Posted on April 14, 2010 - by Editor

The Lawrence Arms: Getting a Rise Out Of You

Brendan Kelly © Imelda Michalczyk

Having  conducted an email interview in October last year with Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms, discussing 10 years of the band and their newest EP “Buttsweat and Tears”  it was great to finally meet the outspoken and witty Chicago native on the bands recent tour of the UK. In Kingston, just outside of London we found a corner in the bar to sit down and discuss Brendan’s take on the tour, future projects and generating reactions from fans. Also we chat about his funny and provocative blog and his first venture into film.

Steve: So is this the last date of your current tour?

Brendan: Nah, we’re going to Belfast after tomorrow and then Dublin, and then we are done.

Steve: And how has the tour been going so far?

Brendan: It’s been going awesome. It’s just been one of those super fun tours, and we have been travelling everywhere by train and we have this band from Belfast driving around all our gear so for us it’s pretty awesome. It can feel like the amazing race at times to get to a show!

Steve: Was travelling by train Chris’s idea? (guitarist and co-vocalist, McCaughan’s) He did something similar with Mike Park previously?

Brendan: Yeah it was his idea; ya know for us it makes a lot of sense. You can sit down on the train and sleep or read, drink a beer. You’re in a train station where the food is better than the fucking gas station food on the highway and it’s just more enjoyable.

Steve: What about the shows themselves, it’s been four or five years since you have toured the UK.

Brendan: Honestly they have all been awesome; really what we had hoped for…

Steve: And have they been smaller shows and venues like this? (No disrespect to The Peel)

Brendan: Whatever, I don’t mind as long it’s a room full and we have been lucky enough to be playing to full rooms, a lot or most have been sold out. I suppose the upshot of bigger venues is if you are in a small room and it’s not sold out it’s like (high pitched voice) “Oh my god”.

Steve: The bands reputation live is based around onstage antics and humour, are you the kind of person that needs that crowd banter and heckling to make for a good show?

Brendan: No it doesn’t really matter. We are not the kind of band that has any prepared entertainment, everything is off the cuff. There are a lot of bands that will tell the same jokes every night but we don’t do that at all. Banter can be helpful

The Lawrence Arms © Imelda Michalczyk

but it can also be a kick in the balls.

Steve: Ok what about record talk, after you EP last year is anything else planned?

Brendan: I don’t know? We have just finished the new Sundowner record for Chris; it’s being mixed right now. And I have this record written that’s not really appropriate for TLA or Falcon, so I don’t know.

Steve: That should be interesting; you have just released your split record with Joe McMahon (“Wasted Potential”).

Brendan: Yeah but that’s wasn’t a major project or anything, ya know what I mean.

Steve: I haven’t listened to it yet but let’s talk about your blog your Blog, I read it quite often, and it’s pretty funny, but I’m always surprised by the debate it generates.  Recently your discussion on Against Me! and their public aspirations of playing arena shows and tours. Were you surprised by the backlash and number of people that wrote back?

Brendan: Well I should have expected it because Against Me! are in the social light and if you write anything about them people just go crazy and busting their balls and I mean I guess I’m as much a part of that as anyone; one girl made a comment on my blog and I jumped on the defence and all these people went on the attack and you know, good for them. It galvanises people in one way or another and that’s cool, that’s what you want to do right?

At this stage one of the support bands crank up the volume in the adjoining room so we move on outside and continue the interview next to a wall which unbeknown to Brendan, (and quite comically) has his face plastered on a poster promoting the show behind him.

Steve: What we were saying? Yeah it’s amazing how much debate happens on your blog.

Brendan: I know it’s great, I love that shit. (Grinning)

Steve: Is that because you like to stoke the fire?

Brendan: Oh well it’s you know; my entire life, everything I’m interested in involves getting a rise out of someone, ya know what I mean. Some people categorise me as a bit of an asshole, but I don’t thinks really the case. Its fun to say things and I love intellectual and the sort of linguistic exercises like, one day someone calls me sexist, so the next day I’m going to write about how bigamy is fine. (He cracks up laughing at the thought) You have to go jump through a lot of intellectual hoops to really arrive at a plausible reason why that’s ok! Well this is one thing and one thing only, an exercise for me in entertaining myself. If no one comments I get no feedback.

Steve: Well yeah I was going to say, if no one wrote would you continue to write? And you are a busy person, a newish dad and I read you are involved with a film?

Brendan: Yeah (It’s the first time Brendan seems less keen to answer and he shies away a bit). Me and my friend Nick have just made a feature film. We are busy editing it now.

Steve: Nice, so what are the plans for that?

Brendan: Ya know, take it to cinemas and make it as big as we can do.

Steve: Can you tell us what it’s about?

Brendan: It’s a comedy, pretty..umm…

Steve: Is it set in Chicago?

Brendan: Well it’s a small town in the Midwest, it’s about two burnout stoners who fall ass backwards into a bunch of money and inadvertently with an underbelly of people trying to commit crimes, but are really idiots.

Steve: It sounds like a Jay and silent Bob type film?

Brendan: Egghhh, (trying to think how he can describe it) Well I would say it falls somewhere between Clerks and maybe Big Lebowski? It’s definitely comedy; I don’t plan on going to the Oscars or anything like that!

