I’ve always had a lot of respect for The Arrivals. Few bands have been able to maintain the sincerity and passion for their music that they originally started with. The Arrivals have done this and more and I look forward to many more records and performances from this great Chicago band. Questions answered by Issac.

WCWZ: Since you originated from the south suburbs, in your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the suburban scene and the Chicago scene?

Issac: I don’t know if we’re the best people to ask about the south suburban scene. When we were in high school, none of us had much money to spend on records and shows and stuff. To a great extent, that excluded us from any real scene status. We knew that a scene existed, we knew kids in the scene, but we didn’t really think that it included any of us. Dave M. had more punk records and had been going to punk shows for a longer while, so he was more familiar with the south suburban punk scene, but based on discussions we used to have, I think he felt just as much an outsider as the rest of us. Dave M. and Dave K. were in a metal band during the first couple years of high school, before I was around, but I think the Thirsty Whale was the main place they played out. I think that was a totally separate scene. I’m not sure. I remember The Rodmans and Eighteen and 100 Proof were some bands we played with more than once back in the day, and they were all from the south. We did have a little scene in Blue Island, also. There was Mest and this band called Random 55 and us. When we started, that was our scene. Back to the question though, the suburban scene/Chicago scene differences. When we started playing out in the south suburbs, the scene was primarily composed of people who were just beginning to get into punk rock. Except for a few people who were obvious super-lifers, it was generally hard to tell the fly-by nighters from the people who were in it for the long haul. That’s what’s quite unique about a rural or suburban scene. There’s usually not much of a history to feed into it; it might be something that lasts a few weeks or it might last several years, depending on how dedicated people are and whether or not they stick around. I guess the Chicago scene seems more permanent. I think that a lot of the people who have decided to make music a significant part of their lives have come to the city precisely for that permanence, and, in turn they help keep it permanent. For people like us, it’s important to find other people like us, and the city is a good place to do that.

WCWZ: What are your thoughts on the well-known club, Off the Alley that shut down awhile back?

Issac: The club was great and the people who ran it were great. We definitely wouldn’t be a band right now if there hadn’t been a place like Off the Alley to accelerate our enthusiasm. People like John Benetti, who were both well informed about good music and dedicated to DIY punk rock, worked their asses off trying to make sure good bands came through Off the Alley. It was really so lucky, because all the work was done for us. We just had to show up and watch or play great shows. Really, it’s a sin the way we all took their hard work for granted. Also, unfortunately, the owner was a jerk and too many people were snooty about playing or going to see shows there. A lot of people talked shit about Off the Alley, but deep down that place was a really good thing. Where else could we kids have gone to get our rocks off. If it would have been community youth-theater or soccer the local government would have been drooling to sponsor programs that successful. And to boot, Off the Alley was mainly run by kids working for minimum wage or less.

WCWZ: Name some of your favorite local bands that are playing out today.

Issac: I feel a little uncomfortable answering this question. A few bands would come to mind and I’d put them down and then I’d remember fifteen more bands that I should have noted and then I’ll feel like shit for not mentioning them. There are tons of good bands in Chicago. Almost every time I go to a show, I end up liking something about one of the bands. I’m in a punk band because I like small music; it’s modern American folk art. How about this, I’ll tell you the six CD’s that happen to be in my player right now. I’ve got Toys that Kill’s "Citizen Abortion"; Dillinger Four’s "Midwestern Songs of the Americas"; Pavement’s "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain"; The Who’s "Sell Out"; Rocket From the Crypt’s "Scream Dracula Scream"; and Bruce Springsteen’s "Greetings from Asbury Park N.J." (that’s not mine). Radio Birdman is on the record player. Guided by Voices and Motorhead are in the tape decks. They’re all top albums in my opinion.

WCWZ: How was your European tour? What surprised you most about your experiences in Europe?

