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22 December 2023
RATHER THAN TRY AND DESCRIBE WHAT HURRY-UP OFFENSE SOUNDS LIKE, OR HOW COOL A MOTHERFUCKER BASSIST MAX LEAVITT WAS ON THE PHONE, I'LL JUST LET YOU READ THIS INTERVIEW I DID WITH HIM. WE TALK AMSTERDAM, THE ELEPHANT MAN, AND THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. YOU FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.
Max: So, what’s up, man?
Vinnie: Nothin’ much. I was just reading up on you guys today to learn a little more about you. Man, I hope I was reading about the right band. It was the most bizarre information I’ve ever seen.
M: Really?
V: There was just some stuff where I was like, “What? Really?”
Both: (laugh)
V: I guess I’ll just run through it.
M: Yeah. And if I feel like it’s a different band, we can stop and figure it out.
V: Unless it’s really fucking cool, and you want it to be your band.
M: Yeah, yeah! If it’s a really cool gangsta rap thing with the bling and the bitches, let’s just keep it, okay?
V: (laughs)
M: Yo, can you hold on one second? I’m going to wrap up this thing on my computer so I can give you my full attention.
V: Yeah, sure.
[MAX TAKES A MOMENT TO WRAP SOMETHING UP ON HIS COMPUTER.]
M: Cool. I got this iPod for Christmas, and I’m just having a good time with it; pulling shit from all my CDs. Even stuff I never listen to. I’m just like, “Whatever.”
Both: (laugh)
M: Fill this bitch up! (laughs)
V: Are you in Manhattan?
M: I’m in Manhattan right now.
V: Is it crazy living right in the city?
M: It’s awesome. I love it. I mean, with every place you live, it can get to you after awhile. It can get crazy on the subway, or with cabs and traffic and shit, but I miss it when I’m gone. I really like it.
V: Have you always lived there?
M: No. I came out to New York about eight years ago to go to college, and I just stuck around afterward.
V: Where did you come from?
M: San Francisco, California.
V: Really?
M: Yeah. That’s where I met Nat, actually. Did you talk to Nat, the manager for my band?
V: Yeah.
M: I actually met him my freshman year of high school. He used to cheat off of me.
Both: (laugh)
M: I am solely responsible-- and don’t let him tell you any different-- he gets so pissed when I tell people this, but I am solely responsible for his high school diploma. No question.
V: I am so going to harass him.
M: Definitely! (laughs) He gets so annoyed. He’s like, “Dude!” And I’m just like, “Yeah, definitely. People should know that.”
Both: (laugh)
V: So, the stuff I read today, there was something about Amsterdam.
M: Yeah, that’s the right band. Definitely.
V: Okay. Then, just for the people who don’t know the little that I do, can you give a back story about the band, about Amsterdam, and about how you guys all met?
M: Sure. One summer I was studying abroad, and Jason and I met at a foam party.
V: A foam party?
M: Yeah. Have you never heard of a foam party? Because I had no idea what they were until I was actually in the middle of one. It’s this crazy shit they do in Europe and Ibiza, at raves, where they have this foam stuff, which is like really big bubbles from your bathtub. You know how when you’re in the bathtub with really big, sudsy bubbles, and you can play with it and shit?
V: Yeah.
M: Well, imagine a pool of that shit, up to your fucking chest. It’s no water, just the bubbles.
V: (laughs)
M: It was so weird. (laughs) I don’t even like that kind of music or anything, but I was in Amsterdam, you know? (in mock Amsterdam accent) “Go out and party! Dance!”
Both: (laugh)
M: But Jason and I were in school together, out there in Amsterdam. We started fucking around on guitars and stuff, and thought it was really cool. When we got back to New York, we wanted to start a band. So we found Peter and corrupted him, and now it’s all good. (laughs)
V: And your name-- Hurry-Up Offense-- am I right in thinking you named yourselves after how you would attack the stage?
M: Well, it was from our first show that we ever played. We went to this club in the village, and nobody knew about us. We’d just been rehearsing for three months, and all we had were three songs, you know? So we walked in and were like, “Hey, can we play these three songs?” And the guy was like, “Uh,.. no way.” So we asked the bands, and finally we had harassed the owner of the club so much that he was like, “You can play your three songs, but hurry the fuck up.” (laughs) So we played a show, and someone was pretty much standing over us, timing us, thinking, “Get the fuck off the stage right now!” And we were all, “No. Really quick, just let us play this song.” (laughs) It was actually exciting, and it pushed us in a direction-- a way of playing music-- that is now sort of our signature style: playing with a lot of energy, as fast as we can, packing a ten-song set into the length of three songs, with that kind of energy.
V: Awesome.
M: Now we actually legitimately book shows.
Both: (laugh)
V: You know, the coolest thing about it, what I couldn’t get over about the EP that I got, was that you guys don’t really sacrifice quality for speed.
M: Right.
V: And I think that’s one of the most terrible things about a lot of new bands, especially bands that say, “Oh, we’re punk!” They play fast, but there’s no melody to it; no songwriting at all.
