Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast - EP 55: Andy Williams (Every Time I Die)

Episode Date: August 13, 2019

Andy & the U.N. are in Europe this week and we have the European co-hosts to prove it. We begin by checking in with Andy's longtime Euro-Tour manager, Rolf, and close the show out with our very own Voice of Reason, Arno Bakker. On the interview hour this week, we diverge from the jam scene to talk with Andy from the hardcore punk band, Every Time I Die. The Andy's talk music, wrestling, and fighting fans. This is EP 55 and we're live everywhere now.  Follow us on Instagram @worldsavingpodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, tour dates, the band and the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com The views discussed on this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the guests. Freak out at an Every Time I Die show near you: everytimeidie.net Check out Andy's new album, "Change Of Pace" on iTunes and Spotify Produced by Andy Frasco Joe Angelhow Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: Andee Avila  Shawn Eckels Ahri Findling Arno Bakker 

Hey, it's Schwartz Andy. Listen, you're smart. If you have a guest on the podcast who reveals some highly personal information, while that's awesome for the podcast to break this type of information to your fans, to any given artist fans, I love that. Good journalism. That's fantastic. But you've got to give me some heads up because I can't keep covering your ass when managers call me and say, hey, you've got to remove my client's podcast with Andy. We need a better system. You're smart and you're playing us. And that's bullshit because you know you're sitting there biting your knuckle going, holy shit, this is fucking incredible. I can't wait to blast this out. And you're just thinking about you. And then you're making us all scramble in the end. Let's figure out how to do it a little bit more efficiently, please.

And that means you can't, you know, wait to the last minute and then pretend you're being considerate. It's fucking bullshit. Thanks, dude. Guten Tag, Air Frasco. This is Ludwig. I got your WhatsApp number from my cousin Talia. As you know, it is Pride Week here. We are so happy you are playing a festival. I do have one favor. If there is any way we could pay you a little extra to come play a party at my buddy's loft,

Come play in party at my buddy's loft. It is going to be a lot of fun. There will be a lot of people. There will be finger foods. Everyone will be naked. It's going to be super enjoyable. I'm hoping that you guys can come. I want you to have fun.

Everybody is going to be fucking and sucking. So at any point you want to stop playing music and join the party, we would be happy to have you. Okay, our beat is in. Call me back. And we're live. Andy Frasca's World Saving Podcast. Hi. Hi, everyone. I'm Andy. What's up? What's going on? We are in buttfuck Germany because we have, first off, we are in the farmlands of Germany. I think I have my tour manager thinks we need to go to rehab. So he put us in the farm. We have him on the show. He's my co-host today. He's our European tour manager. He's been with us for about, I don't know, how long you been with us, Rolf? Well, it's my co-host today. He's our European tour manager. He's been with us for about, I don't know, how long have you been with us, Rolf?

Well, it's probably been seven, eight years now. Oh, my fucking God. We turned you into a man, Rolfy. Do you ever hung out with a lot of Americans before you met me? No, I don't think so. Remember me not talking English the first day I met you? I still have to learn some things but uh well coming better now yeah you're doing really good so what do you think of americans your first hand like hold

if i'm like the first loud yeah loud people always screaming yeah yeah when i was on a tour in the netherlands sometimes and these people were just having drinks after me like one meter away from me i was like, why are these guys so loud? What do you have to prove? This is what I love about the Netherlands. You could bring your drugs. If you want to go have a party and take drugs, you could bring it to the government,

and they'll test it for you to know exactly what's in your drug. What have you brought to the government before? Well, it's not it's uh it's a private institute it's not governmental based maybe maybe they make sure they don't get in financial trouble the government i mean but you can bring in your your ecstasy or whatever kind of weed you have to see exactly what's in there so they they make sure you don't smoke any any stuff that's going going to get you crazy or going to get you sick or so they they make sure you don't smoke any any stuff that's going going to get you crazy or going to get you sick or so they just want to keep the health level on a certain level

that isn't going to cause any trouble financially for the government yeah what about like do they fund mental health institutions out there if someone gets really addicted to like say heroin or something like what's what's that all about yeah yeah you can get into um what's it called rehab yeah and that's does the government pay for that yeah the government will pay for that and if you're not up to that if you're not able to if you don't want to then it's your own fault it's your own problem but they will offer you the chance to get out of it. What do you mean? Well, if you are going to be in rehab, you have to sign off, right? It's your own choice. And the government will take care of your rehab.

Totally. And if you're not able to make it, like if you fall off the boat again, then you're fucked. Why? What do they do? They give you a certain amount of chances, right? Okay. So you have to be better.

Yeah. If not, you're done. Yeah. But what is done? Done. Jail? Is it you get all your health care taken away? What is done?

Well, you have to have health care. Because there's not a lot of homeless. I don't see a lot of homeless in the Netherlands. Where do they go? They have the army, how do you say it? The Salvation Army to go to. And they can offer you a place to sleep. They can offer you the methadone shit if you're on heroin.

They can offer you food or hot showers. That's taken care of by the government. So that's why you don't see a lot of homeless people in the Netherlands. Really? Yeah. And you don't see a lot of homeless people in the netherlands really yeah and you don't see a lot i mean like why i just don't i'm trying to see i'm trying to figure out how to bring european philosophy into america in a way where it's not just like i'm throwing in their fucking face like what would you like as me you know we're close friends now, nine years. What do you think I can do to improve being a better friend, better boss, everything?

From a European's mind state, what do you think? Just keep doing what you do, man. Seriously. We have been talking about this. Every time you're on stage you do the cheer you make people smile again and that's what i'm saying i saw a lot of unhappy people in in the states and during your shows seen on peach fest asbury park whatever people walked in like themselves and walked out as a little bit more happy, happier, as a happier person.

He put smiles onto people's faces. Yeah, that's the power to, yeah, you have the power to do that. You can really get through people when doing the cheers and let's be happy for the rest of our lives. That's what you always say, right? Yeah. That's the true message, I think. It is.

It is. Because, like, what is, how important Yeah. That's the true message, I think. It is. It is. Because how important is happiness to you? To me? Everything. Why? You know me. I don't care about money at all.

I don't care about possession. I don't have a car. I don't have a lot of things to hold on to. I just have... Do you think that's the key ingredient? Not having too much stuff? If you're able to get around. I have my job. I have my income.

And besides that, I can just spend my money on whatever I like. Just besides my mortgage, for example. I'm able to spend the rest of my money on beers and whatever fun we wanted to have. And that's the key of happiness. You don't always need more and more and more. That's the key to European happiness, I think. And in America, it's the other way around. Sometimes people just want to have more and more and more.

It's not necessarily called greed, but it's a way of thinking that you have to be providing for everybody you have to be well show everybody what you can can do and get more and sometimes we don't have to do that right no at all any times no they say like if you have so much stuff to protect. Don't build a higher fence. Build a longer table. That's what I think is cool. Build a longer table. Invite the people that can use your food, can use your company.

That's what I think is important in life, to maintain happiness or gain happiness. Yeah, inviting instead of closing doors. It's the same thing with mental health. When you don't open up about how you're feeling, it's like with this band. You can tell when we're all having shitty days or when we are hungover and we're fucking yelling at each other, right?

Yeah. So maybe that's the reason why we're in the fucking mountains right now, Rolfy. I think you're smarter than all of us. You're on to me. One last question, Rolfie. I think you're smarter than all of us. You're on to me. One last question, Rolf. How can I be a better friend?

Wow, what a question, Fresco. Well, you are a good friend, Fresco. Don't forget that. You brought everybody together. You draw everybody into this European Avengers. And I think

sometimes you get stressed a little bit from everything that's going on. That's hard to not react on the people around you. If you do, shit gets crazy, dude. Shit gets crazy. I'm just hungover

sometimes and I'm stressed out. We don't even blame you for that. Sometimes it's hard to be your friend at a moment like that. I know. But you're doing a good job, man. Thank you for that. I'm trying. I'm trying to be better than I was.

I used to be a real big asshole. I used to be selfish. I understood that. I'm sorry. The world revolved around me. And I, you know, in my manic fucking thing, I felt like that was necessary. And as I get older, it's like staying present. No, we're still around. You're still with me.

12 years. Yeah, man. The whole gang. Rocky. Jesus. Rolf, thanks for being on the show. Thank you, man. I love you, man.

I hope you had fun in America. You got to see all the different angles from our side and you traveled the whole country Yeah, it was beautiful. Thank you, America Overall, if you have to give America a grade you've been to a lot of these countries, what would you give it? Be honest Don't be biased because Americans listen to this

No, I have to be honest with you because all the people maybe sad, maybe just whatever that was going on in their lives, all of them were friendly to us. I don't know. Maybe it was because we were from Europe. These white people from Europe spending all our money on whatever. But no, everybody was friendly. It was a beautiful country.

We went to Yosemite. Oh, man, that's beautiful. I give it a solid eight. Solid eight. Solid. Okay, what would be a C? What place you went to? What was it?

Worst place. The worst place? We kind of felt unsafe in Memphis. Sorry, Joe. Sorry. No. Well, it was a good history place. We kind of felt unsafe in the dark there.

Well, God bless you, Memphis. And thanks for – no, it's good to get – you know, Memphis is good. They got good chicken and they got good soul. Oh, yeah. And they got – A lot of history. But, yeah, I'm scared too. So don't worry. We're all scared.

Okay. All right, Ralphie, I'll see you later. See you, man. Thank you. Bye, bro. All right.

Next up on the interview hour, we have Andy from Every Time I Die. Band is fucking punk rock as fuck. He's the OG member of the band. Hey, Chris, why don't you play a little music while I pimp out Andy? They're a very

important influential in the hardcore and punk scene and are one of the biggest bands to come out of the Buffalo area. Shout out to my Buffalo people. Aqueous, Mo, Every Time I Die. Pretty dope. These guys just finished up a tour with Mastodon

and Coheed in Cambria which I went to and it was fucking sick so shout out to the boys that was dope to get on that tour you can also check them out at Rocks Off Boat in NYC in September I'm actually doing that in two weeks so come on out to both shows

anyway guys hope you enjoyed the interview with Andy great insight about the hardcore metal scene. Enjoy. Thank you. We're fucking here Man, this is exciting, exciting Huge diehard fan of Every Time I Die Like, growing up, you know

And it's so funny that you take Buffalo. So it's just, it was such proud. Yeah. And cause I just started playing here and I fucking love this city. Yeah. Buffalo is definitely like one of those cities that will like, a lot of people say it's a grower, not a shower. Yeah.

You know what I mean? So it's like you get here and it's like, you think Buffalo and you're like, but then you get here and you're like, oh shit, then you get here and you're like, oh, shit, this is awesome. Even in your old documentary that you had, I remember that you guys were so pumped. Yeah, yeah. And like this hometown, is that how every time I started? Yeah, yeah.

Just regionally in Buffalo? Like tell me how it all got, what was going on? So like Scott from Terror, the singer of Terror, is from Buffalo originally. Oh, shit. They're an L.A. band though. So he moved to L.A.? Yeah, yeah, Scott from Terror, the singer of Terror, is from Buffalo originally. Oh, shit. They're an L.A. band, though. So he moved to L.A.? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, like, literally, I think the day he moved to L.A. was the day Terror started. No shit. Yeah, yeah. So he used to live in Buffalo, and him and I are, like, super close friends. And I used to tour with his old band, Buried Alive. He was in Buried Alive? Yeah, he sang for Buried Alive. Get the fuck out of here. like super close friends and i used to tour with his old band buried alive um he wasn't buried alive yeah he sang for buried alive get the fuck yeah so we um i was like their merch guy like i did everything other than playing the band yeah right so yeah and i just when i would come home i would

just play in this like kind of crummy kind of grindy band called sirhan uh-huh and that was what i did and then like i never was like good enough to be in buried alive so like they instead of like getting me to like be a hack guitar player it's like a guitar player they just went to one guitar player yeah i just continued to tour with them. I was a little like, oh, come on, guys. I can kind of do this. But anyways, it kind of gave me the chip on my shoulder to play better. So when they bailed you out? They just kind of took me on tour and showed me the ropes. I was 17, like 18 years old.

What were you touring? Just regionally? Or was it a real tour? No, we were doing US tours. Yeah, yeah. So your mom let you go out and tour and stuff? Yeah, it was like as soon as I, like, I think my senior year, I started like going out. Yeah.

Every once in a while. So it was like, I'd go out for a weekend. And then if I had like, you know, finals or something like that, and I could take a week off. Yeah. Or, you know, I would go on like a week tour with them. And then once I graduated, it was just like, I was gone. What did you like about the traveling experience younger was it all about the touring because you're have you always been sober have you always been straight edge uh and that's part of the scene that's really yeah heavy part

of the scene yeah yeah um so when you're touring and stuff i guess when you're hanging out with all these different bands i think it's just like one of those things like a lot of people will say like like iggy pop has lust for life yeah that's just the type of thing when it's like for me like living in buffalo is rad uh but staying in one spot is kind of just difficult it's always just been difficult for me and i'm kind of like a lone wolf anyway so it's like um being on tour and like having that like like a lot of people will talk about doldrums like when you're driving and stuff like that like i live for that like yeah just being able to put like music on and and just drive through iowa so what were the bands that like fuck yeah dude i want to i want to run this i want to do this whole i want to be on the road 10 months it was like i think early on i got

like it was never because i was like playing in bands when i was like 14 like there's a literally like a venue where there was a venue right behind us called the continental and it would like shows would start at like nine and like i was in bands when i was like 14 and like it was 18 and over so like I'd literally have to like jump out of the roof of my house like off one story like land jump in a friend's car come down here play and then figure out how to get up the roof and back to my room so I could go to school in the morning shut the fuck so straight up the dream was always be a guitar player just to be in a band I didn't give a shit like i i would play drums uh when i was a kid i had like a drum set i had a guitar i had a bass i wasn't really good at any of it

but like i knew that's what i wanted to do and that band was i was singing in that band so like this like little we i was in a band called soiled we had 99 songs and it was like 20 minutes long um like one second songs you know what i mean and it was just like a little kid singing about nothing you know what i mean but we got a chance to play with like i got to see like the reality too where like we got to play with like i hate god yeah and like bands like that where it's like oh shit these dudes are like and i'm pretty sure they're all cleaned up now. So I don't mind saying this, but they were all like abusers of like drugs at that time. And it was like, oh shit.

That's scary. A little scary. But at the same time, it's still kind of like got that thing of me. Like, man, this is fucking cool. Like, yeah, these dudes are like old and like rocking at like one in the morning you know what i mean i remember like mike williams like broke a beer bottle was like rolling around in the glass and stuff and i was just like what is he doing that type of shit we live for that stuff exactly i never wanted to miss out on it yeah you know what i mean so like if i had went to school

the next day and like one of my friends had went to that show and said like mike williams smashed a beer bottle was rolling around in it i wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing i didn't see that oh my god you know what i'm saying like that that makes sense with how your live show is and how you're trying to give the most energy you can like fucking bring in the crowd involved i mean like that brings me to my next point like it's being a showman is so important for this live extremely live because if we don't have any radio hits or anything we are they're relying on word of mouth of our shows so like has it the plan always to be the heaviest craziest group of guys i think it's just a matter of like i think all of us have that we've never like talked about it but it's just like i would feel bad if someone went

to one of our shows paid the money that they paid and then we're like yeah yeah you know what i mean like yeah is like my least favorite thing in the world yeah i could walk up to someone meet them for the first time if they kind of went and one of my friends said that i would do everything i possibly could to meet that person again to let them to go like, what was that about? Yeah. You know what I mean? Like just in general, like it's just how I am. Where do you think that insecurity is rooted from?

I don't know. I think I just always had a chip on my shoulder. Yeah. Like that. Like that. Were you an athlete? I mean, yeah, somewhat. Yeah.

Yeah. Like I played stuff, but I didn't like I wasn't good at anything. No? No. Like track and field, maybe. Like because it was by myself. Yeah. I just ran, you know. what yeah yes yeah like i played stuff but i didn't like i wasn't good at anything no no like track and field maybe like because it was by myself i ran you know i wrestled for a while too and yeah how did you because wrestling is kind it's basically the same type of show the parallels are are so close you want to talk about that yeah yeah that's like um because you're you're doing wrestling now you're doing wrestling now.