Brendan Kelly © Imelda Michalczyk

Steve: Haha, ok and what about TLA DVD; you recorded last year’s ten year anniversary show….

Brendan: Yeah the guy who is doing it said he should have a cut ready for me when I get back after this tour. We are going to move forward with that as soon as possible, there are still no plans for distribution because we haven’t had a product up till now so it’s been kind of hard to say “hey you want to buy what I give” (in a salesman dodgy voice) with nothing to show.

Steve: Fair enough I was going to ask something else, I think I first met you guys in New York in 2006 supporting NOFX, and you have always been on Fat but your tour manager on this trip is Toby who runs Red Scare; so have you thought about switching labels?

Brendan: We are happy on Fat, Mike has always been great to us and always the greatest mentor that can be. Toby used to work at Fat, and he is the guy who found us and bought us to Fat so yeah….He is our best friend but Fat mike, is, well the guy in NOFX and when you get called up when you are 21 years old;”Hey do you want to do a record?” I was like “fuck yeah man”.

Steve: A lot of people misread Mike, what do you make of his recent SXSW performance as Cokie The Clown which has generated a bit if online chatter?

Brendan: Mike is an envelope pusher, he is a brilliant guy. I find it so hilarious that people are like “oh it’s so stupid”. Fat mike is a lot of things but stupid is not one of them. He is one of the smartest people you will ever meet or see on TV or anything.

Steve: I will take your word for it. What about other projects; what about The Falcon?

Brendan: (you can hear is less easy talking about or tired of being asked about it) Ya know I don’t know how much reason there is still to do The Falcon? Tom (Mohney) has gone, Dan (Andriano) is gone, Chris is playing bass on The Flacon, and its cool and everything but it’s not the completely different facet to rock n’ roll that I sort of envisaged for and hoped for the first couple of records. So it’s like what’s the point? Do I just want to play guitar instead of bass? Yeah I would say if Dan was ever interested, but he has moved from Chicago to Florida since the last record, and it’s hard to do it over the computer. The only way I could see another Falcon record happening is if I got a whole other bunch of people to do it. Like ya know, get some of my other friends in bands that I might like to be part of this.

Personally I am a massive fan of The Falcon so the unsure future of the band doesn’t bode well, but Brendan doesn’t seem like the kind of person to pursue with something if he isn’t 100% behind a project. Much like  his impression of Fat Mike, Brendan comes across as a intelligent and well read guy. The Lawrence Arms have done well to endure a decade considering the bands members involvements in

The Lawrence Arms © Imelda Michalczyk

other projects, but touring has taken a hit as a result.

Steve: Are you even looking at other plans of coming back on more tours with TLA? You all seem to be enjoying yourselves but it’s been a while.

Brendan: No we are all so busy right now it’s so hard to get away. Its part of the reason this tour is so short is we cannot commit time to do too much. I think we’re going to take it as it comes.

Steve:  Ok let’s talk other bands and music; last year you mentioned Cobra Skulls, who are now label mates to yourselves and The Menzingers who are generating a lot of hype.

Brendan: They are awesome man. Have you heard them? It will, well mark my word, if it’s not on every punk rock website and or periodical record of the year; it will be in the top three. Like next time, next year; they will be as big as our band for sure, and the next record put out will be with someone that can really do something for them ya know?

Steve: What about going to watch shows yourself, do you still go to many shows?

Brendan: I don’t traditionally go to many shows when I’m at home for several reasons. One is I’ve been to so many shows in my life that the gloss is kind of gone for me in terms of discovering new music and I know that sucks and it sounds old and jaded but I have played in over a thousand shows with just this band and I have been in two other bands before that.

Besides that I’m a voracious consumer of music ya know what I mean?  I have been to so many fucking concerts at this point it really takes so much to motivate me to get me off the couch at this point. I also have to get a babysitter and its hard. (laughing) It’s hard man!

Having said that four days after getting home I’m seeing K-naan, do you know who that is? He is a Somalian rapper and it’s the first show I’ve bought tickets to for a long time. He is the best man.

Steve: What about a legendary tour? Are there bands that you would love to take on an ideal tour? Like you are friends with the Alkaline Trio and NOFX how about that?

Brendan: Yeah that’s a pretty good tour; one that sounds like fun. We love the guys in Hot Water Music and Against Me! and Cobra Skulls. Thing is, we have been lucky enough just to tour with our friends and that’s great, ya know?  The notion of a dream tour, like we get to do them all the time; it’s very cool and we are really fortunate to do it all the time.

Brendan Kelly © Imelda Michalczyk

Steve: Ok last question, with the split you have done, would you be interested in doing the solo tours and stuff like that?

Brendan: I don’t know dude, I’m no troubadour and it’s not my forte? I do it cos I can and I know how to pay the guitar and I how to sing when I do it. There is an interest there but I’m not cut out for it and I don’t particularly care for it. Like I love it in my house and that’s a part of music for me, like me playing my acoustic guitar that’s still left for me (hands on chest). I think it would be to diminishing of returns to give up that last piece of music that I keep for me.