M: Yeah! I totally agree. We played this all-ages show in Coney Island right before the end of the year, and a couple kids came up to me and were like, “Wow! You guys really sing.” I always thought it’s much more powerful to hear a tone, to hear a melody, a voice-- especially to even hear harmonies. It’s soulful, emotionally, much more so than screaming. You can scream as much as you possibly want, but it’s so general. It’s not specific. It’s just general noise. It can only be interpreted one way. Whereas, when you hear melodies, it’s just so much more powerful.
V: Lyrically, you guys don’t suck, either.
M: (laughs) Yeah.
V: You sing, and you’re actually singing about something.
M: Well, thank you, dude. Thank you. I have good days and bad days when I’m writing. I’ll get to the end of writing a song, and I'll be like, “Oh, man. This shit is so gay. Let me throw this away.” The ones that we actually record and play live, yeah, there’s a lot of thought that’s going into it.
V: And-- this might sound like a stupid question-- but are you guys aware of how much your sound has evolved since the first record?
M: Um,.. yeah. A little bit. I think it’s kind of like getting fat. If you start getting fat, you don’t really notice it. But all of a sudden, lots of people will come up to you and be like, “Dude, you got fat!”
V: (laughs)
M: Or it’s like the minute hand on a public school clock. It never fucking moves, but time still passes, and, thank God, class is actually over. But you never see it moving!
V: Yeah!
M: I think it’s like that. I was so desperate to play shows-- and I still am-- but in the very beginning, I was so desperate to have a repertoire of some kind that I would write and write and write. And now that we have built up a lot of songs, it gets harder. You start writing better songs, but the more songs you write, the harder it is to write them, because you keep raising the bar.
V: Yeah.
M: So, I guess I don’t know if I’m aware of us evolving. No. It’s hard to tell, really. But you’ve looked at the new stuff, and you say, “Oh, shit. This is pretty good.”
V: Well, I think it’s all good.
M: (laughs) Cool, man. Cool. I’m glad you liked it. And by the way, that review is so awesome. Thank you so much. I was so down in the dumps, and then Nat was like, “I’m sending you this link.” I saw it and was like, “Oh, yes!”
V: Dude, seriously, we get so much shit sent here. And it’s almost a kiss of death when I hear, “We’re a punk band.” I grew up on the stuff, but there’s so much of it out there, so I’m very critical of it, you know? There’s so much shit where it’s some kids playing fast and singing: “Oh, I lost my socks today,” or something equally gay. I hear it, and I’m like, “Aw, hell no!” But I got your EP, and it was word.
M: Man, I’m so glad, because you’re right. This punk thing is hard. It’s very sensitive to a lot of people. And in the last four years, it’s broken into so many subgenres. But we call ourselves "punk", because punk shows are the best. There’s really no more to it than that. I love going to punk shows. I grew up going to punk shows. Those are the shows that I like to go to, that I want to be at, so that’s why I call myself "punk".
V: I think, too, that you guys are definitely doing your own thing with it, you know? It’s real hard to pigeonhole your sound.
M: We really try to make it original. That’s one of the things we kept in our heads when we did Warped Tour these last few years. I love the tour, and I love all the bands on it. But just spending a full day at that tour, seeing 50 odd bands, everything kinda starts washing into each other. It really forces you every day to ask yourself, “What are we going to do to stand out?” Not only is it fifty bands, but it’s ten stages! I didn’t want us to be different for the sake of being different, but I did want us to not be afraid of definitely doing our own thing.
V: On those tours, were there bands you looked up to who would come up to you at the end of the day and say, “Wow, man. Your set was awesome.”
M: Naw.
Both: (laugh)
M: Nobody knows we exist, really. There have been other bands there that are friends of ours who like us, and who we like. But in terms of, like, Tim from Rancid coming up to us, no. They have yet to have their "Hurry-Up Experience". I’m looking forward to the day that happens, though. (laughs)
V: See, that’s how small my scope of the world is. If I like a band, I just assume they’re the biggest shit on Earth!
M: Well, that’s a good assumption for us.
Both: (laugh)
M: Don’t let me pull that curtain back.
V: Dude, I’ll just build up this illusion through tastes like chicken that Hurry-Up Offense is the biggest thing on Earth!
M: And you should! I think we’re the biggest shit on Earth. But in terms of radar, we’re working our asses off to push that.
V: Is it frustrating as hell, to work your ass off to try and get noticed, without instant results?
M: Oh,.. it’s a worry. My personality, though, I’m a worried, nervous, anxious, stressed guy. I’m the opposite of laid back. That’s how I operate. I think that the work is more and more about getting one more person a day to know about or hear about us. A while back, I sorta stopped waiting for things to happen, and I just started working my ass off. It became part of the process. I don’t worry about, “Oh, it’s not going to happen.” None of it’s magic. None of it’s luck. If you get in a van and drive everywhere you can and play for as many people as you can, people will start to notice you. It’s just a matter of working. What you put into it is what you get out.
