Bouncing Souls – at Bamboozle Left March 2010 and Warped Tour 2010

Catching up with the guys in Bouncing Souls to get a handle on what has been going on with them lately as they get ready to perform at Bamboozle at the end of March at Anaheim Stadium. Something that is hard to deny, Bouncing Souls have a lasting effect on people no matter where they are on the musical spectrum, from lyrics that touch people where they live to the outright good times they represent anytime their music is played either live or recorded.

When the band formed in 1987, did you ever think the band would last this long?

No, We had no concept of doing anything for 20 years. We just were kids looking to do something fun and different..

How would you describe the first 10 times the band ever played live to the last 10 times played?

The first ten times people threw stuff at us the last ten times people threw themselves at us

What was the best city you guys saw on the 20th anniversary tour?

The "best" is kind of vague. One of the most interesting and different legs of the tour last year was going to South America for the first time. Every city on that tour was an adventure.

What was your main inspiration for releasing chunks of Ghosts on the Boardwalk throughout the year? Would the band ever consider doing it again?

We wanted to do something different than a standard cd release and we wanted to release the music on our own label. It made sense to release them monthly to celebrate the 20 year anniversary all year.

You guys are playing Bamboozle this March and a few dates on the Warped Tour. Are you excited to play for big music festivals? What are you looking forward to the most?

Its fun to play outside, enjoy the summertime and all that is the Warped tour experience. Its fun its monotonous its hot and noisy and its great. We have a lot of friends out there so I’m looking forward to seeing them.

The band’s been touring a lot lately. Are you guys anxious to get back home, or do you enjoy being out?

We have been home for the last two months actually which has been nice. We toured a whole lot this past year but we manages to balance it all pretty well. We didn’t tour to much so we kept the good times going without getting burned out.

How do you guys maintain a healthy balance between writing and recording, touring, running Chunksaah Records, and family time?

It hasn’t been balanced so well up until the last few years. We have learned from our years of touring what’s worked for us and what hasn’t so we have made adjustments to keep the good times going. WE have to just make time for everything and we have gotten better at doing that.

When I saw the band play Halloween night at the El Rey, Greg and Brian were dressed as religious figures. Do you feel your religious beliefs has influenced your music in any way?

Man, I thought this was supposed to be a brief interview…Thats a big question. The question of who I am and what life is about has affected every part of my life.. so the search for meaning and understanding of who I am has had a huge influence on the music. I think that goes for everyone in the band too. 

How do you feel the songs on The Good, the Bad, and the Argyle differ from the songs on Ghosts on the Boardwalk? How are they similar?

We wrote about what was going on in the moment on both occasions with those records. They have that in common. But really if you listen to them the answer to that question is there in the songs. The themes are similar but the  way we express them is different. Thats why the endless expression of music is always interesting. We are seeing and expressing the same emotions and feelings in new and different ways as we live and learn.

What’s your favorite song to play live and why?

There is no favorite. That always changes with the moment.

The song "True Believers" seems to make our weekly playlist quite often -What is is about that song you feel from a creators stand point that you want listeners to take away from that and carry with them?

What’s fun about making music is you don’t know what people are going to take away from it. Sometimes it picks them up on a bad day. Sometimes it makes them want to start a band. Sometimes it clears their head when they really need it and sometimes it saves their life.  It always fun to hear see and hear the affects the music has had on people.

How do you the feel the band has made their mark in Punk rock history?

We have made a big positive impression on people’s lives. Thats what has made the most important mark to me and makes me feel good. The rest is for everyone else to decide. 

What’s next for the Bouncing Souls after you finish up playing Warped Tour dates?

We don’t have much planned yet for the fall..We will see

This queston is for Greg, recently you toured with Kevin Seconds and your wife Shanti Wintergate on the first leg of "How the West was Fun" tour and are currently wrapping up the second leg. Do you enjoy playing acoustic more, or electronic?

Shanti and I are having fun on the acoustic tour with Kevin and Kepi. We are leaving for Santa Cruz right now. The small acoustic shows are great for experimenting. That is one of the reasons why I love them so much. We can be a little more spontaneous than at the BS shows. Its important to have that in music so you can break through into new creative places. I love loud rock with lots of people in a different way…so one without the other would be kind of a bummer. I love them both.

  Looking forward to seeing the shows!

Bouncing Souls MySpace: www.myspace.com/bouncingsouls

Don’t miss seeing Bouncing Souls at Bamboozle Left March 27 & 28, 2010 and Warped Tour 2010

-Sarah K.-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter