20/2-03
.History? Bands before?
-Lopez was formed in a
small farming town in the northwestern part of the US
9 years ago. We moved to the huge city of Portland
Oregon 4 years ago and have been enjoying it ever
since. All of the members have played in other bands
that no one has ever heard of.
How did you react when the terroristattack was the 11th september 2001, with anger fear or what?
-It was a strange time,
seeing what has been going on all over the world for years finally happening
in your own back yard (even though New York is 3000 miles from here). There
was
an initial sense of fear, mainly because the media and
government kept telling us that nobody was safe from attack, but after that
died down, it felt like another tragedy, but no more so than when it happens
anywhere
else in the world.
something bad about every one in the group?
-Bunni: bass/vocals, 32 years old, and is not known for his social skills.
Drunkee: guitar, 32, and loves his drink just a little too much. Milk:
drums, 33, and
is kind of a jerk. Timmy: guitar, 30, and is the laziest man alive.
Riffless: vocals, 32, and is an
opinionated ass. Collectively, none of us are married and have no kids.
Our interests include; driving long distances to play shows, fighting with
each other
about stupid things, and, our favorite, drinking tons of beer.
Have it changed your life anything, if it have in which way?
-I think it's changed everyone's
lives in the world, because it has given the US government a free ticket to
use whatever force it chooses to muscle other countries to abide by it's
policies and best interests. It has also completely eroded our civil
rights in the US, and has made a lot of folks here willing to give up all
their rights for a false sense
of security.
How would you describe your music with three words?
-Drink, drank, drunk.
I compare you to early Bad Brains, how about that and what other bands do you hear that you sound like?
-The Bad Brains
comparison is a real compliment, as a few of us are big fans of theirs.
We've been compared to quite a
few of the "older" punk bands, including Rich Kids on LSD, Poison Idea, and
the Dwarves, which are all huge compliments to us!
.Do you think that music can change anyones life? Give me an example?
-Yes, you see it all the time,
especially when you consider some of the more political bands that make
people aware of various
injustices and agendas that are around them. But I also hate hearing bands
preach their views with no tolerance for dissenting opinions. The key is to
have
opinions, just don't make them so narrow-minded that
they can't be changed.
Do you care about reviews?
-It's nice to see how
other people feel about the music you play, but we have always played the
way we want and have never changed based on what others think of us.
When you do music, which is most important, is it the lyrics, the music or is it to have a refrain that people remember?
- It's coming up with a total
package, one that has good,
memorable music with lyrics that aren't too stupid, although ours tend to
tread a real fine line there.
-One of the split 7"s we did (with the Fireballs of Freedom) got a review that said if the vinyl were
softer, the reviewer would wipe his ass with the record.
-Whatever I'm feeling at the time, but it always takes
a couple weeks to get the lyrics to sound and feel right, and sometimes you take entire songs and
completely get rid of all the lyrics and start from scratch.
Have you done anything more than the Lopez CD I reviewed? How can I get them?
-We've done a few 7 inch records
and compilations, including a couple new comps that just came out on Dirtnap
Records and on Very Small Records.The best way to track them down is to
check the
record label websites:
www.dirtnaprecs.com
www.verysmallrecords.com
www.infringementrecords.com
What do you think of living in USA if you think in political ways?
-Right now, it's scary. Like I
was saying before, the loss of civil rights, combined with a gung-ho warrior
attitude in the white house has made it more important than ever before to
keep an eye
on what the US government does to it's citizens, as well as people in other
countries. With war looming
on the horizon, and the president unwilling to back down from the bulk of
the European (and other) nations anti-war stance, I figure the US is going
to be attacked a lot more in the future.
What do you konw about Sweden?
-It sound like a
beautiful place that we'd love to visit. Everyone I've met from Sweden have
been really nice folk.
Do you do any covers, if you do it why and which songs and what does a cover good?
-We've always done covers, mostly
old metal songs like Twisted Sister's "Burn In Hell", or
Mountain's "Mississippi Queen", stuff like that. I've always felt that the
key to a good cover song is
finding one that nobody else has done before, at least as far as we know!
great ones from Sweden, including Randy, Division of
Laura Lee, Refused/INC, Hellacopters, basically the
ones everyone in the US has heard of.
worst part is not having a ton of money in tour support.
Is there any good bands in USA right now?
-Of course... from California
there's Bottles and Skulls, 400 Blows, the BarFeeders, Strychnine, Fleshies...
from Portland there's the Fireballs of Freedom and SK and the Punk Ass
Bitches... from the Seattle area
there's Millhous, Portrait of Poverty, Tarantulada, the Mexican Blackbirds,
the Briefs... there are so many great bands in the US that it'd be
impossible to name even a fraction of them.
-The best part is the feeling of family that we have within our own band, as well as with other bands that we've toured/played shows with. The worst part is the
LONG drives from show to show.
How is it to play punkrock in USA?
- It's a little
hard, becase the cities are all so spread out that the people don't hear
about a lot of bands unless they're really popular, so it makes it tough on
smaller bands.
To get around that, a lot of bands really help one another out with shows
and promotion.
Please rank your five best
records, five best concerts and five most
important things in life?
-records: Clash "London
Calling", Descendents "Milo goes to college", Zeke "Supersound racing",
Queens of the stone age "Qotsa",
Dead Kennedys "Freshfruit for rotting vegetables" concerts: SNFU,
Circle Jerks/7 seconds, Ozzy/Motley Crue, the Accused, and any one of the
shows we've
played over the years in life: beer, friends, music, pets, and fun!
-Punk is an attitude, and a lot of people have turned their back on the word "punk" because they don't think it represents anything anymore, but I think it's alive
and well in the sense that people still help one another out with their bands/projects/zines.
Circus/Warlock pinchers/Exciter (got three used) expensive: I never pay a lot for records, so I
couldn't say...
How is a good gig with you?
-Lots of people
having a good time, some free beer and seeing old friends and making some
new ones. It always helps if
we're playing with some great bands as well.
inventive questions.
Do you have good contact with your fans, in which way?
-We have very good contact with
the people that are into Lopez, as we've always made ourselves
available to them. Whether through e mail, seeing people at shows, or
getting letters/postcards in the
mail, it's always nice to hear from folks that are into what you're doing.
Which is the question you want to have but you never get? Please ask it and answer it?
- Q: What's for dinner? A: Whatever you're cooking.
Wisdomword?
-Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe.
.How does the average Lopezfan look like?
-Usually not dressed too well,
maybe a little crosseyed from a
couple too many beers... actually, there's no real "look" to a Lopez fan,
except maybe the look of
confusion.
Futureplans for the band?
-To come to Sweden and play some rock.
Futureplans for yourself?
-To get a job.
Hall".
Something more to add?
-Thanks!