Fireside Social - Booze, Balls, and Rock n' Roll: Meet Your New Favorite Band, Pt. 2

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

By Ric

All photos by Alejandra Lemus

In Part 1 of the Fireside Social Interview, drummer Kris Huesby and guitarist/vocalist Chris Ruppel spoke about their recent recording sessions with Ryan Haft at The Dungeon, their Florida Tour, their testicles, and their plans on releasing a 4-way 12" Vinyl split with Criminal Culture, Assassinate the Scientist, and Homemade Handgrenade.

Part 2 gets closer to home as we talk about local venues, playing shows in Miami, the local Miami music scene, reminisce about the "old days", and the guys plans for the future.

Again, I want to thank the guys for taking the time to meet with me to be interviewed. Please check out their myspace page (www.myspace.com/firesidesocial) to hear their music and definitely make it out to a show, they do not disappoint.

R = Ric
C = Chris
K = Kris

R: You guys notoriously play house shows all the time, so I think you have a different look on the Miami scene, not like bands that really just want to play in Churchills or clubs like that. What is your take on how people support music down here or how they appreciate music?

C: I've always felt more comfortable playing at a house party or in a setting where everyone feels like they're having a good time. Not that at Churchills people aren't having a good time, but bands get all worked up when you play at venues, like who plays first, and all that different shit. It just gets old after awhile. I prefer a more laid back feeling. Like when we played The Firefly, it was like, "whatever dude." Even shows that we've played for you (like REVMiami I and III or Rockaway Beach), they're fun, but the thing is beer prices are very expensive out there.

R: Also, I'm not going to deny it, a lot of people have an attitude that "I'm here to see my friend's band play, otherwise I have no other desire to be here." And it's like you [as a band] are getting shit from your friends 70% of the time, like "dude, come on, when are you going to play? We had to pay 5 bucks to see you, and now we need to [wait]..." As opposed to people being in a house party where everyone is ok to be there.

K: They're just there to have fun in the first place.

R: But how do you think it effects the whole way that music is seen in this city? Like it's almost an afterthought. It's an addition to something that's going on, not like, "oh man, there's 10 bands playing!" It's more like... "ugh, I gotta go see my friend's band and then I can get the hell out of there."

K: I don't really know. I mean, last night we saw Furious Dudes at this really weird bar next to Ochoplacas, there were a bunch of kids there, and Leo Valencia Sails on Paper Boats played also, and it was really cool. It was a really cool group of kids all there and none of those kids would be in that bar otherwise, and it was really cool. And it was a Wednesday night, I wouldn't have expected there to be that many kids there. That sorta stuff is really encouraging.

I feel like in other bands I've been in and even when [Fireside Social] started, we played a bunch of Churchills shows, where we don't play till 2 or 3 in the morning, and you end up playing to only 3 of your friends, who are really drunk, and the band playing after you.

It's fun, but it's a totally different feeling then when you play a house party and you pretty much know everyone there, and they're acquaintances, and you've hung out before, and everyone is there to have fun. Sometimes I get the feeling, especially here, less in other cities that I've gone to shows or played in, that there is less camaraderie and more division. More hipster kids than dirty punk kids, and they very rarely come together; which is why I really like playing at The Firefly.

C: We'll just stick to the dirty punk kids. (Laughter)

R: Yeah, you guys know your audience. (Laughter)

K: That, and it's a really accepting and fun venue to play. I mean obviously no matter where you go there will be pretentious assholes. But then... I feel like at The Firefly...

C: We're the pretentious assholes. (Laughter)

R: I mean, I understand, in my opinion, it really just seems like people don't go to see shows unless it's at something at the Firefly.

K: It's more like "be seen"...

R: And hang out with your friends...

K: And it's more like a social event, which is cool, but at The Firefly the focus is more on the music. We played with Mischief Proof Brew (thanks Chris), and there were kids who drove down that lived further away than West Palm Beach to see them play. They were on tour from Philadelphia, and they're straight up Folk Punk, Piratey, acoustic... they attracted a lot of the... "crusty kids".

I felt like we played that show, and very few kids knew who we were, and none of them had heard our music before, and they were all just interested in seeing and hearing a new band and new music as opposed to other places where it's like, "I don't know that band, whatever." And it's like, how do you expect to like new music if you don't want to stop and listen to it?

R: Right, exactly. It also helps to have stuff to hand out.

C: Also, it was all ages. That's a big factor. There were a lot of young kids there that had just gotten out of school, and were going out to see a show.

R: That's always been a big point for me. Kids drive music scenes, always. Honestly, I think I have 1,000 records right now, and if I get another record [I just put it with the rest]. But when I was a kid I only had five local band CDs and I couldn't afford to go out and buy a bunch of records, so if I got a CD I was going to listen to it over and over again. That's definitely a big negative down here. There really isn't a local all aged venue down here, and that inhibits a lot of growth. I remember seeing bands play in High School gyms. You don't ever see that anymore.

K: I really like the whole all ages venue thing. It really is a shame when it isn't all ages because, whether you mean to or not, you're just excluding kids. That was one of my favorite things to do growing up. I remember going to the beach at places like Salvation and after 10 o'clock it was a gay bar. It would suck to have to hop the wall of Churchills or sneak in and hide in the corner because you weren't 18.

R: I think that speaks to the lack of overall support. You know, a place really can't afford to stay open without being able to sell alcohol. Again, the bands don't get that much attention, then it comes down to the drinking and how much money a venue can get out of that. It is what it is, unfortunately.

I guess you guys are going to turn a lot more of your attention to Central Florida since Chris is moving up there or are you going to ground yourselves here?

C: We'll be down here. My girlfriend's family is down here, so I'll be down here quite a bit, and also to practice and stuff like that. All three of the other guys live down here, so for all intents and purposes we'll be based down here but I think rather than a "weekend warrior" type band, playing Churchill's, PS14, or a house party, it'll push us to play different shows with some of the bands we're doing the split with. Also get out of state, like dabble in Georgia.

K: Dabble in Georgia? (Laughter)

R: I heard Alabama had a pretty crazy punk scene right now.

K: I know if we go to either one of those two states, I just want to come back with some Moonshine. Also, I think it'll be good, because if we play a show down here, it'll be a good show because Chris will have to drive 6 hours to get down here.

R: To wrap it up, what do you guys think can help bring things together? What would you like to see down here? If you could see things moving forward in Miami to help music, what would you like to see?

K: More nudity. (Laughter) And more bands that are gay for each other.

C: More camaraderie and more all age venues.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 am and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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