Interview with Mike from the Methadones
The Methadones are a awesome Chicago based band that not to many people have
heard of. Take Screeching Weasel and Sludgeworth, minus the attitude of Ben
Weasel and add a little new wave pop to the mix and you have the Methadones. The
Methadones remind me a lot of the Mopes, another SW side project band.
Why did you pick the name "the methadones"?
We always thought it was a cool name. It's
easy to spell, or at least you think it would. When we were on tour we would
pull up to clubs and see our name spelled "Methodones" or
"Methadone". None of us are on Methadone, but it's not that we are
against it we just can't afford it.
Is it hard to have a drummer that just "fills"
in for the shows? (I guess your bands current situation is Matt from the Teen
Idols/Queers is filling in for you until you get a new drummer, is that right?)
It's not too hard. I mean we just can't go
book a show right now and assume Matt can play it. He plays with the Queers and
the Teen Idols, and both bands are getting ready to record new albums. We just
got done recording our next record with Matt playing drums. It's amazing the
difference he made when he started rehearsing with us. The songs never sounded
better. We may end up doing a tour with the Teen Idols so if we don't have a
full time drummer by then I'm sure he would have no problem filling for us. I
wish we could have him full time but he is really busy with the Teen Idols.
How many releases do you have, and how many years has the
band been together?
We have been together on and off for about
9 years. The original incarnation of the Methadones was more of a side band to
Sludgeworth and Screeching Weasel. A lot of the early songs were more straight
up pop tunes. The only song we do from that era is a song called
"Revitalized" which will be on our next record. The band quickly
dropped out around mid-1993 and reappeared around 1995 for a few shows and a
quick recording session but those tracks remain unreleased. It wasn't until last
year that this line-up came together, Dan had already had the album recorded but
he really had no idea what he was going to do with it. The funny thing about it
is that this line-up has done more in a year then the entire other 8 years of
the band. We have one release called "I'll at Ease" and we have
recorded other sessions but we haven't released any of them. Like I said before
we just got done laying down the music for the next record.
How did the contest on Interpunk.com come about?
Good question, I have no idea. I think it's
cool of them do to it. It's always nice to see people supporting you. Interpunk
has been really helpful with pushing our record. We were getting e-mails from
people saying "Hey, where can I get a jacket". I had no idea what they
were talking about until a friend of ours told us.
It looks really nice. They are also going to be making buttons, key chains, and
other stuff for us soon too.
What do you think about the crisis of September 11th and
after (opinions, theories, state of being)?
That's a tough one. I can only speak for myself and not anyone else in the band. I totally support bombing any country that is hiding terrorists. We have to make a statement and that statement should be "We are not taking this sitting down and if you fuck with us, we are going to fuck you up". If I had my way I would have dropped a bomb on that country and call it a day. I know a lot of people are sensitive to killing innocent people and no one wants that but that's what war is all about. After seeing what happened on September 11th it really goes to show that no one is safe and we have to start throwing our weight around and not give other countries money. Also look how bad Rambo looks, if you movie nuts our their remember a little classic called Rambo 3, you will remember Sylvester Stallone fighting on the side of the Taliban against the Russians. Rocky, say it ain't so?
How would you describe your band to a young, blossoming, teen girl, lets say about 15 years old?
We have the most camera friendly faces you
have ever seen and we are hung like horses, do you have a younger sister? Just
kidding. It's hard to explain a sound of a band to someone but we are really
influenced by late 70's power pop/punk and a lot of the early 80's punk bands.
What do you think about Ben Weasel's "solo"
project?
I'm curious to hear it. I hope he takes his
time and doesn't rush it. I thought some of the last
Weasel albums suffered in the production department. I think if he has some good
production and takes his time he could really make a great record.
What is in your CD player right now? and what 5 bands do
you think are awesome and everybody should check out ( they don't have to be new
bands)?
Here is a brief list of the following bands
that I have been listening too lately. Holly and the Italians, Pezband, Off
Broadway, Cheap Trick, Kiss, Teenage Head, Pointed Sticks, Rhino DIY comps, Best
of Girl Groups v/a 1960's, Beatles, Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons,
Best of Bubblegum Groups Volume 1 through 5, and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
5 bands that I would recommend everyone to check out goes as follows.
1-Off Broadway---A great old Chicago Power Pop band. They had a few albums out
in the early 80's and if you see any of them I recommend you pick it up
immediately. It's some of the best pop songs you will ever hear.
2-Pezband---Another great Chicago Pop band. They were affiliated with Off
Broadway and they were more on the Pop side then the Power side. They sounded a
lot like the Beatles.
3-The Raspberries-A classic old band from the early 70's.It featured Eric Carmen
who later penned an annoying tune called "All by Myself" and some
cheesy 80's hits. Their first 2 albums are amazing and you can get it all on one
CD.
4-Cheap Trick---What can I say about this band that hasn't already been said.
Get their first 4 albums and you will know what good song writing is all about.
5-Teenage Head---Great Canadian band. I had the pleasure of seeing them live a
few years back and it was one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. It's a
little tough to find in the states but if you find it, grab it.
How about them Bears.....
That would be Dan's territory. I don't follow many sports. Dan has been watching
the Bears a lot. I hope they get to the super bowl so we can get another version
of the classic "Super bowl Shuffle".
What is in the upcoming future of The Methadones?
We are going to get this next record out
hopefully by spring and start the New Year off with a tour.
We plan on doing a lot with the New Year coming. We will be playing out as much
as we can.
Any last comments, remarks, plugs, advice, stock tips that
you have not had a chance to say yet?
If you bought the record, thanks. Please by a few more copies because no one in this band wants to work. Check out our website at http://www.methadones.com/ and keep an eye out for us coming to your town. As far as stock tips, all I know is that I lost all my money when I invested in Pumpkin Futures and sold it in December because I thought they would peak then.