You're like, is it... I did wrestling then, too. So, like, when I started... I trained when I was, like, 18. No, I was trained when I was, like, 17, 18. Like, when I was touring with Buried Alive and stuff like that, like, there was a school just over the border in Canada. Like, it was...

It would have been in Burlington. And I used to, like, go two days a week. I used to, like, drive over the border, go up there, train, it would have been in Burlington. And I used to like go two days a week. I used to like drive over the border and go up there, train, get my ass kicked and then come back down. So like you would have to wrestle like high school wrestling or like pro wrestling. Yeah. So like, um, but I wrestled in high school as well, but yeah, you would, you would do, I would go up there and do that. And like back in the day, a lot of times, like, you don't – this was a legit school, but a lot of wrestling schools at that time were, like, kind of fake, where, like, some dude would just be like,

yeah, come here, man. Just give me $1,000. I'll teach you how to be a pro wrestler. And then it's like they're not showing you anything. You know what I mean? You're just taking your money. Yeah, like anything. You just blow up, you know?

It's like having producers that producers help you write a song. Yeah. So, like, we would go up there and then train. And, like, you had to sign a contract. So that was basically, like, you pay $1,000 before, $1,000 after. And if you get hurt in the first six months, you don't have to pay the second $1,000. And they just rip up the contract. But what, you don't have to pay the second thousand and they just rip up the contract. So what if you don't? I tore my ACL like in the first like six months I tore my ACL and like

whatever. So while you're touring though, like your band was going on or no, I mean, yeah, I am. I mean, every time I, not every time I die, but like I was touring with buried alive and I remember like one of the first us tours we went, I had like the full, like, I was touring with Buried Alive. And I remember, like, one of the first U.S. tours we went, I had, like, the full, like, from the thigh to the ankle stabilizer because I just had the surgery. So I had, like... And you're rocking? Yeah.

Fuck yeah, dude. I had the surgery. I think I had the surgery, like, a week and a half before tour, like, left. Like, as soon as, like, I could clean the wounds myself, I was, like, in the van. How did it affect your live press? You know, you're, like, kind of what you want to, you have that angsty, like.

Yeah, yeah. Like, did you ever fuck up your knee again while playing? I mean, yeah, but, like, it just didn't matter. Like, it wasn't a thing. Like, I just had a brace for it. It was just, like, once I had a brace for it and just like once i i had a brace i was fine okay so like you kind of hard injury to get yeah because that thing will fuck up it's still torn i never got like i just had my meniscus clean up so i don't have an acl in my

left knee yeah what the fuck yeah crazy well talk about the other injuries too because i've had like tell me about them numerous injuries like From the show or from wrestling? From wrestling and then just not caring and just playing. So what happened? List them out. Well, I have a weirdly broken finger. Holy fuck, dude. That's the biggest one.

People will notice that I start waving my hand around. They'll go, what the fuck? And all I do is tendons broke. And if it was on this hand, I would have had to to have surgery but like this one it's like you can cut these fingers off and i just if i just need these two yeah you know so um that one was one i what happened about four i just i punched a dude and that was it so um then i tore my i tore my meniscus and my and cartilage and my right knee and it would like lock up so i couldn't like bend my knee or straighten my knee i mean and uh so i had to get surgery and it happened like in the middle of a wrestling match so like did it went

and got the surgery and then i think six days later, I was, like, in the van playing shows again. And, like, in Europe. I was, like, not supposed to fly because of, like, blood clots. Yeah. So I just, I remember I was just standing and just walking. I walked for six hours straight just because I needed to keep blood going to my leg. Because you just flew, too. Yeah.

So then we got there and i remember like jumping in the middle of the show and like our bass player like his eyes like opening up like what the fuck are you doing and then like landing and like it was okay and i was like i just started smiling and just threw like a thumbs up like everything's good so i didn't do that that much i was like but i you know isn't it the music just takes over and then you just do your thing well yeah it's adrenaline right because we love to be on that stage yeah like you guys have had such a long career and like keeping maintaining a career without having you know a lot of singles a lot of a you know is it you have to be frugal now with

like you're not buying a tour bus you're all vans i'm not renting a tour bus it's know is it you have to be frugal now with like you're not buying a tour bus you're all vans I'm not renting a tour bus it's all vans but it's a matter it's a matter of like I guess like with the experience

of like touring for as long as we have you've seen bands come and go so like you've seen those bands who are like they just get that

little bit of success and then they're just like well well, we need a bus. We need text for everything. We need this. And then you tour with them and it's like a co-headlining tour. So, you know, you're making the same amount of money. Yeah. And then at the end of the tour, you're sitting there with a pile of cash and you're asking

them like, yo, so what are you going to do after, man? This is sick like we're all fucking rolling in it right yeah and then they're just like i i made like a thousand dollars on this tour and you're just and you're just like well i can tell you why if you would like me to tell you the truth like you don't need that dude sitting over there like a bass tech yeah just get a guitar one guitar tech yeah he's gonna change strings like like no nothing crazy is gonna happen to your shit you don't need two guitar techs no and a bass tech and a drum tech it's like i don't get so what do you think it is is that just the rat race of trying to look bigger than you are? Yeah. I think a lot of times, too, I think it's a lot of having a manager.

I think that's the big deal with having a manager who gives a shit about money and not about your best interest. Yeah. So, like, if you say you want a bus, that dude's going to write a check. Yeah. Right? And it's your money. It's not his money. Yeah.

You know? And I think that's it. bus that dude's gonna write a check yeah right and it's your money it's not his money yeah you know and i think that's it it's like securing yourself around people who have your best interests yeah so in mind not his best same manager have you had the same manager our manager was our tour manager and then when he retired from touring he said i'm gonna be i'm just gonna sit there we were like well he was already managing like he everything he was doing is something a manager would have done and we had a manager that we were like paying and when that guy saw like well biggie's like really good at this well i'll just i'll step aside and biggie can just be a manager so like we had two managers technically

that were really into our best interest one was like like, well, he's doing all the work anyway, so let him go. Well, one guy would take a percentage. One guy would take a salary, right? Or so now it's just he just takes the percentage. Yeah. And now Biggie is still with us. He's been with us for, like, 15 years. I mean, that's how we build these long – like, it's about being in a gang, right?

Yeah. It's like these – the homies, like, if you's like the homies, if you didn't like each other, if you didn't like the hang, then why be on the road? Exactly. So when these bands, I kind of feel bad for these bands that they all want to be in this super group thing, but they fucking hate each other. Yeah.

And it doesn't last. Yeah. Never lasts. With you guys, are you guys still doing 100 plus shows a year 200 plus shows a year we just toured for 3 years straight like so like you guys still love it

yeah and that's why we were gonna take we haven't put a record out in 3 years so like people but the thing is people are still booking us so it's not like anything died down it's not like anything died down. It's not like, no,

you know, and bands can't do that nowadays. Like you can't take three years. No. With new, without new music. And like, for some reason we just kept saying yes.

Like we kept getting offers and just saying yes. So does that stress you out about changing the set? After three years of trying to like, what's up? A little bit, but like, dude, I mean, we have 10 records. Like you can about changing the set after three years of trying to like what's a bit but like dude i mean we have 10 records like you can't make a set list you know what i mean like how long are your normal your shows like like an hour hour five okay like right just over but like and we don't like doing the same set list over and over again so like we change the set list

every day so like every day it's like, and like, that's the only argument we had for years was like, what songs to put on a set list. So too many cooks in the kitchen. I just stepped out. I was like, you guys, when the,

I'll look at the set list at that night and I'm good. You guys are like a fucking jam band, dude. Yeah. Without being a champion. Yeah. Because like, that's my,

I have to play two and a half hours a night. Yeah. And like, people are now traveling to see us like, you know, like a five hour radius. Yeah. Yeah. So now it's like, it stresses me out to like, have to like change all the, all the songs. Yeah. You know, just really build this community.

