Spits+Skateboarding=good times. Here’s Pt2, the final part of me talking to The Spits boys. They have mad respect for skateboarding, just like we have for them. So give them the support they deserve. Actually buy an album, buy a shirt, and “Take back the alley!”.

The Spits hail from Seattle Washington’s punk rock scene. They have been around for a decade and have been consistently putting out solid punk rock albums. The band is said to be on par with the Black Lips and King Khan as far as their musical appeal and abilities. They have been known to play in costumes and this night was no excception. As you can see from the photos they could be playing your next Halloween Party. This band plays hard and delivers some outrageous stage performances.

The Spits have been described as “a mix of The Ramones’ simplicity and cartoonish tough guy images, today’s lo-fi garage punk sounds and the radiator punk weirdness of classic groups like The Screamers or Devo to create a sound that has made for a string of great albums and sloppy yet amazing live shows.”

We couldn’t have said it better. It was like watching Fred Flintstone sing while his cartoonish mates played along and they were really rocking the venue at Berbati’s. It was insane down in the front of the stage! It was impossible to duck into the middle of it to grab a few close up shots for the blog without risking life and limb! Good on you Vix for those photos!

Synesthesia: A neurologically based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.

That is exactly what happens when I hear The Spits. I hear the way skateboarding feels. That might sound a little out there, but that is why I had to talk to the guys about what skateboarding meant to them.

Spits mini Doc Pt1 of 2

The first time I heard The Spits, it was like an atom bomb went off in my head. I didn’t know what I was hearing. All I knew was that it sonically summed up every nuance about skateboarding I had ever felt. 

They are raw, unfiltered, brutally unpredictable and mostly fast and crazy as fuck.

More Spits as soon as I’m done.

I like this album. It’s more new wave than the other ones not as punk. A few of my friends are not feeling it as much as the punk stuff. But there are a few bangers on this album, highlights for me are Tonight, Schools Out, and Tear up the Streets.

Its a 7 out of 10.

Seattle PI
The MTV online series “$5 Cover,” which award-winning Seattle director Lynn Shelton is filming, will finish shooting in Seattle in the next two weeks.The series is a fictional account of a typical weekend in the lives of a handful of Seattle bands, including Whisky Tango, The Lights, The Moondoggies, Champagne Champagne and The Spits. Shelton, who was given complete control over the project, picked them not only for their music but also for their relationships. From story to setting, art imitated life. Most of the stories were either adapted from things the bands had gone through or could have, Shelton said, or the locations were cast as carefully as the bands, with starring roles for venues such as Chop Suey, the Tractor, the Blue Moon Tavern and Wild Rose. Read up on “$5 Cover” at its MTV site. The Seattle season is set to premiere some time this winter.

PLAN A: The Spits, Personal & The Pizzas, The Points @ Che Cafe/Ken Club–Remember fun? It’s that thing you had when you were younger, before the dreaded vice-grip of responsibility snatched you away from those adolescent daydreams, when you could go out on a weekday night and drink a 12-pack without worrying about how long you’d have to spend in the office bathroom the next morning. Well, some people decided never to give up on fun. In fact, Seattle’s The Spits are the living embodiment of it, the kind of band that doesn’t care if its drooling Casio-keyboard punk sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a giant trashcan. And The Points and Personal & The Pizzas are big proponents of this “fun” thing, too. The former was called “the city’s best band” by the Washington Post (yeah, really), and the latter is both as dumb and clever as Dee Dee Ramone in his prime. All three are playing two shows in one night, first at UCSD’s Che Café at 7 p.m. ($7), and again at the Ken Club at 10 p.m. PLAN B: The Che Underground presents The Answers, The Gay Dennys, Manual Scan, Everybody Violet, DJ Tony the Tyger @ The Casbah–What can I say about this show that Will Shilling didn’t already say in his great piece in CityBeat this week? PLAN C: Wallpaper, Jamuel Saxon, Sex Mannequin, DJ Groundfloor @ Beauty Bar–It’s sexy time in this mug. S.D.’s white boy version of T-Pain and the Keith Milgaten side-project that sorta reminds me of R.Kelly provide the perfect hipster bump n’ grind soundtrack. I don’t see nothin’ wrong with it. BACKUP PLAN: Sleeping Giant 5 Year Anniversary Party @ The Office–A four-night party for the local music firm includes stops at Stingaree, Wave House and Bar West, but The Office kicks it off right with hip-hopper Miki Vale and DJs Beatnick, Demon and Mike Czech performing.