V: You guys were Carson Daly’s house band, right?
M: Yeah.
V: How in the hell did that happen?
M: (laughs) Nat heard through the grapevine that they were looking to get a house band on Last Call, which is on after Conan.
V: Seems like a pretty big deal.
M: Oh, yeah! It’s been awesome to do. We’ve done it four times now. Everyone there is really nice, and it’s a fun, fun day. But in terms of,.. it’s not like the phones started to ring after that, you know? Not at all. Nothing really has changed by doing it. But that’s not why we do it. We do it because it’s fun. We get to be on TV, and that’s exposure. But, mostly, it’s a way for my mom to say, “Check it out,” to her friends. Touring and interacting with our fans has been a lot more effective.
V: See, and when I read about this, I was like, “Fuck! How in the hell did I not hear about these guys! They’re on national television!” I thought maybe I’ve been totally walking through life with my eyes closed.
M: No, no. (laughs)
V: I thought it was really cool, though. I’m sure somebody out there will be at your show one day and think, “Holy shit! These are the guys from Carson Daly!”
M: Aw, that would be awesome. Every now and then, people on the street say it, and I’m just like, “Great! Now come to our shows!”
Both: (laugh)
V: You guys are about to go on another tour, right?
M: Yeah, Wednesday. (sighs) And we have no van. (sighs) And this has been my life for the last two weeks.
V: (laughs)
M: Our van died when we were in Jacksonville. So, naturally, we’re like, “We need a new van.” And I’m real confident, you know: “Oh, when we get back to New York, we’ll get a new van. No problem.” But it’s not like buying a CD at a store, you know? There’s so much bullshit that goes into it-- insurance, registration, all that stuff. I’m totally overwhelmed. But, we’ll pull it off. Everything will fall into place, I’m sure. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks, though.
V: Shit.
M: So, yeah, we’re going out on the road next week with Army Of Me, which I’m excited about. They’re an awesome band. Jason and Vince are good friends, and they booked this whole tour together. I love going out with other bands. It’s so much fun. Of course, the one time the tour is totally booked up and hyped and promoted and we get it all done ahead of time, of course, the van dies.
V: (laughs)
M: (laughs) One of these days, it’ll just be us worrying about writing songs and playing great shows. Until then, we’re stuffing press kits and looking for vans,.. shit like that.
V: Okay. I have one other question about all the weird shit I read on you guys. There was something about an MTV show that I read, and two of you were in it?
M: Yeah. Actually, it was a commercial. Jason and I do commercial work sometimes to pay the bills. It’s sorta lame, but it pays well. Anyway, Jason and I were auditioning for this promo commercial for MTV. It has nothing to do with our band. There were tons of people there; three days of auditions. I got casted, and showed up on the set. Then, all of a sudden, Jason shows up on the set. We were randomly cast together in an MTV promo commercial!
V: Well, that answered my next question; whether or not you all were working jobs to pay the bills, or just playing music.
M: Almost. If it was sink or swim, we could probably swim. But Pete has catering work. I worked at a restaurant for three years. Jason does a lot of commercial and voice-over stuff, and he and Peter actually cater together. Just jobs like that when we’re home. But we tour so much that we can’t commit to having big jobs. When we are home, it’s time to make some money.
V: It’s kinda cool that you can work something other than a grunt job, you know? Doing commercials, it’s not like you have to shovel horseshit.
M: Oh, yeah. I know. For the hours, it does pay really, really well. You know, you can still catch the commercial. It’s called “Elephant Freshman”, and it‘s about this guy--
V: --HOLY SHIT! I saw that when I was home for Christmas!
M: Yeah! There are actually three spots. Jason’s in all of them. But the one that he and I are in together, I pull up in the red Camaro, and I’m lookin’ all New Jersey, like Bon Jovi, with no sleeves, listening to some cock rock. Jason pulls up in this dorky blue Volvo, which is actually the director’s car, and all of his friends are in it. One of them is the Elephant Man, and he leans out the window and is like, “Excuse me. Are you Starsky, or are you Hutch?” And then they peel out. You gotta check it out. It’s funny. And when we were on the set together, people were like, “You guys know each other?” And I’d tell them, “Yeah. We’re all in a band together.”
V: So, you guys are touring now. A few months ago, things seemed really politically volatile here. A lot of the bands I talk to would tell me that the overall feel of their shows would reflect that. When you guys go out, do you use the stage to share your politics?
