Bill Stevenson and The Blasting Room Speak About Punk Scene Then and Now
by Jenn Cohen
From the Descendents to the Wiredogs, what’s changed? Who’s on the Blasting Room’s radar, and what do they think it takes to succeed today?
When people talk about Colorado’s punk-music scene, I almost immediately think of the Blasting Room in Fort Collins. Reason being, Bill Stevenson (drummer for the Descendents, ALL, and Black Flag), is one of the founders of the reputable recording studio, and the Descendents and Black Flag have left an influential footprint on the punk-music scene both locally, and nationally.
We know music is easily strapped to labels: jazz, country, hip-hop, rock, punk, the list goes on. Since this month’s issue is primarily focused on punk, we talked with Stevenson and producer Andrew Berlin (Blasting Room), a couple of guys who are “in it” every day. Stevenson and Berlin see firsthand the different genres of music, and the shifting attitudes of bands. And while there have been plenty of changes over the years; the influence of punk from then to now is, in many ways, timeless.
Currently touring with the Descendents, as well as maintaining a presence in the studio, Stevenson has been an influential member of the punk movement since the ’70s, and is still a prominent player in music scene today.
“There have been a lot of miles traveled since then, by everybody, and many years have passed,” says Stevenson. “It’s hard to quantify how things are now, compared to how they used to be. I know that there’s a constant line of comparison between what people call the ‘old punk’ and the ‘new punk,’ but I don’t look at it that way. I see it all as a big continuum of a very long river flowing; bands contribute to it, and they take out from it, and they ride along the flow of it. Just as we’ve influenced things, we’ve also been influenced by things, and I think that the punk scene is that way. It’s always a two-way street in and out, constantly evolving, and I don’t feel like there are years or eras or decades where it was like, ‘punk is dead.’ I just try and keep an open mind and let the independent artists do whatever they can do, and try and enjoy it.”
Adds Berlin, “When I first started at the studio, I remember doing more ‘album splits;’ the first being Bill the Welder and Teenage Bottlerocket. Kinda smart to share the cost of setup, not to mention everyone had a fun time. I recall there being more attention given to a defined rhythmic pattern/cadence that the whole band was aware of.”
Thoughts about the pop-punk vs. punk labels these days?
“It’s always been my opinion that those [labels] were more useful for, say, people trying to market or sell music,” says Stevenson. “But when you actually put a guitar on, or get behind a drum set, or put pen to paper, nobody really thinks like that. In the early ’90s, there was kind of a “more acceptable” version of punk rock that got on the radio a lot. There were tons of little kids at the mall that were really happy that that happened, and then there were some curmudgeonly older punk rockers that felt like that phenomenon was kind of a disservice or a dishonor to punk rock. But the fact that Blink-182 got on the radio doesn’t change how I feel about my Minor Threat single. It’s all music, right? I just don’t think in those little boxes—they’re notes, and rhythms. I think it was Louis Armstrong who said, ‘There are only two kinds of music, good music and bad music. If you can tap your foot to it, that’s good music.’ The point being, if it makes you feel something, then you feel something; who cares what it’s called: pop-punk, indie, hardcore, emo, jazz, you know?”
And what does it take in this day and age to stand out? Was it harder before social media to get your music out there?
“Every decade [of musicians] has a different idea of what sounds are familiar,” says Berlin. “I think the auto-tuning and instrument editing that has been heard regularly for the past 15 years has created a thread of musicians and listeners who value this consistency in sound. The punk bands that stand out to me are able to balance an OCD adherence to playing well, with an intuitive connection to the push and pull in emotion, and how that translates in a performance.”
“Is it harder now than it was when we were trying to get established? I can’t tell,” says Stevenson. “Some would have you believe that it’s easier because of [social] networking, and just the access to info is so complete, but some may say it’s harder. When I was 13, you got a bike for Christmas. Now, you get a guitar. It’s like everybody—EVERYBODY—has a band, so I guess it’s both easier and harder. But to push that to the side for a second, it comes down to practicing. Basically, not to put the pernicious influence of a competitive element into all of this, but at the same time, if you’re trying to be established, you have to be better than the other bands. One of many ways to be better than other bands is to practice more; that is what the Descendents did—we just used to practice incessantly; although, that’s not a solution, but it’s one of several things that, when you put them all together, can be part of a solution.
“I suppose in the Internet age, it’s almost just as critical for bands to have to be concerned with how they look while playing, as opposed to just how well they’re playing. We didn’t really have that. We could be ugly, and it was okay, because nobody could just go online where somebody had a camera one foot from my nose hairs. So I think appearance has, unfortunately, become a factor.
“And, of course, nothing beats a great song. This is where I suppose the accumulated experience at the studio that I have, has led me to the conclusion that there are not nearly as many worthwhile songs out there, as there are bands playing in garages somewhere. So, you can practice ‘til you’re blue in the face, but if your songs aren’t any good, then that’s really wasted energy. For a band to get noticed, they have to find someway to find a voice that is their own voice, that is a unique voice, and that has not been heard before a million times; and the lyrics have to be worth listening to, and I don’t mean they have to be politically correct or intellectually deep, I mean, they could be “I Like Food” or whatever, but there has to be something about them that draws people to them, and so it goes with the DNA of chord progressions and also the melody. These things are what really affect people. We can’t all be great songwriters, we can’t all be great players, and we can’t all look handsome like whatever the movie star of the moment is.
“So if the complexity of all these different intangibilities line up, and a band happens to do well, I would think they should consider themselves very fortunate, because it’s tough.”
As a big milestone has just passed for Stevenson, I asked what three songs he would reference to sum up the last few years—personal anthems, if you will. His answer: ““Waiting for Superman” the Iron and Wine version. Those lyrics are such that I wish I’d written them. When I was sick that was my song. Milo (Aukerman) wrote a song right after my brain surgery called “Comeback Kid,” about me and my recovery, so I’d definitely throw that one in there, and the one I’ve listened to more than any other song in the last three years, “Without Love” by Propaghandi.” Congratulations on your third anniversary, we’re all certainly happy you’re hear to celebrate.
Wiredogs is the band to get on your radar, if you’re looking for some new local punk music. Check them out Facebook and see them live at the Marquis Theater on August 24.
Catch the Descendents with Sublime w/ Rome at Red Rocks on August 11, and be excited, because they’ve started recording a new album.
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