I defy you to find a cooler video than one that has Shaft being attacked by a B-movie Aztec demon bird with The Spits providing the soundtrack. At least the mime will live to tell the horrible tale:

Quick Picks (in order of badassedness):

Transfer, Stripes and Lines, Helen Earth Band @ Belly Up

Bartenders Bible @ Whistle Stop

The New Fidelity, The Wooden Birds, The New Trust @ Bar Pink–Check out Ian M. Rick’s great review on The Wooden Birds’ new record, Magnolia, here.

The Drowning Men, Cat Party @ Hensley’s Flying Elephant

Feel The Noise: DJs Gabe Vega & Saul Q, Sparrow Love Crew, Roy G. and the Biv. @ U-31

A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Bella Novela, Vinyl Film, Someday Assassin @ Radio Room

Trashcan Fires, Primitive Noyes, SunInWinter @ Tin Can Ale House

The Flatlanders @ Anthology

And finally, because I’m me, if you’re an absolute douche this is where you’ll be tonight:

Dane Cook @ San Diego Sports Arena

rad o yesterday we got one pallet of treatsies plus 41 other boxes of goodies sorted through all of it, updated the inventory found lotsa new treat I never seen then went on a  massive wild treats gang adventure

first :

brian my love the confuser drives around and we pick up lots of treats gangers and some loves some tequila and head to the de young to see our friends thee oh sees play

its funny seeing what that song becomes in another environment ahah yeah ripppppers

somehow we lose stoney, no big surprise there

then onto nacho fest at el farolito a giant bottle of tequila and

yeahhhhhh the spits!!!!!!!

i really wish i could find the lyrics to this song it is soooo rad

lots of fun amd trashin holdin on tight to monster squad so I didn;t get to mauled yeahhh good nights in treatland

INTERVIEW BY BOB SCOTT

This interview ran in Mongrel Zine #5. Buy it here!

VIEW PDF AS PRINTED IN THE ZINE

In drunken stupors over the years I’ve trapped many people and forced them to listen to all of The Spits records in a row. Since quitting booze, but still loving good music, I do a zine to fill the gap, and I’m still forcing the Spits upon you people!

MZ:  Thanks so much for taking the time to do this! Firstly, who are the current members and what do you play?

Sean “the Sarge” Wood – guitar, Erin “thunderdome” Wood – bass, TimTim”the robot”- keys, Lance “Shipwreck” Phelps – drums.

MZ: Is the “Ask Sean Spits” section of Vacilander Magazine going to be a regular thing? How did that come about? That zine looks rad I’m gonna order one! www.vacilander.com

It will be a regular thing, if by regular you mean totally rad.

MZ: How was this years’ SXSW?

So fun. We didn’t play so we actually got to hang out with our friends and see a lot of great bands.

MZ: The first time I saw you was in 2003 in Vancouver at the Commodore opening for Rocket From The Crypt. Did you blow a lot of bands away when you were an opening act?

I think it would be safe to say we’ve done a lot of blow.

MZ: In your Sept ‘08 L.A. record interview (http://larecord.com/interviews/2008/09/13/the-spits-we-play-for-the-people/) you said opening for Black Lips was hard because of all the trendy kids. That’s got to suck having an audience that doesn’t know how to have a good time and just punk out! I don’t think they come from broken home hard living kind of upbringing we may have had. How were things growing up for you?