M: Sometimes, in the scene, being political means being anti-establishment. When, in fact, being political is more like expressing your beliefs, whatever they are. In terms of that, I’d say we’re definitely political. It’s open to a lot of different things. I’ve learned the most about that through touring. You get to see a lot of the country, and you realize how different a lot of places are. You see how people think differently, whether you believe in what they think or not. And I think our band is about standing up for what you believe in, regardless of what that is. I just finished a song that does have more of a political voice, but it comes from an everyday place. We are from New York City, and we lived through September 11th. People can spout off and debate about that, and talk politics and foreign policy and whatever they want, but that was my day. I woke up that morning, and that was a day for me. It involved my family and my friends. It was shit that really happened. I have this line in one of my songs that says: “Politics don’t mean shit when you’ve lost your son or your brother.” And I fully believe that. When you’re dealing with life or death, you can’t rationalize anything. It’s about someone dying, and you loved that person. You had coffee with them. You had drinks with them. Those experiences of life have nothing to do with voting or politics or the economy or anything like that. That is something so deeply personal. And that’s what my songs reflect, because that day, all of a sudden, the headlines were happening right at my door, you know?
V: Yeah.
M: That’s what our band is about, politically. When you read the paper, you just can’t escape what’s happening in the world. It’s upsetting.
V: Tell me about it.
M: It’s like, what the fuck? It doesn’t matter about agreeing or not. It just upsets you as a human being. It’s not about casting blame. It’s just the tide, and it’s fucked up, and most of all, scary. Sorry for spouting off like that.
V: Oh, no.
M: That’s what I think. There are a lot of bands I really like, like Anti-Flag. I really like them, and I agree with some of the things they say. But, for me, it’s just more about having the balls to say whatever it is you say, no matter what, and feeling like you can do that.
V: I totally agree. I mean, for me, I'll listen to bands and wonder if they ever stop and think: “Hey-- we’re singing about a lot of political stuff, but what about the people that we’re singing to?” I think what you’re saying, I totally dig. You’re singing about things that your audience, and people in general, can totally relate to. I grew up listening to Bad Religion, and that’s some pretty heavy shit. (laughs)
M: Yeah. (laughs)
V: You’re sitting there with your dictionary,...
M: They’re Harvard graduates or something like that.
V: I grew up listening to that shit, you know? And once I managed to look up most of the words in the songs, I was all, “Yeah! Totally! Right on!” But after awhile, it hits me that a lot of this stuff is not a part of my everyday life. I understand politics. I read up on things. I know what’s going on in the world. But my day-to-day is, “How can I make the rent this month?”
M: Exactly!
V: Shit like that, you know? Or it’s passing some homeless people on the street, or talking to my brother and sister if they’re going through some shit. That’s the stuff I do. That’s the stuff I can relate to.
M: Yeah! That’s totally how I feel about it, too. You have to be aware of what your audience is into. And some bands are into alienating their audiences. They want to speak out about something, and they’re gonna speak out about it one way, and you’re either with them or you’re not. But, for me, it’s the same way as meeting people. Some people are like, “Whatever. This is how I am. Deal with it.” But that’s not me. I want to get to know a lot of people. I want to meet and be friends with a lot of people. Learn as much as I can. And I don’t think you can do that holding fast to one belief and spreading it.
V: Yeah.
M: When you’re in a band it represents you and what you believe in, so you have to choose carefully. And it’s like you said, you have to know who you’re talking to. I’ve seen some bands, and they start talking and I’m like, “Okay,.. I’m gonna go to the bar and get a beer.”
Both: (laugh)
M: Not to be a dick to them, but it can be a lot more effective if it were talked about in the right way.
V: Right on. Well, my fucking tape is running out. What else do you want people to know about? What else is going on that everyone in the world should read-- and trust me, everyone in the world will read this. (laughs)
M: Awesome! Um,.. we’re going to Japan in February.
V: Fuck!
M: Yeah. It’s awesome. We did the whole thing ourselves. And that means you never know what the fuck is going to happen.
Both: (laugh)
M: Dude, it’s just like, let’s get there with our instruments and see what happens. That’s a horrible way to be about it, to be honest, but how hard could it be? I’ve always wanted to go there. The guy who produced our last record is friends with a lot of Japanese bands, and he’s kinda cashing in a favor for us to get some shows booked. So that’s cool. I’m also really psyched to be on tour with Army Of Me. I love them. And we’ll be coming to a town near you very soon, 'cause it don’t stop.
V: Then you’ll be on the Bad Boy World Tour, and you’ll open up for Jay-Z.
M: Yeah, what is it? The Smoke-A-Lot Tour? The Up In Smoke Tour? Man, I’d love to do all that shit.
V: My dream, just because of the record collection I have, is to put together something like Lollapalooza, but cool.
M: (laughs) Aw,...
V: Someday, I’ll put on one show in the middle of America, and it will have the most retarded lineup on Earth. I’ll give you guys a big slot.
M: You have to stick us right before Dre.
V: Man, you should get him to produce a record for you!
M: You know what? I really want to get our song “Juicy” to P. Diddy to see what he thinks about it. He’ll either really dig it, or he'll sue the shit out of me. I’ve either disgraced his best friend’s memory, or he’ll dig the shit out of it. I’ve always thought a rap producer would do really well producing a punk band.
V: I don’t think Puffy would sue you, dude. He’s been stealing people’s shit for years.
Both: (laugh)
M: And anyway, that chorus is from another song. Biggie took it from a song from the Sixties called “Juicy Fruit”. So, I’m just building on the legacy!
