Aging Punks Back in the Swing

What do you get when you bring a group of guys together...all 30+...all music vets...and all with the rock 'n roll fever? You get Denver's newest Garage/Punk sensation, Primasonic. Though a relatively new band (having finalized their lineup in November of '06), these five mile-high residents are quickly making a name for themselves on the local scene...and beyond.

Popular alternative paper The Onion recently had this to say about the band's debut release, a limited-run 4-song demo EP which serves as a taste of what's to come when they release their debut full-length CD later this Summer via indie powerhouse label Antidote Records:

"From The Lazy Cowgirls to Riverboat gamblers, punk rock has an unflagging tradition of getting greasy, bluesy, and gutsy - a tradition that Primasonic is steeped in. With mid-tempo chug and sneering riffs, the group's debut EP Rock The Stockyards has plenty of rough edges, but that's kind of the point. Exposing the thin line between punk and rock 'n' roll, the disc bulldozes over cleanliness and cuteness with abandon, gleefully mauling The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" in the process." (The Onion 6/14 Issue)

I recently spoke to Primasonic's lead vocalist Sin (via telephone) and it went something like this...

BR: Let's start off with a brief history of the band, its members, etc.

Sin: Well, it all started off with me itching to get out and play again after over a dozen years of being out of the spotlight. I realized that the many years I'd spent playing in bands (from the mid 80s to early 90s) were some of the best times I'd had and also the most fun. Now my son was a teenager and my life was pretty much settled where I could afford to start playing again...so I scoured the Musicians Wanted ads on Craig's List and Backpage.com and even placed a couple myself. Just when I was about to give up on the whole thing I met Zac (drummer).

Zac and I shared a love for old punk and garage bands. He was also 100% responsible for getting me back into the beer drinking game. Ha ha. Anyway, we spent a very long time (over a year) looking for other members but with horrible results. Seems that this town is full of flakes and it's also pretty damned hard to find people with similar musical tastes as us.

Originally, Zac was going to play the guitar but, since we never found another drummer, he decided to stick with the skins. Eventually we met up with Bryon (guitar), who'd played in a previous band with Zac, but that didn't work out as planned so we "broke up" that group...and then Kurt (guitar) was unearthed. Still needing a bass player we once again called on Bryon for that duty and eventually decided we needed a second guitarist so Bryon moved on to second guitar and we called upon a friend of his, Clyde, for bass duty. That was around November of '06...

Things were moving along great so in February of this year we went into the studio to record our debut EP, then started playing shows...and now here we are.

Pretty cool. Anyway, your bio states that you are all veterans of various bands and have been playing for many years. Have we heard of any of those previous bands?

I'd be willing to bet that you have...at least of some. But we're not really about riding the coat-tails of our past so we'd much prefer to just focus on Primasonic right now.

That's fine. So tell me, Sin, what makes this band special to you? Is there a difference from playing in Primasonic and your previous bands?

What makes this band special to me is also what makes it so different from all of my previous other bands. In this band we're all mature and with "real" lives outside of the band. Most of us have "real" jobs...and families...and other interests that take up our time. We're doing this because we love to play music and not because we have any rock star delusions or ambitions. We're doing this because we're having fun doing it. The fact that other people seem to dig it as well is just an added bonus.

It also seems like the writing process in this band is different than with my previous bands. Everything comes together much easier and quicker. We all put our own unique signatures on the songs and the songs themselves are constantly evolving. Everyone contributes. There are no real egos here. No one is trying to hog the spotlight, so to speak. Know what I mean? Also, we're more mature now so all of those annoying little details that sidetrack younger bands don't really come into play here.

So all of you write the songs together, then? How does that work?

Well, someone will come in with an idea, play it for the rest of us, and then we hash it all out together. Like I said earlier, we all contribute...we all write...so it's a pretty democratic process. No one is really told what to play or how to do it. This isn't Danzig! Haha. No. It's more like, "here's an idea for a part...what do you think?"

And where does the inspiration come from?

Lack of sleep and lots of caffeine? Haha. No, but seriously...I can't speak for the other guys but my lyrical ideas come from real life, primarily. Things that annoy me. Things that bug me. People that piss me off. Situations, points of view...and all that jazz.

What about social commentary and politics? Your song "PC War" seems to have a political slant.

Well, I generally like to keep the politics out of my music. While I do have some strong political views of my own I'm more of the "shut up and sing" variety. Who am I to preach to you? I'd rather have fun with my songs than to try to change the world with them. Hell...I also know for a fact that my own views differ from some of the other guys in this band so why start trouble? Haha.

But getting back to "PC War", those lyrics were inspired by an email from a friend of mine who happens to be in Iraq right now. He was just expressing his frustrations to me about having to be a soldier fighting with one arm tied behind his back and not being allowed to do what they're supposed to. Being thrown into a combat situation but with too many warped rules or engagement.

Like what?

Well, like being fired upon ruthlessly from a house or even a mosque and not being allowed to retaliate. That's the kind of thing he was writing to me about. Also, about reading in the papers and watching on the news totally untrue accounts of what was really going on over there. Things like that.

