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The explosive implication of their name doesn’t even begin to summarize the flame-worthy nature of their music. M-80 rocks you with thunderous tunes- screaming at your soul, yet soothing your ears with the same tune. Their aggressive mix of musical talent and energetic presence give this band the ingredients to be one of the few that "make it" in the local scene. M-80’s popularity is rising, there is no doubt.
This quartet from Providence, Rhode Island, have played around the New England area for quite a stint (and recently, the guys swung out to LA to audition some material). This, added to their diversified backgrounds and styles, have given them the fuel to attract a wide audience of music lovers, not just the punk crowd. Rounding out this team of punk geniuses are Jonny Sanford on guitar and vocals, Brian Bacon on drums, Christian Blaney on bass (and vocals), and Jeff Hanks on guitar. Their last album, "Don't Take It Away", has awarded them quite a bit of attention and expanded their fanbase in drastic proportions. Their new disc, though, gives promise of even more ground-breaking punk rock tunes. "Put Down The BB Gun" will please any fan of punk rock.
M-80’s newest release is a punk masterpiece in that it pulls from all types of "punk", and lays it out on the table in a most diverse manner. They won’t hit you right away, but after a couple of listens, you’ll realize how damn talented they are. They have the screams, the beautiful vocal moments, the moans, the almost symphonic slow-downs, the distortion, the rebel attitude, and a whole lot of energy that nearly jumps off the excitement scale.
The playing back and forth between the two vocalists, Jonny and Christian, is perfect. Christian keeps a raw, I-drank-too-much-last-night-and-woke-up-pissed-off, grainy feel to his vocals, whereas Jonny delivers his vocals in more mellow, calculated progressions, in an almost crooning manner. This one of the key reasons The Offspring made it as big as they did- they (most specifically Dexter Holland) could go from aggressive screaming to melodic ballad-ing without any hesitation. The soft meets hard with Jonny and Christian. This dichotomy is very apparent on many of M-80s heavier songs. On "Fight You For No Reason", one of their more angst-laden tunes, Christian does both the hard and softer vocals alone, showing great movement and range between both styles.
"Last In Line" has their most atypical punk lyrics- the epitome of what the punk movement was based on- the big guy jumps ahead while the little guy gets stomped on because he is mentally above cheating; above the bullshit that gets one to "the top". But the ska-like guitar breakdowns make this song a bit more transcendent beyond their genre- with more of a Rancid vibe. Another track with a true rebel-punk root is "Radio Station", a short (but supremely sweet) thrash. "They broadcast the sounds that keep thinking down. Keep kids controlled. Don't let them think. Give them average boring consumable garbage. Turn that station down before it poisons the town," starts off "Radio Station."
This common theme throughout "Put Down the BB Gun" is the daily struggle, getting stomped on by the man with the three piece suit. This is M-80. It is the placenta that the punk scene was nurtured in and it is the statement that M-80 makes every time they take the stage or lay down a sweet ass track.
M-80 is also not afraid to get a bit more open with their lyrics, into that sometimes frightening realm of human relationships ("Over", "You’ve Got What I Want", "Someone Like You", all fantastic tracks). But where most bands write a whole bunch of weepy fluff when they want to expose their emotions, M-80 keeps it raw. No need to wuss out on three out of fifteen tracks like many genre-expanding punk rockers do these days. M-80: I say "kudos" to keeping your musical dignity.
In examining the rising juggernaut that is M-80, it is no wonder they were recently chosen as the "Best Unsigned Band in the US" by Buzzplay.com. And it is also no wonder they will be jamming this summer as an addition to the ever popular Vans Warped Tour (they will be playing the following Vans shows: Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philadelphia). Their future is as bright as their thundering, aggressive sounds. Their lyrics- intelligent. Their instruments- sweeping and roaring. Their music- energetic, fun, and for all the right reasons: meaningful.
Check out their website, www.m80punk.com, for more details, upcoming shows, and a few downloads (there are also a couple of tracks currently available at MP3.com).
THE dB INTERVIEW:dB: How did you all meet originally and what is it that got you into making punk music?
Jeff Hanks: I was in Racketball and Christian was in the Arson Family. We played shows together with our former bands and decided to start playing new music together when our bands were starting to fizzle out. We actually weren't really looking to start a band...it just ended up that way.
Christian Blaney: Yeah, we recorded our first 10-song CD before we even had a band name. It all happened very quickly. It just worked out really well.
Brian Bacon: I was in Racketball also and knew Jeff. We go way back. Jonny was in the Village Idiots who played with Racketball a bunch of times.
dB: Who are your biggest influences- musical, day-to-day inspirational, etc...- who or what helps you get out of bed and the morning and pick up your instruments?