Issac: The tour was great. Most bands that tour Europe are big enough that they just hit the big cities, often going from club to hotel the whole way. For us, touring Europe was much like touring in the States: we were fed by the venues or promoters or private individuals; we stayed at peoples houses; we had to sleep in the van a couple of times when there was no where to stay; we hung out in the clubs with local people, and we played for crowds ranging from eight to eight-hundred. The most surprising thing was the extent to which Europeans (except maybe the British) offered hospitality to bands. Free food, free drinks, and a place to stay were offered everywhere we went. Even when we didn’t have a show, people often put us up for the night and fed us. It was really quite inspiring. Plus just the fact that we were touring Europe was pretty cool. Taking a shit seems cool when you’re in Europe.

WCWZ: If you had to name one band that got you into punk, who would it be, and why did they make you interested in getting into punk?

Issac: The Pixies were the first contemporary punk rock band I really dug. Until I was in seventh grade I hardly listened to anything that had been released in the previous fifteen years. We never had MTV and I didn’t like pop radio. I owned one tape most of my childhood. I tried to get into hair metal and then into rap when my friends were into that stuff, but my mom didn’t go for it. My dad listened mainly to the oldies station, British invasion era rock and roll, and folk. When I started getting into music, I just got into the stuff that my dad was into, because the records were right there, I knew the music, and that was easy. I read about the music and listened to it and started playing guitar. When I was in eighth grade I decided that my dad’s music just wasn’t enough for me. But I didn’t have a big brother or friends or anybody close who knew much about alternative or underground music. Instead, I paid careful attention to some people who I thought were cool to try and catch on the fly what they were listening to. They’d mention a band and I’d go to the library or music magazines or whatever to try to find out more. And we had this great used record store in Springfield, where I lived. When we shopped there, my dad would ask the guys working to hear a record if he didn’t know if he wanted to buy it. So I did the same. I’d ask to check out anything that looked unconventional. If I liked it, I’d buy it. I got some Pixies and Naked Raygun, Dead Milkmen, Primus, Jane’s Addiction; I don’t remember what else. I know some of these don’t seem very underground, but they were underground as hell to me. I also bought some of the hair metal I missed out on: Motley Crew’s "Dr. Feelgood" and Aerosmith’s "Pump", and some Led Zepplin and Grateful Dead and other classics. I had like twenty years of music to catch up on. Anyway, The Pixies. When I first checked them out, the music was like nothing else I’d ever listened to, and miles away from radio crap. I loved the band and the music all the more because their sound was so intentionally unconventional. Up until that point I assumed that musicians always tried to sound as polished as they possibly could. With The Pixies, though, I could tell they were trying to sound sort of weird on purpose, and I thought that was genius.

WCWZ: Where would you rather play a show, in a club or a basement and why?

Issac: Just after coming off of tour with D4 we had a show at the House of Blues. After playing so many awesome punk shows in small bars and cafes, the House of Blues just seemed fucking ridiculous. Disney couldn’t have done a better job at devaluing rock. I think Rock and Roll McDonalds down the block is more respectful to music as art. My biggest frustration with music in general is that people have become music consumers rather than participants. People show up to a live musical performance as if it’s a movie. I’ve heard plenty of compliments paid to the fact that a band’s performance sounds just like their CD. It’s a shame that perfect mimicry and predictability have become the ideal. People don’t want bands; they want robots. And the House of Blues is just the kind of place that encourages musical consumerism. You’re supposed to just show up, see the canned concert that you paid for in the canned venue that you’re attending, and then go home unchanged. I’ve never been to any other House of Blues except the one in Chicago, but I’d bet that each one looks exactly the same, the Walmart of music. Everyone knows exactly what to expect, every time they attend, anywhere they go. The real shame is that when people learn to be music consumers they start acting the same way at Off the Alley or Fireside or even in basements. I love it when bands are technically mediocre and the show is still great. It just goes to show how it takes bands believing in what they’re doing and people coming together to really make good times happen.