So then the song is from that soldier's point of view and not your own?

It's from his point of view as well as that of his buddies. I may or may not share that point of view. But that's irrelevant.

Oh, come on, Sin...

Well, if I really need to lay it all down on the line then I guess you can say that I share his feelings. Cool?

Cool, buddy. Now what about the rest of Primasonic's songs? The ones on your new EP. What are they all about? More politics?

Like I said, I don't really like mixing my music with politics...so the answer is "no". Let's see..."Club Kid" is about those guys that spend a lot of money trying to look dirty. You know...like the $100 messy haircut? The $100 ripped jeans and stuff like that. It's about phony scenesters. The guys in girl pants. "Whipping Boy" is about a guy who's in a horrible abusive relationship...which he happens to love. He's kind of a masochist, I guess.

Does that one come from personal experience?

Haha. No. Not really. I happen to be in a really great relationship right now. It's based on an old friend of mine. Anyway, that's about it for the EP. We also do a cover of the Stones' classic "Paint it Black" but you'll have to ask Mick what that one's all about.

And how has the EP been doing?

People seem to like it enough. I mean, this is more of a demo or taste of what's to come from our upcoming full-length CD...but it's a decent enough representation of where we were back in February. We're mainly using it for promotional purposes. To get our name out and whatnot. But yeah, I'm very happy with how it's doing.

So when do you think you'll be ready to record the full-length disc and when might it see the light of day?

I'd say that we're pretty close to having a full album's worth of material written. My guess would be that we'll go back into the studio around August and then, hopefully, we can get the disc out in September or early October.

It's going to be released by Antidote Records, right? How did you get hooked up with them?

Haha. You mean you don't know? Antidote Records is my label. I started it back in 2001. So yeah...getting this deal was super easy. I slept with the boss. Haha.

Oh, well, that's cool. So you're keeping it all in-house, so to speak.

Yeah, you could say that. Actually, the label is doing very well these days so why not? Why use up time, money, and energy trying to get signed by another entity when we have a great one right here, you know?

But would you jump ship should other offers come in?

That would depend on the offer, I guess. But I'd say that I'm open to it. If a label with more resources wanted to take us on and it was a mutually beneficial deal then wouldn't we be stupid to say "no"? But for right now I think that Antidote will take us far enough. Plus, I know that the owner can be a moron sometimes...but he means well. Haha.

Haha. Alright. So let's get to your shows. Do you guys play out a lot? And what kind of response are you getting from the crowds?

First of all, I'd have to say that calling them "crowds" at this point is being a bit generous. I mean, we're just starting to develop our fanbase, you know? Sure, we get a number of people at our gigs but the shows and audience sizes get better with each show. Right now I think we've done about a half dozen gigs and they've all turned out pretty well. Surprisingly well, even. And as far as playing out a lot goes, we like to keep it at about twice a month. But that's flexible.

Have any of those half dozen gigs been out of the Denver area?

No. We're mainly concentrating on building a buzz locally at this point. I mean, we get emails and MySpace messages from people all over the world and that's very cool...and we're getting our songs played on radio stations outside of Denver as well...but as far as playing out goes we're keeping that local for right now. Sure, we'd probably consider an out of town gig if it was the right situation (playing with a major band, festival, whatever) but with most of us having real jobs and lives outside of the band that might prove difficult at this point.

Yeah, I can see how it would be. And now let's get to the MySpace question. Do you consider it a good or bad resource for bands?

MySpace can be both, I guess. I mean, it's helped us out a lot and helped many other bands with getting their name out and whatnot. Hell, even major labels are using it to promote new releases and new bands so in that sense it's a good thing. However, it can also be a pain in the ass.

Dealing with spammers and porn-bots. Then you have the "friend" collectors and stuff like that. You know, like the people who have a gazillion friends. Are we really supposed to believe that all of those people like you or even care about you or your band? I know of many bands who are out to collect as many friends as they can, regardless of whether those people even like the kind of music they play. Frankly, I'd rather have 100 real fans as friends than a million phony ones.

Yeah, that's true. Makes sense. Anyway, now I have to ask the question that most people tend to ask first in interviews. What or who are your main influences?

Personally, I was inspired to get into music by KISS at a very young age and then later the early punk scene. My KISS worship died out many years ago but old, classic punk rock is still my first love. In Primasonic we all bring in many wide and varied influences from punk and garage rock to metal and beyond. But what it all comes down to is what I would call dirty garage rock 'n roll with a punk attitude. Other than that, you decide.

Well, thank you so much for the interview, Sin. Best of luck with Primasonic. I'm sure I'll be up front at many of your Denver shows. Any last words for the readers?

Thanks a lot for the kind words and for granting me (us) this interview. We really appreciate it. All I can add is that if you're looking for some honest, gritty, dirty, fun, rock n' roll you should definitely give us a listen. And to keep up with us check out our MySpace page every now and then (www.myspace.com/primasonic).