Jonny Safford: NOFX, Brian Setzer, Dead Milkmen, DMX...anyone who can really play and keep it believable. That always worked for me.
Brian Bacon: Operation Ivy, Bad Religion, Rancid, tons of reggae, and a lot of punk.
Jeff Hanks: Slayer, Pennywise, Bad Religion, Rancid. Brian and I used to drive around listening to Rancid and Brian would jump out of the moving car when "rejected" came on.
Christian Blaney: Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Bigwig, The Clash.
dB: What was it like to play your first live show? Did you feel like you were going to shit your pants- or were you all jazzed up?
Jeff Hanks: Well, the first M-80 show was actually nearly sold out at the Ocean Mist. That was a pretty good start for us.
Brian Bacon: My first show with M-80 was at an outdoor festival at URI in front of about 12 people....
dB: What do you think about the punk scene- and most specifically, what do you think about the local punk scene? Where do you think it's heading- extinction or rebirth?
Christian Blaney: Where there is a music scene at all...there will always be a punk scene. One thing we've learned is that there will always be punk kids who want to hear something a little different. We have a very loyal following here in Providence and we appreciate all their support. Traveling, we've learned that our scene is a good one- punk or not punk. It doesn't matter. We were in L.A., recently, and realized very quickly that our scene here is just as good as the local scene in L.A. The bands here just need to realize that. The difficult thing about our scene here is that it’s just so much more difficult to get noticed here in RI.
dB: Are there any local bands that you're really in to?
Jonny Safford: Bands like Turning Blue, Monty's Fan Club, Priority One, Reason To Fight, Last Mission, Chapters.
Jeff Hanks: Coma, Slik Willy, Life This Week, Bad Larry, F-Bombs, Muckle, Glenn's Army, Wedgie.
Brian Bacon: Denny and the Weirdos.
Christian Blaney: Lightening Bolt, the Magnums, The Deterrents....this is really only a partial list and I'm sure we're missing important bands here....but the point is these are all hardworking bands made up of people who are dedicated to making their music happen.
dB: You're playing the Vans Warped Tour this summer. Very nice, indeed. What are you looking forward to with the shows you're playing? And what bands are you excited to see???- I'm sure Vans is heaven on earth for you guys.
Brian Bacon: The Beer Olympics and the chicks.... women.. .ladies.... yeah... no seriously...the shows are going to be sick. It’s our scene. It’s our thing! We're stoked!
Jeff Hanks: Brian is our official band whore-he gets the chicks....I'm actually looking forward to the bands, the main stage and playing in front of thousands of people every night.
Jonny Safford: The skating and BMX shit. Hanging out with Rick Thorne comparing tattoos again! This should be great because we're going from the Ocean Mist to the Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit, which holds 18,000 people.
Christian Blaney: I can't wait to see the Drop Kick Murphy’s, Rancid, and Pennywise every single night. We're just psyched because we're the only unsigned band ever to be on the tour for multiple dates (so they tell us) and I think the only other RI band to ever do more than a couple of dates was the Crowns. We're ready to represent RI!
dB: You recently went out to LA to play for some record execs. What was that all about? Anything exciting come of it?
Christian Blaney: Originally we were supposed to play the Viper Room for the label showcase, but the big Warped Tour DVD release party show came up and we cancelled the Viper Room show and told the labels to go to that instead. It just worked out better. Instead of playing the same old stale label showcase, we got to play in front of 1500 people. The labels got to see us in a much better environment.
Jonny Safford: The one thing we have learned after doing this for so long is that every door we open is an important one. Every bit counts.
Brian Bacon: Its like what Bon Scott from ACDC says "its a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll."
Jeff Hanks: We're just psyched that we've gotten to take advantage of these opportunities. We've been to L.A. twice now with this band. We're having fun!
dB: I heard that you guys got on TV from that show? What happened there?
Jonny Safford: Yeah. We were interviewed by FOX Sports 54321 extreme sports show. They aired a Warped Tour special based on the show that we played. They showed an interview and some live footage.
Brian Bacon: It was sick.
dB: What other plans are on the horizon for M-80?
Brian Bacon: We just signed a promotional deal with Budweiser...that's a good thing...Bud Man.
Jeff Hanks: There's enough stuff going on right now to keep us busy for quite a while.
Christian Blaney: We're just having a blast right now. We're trying to take advantage of every opportunity that we get, and enjoy it while it lasts. We're very down to earth and know that it all ends as quickly as it begins. In the scheme of things we're barely scratching the surface of "breaking in" to the industry. We're just having fun with it right now. |
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