Cause that's basically what you build was, is this community of fans who are going to know every time that this is going to be a different show. And it's cool. I think like the best part about living in the age that we live in right now is that you're getting, you're, we technically with social media are getting customer report immediately. Yeah.

So like right after the show, you go on Twitter, or you can go on Instagram, and you can see what people are saying. Facebook, too. You know what I mean? If you don't have a Facebook group for your band, or, like, you know what I mean? You're not existing. They're literally telling you what to change and what to do.

Yeah. And, like, you can shift as to what you're doing. And like, that's insane. The fact that you can actually, we have our own kind of Yelp. Yeah. Where we can fix the things that we're fucking up on that we don't see.

Yeah. And it's like, man, like I wish t-shirts were 20 instead of 25. I wish this happened. You know what I mean? And it's like, oh shit, I never thought of that. And it's like oh shit i never thought of that and it's like if it's one person saying it okay but if it's like 15 to 20 people saying it you're like well fuck we got to fix that yeah you know yeah totally i think we're a small business exactly you know

and that's how you have to look at it 100 you know that's cool that you get that like like led zeppelin didn't have that no i mean like well even like let's say well you toured in 2006 you didn't have that nothing you know like when we first started there was no cell phone yeah so it wasn't a cell phone so explain touring there like how like how do you know the shows were getting promoted how'd you it was just you didn't you literally just showed up i mean there'd be times we... I remember showing up in a show in Virginia once. This is like 2000, 2001. Just showing up.

And there's like a dude, just a dude outside. Like an old man. And you just like roll up. And like he's... It's five or six weird people. And you know, when you first start touring, your friends want to come too. So it could be nine people in a 16-passenger van.

Four are doing nothing but just taking up room. So we all roll up, and there's a venue that's just closed. We're there when we're supposed to be there. On the day we're supposed to be there. It wasn't our mess up. And just no show like you're just like how do you like that how do you survive those first years when you're only playing 20 minutes set so i know the money it was fucking shit because it was like five bands on the bill

like what were your like tricks to like keep it going you basically just have to like i don't know like that's where you have to be like the most frugal. I remember like for years, dude, like my dad had this term cause my dad traveled for a bit for work and he would call it making a turd. So it was like, sometimes you're just eating because you need to like keep going and it doesn't matter what you're eating. You just have to put calories in your body to go. And sometimes like to save cash, you're not eating the best meal possible, but like, you know, you have to budget and look and go like, well, today I have $4 that I can spend right now on this meal. So a lot of times it's just like i would buy like one of those huge french roll breads and like some some ragu and just dip it and that's what i would eat like if i just needed to make a

turd like that was that was the thing and like i've always been a big dude so like how many years were you making turds like that that was like years man i mean that was like years, man. I mean, that was like all through Buried Alive when I first started touring. That was probably like two years of touring. And then the first, I remember going on an Every Time I Die tour with $25. So how much were you like, what were those first years? Like what was the support money? Like a couple hundred bucks? Yeah, like maybe not even.

Were the shows good too? At the time, there was no guarantee. It was just like you showed up and it was just like, well, sorry, there's seven people here today. Yeah, and a lot of you guys. Would you take a door deal a lot of the times? Yeah. Yeah, and it was like, I don't know,

like, you know, you get that $20 payday. So were they all all-ages venues? Yeah, so most of them. There was a couple times we played 18 and over, and those days you'd be like, we're fucked. You know what I mean? Like we hated all ages shows.

Not all ages shows, 18 and over shows at that time. Why did you hate them? It is what it is. You're in fucking Wisconsin. It's Wednesday. Yeah. You got to take that show. Oh my God.

Yeah, of course. Like, well, that's that scene. That scene was very young too, right? In the beginning? Yeah. And now, do you still play

all ages shows? Yeah. Or like the fans? They're coming out. Oh yeah. It's fucking amazing, dude. And it's like, that's the one thing

I can't say. I mean, we never saw like great success. Meaning like, it was never like fucking Metallica was calling us

for a tour or anything like that. Mastodon, bro. It was just sick. Very sick. Congratulations. But we're doing like this slow climb. It's been a 21-year slow climb.

Yeah. That's never plateaued and never went down. Yeah. It's always been up. It's not like this, meaning like to the sky, but like we're getting there. You know what I mean? Would you rather have that than having a big one and then like falling out? For sure.

we're getting there. You don't, you rather have that than having a big one and then like, that's what I was saying is that like a lot of bands get that huge spike. And then that huge spike turns into like every problem you possibly could do. So like, yeah, you're touring with like bigger bands and cooler bands and you're playing in front of like larger crowds,

but no one's really paying attention to anything else. They just see the success and it's like okay guys like now you guys are like with that great success now out of nowhere you think that you're like this baller so then like that comes the cocaine that comes the excessive partying that comes the yeah sure we'll get a bus yeah sure oh yeah tony yeah he doesn't know how to string a guitar but he's a great guitar tech sure yeah we'll take him on tour we'll pay him 600 bucks a week kind of like that athlete mentality where we've never had money before yep and you get a big check your first big check that's it you know that is 100 in and that's the thing man because like for years, we're eating French bread and ragu.

Yeah. And then it goes, the step isn't to go from French bread to ragu to filet mignon. It's like, start with then adding. Let's get that sizzler steak, man. Let's add some spaghetti to the fucking ragu. You know what I mean? Like, get that fucking noodle, man. And then after that, let's add some vegetables. You know what I mean? And then get that fucking noodle, man. And then after that, let's add some vegetables.

You know what I mean? And then add some sort of meat to it. You know, like, the process doesn't just jump from there to there. You know what I mean? Do you think growing up in Buffalo helped you with that mindset? Absolutely. I think that and I think, honestly, like, Steve Michke, our bass player. Steve Michke is one of the best businessmen I've ever seen in my life.

How so? Well, one, I can almost guarantee that every ATM in this machine is owned by Steve Michike. Shut the fuck up. He owns 37 ATM machines in Buffalo. So he made some money with you guys and that's the first thing invested and that's i mean he knows wow he knows how many people are in the venue at all times that dude is like it's like a tour manager like you have a tour manager and then you have like a business tour manager yeah you know it's in the van and he's your brother right yeah and like you learn things from just seeing how he is on like his money and it was

just I think that was like one of our like our biggest tasks and it kind of like rubbed off on Jordan because there was like a part of time where um where Steve like left the band or whatever like that and like Jordan kind of like took over over that kind of mindset and learned all this stuff from Steve. And me and Jordan started the band. So I have these two weird business guys with me too. And I'm terrible with that stuff. So I just don't – I think of everything else but like –

But you don't blow your money on drugs or coke or... It doesn't matter. What are you blowing your money on? No, I'm not blowing my money. It's just a matter of like, I'm that guy that like, if I'm on tour and I want to like now go and eat something nice, I'll be fine with going and spending $80 on like a meal or something like that. I can't do it every day,

but like, you know, once every two weeks I'll go, Hey guys, I'm going to go get a steak, you know? And it's like, okay. You know, like that's it. And like my thing too, has always been, I've been just obsessed with making my live show better. So I'm that dude. That's like, I'm never happy with my amps. I'm never happy with my amps i'm never happy with my gear it's always like what the fuck can i do to make this better sound better you know what i mean is it all about the sound or is it do you guys have a theme of how you want to present the show all about the sound yeah i want to just knock walls over you know and like some i think it was like yesterday i was gonna like tweet something that was just like life lesson and it's just plug in and turn up like that's it yeah and you can

like apply that to anything seriously just show up that's it so like how important is the show up more than anything just diving into like your dream oh for me yeah that's that's everything because like you did wrestling. I mean, you're a pro wrestler now, right? Yeah. And, like, you're traveling around, and it's, like, the same type of circus, but a different costume. Exactly, man.

So. It's, like, I always kind of say that, that, like, if you want to see what's on the other side of a door, you could, like, stand there all day and wait for it to open to take a look. Or you could just go turn the handle and just walk through. Yeah. I mean. So I've always been from that.

