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So how did you get started playing music?
My mom got me a really shitty acoustic guitar at a garage sale when I was thirteen. She played sixties folk style, and she taught me a couple chords and rudiments, but I had no interest in folk music.
So was there a band or song that really made you say “shit I need to play guitar”?
I really liked School’s Out by Alice Cooper. Or Black Sabbath, I would listen to that a lot, but it has virtually no influence on what I do now (laughs).
Yeah I don’t see The Absolute Monarchs getting painted up
No way. After that I played in the Toxic Paper Boys when I was fourteen, we didn’t make it as big as I thought we would. So I was in a bunch of punk bands in the early nineties in Sioux Falls South Dakota.
What made you decide to move to Seattle?
I went to a party and got gay bashed by the high school football team, although I wasn’t gay. I got beat up pretty bad and all the windows broken in my car. I went to the cops and they were like “so are you gay?” and after that I basically said fuck this town. I bought a ticket a couple weeks later, and moved to Seattle.
So you’ve been actively doing music stuff in this area...
Since 98, off and on, mostly under the radar but with every band I seem to achieve a little more success.
From what I understand the formation of The Absolute Monarchs started with you and Miki
I am married to her sister, and we all live together. I had just quit the band I was in, and I thought people would be interested in playing with me, and nobody was (laughs). I would write a part, teach her that, then write over the top of that. She’d only been playing a year, so I really simplified everything, and I really think our stripped down approach comes from our inability to play really complex riffs.
So I’m one of those dudes who is always staring at pedalboards when I come to shows, so I was wondering if you would divulge any of your patented “tone secrets.”
I really don’t know that much about guitar equipment, I have three of the exact same DD3 delay pedals, a tuning pedal, and a sample pedal thats a boss or something. I have one delay on a quick slap-back, that never goes off. I just name the delays, because I don’t really know what they are. One of them I call Robot delay, because it sounds really robotic, and the other I call Loco delay... because I’m so fluent in Spanish.
That sounds lovely, having a bilingual approach to delay systems. So do you use more than one at a time?
Yeah, I set em up so they can bounce off each other.
Like the Edge
Just like the Edge, only without a hat.
Somehow I don’t see you guys walking out of a lemon, or whatever the hell they did
I haven’t done that in years.
So you’re putting the theatrics behind you at this point
We were trying to come up with some theatrics for the release show, but we’re all just like “eh.”
So no spitting blood?
I would if I could.
Back to gear...
My head is a Musicman 150.
So was there a band or song that really made you say “shit I need to play guitar”?
I really liked School’s Out by Alice Cooper. Or Black Sabbath, I would listen to that a lot, but it has virtually no influence on what I do now (laughs).
Yeah I don’t see The Absolute Monarchs getting painted up
No way. After that I played in the Toxic Paper Boys when I was fourteen, we didn’t make it as big as I thought we would. So I was in a bunch of punk bands in the early nineties in Sioux Falls South Dakota.
What made you decide to move to Seattle?
I went to a party and got gay bashed by the high school football team, although I wasn’t gay. I got beat up pretty bad and all the windows broken in my car. I went to the cops and they were like “so are you gay?” and after that I basically said fuck this town. I bought a ticket a couple weeks later, and moved to Seattle.
So you’ve been actively doing music stuff in this area...
Since 98, off and on, mostly under the radar but with every band I seem to achieve a little more success.
From what I understand the formation of The Absolute Monarchs started with you and Miki
I am married to her sister, and we all live together. I had just quit the band I was in, and I thought people would be interested in playing with me, and nobody was (laughs). I would write a part, teach her that, then write over the top of that. She’d only been playing a year, so I really simplified everything, and I really think our stripped down approach comes from our inability to play really complex riffs.
So I’m one of those dudes who is always staring at pedalboards when I come to shows, so I was wondering if you would divulge any of your patented “tone secrets.”
I really don’t know that much about guitar equipment, I have three of the exact same DD3 delay pedals, a tuning pedal, and a sample pedal thats a boss or something. I have one delay on a quick slap-back, that never goes off. I just name the delays, because I don’t really know what they are. One of them I call Robot delay, because it sounds really robotic, and the other I call Loco delay... because I’m so fluent in Spanish.
That sounds lovely, having a bilingual approach to delay systems. So do you use more than one at a time?
Yeah, I set em up so they can bounce off each other.
Like the Edge
Just like the Edge, only without a hat.
Somehow I don’t see you guys walking out of a lemon, or whatever the hell they did
I haven’t done that in years.
So you’re putting the theatrics behind you at this point
We were trying to come up with some theatrics for the release show, but we’re all just like “eh.”
So no spitting blood?
I would if I could.
Back to gear...
My head is a Musicman 150.
Solid state?
It’s tube, paired with a beat up Vox cabinet with dented speakers. I never bothered to upgrade, it’s perfect for what we do. For guitar I play a Silvertone, I don’t know what model it is, it kind of looks like a Jaguar. I just love it trebly and noisey.
So we don’t lose everyone reading this to my guitar dorkery, do you have weird or crazy show stories you’d like to talk about?
