I THINK IT'S MY DUTY TO INFORM YOU READERS ON WHAT ARE THE BANDS THAT LATELY FLOORED ME DOWN... AND THE EARACHES FROM SEATTLE ARE ONE OF THEM. AS YOU CAN READ IN THE REVIEW SECTION, THEY ARE ONE OF THOSE GARAGE-PUNK COMBOS THAT LEAVE THE HALLS TREMBLING IN A EARTHQUAKE, OR BETTER THIS IS THE FIRST IMPRESSION I GOT WHILE SPINNING THEIR DEBUT FOR THE FIRST TIME. I DROPPED 'EM SOME QUESTIONS AND THEY WERE SO KIND TO HAVE ALL THE BAND MEMBERS ANSWERING, SO YOU JUST HAVE TO SCROLL DOWN & READ & OF COURSE BUY THEIR ALBUM ON STEEL CAGE RECORDS TO GET THE SUBSTANCE...

GD- Tell us a brief band history for the unaware readers...
Alan- We were originally known as the Reckless Bastards, which formed in 1999 out of the ashes of the Castros. Singer/guitarist August Henrich and I were both in that band from '96-'98. August formed the Bastards with drummer Jeff Showlund (now in the Flying Dutchman) and bassist Joe Kilbourne (formerly of the Derelicts). Originally I was their manager, but when Jeff left he took over the skins. Second guitarist Zac Schneider (ex-Graveyard Shift) joined shortly after. In October of 2002 we changed our name to the Earaches.
August- Well, a couple of guys got together on a hot sweaty day one summer and decided to drink a few beers and play some music. Then we hired a bass player. Then we became the Reckless Bastards. Then we replaced the bad musicians with good ones and became The Earaches. We've played a lot of good gigs and a lot of bad gigs with good bands and bad bands. Now we've got a CD out.
Joe-I hadn't picked up a bass in about 10 years and was getting the itch to play again and answered an ad in a local paper that August had ran. We ended up talking on the phone for over an hour and I went and auditioned and August said, dude, we have been looking for you for six months! Lot's of crappy gigs and personnel changes later and you'r holding our first cd.

GD- You guys have got a shiny rock'n'roll past, how much the combination of your previous different musical experiences influence your actual sound?
Alan- I don't know, we all come from similar backgrounds. Joe's been playing punk rock since he was in the Unaware back in the early '80s and appeared on the legendary MRR comp "Not So Quiet On The Western Front." August has been in punk bands, an instro surf band (The Gremmies) and garagey bands like the Castros. I've been playing garage and punk rock seriously since I was in the 14th Wray, a Canadian garage-psych band, back in the late '80s/early '90s. I also spent time in thee Upper Crust and the Primate 5. Zac's only been in one band before, which was a psychobilly outfit. I think everyone brings different ideas to the plate, but we all have a similar agenda so to speak. August- Well, most of us have honed our chops in previous bands, that's certain, but I think all of our previous bands made music that runs parallel to what we play now. I would say our combined experiences have a large influence on our sound, especially since Alan and I were in the Castros together. To me, this band is the realization of what I was trying to do with that band: play garage punk with all the soul we can muster.
Joe- The other bands I've been in since 1981 have been pretty much just low rent punk bands. I play what I like, and I really like August and Alan's songs, so for me it's a no-brainer.
Zak- After high school I just about stopped playing all together. I would pick up my guitar now and then but nothing much came of it until a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to play in a psychobilly/horror-punk band. I played with Graveyard Shift for about seven months until there was some internal conflict in the band and I got kicked out. With the lust to keep on rocking, I ended up searching the want ads in the local paper for a couple of months until I saw an ad that looked too good to be true. It went something like: The Reckless Bastards seeks lead guitar for stooges MC5 influenced garage rock band. I remembered thinking, "Hey, I could handle that!" When I tried out, I came in with the attitude that I would just jump right in and see how I could improvise instead of trying to learn the songs the way the last guy played them. They seemed to dig that I wasn't shy about it and we've been cranking out the tunes ever since. I think some of our earlier stuff like "Loser" really reflected the kind of band I came out of due to its Cramps-like melody and tempo.