That's been my like motto my entire life is just like, oh, fuck, I'll just go do that. Why do you think people are afraid to not be a prisoner of their own mind i think it's just a matter of like not succeeding it's yeah scared i mean that is failing yeah like that's i guess not even failing because i don't think it's failing i think it's just not succeeding have you ever had those moments in the van absolutely what was the biggest down? Just sometimes, like, we toured with Gwar a few times. You toured with Gwar? Yeah, a few times. Fuck, it's true. Greatest dudes in the world.

Most humble human beings. But their fans are like, bro, it's hard, right? Why? Just not. It's like, if you're the opener for Slayer, who the fuck cares? Yeah. Oh, it's like if you're the opener for slayer who the fuck cares yeah oh it's like that even if you fucking bring doesn't matter man damn doesn't matter what's the attitude about that you just get spit on i mean dude we were getting spit on i was getting like beer thrown at me or uh like full beer cans sometimes i remember like we put in not to

like i feel like i'm picking on wisconsin but like we put in, not to, like, I feel like I'm picking on Wisconsin, but yeah, we played like Milwaukee. And I remember, uh, just straight up getting hit, just dead in the chest with an open, like a full beer and just whap like that.

And being like, what assholes? And I remember getting spit on. It's like the third day of the tour. Get spit on? All the time. Every show. So I like, I walked in and we were all pissed off. spit on it's like the third day of the tour get spit on all the time every show so i like i walked in and we were all pissed off i walk into their tour managers thing and i go hey man i don't

appreciate getting spit on so i'm just warning you now that the next time i get spit on at a show i'm jumping in the crowd i'm gonna fuck the dude up and the their tour manager great this dude they dude, they call him Dr. Evil because he looks like Dr. Evil. Yeah. He just turns around. He's like, okay, and just keeps working. And I was like, is that for real? And he goes, yeah, go ahead.

Yeah. He spit on you, man. No one should get spit on. All right. What cap rooms was this? It just goes like 1,000, 1,200. Holy shit. So, like, then it was just like, you just gave me a license to kill.

I'm in. So then it was, like, day four. If that was day three, day four, spit on, guitar off, dive in the crowd, start throwing. So does the band keep playing? Yeah. Or if it stopped, they'd jump in. So, like, we were jumping in the crowd and just, like, tuning dudes up. Or, like, if they were on the barricade, we would just jump down in the barricade.

I'd wrap the dude's shirt up and just slap the shit out of him right there. And then jump back in the crowd. And then it's like, you almost, like, it's like taming a horse. Yeah. Where, like, now the crowd is like, oh, fuck, we can't fuck with these dudes. Ever since then, they didn't fuck with you? And then it was like, now the crowd is like oh fuck we can't fuck with these dudes ever since then they didn't and then it was like now the show's cool like give me that in the first three fucking songs and then rock out for nine yeah and that's what would happen it was just like there so like and then

you're aiming a horse that's exactly it that's fucking amazing yeah so like if they're dormant and they're fucking hating you and they're spitting on you and stuff like that, reach out and touch them. And it doesn't have to be that aggressive way. But sometimes you have a crowd that just, you know, they're just tame and down and stuff like that. And like, go get them involved. You know, and that's what I mean by that. That way, ultra-aggression is a little different than that. But, yeah, you get spit on and it's just like, okay.

Well, you learn that from all those shows you've been doing. For sure. You know, opening for bands and, like, maybe sometimes you got that 6 o'clock slot at the All Ages fucking venue. And you got to prove it. Yeah. And, I mean, that's one thing, too, is, like, getting back to that chip on our shoulders. It's like, just always had something to prove. Yeah. And I mean, that's, that's one thing too, is like getting back to that chip on our shoulders. It's like, just always had something to prove.

Yeah. You know, and still to this day, like you'd think that like after 21 years, you would be like, you know, guys, let's just go rock this one and just have a good time.

And then it's like, you get on stage and you're just like, fuck no, man. Like feral animal at all times, you know? It is halftime at the Enni Fresco interview hour. Welcome back to Review.

I'm your host, Ari Finling. Today, I'm reviewing European food. This is going to be a quick one because it fucking sucks. Everything is bland. There's no salt in it. I feel like I'm eating food in my grandmother's old age home.

It's disgusting. No one tells you they put meat in everything. I feel like I'm eating food in my grandmother's old age home. It's disgusting. No one tells you they put meat in everything. I was eating ice cream and found sausages in it. What goddamn human being on this planet wants sausage in their ice cream? All the drinks don't have ice in it for some goddamn reason. People like drinking things under the temperature of piss. If I wanted to drink piss, I would drink piss. And the weirdest thing is that people use a fork and a knife for everything. I got a hamburger and the guy next to me was eating his hamburger with a fork and a knife. Are you a fucking alien? Are you eating the goddamn burger with the queen?

Quit that shit. Are you eating the goddamn burger with the queen? Quit that shit. Did the Warped Tour help your career out a lot? Huge. That was the only big tour that ever helped us. Like we've done OzFest. We've done like the Sounds of the Underground.

We've done like Taste of Chaos, all that shit. The only one that's ever helped was Warped Tour. You're doing that a lot. I mean, I did the Warped Tour a bunch, 06, 09, when they had the drive-thru stage and the Sony stage. Or not the Sony stage, but when Atmosphere came out and they had that rap stage. Yeah. Like, fuck, what about those 2 o'clock slots in fucking Phoenix

where, like, you're playing main stage. Like, anyone, like, fucking, any crazy, like, dehydration moments, like, fucking someone passing out on stage dude we saw a dude die like straight up like physically die we were playing after four year strong one year and it was in kansas city and kansas city i think that day it was so hot it was like 112 or something like that and of course like these kids get amped up. They just go there and just completely forget about drinking water. So this poor kid, man, he was right up front. And I think we were playing second to last.

I want to say it was like, it went like Four Year Strong, us, face to face. I think face to face. And it was always the same bands on the main like on that and you would just switch times so you knew you were on main stage for this tour sometimes you'll play four sometimes you'll play eight so like they switched it up and I just remember

four year strong stopping because they were on the other stage and then never went back on and we were like oh shit and then finally like our stage managers was we were like, oh, shit. And then finally, like, our stage manager was like, go, go, you guys, go. We just played.

So you know what happened. And then, yeah, like, found out after that, like, a kid literally just died. Like, just straight up dehydration and then died. I feel like that would happen a lot. It's like the ones, like, in Pomona and Phoenix and Vegas. You're playing in a fucking park. They got like, because they have their own security team pretty much. And then they, you know, I think it's like they have 20 dudes,

like 20 security dudes that travel with the tour. And then they'll bring in like local dudes like that day. And in the morning, they'll talk about it. Those security dudes are just keeping an eye on like that type of situation. Yeah, dehydration. So if they see someone like kind of fading, they'll grab them and pull them in the back. And there's always first aid like on every stage like right there.

You ever get any like band brawls? Like these people are talking shit in the whole band any any like band brawls like these people are talking shit in the whole band um or any band i remember this one's kind of scary this one was like real scary because i i had some some pretty nefarious friends still do um dudes that like are wild and like gun carrying, like gang member people. And this one time, this fuck it, we played, we played in like Jacksonville and like there was an opening band on the show.

We might've been on tour. It might've been like kill switch, Parkway drive, Dillinger escape plan might've been, but I remember us being in this like back, this like, where like the vans parked in this back like parking lot. And out of nowhere, this dude starts swinging at Keith, our singer. And Keith's just boom, dodging, dodging, dodging. Two of my friends who are in like straight up gangs they show up and like i'm running over

to like see like who i should hit and then these dudes just roll up with guns and they just start pointing at everyone i was just like yo chill out put that shit down and go sit in your car dude what the fuck yeah it was it was it it got wild, like, real quick. So what were the years when the scene got really out of hand? Was there any years when, like? Like early 2000s were pretty wild west. Yeah. Like that.

There was a lot of different people coming around. You know what I mean? And, yeah, you would get like everything from like yeah gang members to like you know like homosexual fashion dudes like in new york yeah so it'd be like this weird like literally like i remember we played and like remember um like project runway yeah the dude who won project runway won like the very first one it was like a heavier dude with like uh he always like Project Runway. Yeah. The dude who won Project Runway won, like the very first one. It was like a heavier dude with like a,

he always wore a poncho or something like that. He would like come to shows, like stuff like that. You know what I mean? So like everything from like, you'd have like that, like dudes like that. And then like straight up like gang members.

