Holding Onto Sound is undoubtedly one of Vegas’ best and hardest working punk bands and it’s always been a mystery to us why they don’t get more exposure. But after their show with NOFX at New Year’s Heave and the announcement that they’re playing the main stage at this year’s Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival, it looks like that’s about to change. Find out how they got added to Punk Rock Bowling, how the addition of Bob on second guitar rejuvenated their songs, their thoughts on moving to a bigger label, their upcoming EPs and more.
Let’s talk a little bit about your record The Sea. What is it about the ocean that you guys like as a metaphor?
Bennett: It’s pretty epic and there is just so much you can do with it. Like in the song “The Sea” where it says “these sharks will remember me,” that’s a metaphor for the sharks being the powers that be and such. We try to do a lot with our sound, so I think it’s also a reference to people being in a sea of sounds and different styles. It really fits. The ocean will probably be a recurring theme for a while, maybe not in our record titles but with the songs.
Bob: The ocean is the earth’s equalizer. It could totally wipe out everybody in one fell swoop. It’s really important.
Bennett: I think that’s a reoccurring theme in our music too, where the ocean takes back the land. So yeah, we’re all in this thing. We love the sea! We’re a band of oceaners.
The Tempest EP is your second release as a four piece. How has that dynamic changed the way that you approach your songs?
Zabi: It seems like we haven’t slowed down in the process at all. The three of us have figured out how we like to write stuff and how it comes to be, and Bob just learns everything really fast. It’s rad.
Vanessa: He adds all the stuff that we’ve always heard and thought about having in there but could never do with just three of us. He’s an awesome guy, and an awesome songwriter, and it just works.
How do you think the dynamic changes the old songs now when you play them live?
All: They’re way better!
Bennett: We get sick of our songs really quickly, so we have a lot of stuff that we haven’t played in a long time. Now we’ve forced ourselves to play shows where we only play songs off of one record, so we have to learn the songs again. At the same time, Bob learns it for the first time. He has brought major rejuvenation to everything. If other people like it more or not, that’s they’re deal, but for us, it’s definitely a booster to have that extra guitar in there.
Bob: For me, technically the whole catalog is a new song. It’s all stuff that I’ve written to their music. Every song is new no matter how old it is. I have freedom to do a lot of fun stuff.
Bennett: We just kind of structure a song and then you’re free to do your thing. We do whatever we want live. That’s how we like to play. Not too serious, but serious enough.
Now that you have Bob’s guitar part added in, are there any of those older songs you’d like to re-record so more people can hear what he’s added to them?
Bennett: “Waves” is probably my number one choice. I think “Modern,” “Sliding” and “Kurt Russell” would be cool too.
Zabi: Let’s make The Bob EP with all the old songs, but with Bob.
Bob, what’s it been like for you, coming into a band that’s already established?
Bob: Compared to what I’ve done before, it’s so much easier. Whatever comes to the tip of your mind is what you’re doing. It’s a really free and fun way to write songs and create. I’ve known them all for a really long time. I’ve known Bennett since high school.
Bennett: My first serious band I was ever in was with him. So we’ve been friends this whole time and once he was free, I snagged him up. Bob kicks ass.
Zabi, with The Sea and The Tempest EP there are more of your vocals on the records than there have been in the past. What made you want to do that?
Zabi: I usually have like, one song per album where I’ll sing most of the song, only because I’m not capable of doing too much. I can’t really sing too many songs all in a row.
So it’s more of a live issue then?
Zabi: That, and I write songs really slowly. Bennett is a great songwriter. I kind of enjoy playing to his stuff more than I enjoy trying to write a song. No matter how good you are, you have to try, and it’s hard for me. Bennett writes cool stuff and it allows us all to be free and do whatever we want. We all really enjoy what we’re playing. And if we get sick of a song, it’s because someone stopped liking what they were playing.
The track times are shorter on The Sea than they have been on records you’ve previously released. Was that a conscious choice or was it a natural thing that happened?
