November 21, 2024 • 51 mins
Jen Pop is a punk rock singer-songwriter, best known as the vocalist for The Bombpops. Earlier this year, she made her solo debut with an incredible record titled East Side of Eden.
In this episode, Jen and I dive deep into ’90s punk rock, exploring the Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords sound that we both grew up on. We also discuss the challenges of following your creative intuition while balancing a band, a solo career, fans, touring, and everything else that comes with being a musician.
We also get some details on East Side of Eden and working with producer Will Yip, contemplate the Ramones vs. the Misfits, Lana Del Rey and her new alligator-wrangler husband, all-time sketchiness in the DMs, and so much more. As always, this episode is brought to you by Sailor Jerry!
https://www.instagram.com/jen_pop/
https://sailorjerry.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Jen Pop here at the Sailor Jerry podcast.
This has been a long timecoming, long overdue.
It's great to have you on.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm well.
Thank you so much for having meon.
I love your podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Oh, right on, right on.
We're stoked to have you.
You know, I definitely want todive in to your first solo
record here East Side of Eden,awesome record.
Thank you, solo record here,east Side of Eden, awesome
record.
Before we do that, I want togive our listeners a little bit
of background on you.
You know, do you have any sortof like musical history in the
family?
Where did you grow up and kindof how did music first, you know
(00:36):
, make its impact on you?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
My dad played guitar, just like at home.
You know he had a coupleguitars so those were always
around um.
I'm definitely like a southerncalifornia born and raised
suburban kid, so between losangeles, like diamond, I was
born in san dimas so and I grewup in diamond bar, yeah, or the
10 to 10 meet, yeah, yeah, so Ilived in diamond bar until I was
(01:02):
11 or 12 and then moved toCarlsbad in North San Diego.
Yeah, I just grew up, you know,discovered kind of like punk on
my own, pop, pop, punk, punkthrough being, you know, growing
up with Green Day and Offspringon the radio and Blink-182.
And I remember I startedplaying guitar right when I
(01:23):
moved to Carlsbad and like thesame week that I really was like
I want to play guitar and, youknow, started messing around and
that is the same.
In the same week I went and sawmy mom took me and my friend to
see Blink 182 and Bad Religionwas opening.
Yeah, and that immediatelychanged my life.
(01:43):
I was like this is it?
There's like no questions,southern California.
You know, it's just, it's, it'sall around you.
So kind of just a product ofgrowing up here.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Hell yeah, Hell yeah.
And the Bomb Pop started inwhat?
2007?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
2008, 2009.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah.
So how was you know how, howdid your first band come
together?
You know what I mean.
What was the process there?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Like when I was growing up, you didn't see girls
playing guitar, you just didn'tas much, and that has changed
so significantly and it makes meso happy to see the amount of
young women, young girls, justpicking up guitars and bass
drums, all everything and andstarting bands.
And how many bands have women,girls in them?
(02:30):
And that was just um, I didn'tsee it like, especially on like
a level like at my school.
And there were, you know,battle of the bands at my school
and I never saw one girl playany of them.
I I tried to get a bandtogether and no, but straight up
, we don't want a girl in theband.
You know was told that and soIdiots.
(02:50):
You know, yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I have somebody.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I knew whose older brother managed a band and I was
like girls should stay in theirroom and play guitar.
You know, I was that's.
I grew up with that, hearingthat, and I would just kind of
play with whoever I could andthere were definitely people
that I played guitar with.
And then I met the girl whostarted the band with at a music
(03:15):
studio and kind of was likeOkay, let's do this.
And then so that was more orless like how we started.
We were playing around anywherewe could at the time, a lot of
dive bars just hitting it andbeing really hungry, for it is
how the band kind of got so muchtraction early on and never
(03:37):
really stopped doing that.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, yeah, as a songwriter in the early days of
just kind of learning your craft, so to speak, what do you kind
of remember about your earlysongs and just you know, being
in a band and writing stufftogether and everything kind of
coming to fruition?
You know, it's such a crazytime, it's such a wild run of
(03:59):
emotions and everything'shappening so fast.
When you kind of look back atthe early days of your career,
how do you feel about it?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I definitely think it's something.
When you're younger you reallydon't have as much fear or worry
about whether you're good ornot.
I just remember, like thinkingback, should we have been on
stage, you?
know, and one thing that we'vegotten, you know, as we grew and
even just getting on to fatrecords and like people who had
(04:31):
seen us, for you know, back fromback in the day were like you
guys just continue to get betterand better.
So I I do say that we likelearned how to tour, learn how
to play, learn how to be in aband, learn how to fight as a
band, learn how to, you know,get through it as a band before
we really kind of became theband that people knew on a
(04:54):
bigger scale, like just being onfat record.
So we had this longer historybefore we were really kind of
like a known band yeah I justfeel so incredibly rich in
experiences and hangs andstories and friends and travel
Like not monetarily from playingmusic.
(05:14):
I've always had jobs to supportmy music habit, but I wouldn't
trade any of it.
Like.
Everything I do have is fromthat journey.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
We share the same richness.
What was it like getting signedfor you guys to Fat Records,
epitaph and Fat bands likePennywise, no Effects, lagwagon,
no Use For A Name, all thosebands.
They were so huge for me.
How was that experience andwhat does that label kind of
mean to you?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, I mean, it actually is just the definition
of a dream come true and itsounds so cheesy to say, but I
was the same, exactly the sameas you.
Bands like Alkaline, trio and noUse For A Name, no Effects,
lagwagon, bad Religion stylestuff, and at the same time just
(06:03):
peripherally, but really at thesame time was a huge fan of a
lot of emo and um, taking backsunday brand new, all that stuff
as well as like laurence armsand dylan deforest.
So I mean I I just always it'sgonna sound so arrogant to say,
but I just always knew that itwould be on fat records yeah
(06:24):
there was no other option.
I had a little button, you knowlike just like a fat records pin
, and I would wear it on my, Iwould move it to whatever I was
wearing, like I wore that thingevery single day and it wasn't
like I got up in the morning,was like fat records or what do
I have to do today to get like?
It just was so like, without adoubt, and I think there's a
(06:47):
little bit of like be like yeah,I don't know just delirious,
but also that in the background,always on, was doing something,
and so you know it's funnybecause we ended up getting
having a relationship with allthese bands on fat pretty early
on.
We would just like harasspeople.
(07:08):
It's like follow fat mikearound and bug them and um, so
we were always on shows.
We got.
We got to play a lot of showswith no effects and a lot of fat
records bands, especially insan diego and orange county and
la.
Then, uh, you know fat mikebeing like you guys are cool
kids, but you need to writebetter songs, you know, and
we're like okay, and actually he, uh, in 2012, tony sly
(07:30):
approached us and was like well,fat mike says he likes you guys
, but he thinks you need to workwith a producer and so he was
set to produce us.
Actually, um, and mike was, youknow, like you guys will be on
fat records, so he's gonnaproduce you.
And we just had a few talkswith tony sly.
You know, like you guys will beon Fat Records, tony Sly is
going to produce you and we hada few talks with Tony Sly about,
you know, the direction wewould kind of had for us.
He was like female bad religion, you know, like style,
(07:54):
harmonies and riffs and we'relike okay.
And, um, you know, and then hetragically passed away um later
that year, and so we all wenever got to work with him, but
that did get us in our brain,you know, to all right, maybe we
should consider working with aproducer and just go in that
route.
So we did an EP and we workedwith Lawrence Katz from the
(08:17):
Mighty, mighty Boss Stones andthen we sent that to Fat and he
said this is good, but it's notgreat.
You know, listen.
You know you always say listento the beatles that tells
everyone like okay, and then sowe did.
He wants everyone to listen tothe beatles and learn all the
beatles chords.
Um, didn't honestly like I lovethe beatles but I didn't really
(08:38):
go and like learn a bunch ofbeatles songs or anything.
But I know what he meant bythat, you know.
And then we went and justrecorded a full length album and
we chose a producer, chrisFogle from the band the Gamuts
just one of my favorite bands,favorite lyricists and we'd
become friends with him.
We met him on a tour when wewere in Paris, oddly enough,
(08:59):
like they're an American bandbut we'd never seen, they don't
play that often so and he had astudio in Denver, colorado, and
so we flew out there and likethere was no talk with fat, like
you know, cause Mike just saidthat was good, but it's not
great.
You know, sorry, that is myimpression of fat Mike and it's
pretty spot on.
It's just how I hear it and heum, so we went and we just did
(09:23):
our own thing and it was kind oflike we had shown Mike so many
things.
And then that wonderfulopportunity to potentially work
with Tony Sly was just reallygreat.
We were grateful for all of it,Even to send something to Fat
Mike and have him listen to itand give you an answer, an
honest answer, felt like such aleg up and we were grateful for
that and in the end we were likeplaying shows and doing stuff
(09:51):
with them.
So, um, we just did it on ourown.
And then, you know, mix had itmixed and mastered by chris
fogel as well, and then we sentit to fat records, just finished
product.
And I remember when we like gotthe email and it was months
later because he hadn't listenedto it, because he just didn't
open the email.
But he, he did eventually and,um, he was like, congrats, let's
be, this is a perfect record,it'd be my honor to put it out
on fat records.
And.
(10:11):
But he wanted to do thesequencing and you know I was
like, yeah, let's do it so, um,yeah, it was really.
It was very surreal.
And then, um, yeah, the nextrecord um, you know he wanted to
produce it but we said no.
But then he did suggest that wework with another producer, yo
Tom from useless ID.
So we ended up co-producing thenext record with Chris Vogel
(10:32):
and, um, yo Tom, and reallyreally was such a wonderful
production team.
Like love both of those guystogether.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Awesome, was that death in venice or?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
yeah, that's what that death in venice beach that
came out.