Like throwing the shows. But it was cool. And it's still – there's no divide. And everybody always thinks like in 2019, I think like the big thing, like you get the social justice warriors who are saying like, oh, man, like everybody's treated like different. And it's like not really like no in early 2000s till like people started complaining about it that everything was cool yeah you know what i mean like yeah go to shows and be like black dudes puerto rican dudes

you know women like fucking kids like all hanging out hardcore music is like predominantly white it isn't no not at all not at all dude this straight up still to this day one of my favorite people one of my best friends i've ever met in hardcore is a dude named rashad jackson we played in richmond virginia there was it was us and kill switch engage playing in richmond virgin, there was us and Killswitch Engage playing in Richmond, Virginia. There was about 50 to 60 people at the show. This is the first

Killswitch tour ever. They never toured before this. There was 50 to 60 people. There were about 15 black dudes moshing at that show. It was awesome. Rashad, that's how I met Rashad Jackson. I'm still friends with him today.

That was like 2002 or something like that. And I remember being like, this is awesome. Played Philly. Like you go to Philly, there was a dude named Mike Brown. He'd bring like his cousins. And then like they do nothing about hardcore, but they're all pinning. Yeah. Like. Fucking amazing amazing it's awesome and that that's what i mean like there were so many scenes la dude you

go to la and it's just like you got black kids mexican kids white kids there's girls there's you know what i mean like every type of person in one place and no one's fucking with each other you ever have like some badass chick just fucking shit up yeah all the time that's all the time all the time and you just see the shit it's just like this is so rad and it's cool because it's everyone yeah you know what i mean and then you built this community bro yeah that's my favorite that's my favorite thing of it it's just like seeing and like sometimes you can call it out you'd be like you would never hang out with that person unless you were here right now you would never know those you would never know each other you know what i mean

or like seeing like one of my like hardened friends like real hard friends like getting to know one of my like real weird like artsy friends yeah and then they start talking and it's like this is cool like and you just see them like it happens in wrestling that's what i was just gonna say like you see all these different people yeah dude but there's a dude named graver on the indie scene and he's like he's got he does death matches so he goes through like glass and shit like that and he he wears like these fucked up contacts. He's a tattooer. So his like big spot is he'll grab a handful of like single needles like this.

He'll put them in someone's head and he'll go bop like that. And then they go like this. And it looks like a flower's coming out of the person's head. And they're like bleeding and stuff like that. He's a wild dude, right? What's your special move? Like, what's your move? Oh, I'm a pussy.

Really? Yeah. I just throw people around, and I take big bumps. That's it. I don't do glass or anything like that. So we did— It's so funny you're a pussy in wrestling because you're such a fucking badass in the scene, dude. I wouldn't say I'm a pussy, but I'm not doing death matches.

No. I don't want to go through glass. That's scary, right? My hands are, like—I can't mess with my hands. So, like, yeah, Graver wrestled on our Christmas show this year. Wasn't you wrestling at your Christmas show? Oh, yeah. Fucking love you guys, dude.

Wrestle and then play. So, you're in the wrestling. Oh, yeah. Wrestle and then play. So, there's like a full wrestling card, and then we play later that night. That is fucking bad. Blew my shoulder last year, or two years ago. I tore my rotator cuff in the wrestling match, and then I had to play.

And I was like, I don't know if I could even play. Like, I had to like keep my arm like this. Had to do surgery. This is another one. Did surgery. Was told by Still and Cold Steve Austin that I was going to be in a recliner chair. He goes, yeah, you think you're going to be, you're not doing anything. He's like doing this stuff.

Dude, I got surgery. Got sick of sitting around. I had my rotator cuff rebuilt. Two days later, I was hiking at the Niagara Gorge. Yeah. There was still ice, but I could have fucked myself up again. In my stabilizer, I'm hiking just to get the fuck moving. I would say two days later, I was playing my guitar in my stabilizer.

A week later, I was playing without the stabilizer. And then a month later i was in england playing on stage with my with my shoulder yeah like this like tight running around like jumping just knowing that i had i couldn't move from here dude yeah so like it was never i've never missed a show in my life what inspired you Who inspired you to never miss a day of work? Anybody? Family? Dad? Yeah, my dad. Probably my dad. My mom and dad are just like hardworking.

My dad, I mean, he technically retired the end of last summer. He technically retired, but he's still going into work. Yeah, I think we're addicted to work. I think we're addicted to workaholics. Yeah, that's exactly it. Let's go back to wrestling. And then I got a couple. So Graver, that's what I was

getting at. This year, I wrestle, I come off stage, sitting there, making sure everybody's okay that was in the match and i look over and my parents are hanging out with graver and that's what i'm like i look over and i'm just like my parents are hanging up with the hanging out with the most fucked up dude on the show but he's like he's the sweetest dude he lives in altuna pa tattoos and then just he's tattoos and then just he's lust for life man like that's literally it and like his his niche just happens to be diving through glass and barbed wire and your niche is to play hardcore music

yeah you know but it's all the same like you're a sweet guy too like if you just like if someone just judged you by the music you play oh yeah the same thing with me like that happens all the time yeah i mean they think i'm crazy as fuck i'm crowd surfing eating mushrooms on stage it's just like just doing part of the show that's part of my front man thing like yeah bringing back the front man who inspired you as wrestler like i mean like who are your entertain like who are your go-tos as a kid that was like i want to do this i want want to be that type of show. So there was two for music. It was Pete Townshend. That was like my bit.

When I was a kid, the image of The Who fucking everything up, still to this day, is the coolest thing. No band has done it cooler. And every band that has done it like that. Wasn't that the show where then Jimmy, or did Jimmy go first? Henry, he lit his guitar up on fire. He was like, good luck. He was done it like that. Wasn't that the show where then Jimmy, or did Jimmy go first? Henry, he lit his guitar off on fire. He's like, good luck. He's like, fuck that.

And they just fucking destroyed the whole thing. I think they blew something up that night too. It's cool as fuck. I remember in that show, I can tell you everything. I've seen every who live footage you possibly can find. So what do you like about the rock and roll-ness? What do you like about this show that was done? It was just loud.

You know what I mean? Louder than everyone else. The fact that Pete Townsend talks about being deaf from being too loud is amazing. The fact that he's literally given his one thing he's really good at, which is sound, he gave it up to be

a motherfucker. It's like, that's my favorite thing in the world. It's fucking bad. It's the fact that he sacrificed his hearing for his craft, which is awesome. Tied by the sword, dude. Dude, isn't that the same thing with wrestlers? Jake the Snake, Macho. Those guys. For me, it was when I was a kid. Sting.

I saw, it was Flair. It was like Ric Flair. It was the Road Warriors. I love them. And it was Ric Steiner, the dog face gremlin. Right. Because he wore headgear. And I was like, whoa, this guy like really wrestles.

Oh, this is cool. Really? Yeah, man. I was six years old. I was like, whoa, this guy like really wrestles. Oh, this is cool. Yeah. Yeah, man. I was six years old. I have an older sister. Who's the best front man you know? Oh, dude, that is just, that's a tough one. It could be wrestling or music.

Well, Ric Flair is the greatest mic man ever. But like in singing, it's so subjective, man. Like, on that, like, Robert Plant's fucking awesome. You know what I mean?

Like, for the show, too. But you, like, look at Robert Plant, like, or David Lee Roth.

Like, David Lee Roth's, like, voice wouldn't make sense with anybody else but Van Halen. Yeah, yeah,

yeah. Same thing with Robert Plant. Yeah. You know, I like, I like weird vocalists. Same thing as Ric Flair, same thing as Macho. I mean, they're all, yeah, yeah. Same thing with Robert Plant. I like weird vocalists. Same thing as Ric Flair. Same thing as Macho. Oh my god.

This is so exciting. Okay, Richie, get over here. Rich is a big Edith fan. He's my stunt cock. He knows all about the band. Richie, talk to him. What advice do you have to somebody that's just starting their music or art career, I guess?

