6/7/00/the Poonanies:
Josh Nacho: Who are some of your influences?
Tony: Plenty of punk rock bands that kind of sculpted our sound over the last
5 years we've been playing. Mostly other Chicago bands such as Naked Raygun
and Pegboy. There's definitely a hint of that type of intensity in our
music. Not only punk though, we're also influenced by plenty of metal bands
such as old Metallica and Iron Maiden... and even softer bands like
Jawbreaker and Dinosaur Jr. I'm a huge Elvis fan as well. We're kind of all
over the map as far as influences.
J.N.: How would you describe your sound to someone who had never heard it
before?
Tony: When people ask me what type of music we play, or what we sound like, I
say we're a melodic punk rock band. It's just melodic, well coordinated
Rock'n'Roll with a strong punk influence. We don't have mohawks, we don't
rival against the government, and we're not trying to save the whales. We're
just four musicians rocking our hearts out in an emotional way, but still
maintaining an ora of anger and intensity. When I say emotional it doesn't
constitute us as "emo" in any way. If you show up to a Poonanies show, the
last thing you'll need is a box of tissues.
J.N.: What do you do to promote yourself- to get your name out there and get
kids to listen to you?
Tony: Well, there's always flyering, zine advertising, radio play, comps,
records, and all the other basics. My favorite way of promoting the band is
to simply play shows. That's the best kind of promotion. There's nothing
like playing on a stage in some random city in front of tons of people that
are having a blast right along with you. I don't know if you'd call that
promotion but either way, it's all you really need. We also have a new
website which is www.poonanies.com. The website is a really good way to get
our music out there, as well as shows, news, and other random stuff to our
fans.
J.N.: What band would you like to tour with, if you had the chance to tour
with any band?
Tony: That's a tough question. There's so many great bands out there that
would be a blast to tour with but I think I would probably go on a tour with
a band called Blameshifter, a great band out of Chicago that we're good
friends with and run a record label with.
J.N.: What CD is in your CD player right now?
Tony: A Naked Raygun live bootleg that this guy gave me. If you're not
already a Naked Raygun fan and want to hear some of the classic concrete
sounds that Chicago is famous for, I suggest you purchase all of their albums
ASAP.
J.N.: What do you do in your spare time, outside of music?
Tony: I hold a part time job delivering pizza and go to school as a sound
major at Columbia College in Chicago. Actually, 3/4 of theband go to the
same school. Tim, our drummer, is a full time mechanic with all kinds of
crazy stuff goin' on with his free time. He's always taking crazy vacations
all over the world or playing darts in his dart league. Ya never know with
that guy. As far as spare time goes, I guess we do what any young guys do;
goin' to bars, havin' parties, gettin' fat. Wherever the day may take us.
J.N.: What do you think about the Napster scandal?
Tony: What in the wide world of sports is the Napster scandal?
J.N.: What are your thoughts on the mainstream of music? Do you like it?
And, do you think there will ever come a time when punk, ska and hardcore
take over?
Tony: I don't necessarily like it but at the same time I don't mind it. It
doesn't bother me. I personally wouldn't want some big time producer telling
me what to do but if other bands want to do it for the money or fame, then
that's absolutely fine with me. If it's a good band with good music then why
not buy the album. A good song is a good song and that's all it comes down
to. If people are making millions off it, that doesn't mean the song is bad.
As far as punk taking over the mainstream... I really don't see that
happening unless the definition of punk slowly warps into a
radio-friendly type of music. If your definition of punk is bands like
Greenday or Blink 182, then I guess it's quite possible that punk could take
over the airwaves. If your definition of punk is more stereotypical bands
like Anti-Flag or the Casualties, then I don't think punk will rule the
world. No matter what happens in the mainstream, it won't effect me. I pay
most attention to what's going on in the underground world of music anyhow.
J.N.: What are three key qualifications someone must have in order for you
to buy their soul?
Tony: First, you must have a soul and it must not be signed over to anyone
else.
Second, you must be willing to sell your soul to me for 5 dollars.
Third, you must be willing to take the chance of missing out on an afterlife
because you sold me your soul, you soulless bastard. If anyone wants more
info on how to sell me your soul, they can go to the website, poonanies.com.
J.N.: How do you feel about the music scene twenty or thirty years ago-
when punk rock was dangerous- compared to now, when it's kind of toned down?
Tony: I don't think it's the music that's toned down, I think it's the term
"punk rock" that's toned down. It doesn't mean the same thing that it used
to mean as far as music goes and has definitely been commercialized over the
last ten years or so. It all depends if you catch the right bands. I
guarantee that Rock'n'Roll still has danger in it. We played a show in
Chicago with a band called the Candy Snatchers last year in a crappy little
bar. Bottles were thrown, fights broke out, blood was shed, nudity, vomit,
and loud aggressive music. There's still bands out there that are into the
"danger" thing... they're just very few and far between.
J.N.: What's your favorite part about being in a band and playing shows, and
just making music?
Tony: It's alot of fun! The whole damn thing is alot of work that pays of
so well once you hit the stage.
J.N.: What are your future plans- i.e. touring, releases, etc.?
Tony: As far as touring goes, we've pretty much been restricted to doing
little weekend warrior tours around the Midwest because our drummer has a
full time job and gets very little time off a year to tour. We're trying to
work around that little problem but it's a pain in the ass. We're thinking
about getting a replacement drummer for touring only but we're not sure yet.
As for releases, we have one album out now on SniperJuice Records which is
kind of a compilation of three different sessions over the last 5 years all
thrown onto one CD. We're in the studio right now doing 11 new songs being
recording at "The Bomb Shelter" in Park Ridge, IL by Danny of the late band,
88 Fingers Louie. It will definitely be done by June and hopefully will be
in the record stores within a few months after that but time will only tell.
J.N.: Final thoughts... comments?
Tony: If you would like to write us, you can do so at: The Poonanies PO Box
7, Park Ridge, IL., 60068 Or you can email us at Poonanies@a...
Be sure to check out the official Poonanies site: www.poonanies.com