“Nectar of the Dogs” shows that NOPES are, beyond a doubt, a force to be recon with in today’s punk rock scene. Launch the player below to see how smart they merge the line between early punk rebels and fuzzy garage rock madness, and read my interview with the band below.
“Nectar of the Dogs” EP was released on June 16 digitally and on cassette via Magnetic Eye Records.
Stereo-fed on the blood and sweat of early Californian punk, a period which barfed forth influential pre-hardcore/pro-punk provocateurs such as The Germs, Angry Samoans and The Dead Kennedys, Oakland’s Nopesspring from similar Suburbian dungeons, hearts burning with the fun and fury of being young, gifted and ultimately unaccountable.
Recorded by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Boss-De-Nage) at The Atomic Garden Recording Studio in East Palo Alto, California, and mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere, Bucket Full of Teeth) their soon to be released debut EP Nectar Of The Dogs is fuelled by wanton sugar intake, Bowie, corner store liqueur and well-worn copies of Negative FX and Bad Brains vinyl.
Featuring Matthew Hansen (Guitars), Alex Petralia (Vocals), Kevin Quijivix-Sweeney (Bass) and Gabe Simmons (Drums) tracks like ‘Matinee At The Market’, ‘Love Cycle (All Sales Final)’ and ‘Jingle Berries’ are blasts of raw punk energy that explode out of a vacuum into guitar-buzz, amp fuzz and juvenile delinquency. One EP, five songs spanning nine minutes, played out by four Bay Area dudes, Nopes’Nectar Of The Dogs gets an official release on 16th June 2015 on the New York label Magnetic Eye Records.
Hey guys! Welcome to IDIOTEQ, my little world of underground punk band mixed up with a bit more popular or even mainstream maestros! It’s very cool to have you on board. How are you?
Fine thank you.
What’s the feedback on your “Nectar Of The Dogs” EP been so far? Also, how are you guys satisfied with the final result of your (hard?) work?
People say it’s loud, and we think we did a good job making it loud.
Have you been in other bands before NOPES?
Yes – BLACK AMERICA, GRIMER, MUD MOUTH, UNSTRUNG, HELLEN KELLER’S VISION FOR A BETTER TOMORROW, REALITY REJECTS, 12 YEAR OLD PREGNANT SISTER.
How did the process of song writing go? Was it before hitting the studio? Do you have more tracks already written for your future recordings?
We shit out “Matinee at Market” in about 5 minutes, which isn’t too much more than how long the song is. Alex yelled gibberish at practice and made up words later. Our other songs were riffs Eagret brought in that were cemented into songs as a band. For our upcoming full length, we have about 8 new tracks, many of which were made spontaneously as a band at practice. They are a lot more funky and spunky than the ones on our E.P.
Tell me more about the time spent at The Atomic Garden Recording Studio in Palo Alto. How is Jack Shirley and what other people were involved in the creative process of this record?
Jack is a doll. His gear is top notch and he knows his shit. He made us sound clear and big.
Also involved was Will Killingsworth on mastering – he works with a lot of noisey punk band and is a kind of expert on that sound. Other than that, we got tacos half way through and they were pretty good and rejuvenitating.
How did that time change your perception about recording an album?
That next time we should try harder.
Why Magnetic Eye Records? Are there no decent labels in Bay Area? :)
MER is a very eclectic label, and we are comfortable with the fact that we can be a dubstep band or a death metal band and not get kicked off. There’s cool labels in the Bay, we just don’t like to shit where we eat. Know what I’m saying?
Yeah man.
Ok, so how about getting your asses off and touring a bit more? You’ve scheduled some single shows for the summer, but how about a bigger trek? Also, how many gigs have you player so far and how would you describe the experience with the crowd? What can we expect from a NOPES show?
Yo man, we got day jobs. Pay my rent and we can start touring more. We got some shows up in Oregon and Washington this Summer, with some LA and Southern California shows towards the end of the year. Maybe Reno. It’s the poor man’s Las Vegas and a pretty good spot for punk music.
What artists have you been into recently?
Monet, Picasso, Dali.
haha, very cool! What are some of the most amazing aspects and cons of your local music scene? Have you had a lot of chances to compare it with other places in the States?
Pros: good bands Cons: Shitty bands. The Bay Area has a lot of great bands and shows going on every night, it seems a bit oversaturated at times. Some smaller towns that we’ve played, like San Luis Obispo, get way more stoked when bands come through because they’re not spoiled like all the people in Oakland and SF.
Ok guys. What else? Would you like to add anything about your current work and stuff that might interest our readers?
It’s going to give Limp Bizkit a run for the money.
