bill bodkin interviews the band prior to their performance on the shipwrecked at the shore showcase on thursday march 22 at the wonder bar in asbury park, n.j.
When you think of bands having a throwback sound you imagine the sweaty, CBGB-inspired proto-punk of the 70s or maybe that fuzzy, psychedelic sound of the 60s or maybe those headbanging or synth-laden anthems from the 80s. Rarely do you think about the 90s Seattle sounds. Being a part of the generation that grew up wearing flannel and Doc Martens, its hard to think of the soundtrack of our youth as a ‘throwback.’ But when the amps of the Asbury Park band Give Me Static start to hum, you can hear that grunge sound. The band’s sound is a glorious reminder of that days of our youth but also a glimpse into the future of what the music industry is becoming — filled with quality bands fueled by intelligent lyrics and raw rock power.
Pop-Break recently caught up with Bob Paulos, vocalist and guitarist for Give Me Static who will be performing on Thursday, March 22nd, as a part of Pop-Break.com’s Shipwrecked at the Shore Music Showcase at The Wonder Bar along with The Obvious and Plus Plus Minus.
Pop-Break: Let’s start off with an easy one — can you talk about about the origin of the band’s name and how it reflects the sound of the band?
Bob Paulous: I was looking through the book War All The Time by Charles Bukowski and came across the phrase “give me static” and I just liked how the name sounded. I think it definitely reflects on the bands sound a lot. I use a lot of different distortion pedals; [GMS bassist] Nick [Bock] uses a lot of bass distortion and we just get loud so I think static fits.
PB: Can you talk about the band’s that influence the sound of Give Me Static?
BP: I grew up in the 90’s so I’m majorly influenced by 90’s bands like: Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Pearl Jam.
PB: You guys have been performing around Asbury Park a lot within the past year — are there any plans for a new record in the future?
BP: Well we still haven’t recorded an old record yet, but were talking with some people now on getting an EP done for the summer
PB: For those who haven’t seen Give Me Static perform live before, what can they expect?
BP: Just a damn good time.
PB: There are so many bands out in the local scene — what separates Give Me Static from everyone else?
BP: Originality, persona — I use a lot of different tunings which requires lugging around seven guitars all the time so we definitely have a lot more gear than most other bands.
PB: Give Me Static will be performing on March 22nd at Pop-Break’s Shipwrecked at The Shore Showcase — tell us how important the Asbury music scene is to you guys as a band? And how do you feel about the current status of the scene right now?
BP: Asbury has been a great place for music these past few years I’ve been several bands around the area and its always a fun time. Everyone who works at clubs/venues are always respectful and just fun people who love music as much as we do and its great to have places to play so close to home. I like a lot of bands coming from Asbury there’s a lot of good stuff. The scene is great every night can be a party if you want it to be.
PB: What are your plans for 2012?
BP: We would like to start branching out a bit more playing different towns and cities. And definitely record an EP or record this year.
Give Me Static hits the stage of The Wonder Bar on Thursday March 22nd along with Plus Plus Minus and The Obvious. Tickets are $5.
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