Well, it wasn’t easy growing up in a travelling banjo troupe in rural Michigan. When your parents are Romanian gypsy immigrants who are obsessed with storm chasing, it makes it hard to have friends at school.

When Sean killed his first cat he was considered in our family and was kicked out to fend for himself, it was at that point that the Spits as we now know them began.

MZ: Your Skull Skates T-shirt logo perfectly states that The Spits are here to rock, and skate but did you ever catch shit from P.D.’s Hot Shop or did they think it was cool?

Skull Skates??? Huh??

MZ: The Spits Dropout Wheels (sold out) were put out by what company?

Spits Skates, Green Door Skates.

MZ: The Spits are kinda hard to peg: you don’t seem to play many crusty punk places, where dudes like BB Slags might hang! I really love “Wendy-Fucking-O” on I Was A Teenage Plasmatic, 7 Songs For Wendy O Williams 7”. You seem to be at home among those other bands, yet The Spits play Goner, SXSW and other stuff that those old punks might not give a toss about. Have you purposefully chosen not to play so many punk rock dives or do you give that any thought?

We play punk rock dives, we play huge theatre stages, we’ve played backyards, record stores, and weddings. We play where we can and where people want to see us.

MZ: Sean, You listened to Twisted Sister back in the day, fuck you guys might have been the kinda heshers that would beat the shit out of me with my own bike on my way to high school, call me a ‘punk faggot’ and cut my spiked hair off with a rambo knife n shit! What happened? Who steered you in the direction of becoming one of the only honest to christ punk bands on the planet?!

Twisted is punk, ya fag!

MZ: On the 7” “Spend A Night In A Haunted House With The spits” on Missle X, you sample the Halloween sound effect LP “Sounds To Make You Shiver”, and some of the Disney Haunted House LP and what the fuck is going on with those women!? Obviously the Spits dig Halloween. I’ve been hoping someone would put out a full length Halloween LP, would you ever consider that? At least another comp like the Rob Zombie one but not as lame. Anyone actually into collecting those old decorations?

The women were on a cassette we found in an old organ at a garage sale. We love Halloween, in fact, you may have noticed we occasionally wear costumes even when it is not October. You’ll be happy to know we are working with Canadian television to put out a Spits Halloween Special in French to be aired in Quebec.

MZ: What can you tell me about Black Orphan , Teeth and the Spider projects?

“Black Orphan” is Lance our drummer , “Spider” is me (Erin) and my girlfriend (Jessie), “Teeth” is Erin, Jessie, and yes, Mr. Blank Dog (Mike Sniper).

MZ: Did the Spooks ever record anything or is all I’ll ever get to see is bootleg stuff like on the 2004 Tour DVD? That was members of Spits and Black Lips for Halloween shows only right?

The Spits were not involved with those racist people.

MZ: Are there any other offshoot bands? Was a Spit in The Cute Lepers?

The only offshoot band worth mentioning would be Bloodwing. No, but we did have some cute pussy in the band at one point.

MZ: Do you wear costumes on stage because it gives you something to do on tour like go to all the dollar and costume stores?

No, we wear costumes to get laid.

MZ: When I first heard the Spits (it was the wheelchair LP) I thought the vocals sounded like being trapped in a Cylon costume on acid! Where did you find the Spit-O-Meter? For that matter, where did you find that cover picture!? It’s the fucking best!

First of all, it is the Spit-o-lizer, and was used on the TV show “Man from Atlantis.” The cover photo is of our uncle Randy, who was injured playing a skateboarding video game.

MZ: When is the 4th LP coming out?

The new album is scheduled to be out at the beginning of this summer, 2009. We are putting it out ourselves.

MZ: LP 4 has been a long time coming, but there have been a few glimmers of hope: the split 7” with the Triggers, and various live records. You haven’t been slacking but playing all of this time since 2003’s LP #3. Can you get into what has taken so long?

We did put out 19 Million AC out on Dirtnap, but we all live on different sides of the country now, so recording, practicing and writing is mostly done telepathically. But hopefully, the new record will be worth the wait and we are already working on a new, new album, Spits 5. Ok, now get off our ass.

