Got-A-Nerve?

07/31/2010 | What can a bunch of working-class American dudes who dig D.R.I., horror movies and everything 80’s do? Well, start out a fuckin thrash-core combo and try their best to living the dream (which for the guys means party hard, break some bones on a skateboard and definitely having tonna fun). Add to the mix a radical and blatant D.I.Y. attitude, some social conscious and personal lyrics and you can make your mind up on what, Reading, PA based five-piece (a second guitar player joined the ranks lately), COMMON ENEMY are all about.
The guys, who formed somewhere around 1998, have a new record, entitled “Living The Dream?”, out on Horror Business records and just hit Europe. And we got Justin Enemy (guitars), Tank (drums) and Greg Disorder (bass) replying a bunch of questions about their new album, their Euro tour, artworks and more…

GAN!: Yo COMMON ENEMY are you guys still having fun?

TANK: Always! Doing what you love is “priceless”. Just “Living the Dream” (Hahahaha!) Shameless promotion…
JUSTIN: I’m always having fun! Hahaha…

GAN!: You are just got back from a Euro jaunt. How’s that?

JUSTIN: It was a good fun time!
TANK: Europe is an amazing time! We have a lot of awesome friends in Europe and we meet new friends every time we go. If you don’t believe us about having fun, checkout our pictures that will be posted very shortly.

GAN!: Any tour, in-van, after-show parties stories you wanna share with us?

TANK: No one fell out of a bunk bed this time, which is a plus, right Greg?
GREG: Yeah, when you get real drunk and have to pee, a three story bunk bed can be your worst enemy. Hahaha… I ended up falling right on my face at 6:30 in the morning and had to go to the hospital on the first day of our Party Harder 2008 Euro Tour. Because everyone was drinking heavily and couldn’t drive, they had to call an ambulance, it wasn’t to cheap or fun, but it’s definitely was an experience I will never forget!
JUSTIN: (laughing … ) Yeah, he won’t forget that he can’t sleep on the top bunk anymore!
TANK: Our drivers on our last Euro tour, Christian Slaughter and Manny Bones, took us to see the bone church in Czech Republic. Talk about the best place ever to make a zombie film. It needs to be done! Something like forty thousand human remains decorate the inside of this church, I think that’s all I have to say!

GAN!: Your latest record “LIVING THE DREAM?” has been out for a good bunch of months now. How has the overall reception been? Is there any new tune kids dig more than others, any new classic?

TANK: It’s still early, but I see some of the songs, catching on. (“Beer Bong”, “Hey Kid, Wake Up”, “Warped in World 8”)

GAN!: Lyrically you guys deal with everyday life struggles, all the shit going in today world and party till last keg of beer is drained away. Is there any particular “among the lines” message you wanna address through your lyrics?

TANK: You need to live life the way you want to. Do what you love and don’t settle for a so called “normal life”.

GAN!: Most of the themes you deal with were really popular in the 1980’s and still up to date today. I’m wrong saying that it seems like nothing changed at all since then?

JUSTIN: A lot has changed! They don’t make video games 8-bit anymore. Cell phones are smaller. There is internet now. Girls don’t wear the leg warmers like they did in the 80’s. And my personal favourite was MTV in the 80’s, “Headbangers Ball”, when it actually played music videos and was cool to check out new bands!

GAN!: You guys abuse 80’s thrash-punk graphics which, in my view, are really cool. Who’s the guy that takes care of this. It’s just a bit of revival, a ran of the mill thing among bands playing your genre or you guys are really into 80’s stuff?

TANK: Eighty’s were an awesome time, we’re just keeping it alive!
JUSTIN: Bobby Evil does all of our artwork! Me and Bobby have been working together for 5 years and I feel like he’s the 6th member of the Common Enemy. He brings our music alive into a drawing, which by the way is starting to be a lost art with all of this downloading of albums! Have you ever bought an album because the artwork was amazing and grabbed your eye, and then you started getting more into the band because the record ruled and without the artwork you would have never even heard the record? We’re trying to keep art and music together like it should be! Plus we really love the 80’s!

GAN!: Talking about 80’s cover artworks. Is there one cover that sticks to your mind in particular way?

JUSTIN: D.R.I. “Dealing With It”

GAN!: What brought you guys to start a band in the first place? And how did you get involved with hardcore punk?

TANK: I wanted to play music. I wasn’t very good, but I did what I wanted to do. My older brother got me into hardcore punk and I thank him to this day!
JUSTIN: Going to punk rock shows when I was younger and seeing the unity, the fun, and the fact that you can express yourself thru music.

GAN!: Are you guys writing new stuff? How’s the process that you go through to write a new tune?

JUSTIN: It’s going great, but does anyone know of any good monkeys who can play the drums and will work for bananas?
TANK: HA… HA… HA… Very funny! These guys have been joking about trying to replace me with a monkey for years, but what they haven’t figured out yet is, I bring the party beat! We’re writing new stuff all the time! All of us have input, we push each other and suggest things to each other with out getting pissed. As a drummer, I sometimes help write some lyrics.

GAN!: How’s life in Reading, PA? And what about your local scene?
TANK: Reading, PA, hmmmm…
GREG: It’s ok round these parts, lack of small venues and shows are holding the scene back.
TANK: It’s ok, nothing to write home about though. It’s actually getting worse with the economy the way it is. NO JOBS! As for the scene it has its ups and downs, but around here there is always some awesome kids that do there part and make punk fun!

GAN!: Best hardcore-punk record you got the chance to hear this year?
TANK: Self titled album by Positive Strike
JUSTIN: Hellmouth “Destroy Everything, Worship Nothing’’

GAN!: Introduce each band member, describing his strong/weak points, and his contribution to band’s delivery.

JUSTIN: I’m Justin. I play the guitar and bring the thrash. Tank is the drummer, the drinker, and partier, he holds it down! Greg brings the bass beats. Gary screams real loud into a microphone and smokes the good stuff. And the newest member to the band is Sir James, he plays 2nd guitar, brings the harmonics, and the human beat box.

GAN!: Any final words of wisdom?
TANK: If you’re not having fun, you’re not “Living the Dream”

Check: myspace.com/commonenemy myspace.com/horrorbizrecords

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Category: Interviews
Posted by: marcs77