March 13th of 2020 canceled ourtour the day the record came
out perfect, perfect timing.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
yeah, you know, I remember that record coming out,
I remember the singles, uh, andyeah, I mean fuck that sucks,
I'm sorry, sorry, you knoweverything weirdly.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
you know, I don't know it.
It it's so weird.
Things would have been a lotdifferent.
But also, things are exactlythe way they're supposed to be
and, um, I will say that was avery good.
A lot of people have said theyliked that record of, said that
was a good, lonely, uh kind offit the mood and, um, I do agree
with that.
So I'm glad it was a companionrecord for a lot of people in a
(11:28):
time when they needed it.
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
So when were you, when did you start writing songs
that you kind of had a feelingyou know we're going to go in a
different direction and you knowhow was that inner struggle
being in a band and then kind ofknowing you wanted to maybe do
something outside of the bandyou know how did stepping into
becoming a solo artist, how, howwas that process for you?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, I think that honestly the pandemic like
really, yeah, I'm like reallythe pandemic was good, like
quarantine was really great forme, like I know, it wasn't for
everybody, but I had a job.
I got a puppy like I just it wasso nice.
(12:12):
I spent all pandemic playingguitar and training um, a puppy.
And so you know, I hadn't everreally like played acoustic or
like even written on acousticuntil writing Death in Venice
Beach I started writing on anacoustic and then I got invited
(12:33):
to go on my first acoustic tourwith Jenny and Stacey from Bad
Cop, bad Cop and they all I waslike just really admired them
playing acoustic because theyjust like look like they had so
much fun doing it.
And I remember them inviting meto go on a tour with them and I
was like that sounds terrifying.
But also I really want to dothat and if you guys can do it,
(12:54):
I think I could do it too.
And I immediately was addictedto that.
But also what I found that Iloved about it was how
terrifying it was.
It's absolutely terrifying andI don't know what about me liked
that.
But because there's no one elseto back you and you kind of
(13:14):
have to lean into thevulnerability of it and you get
to kind of talk and tell storiesand express that with the crowd
, and then I found that I justhad my voice.
I didn't even know that I hadthese things in my voice because
I'm so used to fighting overthe band.
(13:34):
I've never been a hugeprojecting person anyways so I'm
using like a softer part of myvoice.
But also having that softerpart be very strong was really
cool to me.
So when I started writing forDeath and Venice Beach, I just
found myself writing on acoustic.
And then when the pandemic hit,man, I just loved playing
(13:57):
acoustic.
I'd never played with a capobefore, didn't understand it
until then.
And I started putting in a capoI was like, oh, I want to write
everything with like opencowboy chords, cause it's so
beautiful but so transcribing,bomb pop songs, learning covers.
I started a Patreon and I justgot obsessed with learning songs
and covers.
I mean, the intention wasn'tever to do a solo project, but
(14:19):
it was that I wanted to playmore acoustic and so I kind of
was like okay, I kind of needsome music to go with it.
which is the funny thing is,when I did make my solo album I
it none of its acoustic yeah butI what I wanted to do was be
like, how can I make this asdifferent as it can be?
(14:40):
And I was seeking out somebodythat I could work with, that
could, I could trust fully to um, like I don't need to get in
there, like I want their opinion.
And I ended up working withwill yip and um, just an
incredible um person, and feltreally lucky to even be able to
get time with him, because he'svery busy.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, I've never.
I've never heard anyone sayanything bad about their
experience working with Will Yip.
Just it seems like anincredible producer.
East side of Eden comes outAwesome record Bender, I think,
is my favorite song thank you onthe album um my favorite you
(15:18):
know, yeah, cool, awesome.
So how was the process ofmaking the record?
Um, you know, did you use likea lot of like midi stuff, like
software stuff for forinstrumentation, or was there?
Was there a band going on?
What?
What was the deal there?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
so when I knew that I wanted to do a record and had
kind of collected enough songsand um, I had also like locked
in will yip, I really was kindof um on a journey to again work
with other people likeproducers is is one and and
outside of the sphere of like myband and so I ended up
befriending somebody on uhinstagram, ben lapidus, and he
(15:57):
was just does these funny.
I found him actually JulietteLewis like reposted something
that he did and they're likereally funny, like songs, and he
ended up being getting onAmerica's Got Talent but and
it's really goofy, but he it'sall.
It was very like poppy, likepop punk, but kind of like the
shiny kind.
(16:18):
Anyways, I just wrote him.
I was like, can we write somesongs together?
And so him and I actually gottogether before I went in and
like four of the songs on therecord I co-wrote with him.
Basically, I went in with abatch of 24 songs A few of those
that I had like at the lastminute got together, um, with
(16:40):
Ben and shout out to Ben Lapidus, definitely, um, I think it's
just Ben Lapidus music on, likeall the things he's hilarious
and like some of it's superunhinged in like a really funny
way, but he, uh, so yeah.
So yeah, I had this batch of 24songs, 24 songs.
A few of them are like you know, there's a handful of them in
there that Ben and I had workedon and I took them into Will and
(17:03):
you know we just spent a daylike sifting through them and,
you know, like landing on like Ithink, 12 that he was
interested in.
Will played almost everything,um, I played, um some guitar on
it, but I really wasn'tconcerned, you know, with when
it's the bomb pops or anythingelse.
I've ever done in the past likeI'm playing guitar on.
(17:25):
Every I want I want to playguitar.
There are times when it's likewe're learning something or
writing something in the studioand I'm like love that you just
do it.
Time is money.
I'll yeah, I'll relearn itlater.
And you know, chris Fogel andYo Tom did like some of that,
especially with some sparkle,like guitar layers and stuff.
But in this case I was like I'mpaying for the Williams
(17:46):
experience, like I'm out here.
This is like a huge pilgrimagefor me, so let's go, and so we
would basically.
Then I had a giant referencelike Spotify list of all songs I
just loved, and so each daywe'd pick a song and we'd go
through like the structure of it, and then we'd kind of go
through and like I'm like youknow what, like I love this vibe
(18:08):
.
You know there was like thatKavinsky Night Call from like
yeah, yeah, yeah it's like okay,let's what like.
And then will kind of like Idon't know how.
It's a really great way of likeidentifying.
It's like the cool thing aboutthat song that I don't have the
brain to pick out.
You know whether it's a chordprogression or it's like a
transition, and then we kind ofbuild it, and so he would uh, I
(18:34):
would get the chords down and alot of times just strum acoustic
chords and then he'd build itout and he played drums and he
played bass and then Ben Walshfrom Tiger's Jaw ended up
playing guitar.
All of those beautiful guitarwork on the album and a lot of
that is Ben Walsh and I reallywanted somebody else that has.
(18:55):
I play guitar in my wheelhouseis.
You know, I consider myself agood guitar player, but I was
like I don't, I want it to beoutside of my sphere of play.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Awesome.
Yeah, the record is is reallycool.
It's great, congratulations.
I know that has to be such agreat feeling for you to kind of
get that out.
Feeling for you to kind of getthat out.
Where is your heart nowcreatively towards what's next
is was, was this record kind oflike something that, um, you
just felt like maybe you neededto get out and then it's maybe
(19:29):
back to, uh, bomb pops or ontosomething new.
Or is this kind of the start of, you know, a kind of whole new
musical journey for you?
Like where, where are you kindof leaning, you know?
Speaker 2 (19:41):
that's a great question, because I've kind of
like, for the past few months,have been a little unsure
because like I want all of itand that's like a problem.
Uh, so this album I didn't evenknow it was going to come out.
The other end all I know was,like I want to go do something
different lyrically and you know, like the substance of that
(20:01):
record.
It was a very sad girl recordwhich I'm a big fan of.
Like sad songs so I wanted to dothat there's nothing like a sad
song and somehow it can put youin a better mood.
So I wanted to do that.
But also it was a very personalone and there was a trifecta of
really sad things that happenedin my life while those songs
(20:23):
were getting like kind of puttogether before I even like went
in and so definitely wascathartic like getting it out
like it.
just it always is so catharticand it and it's not ever like my
goal is like I want to getthese out.
It just happens that way.
That being said, while we weregetting out of the pandemic and
(20:45):
all of that and getting back todoing Bomb Pop stuff, bomb Pops
did like three really great, thebiggest tours we've ever done
in our career, where, after thepandemic, we did direct support
for dropkick murphy's on the stpatrick's day tour with um
bayside, which is one of myfavorite bands of all time.
Um bayside, hot thorn, heightsand senses fail.
And then we did the second timethat we've done europe punk and
(21:08):
jublet festival.
This one was no effects and mefirst, pennywise, face to face,
get dead.
So that's just a little contextto like.
Why I kind of wanted to I don'tdidn't know what to do next but
because I love playing acousticand you know, like Bender is
one of my favorite songs, but ittranslates completely different
to me when I play it acousticit's just like, really like more
(21:31):
gritty and you can feel theemotion more.
And I that's not to say I, Ilove the version that I did with
will yip.
But um, I just recorded a fewsongs, but I want to record a
few more where they are very raw, like I want to capture the
thing that I'm doing on stagewhen playing a piece and people
(21:52):
that have fallen in love with itbut have a bit of subtle
production.
So my friend um simon short,he's two, we did two songs and
I'd like to do a few more inthat style where some will live
like very raw, like I do, thoughstill want to like add some
maybe like ambient, kind of likethings behind them so that
there is production, but it isfirst and foremost like a raw
(22:16):
acoustic um recording.
So that's that's like myimmediate thing that I'm working
on.
That has been like sofulfilling to me and, um, I do
want to do some like somethingweird.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
I yeah, I like it.
I like it.
You got a weird record.
You got a weird record in you.
I like it.
It A weird record.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, and, and then the bomb pops, like, um, japan
was like the most, one of themost beautiful experiences I've
had touring in my entire lifeand it meant a lot to me.
I have family there.
Um, like, my uncle lives thereand he's the first person like
that gave me a guitar and he'sgetting very old and so he came
and saw us and then I played anacoustic show with him and his,
(22:57):
the band and, uh, my cousin, hisdaughter, came with us.