GD- How's been a rock band in Seattle? I mean, how's people reaction after the grunge-explosion? I know you're not the only example, but I never asked this question to any Northwestern band, so....
Alan-I don't think the "grunge explosion" affected us at all. That whole thing sorta happened before we were even a band. That whole thing was really kind of a joke anyways. Most of the bands that got popular due to that I never thought were very "grunge" anyways, just warmed over arena rock. I was never into Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Candlebox or Pearl Jam for that matter. I didn't move here until 1993 anyways. The whole time that was going on, there were plenty of great garage and punk bands happening that never got their due credit, and that was more what influenced me anyways. I actually love Mudhoney and Nirvana, but it was more bands like the Fallouts, the Makers, Sicko, Flathead, the Boss Martians, Dead Moon, Mono Men, Marble Orchar d, Girl Trouble, Young Fresh Fellows, Fastbacks, Smugglers, Evaporators, Cub, the Statics and the Undertakers that did it for me. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, the Northwest has had a long history of "grungey" bands, going right back to the Wailers, Sonics, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Kingsmen, Viceroys, Beachcombers, George Washington and the Cherrybombs, etc.
August-While the whole world was focusing on the grunge hype there was a smaller, much cooler underground garage punk scene going on. Bands like the Statics, Gas Huffer, the Mono Men, the Makers, the Fastbacks - I always thought that was the much cooler scene. Towards the end of the nineties this town was burned out on grunge and the whole garage punk scene became more in vogue. Right now it's still good to be playing garage punk in this town, but what I get from the club listings and radio is that there's a lot of Emo and Butt rock around.
Joe- To tell the truth, it's the same as before the grunge thing took off. I was in a band called The Derelicts in'87-'89 in Seattle. I worked in a bike shop with Soundgarden's original bass player Hiro and there was alot going on, lots of great bands and a few good clubs. It was difficult to break through to the better gigs with so many bands competing for them. It was a really fun time, though I quit the band to race bicycles. I think The Derelicts played with Nirvana at one of their early gigs after I left. Things were really heating up and then, well let's just say the whole grunge thing happened, lots of bands did really well, then things kind of flattened out. Ten years later and I think Seattle is on the cusp of another explosion. Lot's of great bands, a few decent clubs, and people are starting to take notice.
Zak- To a certain extent this town is a lot like Vienna in that it really wants to cling to past glories, but at the same time the rest of the country doesn't realize how long ago the scene changed out here. I still meet people from all over the world that come out here expecting to catch an Alice in Chains show. The biggest problem I see in Seattle right now is a lack of show attendance as well as massive club closures. In the last earthquake we lost a number of clubs, especially Gibson's, which booked a lot of great smaller touring punk bands. In addition, Seattle lost the legendary Break Room, to a club with a different format.

GD- All over your CD I saw a real devotion to the DIY music world, and especially the caption "Now form your own band" struck me. Can you tell me something more about this?
Alan- Simply out, DIY is the backbone of punk. Even in the early days of punk and even though a lot of early bands were on major labels, they had the DIY attitude to promote themselves. But, as the majors lost interest in punk music, the DIY thing really took off and it's really been that way since. For myself, I've been doing things the DIY was for about 15 years or so. I did some writing for fanzines, and have published my own ("What Now?," "Cryptic Tymes" and "Do The Pop!"). All my bands have released some sort of DIY product: self-released tapes and vinyl, or stuff put out by friends, and later CDs. I just like the grassroots element of it all, though I have to say it's nice to be on a label where they take care of promotion and the creation of the actual product. But, it's still DIY since Larry and Leslie basically do it all themselves.
August- The idea of "Doing It Yourself" is at the core of every populist movement since the dawn of time: instead of complaining about things get up and do something about it. DIY is about believing in yourself or your cause when no one else will, about perseverance in the face of adversity, about disregarding the norm and making your own rules. We make music that we like, for ourselves. The Minutemen and The Big Boys (and Johnny Cash) brought this idea home to me. When I was a wee punker I was so inspired by these bands and others who preferred freedom of expression over profit or glamour, now I'm hoping to return the favor. If you like us, then start your own band (we did!) and if you don't like us, then you should REALLY start your own band.
Joe- Well, when things aren't happening for you, you can pack it in or make things happen. We are probably the least motivated band in Seattle, but we've stuck to our guns and things are working out. The DIY ethic, I think, really springs from the desire to make things happen, to not being satisfied with the way things are, if you don't like them, and to create a world on your own terms with your own rules. And by all means, get out and start your own band!

