Mall’d To Death – Full Album Stream / Interview

MALL’D TO DEATH
Interview by Roseanna Men

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MALL’D TO DEATH is one of the newest pop-punk bands to break out nationally from the fertile grounds of the Minneapolis music scene.  Oops, did I say pop-punk? I meant “econopunk.” And what is that, you ask? Drummer Dani Barstad and bassist/vocalist Tyler Barrett discuss econopunk, their new record, and why the Twin Cities have the best punk scene in the country.

What’s with this fascination with malls? Have you made any regretful purchases?
Dani: No, but one time I grabbed a fountain drink out of the trash and that was pretty terrible. I can’t remember the last time I went to the mall. I just go there to catch the light rail or check out Barnes & Noble.

Tyler: You should ask Minnesota about the fascination with malls.  The last time the SMOKING POPES played here, Josh Caterer was quipping about how much Minnesotans love their malls, and it seems to be true.  We’ve got Southdale, the world’s first mall; the Mall of America, the biggest mall in the country; and Eden Prairie Mall, where Kevin Smith’s classic ‘Mallrats’ was filmed.   The morning after the POPES show, I came up with the phrase MALL’D TO DEATH even though there was no band at the time.
So how did MALL’D TO DEATH get started then?

Tyler: I met Dani shortly after moving to Minneapolis when the TERRORDACTYLS played a house show in my neighborhood.  That winter, I was unemployed for a while and wrote “Blood for Gas Money,” “Bomb the Defense Industry!” and a couple other songs and Dani and I recorded some really primitive demos of just guitar and percussion.  I was already a fan of HIGH HOPES and Dan [Jensen]’s work on the OFF WITH THEIR HEADS / DEAR LANDLORD split and asked if he was interested in recording as a two-piece.  He was down but suggested making it a full-band approach and so I switched to bass and he joined in on guitar.

Dani: Recording at The Devil’s Workshop was amazing. And so was that John Bonham kick I got to use. We did everything in a couple takes and didn’t get to spend much time at the Shop before its demise.

What can you say about Can’t Make a Living?

Tyler:  It’s our first full-length and came out June 15^th on GC Records.  I’ve been a fan of GC for years, and they’ve put out great stuff by fantastic bands like TOYS THAT KILL, ENEMY YOU, PEELANDER-Z, INTRO5PECT and the FLESHIES, to name a few.  So it’s an honor to be with a roster of such cool bands and working with a label that’s as down to earth and hands-on as GC.  Corey Ayd from BANNER PILOT did the artwork and we’re grateful for the amazing job he did.  The CD has been gradually spreading around the continents with distros in Europe, Australia, and Eager Beaver Records in Japan, as well as across the U.S. thanks to our friends from IN DEFENCE who helped us with distro on tour.
What do you like about the local scene in Minneapolis? What Twin Cities bands do you dig right now?

Tyler: Minneapolis is great because it’s big enough to reach a lot of people locally but isn’t super competitive and for the most part, bands and musicians are really supportive of one another.  Current bands that everyone should know are DILLINGER FOUR, of course, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, BANNER PILOT, DEAR LANDLORD…other bands I really like from here are IN DEFENCE, THE MANIX, BIRTHDAY SUITS, HAMBURGER HELP ME, SUNDOWNERS, APOCALYPSE MEOW…there are way too many great bands here to try and list.

Dani: Because of school & work, I don’t to get out and experience the ‘scene’ much, anymore. There are a ton of cool people, though! Band-wise, I’m really into COKSKAR, CHILDREN OF EULER, DISKAST, LOCKGNAR, IN DEFENCE, OPTIMUS GRIND, SUNDOWNERS, and CLAWTHROAT, though I haven’t heard anything by them in awhile.
What other bands are you guys active in?

Dani: I play drums in the TERRORDACTYLS, play guitar and sing in ANIMAL ATTACK!, play drums and sing in the WARBURTON SYNDICATE, and have played drums in FATHER SON and the HOLY SMOKES, PARTY TIME! HIGH FIVE!, and a bunch of others. School really puts a damper on most of my musical projects though.

Tyler: I also currently lend my vocal chords to Triple Crossed and dabble in acoustic hardcore with Jimmy [Claypool] from IN DEFENCE in BOTTLED VIOLINS as well as having played bass in STAND APART.  Dan also plays in HIGH HOPES and played guitar for PRETTY BOY THORSON AND THE FALLING ANGELS, which is now called THE SLOW DEATH earlier this year.

How would you describe “econopunk”?

Tyler: It’s just a concept where there isn’t any excess.  Short songs, short records, small band, small budget, straight to the point, no frills, no wasting time. No obsessing over details.  I guess it borrows a little from early 80’s American hardcore in that sense.

Dani: It’s pretty much good ol’ popish-punk mixed with good ol’ school hardcore minus repeats of basically any section and plus a hint of ska here & there so the noodles don’t stick.

Can we expect any love songs from MALL’D TO DEATH?

Tyler: In terms of songs about adoration or devotion to a significant other? Probably not.  But you could argue that “The Hymns of J Church” is a love song because I do love J CHURCH.  One Mississippi is one of the best pop-punk albums ever written.

What can we expect from you guys in the future?

Tyler: Probably a split or extended play out next year.  Continuing to promote Can’t Make a Living. Having fun and making friends.

Dani: Last year we were featured on the Protect 2 benefit comp and the UnderStandablyBroken USB mixtape.  It’d be cool to do more benefits or compilations.  On a personal level—and I’m 100% serious when I say this—I want to drum for Katy Perry.  She’s awesome.

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