THE FRUSTRATORS
Interview with Terry Linehan (guitar)
By John B. MooreAnd you think it’s tough trying to plan a tour around your drummer’s job busing tables and your commitments to Kinko’s? Just imagine the scheduling gymnastics THE FRUSTRATORS have to go through to work around every member’s other band… oh, and their bassist’s day job is in GREEN DAY, the largest pop punk band in the world.
For nine years now the band has been fitting in writing, recording and the occasional show whenever there’s a break in the schedule – which isn’t that often. The result is a devout following, one full length and two EPs.
But the band has just put out their latest, the four-song Griller EP, and is finally playing a handful of dates on the West coast.
Guitarist Terry Linehan spoke recently about the band, the record and working around a certain someone’s schedule.
The band has been around for a while now, but can you discuss how THE FRUSTRATORS first came together?
THE FRUSTRATORS came together through my friendship with (GREEN DAY’s) Mike (Dirnt). We had been friends for about nine years and went to a party together where he proposed the idea that we jam together and see what happens since GREEN DAY was on break between records. Much to my shock this wasn’t booze-fueled talk and he actually followed up and we started jamming. Right from the start we found it easy to write and work together and once we had about six songs we started to get other people involved. Art (Tedesshi) and I had played in WATERDOG together and Art and Jason (Chandler) had played in VIOLENT ANAL DEATH together so it was a natural progression to fit three grizzled Nor’easters with a famous guy.
Are you all still involved with other bands?
I currently play in a band in Providence, RI called HOPE ANCHOR. We’ll be releasing our first full length this spring entitled Pile On The Dirt. I would describe it as post punk with a lot of pop sensibility.
In your bio, it’s mentioned that most of you grew up playing a different style of punk rock than Mike. Can you explain that a little?
Although I did grow up liking some poppy west coast punk like the DESCENDENTS, it wasn’t what I grew up playing. It seems that the east coast style incorporated a lot more post punk aesthetic and wasn’t as rhythm conscious as west coast style. I grew up being influenced by early U2. P.I.L., THE FALL and traditional punk bands like THE CLASH and GENERATION X.
Why so long between records?
We took so long between records (frankly I’m elated and shocked that there is a new record), because GREEN DAY has been extremely busy writing, recording, and touring to support two huge assed records. They started writing American Idiot right after we released Achtung Jackass, so there was literally no time to focus on THE FRUSTRATORS.
When did you start working on the songs that make up the Griller EP?
We started working on Griller in February of 2010. I had demoed a few songs and sent them to Mike and I flew out to Oakland so we could write together. Basically we wrote the three originals to Griller in about two hours and planned to rehearse them the next day with Art and Jason. We rented a rehearsal spot, brought in a mobile recording unit and basically made the record in a day after practicing for 90 minutes. Definitely the first time I had made a record like that and enjoyed the fuck out of it!
How do you handle songwriting duties with this band?
Nearly all the songs begin with Mike and myself. We’ll take an idea as far as we can and then get the other guys involved. Mike also writes a lot of the melodies and lyrics with Jason. Because I play more of a post punk style, I can react really well to a bass line Mike comes up with and vice-versa. We try not to completely follow each other and play in unison and I think that’s what gives us a different vibe.
Do you plan to tour at all behind this record?
I plan on touring the world to support this record but doubt the others will be joining me!
Any other plans for 2011?
We’ve already started working on our next full length and will do east coast dates to support that record.
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