Yo tom from useless id isplaying with us now and, um,
japan's such a beautiful placeand the people are so beautiful
and kind and um, I'm like thisis what?
because I, you know, I was likethere's a lot of friction with
the band, like getting going andalways kind of has been like
(23:19):
stopping and starting to wind upchanges and all this but, at
the end of the day, like thatband, my band has brought me
everything that's like wonderfuland so um, I've actually have
like a great desire to write forthe bomb pops too and figure
out what that is.
So the answer is I'm gonna doit all yeah, that's good, that's
good.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
I mean that's you know, that's that's the way with
with us and with the mariachiband.
You know, you, you go back andforth and you're kind of you
know, we're fortunate enough tobe able to go back and forth and
kind of feed off of you knowwhat's inspiring you and where
you want to go, and it's thecoolest thing for you to be able
to be like.
You know what's inspiring youand where you want to go and
it's the coolest thing for youto be able to be like.
Hey, you know, like cause I'msure you get the questions all
(24:00):
the time If you're doing a solorecord what's going on with the
bomb pops, the bomb pops done,or this, that, and it's like to
be able to, you know, appreciatethe bomb pops for what it is
and be, uh, you know, creativelyinspired and challenged by
writing songs by yourself.
And that whole journey and to beable to bounce back and forth
(24:20):
as you navigate the rest of yourcreative life is awesome.
That's kind of like a dreamscenario.
You should be able to make themusic you want to make, and
because you start something elsedoesn't necessarily mean that
it's the end of something or youknow, it's like, it's just cool
.
I like that you aren't sayingthat you have to do one or the
(24:42):
other, that you can do both andyou can even do something new if
it comes down the pipeline andinspires you.
You know.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Yeah, and you can exist in in more than one space,
which is really fun.
And I don't know, do you feellike like?
One thing I kind of want to dowith the weird stuff is, like
you know, with music, especiallysomething like east side of
eden um, I think that is verylike it's raw and personal.
And with bomb pops I do likethere's a bit more of like uh,
(25:09):
there's like more motifs inthere and I think that that's
something that I'd love to likeplay and like hi, like not hide
behind.
But you, I feel like there'smore of a like I can have.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
there's a bomb pops persona a bit, and then I kind
of create like there's a bitmore of like a persona with my
acoustic stuff and I've justwant to kind of like get weird
and have this other lens whenyou discover how much music and
how much stuff you can createand you realize how short life
is, it's just like fuck it, youknow, like I'm going to do
(25:41):
whatever I want to do and makeeverything I can while I'm here
on the earth, and you know it's.
It seems like you're kind of inthat mode, which is awesome.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Yeah, it's like I have a trying to figure out you
know kind of what's next.
A lot of different things areon the table for me, just like
in life generally lately, andall of it's really exciting and
I have a couple like core keypoints.
So I keep like, wow, they, allthese things tie in together to
just, you know, like on awhiteboard.
And the first one is like makegood art.
You know, and I just want tomake you know, and with the band
(26:12):
you do have a box that you haveto stay in to a certain degree
to keep fans happy.
You know, if I was to make EastSide of Eden and hey guys, like
let's make this record, theywould be down because everyone
else in the band is also into alot of other things.
But it's that we are a fatrecords band and we love being a
fat records band and we intendto be a fat records band and
(26:34):
that is also like that's my punkoutlet.
Like that's my punk outlet andwe can go.
We can get harder, we can getmore rock, we could get more
ramones core, we could get morepop punk and we and we can do
that all in one album.
We can um, I love like lo-fimarksman stuff.
I'm like it'd be fun if, like wedid, something like that a
little bit in there and thatwould all like check out, right.
(26:56):
But if I go make this likeinsanely weird album or just
bomb pops you know acousticalbum I don't think that that's
like um, you do want to makeyour fans happy and you do want
people to like uh, but and atthe same time grow and um, so
I'm I'm excited for that outletand I'm excited for that outlet
and like cause that's there and.
I'm always going to be there andwe all, like the rest of the
(27:17):
band, neil and Josh and Yotamare like just that's what we do.
So like making good art and atthis point it's so fun and I
love collaborating with otherpeople.
I've done a lot of like collabstuff lately.
I did a couple of songs withMoscow Death Brigade, so really
love collabs and like guestingon stuff.
It's super cool and I likeproducing stuff.
So, yeah, just like workingwith other people, let's do
(27:38):
something.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Yeah, it's cool and it all ends up feeding into each
other.
I think creatively which Idon't think maybe a lot of fans
understand is like what you'redoing now in some way shape or
form is gonna find its way tocreating a better Bomb P bomb
pops record or a better bomb popsong and vice versa.
(27:59):
You know, it's like everythingfeeds into each other and that
is how you grow as an artist andit's just really cool.
But, um, let's get into somequestions from the internet here
, because I don't want to keepyou too long.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
I know you're busy, all right I love talking, so I'm
fine, keep me in check okay.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
So jen, on a scale of one to ten, how sketchy are
your dms ten?
Yeah, I'll say not.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
not, I'm gonna say eight because like there's a lot
, a lot of dms and I like theyget to 10 and sketchy, but but
there's also just such wonderfullike people in there and um,
really cute and encouragingcomments and like fun, we people
are funny.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
I mean like but 10, but 10.
Yeah, even even just puttingyou know the questionnaire out
on on my end, my DMS got sketchy.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Please send me some screenshots of some, because,
like I really want to do.
You know we did a slide intothe DMs before, so I was reading
them aloud in the van and ourfriend Chris Growl was on tour
with us and he like films.
He does did all like our BombPops music videos.
He brought them on a tour and Iwas just reading them aloud I
was like dude, this is so crazy.
And I started reading them andhe like lost his shit.
(29:19):
And then I kept going he's likeyou have more.
And I was like I have morefolder I've screenshotted.
I have like, and so he filmedit Cause he's like wait, let's
get this.
And then he's like wait, I'mgoing to stop.
This is a serious like we'redoing this.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Oh, it's so fun.
I mean they weren't.
There was nothing too crazy.
You know nothing too crazy, butyeah, I got a little glimpse, I
got a peek into the world thatI could only imagine.
Hell, yeah, okay, ooh.
What advice might you have forthe next generation of
songwriters?
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Take advice from people, but be careful who you
take that advice from when itcomes to like a lot of things
but like being your, your art.
And then the other thing is likeI'm a huge advocate, like I
wish I could expedite thisspecifically for, like young
female um artists, songwriters,on just anybody that is like and
it has that entrepreneurialspirit or any.
(30:15):
Just anything honestly is trustthe intuition, because a lot of
times and I know this fromexperience you are going to have
a lot of people telling youwhat you should do and should
not do.
It's easy to kind of justsecond guess yourself and like
not believe that you should.
You're you're taking up toomuch space, you know, and just
so it's a really big um, it's a.
(30:37):
It's a mixed thing.
So like, know your intuitionand the good thing is women have
fantastic intuition.
So trust like what you'refeeling and then open yourself
up to like you know gettingadvice and working with other
people, but like, let sit withit.
Close your eyes, take a coupleof days, like if you really
(30:58):
don't know.
Close your eyes, take a coupleof days, like if you really
don't know, then maybe getanother opinion.
But I think it's really trustingyourself and being open to
working with other people.
But, at the end of the day,trust yourself and I wish I
could like expedite that forpeople.
Or like, if women like the no,I just met so many women that
(31:19):
are like I don't know, and it'slike you do know, you just don't
think that.
You think you're taking upspace.
I'll give you one example justreal quick.
I know, um, but like we.
But there was a punk and jubilicwe played recently and you know
we flew to denver to play itand it was hell getting there.
Every single flight, every bandhad a hard time getting there.
(31:39):
It was like terrible weather,um, you know, two days of travel
, just awful.
And we get there and we haddone everything we're supposed
to do.
We're the second band, I think.
So you know, we're not like thebig dogs, but we're paid to be
there and we're a needed bandthere.
You know, like, and we hadsuggested the amps that we want
from the back line.
It's like we want to use thetwo 900s, you want to use the
(32:00):
two marshall cabs.
This is our stage plot and weget and we're on time, we're
there and you know they'resetting up.
We don't get a sound check butwe get a line check.
The stage hands it was, youknow, to, not anyone like with
the festival, but the stagehands that were working the and
it wasn't some of the usual guys.
Sometimes there's a great teamof punk and drug like.
People that like are alwaysthere and um we love them, you
(32:22):
know, like the greg teals andall them like shout out greg
teal but it was like a differentlike set of people which
sometimes you get at thesethings.
And, um, the stage hand was likeI was like, yeah, we, you know
we need the 900 and this cab andit needs to be here.
And he's like well, the bandafter before he was using this,
the band after you, so you haveto use that.
(32:43):
And I just accepted that for asecond and then I was like, oh
no, like, like I came and didn'tsay it in a rude way, I said no
, we've submitted, it's on ourtech writer and the gear is
there.
So, like I can get my guys tomove it, I can move it myself,
like, but I'm sure you'd preferit to be done, so can you please
(33:06):
put that there?
And then they did.
But it's like you.
Just I really clocked that as myfirst intuition was to not take
up space yeah, but I'm I'm justI get to be there just as much
as anybody else is there thatday, and actually that those
people are working for thefestival that paid us to be
there so long winded answer, butI do feel very passionately
(33:26):
about it and would love to dowork in that field and like
speak about it more, because Ifeel very strongly that it
should be taught, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
Yeah, yeah, and I think you know just double that
you know someone a young artist.
I think you know it just on adouble that you know someone a
young artist is.
You know kind of it takes along time to trust your
instincts, at least for mostpeople.
You know being a female artistand you know what at most times
can be a male dominated kind ofgenre or realm and you know run
(33:56):
into experiences like especiallytouring little stage things
like that, where you don't evennotice sometimes that you're not
stepping into your power, thatyou rightfully deserve it's a
great way to put it.
