Boston, MA’s punk rockers from FAR FROM FINISHED will premiere their new EP “Let’s Be Frank” on March, 8 via Flix Records (distributed by Cargo Records). I managed to catch them before it’s too late and they become DROPKICK MURPHYS-big and evaporate for all the tiny DIY blogs like mine :)
Anyway, we discussed the new EP, their upcoming European trek and the Boston punk rock scene. There’s a lot of great recommendations below, so don’t miss that out! Go!
Hey! Welcome, gentlemen! So you have this sweet new 7’’ release coming out very soon. Let’s be frank, I instantly fell in love with “Let’s Be Frank”, its energetic guitar parts, positive attitude and fast forward punk vibe. Surprisingly it’s less street punkish than some of your previous tracks. How are you feelings about that record at the moment?
Hey! Good to be here! We feel great about the new record, It was the first collaboration from the whole band songwriting wise and we are excited about it. Let’s Be Frank might be less street punkish than previous songs but we feel like we are going in the right direction for us and our fans so that’s cool as well.
Great! Is it a prelude to a bigger release?
Well we wanted to make a full length record to start with but it made more sense with the time and the money to just record five songs, one of which is not on the 7″, and release it that way. So we still have a lot of material that we wrote to fill a longer record that we haven’t recorded yet, and we are going to start hashing out new ideas very soon to hopefully record a full length in the near future.
This effort was recorded and produced by Jim Siegel (DROPKICK MURPHYS, HAVE HEART!). Tell us more about your cooperation.
Jim’s great, we’ve worked together for many years. he’s funny and good at what he’s doing. He’s actually in the process of expanding The Outpost (which is something really exciting) but we had to be rather quick as things were moving around with gear, so we tracked a lot of it live.
Was is hard to put it together? How was the recording process itself?
Pesky:
We were in between tours and we had been writing on the road and at home, so the songs came together pretty organically, and the recording process didn’t take very long which was nice. Things got complicated after recording coming up with cash but eventually we got the masters.
What would you call the best thing about the 7’’ from your perspective?
Steve:
My favorite part was that we got into the Outpost and recorded straight away, and pretty much live too. The excitement was high and everyone was into it. We were jiving along.
Pesky:
How about I tell you the worst part instead, since I’m the negative guy, the thank you’s I forgot three people, Brendan Lynch, Sarah Gehler, and Tim Baxter.
[smiles]. It’s never too late, bro.
Ok, who are the two boys on the vintage cover art you’ve decided to choose for the EP?
Pesky:
Those are the two Kennedy boys, as you probably know we are from Boston and you know, bands have become quite popular referencing Boston culture, and…. ah not really, it is Steve’s father and his Father’s brother at Rockaway beach in New York , so i guess we are stirring controversy by putting NY on the cover.
Steve:
[laughs] Pesky… Actually my grandad was an orphan from Ireland who grew up in NY and his name was Frank O’Neil, but I couldn’t find a young picture of him so I opted for the picture of my old man and his brother bill playing on the beach in the summer of 1941. So the title as silly as it sounds has a lot of meaning behind it. Frank grew up in and out of Foster Care and went on to marry Maggie McGovern and led a pretty remarkable life together. I guess its my homage to those born into difficultly. I guess it’s also about not pussy-footing around issues and facing them with dignity for the sake of living a full life.
Who will be distributing the 7’’ this time. Flix Records is not the only channel we can get it through, right?
Cargo Records will be distributing the 7″, i am not sure what territories exactly, but we will have them at our shows as well.
Felix (Flix Records): Cargo Records is distributing it all over Europe and I think the band is still talking to labels in Japan and USA.
How have your influences changed throughout the years?
Pesky:
I would say they have broadened.
Steve:
Yea I’d say they have broadened too. However I still feel inspired when I listen to my favorite punk records. I think my ears have gotten better and worse at the same time- I lost some hearing over the years, especially in my left ear, but at the same time my musical ears have opened to music as a second language even. I would like to add that the bouncing souls were and still are very inspiring to me as an aspiring creative person.