Both: (laugh)
HAVE YOUR OWN HURRY-UP EXPERIENCE HERE.
Max: So, what’s up, man?
Vinnie: Nothin’ much. I was just reading up on you guys today to learn a little more about you. Man, I hope I was reading about the right band. It was the most bizarre information I’ve ever seen.
M: Really?
V: There was just some stuff where I was like, “What? Really?”
Both: (laugh)
V: I guess I’ll just run through it.
M: Yeah. And if I feel like it’s a different band, we can stop and figure it out.
V: Unless it’s really fucking cool, and you want it to be your band.
M: Yeah, yeah! If it’s a really cool gangsta rap thing with the bling and the bitches, let’s just keep it, okay?
V: (laughs)
M: Yo, can you hold on one second? I’m going to wrap up this thing on my computer so I can give you my full attention.
V: Yeah, sure.
[MAX TAKES A MOMENT TO WRAP SOMETHING UP ON HIS COMPUTER.]
M: Cool. I got this iPod for Christmas, and I’m just having a good time with it; pulling shit from all my CDs. Even stuff I never listen to. I’m just like, “Whatever.”
Both: (laugh)
M: Fill this bitch up! (laughs)
V: Are you in Manhattan?
M: I’m in Manhattan right now.
V: Is it crazy living right in the city?
M: It’s awesome. I love it. I mean, with every place you live, it can get to you after awhile. It can get crazy on the subway, or with cabs and traffic and shit, but I miss it when I’m gone. I really like it.
V: Have you always lived there?
M: No. I came out to New York about eight years ago to go to college, and I just stuck around afterward.
V: Where did you come from?
M: San Francisco, California.
V: Really?
M: Yeah. That’s where I met Nat, actually. Did you talk to Nat, the manager for my band?
V: Yeah.
M: I actually met him my freshman year of high school. He used to cheat off of me.
Both: (laugh)
M: I am solely responsible-- and don’t let him tell you any different-- he gets so pissed when I tell people this, but I am solely responsible for his high school diploma. No question.
V: I am so going to harass him.
M: Definitely! (laughs) He gets so annoyed. He’s like, “Dude!” And I’m just like, “Yeah, definitely. People should know that.”
Both: (laugh)
V: So, the stuff I read today, there was something about Amsterdam.
M: Yeah, that’s the right band. Definitely.
V: Okay. Then, just for the people who don’t know the little that I do, can you give a back story about the band, about Amsterdam, and about how you guys all met?
M: Sure. One summer I was studying abroad, and Jason and I met at a foam party.
V: A foam party?
M: Yeah. Have you never heard of a foam party? Because I had no idea what they were until I was actually in the middle of one. It’s this crazy shit they do in Europe and Ibiza, at raves, where they have this foam stuff, which is like really big bubbles from your bathtub. You know how when you’re in the bathtub with really big, sudsy bubbles, and you can play with it and shit?
V: Yeah.
M: Well, imagine a pool of that shit, up to your fucking chest. It’s no water, just the bubbles.
V: (laughs)
M: It was so weird. (laughs) I don’t even like that kind of music or anything, but I was in Amsterdam, you know? (in mock Amsterdam accent) “Go out and party! Dance!”
Both: (laugh)
M: But Jason and I were in school together, out there in Amsterdam. We started fucking around on guitars and stuff, and thought it was really cool. When we got back to New York, we wanted to start a band. So we found Peter and corrupted him, and now it’s all good. (laughs)
V: And your name-- Hurry-Up Offense-- am I right in thinking you named yourselves after how you would attack the stage?
M: Well, it was from our first show that we ever played. We went to this club in the village, and nobody knew about us. We’d just been rehearsing for three months, and all we had were three songs, you know? So we walked in and were like, “Hey, can we play these three songs?” And the guy was like, “Uh,.. no way.” So we asked the bands, and finally we had harassed the owner of the club so much that he was like, “You can play your three songs, but hurry the fuck up.” (laughs) So we played a show, and someone was pretty much standing over us, timing us, thinking, “Get the fuck off the stage right now!” And we were all, “No. Really quick, just let us play this song.” (laughs) It was actually exciting, and it pushed us in a direction-- a way of playing music-- that is now sort of our signature style: playing with a lot of energy, as fast as we can, packing a ten-song set into the length of three songs, with that kind of energy.
V: Awesome.
M: Now we actually legitimately book shows.
Both: (laugh)
V: You know, the coolest thing about it, what I couldn’t get over about the EP that I got, was that you guys don’t really sacrifice quality for speed.
M: Right.
V: And I think that’s one of the most terrible things about a lot of new bands, especially bands that say, “Oh, we’re punk!” They play fast, but there’s no melody to it; no songwriting at all.