Yeah, that's a very awesomepoint and stoked you were able
to let people know that.
(34:16):
A couple of pick-ems here forbands and artists.
I'm going to say two bands.
You tell me which one you likebetter.
Okay, and we got.
You know some people we do this.
They get all nervous, theyfreak out I don't like nervous.
It's not personal.
Okay, this is not personal.
You probably know some of thesebands.
It doesn't mean you like one ordon't like one, it's just what,
(34:38):
musically, what do you listento more?
Okay, bad religion or noeffects?
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Bad religion.
First of all, Ryan Baker islike just such an icon.
So when I say I'm part GwenStefani, part Rick Nielsen, part
Ryan Baker, I just think he haslike such an influence on my
aesthetics for guitars, gear,playing and just so, undeniably
(35:04):
so cool and the whole entireband and songwriting responsible
for such a political awakeningfor an entire generation, but in
the coolest way possible.
I never miss a chance to seethem.
I've seen them hundreds oftimes.
Still get goosebumps.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Yeah, yeah, they're one of my favorite bands,
definitely Probably the punkband that I listened to most and
the band that's probably had animpact on me the most.
Uh, in in the punk genre.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
No effects.
Are just like my weird uncles.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Straight up, all right.
What about uh Lana Del Rey orPhoebe Bridgers?
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Phoebe Bridgers.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Yeah, she's a.
She's a badass, she's a badass.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
I wish I could be Lana Del Rey.
Lana Del Rey or Phoebe Bridgers.
Phoebe Bridgers, yeah, she's abadass.
She's a badass.
I wish I could be Lana Del Rey.
Lana Del Rey is just so sultry.
I'm like you, just are that?
No use trying, but yeah, phoebe.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Bridgers.
I love Lana Del Rey's new dude.
He's like an alligator.
I don't know.
It hit the internet by storm.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
A couple of days ago.
I need to see that I love that.
She's like with a Chuck Reagan,yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
She's like with this alligator wrangler guy.
It's amazing.
It's amazing.
Okay, joan Jett or Debbie Harry.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Joan Jett.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
No use for a name or Lagwagon.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
No use for a name.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yeah, rip Tony Sly.
That's so crazy about himalmost producing the record.
I had no idea.
That's wild.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
It's the most incredible thing just to have
that opportunity and thoseconversations with him.
He's like, eh, mike?
Speaker 1 (36:33):
wants me to do this.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
He was definitely into it and it was a time like,
yeah, man, I'm so sad he's nothere, like you just would be
thriving, like all those bandsare having such a like a nice
renaissance right now, and yeah,for sure I do love lag wagon, I
do love me yeah, I love lagwagon too.
Uh, let's go madonna or whitneyhouston I'm gonna say madonna,
(36:54):
just like, just because iconic,like style pop culture, stevie
nicks or amy winehouse amywinehouse jimmy world or weezer.
I'm trying to say weezer,because I have a question if you
could be in any band uh, I, I'dprobably say the ramones.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Uh, just because it would be so sick.
Um, being in the misfits wouldbe pretty badass too so ramones
are misfits I feel like I wouldhave to say ramones, like
because joey, ramone, I think,is my favorite voice of all time
.
But you know, glenn danzig isobviously, uh, you know, another
one of my favorite voices too.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
So see, I'd say misfits more because, like I've
listened to Misfits so much, butlike Ramones is like a they I,
it's like everything that is somuch of who I am.
But like, come on, like thefirst time you ever heard bullet
, how fucking are you like, uh,this is so bad.
(37:54):
And I love it so much and likeyou don't want to get caught
listening to it.
Or like singing the lyrics.
And like you don't want to getcaught listening to it, or like
singing the lyrics, and like myparents didn't even care what I
listened to.
But it's like yeah that's that.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
That is true.
That's a good point, cause Ithink about, like what band
between those two had like abigger impact on me when I first
heard it.
Definitely the misfits.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Cause I was just like this is so cool and strange and
awesome.
And then, like the evil liverecord.
When I heard that record, likehow horrible it sounded and just
like how chaotic it just thethe gig felt, and just the
in-between song, banter, andjust it just felt like so insane
to me.
I was like I remember listeningto that record being like what
(38:34):
the fuck is this?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
I feel like that could translate to like to bronx
too, because you guys are oneband, it's just like you watch
it undeniable, like oh, thankyou, thank you you know the
energy, you feel it and it'sjust like that, that's like what
you're saying to hearing analbum like how do I feel like
the chaos in this room.
Another like I I say I've beensaying this lately because I've
(38:59):
been covering a lot of uhmisfits acoustic and it's like
how strange is it that?
Like to some because, like theteenage brain of glenn dandig,
like we want to be here.
Like to some degree, if withoutthe insane, like new jersey
beef kid yeah, no like it's,it's insane and you think about.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I know you did some tours at the, at the punk rock
museum and and when I did acouple and when I was doing them
, like you look at the earlyaesthetic of like the misfits,
when they're like he's wearinglike catcher's gear and they
have like these, like you know,home-drawn skulls and all this
stuff and it's just so, it's sorad and you realize what like a
rarity it is for all that tolike come together and happen
(39:45):
and create what it did and likeit's just, it's so cool and to
be to be.
I've always felt like there'ssuch a.
You know there's people likewhen Nirvana broke and there's
always people who are like they.
They think simplicity and skillis like something that belongs
to everyone, like, oh, I canjust pick up a guitar, I can
(40:05):
play that song, there's nothingto that, I could write that, I
could do it, and it isn't.
It's like the complex stuff isjust as much of a big bang as
beauty and simplicity.
As an artist, it it's notsomething that belongs to
everybody, like there's only afew people that can just nail it
(40:26):
to the point where it justchanges the game, you know, and
it's like the misfits, uh, wereone of those things for me, one
of those bands, one of thoseartists that I look at.
That was, like you know, sure,there's a lot of really basic
crappy punk bands out there, butthere's a, but there's only one
(40:47):
misfits.
There's only one misfits.
And the funny thing is you gosee them now.
They still kind of suck.
They still kind of suck andit's like this is amazing, how
are they?
Speaker 2 (40:55):
not better.
It's everything you want it tobe and like.
So I saw them with a.
We played the palladium and itwas like when they didn't see
the original, like riot festreturn.
But it was like around thattime and we had tickets.
We played like we've got likesome nice tickets and like the
seat that in the section therewas.
You know, like shepherd fairywas there and julia lewis was in
the section and, um, you justwant them because, like, all the
(41:18):
songs are so short and they'reso bangers.
I'm like, do it ramon style andjust bang, do not stop.
But they stopped after everysong.
It's like, clearly, people thatdidn't know how to be on a
stage together in a very longtime it's just, it's still, it's
just.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
It sounds like absolute dog shit.
It's just like what ishappening, and it's so.
It's so great, though, becauseit's like it's so, it's just.
Yeah, the misfits are.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
Yeah, it is uh, well, just real quick, soon.
He said jimmy world or oh, yeah, yeah, I was asked that
question because I was likeweezer, because I would love to
play in weezer.
It's just like how cool, likeso cool, so fun.
Every song is a hit when yousee them live, the funnest, like
stage production.
I've cried watching weasel likethis, you're like this is so
good it is.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
What about?
What about vandals or pennywise?
But how do you feel on that?
Speaker 2 (42:06):
pennywise, huge pennywise fan.
I love jim bloomberg, I lovefletcher and uh, and yeah, love
the vandals too.
Um, man can't.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Vandals.
Vandals are insane.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
You can't miss either of those bands, for different
reasons.
No.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
What about Descendants or Bouncing Souls?
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Oh, descendants, I am just, my soul is Descendants.
And yeah, huge Descendants fanthrough and through Another band
you just can't miss ever.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
What about All American Rejects?
Or Alkaline Trio?
Fan through and through anotherband you just can't miss ever,
yeah, um, what about allamerican rejects?
Or alkaline trio?
Speaker 2 (42:41):
alkaline trio through the roof.
You know, we know what band isyour favorite band because, like
I, still will listen to thatstuff it just doesn't get old.
And also, like you heardifferent things, like like oh,
the lyric that was so clever isalso clever in this other way.
15 years later, you know Loveit.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Yeah, absolutely Okay .
Classic time machine,hypothetical, okay Okay.
Time machine shows up outsideof your place, door opens
Someone awesome steps out,Anywhere in history, any time in
history where are you going togo first and why?
Speaker 2 (43:21):
well, it's really hard, because I think about this
a lot as a woman.
If we go back to the 70s, youcan't even get a credit oh,
that's true, that's true, yeah,so it's so funny because I am
like a huge history buff.
It's really hard because, likethere's so many places that I'd
want to go but it's just like inthe reality, like am I stuck
(43:42):
there?
Do I get to come back?
Speaker 1 (43:45):
you, you stay, you get to check it out as a as a
you know kind of a voyeur.
You get to just check out thescene and you get to bounce
whenever you want, you knowprobably 1920s Los Angeles like
to see this town.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Boom, I think about it so often.
How gorgeous is the coastline.
I'm in East Los Angeles orNortheast LA and it's like
seeing these hills and just theroaring beautiful hills, and
then all the way out to the sea,and then all the way out to the
sea.
I always think of that scene inthere Will Be Blood when he
(44:19):
goes out to the coast, and Idon't know if that's like.
I forget where it's supposed totake place, not in Los Angeles,
but I'm like it just lookedlike that.
I think I'd love to see thatand see the excitement of Los
Angeles as it's really cominginto itself.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Yeah, that's dope, I like that.
All right.
Last question here, Jen, thankyou very much for your time here
on the Sailor Jerry podcast bythe way.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Thank you for having me, it's been awesome talking to
you.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
What, to you, is the meaning of life?
Speaker 2 (44:50):
To be present and to really slow down and to be quiet
, feel the sun on your skin.
