THE ASTHMATICS
By Jim Testa
MySpace and 3-star reviews on
Pitchfork.com might work for some in this Internet age;
but if you're a punk band, nothing beats getting in the van and driving to whatever shows you can find.
That's the route the Asthmatics have taken, leaving their hometown of Manchester
NH in the rearview mirror as often as possible.
This feisty trio has not only logged a lot of miles, but graduated to headlining their frequent Boston shows in just a few years, bringing fans a slaphappy mixture of big hooks, singalong choruses, and heartfelt lyrics about the girls who got away. Boney, 22, is the pug-faced, heavily-tattooed pop-punk heartthrob on bass and vocals; Tristan, 20,
lanky and loose-limbed, represents the bespectacled punk-nerd quotient; and the bandâ€--s new drummer, Jake, is only 19 but brings a veteran's presence behind the kit.
Noise: Tell me briefly how, why, and when the Asthmatics came together.
Boney: The Asthmatics came together pretty simply: our original drummer Tommy D, Tristan and I decided to start a band in late 2003. Tom and Tristan had been in bands together before and I used to do merch and hang out with them all the time. At the time, Tristan's other band The Stompin' Charlies wasn't doing too much and we started this. We had some time off and then started up again this time with my brother Corey on drums and we've been playing together solidly since then.
Noise: For a band with only one member old enough to drink (legally, anyway,) you guys have been into punk for a really long time. What was your introduction to punk music like, and when did you start getting those tattoos?
Boney: My introduction to punk music would likely be my folks playing the Ramones, Clash, Del Fuegos and Green Day. But as for getting me in to local music, that happened around 1997-98-ish when I was about 13 years old. At the time it was big in southern NH to go to basement grindcore and indie shows, and my older friends dragged me to those. Through that, I started going to see more punk bands that I liked, like The Lazardos, 5Bucks, Kicked In the Head, The Vigilantes and stuff. I had been playing bass guitar for a couple of years at this point. I was 11 years old when I started, playing mostly grunge and other 90's alternative rock stuff. I got my first tattoo when I was 17 by my best friend at the time. We walked out of study hall together to skip our next class and instead of getting food, we went to his house and gave each other tattoos.
Jake: I went out and bought a drum set in 8th Grade, but none of my friends really followed through on the idea we had to start a band. About a year later, a friend of mine who was really big into punk music brought me to a show. I thought it was pretty cool and I ended up talking to some guys who were looking for a drummer for their band, because their old drummer was in jail. So I tried out with them and ended up making a few records and doing a bunch of shows. I don't have any tattoos. I promised my parents I wouldn't get any until I was out of college.
Tristan: The first punk band I got into was a local band from Manchester called the Lazardos. From them, I got into other larger Boston area bands like Kicked In The Head, Drexel, Big D, etc. Then I bought the old Punk-O-Rama compilations when they were still like 2 or 3 dollars each and got into a whole bunch of West Coast and other punk bands. I started going to shows when I was around 11 or 12 years old and started playing guitar when I was 10. I got my first tattoo the day after I graduated high school. It hurt.
Noise: Tell me a little about Manchester . How big a city is it, what's the punk scene like there? Are there places to do shows, is there a basement show scene?
Boney: Manchester 's pretty big, it's the biggest city in NH. I'm pretty sure everyone in Boston is aware of their Merrimack Valley sister city to the north. The punk scene right now mostly sucks, since the club scene sucks. Most of the area is into metal or hardcore. The punk scene used to be really good, but that was in the late 90's up to like 2003-ish, before the emo, glam and hardcore music shift and everyone stopped being happy and normal and got either depressed or angry. So in order for there to be a punk show around here, it has to be in a basement or a cafe or some sort of VFW hall. But we've found when we do those low-dough DIY shows around here, they're a million times better. But we've basically become a Boston- area band because that's where there are places to play and that's where the scene is.
Noise: Who were some of the bands who influenced you growing up, and provided your role models?
Jake: When I first found out that I was moving to New Hampshire , I thought that the closest punk scene would be in Boston . I was relieved to find that there was actually a scene up here, small as it may be. There is much more diversity in the local scene up here than there was in the south. Growing up, it seemed like almost every band in Central Arkansas was playing street punk
Tristan: The biggest influences on me growing up were mainly the Bouncing Souls, Digger, Green Day and Screeching Weasel. The Lazardos were a big influence on me for a while, and they were from Manchester , so it was cool having a band I could look up to and learn things from right where I grew up.
Noise: Does the fact that there isn't much of a scene for your music in Manchester drive you to tour more?
Tristan: I don't think the fact that we are from a small scene makes us want to play other cities, it's mainly just the fact that this is what we want to do, and if you want to go anywhere in music, you have to be out there traveling and playing as much as possible. Being a local band is cool, but being that local band forever isn't what I want out of music.
Noise: What has the Asthmatics relationship with Boston been like?
Boney: The Asthmatics are basically a Boston band. We're not greatly known in Boston since we've only been playing the area for a couple of years, but it's where we play the most. We're received well and have been headlining a lot lately. It was never hard getting a show down there since there are so many places to play… I like the Abbey Lounge because it's very easy to book with them, always a good crowd, and they never jerk us around. Shred from the BYC has always been real nice to us and TT The Bears is cool too. But I think the best shows are the basement Allston shows; even if you have to put up with college hipsters, it's still cool. As for Boston bands, Darkbuster are great, and Rock City Crimewave are our favorite band to play with.
Noise: Jake, as the newest member how did you wind up in the band?
Jake: In late August, about a week before I started school at UNH, I got a message from Boney asking if I'd be interested in playing drums for The Asthmatics. I'd seen them opening for Darkbuster a few months earlier, but I'd never had any direct involvement with them. We got together and jammed a couple times and things just kind of fell into place.
Noise: There are Asthmatic demos floating around, but what are plans for recording a proper full-length? How do you feel about artists (like Ben Weasel) who put out digital-only releases?
Boney: It's on the agenda but unlike everyone else it seems, we don't have some indie label backing us up. So like I've been saying for years now, as soon as we come up with the cash and time, it'll happen.
Tristan: Personally, I don't go too crazy with Mp3's. I still buy CD's on a regular basis and have 300+. I have never had a desire to get an iPod because I would rather have a tangible example of a band or artists music than just megabytes and crappy album art. Seven-inch records are still great and I don't think they are going anywhere anytime soon. I would love to do a split 7-inch sometime. Ben Weasel can do what he wants, but I thought it was kinda nuts when I read Ben wasn't releasing his album on CD. It might work for some bands, but for one like ours, you have to press it and be out there trying to sell it. Not everyone strictly downloads as opposed to buying the CD.
Noise: Pretend I don't know who you are, and I walked into a room, and the Asthmatics are playing. What do I see, what do I hear, and how do I feel when I leave the show?
Jake: We were playing a show at Welfare Records in Haverhill last week and there was this girl standing right in front of the stage who was really getting into our set. I mean really rocking out hard and jumping all over the place. I found out later that she had just taken a lot of Ecstasy. So if you really wanna enjoy our set, take some E beforehand and I guarantee that we will absolutely blow you away.