M: Yeah! I totally agree. We played this all-ages show in Coney Island right before the end of the year, and a couple kids came up to me and were like, “Wow! You guys really sing.” I always thought it’s much more powerful to hear a tone, to hear a melody, a voice-- especially to even hear harmonies. It’s soulful, emotionally, much more so than screaming. You can scream as much as you possibly want, but it’s so general. It’s not specific. It’s just general noise. It can only be interpreted one way. Whereas, when you hear melodies, it’s just so much more powerful.
V: Lyrically, you guys don’t suck, either.
M: (laughs) Yeah.
V: You sing, and you’re actually singing about something.
M: Well, thank you, dude. Thank you. I have good days and bad days when I’m writing. I’ll get to the end of writing a song, and I'll be like, “Oh, man. This shit is so gay. Let me throw this away.” The ones that we actually record and play live, yeah, there’s a lot of thought that’s going into it.
V: And-- this might sound like a stupid question-- but are you guys aware of how much your sound has evolved since the first record?
M: Um,.. yeah. A little bit. I think it’s kind of like getting fat. If you start getting fat, you don’t really notice it. But all of a sudden, lots of people will come up to you and be like, “Dude, you got fat!”
V: (laughs)
M: Or it’s like the minute hand on a public school clock. It never fucking moves, but time still passes, and, thank God, class is actually over. But you never see it moving!
V: Yeah!
M: I think it’s like that. I was so desperate to play shows-- and I still am-- but in the very beginning, I was so desperate to have a repertoire of some kind that I would write and write and write. And now that we have built up a lot of songs, it gets harder. You start writing better songs, but the more songs you write, the harder it is to write them, because you keep raising the bar.
V: Yeah.
M: So, I guess I don’t know if I’m aware of us evolving. No. It’s hard to tell, really. But you’ve looked at the new stuff, and you say, “Oh, shit. This is pretty good.”
V: Well, I think it’s all good.
M: (laughs) Cool, man. Cool. I’m glad you liked it. And by the way, that review is so awesome. Thank you so much. I was so down in the dumps, and then Nat was like, “I’m sending you this link.” I saw it and was like, “Oh, yes!”
V: Dude, seriously, we get so much shit sent here. And it’s almost a kiss of death when I hear, “We’re a punk band.” I grew up on the stuff, but there’s so much of it out there, so I’m very critical of it, you know? There’s so much shit where it’s some kids playing fast and singing: “Oh, I lost my socks today,” or something equally gay. I hear it, and I’m like, “Aw, hell no!” But I got your EP, and it was word.
M: Man, I’m so glad, because you’re right. This punk thing is hard. It’s very sensitive to a lot of people. And in the last four years, it’s broken into so many subgenres. But we call ourselves "punk", because punk shows are the best. There’s really no more to it than that. I love going to punk shows. I grew up going to punk shows. Those are the shows that I like to go to, that I want to be at, so that’s why I call myself "punk".
V: I think, too, that you guys are definitely doing your own thing with it, you know? It’s real hard to pigeonhole your sound.
M: We really try to make it original. That’s one of the things we kept in our heads when we did Warped Tour these last few years. I love the tour, and I love all the bands on it. But just spending a full day at that tour, seeing 50 odd bands, everything kinda starts washing into each other. It really forces you every day to ask yourself, “What are we going to do to stand out?” Not only is it fifty bands, but it’s ten stages! I didn’t want us to be different for the sake of being different, but I did want us to not be afraid of definitely doing our own thing.
V: On those tours, were there bands you looked up to who would come up to you at the end of the day and say, “Wow, man. Your set was awesome.”
M: Naw.
Both: (laugh)
M: Nobody knows we exist, really. There have been other bands there that are friends of ours who like us, and who we like. But in terms of, like, Tim from Rancid coming up to us, no. They have yet to have their "Hurry-Up Experience". I’m looking forward to the day that happens, though. (laughs)
V: See, that’s how small my scope of the world is. If I like a band, I just assume they’re the biggest shit on Earth!
M: Well, that’s a good assumption for us.
Both: (laugh)
M: Don’t let me pull that curtain back.
V: Dude, I’ll just build up this illusion through tastes like chicken that Hurry-Up Offense is the biggest thing on Earth!
M: And you should! I think we’re the biggest shit on Earth. But in terms of radar, we’re working our asses off to push that.
V: Is it frustrating as hell, to work your ass off to try and get noticed, without instant results?
M: Oh,.. it’s a worry. My personality, though, I’m a worried, nervous, anxious, stressed guy. I’m the opposite of laid back. That’s how I operate. I think that the work is more and more about getting one more person a day to know about or hear about us. A while back, I sorta stopped waiting for things to happen, and I just started working my ass off. It became part of the process. I don’t worry about, “Oh, it’s not going to happen.” None of it’s magic. None of it’s luck. If you get in a van and drive everywhere you can and play for as many people as you can, people will start to notice you. It’s just a matter of working. What you put into it is what you get out.
V: You guys were Carson Daly’s house band, right?
M: Yeah.
V: How in the hell did that happen?
M: (laughs) Nat heard through the grapevine that they were looking to get a house band on Last Call, which is on after Conan.