Got into transcendentalmeditation in the last few years
and it's just completelylife-changing because I did not
know how to slow down and bepresent and that also with the
(45:11):
pandemic and also people closeto me passing away, there's like
a big.
All those things like taught meit is just about being alive
and feeling alive.
It's not about what you'redoing or your status.
The point is to just be alive.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Hell yeah, I get that loud and clear.
That's fucking awesome, Jen.
Thank you so much for this.
Thank you.
So Jen Pop here at the Sailor Jerry podcast.
This has been a long timecoming, long overdue.
It's great to have you on.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm well.
Thank you so much for having meon.
I love your podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Oh, right on, right on.
We're stoked to have you.
You know, I definitely want todive in to your first solo
record here East Side of Eden,awesome record.
Thank you, solo record here,east Side of Eden, awesome
record.
Before we do that, I want togive our listeners a little bit
of background on you.
You know, do you have any sortof like musical history in the
family?
Where did you grow up and kindof how did music first, you know
(00:36):
, make its impact on you?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
My dad played guitar, just like at home.
You know he had a coupleguitars so those were always
around um.
I'm definitely like a southerncalifornia born and raised
suburban kid, so between losangeles, like diamond, I was
born in san dimas so and I grewup in diamond bar, yeah, or the
10 to 10 meet, yeah, yeah, so Ilived in diamond bar until I was
(01:02):
11 or 12 and then moved toCarlsbad in North San Diego.
Yeah, I just grew up, you know,discovered kind of like punk on
my own, pop, pop, punk, punkthrough being, you know, growing
up with Green Day and Offspringon the radio and Blink-182.
And I remember I startedplaying guitar right when I
(01:23):
moved to Carlsbad and like thesame week that I really was like
I want to play guitar and, youknow, started messing around and
that is the same.
In the same week I went and sawmy mom took me and my friend to
see Blink 182 and Bad Religionwas opening.
Yeah, and that immediatelychanged my life.
(01:43):
I was like this is it?
There's like no questions,southern California.
You know, it's just, it's, it'sall around you.
So kind of just a product ofgrowing up here.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Hell yeah, Hell yeah.
And the Bomb Pop started inwhat?
2007?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
2008, 2009.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah.
So how was you know how, howdid your first band come
together?
You know what I mean.
What was the process there?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Like when I was growing up, you didn't see girls
playing guitar, you just didn'tas much, and that has changed
so significantly and it makes meso happy to see the amount of
young women, young girls, justpicking up guitars and bass
drums, all everything and andstarting bands.
And how many bands have women,girls in them?
(02:30):
And that was just um, I didn'tsee it like, especially on like
a level like at my school.
And there were, you know,battle of the bands at my school
and I never saw one girl playany of them.
I I tried to get a bandtogether and no, but straight up
, we don't want a girl in theband.
You know was told that and soIdiots.
(02:50):
You know, yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I have somebody.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I knew whose older brother managed a band and I was
like girls should stay in theirroom and play guitar.
You know, I was that's.
I grew up with that, hearingthat, and I would just kind of
play with whoever I could andthere were definitely people
that I played guitar with.
And then I met the girl whostarted the band with at a music
(03:15):
studio and kind of was likeOkay, let's do this.
And then so that was more orless like how we started.
We were playing around anywherewe could at the time, a lot of
dive bars just hitting it andbeing really hungry, for it is
how the band kind of got so muchtraction early on and never
(03:37):
really stopped doing that.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, yeah, as a songwriter in the early days of
just kind of learning your craft, so to speak, what do you kind
of remember about your earlysongs and just you know, being
in a band and writing stufftogether and everything kind of
coming to fruition?
You know, it's such a crazytime, it's such a wild run of
(03:59):
emotions and everything'shappening so fast.
When you kind of look back atthe early days of your career,
how do you feel about it?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I definitely think it's something.
When you're younger you reallydon't have as much fear or worry
about whether you're good ornot.
I just remember, like thinkingback, should we have been on
stage, you?
know, and one thing that we'vegotten, you know, as we grew and
even just getting on to fatrecords and like people who had
(04:31):
seen us, for you know, back fromback in the day were like you
guys just continue to get betterand better.
So I I do say that we likelearned how to tour, learn how
to play, learn how to be in aband, learn how to fight as a
band, learn how to, you know,get through it as a band before
we really kind of became theband that people knew on a
(04:54):
bigger scale, like just being onfat record.
So we had this longer historybefore we were really kind of
like a known band yeah I justfeel so incredibly rich in
experiences and hangs andstories and friends and travel
Like not monetarily from playingmusic.
(05:14):
I've always had jobs to supportmy music habit, but I wouldn't
trade any of it.
Like.
Everything I do have is fromthat journey.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
We share the same richness.
What was it like getting signedfor you guys to Fat Records,
epitaph and Fat bands likePennywise, no Effects, lagwagon,
no Use For A Name, all thosebands.
They were so huge for me.
How was that experience andwhat does that label kind of
mean to you?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, I mean, it actually is just the definition
of a dream come true and itsounds so cheesy to say, but I
was the same, exactly the sameas you.
Bands like Alkaline, trio and noUse For A Name, no Effects,
lagwagon, bad Religion stylestuff, and at the same time just
(06:03):
peripherally, but really at thesame time was a huge fan of a
lot of emo and um, taking backsunday brand new, all that stuff
as well as like laurence armsand dylan deforest.
So I mean I I just always it'sgonna sound so arrogant to say,
but I just always knew that itwould be on fat records yeah
(06:24):
there was no other option.
I had a little button, you knowlike just like a fat records pin
, and I would wear it on my, Iwould move it to whatever I was
wearing, like I wore that thingevery single day and it wasn't
like I got up in the morning,was like fat records or what do
I have to do today to get like?
It just was so like, without adoubt, and I think there's a
(06:47):
little bit of like be like yeah,I don't know just delirious,
but also that in the background,always on, was doing something,
and so you know it's funnybecause we ended up getting
having a relationship with allthese bands on fat pretty early
on.
We would just like harasspeople.
(07:08):
It's like follow fat mikearound and bug them and um, so
we were always on shows.
We got.
We got to play a lot of showswith no effects and a lot of fat
records bands, especially insan diego and orange county and
la.
Then, uh, you know fat mikebeing like you guys are cool
kids, but you need to writebetter songs, you know, and
we're like okay, and actually he, uh, in 2012, tony sly
(07:30):
approached us and was like well,fat mike says he likes you guys
, but he thinks you need to workwith a producer and so he was
set to produce us.
Actually, um, and mike was, youknow, like you guys will be on
fat records, so he's gonnaproduce you.
And we just had a few talkswith tony sly.
You know, like you guys will beon Fat Records, tony Sly is
going to produce you and we hada few talks with Tony Sly about,
you know, the direction wewould kind of had for us.
He was like female bad religion, you know, like style,
(07:54):
harmonies and riffs and we'relike okay.
And, um, you know, and then hetragically passed away um later
that year, and so we all wenever got to work with him, but
that did get us in our brain,you know, to all right, maybe we
should consider working with aproducer and just go in that
route.
So we did an EP and we workedwith Lawrence Katz from the
(08:17):
Mighty, mighty Boss Stones andthen we sent that to Fat and he
said this is good, but it's notgreat.
You know, listen.
You know you always say listento the beatles that tells
everyone like okay, and then sowe did.
He wants everyone to listen tothe beatles and learn all the
beatles chords.
Um, didn't honestly like I lovethe beatles but I didn't really
(08:38):
go and like learn a bunch ofbeatles songs or anything.
But I know what he meant bythat, you know.
And then we went and justrecorded a full length album and
we chose a producer, chrisFogle from the band the Gamuts
just one of my favorite bands,favorite lyricists and we'd
become friends with him.
We met him on a tour when wewere in Paris, oddly enough,
(08:59):
like they're an American bandbut we'd never seen, they don't
play that often so and he had astudio in Denver, colorado, and
so we flew out there and likethere was no talk with fat, like
you know, cause Mike just saidthat was good, but it's not
great.
You know, sorry, that is myimpression of fat Mike and it's
pretty spot on.
It's just how I hear it and heum, so we went and we just did
(09:23):
our own thing and it was kind oflike we had shown Mike so many
things.
And then that wonderfulopportunity to potentially work
with Tony Sly was just reallygreat.
We were grateful for all of it,Even to send something to Fat
Mike and have him listen to itand give you an answer, an
honest answer, felt like such aleg up and we were grateful for
that and in the end we were likeplaying shows and doing stuff
(09:51):
with them.
So, um, we just did it on ourown.
And then, you know, mix had itmixed and mastered by chris
fogel as well, and then we sentit to fat records, just finished
product.
And I remember when we like gotthe email and it was months
later because he hadn't listenedto it, because he just didn't
open the email.
But he, he did eventually and,um, he was like, congrats, let's
be, this is a perfect record,it'd be my honor to put it out
on fat records.
And.
(10:11):
But he wanted to do thesequencing and you know I was
like, yeah, let's do it so, um,yeah, it was really.
It was very surreal.
And then, um, yeah, the nextrecord um, you know he wanted to
produce it but we said no.
But then he did suggest that wework with another producer, yo
Tom from useless ID.
So we ended up co-producing thenext record with Chris Vogel
(10:32):
and, um, yo Tom, and reallyreally was such a wonderful
production team.
Like love both of those guystogether.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Awesome, was that death in venice or?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
yeah, that's what that death in venice beach that
came out.
March 13th of 2020 canceled ourtour the day the record came
out perfect, perfect timing.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
yeah, you know, I remember that record coming out,
I remember the singles, uh, andyeah, I mean fuck that sucks,
I'm sorry, sorry, you knoweverything weirdly.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
you know, I don't know it.
It it's so weird.
Things would have been a lotdifferent.
But also, things are exactlythe way they're supposed to be
and, um, I will say that was avery good.
A lot of people have said theyliked that record of, said that
was a good, lonely, uh kind offit the mood and, um, I do agree
with that.
