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Reducers SF came to be some six years ago, bore out of the San Francisco
local scene with designs to play something better than what they were
hearing at the time. A few pub closings and street cleanings later,
mission accomplished. With the release of their latest "Crappy Clubs and
Smelly Pubs" LP, Reducers SF bring fans on a virtual tour of where life
began for a once little known but ambitious Punk Rock upstart. Several
singles, split EP's, lips and defiant screams later, the band has met
the challenge with their continued assault on the demands of yesterday's
history and tomorrow's challenges. So loosen up your blue collar, kick
back, pop the top and settle in for a few quick ones with the Reducers'
founding guitarist/vocalist Glen McHenry and bassist Mike Crowell.
Vinnie: I enjoyed the brief "tour" of the Bay
area social scene there on the inside of your CD cover--might be the
closest I ever get unfortunately. Is this record a means for getting
back to your roots-or are you even that far removed from them to begin
with?
Glen: I think we're still wallowing around pretty
deep in our roots. We're still doing the same stuff we were when we
started this band, and in some cases, before we started the band.
Most of those bars on the inside cover is where we can be found spending
most of our time, and unfortunately, our hard earned money too!
Mike: We've only done two albums so we haven't had much time to get
away from our roots, but it is true to what influences us in song
writing.
V: I'm finding there's always so much being made
for "this" style or "that" style-for instance you've got the So. Cal
thing going and then you've got the Fat Wrecks thing, that identifiable
modern Punk slant with a degree of Pop crossover. If there is a way
to, how would you classify the San Francisco style? I find compared
to other areas, maybe this one gets overlooked to some degree-do you
see a difference or is there even a reason why there would be?
Glen: I think there's a difference simply because
of the attitude that different cities produce. The SF punk sound is
very genuine, in my book. It doesn't have the glitzy, somewhat plastic
stylings of Hollywood, or the So. Cal style of hardcore. I believe
it has the anger and intensity of the East coast punk and hardcore
but with a different kind of aggression. There is a lot of music going
on in SF, a ton, and I think it gets overlooked because you don't
have the major connections in this city like you do in LA. You go
down there and they've got movie stars going to punk shows for crying
out loud! It's not what you know, or sound like in this case, it's
who you know and who they can hook you up with. SF is happy producing
the rock n' roll, and maybe leaving out the sequins and pink leather
pants.
Mike: There's so much difference in my opinion of the bands here that
it would be very hard to try and classify an SF "sound" anyway. There
has been talk of a "TKO Records" sound, but I don't buy it. I think
the Reducers SF are as different as the Bodies are to the Beltones
and as the Working Stiffs are to Thug Murder. One thing that I think
I can say with confidence though, TKO puts out some great bands!
V: So who's some of the local talent you've toured with-describe a
little about San Fran's relevance to the Punk community?
Glen: We did a three-day tour of Southern California
with a bunch of our label-mates the other year. That was pretty memorable.
TKO records threw us, the Bodies, Pressure Point, Workin' Stiffs,
the Forgotten and the Randumbs on a big-ass bus and pointed it down
to LA. There was so much booze being drunk that we all filled up the
porta-pisser twice before we got down south. The driver had to empty
it into a cornfield on the side of the freeway. What a fiasco that
was. I'm surprised we made it back home with everybody still intact.
I think we showed what relevance we have on that tour!
Mike: We've also toured with the Randumbs for whatever that's worth.
What is SF's relevance to the punk community? Just another town that
puts out its share of bands. Except in this case, it's really fucking
hard to go on extended touring since your rents are inflated to 3
times what any other city in the US would probably pay. In the end,
SF will probably be remembered as the city with great bands that never
toured!
V: Do you think the Punk community has gotten
overexposed in recent years after it being practically non-existent
for some time. In fact I've noticed a lot of similarities from band
to band, which you expect you know, in terms of subject matter but
musically... so how do you guys keep your edge?
Glen: We keep our edge by going to work everyday
and dealing with all the shit that life sneaks up on you all the time.
I think certain bands out there who are now labeled as "punk" have
received success so fast that they haven't spent enough time in the
trenches in order to grow nice and bitter, like us, ha ha. I think
the term punk is thrown around so much these days that a lot of people
don't know what they're talking about any more. Now there's a ton
of bands that sound like Blink 182 and they're all supposed to be
punk because they spike their hair and sing teenybopper love songs.
Mike: You have to keep your edge by trying to insert elements that
make your sound different than the thousand of other punk bands around
while still writing good music. As much as no one will admit to, punk
rock is a very competitive business. Bands are always squabbling about
who should play where on bills, etc. We actually don't care to headline
that much, so it's ok for us, but others take it real seriously. In
the end though, it really is all about the music, and that's what
the fans will gravitate to.