Like, you know, what's something that really is home for you? If anybody told you anything when you were growing up? No one. I don't think anyone ever told me. Like, still to this day, like I said, I don't know anything about music theory. I just know that when I pick up a guitar, I can hear something in my head. I see it a lot too. Not in like music notation.

I always see it in color or like something like that where it's like, oh, I need something blue for this part. So like, you know, for me, like blue is like something with like a delay, you know what I mean? Something like that with like a delay you know what i mean something like that like or it would be like a melody um some very visual when it comes to stuff like like music um yeah i don't the only thing i could say is like when i'm really good at like breaking writer's block you know what i mean like where you're stuck on stuff. That's tough to do.

It's really tough to do. Because the thing is, is that like when you're in writer's block or you're just stuck in general, like the first thing you think of isn't to like think of something outside of music to get inspiration. It's usually just look at the guitar or the drums or whatever like that, or like pick up a record and like put something on. But the problem is, is that like, you're just putting yourself in that bubble.

Your comfort zone. That music bubble. Yeah. And it's like, I remember like the record hot damn, um, like Jordan at that time had, he was still in college and he had writer or he had finals coming

up and he just could not spend the time on music but our label at the time now mind you there's a point in time in your career where like you're a slave you know what I mean yeah so like the label will tell you when you're recording when you need to. You know what I mean? Hey, we need a record. That's a lot of pressure. And they were never like that. Ferret Records was like, they gave us every opportunity we possibly could have. Still to this point. Was it a long record deal?

Was it like a five album deal? No, I think it was like, I think our first one was like three and then we signed on for three more after that. Oh, cool. I think, or two more maybe. So how do they feel about you not making a record in three years? Well, this is what I'm saying.

Well, now we're on Epitaph. This is what I'm saying. You get to the point where like, when you're young, you're a slave to the label. And then later on, when you've been a band for like 21 years, take three years to do a record. As long as you're still touring and still like saying that stuff they're fine like we haven't gotten an email from epitaph saying like hey buds like it's been a while man what are you guys doing so that's good but yeah like so we we got hit up by the label and they were just like well we booked you guys recording time it was a month and a half from that thing we had one song written um we had one song written and then in one month and a half we were supposed to go and

into a studio and record so what's your theory about getting through the wires this is what i say so jordan didn't like consciously tell me like, hey, I can't do it. But like practice number one, we all sit in the room and then like instead of like everybody grabbing their guitar, they all just went and just looked at me. They're like, well, what do you have? And I was like, I kind of got these like two riffs we can kind of fuck with. And then like that. And then I kind of realized like, fuck riffs we could kind of fuck with and then like that and then i kind of realized like fuck i gotta get on my horse so i didn't go to music i went to the documentary um dog town and z boys oh hell yeah and i would watch that every day. And it was like, because I realized that during that documentary,

I would cry because of the Jay Adams part. I would like laugh. There was like, the soundtrack was perfect. It was like the first time I'd ever heard Aladdin Sane. And I love Bowie, but I just always listen to the same three Bowie songs. So that part probably is the biggest influential part of the movie is they're talking about carving almost like a surfer would. They're talking about carving concrete, and they're showing them going double with surfers,

and they're doing these surf moves. But it's the piano part from Aladdin Sane like there so like the music was like queuing up with my emotions of how I was feeling that and I would watch this literally every day and then I'd pick up my guitar and play my guitar for like eight hours so every time I would come to practice I'd be like all right guys here's a song here's a song here's a song here's a song and then we went into the studio with nine songs and we were supposed to have 10 and i remember them being like we need one more and i was like give me an hour

and i like went in and watched a little bit of that movie yeah came in and i had there's a song called i've been gone a long time yeah and i came in i was like i got this song guys and i wrote it down so like it what sucks and i'll show you guys after but how i write songs out it's like with like squares and circles and like triangles as basic as possible like the circle represents like this riff like the square represents this riff and then you kind of like pencil it together and it's like this riff and then there's this you know and like that's so interesting i've never i've never heard of anything like that because you complicate it in your head right so like music you want music to be like this big complicated thing but sometimes just peel it all

away and just get back to the basics do you know what i mean like absolutely what are the basics to you the ramones oh yeah that's it right the ramones wrote fucking three chord songs you know they probably wrote 250 great songs yeah that have no complication at all to them. And it's like, because in our heads, you want to be like the most artistic and you want to be like cool and stuff like that. Sometimes that it doesn't need to be there. And like, if you have one really good fucking riff, why would you want to write? This is my Jordan Buckley. The other guitar players completely

different than i am with it that's why we work really good together if i know i have a fucking insane riff a really good catchy riff there's no fucking way i'm gonna write a sick fucking riff before it or after it no because you want that one to shine. So I always say that you have to kind of trim the fat before and trim the fat after because you want that steak to be fucking real tasty. Do you know what I mean? Oh, totally. Yeah. Damn.

So yeah, that's it. I think a lot of people, when they go to writer's, when they have writer's block, they just always try to go back to the guitar and try that. And it's like, don't man, like walking your dog might make you feel something. You know what I mean? Like just get the fuck out of there. Get away from that shit. Like, don't listen to music, like listen to a fucking podcast or, or a book or something. You know what I mean? like a book on tape

and just like go walk and like but do something that's like completely out of your thing that you can get i remember dude i wrote a there's a um i watched a bird learn how to fly like it's mom teaching that so there's a song called sober champing at the bit yeah always man fucking love yeah dude you're champing at the bit so if you listen to champing at the bit it's a song called... Sober? Champing at the Bit. Yeah, always, man. Fucking love you, dude. You're fucking... Champing at the Bit. So if you listen to Champing at the Bit, it's a song that literally keeps falling over itself

over and over again. It just... It gets there and it goes. And it just keeps falling off. And then the end of the song, it takes flight. And I... Because I watched a bird. Bird!

How dope is that? Yeah, yeah. And there was, like, other things, too. It's like, if you go to train tracks... This sounds so weird, man. Because I'm dope as fuck yeah and there was like other things too it's like if you go to train tracks this sounds so weird man because I'm a weird like I said I'm a lone wolf

so when I was a kid I'd be like fuck I need like a mosh part like something just staccato I would just go hang out by train tracks and when a train goes by

you hear and then it's like and you would hear like the rhythm through that and then like yeah you're building you're man I need I need to be sober because I only get those moments.

Well, just imagine those moments on Mushrooms, though. They're probably way better. No, but you don't need that. That's the thing. You're creative enough where you don't need to. I'm the same way. I didn't have many musical. I learned in vibe from the show and feeling the band.

So I'm going through these waves. So you're this creative. Let's leave it this. Let's leave it this. Let's leave it this question. Okay. You're going to start a band. Okay. But all the band members are wrestlers.

Okay. So like you need to find a wrestler that would compliment what your theory is of a good drummer. Yeah. And a good bass player, a good guitar player, a good drum man. So who would be your wrestler drummer? Chris Dickinson. Why? Why?

Because he's fucking brutal as fuck and he likes death metal. All right, bass player. Bass player. Oh, there's so many. Like there's a lot of bass playing wrestlers. No, but like, no, this could be imaginary. Like any wrestler that you think would be a good drummer or a good bass player. Or a good bass player.

Well, you got to have rhythm. Yeah. Man, probably Willie Mack. He's one of the greatest. L.A. dude. L.A. dude. What about like a, would be a combo of bass and drummer? Like is it like tag team style?

Oh, yeah. Yeah. They'd be killer. Yeah. They'd have to live off each other. And they'd be great. Chris Dickinson and Willie Mack would be an awesome tag team. So who would be your lead guitar player?

Lead guitar player? Well, me, obviously. Well, besides you. You're already in the band. Oh, yeah. I'm a rhythm guitar player anyways. Well, it would have to be like a lucha dude. Like it would have to be someone like super, super creative.

Like maybe like Pentagon. Pentagon? Yeah. Why Pentagon? Well, he looks evil. He looks like he's into black metal, but he's like a Mexican dude that does like flippy shit, but also like does like really cool

like big power moves. Who's the lead singer? Oh, has to be like the most pretty dude. Like who? Man. I don't even... This one's... That's tough. I'll give it to Jungle Boy. Jungle Boy? Yeah. Just because tough I'll give it to Jungle Boy Jungle Boy?