V: Seems like a pretty big deal.
M: Oh, yeah! It’s been awesome to do. We’ve done it four times now. Everyone there is really nice, and it’s a fun, fun day. But in terms of,.. it’s not like the phones started to ring after that, you know? Not at all. Nothing really has changed by doing it. But that’s not why we do it. We do it because it’s fun. We get to be on TV, and that’s exposure. But, mostly, it’s a way for my mom to say, “Check it out,” to her friends. Touring and interacting with our fans has been a lot more effective.
V: See, and when I read about this, I was like, “Fuck! How in the hell did I not hear about these guys! They’re on national television!” I thought maybe I’ve been totally walking through life with my eyes closed.
M: No, no. (laughs)
V: I thought it was really cool, though. I’m sure somebody out there will be at your show one day and think, “Holy shit! These are the guys from Carson Daly!”
M: Aw, that would be awesome. Every now and then, people on the street say it, and I’m just like, “Great! Now come to our shows!”
Both: (laugh)
V: You guys are about to go on another tour, right?
M: Yeah, Wednesday. (sighs) And we have no van. (sighs) And this has been my life for the last two weeks.
V: (laughs)
M: Our van died when we were in Jacksonville. So, naturally, we’re like, “We need a new van.” And I’m real confident, you know: “Oh, when we get back to New York, we’ll get a new van. No problem.” But it’s not like buying a CD at a store, you know? There’s so much bullshit that goes into it-- insurance, registration, all that stuff. I’m totally overwhelmed. But, we’ll pull it off. Everything will fall into place, I’m sure. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks, though.
V: Shit.
M: So, yeah, we’re going out on the road next week with Army Of Me, which I’m excited about. They’re an awesome band. Jason and Vince are good friends, and they booked this whole tour together. I love going out with other bands. It’s so much fun. Of course, the one time the tour is totally booked up and hyped and promoted and we get it all done ahead of time, of course, the van dies.
V: (laughs)
M: (laughs) One of these days, it’ll just be us worrying about writing songs and playing great shows. Until then, we’re stuffing press kits and looking for vans,.. shit like that.
V: Okay. I have one other question about all the weird shit I read on you guys. There was something about an MTV show that I read, and two of you were in it?
M: Yeah. Actually, it was a commercial. Jason and I do commercial work sometimes to pay the bills. It’s sorta lame, but it pays well. Anyway, Jason and I were auditioning for this promo commercial for MTV. It has nothing to do with our band. There were tons of people there; three days of auditions. I got casted, and showed up on the set. Then, all of a sudden, Jason shows up on the set. We were randomly cast together in an MTV promo commercial!
V: Well, that answered my next question; whether or not you all were working jobs to pay the bills, or just playing music.
M: Almost. If it was sink or swim, we could probably swim. But Pete has catering work. I worked at a restaurant for three years. Jason does a lot of commercial and voice-over stuff, and he and Peter actually cater together. Just jobs like that when we’re home. But we tour so much that we can’t commit to having big jobs. When we are home, it’s time to make some money.
V: It’s kinda cool that you can work something other than a grunt job, you know? Doing commercials, it’s not like you have to shovel horseshit.
M: Oh, yeah. I know. For the hours, it does pay really, really well. You know, you can still catch the commercial. It’s called “Elephant Freshman”, and it‘s about this guy--
V: --HOLY SHIT! I saw that when I was home for Christmas!
M: Yeah! There are actually three spots. Jason’s in all of them. But the one that he and I are in together, I pull up in the red Camaro, and I’m lookin’ all New Jersey, like Bon Jovi, with no sleeves, listening to some cock rock. Jason pulls up in this dorky blue Volvo, which is actually the director’s car, and all of his friends are in it. One of them is the Elephant Man, and he leans out the window and is like, “Excuse me. Are you Starsky, or are you Hutch?” And then they peel out. You gotta check it out. It’s funny. And when we were on the set together, people were like, “You guys know each other?” And I’d tell them, “Yeah. We’re all in a band together.”
V: So, you guys are touring now. A few months ago, things seemed really politically volatile here. A lot of the bands I talk to would tell me that the overall feel of their shows would reflect that. When you guys go out, do you use the stage to share your politics?
M: Sometimes, in the scene, being political means being anti-establishment. When, in fact, being political is more like expressing your beliefs, whatever they are. In terms of that, I’d say we’re definitely political. It’s open to a lot of different things. I’ve learned the most about that through touring. You get to see a lot of the country, and you realize how different a lot of places are. You see how people think differently, whether you believe in what they think or not. And I think our band is about standing up for what you believe in, regardless of what that is. I just finished a song that does have more of a political voice, but it comes from an everyday place. We are from New York City, and we lived through September 11th. People can spout off and debate about that, and talk politics and foreign policy and whatever they want, but that was my day. I woke up that morning, and that was a day for me. It involved my family and my friends. It was shit that really happened. I have this line in one of my songs that says: “Politics don’t mean shit when you’ve lost your son or your brother.” And I fully believe that. When you’re dealing with life or death, you can’t rationalize anything. It’s about someone dying, and you loved that person. You had coffee with them. You had drinks with them. Those experiences of life have nothing to do with voting or politics or the economy or anything like that. That is something so deeply personal. And that’s what my songs reflect, because that day, all of a sudden, the headlines were happening right at my door, you know?