GD- How did you got on Steel cage Records? Are you happy with it?
Alan- It's kind of funny, actually. I used to write for Hit List magazine, and I heard rumors last year that the mag was going under. I contacted Leslie from Steel Cage/Carbon 14 to see if she'd heard anything, and sure enough she had heard that it was done. So, I asked her if there might be room in her magazine, Carbon 14 for my column, and she said she'd love to have it. Then, while we were talking about that, I mentioned my band and she said she like the first demo I had sent her. So, I sent her our newest demo CDR. Leslie and steel Cage co-owner Larry loved the stuff, and asked what we planned to do with it. A few weeks later we'd hammered out a deal for them to put out as CD by us. They're really cool people to wor k with, and we're very happy to be on their excellent label along with all the other cool combos they release stuff by.
August-Zak and I dressed up like a couple of paramedics and attacked Larry in a dark alley. He came to in the back of the van and signed our contract thinking it was a medical form! He was a little upset about the stitches, but I think we're all happy now.
Joe- I just want to give a HUGE thanks to Leslie and Larry at Steel Cage. We had been banging our heads against a wall sending out hundreds of demos and these guys just said, we like it, we'll put it out. They have been really supportive and helped us with alot of the package that we just had no idea of. Their mag Carbon 14 and label are two of the coolest, most crucial things on the planet. If anyone reading this has not seen Carbon 14, get off your ass and beg, borrow or steal a copy now! We are just real happy to be working with such a great label.
Zak- Steel Cage has been great to us so far, and they've even been discussing putting out a second album. They took the best from our two demos and mastered it, and sent us back and outstanding cover and insert. We're also certain that their help will be invaluable when we mount our summer tour.

GD- Your CD cover looks like some stills taken from '60s juvenile delinquent movies, do you happen to love or being inspired by b-movie imagery?
Alan-Totally. I'm a huge fan of people like Russ Meyer, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Ted V. Mikels, Doris Wishman and all sorts of especially AIP films stuff like that.
August- I'm a huge fan of old movies of all kinds. Originally I wanted to use a still from "the Killing," a Stanley Kubrick film, and a shot of Barbara Stanwyck with a pistol for the cover, but there were copyrigh issues…
Joe- I dig the b-movies and pulp novels, though not to the extent that the other guys do. It was a cool idea for the cover.
Zak- I think that all of us have a special place in our hearts for Russ Meyer. So many of the Film Noirs from the 40's and 50's are timeless. August also has a great collection of trashy novels that have really come in handy for our show flyers.

GD- What are the main influences for your sound? Even if every song on the record has a flavour on its own, I noticed strong hints to raw garage punk ala Spider Babies and also Dead Moon-alike rhythms...
Alan-Personally, I'd say that our influences go back a lot further than that. I am a big fan of Dead Moon - and all of Fred Cole's work from the Weeds to the Lollipop Shoppe to Zipper to the Rats to Dead Moon. I don't think the Spiderbabies are an influence, although I do like them. A lot of '60s garage and '70s punk play a bigger influence I'd say. August- When I write songs I usually ask myself if they'd sound out of place on "Raw Power" or "Exile on Main Street," my two favorite albums. Of course I don't think our music is quite the same caliber as the Stones or the Stooges, but that's my litmus test. Sometimes it's just a matter of what I've been listening to, like the MC5 for instance. Joe- I think August can speak to this better than I can as he writes most of the songs. My influences run from classical music through arena rock to punk and garage. I have an especially soft spot for early brit punk, so-cal punk and hardcore and early NW punk.

