The Lawrence Arms

an interview by Skye

The Lawrence Arms, all the way from Chicago, graced Southern California with their presence while on tour with Rise Against.  Since their press release made them out to be a bunch of drunk wild boys, I couldn’t imagine what I was getting myself into. As I arrived at Chain Reaction in Anaheim and asked around for the guys in the band, I found some pretty hot looking band boys. 

During the interview with Brandon (bass/vocals), Neil (Drums), and Chris (guitar/vocals), the guys started talking about masturbation and their vow to stay virgins, while I was trying to maintain a suitable amount of professionalism and keep my face from turning red.  Those Chicago boys, I’ll tell ya.

The Lawrence Arms are on tour promoting their new album (yet to be released from Fat Wreck Chords) entitled Apathy and Exhaustion.

How long have you guys been together?

Chris: Almost three years.

Brandon: This Valentine’s Day, or the day after…it’s a real labor of love.

What kind of music would you say that you performed?

Chris: It’s pretty good

Okay, what genre of music would you say you fell into?

Brandon: Modern rock (band laughs).  It’s kind of a new age healing music.  It’s a new recipe to an old favorite. 

What’s your favorite part about being in the band that you’re in?

Brandon: For me I’d have to say these two handsome lovely individuals.  They make it all worthwhile.  (The other guys giggle like little schoolgirls).  I’m so serious what are you guys laughing about?  You guys are my best friends and we get to travel together.

Chris: Yeah we get to travel and meet new people, hanging out with friends.  Neil provides blow jobs to one lucky kid a night.  I’ve never had a blow job…I’m 25 years old and have no clue what a blow job is.   [And I thought they had everything on the internet…  -ed]

Alrighty…maybe Neil can help you out after the show.

Chris: Maybe I’ll get to be that one lucky kid tonight.

How would you describe your live show to someone who hasn’t attended one yet?

Brandon: Lots of vomiting, no, they’re fun we like to have fun and be entertaining. We try to.  Sometimes we get really great responses and sometimes we get really shitty ones.

Neil: I think musically we’re pretty intense but we’re really unprofessional at the same time.  We’re just like friends up there and we’re not all rockstar.  It’s like “these guys are alright, they’re kinda like a high school band.”

Brandon: Yeah, kinda like the band I saw at Bobby’s birthday party.

What do you try to say through your music? Is there some kind of message?

Neil: Do we have a message?

Chris: Laced in there is “don’t take yourself too seriously”, definitely.  Drinking is good and bad.

Brandon: Be nice to other people…because we’re so sad…be nice to us.

What kind of things do you write about when you sit down to write your songs?

Chris: I write about mythical girls that I dream about.

Neil: I write about what’s making me sad at the time.  It sounds kind of boring but you’d be surprised about how many ways you can be sad and the things that can make you that way.  If you write about being mad and sad then you can’t be happy.  It’s just a reaction to being sad. I’m not there when the lyrics are getting put on paper…or even hear the record until it comes out.

So what do you do in the band?

Chris: He lays down drum tracks when we’re not around.

Neil: Yeah I come play the show then I can’t talk to these two afterwards.

Brandon: Yeah this is an exception to the rule, usually we lock him up.  Mostly we leave him in the van until we play.  He’s got a little bottled water and a running wheel…why do you think he’s so in shape?

What about your new record?

Brandon: It comes out February 12 on Fat Wreck Chords. I really don’t have too many expectations…I hope people like it.  If they don’t, it really doesn’t matter because I like it.

Chris: We don’t give a shit what everyone thinks.

Are you going to be touring with the new album?

Brandon: Definitely, probably pretty heavily too.  When we come back to California it’ll probably be with the Alkaline Trio in like, late February.

Chris: So get your tickets soon, kiddies.

It’s at this very point that we started getting off track talking about who was on the guest list and their plans for touring and what they’d do if they weren’t in the band. 

If you could be in any other band for just one show who would you chose?

Brandon: Bob Marley and the Wailers for sure.  Bob Marley is awesome, he’s the coolest and they’re all old, black and cool, and I’m hard, young and flushed.

Neil: I’d like to be the steel pedal guitar player on the newest Frank Black record.  I can’t play steel pedal, but in this fantasy, yes I can.

Chris: I’d say Poison like 1987.  Get up there, shred a couple leads, get backstage and find out what a blow job feels like.        

With all that being said…I guess their biography is correct…they really don’t care about anything but playing their music and having a good time.  And that’s just fine.