V: Yeah.
M: That’s what our band is about, politically. When you read the paper, you just can’t escape what’s happening in the world. It’s upsetting.
V: Tell me about it.
M: It’s like, what the fuck? It doesn’t matter about agreeing or not. It just upsets you as a human being. It’s not about casting blame. It’s just the tide, and it’s fucked up, and most of all, scary. Sorry for spouting off like that.
V: Oh, no.
M: That’s what I think. There are a lot of bands I really like, like Anti-Flag. I really like them, and I agree with some of the things they say. But, for me, it’s just more about having the balls to say whatever it is you say, no matter what, and feeling like you can do that.
V: I totally agree. I mean, for me, I'll listen to bands and wonder if they ever stop and think: “Hey-- we’re singing about a lot of political stuff, but what about the people that we’re singing to?” I think what you’re saying, I totally dig. You’re singing about things that your audience, and people in general, can totally relate to. I grew up listening to Bad Religion, and that’s some pretty heavy shit. (laughs)
M: Yeah. (laughs)
V: You’re sitting there with your dictionary,...
M: They’re Harvard graduates or something like that.
V: I grew up listening to that shit, you know? And once I managed to look up most of the words in the songs, I was all, “Yeah! Totally! Right on!” But after awhile, it hits me that a lot of this stuff is not a part of my everyday life. I understand politics. I read up on things. I know what’s going on in the world. But my day-to-day is, “How can I make the rent this month?”
M: Exactly!
V: Shit like that, you know? Or it’s passing some homeless people on the street, or talking to my brother and sister if they’re going through some shit. That’s the stuff I do. That’s the stuff I can relate to.
M: Yeah! That’s totally how I feel about it, too. You have to be aware of what your audience is into. And some bands are into alienating their audiences. They want to speak out about something, and they’re gonna speak out about it one way, and you’re either with them or you’re not. But, for me, it’s the same way as meeting people. Some people are like, “Whatever. This is how I am. Deal with it.” But that’s not me. I want to get to know a lot of people. I want to meet and be friends with a lot of people. Learn as much as I can. And I don’t think you can do that holding fast to one belief and spreading it.
V: Yeah.
M: When you’re in a band it represents you and what you believe in, so you have to choose carefully. And it’s like you said, you have to know who you’re talking to. I’ve seen some bands, and they start talking and I’m like, “Okay,.. I’m gonna go to the bar and get a beer.”
Both: (laugh)
M: Not to be a dick to them, but it can be a lot more effective if it were talked about in the right way.
V: Right on. Well, my fucking tape is running out. What else do you want people to know about? What else is going on that everyone in the world should read-- and trust me, everyone in the world will read this. (laughs)
M: Awesome! Um,.. we’re going to Japan in February.
V: Fuck!
M: Yeah. It’s awesome. We did the whole thing ourselves. And that means you never know what the fuck is going to happen.
Both: (laugh)
M: Dude, it’s just like, let’s get there with our instruments and see what happens. That’s a horrible way to be about it, to be honest, but how hard could it be? I’ve always wanted to go there. The guy who produced our last record is friends with a lot of Japanese bands, and he’s kinda cashing in a favor for us to get some shows booked. So that’s cool. I’m also really psyched to be on tour with Army Of Me. I love them. And we’ll be coming to a town near you very soon, 'cause it don’t stop.
V: Then you’ll be on the Bad Boy World Tour, and you’ll open up for Jay-Z.
M: Yeah, what is it? The Smoke-A-Lot Tour? The Up In Smoke Tour? Man, I’d love to do all that shit.
V: My dream, just because of the record collection I have, is to put together something like Lollapalooza, but cool.
M: (laughs) Aw,...
V: Someday, I’ll put on one show in the middle of America, and it will have the most retarded lineup on Earth. I’ll give you guys a big slot.
M: You have to stick us right before Dre.
V: Man, you should get him to produce a record for you!
M: You know what? I really want to get our song “Juicy” to P. Diddy to see what he thinks about it. He’ll either really dig it, or he'll sue the shit out of me. I’ve either disgraced his best friend’s memory, or he’ll dig the shit out of it. I’ve always thought a rap producer would do really well producing a punk band.
V: I don’t think Puffy would sue you, dude. He’s been stealing people’s shit for years.
Both: (laugh)
M: And anyway, that chorus is from another song. Biggie took it from a song from the Sixties called “Juicy Fruit”. So, I’m just building on the legacy!
Both: (laugh)
HAVE YOUR OWN HURRY-UP EXPERIENCE HERE.
artid
2009
Old Image
6_6_hurryup.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 06 (feb 2004)
section
interviews