So I'm glad it was a companionrecord for a lot of people in a
(11:28):
time when they needed it.
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
So when were you, when did you start writing songs
that you kind of had a feelingyou know we're going to go in a
different direction and you knowhow was that inner struggle
being in a band and then kind ofknowing you wanted to maybe do
something outside of the bandyou know how did stepping into
becoming a solo artist, how, howwas that process for you?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, I think that honestly the pandemic like
really, yeah, I'm like reallythe pandemic was good, like
quarantine was really great forme, like I know, it wasn't for
everybody, but I had a job.
I got a puppy like I just it wasso nice.
(12:12):
I spent all pandemic playingguitar and training um, a puppy.
And so you know, I hadn't everreally like played acoustic or
like even written on acousticuntil writing Death in Venice
Beach I started writing on anacoustic and then I got invited
(12:33):
to go on my first acoustic tourwith Jenny and Stacey from Bad
Cop, bad Cop and they all I waslike just really admired them
playing acoustic because theyjust like look like they had so
much fun doing it.
And I remember them inviting meto go on a tour with them and I
was like that sounds terrifying.
But also I really want to dothat and if you guys can do it,
(12:54):
I think I could do it too.
And I immediately was addictedto that.
But also what I found that Iloved about it was how
terrifying it was.
It's absolutely terrifying andI don't know what about me liked
that.
But because there's no one elseto back you and you kind of
(13:14):
have to lean into thevulnerability of it and you get
to kind of talk and tell storiesand express that with the crowd
, and then I found that I justhad my voice.
I didn't even know that I hadthese things in my voice because
I'm so used to fighting overthe band.
(13:34):
I've never been a hugeprojecting person anyways so I'm
using like a softer part of myvoice.
But also having that softerpart be very strong was really
cool to me.
So when I started writing forDeath and Venice Beach, I just
found myself writing on acoustic.
And then when the pandemic hit,man, I just loved playing
(13:57):
acoustic.
I'd never played with a capobefore, didn't understand it
until then.
And I started putting in a capoI was like, oh, I want to write
everything with like opencowboy chords, cause it's so
beautiful but so transcribing,bomb pop songs, learning covers.
I started a Patreon and I justgot obsessed with learning songs
and covers.
I mean, the intention wasn'tever to do a solo project, but
(14:19):
it was that I wanted to playmore acoustic and so I kind of
was like okay, I kind of needsome music to go with it.
which is the funny thing is,when I did make my solo album I
it none of its acoustic yeah butI what I wanted to do was be
like, how can I make this asdifferent as it can be?
(14:40):
And I was seeking out somebodythat I could work with, that
could, I could trust fully to um, like I don't need to get in
there, like I want their opinion.
And I ended up working withwill yip and um, just an
incredible um person, and feltreally lucky to even be able to
get time with him, because he'svery busy.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, I've never.
I've never heard anyone sayanything bad about their
experience working with Will Yip.
Just it seems like anincredible producer.
East side of Eden comes outAwesome record Bender, I think,
is my favorite song thank you onthe album um my favorite you
(15:18):
know, yeah, cool, awesome.
So how was the process ofmaking the record?
Um, you know, did you use likea lot of like midi stuff, like
software stuff for forinstrumentation, or was there?
Was there a band going on?
What?
What was the deal there?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
so when I knew that I wanted to do a record and had
kind of collected enough songsand um, I had also like locked
in will yip, I really was kindof um on a journey to again work
with other people likeproducers is is one and and
outside of the sphere of like myband and so I ended up
befriending somebody on uhinstagram, ben lapidus, and he
(15:57):
was just does these funny.
I found him actually JulietteLewis like reposted something
that he did and they're likereally funny, like songs, and he
ended up being getting onAmerica's Got Talent but and
it's really goofy, but he it'sall.
It was very like poppy, likepop punk, but kind of like the
shiny kind.
(16:18):
Anyways, I just wrote him.
I was like, can we write somesongs together?
And so him and I actually gottogether before I went in and
like four of the songs on therecord I co-wrote with him.
Basically, I went in with abatch of 24 songs A few of those
that I had like at the lastminute got together, um, with
(16:40):
Ben and shout out to Ben Lapidus, definitely, um, I think it's
just Ben Lapidus music on, likeall the things he's hilarious
and like some of it's superunhinged in like a really funny
way, but he, uh, so yeah.
So yeah, I had this batch of 24songs, 24 songs.
A few of them are like you know, there's a handful of them in
there that Ben and I had workedon and I took them into Will and
(17:03):
you know we just spent a daylike sifting through them and,
you know, like landing on like Ithink, 12 that he was
interested in.
Will played almost everything,um, I played, um some guitar on
it, but I really wasn'tconcerned, you know, with when
it's the bomb pops or anythingelse.
I've ever done in the past likeI'm playing guitar on.
(17:25):
Every I want I want to playguitar.
There are times when it's likewe're learning something or
writing something in the studioand I'm like love that you just
do it.
Time is money.
I'll yeah, I'll relearn itlater.
And you know, chris Fogel andYo Tom did like some of that,
especially with some sparkle,like guitar layers and stuff.
But in this case I was like I'mpaying for the Williams
(17:46):
experience, like I'm out here.
This is like a huge pilgrimagefor me, so let's go, and so we
would basically.
Then I had a giant referencelike Spotify list of all songs I
just loved, and so each daywe'd pick a song and we'd go
through like the structure of it, and then we'd kind of go
through and like I'm like youknow what, like I love this vibe
(18:08):
.
You know there was like thatKavinsky Night Call from like
yeah, yeah, yeah it's like okay,let's what like.
And then will kind of like Idon't know how.
It's a really great way of likeidentifying.
It's like the cool thing aboutthat song that I don't have the
brain to pick out.
You know whether it's a chordprogression or it's like a
transition, and then we kind ofbuild it, and so he would uh, I
(18:34):
would get the chords down and alot of times just strum acoustic
chords and then he'd build itout and he played drums and he
played bass and then Ben Walshfrom Tiger's Jaw ended up
playing guitar.
All of those beautiful guitarwork on the album and a lot of
that is Ben Walsh and I reallywanted somebody else that has.
(18:55):
I play guitar in my wheelhouseis.
You know, I consider myself agood guitar player, but I was
like I don't, I want it to beoutside of my sphere of play.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Awesome.
Yeah, the record is is reallycool.
It's great, congratulations.
I know that has to be such agreat feeling for you to kind of
get that out.
Feeling for you to kind of getthat out.
Where is your heart nowcreatively towards what's next
is was, was this record kind oflike something that, um, you
just felt like maybe you neededto get out and then it's maybe
(19:29):
back to, uh, bomb pops or ontosomething new.
Or is this kind of the start of, you know, a kind of whole new
musical journey for you?
Like where, where are you kindof leaning, you know?
Speaker 2 (19:41):
that's a great question, because I've kind of
like, for the past few months,have been a little unsure
because like I want all of itand that's like a problem.
Uh, so this album I didn't evenknow it was going to come out.
The other end all I know was,like I want to go do something
different lyrically and you know, like the substance of that
(20:01):
record.
It was a very sad girl recordwhich I'm a big fan of.
Like sad songs so I wanted to dothat there's nothing like a sad
song and somehow it can put youin a better mood.
So I wanted to do that.
But also it was a very personalone and there was a trifecta of
really sad things that happenedin my life while those songs
(20:23):
were getting like kind of puttogether before I even like went
in and so definitely wascathartic like getting it out
like it.
just it always is so catharticand it and it's not ever like my
goal is like I want to getthese out.
It just happens that way.
That being said, while we weregetting out of the pandemic and
(20:45):
all of that and getting back todoing Bomb Pop stuff, bomb Pops
did like three really great, thebiggest tours we've ever done
in our career, where, after thepandemic, we did direct support
for dropkick murphy's on the stpatrick's day tour with um
bayside, which is one of myfavorite bands of all time.
Um bayside, hot thorn, heightsand senses fail.
And then we did the second timethat we've done europe punk and
(21:08):
jublet festival.
This one was no effects and mefirst, pennywise, face to face,
get dead.
So that's just a little contextto like.
Why I kind of wanted to I don'tdidn't know what to do next but
because I love playing acousticand you know, like Bender is
one of my favorite songs, but ittranslates completely different
to me when I play it acousticit's just like, really like more
(21:31):
gritty and you can feel theemotion more.
And I that's not to say I, Ilove the version that I did with
will yip.
But um, I just recorded a fewsongs, but I want to record a
few more where they are very raw, like I want to capture the
thing that I'm doing on stagewhen playing a piece and people
(21:52):
that have fallen in love with itbut have a bit of subtle
production.
So my friend um simon short,he's two, we did two songs and
I'd like to do a few more inthat style where some will live
like very raw, like I do, thoughstill want to like add some
maybe like ambient, kind of likethings behind them so that
there is production, but it isfirst and foremost like a raw
(22:16):
acoustic um recording.
So that's that's like myimmediate thing that I'm working
on.
That has been like sofulfilling to me and, um, I do
want to do some like somethingweird.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
I yeah, I like it.
I like it.
You got a weird record.
You got a weird record in you.
I like it.
It A weird record.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, and, and then the bomb pops, like, um, japan
was like the most, one of themost beautiful experiences I've
had touring in my entire lifeand it meant a lot to me.
I have family there.
Um, like, my uncle lives thereand he's the first person like
that gave me a guitar and he'sgetting very old and so he came
and saw us and then I played anacoustic show with him and his,
(22:57):
the band and, uh, my cousin, hisdaughter, came with us.
Yo tom from useless id isplaying with us now and, um,
japan's such a beautiful placeand the people are so beautiful
and kind and um, I'm like thisis what?
because I, you know, I was likethere's a lot of friction with
the band, like getting going andalways kind of has been like
(23:19):
stopping and starting to wind upchanges and all this but, at
the end of the day, like thatband, my band has brought me
everything that's like wonderfuland so um, I've actually have
like a great desire to write forthe bomb pops too and figure
out what that is.