You’re up to hit European roads this year, right? Shoot us some details. What are your touring plans besides Groezrock? [smiles]
Pesky:
Well we plan on annoying Deathfoot, eating some great food, maybe getting some tattoos, if anyone wants to tattoo us get in touch, we are good guinea pigs. So yeah, a European Tour in April and May, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, France and we have some other days that have not been filled yet. Playing a few festivals, Monster Bash so it should be pretty great. Oh, and we will be going swimming.
What 2012 festivals caught your attention the most? Give us a brief story about your favourite and craziest story regarding a festival.
Pesky:
Warped Tour caught my attention big time, the bands were so manufactured, what the hell is going on over at that place.
Let’s see here, probably absinthe at Mighty Sounds, THE PEACOCKS were mint. Actually wait, I think it was a festival in Durango when they let bulls loose in the streets, 7 am sunrise in the main square of the town, a string band playing on a balcony, and hundreds of people trying to slap a bull on its ass.
Steve:
Yeah Warped Tour was quite a trip (literally and metaphorically) I tried talking to the singer of “COBRAHHH” SKULLS one night of tour about his dog, life, music etc. but I think i confused and offended him at the same time.. it could have been the shrooms or the lack of attention he gave the conversation, but either way, no connection. Singer from ARTIST VS POET was a pretty swell dude, as was the whole EVERY TIME I DIE crew. Actually the entire warped staff was on point with being real- i really appreciated that. Made pretty good buds with AM Taxi, THE SPARRING, and THE FRANTIC too! European festivals are always a pleasure to be a part of. Mighty Sounds stands out in my memory as being something like Woodstock in the 1990’s. I wore a yellow shirt, danced to ska music, and got drunk watching the BUZZCOCKS. Met some friends from Australia and watched Pesky almost drown Bon Scott-style. Really looking forward to coming back!!
Great! [smiles]
What’s the best thing about Boston’s music scene?
Pesky:
The Bands.
Steve:
….yea the bands, the producers, and folks who organize shows. Also there’s quite good batch of Boston Internet radio stations now a days·
Ha! The bands you say [smiles]
You’re not originally from Boston, right? Would you consider moving on and leaving the capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts? If you considered it, what would be the reason?
Pesky:
To my knowledge that has never been discussed and i can’t see it happening really, this is the bands home.
Ok, shoot us some cool local names to check out.
Pesky:
THE SCARS, OLD EDISON, OC 45, DROPKICK MURPHYS, STRAY BULLETS, DARKBUSTER, VOID UNION, PRESSURE COOKER, HAVE NOTS, THE ALRIGHTERS that might be a tough one to find, Frank Morey.
Steve:
First off, bands like THE DROPKICKS do a lot for bands starting out. I think that’s what the BOSSTONES did for them when they first started too, I really like that idea. I saw a band play last weekend called TWO COW GARAGE. They played with Dave Wells (THE SCARS) and OLD EDISON but I think they’re from Ohio, but what a cool three piece band, and a lot of fun too! Also, TAXI DRIVER, CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, BARROOM HEROES, FIT FOR ABUSE, THE BLUE BLOODS, NOWHERE USA, DIRTY TRUCKERS, SPIT SHINER, and RAZORS IN THE NIGHT – to name a few!
Ufff.. now I have something to listen to [laughs].
Moving forward to Europe, what do you associate with the Old Continent when you simply think “Europe”?
Pesky:
Pommes Frites
Oh my God, come on! [smiles]
This takes me straight to the next question [smiles]. Do you still have to make a lot of sacrifices in your personal life for the band?
Pesky:
It happens yeah, we’ve been touring less this year and trying to catch up on rent and things.
Ok. I promise, there’s only one more [smiles].
What music reminds you of your childhood and early years of adolescence?
Pesky:
Childhood would have to be old 50’s rock n roll, and the adolescent years, definitely BAD RELIGION.
We made it! Thank you so much! [smiles].
Thank you for being so close to your fans and staying dedicated for so many years. Hope you won’t change that [smiles]. Cheers for the interview! I appreciate it! Feel free to add anything you want.
No problem, see you on the road.
