Matt Caughthran
The Bronx
By Jillian Abbene
(SugarBuzz Richmond)
SugarBuzz Magazine
1. It’s taken 8 years to be more recognizable on the scene, what do you think sets you apart from the bullshitted regurgitated punk?
I think the younger generation is more superficial. With their radar ‘off’, they are not hearing or looking for the original roots—yet they are keen to judge. It’s harder to get through. It’s taken a while.
2. I’ll tell you—I’m not going to emphasize on your past and the subject of drug abuse—because I know that it goes with the territory…However, what subjects do you write about?
The Bronx is self-changing, and we all feed off of that. We take advantage of the opportunity. From the 1st record, we started a tour diary (it’s on our website). Although that first record was cathartic, it became an exorcism—we were just throwing up [spewing] words.
We decided that we wanted to stay away from politics—it’s so obvious! We wanted a new way to talk about the same thing. Yeah, we have how the government sucks, but we never wanted that. [shakes his head].
Now is a great time for punk music. It hits in such a personal sense—then it hits on the global side. Like the ying/yang, we wanted to write the opposite of what was going on in Hollywood. There were others in the scene that felt the same way—it helped create a deep underbelly for hardcore music. We wanted to get across what most couldn’t see.
3. Now that drug abuse is not a major issue with the band, where does the angst come from? Usually, the tougher the life experience, the more drugs to cope—how do you cope differently these days?
We’ve gotten passed all that. We realized when we stopped; we became better at what we do. We also realized people were looking up to us. We feel like we owe it to ourselves to follow this through. This band is the driving force in our life—always growing and evolving.
Creatively speaking, we’re all on the same level and we all think the same. We try to mold our feelings and step out of what it means to us personally—and I’m speaking for myself—honest! Well, you know everybody has a vice…
4. You’ve changed labels again, what is different? Any particular reason?
The Bronx has their own label—White Drugs. We didn’t want a middle man. Everything is accessible by the band—especially with the PC downloading issue. We have more control over what we wanted. The Bronx III has a portion produced by Gilby Clark, the former guitarist for Guns and Roses, which is pretty cool.
Did Joby design the artwork on this new CD?
Yes, Joby Ford, our guitarist, designed the cover art and also for the first Bronx CD.
The one with the bleeding mouth?
Yeah, he designed that one too.
5. Do you have any band influences? I hear many in your songs—any bands you look up to?
Since we write about life in L.A., band such as Led Zep, Guns n Roses, AC/DC, The Germs, X, Los Lobos—anything from the L.A. punk scene, Sonic Youth and even The Carpenter, to name a few. We all have a good mixture of music. There is where we get our obvious attraction for the opposites.
6. This past year The Bronx released a Mariachi record—I had to ask you about this—why? Just for kicks?
Yes, it’s a different album, but it was something we wanted to do. That’s what we are all about—the unusual. It’s a creative record, but it is freedom. Based on the Mexican culture, we wanted to write about it. It’s what we’ve been surrounded by…it’s been part of our life.
7. Could you please explain, ‘The Social Club?’
The Social Club is a group of bands that get together and play. Here there are no boundaries, no rules. These are our real friends that we hang out with. It’s fun.
8. Any covers you guys play on this new album?
We played, ‘Damaged Done,’ by The Victims and, ‘Carmalita,’ from Warren Vaughn.
9. What was your experience on warp tour? What’s your take?
We had played in front of different crowds. This time it was a metal-packaged tour. The Warp Tour gives us a chance to get some exposure. We toured with Bad Religion—yeah, they also have their own label…
10. So what does the future hold for The Bronx? What’s next?
We are touring . We are hit the UK May 19th with both bands—The Bronx and Mariachi El Bronx, and then went to some places in Europe and then back to California in July, to go back out to the UK after that. Because we favor the opposites, we want to put ourselves in uncomfortable places. You know, you can’t be complacent.