There’s been a lot of blackout drunk shows, where everything has ended up on the floor. Everyone, or just me and Joel I guess end up on the floor. I bought this keyboard when we started the band, and I was thinking of not having any bass. I felt like I spent a lot of money on the keyboard, but Joel (singer, bassist) didn’t seem that considerate of the keys, and it just ended up missing teeth and getting completely fucked up. So we threw it out and switched all the songs to bass.
So the band is hard on equipment
Stubz (drummer) plays really hard, he breaks heads all the time. We were playing the Constant Lovers record release, and Stubz really whacks the snare and the whole stand breaks. Without missing a beat, the drummer from Constant Lovers grabbed his snare, yanked out Stubz’s drum, and replaced it in one smooth motion. That was pretty magical.
Have you guys toured or made it far afield?
No, I think the farthest we’ve played is Bremerton. Miki owns a business with my wife, The Bang Bang Cafe. They’re opening a new one, so she’s out of touring. We can maybe make a week or so, but we’ve all got jobs we’re pretty dedicated to. we’re in our mid to late thirties except for Joel, so touring just isn’t as fun as it used to be for us.
That’s funny, considering the national press you guys have gotten. Spin named you a northwest band to watch.
Which is great! That’s dope. I guess I would tour, but it’s never really been anything but a hole to throw money in, and I am at the age where I don’t have the expendable income, or the capacity to live on couches.
That’s cool though, it just means that you guys are part of what makes the pacific northwest a unique place to see music.
Yeah its a local thing.
But was there a tipping point where you guys realized you could be big locally?
Nik (owner, Good to Die Records) was there from our first show, and that’s where Spin saw us too. But it’s not like anything crazy has happened to us, we still lose money constantly. We get paid for shows and stuff, and there are some really honest clubs in this town, but when you factor in rent for the practice space, and paying for the album we’re still way behind.
On that note, I just have to ask what you think about clubs in the city. Particularly places like the Funhouse which might be shutting down soon.
I think it’s awful. I played so many shows there when it used to be Zak's. I‘ve been playing there since probably 98. It’s just another piece of Seattle history the city seems willing to throw out for development's sake.
It’s a shitty situation overall, but are there any venues where you think bands could look to for setting up shows in the post-Funhouse seattle?
The Comet has always stepped up. They pay fairly, book cool bands, they’ve always been cool to us. The Wild Rose is great. Outside of Capitol Hill, The Sunset has worked well for us. As far as all ages goes, we love the Black Lodge. It’s great because there are so many talented young bands in Seattle.
I love the Black Lodge. I never played shows til I turned 21, but it was always a shame when younger band members had to sit outside in the rain until it was our turn to play. Seattle could be doing so much better when it comes to supporting underage musicians.
The Vera Project is awesome. None of what I’ve played has gone over well there, but I definitely appreciate what it does for this city.
A lot of people have weird day jobs to support their music habit. What’ve you done?
Working at the Lusty Lady was pretty fucking weird, cleaning up come in a booth. Then I moved on to pathology, and I’ve worked in hospitals ever since. I guess that’s pretty odd too, I went from naked ladies to dead bodies and autopsies.
It’s tube, paired with a beat up Vox cabinet with dented speakers. I never bothered to upgrade, it’s perfect for what we do. For guitar I play a Silvertone, I don’t know what model it is, it kind of looks like a Jaguar. I just love it trebly and noisey.
So we don’t lose everyone reading this to my guitar dorkery, do you have weird or crazy show stories you’d like to talk about?
There’s been a lot of blackout drunk shows, where everything has ended up on the floor. Everyone, or just me and Joel I guess end up on the floor. I bought this keyboard when we started the band, and I was thinking of not having any bass. I felt like I spent a lot of money on the keyboard, but Joel (singer, bassist) didn’t seem that considerate of the keys, and it just ended up missing teeth and getting completely fucked up. So we threw it out and switched all the songs to bass.
So the band is hard on equipment
Stubz (drummer) plays really hard, he breaks heads all the time. We were playing the Constant Lovers record release, and Stubz really whacks the snare and the whole stand breaks. Without missing a beat, the drummer from Constant Lovers grabbed his snare, yanked out Stubz’s drum, and replaced it in one smooth motion. That was pretty magical.
Have you guys toured or made it far afield?
No, I think the farthest we’ve played is Bremerton. Miki owns a business with my wife, The Bang Bang Cafe. They’re opening a new one, so she’s out of touring. We can maybe make a week or so, but we’ve all got jobs we’re pretty dedicated to. we’re in our mid to late thirties except for Joel, so touring just isn’t as fun as it used to be for us.
That’s funny, considering the national press you guys have gotten. Spin named you a northwest band to watch.
Which is great! That’s dope. I guess I would tour, but it’s never really been anything but a hole to throw money in, and I am at the age where I don’t have the expendable income, or the capacity to live on couches.
That’s cool though, it just means that you guys are part of what makes the pacific northwest a unique place to see music.
Yeah its a local thing.
But was there a tipping point where you guys realized you could be big locally?
