WORDS AND PHOTO
BY WEZ LUNDRY
PENNYWISE
PENNYWISE
IRAN MAIDEN
ED HUNER
T
105
HE NINETIES HAVE BEEN A
very weird time for punk. An
explosion of the underground
hardcore
What's up with all-ages shows?
I don't understand it. How can all these kids pull off the raves and
afterhour speakeasy infested X parties, but you gotta eat nails to get
an all-ages venue for the evening? You can thank Lori LaFavor for
her long-lasting involvement in the all-ages scene; without her it
would be completely non-existent. And now the Velvet Elvis is
closing down. The brains behind all-ages shows are battered
finally too many hoops and hurtles to jump through.
in the early nineties led to "indie
rock," the syrupy punk/pop,
became a mostly
straight-edge phenomenon, and a
lot of good bands fell by the wayside or got ignored
into obscurity. The last two years or so have brought
about a return to balls-out punk rock and roll that
was tough to find in the interregnum, and one of those
bands is Seattle's RC5. Fronted by Robb Clarke on gui-
tar and vocals with Todd Ohashi also on guitar, Rob Ries
on bass, and Erick Erickson on drums, the RC5 are play-
ing real punk, and it's damn nice to see.
In six sentences or less, what is the current state of
punk/rock in America/the world?
I prefer what's going on around the rest of the world
right now. That Scandinavian explosion really shook me
up a bit! I love the Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, and
Turbo Negro. Man, if it hadn't been for them and their
timing, I was ready for disco again. Here in America,
it seems solid, but I really can't think of a favorite
new band that's come out of America. I still love all
the bands that I have been supporting for years
already, like the Turks and Crime. There are
some great new Seattle bands including the
Valentine Killers, the Cuckoos, and the
Vaccines-Neil was in that band for a minute.
But, in general it seems solid to me.
Any skateboard-related stories?
Most of the band are Seattle regulars and have played in
various other bands such as Zipgun, Crisis Party, Against
Medical Advice, and Poison Bone, to name a few, and Rob
hails from Cleveland. They talked Comet Tavern fixture Fletch
into the artwork for one of their singles, which he did at the
bar. They've got three singles out by the time you read this, on
Small Town Records, My Fat Ass Records, and Junk Records,
with a 10" on the way and another 7" for Estrus. The two singles
that I've heard smoke, and I have no doubt in my mind that any-
thing these guys do in the future will be quality stuff as well. As for
seeing the band live, they are regulars at the Break Room or other
dives in Seattle, will take all-ages shows when offered, and are going
on the road with Zeke. Look for them in your town, as their live show
is a high-energy ass-kicking that will not soon be forgotten.
I asked Robb a few questions to delve into the psyche of the RC5...
What do you think about the music scene in Seattle now as compared to
five years ago, or at the peak of the hype?
Yeah, what can I get for my Fibreflex? It's
got California trucks and Road Runner 8's;
are those still hip? I'm saving up for some
"inline" skates 'cause I'm training for the
X Games next season in SF.
Finally, go ahead and blab.
about anything you think is
important or funny that I may
have left out.
It's back to normal; things have kind of gone back into a genuine direction.
There are no longer all these bands biodegrading right in front of your eyes as
soon as they get signed. Music seems to be for the right reasons now instead of
for the media. I was never too close to that fire. We just like to play rock 'n' roll, as
boring as that sounds.
Hey, thanks Wez. We are honored to
be included in Thrasher.
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