GD- Having been so active in the DIY and punk rock scene, let me ask you what do you think about the "tone" that magazines like MRR are taking these days, in my eyes spoiling the word "punk" a lot of its conceived meaning.
Alan- Well, I stopped reading MRR in '96, and even before that it was apparent the way it was going. I don't need some 20 year old telling me what is and isn't punk when I've been listening to it since before they were even born. I find MRR's whole attitude to be way to constrictive and dogmatic. It is music we're dealing with here after all, despite what they may claim to say concerning its political/social statement. Not that I have any problem using music as a political or social expression, but I think a lot of those MRR types just take themselves way too seriously.
August-I'm usually too busy to read magazines or fanzines, though there are a lot of really cool ones out there. I think it's a really important form of free expression and I know it's a lot of work to put out even the most minimal 'zine, so I applaud anyone who does it, even if I can't agree with their point of view. Action is always better than complacency. Like I applaud you, you don't like MRR, so you write your own stuff. People have been debating the meaning of 'punk' since it's inception and that's the heart of DIY re ally, like the Minutemen said it's "What you make it man." Joe- I haven't seen a copy of MRR since about 1985 so I have no reference, though it always seems that in any "scene" there are always elitists and outcasts and people who's whole thing is to just bicker about petty stuff. I try not to get caught up in it.

GD- Steel Cage Records is big on producing Confederacy of Scum and related bands, what do you think about 'em being on the same label?
Alan- I think it's great. I like a lot of stuff on the label. I've been a fan of Larry and Leslie's magazine, Carbon 14 for years, and I've been buying things on their label for years too. I've been an AntiSeen fan for a long time, and I also love bands like the 440s, Chickenhawks, Cretin 66, Limecell, the ADZ. Of course, Jeff Dahl is awesome. It's cool he did a CD for them as well.
August-My favorite Steel Cage band is Cretin 66, but there's so many good ones to choose from. I'm proud to see our name on such a fine and distinguished roster as Steel Cage.
Joe- I have to admit, I don't know anything about them, guess I'll have to give Larry a call to flow some of our labelmates' product my way, but the way I figure it is there is room for everyone, no matter what their views, or what they're into. I think we are probably one of the most tame bands on the label, we just like to have fun and rock out. To be on the same label as a band like Antiseen, is for me , a real priveledge. They have worked so hard for so long and have stayed true to themselves. That is inspiring.

GD- What are your future plans?
Alan-World domination.
August- Destroy Capitalism. Also, we'll be recording our second album later this year, a small tour this summer, and we're on a Devil Dogs tribute coming out this fall on Head Dip records. Eventually we'd like to tour Europe.
Joe- I own my own construction company and that keeps me real busy, but I'd like to tour some, I'd really love to come over to Europe and play. We'll just keep doing what we do, maybe release another album and/or some singles. We are pretty low key about things so, who knows?
Zak- We're already excited to start recording our new material. Much of our new stuff is really all over the board style wise.

GD- Ok, tell whatever you want to our readers.
Alan- Buy our CD, come to our shows, support live music and independent music. Don't let "the man" grind you down. Read lots of Howard Zinn.
August- Support your local musicians and independent music retailers, get involved in your local scene. Start your own band, write your own 'zine, start your own pirate radio station or record label. If you don't like the world around you then get up and do something about it, silence is complicity, YOU MUST CHOOSE!
Joe- Thanks again Marco and thanks to whoever might read this.
Zak- The spirit of rock n' roll is alive and well. Hopefully we'll make it out across the pond someday, but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.

Contact THE EARACHES: CLICK HERE to send an e-mail or CLICK HERE to go to their website!!!