Nik (owner, Good to Die Records) was there from our first show, and that’s where Spin saw us too. But it’s not like anything crazy has happened to us, we still lose money constantly. We get paid for shows and stuff, and there are some really honest clubs in this town, but when you factor in rent for the practice space, and paying for the album we’re still way behind.
On that note, I just have to ask what you think about clubs in the city. Particularly places like the Funhouse which might be shutting down soon.
I think it’s awful. I played so many shows there when it used to be Zak's. I‘ve been playing there since probably 98. It’s just another piece of Seattle history the city seems willing to throw out for development's sake.
It’s a shitty situation overall, but are there any venues where you think bands could look to for setting up shows in the post-Funhouse seattle?
The Comet has always stepped up. They pay fairly, book cool bands, they’ve always been cool to us. The Wild Rose is great. Outside of Capitol Hill, The Sunset has worked well for us. As far as all ages goes, we love the Black Lodge. It’s great because there are so many talented young bands in Seattle.
I love the Black Lodge. I never played shows til I turned 21, but it was always a shame when younger band members had to sit outside in the rain until it was our turn to play. Seattle could be doing so much better when it comes to supporting underage musicians.
The Vera Project is awesome. None of what I’ve played has gone over well there, but I definitely appreciate what it does for this city.
A lot of people have weird day jobs to support their music habit. What’ve you done?
Working at the Lusty Lady was pretty fucking weird, cleaning up come in a booth. Then I moved on to pathology, and I’ve worked in hospitals ever since. I guess that’s pretty odd too, I went from naked ladies to dead bodies and autopsies.
So the big news obviously is that you guys just put out a record
It comes out on record store day, how perfect is that? We’re stoked. I’ve never put out vinyl before. Nik does so much for bands on his label.
Good to die is a crazy quality label, everything is really well organized.
It is, that motherfucker works so hard, and he still works a job. No one would know about us if it weren’t for him.
Just based on the quality of bands signed to his label, like you guys, Sandrider, Dog Shredder, Brokaw, Monogamy Party, Deadkill, it’s incredible.
This city needed Nik. There was no advocate for aggressive sounding bands, and this city has so much music that is underrepresented. And it seems like a lot of the other labels are chasing trends instead of nurturing what they have.
Hardcore bands that aren’t easily categorized as metal can slip through the cracks
There’s a regional sound [in the Northwest]. Not heavy, but aggressive and loud. I don’t know how well we all fit into that, but I can tell you I’m not feeling the droney 12 minute stuff.
I love music that gets right to the point
Like the Minutemen. We’ll be the three minute men.
So are there any goals you can see the Absolute Monarchs accomplishing for the year 2012?
Right after we recorded the record, we were feeling as though the band might be finished. I think over the course of us feeling that way, and then listening to our record seeing the response we got after our friends who have heard it, we decided not to give it up. It means too much to us, it’s too important, this is the one opportunity we’ve had where someone cared enough to help us. We can’t just throw it out. So for 2012, we just want to play well, write new songs, and have a good time.
Around this time, Stubz, who has been mostly quiet the whole interview, speaks up:
I think what we do was too good to toss away, myself. I really like playing with Shawn. Playing together is pretty awesome, and just because it’s a little more difficult than most things doesn’t mean we should quit.
It comes out on record store day, how perfect is that? We’re stoked. I’ve never put out vinyl before. Nik does so much for bands on his label.
Good to die is a crazy quality label, everything is really well organized.
It is, that motherfucker works so hard, and he still works a job. No one would know about us if it weren’t for him.
Just based on the quality of bands signed to his label, like you guys, Sandrider, Dog Shredder, Brokaw, Monogamy Party, Deadkill, it’s incredible.
This city needed Nik. There was no advocate for aggressive sounding bands, and this city has so much music that is underrepresented. And it seems like a lot of the other labels are chasing trends instead of nurturing what they have.
Hardcore bands that aren’t easily categorized as metal can slip through the cracks
There’s a regional sound [in the Northwest]. Not heavy, but aggressive and loud. I don’t know how well we all fit into that, but I can tell you I’m not feeling the droney 12 minute stuff.
I love music that gets right to the point
Like the Minutemen. We’ll be the three minute men.
So are there any goals you can see the Absolute Monarchs accomplishing for the year 2012?
Right after we recorded the record, we were feeling as though the band might be finished. I think over the course of us feeling that way, and then listening to our record seeing the response we got after our friends who have heard it, we decided not to give it up. It means too much to us, it’s too important, this is the one opportunity we’ve had where someone cared enough to help us. We can’t just throw it out. So for 2012, we just want to play well, write new songs, and have a good time.
Around this time, Stubz, who has been mostly quiet the whole interview, speaks up:
I think what we do was too good to toss away, myself. I really like playing with Shawn. Playing together is pretty awesome, and just because it’s a little more difficult than most things doesn’t mean we should quit.
You can catch the Absolute Monarchs at The Comet on 4/21. In the mean time, listen to the record here then click this link to pick up a copy, it's a great album.
Can you add a link to the best place to buy the album?
Okie dokie!