Hi Luke, what was your introduction to the hardcore punk scene ?
In the mid 80’s, as a teenager, I was going to thrash metal shows in San Francisco. Many of the shows would have a crossover of metal, hardcore and punk bands. Also bands like Slayer and Metallica would have stickers of punk/hardcore bands on their guitars or be wearing shirts of punk bands which led me to go start buying some of the records. Record stores were also a great place to discover music. I would buy a lot of records just based on how cool I thought the record cover looked or if the person working at the store recommended something to me. By around 1987 I was buying more punk/hardcore records than metal records and started going to a lot more punk shows.
Can you remember the beginnings of Good Riddance ?
Good Riddance existed before I joined in 1989. Russ started the band in 1986 with some of his friends and played a mix of cover songs and originals. I believe I met Russ in 1988 when my band at the time (Rude Awakening) started playing shows/parties together around Santa Cruz. He and I became friends and at one point the GR guitar player broke his wrist while snowboarding and I filled in on guitar for a few shows. When my band broke up in 1989 I asked Russ if GR would be interested in having a second guitar player…thankfully they were. At that point the band went through about 5 years of twists and turns with various members until we finally were able to find our sound and landed a record deal with Fat Wreck Chords in 1994.
Have you got a favorite GR release or era ?
Operation Phoenix stands out. For me it was the first record I was proud of from front to back and I feel it really captured the spirit of the band from the songwriting to the lyrics to the tones. Going into recording Operation Phoenix we decided to change record producers in hopes of finding a different sound for the band. We decided to take a chance with Bill Stevenson at the Blasting Room because we really liked the catalogue of bands he had been producing and thought it would be cool to record with the old Black Flag drummer. Bill really helped us dig into the more aggressive side of the band and helped us define our sound for future records.
What can we expect from GR in the future ?
Probably safe to say we will continue to do short bursts of regional shows and perhaps talk about a doing a new record in a year or so. Other than that we all like to travel to new places so hopefully we’ll have some opportunities to play in countries we’ve never been to.
You did (and still do) some side-projects aside from GR. Can you tell us a bit about them ?
I’ve recently resuscitated a band I did 20 years ago. The band is called "Coercion 96". It is a real blend of all the music that has influenced me and the other band members over the last 30 years with influences ranging from Black Sabbath and Metallica to Agent Orange and TSOL. We just recorded 4 songs which we had written 20 years ago and have an E.P. titled "Exit Wounds" coming out on Bird Attack Records late June 2016.
What are your views on the world we live in, politics and metaphysical views included ?
Boy this question certainly opens a can of worms so I’ll keep it simple. In general, I am a proponent of living life by the Golden Rule…"do unto others as you would have them do unto you". I feel that if society lived by this standard our world would be a much better place. My political and metaphysical viewpoints and philosophies are based in this principle.
What was and what is the meaning of hardcore punk for you ?
An outlet for lives frustrations, comradery, inspiration, a challenge to think outside the box, ringing ears and a sore body…ha!
What are your views on straight-edge ?
I think for some people it can provide a positive foundation and direction. For others I feel it creates division and self-righteousness like a religion can do. I don’t have very strong views on it…as I am not straight edge despite that fact that our band gets labelled this sometimes because our singer is straight-edge.
Who are the people, from artists to thinkers, who had the biggest influence on you ?
I guess this could be the question where I could name some book authors, philosophers and musicians but to get to the heart of the question I think it is only fitting to talk about people I’ve had relationships with that have left a lasting influence on me. My greatest personal influences have always been my family, friends and band mates…I consider all of them to be artists and thinkers in their own right and they have all had some sort of influence on me (good and bad at times). My relationships span from very progressive left wing types to more conservative people. I try to understand all types of people and I feel most people have interesting points of view to offer…though I have no interest in people rooted in ignorance, hatred and bigotry.
Since I am a band guy I can elaborate a bit on my musical influences. My music roots began when I was 6 years old and my parents bought me the KISS Alive II record…they inspired me to make my first guitar out of wood and cardboard at age 7. As I grew up I evolved into finding a connection with aggressive and pointed music in my early teens (Slayer, Metallica, Testament) and was then drawn to bands that had an aggressive edge with a thought provoking message or cool style (Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Adolescents, TSOL). I am a bit of a musical mutt. As I’ve gotten older I’ve also dabbled in 80’s pop, 70’s classic rock and will even listen to Jack Johnson if the mood is right…ha!
We lost two great singers from the California scene in the last few years, Tony Sly and Jon Bunch more recently. Any memories ?
I never met Jon Bunch but was a fan of a lot of his music. The GR singer Russ had turned me on to Reason to Believe way back and I also thought Sense Field was one of the most underrated bands of our time. Tony Sly was a great guy…talented, smart, funny and good natured. Good Riddance did a variety of shows/tours with No Use through the years and I will always remember Tony as being a very approachable and friendly guy…many laughs were shared with him. RIP.
Have you got the same memory as Russ of that show with Buckwild in a small club in Clermont-Ferrand back in the nineties ?
I don’t…my memory isn’t so good after so many years of banging my head but if someone reminded me I’m sure it would come back to me…there were a lot of shenanigans on that tour.
Do you like France (don't feel forced to answer yes !) ?
I like France enough to tell you that I took my wife on vacation there before we had kids because I thought it was one of the most amazing and beautiful countries I had been to in my band travels. I appreciate that France is a cultural epicenter with forward thinking, highly intelligent and creative people. Touring France also had a heavy influence on my non-music career choice (I have worked in the wine industry for 10 years now). Shows have always been a bit hit and miss for Good Riddance in France but regardless I enjoy the atmosphere of the country. I am excited to be playing 3 shows with GR in France this coming June and look forward to baguettes, cheese and good red wine!