MZ: Was there a limited orange vinyl 12” single out recently? Can you tell me anything about that?

We like the color orange, but that’s really no one’s business.

MZ: Your toys are really sought after and always sold out! Urban Defense Gloves! What made you think to do that and did you ever think they’d sell? What a great racket!

It is true that Spits Gutter Gear Inc. does make a lot of quality products, but to call it a racket is really not fair. We are the largest employer of Guatemalan children ages 6-12 in the world. Whole village’s economies depend on our fans purchasing our products.

MZ: It’s relatively easy to figure out what The Spits have released, but what’s hard is figuring out all of the places you’ve lived! You are all from Kalamazoo Michigan, then moved to Seattle, and Erin was in Austin TX ….can you give me a chronology of the places you called home?

It is also hard for us to remember where we have lived, but usually with our girlfriends or our girlfriends’ parents.

MZ: Were you in bands before The Spits, what were they?

The Fisters, the quitters, the niggers, LAPD Riot Midgets, and the shitters.

MZ: Growing up, what gigs did you see that made you want to play in a band?

We were inspired by the GodBullies, Misfits, Black Flag, Fats Domino and Crass.

MZ: Your video for “Terrorist Attack” was made with clips from Larry Cohen’s film “Q: The Winged Serpent”! Who made that video?

Ernie Quintero.

MZ: Were you living in Seattle at the time of the grunge buzz shit?

That was a great time for all kinds of music in Seattle. Every band in the world came thru there.

MZ: Thanks to hearing a portion of “I Hate Being In Love” song in your 2004 Tour DVD, Mongrel Zine actually tracked down the actual Amy from Amy & the Angels! We’re writing up an article on that band for this issue, plus including that song on our MZ Vol. 2 comp. There is apparently a full album’s worth of material that may be rereleased. This isn’t a question, it’s just a big thanks for turning me on to that band!

You’re doing an interview with Stef Petticoat?? Right on!!! It took me several years to find the comp with that song, not to mention the Petticoats’ 7” (both in the $20-$30 range, not bad, really).

MZ: Give me some good LSD stories! Are you more wary of dropping hits as you get older? I was dropping too much, a trip would become sort of like doing my income tax, very tedious… shrooms – not a problem!

We could tell you some great Acid Stories, we have plenty. But we’re not going to sit here and type out a whole book. In general, though, we probably take less drugs than we used to.

MZ: When that new record comes up you should figure out how to get across the border and conquer Canada! So many fans up here!

If anyone can figure out how to get 3 convicted felons across the border we will totally rock your hockey arenas all night long.

www.thespits.com

TOTAL FUN TIMES

The Bay Area's Very Own - Nobunny

Nobunny, “Boneyard“:

Saturday, May 2nd, grants two chances to see local hero Nobunny before he hops off to Europe.   Former Okmoniks drummer, Nobunny also earned the honor to MC last year’s fabulous Budget Rock VII Fest at Oakland’s (supreme shrine to Barbie) Stork Club.  Donning a rabbit mask and perhaps some briefs, Nobunny aims to please even if he bleeds a little.  The band is a crack snap garage lover’s dream.  Be ready to sweat.  All a part of the just announced Total Trash Festival, the Bay Area’s punk rock extravaganza, you can catch him at Oakland’s newly remodeled 1-2-3-4 Go! Records store sometime between 6 and 9, and catch him again at Oakland’s The Ghost Town Gallery later that evening. Support local musicians, and do not anger the bunny!

Other bands on the Total Trash line up include Seattle’s The Spits headlining, Portland’s The Pitty Fucks, Budget Rock faves Hunx & His Punk and The Pets! Be sure to check the bands’ MySpace pages for details for both SF and Oakland performance locations.  Or you can try to decipher this festival poster.

[Guest Post by Mike]

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The greatest Synth-punk (newwave punk whatever you wanna call it) band ever!

Its The Spits…

The song…
“Dont Shoot”