The Scarred (Punk/Rock)
The Scarred
Posted Oct 19, 2007.
Justin - I play guitar
Isha plays Drums
Monkey plays Bass.
We've got a tour drummer right now named Ben9000 because Isha and I just had a kid.
Myspace.com/Scarred
thescarred.com
Do you have any shows coming up?
Tons. We're revving up to hit the road again in November - Like I said,
I just had a kid, and then right afterwards, I busted my leg - so we're
back on the road to make up dates for the tour I had to postpone. Before
that we have a load of California shows lined up - more than we have
in a good while. Oct 12 & 19 at the Clinic, Oct 27 in Malibu, 29th in
Hollywood, and a bunch of Nor-Cal dates in November.
What do you think about the show your playing on October 19th at the
clinic?
It's gonna be sweet. I'm excited to play in front of the home crowd
again. It'll be only the 4th time we've played in 6 months.
How is your local music scene treating you guys?
Rough. In the last year seems like everyone I knew that booked moved
away, and nearly every venue we played is under new management - so it's
been rough getting shows, and all we want to do is play. It's rougher
still because everywhere in the country people know us better than in
California, only because we get screwed out of playing a lot.
How long has The Scarred been around for??
This month it's 4 years.
To you guys what is the best thing about playing Punk Rock?
The people at the shows. Open-mindedness, community.. those things still
do exist in the punk scene, even if they are traits you have to look
harder to find. People try and come in the scene and tend to get
frustrated after a year or two, but you just have to stick it out.
When and where was your first show?
October 14, 2003 in Santa Monica. It was canceled at the last minute. So
we played the Showcase Theatre with Menace (uk) and it was amazing.
How did it go?
Not a lot of people here knew who menace were before that, so it was a
patchy crowd, but amazing. It was also probably a lesson to us. If you
play this kind of music, this is exactly where you're gonna be 30 years
later. In the same place. But I don't care, to me - it's worth it.
What inspires your lyrics?
Life. Cold, Hard, Wonderful Life. I don't write about anything Im
'supposed' to. Even our psuedo politicalish songs have a very personal
meaning behind them. I don't ever write anything based on anyone's
expectations - that's the one thing I can't stand. Even a song like I
dont wanna, cheesy as it is, came from a fiercely personal situation.
What bands have influenced your music the most?
Up to now? A lot of the early punk rock - DI, Menace, The Clash,
Adolescents... Pistols, etc. But I listen to a lot of music so I can't
really make a quick list. It's always been punk that's put the fire
under me.
What bands did you grow up listening to?
One of the first records I ever had was 'The Clash' on cassette tape. I
literally got it from a sitter watching my brother when I was like eight
or nine years old. That and a bunch of other tapes and mixtapes really
launched me into this. This was before anyone I knew had ever even heard
of the internet. I started getting MRR and sending away for the tapes I
saw in there, and it just grew. Op Ivy, that first rancid record, Filth,
Blatz - lot of east bay stuff through the early 90s, but always had the
Pistols and the Clash in there. Later on I learned about bands like
Subhumans, GBH, DOA, Black Flag, and I started sneaking off to shows.
Standing outside of venues I was too young to get into, meeting people,
learning about all the OC stuff - TSOL, DI, ADOLECENTS.. it was great.
Still is great. The best part about punk music is there's so much of it,
you can always find new bands to listen to and new styles to explore
What is the title of your latest cd?
No Solution was our last album, which we recorded 2005 and released
April 2006. We're working on a new one now but are out of funds, so it's
kind of on hold.
Do you have any tours in the making?
Yep! A doozy - Nov 2 through December .. uhhhh ... 17th I believe. Most
bands don't tour in the school year.. so we must be suicidal or
something, but we're going for it. Kamikaze.
Do you guys have any promoting secrets that you would like to share
with us that have gotten you to the point that your at right now?
AHAHAHAHAHAHA - I'm the WORST at that kind of stuff. I think the key is just to be yourself, and f&^k anyone who can't respect that. That's all
we've ever done. Oh, and maybe some good artwork. Catches the eye.
What do you think of Big Smile Magazine?
It's great. Gonna miss the print edition though. I think the internet is
great, but it's killing a lot of things off. Soon there'll be no CDs either.
What is the one thing people should remember in this interview about
The Scarred?
That it's brought to you by Halo 3? No, it isn't. And I don't have Halo
3, but i want it. I'm too poor for the new xbox. Argh!