So the answer is I'm gonna doit all yeah, that's good, that's
good.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
I mean that's you know, that's that's the way with
with us and with the mariachiband.
You know, you, you go back andforth and you're kind of you
know, we're fortunate enough tobe able to go back and forth and
kind of feed off of you knowwhat's inspiring you and where
you want to go, and it's thecoolest thing for you to be able
to be like.
You know what's inspiring youand where you want to go and
it's the coolest thing for youto be able to be like.
Hey, you know, like cause I'msure you get the questions all
(24:00):
the time If you're doing a solorecord what's going on with the
bomb pops, the bomb pops done,or this, that, and it's like to
be able to, you know, appreciatethe bomb pops for what it is
and be, uh, you know, creativelyinspired and challenged by
writing songs by yourself.
And that whole journey and to beable to bounce back and forth
(24:20):
as you navigate the rest of yourcreative life is awesome.
That's kind of like a dreamscenario.
You should be able to make themusic you want to make, and
because you start something elsedoesn't necessarily mean that
it's the end of something or youknow, it's like, it's just cool
.
I like that you aren't sayingthat you have to do one or the
(24:42):
other, that you can do both andyou can even do something new if
it comes down the pipeline andinspires you.
You know.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Yeah, and you can exist in in more than one space,
which is really fun.
And I don't know, do you feellike like?
One thing I kind of want to dowith the weird stuff is, like
you know, with music, especiallysomething like east side of
eden um, I think that is verylike it's raw and personal.
And with bomb pops I do likethere's a bit more of like uh,
(25:09):
there's like more motifs inthere and I think that that's
something that I'd love to likeplay and like hi, like not hide
behind.
But you, I feel like there'smore of a like I can have.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
there's a bomb pops persona a bit, and then I kind
of create like there's a bitmore of like a persona with my
acoustic stuff and I've justwant to kind of like get weird
and have this other lens whenyou discover how much music and
how much stuff you can createand you realize how short life
is, it's just like fuck it, youknow, like I'm going to do
(25:41):
whatever I want to do and makeeverything I can while I'm here
on the earth, and you know it's.
It seems like you're kind of inthat mode, which is awesome.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Yeah, it's like I have a trying to figure out you
know kind of what's next.
A lot of different things areon the table for me, just like
in life generally lately, andall of it's really exciting and
I have a couple like core keypoints.
So I keep like, wow, they, allthese things tie in together to
just, you know, like on awhiteboard.
And the first one is like makegood art.
You know, and I just want tomake you know, and with the band
(26:12):
you do have a box that you haveto stay in to a certain degree
to keep fans happy.
You know, if I was to make EastSide of Eden and hey guys, like
let's make this record, theywould be down because everyone
else in the band is also into alot of other things.
But it's that we are a fatrecords band and we love being a
fat records band and we intendto be a fat records band and
(26:34):
that is also like that's my punkoutlet.
Like that's my punk outlet andwe can go.
We can get harder, we can getmore rock, we could get more
ramones core, we could get morepop punk and we and we can do
that all in one album.
We can um, I love like lo-fimarksman stuff.
I'm like it'd be fun if, like wedid, something like that a
little bit in there and thatwould all like check out, right.
(26:56):
But if I go make this likeinsanely weird album or just
bomb pops you know acousticalbum I don't think that that's
like um, you do want to makeyour fans happy and you do want
people to like uh, but and atthe same time grow and um, so
I'm I'm excited for that outletand I'm excited for that outlet
and like cause that's there and.
I'm always going to be there andwe all, like the rest of the
(27:17):
band, neil and Josh and Yotamare like just that's what we do.
So like making good art and atthis point it's so fun and I
love collaborating with otherpeople.
I've done a lot of like collabstuff lately.
I did a couple of songs withMoscow Death Brigade, so really
love collabs and like guestingon stuff.
It's super cool and I likeproducing stuff.
So, yeah, just like workingwith other people, let's do
(27:38):
something.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Yeah, it's cool and it all ends up feeding into each
other.
I think creatively which Idon't think maybe a lot of fans
understand is like what you'redoing now in some way shape or
form is gonna find its way tocreating a better Bomb P bomb
pops record or a better bomb popsong and vice versa.
(27:59):
You know, it's like everythingfeeds into each other and that
is how you grow as an artist andit's just really cool.
But, um, let's get into somequestions from the internet here
, because I don't want to keepyou too long.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
I know you're busy, all right I love talking, so I'm
fine, keep me in check okay.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
So jen, on a scale of one to ten, how sketchy are
your dms ten?
Yeah, I'll say not.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
not, I'm gonna say eight because like there's a lot
, a lot of dms and I like theyget to 10 and sketchy, but but
there's also just such wonderfullike people in there and um,
really cute and encouragingcomments and like fun, we people
are funny.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
I mean like but 10, but 10.
Yeah, even even just puttingyou know the questionnaire out
on on my end, my DMS got sketchy.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Please send me some screenshots of some, because,
like I really want to do.
You know we did a slide intothe DMs before, so I was reading
them aloud in the van and ourfriend Chris Growl was on tour
with us and he like films.
He does did all like our BombPops music videos.
He brought them on a tour and Iwas just reading them aloud I
was like dude, this is so crazy.
And I started reading them andhe like lost his shit.
(29:19):
And then I kept going he's likeyou have more.
And I was like I have morefolder I've screenshotted.
I have like, and so he filmedit Cause he's like wait, let's
get this.
And then he's like wait, I'mgoing to stop.
This is a serious like we'redoing this.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Oh, it's so fun.
I mean they weren't.
There was nothing too crazy.
You know nothing too crazy, butyeah, I got a little glimpse, I
got a peek into the world thatI could only imagine.
Hell, yeah, okay, ooh.
What advice might you have forthe next generation of
songwriters?
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Take advice from people, but be careful who you
take that advice from when itcomes to like a lot of things
but like being your, your art.
And then the other thing is likeI'm a huge advocate, like I
wish I could expedite thisspecifically for, like young
female um artists, songwriters,on just anybody that is like and
it has that entrepreneurialspirit or any.
(30:15):
Just anything honestly is trustthe intuition, because a lot of
times and I know this fromexperience you are going to have
a lot of people telling youwhat you should do and should
not do.
It's easy to kind of justsecond guess yourself and like
not believe that you should.
You're you're taking up toomuch space, you know, and just
so it's a really big um, it's a.
(30:37):
It's a mixed thing.
So like, know your intuitionand the good thing is women have
fantastic intuition.
So trust like what you'refeeling and then open yourself
up to like you know gettingadvice and working with other
people, but like, let sit withit.
Close your eyes, take a coupleof days, like if you really
(30:58):
don't know.
Close your eyes, take a coupleof days, like if you really
don't know, then maybe getanother opinion.
But I think it's really trustingyourself and being open to
working with other people.
But, at the end of the day,trust yourself and I wish I
could like expedite that forpeople.
Or like, if women like the no,I just met so many women that
(31:19):
are like I don't know, and it'slike you do know, you just don't
think that.
You think you're taking upspace.
I'll give you one example justreal quick.
I know, um, but like we.
But there was a punk and jubilicwe played recently and you know
we flew to denver to play itand it was hell getting there.
Every single flight, every bandhad a hard time getting there.
(31:39):
It was like terrible weather,um, you know, two days of travel
, just awful.
And we get there and we haddone everything we're supposed
to do.
We're the second band, I think.
So you know, we're not like thebig dogs, but we're paid to be
there and we're a needed bandthere.
You know, like, and we hadsuggested the amps that we want
from the back line.
It's like we want to use thetwo 900s, you want to use the
(32:00):
two marshall cabs.
This is our stage plot and weget and we're on time, we're
there and you know they'resetting up.
We don't get a sound check butwe get a line check.
The stage hands it was, youknow, to, not anyone like with
the festival, but the stagehands that were working the and
it wasn't some of the usual guys.
Sometimes there's a great teamof punk and drug like.
People that like are alwaysthere and um we love them, you
(32:22):
know, like the greg teals andall them like shout out greg
teal but it was like a differentlike set of people which
sometimes you get at thesethings.
And, um, the stage hand was likeI was like, yeah, we, you know
we need the 900 and this cab andit needs to be here.
And he's like well, the bandafter before he was using this,
the band after you, so you haveto use that.
(32:43):
And I just accepted that for asecond and then I was like, oh
no, like, like I came and didn'tsay it in a rude way, I said no
, we've submitted, it's on ourtech writer and the gear is
there.
So, like I can get my guys tomove it, I can move it myself,
like, but I'm sure you'd preferit to be done, so can you please
(33:06):
put that there?
And then they did.
But it's like you.
Just I really clocked that as myfirst intuition was to not take
up space yeah, but I'm I'm justI get to be there just as much
as anybody else is there thatday, and actually that those
people are working for thefestival that paid us to be
there so long winded answer, butI do feel very passionately
(33:26):
about it and would love to dowork in that field and like
speak about it more, because Ifeel very strongly that it
should be taught, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
Yeah, yeah, and I think you know just double that
you know someone a young artist.
I think you know it just on adouble that you know someone a
young artist is.
You know kind of it takes along time to trust your
instincts, at least for mostpeople.
You know being a female artistand you know what at most times
can be a male dominated kind ofgenre or realm and you know run
(33:56):
into experiences like especiallytouring little stage things
like that, where you don't evennotice sometimes that you're not
stepping into your power, thatyou rightfully deserve it's a
great way to put it.
Yeah, that's a very awesomepoint and stoked you were able
to let people know that.
(34:16):
A couple of pick-ems here forbands and artists.
I'm going to say two bands.
You tell me which one you likebetter.
Okay, and we got.
You know some people we do this.
They get all nervous, theyfreak out I don't like nervous.
It's not personal.
Okay, this is not personal.
