Just people living on with different hearts and different minds, if we live in the same world, why can’t we stand in the same line? A label is a label, definition nothing more and because of labels we have placed we live in constant war. Destroy all that tradition and live before you die. Let’s rock together from now on and never be denied.” That was a quick excerpt from the timeless classic “Walk Together, Rock Together” by 7 Seconds. A true song of unity and hope.
A song with a message that never loses relevance and one that very closely aligns with our current state of living. The innocence and simplicity of the idea that music can bring people of all walks of life together to celebrate our individuality and our differences is something that truly personifies the essence of 7 Seconds and is part of what really separates them from many others. I first heard 7 Seconds while watching them play on the New York date of Warped Tour in 1999 when I was 13 years old. They were fast, fun, positive and melodic.
Those are the key elements to most bands that I have fallen in love with over the years and that’s exactly what happened in this case. I fell in love. Their positivity and authenticity resonated with me most of all. They were an unwavering light through my adolescence that just burned and burned for an additional twenty years.
A message that will never in my lifetime
In 2018 the legendary 7 Seconds announced a formal break-up after 38 years of being an integral part of the punk scene. In that span of time they helped people of all ages, genders, races, and status understand that who we are and what we become really and truly is up to us. A message that will never in my lifetime leave me and one that I cannot be more grateful to, have engrained in me. I had the recent pleasure of running some questions by the great Kevin Seconds. We touched on the band’s breakup announcement, the difference between playing shows through multiple decades, equality, finding ways to stay creative, personal quarantine experiences among other things. A little something to help us all get through our current confined living situation.
If I could summarise 7 Seconds into one word, that word for me would have to be “equality”. There was always a feeling of unrivalled equality at 7 Seconds shows. What elements do you think helped create that feeling?
I'm not really sure. I know that when we first started out in Reno, we had a lot of girls coming to our shows and that really messed with us when we started playing out of town to mostly male crowds. Also, we had all types coming to our early gigs - new wavers, stoners, Rocky Horror Picture Show kids, bored and rowdy native kids who lived in the nearby Indian reservation and colony. We always kind of related to a mixed bag of people.
I have been following your work with Riving Loom Arts. I’d love to hear some more about that space and specifically about your artwork / canvas paintings. Can you talk a little about how/when that part of your life started to take form and the difference between being creative with designing/creating an image vs. being creative with song writing?
I've been doing art since I was a kid but wasn't too serious about it until maybe 20 years ago. I started showing my stuff at art galleries and cafes around Sacramento but I always felt a bit put off by the local arts community because it seems a bit snobby and clique-ish and that turned me off.
When my wife Allyson and I opened our cafe here (True Love Coffeehouse) and since art was a big part of our identity, it just felt natural to make it my home base, and that kind of helped my self-confidence too.
After we closed, I really missed having a place of my own to show my art whenever I wanted but I also missed having a space where I could set everything up and make art. In 2018, I had a cool job where I made decent money and I decided I would take a chance and lease out a space where I could use it as my art studio, as well as my recording studio and also do occasional singer-songwriter-oriented live shows. I came up with the name Riving Loom and it's helping me stay productive.
I haven’t had the best of luck
I’d love to hear more about what you are doing acoustically and any other musical ventures you’ve been involved in lately.
I haven't had the best of luck starting and keeping a band outside of 7 Seconds. I've made a handful of attempts to form side bands but they never last too long. I start feeling restless and end up losing interest. I'm currently doing a band project called Gimme An F. We're a power trio that plays loud, fast punk rock that is pretty no frills. I'm enjoying playing with the guys (Jordan and Matt) I'm playing with but they're both in other bands and have lots of stuff going on so who knows what will happen. The solo acoustic thing started as a necessity. 7 Seconds was taking these long breaks and I missed being on the road so I asked Margie my booking agent if she'd book me a solo tour back in the late 90s and it just kept going from there.
We are living through a historical time currently with Covid-19 paralyzing cities, states and countries across the world. Lots of artists have been doing live stream shows from home to either raise money for various causes or to just stay connected to their followers and fans. Have you taken part in any live stream performances during this time and if so, do you see yourself continuing that trend during the pandemic and/or even after it passes?
Well, I've been big on live streaming for a long time. I stream most of my shows when I'm on tour. So yes, I'll keep doing it especially as I get less enamoured of tour life as I get older, It's been really great doing them during this difficult time though especially the benefit streams to help raise money for music venues who are hurting.