Bennett: Personally as a songwriter, I like to write shorter songs. My favorite band ever is NOFX because they can say more to you in a minute and a half than a lot of these bands on the radio can say to you in four and a half minutes. One of the goals for us is to do a lot of crazy stuff and play different types of music and do whatever we feel necessary but keep it punk rock. I don’t know if being a punk band is really one of our goals, but it keeps that DIY feel and we’re a DIY band. I think short songs just come from listening to a lot of punk rock. If you can touch someone’s heart in a minute and a half I think it means a lot more to them. For me, anyways.
Vanessa: I think a lot of it is that we progress with every album. Coming from our first few albums onto this one, we were just constantly trying new things out and it just so happens that on this one the songs ended up shorter. Our next CD might have 10-minute songs on it. I don’t know.
You guys were recently announced as a main stage performer at this year’s Punk Rock Bowling Festival. How did that come about? Was it due to your previous shows with NOFX?
Zabi: The New Years Heave show had everything to do with us getting on Punk Rock Bowling. The Sterns where hanging out next to the stage during our set. Afterwards Shawn said he wanted us to play the fest. Of course we said “Fuck YES!” We had no idea where or when we would be playing.
Have you guys been to previous Punk Rock Bowling events? How do you feel about the festival’s growth these past few years from an industry-focused event to a locals’ event to a full-fledged, nationally-promoted festival?
Bennett: It’s sweet. Since the Warped Tour has become so corporate, targeting the youth with a bunch of bands I’ve personally never heard of, it’s great to have a truly punk rock event where you can see bands like NOFX, Rancid, Pennywise & The Adicts all in one place. It reminds me of the good ol’ Warped days and I’m glad it’s goin on. Very proud to be playing with these bands.
What bands are you guys most looking forward to seeing at the festival this year?
Bennett: My favorite band is NOFX so it’s always great to see them. But I think I’m most excited to see Hot Water Music. They’ve been one of my favorite bands for about 12 years and I’ve never seen them, so I’m real stoked on that. I also love Rancid and have only seen them once. The Adicts also put on a great show and that’s always fun. Sham 69 was just added and that is fuckin awesome. Also Old Man Markley, Real McKenzies, Youth of Today and Street Dogs. I think this line-up may be better than any of the old Warped Tours. Can’t wait.
Zabi: I’m with Bennett on Rancid but I’m pretty excited to see Toys That Kill!!
Will you guys be bowling, too? Who is the best bowler of the bunch?
Bennett: I bowl pretty often with my wife, but I’m not very good. If she’s on our team though, we might stand a chance. [laughs] But I don’t think we’re planning on bowling.
Zabi: I suck at real bowling but I’ll mess you up in some Wii bowling.
You guys also recently announced a series of three planned EPs to come out throughout the year. Can you tell us more about that, when we should expect the first one and what they will be about and sound like?
Bennett: Hopefully we’ll be able to get the first one started in the next 3 months or so and after that the ball will be rolling and we’ll fire the other 2 out pretty easy. The 3rd one is planned to be released on Dec. 21, the apocalypse. [laughs] They will be called The Animal & The Hidden Hand Vol: 1-3. We are the animal and the powers that be are represented by the hidden hand. It’s not going to be Thrice-style with different types of music, it will just be a bit heavier than our old stuff, with each EP being harder than the one before it, as the story that spans the 3 EP’s unfolds. I feel like this year is going to be nuts for this country and the world. I feel like something is coming, not necessarily the apocalypse, but something. And I want these EP’s spread over the year. As things get crazier, so will the EP’s. My writing has become much more about metal and dis-oriented riffs, but it always comes back to punk and reggae and I think people just might dig it. Heavier and softer all at once, with a message that might frighten some and excite others. I want to make something evil with a very bright light at the end of the tunnel.
You guys have been with GeyKido Comet Records for your career and you’ve seen a lot of success, but have you ever thought about releasing anything through other labels?
