"I dragged this lake looking for corpses
/ Dusted for prints, pried up the floorboards / Pieces of planes
and black box recorders don't lie."
So begin the opening lines of ALKALINE
TRIO's third full album, "From Here To Infirmary". Punk rockers
with a bounce in their step they may be, but there's a definite
sense of darkness and twisted edge there too, an edge to remind
us that punk is as much about rebellion and non-conformity as it
about high-speed playing and star-jumps. ALKALINE TRIO have
arrived with "From Here To Infirmary", a shot in the arm for a
scene that represents the true sound of young America right now.
To merely call it pop-punk is an insult to the intelligence of
all involved.
".And I've been preoccupied with these
sick, sick senses / That sense DNA on barbed wire fences."
If it's credentials you're after, ALKALINE TRIO have them in
abundance. Having played in a host of bands as a teenager, singer
Matt dropped out of school in his home-town of Chicago to form an
early version of ALKALINE TRIO in 1996, before the complications
of life got in the way for the other members who couldn't commit
to the long haul ahead of them. Bass player Dan Andriano was part
of the same underground punk rock scene and promptly joined in
time for the early recordings, whilst recent addition and
resident of Detroit, Derek Grant has an impressive punk rock
pedigree (The Vandals, Face To Face, Suicide Machines) "Memories
of the early shows?," ponders Matt. "Playing to nobody and loving
it. Spending every penny we had. Ditching our boring jobs.
Learning as we went along. Travelling, playing, drinking, having
fun."
ALKALINE TRIO earned their stripes the only way a punk band can -
by getting out there and doing it. Reared on The Clash, The
Ramones and The Misfits and latter day heroes like Operation Ivy
and Green Day (as well more diverse artists such as The Smiths
and singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco), they released a string of
records on cult label Asian Man records, toured incessantly and
made many new friends thanks to the far-reaching network of the
well-connected community. Albums 'Goddamnit' (1998) and 'Maybe
I'll Catch Fire' (2000) laid down the groundwork whilst a string
of prime Alkaline cuts have also appeared on more underground
compilation records. They finally signed to the larger - but no
less hip -Vagrant Records (Rocket From The Crypt, The Get-Up
Kids) just in time to see their beloved music defining the sound
of suburban America
Matt: "There's just been a natural sense of darkness to our
songs. It's essentially pop music, but pop music twisted into new
forms.". Like a sharp knife plunged into the bloated white belly
of American society, The Trio's tales tell of such timeless
subjects as broken relationships, revenge, jealousy,
self-loathing and excessive drinking. And in these strange times
of political and religious turmoil its up to artists as cultural
commentators to provide a bullshit-free slant on events and
inform those wary of the mass media through the power of songs
alone.
"There was no one to kiss, there was nothing to drink / Except
some old rotten milk someone left in the sink."
2001 saw ALKALINE TRIO step up a level, hitting the road first
with the likes of friends/fans Blink 182, then under-taking the
'Plea For Peace' tour package (the latter half of which saw Matt
playing solo acoustic shows - a testament to the strength of his
songs) before hitting the UK for the first time, where their
debut London show was swiftly upgraded due to hugely popular
demand.
"We've seen a big change in America recently," explains Matt.
"All of a sudden racism is acceptable and there's a false sense
of national unity - it's total crap. I can understand people
wanting to heal by flying their flags and I feel for all those
people who lost their lives, but I'm not going to be flying flags
on my house, that's for sure. I mean, George Bush makes me
nauseous every time I hear him speak."
Which brings us to ALKALINE TRIO's aforementioned latest album
"From Here To Infirmary", a record that has already spawned a
Kerrang! 'single of the week' ('Stupid Kid') So where do The Trio
go from here? Up, it seems. The band most likely to rise from the
clubs and onto bigger stages and TV screens the world over, word
is slowly spreading. This is no major label priority release, no
over-night sensation, no hype-laden start-of-year great white
hope. This is punk rock with a big beating heart and its head
screwed on, pure and simple.
"The more bands busting into the mainstream the merrier, as far
as I'm concerned," concludes Matt. "We've entertained the idea of
signing to a major, but only if we could work with people who we
trust because that's never really been a goal for us. I don't
know, the older you get the more you start to think about the
future.it would be ignorant not to think about it from all
perspectives but ultimately we're already more successful than we
ever expected to be. We really don't care how you dress, who you
are, where you're from or what else you listen to. If you're into
the music, then that's good enough for us."
www.alkalinetrio.com