Teenage Bottlerocket: Set To Explode
.jpg)
Sci-fi obsessed punk nerds The Lillingtons may have bowed out of the scene at the height of their underground popularity (Nofx's Fat Mike once claimed not signing the band to be "his biggest regret"), but for former vocalist Kody, a fittingly zombie-esque life-after-death was found in new project Teenage Bottlerocket. Featuring the singer's trademark yelp and song titles like "Bloodbath at Burger King", Lillingtons fans won't have to stretch very far to embrace the fresh outfit.
"A lot of people definitely got into the band because they heard it was Kody's next band," say co-singer\guitarist Ray. "We have a lot of people that come up to him with questions about the Lillingtons. We're pretty approachable guys, so it's not a big deal."
Still, those in search of Lillingtons version 2.0 might be thrown a curveball with T.B.'s debut album Warning Device (Red Scare). While a few tunes veer into overt sci-fi territory, most revolve around that time-honored topic pop-punkers have mused over since the hey-ho-day of scene godfathers the Ramones - girls.
"We're really not trying to aim for anything in terms of themes or anything like that," claims Ray with a chuckle. "Although on the new record, I did notice "hey, we've got seven songs about girls on here and they're all mean!" (Laughs) So I wrote a song for my wife, and it's more of a positive one. I know Kody writes his song titles first and then plugs in the lyrics after that, so we all have our own ways of approaching the writing."
With so many industry-assembled, cookie-cutter acts glutting the pop-punk market these days, not to mention the recent demise of scene dominators like Blink-182, it's a strange time to be a disciple of the 1-2-3-4. Still, Teenage Bottlerocket are determined to put punk first and pop second.
"I think the current state of the genre is cool," shrugs Ray, his guitar still sporting blood stains from the previous night's manic strumming. "It's really easy to stand out, because a lot of the bands getting attention aren't that great. The way we play the songs live pretty much reflects our take on it. Pop-punk isn't a term we try and avoid; bands like Screeching Weasel and Green Day were, and always will be, pop punk bands to me. I feel like the term is kind of making a comeback, with bands like the Varsity Weirdos and the Revolts."
Currently gearing up for a European tour and a stop at the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, the band of brothers seem to get along surprisingly well on the road. "We get along great. We'll fight here and there like brothers do, but we tend to forgive really quick. So there's very little tension on the road. We're just psyched to be able to get out here and do it. We always dread getting back home and facing reality. We're doing exactly what we want to do right now."