You probably know some of thesebands.
It doesn't mean you like one ordon't like one, it's just what,
(34:38):
musically, what do you listento more?
Okay, bad religion or noeffects?
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Bad religion.
First of all, Ryan Baker islike just such an icon.
So when I say I'm part GwenStefani, part Rick Nielsen, part
Ryan Baker, I just think he haslike such an influence on my
aesthetics for guitars, gear,playing and just so, undeniably
(35:04):
so cool and the whole entireband and songwriting responsible
for such a political awakeningfor an entire generation, but in
the coolest way possible.
I never miss a chance to seethem.
I've seen them hundreds oftimes.
Still get goosebumps.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Yeah, yeah, they're one of my favorite bands,
definitely Probably the punkband that I listened to most and
the band that's probably had animpact on me the most.
Uh, in in the punk genre.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
No effects.
Are just like my weird uncles.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Straight up, all right.
What about uh Lana Del Rey orPhoebe Bridgers?
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Phoebe Bridgers.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Yeah, she's a.
She's a badass, she's a badass.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
I wish I could be Lana Del Rey.
Lana Del Rey or Phoebe Bridgers.
Phoebe Bridgers, yeah, she's abadass.
She's a badass.
I wish I could be Lana Del Rey.
Lana Del Rey is just so sultry.
I'm like you, just are that?
No use trying, but yeah, phoebe.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Bridgers.
I love Lana Del Rey's new dude.
He's like an alligator.
I don't know.
It hit the internet by storm.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
A couple of days ago.
I need to see that I love that.
She's like with a Chuck Reagan,yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
She's like with this alligator wrangler guy.
It's amazing.
It's amazing.
Okay, joan Jett or Debbie Harry.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Joan Jett.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
No use for a name or Lagwagon.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
No use for a name.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Yeah, rip Tony Sly.
That's so crazy about himalmost producing the record.
I had no idea.
That's wild.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
It's the most incredible thing just to have
that opportunity and thoseconversations with him.
He's like, eh, mike?
Speaker 1 (36:33):
wants me to do this.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
He was definitely into it and it was a time like,
yeah, man, I'm so sad he's nothere, like you just would be
thriving, like all those bandsare having such a like a nice
renaissance right now, and yeah,for sure I do love lag wagon, I
do love me yeah, I love lagwagon too.
Uh, let's go madonna or whitneyhouston I'm gonna say madonna,
(36:54):
just like, just because iconic,like style pop culture, stevie
nicks or amy winehouse amywinehouse jimmy world or weezer.
I'm trying to say weezer,because I have a question if you
could be in any band uh, I, I'dprobably say the ramones.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Uh, just because it would be so sick.
Um, being in the misfits wouldbe pretty badass too so ramones
are misfits I feel like I wouldhave to say ramones, like
because joey, ramone, I think,is my favorite voice of all time
.
But you know, glenn danzig isobviously, uh, you know, another
one of my favorite voices too.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
So see, I'd say misfits more because, like I've
listened to Misfits so much, butlike Ramones is like a they I,
it's like everything that is somuch of who I am.
But like, come on, like thefirst time you ever heard bullet
, how fucking are you like, uh,this is so bad.
(37:54):
And I love it so much and likeyou don't want to get caught
listening to it.
Or like singing the lyrics.
And like you don't want to getcaught listening to it, or like
singing the lyrics, and like myparents didn't even care what I
listened to.
But it's like yeah that's that.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
That is true.
That's a good point, cause Ithink about, like what band
between those two had like abigger impact on me when I first
heard it.
Definitely the misfits.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Cause I was just like this is so cool and strange and
awesome.
And then, like the evil liverecord.
When I heard that record, likehow horrible it sounded and just
like how chaotic it just thethe gig felt, and just the
in-between song, banter, andjust it just felt like so insane
to me.
I was like I remember listeningto that record being like what
(38:34):
the fuck is this?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
I feel like that could translate to like to bronx
too, because you guys are oneband, it's just like you watch
it undeniable, like oh, thankyou, thank you you know the
energy, you feel it and it'sjust like that, that's like what
you're saying to hearing analbum like how do I feel like
the chaos in this room.
Another like I I say I've beensaying this lately because I've
(38:59):
been covering a lot of uhmisfits acoustic and it's like
how strange is it that?
Like to some because, like theteenage brain of glenn dandig,
like we want to be here.
Like to some degree, if withoutthe insane, like new jersey
beef kid yeah, no like it's,it's insane and you think about.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I know you did some tours at the, at the punk rock
museum and and when I did acouple and when I was doing them
, like you look at the earlyaesthetic of like the misfits,
when they're like he's wearinglike catcher's gear and they
have like these, like you know,home-drawn skulls and all this
stuff and it's just so, it's sorad and you realize what like a
rarity it is for all that tolike come together and happen
(39:45):
and create what it did and likeit's just, it's so cool and to
be to be.
I've always felt like there'ssuch a.
You know there's people likewhen Nirvana broke and there's
always people who are like they.
They think simplicity and skillis like something that belongs
to everyone, like, oh, I canjust pick up a guitar, I can
(40:05):
play that song, there's nothingto that, I could write that, I
could do it, and it isn't.
It's like the complex stuff isjust as much of a big bang as
beauty and simplicity.
As an artist, it it's notsomething that belongs to
everybody, like there's only afew people that can just nail it
(40:26):
to the point where it justchanges the game, you know, and
it's like the misfits, uh, wereone of those things for me, one
of those bands, one of thoseartists that I look at.
That was, like you know, sure,there's a lot of really basic
crappy punk bands out there, butthere's a, but there's only one
(40:47):
misfits.
There's only one misfits.
And the funny thing is you gosee them now.
They still kind of suck.
They still kind of suck andit's like this is amazing, how
are they?
Speaker 2 (40:55):
not better.
It's everything you want it tobe and like.
So I saw them with a.
We played the palladium and itwas like when they didn't see
the original, like riot festreturn.
But it was like around thattime and we had tickets.
We played like we've got likesome nice tickets and like the
seat that in the section therewas.
You know, like shepherd fairywas there and julia lewis was in
the section and, um, you justwant them because, like, all the
(41:18):
songs are so short and they'reso bangers.
I'm like, do it ramon style andjust bang, do not stop.
But they stopped after everysong.
It's like, clearly, people thatdidn't know how to be on a
stage together in a very longtime it's just, it's still, it's
just.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
It sounds like absolute dog shit.
It's just like what ishappening, and it's so.
It's so great, though, becauseit's like it's so, it's just.
Yeah, the misfits are.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
Yeah, it is uh, well, just real quick, soon.
He said jimmy world or oh, yeah, yeah, I was asked that
question because I was likeweezer, because I would love to
play in weezer.
It's just like how cool, likeso cool, so fun.
Every song is a hit when yousee them live, the funnest, like
stage production.
I've cried watching weasel likethis, you're like this is so
good it is.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
What about?
What about vandals or pennywise?
But how do you feel on that?
Speaker 2 (42:06):
pennywise, huge pennywise fan.
I love jim bloomberg, I lovefletcher and uh, and yeah, love
the vandals too.
Um, man can't.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Vandals.
Vandals are insane.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
You can't miss either of those bands, for different
reasons.
No.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
What about Descendants or Bouncing Souls?
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Oh, descendants, I am just, my soul is Descendants.
And yeah, huge Descendants fanthrough and through Another band
you just can't miss ever.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
What about All American Rejects?
Or Alkaline Trio?
Fan through and through anotherband you just can't miss ever,
yeah, um, what about allamerican rejects?
Or alkaline trio?
Speaker 2 (42:41):
alkaline trio through the roof.
You know, we know what band isyour favorite band because, like
I, still will listen to thatstuff it just doesn't get old.
And also, like you heardifferent things, like like oh,
the lyric that was so clever isalso clever in this other way.
15 years later, you know Loveit.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Yeah, absolutely Okay .
Classic time machine,hypothetical, okay Okay.
Time machine shows up outsideof your place, door opens
Someone awesome steps out,Anywhere in history, any time in
history where are you going togo first and why?
Speaker 2 (43:21):
well, it's really hard, because I think about this
a lot as a woman.
If we go back to the 70s, youcan't even get a credit oh,
that's true, that's true, yeah,so it's so funny because I am
like a huge history buff.
It's really hard because, likethere's so many places that I'd
want to go but it's just like inthe reality, like am I stuck
(43:42):
there?
Do I get to come back?
Speaker 1 (43:45):
you, you stay, you get to check it out as a as a
you know kind of a voyeur.
You get to just check out thescene and you get to bounce
whenever you want, you knowprobably 1920s Los Angeles like
to see this town.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Boom, I think about it so often.
How gorgeous is the coastline.
I'm in East Los Angeles orNortheast LA and it's like
seeing these hills and just theroaring beautiful hills, and
then all the way out to the sea,and then all the way out to the
sea.
I always think of that scene inthere Will Be Blood when he
(44:19):
goes out to the coast, and Idon't know if that's like.
I forget where it's supposed totake place, not in Los Angeles,
but I'm like it just lookedlike that.
I think I'd love to see thatand see the excitement of Los
Angeles as it's really cominginto itself.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Yeah, that's dope, I like that.
All right.
Last question here, Jen, thankyou very much for your time here
on the Sailor Jerry podcast bythe way.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Thank you for having me, it's been awesome talking to
you.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
What, to you, is the meaning of life?
Speaker 2 (44:50):
To be present and to really slow down and to be quiet
, feel the sun on your skin.
Got into transcendentalmeditation in the last few years
and it's just completelylife-changing because I did not
know how to slow down and bepresent and that also with the
(45:11):
pandemic and also people closeto me passing away, there's like
a big.
All those things like taught meit is just about being alive
and feeling alive.
It's not about what you'redoing or your status.
The point is to just be alive.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Hell yeah, I get that loud and clear.
That's fucking awesome, Jen.
Thank you so much for this.
Thank you.
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