The Lawrence Arms are three Chicago boys with a blistering pop-punk sound and a bar-room exterior that belies the sensitivity and intelligence of their work. Brendan and Neil, LA bassist/vocalist and drummer, respectively, were kind enough to give me ten minutes of their time before their set on February 21st at 'canes in at mission beach. The transcribed version of this interview cannot do justice to these guys, oh man they are so funny. This was the most casual and friendly interview I've done.

Interviewed by Kip Mitchell

KSDT: I'm from KDST which is on the UCSD campus, it's campus radio, we're kind of up-and-coming; we don't actually have and FM signal yet but we're working on it. so I wanted to ask you guys, how does it feel to be a Chicago music legend?
brendan: um, interesting question. I honestly don't know. feels a lot, probably, like it feels to be interviewing someone on an up-and-coming radio station looking for FM signal, I would say. I don't think that we think of ourselves, any of us, in that sort of regard. I mean...it's nice to get asked the question, though.

KSDT: well, it's becoming of you guys to be humble about it. I guess I'm thinking of, I know especially you brendan, being in slapstick, that was the Chicago '90's music scene and you've been involved in that for a while, so what does it really mean to be a Chicago band? is that a special thing, is that a specific feeling for you guys?
brendan: I'd say definitely. I mean, we're all, all of us, and by all of us I mean all of us that are in bands in Chicago really are still a pretty tight-knit scene out there and we're close friends and it's like, you know the people that were playing in bands when I was in slapstick eight years ago, those are the same people that are playing in bands now, they're just different bands, know what I mean? it's...and it's really cool, there's kids that grew up watching those shows that are playing shows now, playing in bands...it's really cool, and it's great. I love being involved in that scene, and I'm very proud to be associated with it.

KSDT: I just wanted to ask you brendan, did you take anything from the broadways to the lawrence arms?
brendan: I don't know, I'd say it was all just sort of an evolution of songwriting. not so much that I was taking things from the broadways, but I was at a certain place in my songwriting career, and then I was at another place. what I'm doing now I think evolved from the broadways, definitely. but, you know what I was doing in the broadways evolved from when I was in slapstick, and what I was doing in slapstick evolved from the horrible, horrible things that I did before that.

KSDT: talking about your new cd "Apathy and Exhaustion", the title sounds kind of depressing...is that reflecting of where you guys are at right now? tired and sick of things?
neil: it was sort of just the moment. we had just gotten off a thirteen-month-long tour, and we just...it was just the feeling we all sort of had towards what we had just done. not the process of it, or not really like the feeling we get when we're doing it because it's the greatest feeling touring and being around friends and bands but, just to get home and after something like that you just kind of say 'holy shit, I can't believe I just did that.' and I think it's sort of...we just wanted to see what that feeling would do if we tried put it into music and that just sort of seemed to be the best two words to describe the feelings that we were going through after we got home off tour.

KSDT: how was the relationship with fat [wreckchords], and how was that process working with fat instead and are those guys cool guys?
neil: great, great people. I mean, I don't deal with them on the business level at all, I just know them as drunks from las vegas...as of right now. soon, hopefully I'll know them as drunks from san francisco. but they're just a bunch of kids like us, fucking around and doing a really good job at a DIY label.
brendan: and they're great, they're great people, they have their shit so together and um...
neil: ...except for toby, the web designer. he's got some issues.
brendan: yeah, he's drunk on cock. oh wait, we can't say that on the radio.
neil: is this going to be on the radio?
KSDT: yeah, I'm putting this on the radio.
brendan: oh okay...I mean the rooster.
neil: [laughs] he's drunk on the rooster...
KSDT: hey, we don't have any FCC regulations, so you can say whatever you want to.
brendan: [laughs] oh, sweet!
neil: fuckin' ay.
brendan: alright, yeah, he's fuckin drunk on cock but the rest of them are stand-up individuals. yeah, I love them. again, if I could sound happier please tell me. I'm very...I think we're all very, very proud to be associated with fat. it's awesome, they're amazing people.

KSDT: again with the new album, did you have a direction that you were taking the music consciously, or did it just sort of, like you said before, just an evolution of what you guys were doing?
brendan: yeah it's just like...I think all our shit, like every record sounds I think markedly different from the last we've done, and this is just the next record we did. I mean it's not like we're like fugazi and we're doing dub albums and then we're doing hardcore albums, I mean, you know we're not pushing the envelope that much but I think that in our own little way we're constantly evolving and changing and that's sort of the goal, you know that's what we always want to do. and this is just this era; I hope the next record doesn't sound like this one, that people will say it sounds a little bit different.

KSDT: what's the songwriting process like in the band?
neil: these guys [brendan and chris] will just kind of hand me tapes of acoustic stuff and hand each other tapes, and then we'll just listen to them on our own, and then get together and be like 'I like that thing' it will be pretty much structured like verse-chorus, and then just, get some intro ideas and whatnot, and then we'll just get together in a garage, whatever, and piece it together, figure out what works and what doesn't work and if we need bridges and all that kind of stuff. but I mean generally most of the songwriting like the guitar parts or the vocal patterns and lyrics are written primarily by whoever sings the song.

KSDT: what's a particularly cool concert you guys have played? do you have one in your mind that's particularly awesome? maybe a particular city?
neil: one that's NOT awesome is Hurricane Harry's in Vegas, fuck that place.
KSDT: alright, fuck that place. I'll tell everybody.
neil: please do.
brendan: you know what? we're simple midwestern boys...and this is pretty much the coolest place I've ever been as far as a show goes.
neil: yeah, we're staring at an ocean. I have two girls with bikinis behind me waiting for me after this interview is done.
brendan: I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone earlier, and I was like: if I wanted to, we could be on stage and neil could do a three minute drum solo, and I could walk to the ocean and come back wet by the time he was done. that's amazing!
neil: that is pretty incredible.
brendan: from the stage-
neil: I'd have to say five minutes though.
brendan: from the stage to the ocean...what?
neil: from the stage to the ocean and back? five minutes.
brendan: well, maybe. four.
neil: because you're going to want to prance around a little bit.
KSDT: [laughs] enjoy the moment.
neil: yeah, dip your toes in.

KSDT: where do you guys, as far as touring...there's a few more days on this tour, right?
brendan: yeah.
neil: two or three more.
KSDT: and then after that are you going to take a break?
neil: no. new record just came out, we're gonna pedal to the medal and uh...hope we don't hit any squirrels, man.

KSDT: so where you going now, you on another tour?
neil: we're going to hook up with this band called yellowcard, they're a bunch of guys from some town that's...not here, I don't think, maybe...
brendan: they're from florida, but they live around here now.
neil: yeah, we're doing some south and some eastern dates, and then we're gonna um....I think we're gonna go down to south america and hit Chile...and Brazil and whatnot.
KSDT: that's fucking cool!
neil: ...nah, I'm kidding.
KSDT: [laughs] oh man.
neil: yeah, I wanted to make people think we were a big band. no, we're just going to keep opening for bands and make people...force people to listen to us, and hopefully mass consumption will kick in.

KSDT: awesome, guys. thanks for that...one more thing, do you think you guys could do a station ID?
brendan: oh yeah, definitely.
hey what's up, this is brendan from the lawrence arms, and when I'm not fellatiating myself in the back of my mom's minivan I'm listening to KSDT radio, San Diego, California. yeah.
neil: well, there you go.

website: www.thelawrencearms.net