Bennett: We’re not looking to sign our souls away to anybody, but if great record companies wanted to cut a record or something like that, we’d definitely be willing to do that. That’s kind of a goal. It’s part of making the whole thing work and not having to spend as much. Like, on The Tempest 7” Brick Gun Records and GC Records kind of went together and put out this vinyl and we paid for the recording. So it still feels DIY because we paid for the recording and got to put out a cool 7”.
Zabi: Everyone involved with The Tempest 7” is really happy with it. It came out great so if Brick Gun wanted to do more stuff, we would. It’s all a matter of whether they’ll ask you. Everyone would love to put out a record with a bigger label. You’d love to do that if you’re in a band, but you have to be asked. There is a courtship process. Even at smaller labels, there are a lot of little things that people don’t think about, like the paperwork. There are actually contracts and stuff like that that bands we’ve talked to have had to deal with. You’d think the smaller labels wouldn’t even give a fuck about contracts, but they do. We’ve definitely heard horror stories. Who hasn’t? But we’re all ready to keep going as a band. We’ll make another record whether someone asks us to make it with them or not.
You guys are known for playing shows with bands from a lot of different genres outside of punk.
Vanessa: We like being diverse. We all have different musical influences.
Bennett: It’s a direct reflection of that. We want to mix it up. We love playing with OLI [a Vegas hip hop group.] It’s fun and it totally exposes people to different music. It’s just a good thing to do. The major thing too is the scene here in Las Vegas. We’ve done as well as we have done, not saying we’ve done super well, but we’re where we are because of doing stuff like that. A lot of the bands won’t go outside their genres to play shows and that’s why people say “where is the strength of the scene?” because they’re looking at just one part of it. This is a really diverse city. I don’t think we’re the only band that does that. We’ve made a cool little circle of bands that play all types of genres and that’s where the strength of the scene is at. When people look outside their zone a little bit they’ll see that our scene is pretty killer. Our music scene is unlike any other city. That’s something we’ve learned from touring.
What do you think sets apart the Vegas music scene?
Bennett: When we go to like Texas, for example, if we’re playing a punk show, that’s all it is. We get thrown on punk shows for 90% of the shows we play when we go on tour. We don’t ever end up playing with any hip hop acts or anything like that when we’re on the road. When we did mix it up, when it was just the 3 of us and we went on the road with OPS Reggae, a lot of the people who were there to see them didn’t really dig us too much and the people that came to see us didn’t dig them that much. I think they just weren’t used to that. I think we’re really used to it out here in Vegas.
Where are your favorite places to go on tour?
All: Austin, San Antonio, Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh.
What about these cities stand out to you?
Zabi: The people and the times we had out there. We had a lot of fun and we got to experience stuff that we wouldn’t get to experience here. We fall in love with cities every time we go there. It’s fun. With the exception of Phoenix, I don’t think there are too many places we didn’t really dig. We played in Medford, Oregon which was really great.
Bennett: Medford’s a great town. Again, it’s the people. Kingman, Arizona!
Vanessa: Yeah, after Phoenix, we said we’d never go back to Arizona, but then we played a show in Kingman and it was great.
Zabi: It’s silly because it’s so close and there aren’t a lot of bands that go there. We’ve tried to play Arizona more and we’ve never had luck. There and New Mexico.
Bennett: Yeah, if you’re in New Mexico and you’re reading this, hit us up for some shows.
Would you guys like to tour the East Coast at some point?
Bennett: Yeah we’d love to do that. We got to do a little bit, but not enough. Pittsburgh was the only town where we had a real show. We played at a bar with a bunch of thrash bands and it was awesome.
Zabi: On the East Coast all the cities are so close to each other and there are a lot of places to go out there. On this last tour, we had like 16-hour drives to get from one spot to the next and that was nuts. It would be fun to go out to the East Coast more.
Interview by Emily Matview
Transcribed by Ashleigh Thompson
Holding Onto Sound photo by Tyler Newton
Get more Holding Onto Sound on their Facebook page: facebook.com/holding.onto.sound
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