were all still getting to know each other, and we were all kinda like, not shy, but…’.
‘The E.P is good,’ Geis continues, ‘but it was very rushed, because we just had all these tours just fall into our lap and we weren’t even a band and all of a sudden Suicide Machines asked us to go on tour and we were just kinda rushing to get shit together. I would write a song, Matt would write a song, Heather would write a song, but we hadn’t started writing songs as a band, so I think the stuff we’ve started demoing [now] is like more like us, more like Bullets To Broadway, that’s what the next record is gonna sound like. I’m not knocking the E.P, I think it’s great, I love listening to it, but it’s like… it’s definitely not what the next thing’s gonna sound like. It’s gonna be different, I mean, it’s gonna be the same, but it’s gonna be different.
But don’t be alarmed, Matt is adamant that the band are definitely not maturing, ‘I wouldn’t say we’re maturing,’ he laughs, ‘I wouldn’t say that, ‘cause that’s the kiss of death!
Geis: Yeah, we’re not ‘maturing’; we’re just a band now, [all agree] before we were five different people. Now we’re just a big ball of stank… and you can quote me on that! You can quote my pants on that!
Kevin: How are your pants by the way?
Geis: They’re still on. [laughs]
The band also seemed pleased to be able to warm-up in preparation for the tour by playing Bedford Esquires:
Geis: Oh, this place is cool! Like it. Paul [Craven, promoter] is really cool too.
Heather: Yeah, he’s been really, really nice.
Geis: It’s gonna be a very good first show.
But aside from playing live, I asked the band if what they thought of tools like the Internet (and MySpace in particular) for reaching new fans:
Geis: It’s essential.
Matt: I know when we started Teen Idols it really wasn’t that big a deal yet, you know, that was like, ’97 when our first record came out and it wasn’t… I mean, the internet was there but it wasn’t used like it is today. It’s just crazy now, ‘cause everybody all over the world can listen to your stuff just like that.
Geis: Lots of bands that start up now don’t even make websites, they make a MySpace page; I mean, like the band tonight, we got emails from Hammerfluff, that’s pretty cool. And I’m guilty of the same thing; I won’t even look at a band’s website anymore, I go to their MySpace page, it’s easier. I don’t even check my emails anymore!
Matt: Loser! [all laugh]
So what does the rest of 2006 have in store for Bullets To Broadway?
Matt: We do a tour in June or July when we get back, and then after that, hopefully in August we’ll start really working on new stuff. Then hopefully in the fall we can actually record it, but we have to work out what label’s putting it out, all that kinda stuff… see what happens, you know? So far it’s all been kind of a blur, it’s happening pretty quick.
Geis: Like a big snowball.
Matt: Yeah. We can’t really complain, it’s really cool. We love balls.
Heather: Sure.
On which note, it seemed that this would be a good time draw the conversation to a close, but the subject of ‘balls’ proved too good an opportunity to resist a few more bad jokes…
Geis: [laughing] you love balls!
Heather: I’ve never even met your balls!
Geis: I didn’t say mine! [more laughing] I just said balls in general…
Heather: Oh, okay…
Check out Bullets To Broadway’s website at www.bulletstobroadway.com and their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/bulletstobroadway Their E.P ‘Drink Positive’ is available to buy now.