Yeah Just cause his dad Just passed away So like Yeah Jungle Boy is Luke Perry's kid Oh really? Yeah

Damn He's a pro wrestler from LA Oh man Did you ever hang out With Luke at all? I literally Like met him briefly Cause Jungle Boy wrestled

One of my best friends In LA He died pretty unexpectedly Right? Yeah dude That's so sad Did you talk to him about it? Everything because Jungle Boy wrestled one of my best friends in L.A. He died pretty unexpectedly, right? Yeah, dude. That's so sad. Did you talk to him about it? How's he feeling about everything?

I haven't talked to him since. I just figured he'd probably be getting blown up about that shit. So when his dad had the stroke, I hit him up and I was like, hey, man, I'm in L.A. I know we don't really know each other that well, but if you need anything, let me know. But that was it. And he was just like, thank you. Uh, who is it? Who'd be the manager of this? Uh, man, the hype man, you know, the guy who's going to get this tag team on the road, you know, so many probably

just from Buffalo's on Mikey, Mikey every night. Who's Mikey? He's just like a little Buffalo dude. Help train me. He's like, yeah, just super like a little buffalo dude. Help train me. Yeah? Yeah. Just super charismatic. Tiny little man. Like 150 pounds. Yeah. Long stringy hair. He's great. Yeah. Are you living your dream right now? Kinda. What is the dream right now?

If that's what you're fighting for. I don't know, man. I've never had a goal in my life. You just live in the moment. Yeah. I've never made a goal in my life. You just live in the moment. Yeah. I've never made a goal for myself. Right now I have, no, that's a lie. I have one goal.

What is it? Me and Hana are like trying to find a place in Buffalo. Wow. Like that. So we can live together. Living like that, are you less stressed out? Because you're not thinking about tomorrow? Maybe more, man. I don't know.

Maybe the thing is though. I don't believe that because, you know. A lot of people do say that I live on the edge of a cliff. I'm just waiting to jump. So like I kind of love stress. I feel like if I'm not stressed out, then I'm not doing anything. You know what I mean?

And it's scary, man. That like calm before the storm, I don't like. I just like being in the storm yeah with the anxiousness of knowing there's going to be a storm yeah it's i don't like that yeah i just want to be part of it like right now i feel that like i'm it's everything's going too well yeah like you know what i mean like something needs to happen yeah well that's how i i feel too that i don't but that makes me not enjoy the moment as much yeah you know because you're thinking about oh it's gonna it's something bad about to happen yeah yeah it's like i'd rather it just be like kind of bad yeah is your goal to always be in the moment yeah yeah yeah especially with your live show especially with the wrestling

i think well that's another thing too is just like that feeling you get when you're on fucking stage. Why would you want to like never not be there? Yeah. You know what I mean?

We're addicted, dude. Yeah. So like that's the thing. Like, like when I leave here and I go like eat an apple or something like that, it's just kind of like,

all right. Yeah. What am I doing? What am I doing? Andy, thanks for being on the show, man. Thank you, man. Sorry if I talk too much. Dude, I'm a Jewish yenta, dude.

This is what I live for when people are talking, and I'm going to have to pull it out of them. All right, one last question. If you could tell younger Andy at 18 what you know now, what would be the first advice you'd give him? Chill the fuck out. Really? Yeah.

Why? Andy was just an angry kid trying to just prove the world. That he was a badass? That's it. And that was like, yeah, I'll tell you guys a story after we're off. That recently brought me back there, and I didn't like it. So, like, yeah, that's probably it. It's just like, chill out.

Everything's going to be okay, man. Andy, thanks for being on the show, pal. Thank you very much. You're the man, dude. Congrats on your wrestling, Krop. Thank you. Beat the shit out of people, dude. Later, dude. Hello, good morning.

It is Ludwig. Andy, I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming last night and for coming. I hope you had fun. I just wanted to let you know that I had Sean's guitar professionally cleaned and there should be no more whipped cream in the strings. I want you to know that I have your address. Tell me where to send it and I need your address so I can send all the pictures from the night to you. I cannot wait for you to come back to me. Okay, I'll be the same. And now, a 3 a.m. message from the U.N. Bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, If it smells that good. You gotta eat.

And then. Buzzing. You gotta eat. And then. Buzzing. And there, what an episode, huh, Arno? Hey, Arno. I don't mind.

What a great episode we have here. The European episode continues with, you know him, the voice of God on the podcast, the voice of reason, the voice of pessimism sometimes. Well, we're here. The old world, man. Hey, Arno. We are in... This is where I feel like

we're in buttfuck Germany. But I feel this is where you feel at home. It is a bit like where I grew up, actually. I'm not quite sure where the buttfuck part came in, but it must be because things are slightly more hilly here than where I grew up. Where are we right now, Arno?

Like, you know this land better than I do. I have no idea. We're in Bavaria. We're in the south of Germany. Yeah. We're in the land of plenty of beer and plenty of... Bridges. No, what is...

Where were we today? We visited some place that was like... It looked like a full-on square. Like, is that a... What was it? Where were we today? We visited some place that was like, it looked like a full-on square. Like, is that a, what was it? Is that a wall? That was a wall, yeah. So there's a wall circling the whole town? You mean Rothenburg?

Yeah, what is it? Rothenberg. Rothenburg. Where were we? We were in a little medieval city. What's medieval? How old? Well, the Middle Ages basically stopped around 1500 over here

so it would have been before 1500 um i didn't do my reading but i guess sort of there has been a place there because there's a river down there as well it didn't get there will have been a place there for for at least a thousand years before that. It didn't get bombed. No, there's no real reason to bomb a little town in the south of Germany with no factories in it. This is countryside. Arno, thanks for being on the show.

I'm going to about yeah, that's the end of the show, guys. Wow, deep one. We got Europeans up in our grill today. We're doing some things thank you Arno and you're going to be doing the liner notes

should I do them now liner notes no don't do the liner notes now we'll we'll cut it and we'll have you do it well thank you

for listening to episode 55 Arno we were supposed to do it before before alright guys love you be safe wear condoms

and I'll catch you next week I'm in Italy next week so another European adventure I never wear condoms And I'll catch you next week I'm in Italy next week, so another European adventure I never wear condoms I'm going to tell this to the public, Arno Bass player He said, because the boys are flying home The American boys are flying home

So, world saving podcast people Arno said We don't need a bass player He's got it under control So if you see any videos of flops and boobas and... You call his ass out. I'm filming the whole show. It's going to be awesome.

Can't wait for you to be our bass player, Arno. It's going to be awesome. I say oompa loompa. I'll see you next week. Get it over with. Goodbye. Well, thank you for listening to episode 55

of Andy Fresco's world saving podcast produced by Andy Fresco Joe Angel Howard and Chris Lawrence please subscribe

and rate the show on iTunes and Spotify so we can make this a worldwide phenomenon for info on the show please head to our Instagram world saving podcast for more info on the blog and tour dates head to andyfresco.com.

Change of pace, everyone. Latest album, available on iTunes and Spotify. This week's co-hosts are our trusted European tour manager, Rolf van der Heuvel. And then you also talk to Arno Bakker, that's me. This week's guest is Andy Williams from Every Time I Die. Find him online at everytimeidie.net. This week's special guest was Ari Finley. We reached the next stage in the old world.

We are at Tonenburg, a 700-year-old tower and farm. Tonight we play in the barn. I feel quite at home with barns, history, country folk. We like the old architecture of the old Europe a lot because it's the real thing. It's not an imitation and everything is so different from the States. Tone of speech, speed of life, focus of attention. You name the differences. Your boy Andy spoke out loud, wondering how to fit in in this world. Andy brings American extravaganza, a rock show straight from the source. Fueled by lust, testosterone, decibels, alcohol and possibly drugs.

All that with no thresholds, no language barriers, no withholding and exactly that is why Andy does not need to fit in. He's an American. With all the showmanship and rock and roll we've learned to love so much. He is the real thing, not an imitation. So don't fit in, you fool. See you next week.