V: I like the new record-it's got a lot of those
traditionally Punk elements from the old days and a little harder
edge I think than some of those watered down crossover types. The
songs all come together as a unit without there being any set agenda.
Glen: That's great feedback, thanks a lot. Most
of our inspiration comes from the earlier punk type stuff, along with
old rock n' roll and whatever else turns us on. I think the cohesiveness
comes from the band members, as musicians, coming together and contributing
to the song writing.
Mike: I think we also have our influences from late 70's glam stuff
like Slade, and the Heavy Metal Kids, and Chiswick type rock and roll,
so that helps round our sound out.
V: I never thought I'd ever hear Slade ever come
up as an influence, that's pretty wild. Is there anything totally
off the wall or outrageous that's still to be done in the future,
or have you covered it already? Elaborate...
Glen: World tour!! We really are going to try
and do much more touring, eventually we'll get our own jet plane that
has big paintings of us on the side of it so everyone knows what jackasses
we really are!
Mike: We want to tour, bad, we want someone to pay for it too, so
I don't have to come home selling pizzas slices for $4.50 an hour!
Actually, when we get back from Europe in October, we are going to
start compiling new songs for the next album as well. We have new
stuff we haven't had time to play yet. Pretty outrageous huh?
V: Speaking of "covered", who would be your preferred
band to honor with a tribute record, considering how they're so popular
now, who deserves it and do you bother much with cover songs in your
past albums or set lists?
Glen: Cock Sparrer is always a favorite to cover. They make songs
that are so brilliant, and yet so simple, and are a blast to play.
They would definitely deserve a tribute for all the great music they've
produced over the years. We've recorded a couple of covers but always
kind of consider that cheating unless you can do something really
substantial with it. Live, we cover Slaughter and the Dogs, Cock Sparrer
and we have done stuff by Menace.
Mike: Agreed with Sparrer. I would like to cover some Beltones or
Thug Murder some day after they make it Triple Platinum!
V: Life on the road-has it gotten easier with
regards to more places to play-outside of locally, where would you
say are the best places to tour?
Glen: We're to tour Germany, Belgium, Switzerland
and Austria in September of 2001. That will be our first major international
tour. We're really psyched for that one. California is tough to play
since it's so spread out. The places to play are limited since the
music Meccas are too easy to saturate since there's LA, SF and a few
towns sprinkled around them. N.Y. was a fantastic place to play, what
an energy!
Mike: East Coast touring is easier just because of proximity from
one city to the next. As Glen said, between LA and SF is a fucking
vast desert of nuthin! 8 hours of some shit boring scenery.I get excited
if I see a fucking cow for Christ sakes!
V: Besides yourselves, what band do you expect
to make waves in the next several months-is there really some new
and legitimate talent out there that you can see will make their break?
Also, going back for a second, obviously every Punk group today has
their heroes they point back to from the old school, and who's yours?
Who would you like to see comeback or if not that, get more respect
than maybe they did...
Glen: A band called the Beltones is set to release
a new record soon and to tour along with it. I think they're great
and have a huge potential to make some waves. It is good to see The
Business is still at it. It's a weird time right now with all the
older bands, a lot of them are re-forming now and some are not really
what they used to be. Sparrer does a great live show, if they ever
get out here again, and I'm anxious to see Slaughter and the Dogs
and Holiday In The Sun in SF.
Mike: I have mixed feelings of old bands that re-form-is it about
money or is it about actually enjoying what you're doing? They won't
tell you, but 9 times out of ten, you can tell yourself by the end
of the first song.
V: So what do you think, let's break down some more barriers here
and bring the musical communities together-maybe invite Huey Lewis
& The News out on the road with ya?
Glen: I'm down with Huey! That'd be fun as shit
but I'd be willing to bet they don't party like they used to, but
then, neither do I, thank God!
Mike: Huey and the guys are great! Just good rock and roll, ain't
nuthin' wrong with that! I'm sure they could teach us a thing or two!
Reducers SF discography:
Split 7" w/Lower Class Brats - "Pair -01 Docs Records 1996 "We Are The
People" 7" EP - Pair - 01 Docs Records 1997 "Don't Like You" 7" Single -
TKO Records 1998 "Backing The Longshot" LP/CD - TKO Records - 1999 "No
Control" 7" Single - TKO Records - 2000 "S/T" 7" EP - Burning Heart
Records - 2000
Contact: www.reducerssf.com
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