sandiegopunk.com

Joel - So you guys are originally from Connecticut, right?
Justin - Yes sir.
Dan - Not me, because I'm from here.
Marc - Everybody except Dan is from Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Dan - Everybody except for Dan is from Connecticut.
(Laughing)
Justin - I'm gunna back that up.

Joel - So what's the difference between Connecticut and San Diego in terms of the music and the scene-
(Adam gets a call on his cell phone)
Adam - Hello. Hey. We're in our van. Alright, I'll come over to Angie's car in a second.
Justin - So what's the difference between the two?
Joel - Yeah, like is moving to San Diego is it what you expected? Better, worse?
Justin - From my perspective, there's a great hardcore scene in Connecticut and there's not much of anything else- the rest of the music scene is really small, for the most part. So we were moving out here, because from what we heard, the scene in San Diego was amazing, like everywhere else in the country, that's was what everyone said.
Marc - Adam told me that SOMA was open, SOMA Live-
Adam - Hold on, let me say something. I've lived out for like five or six years, I moved out here from Connecticut before everyone else did. When I was here the scene was doing really well, this was when SOMA was open, and I'm sure everyone in San Diego knows that. And then the whole SOMA incident happened where Goldenvoice bought it and there was all the plumbing problems and whatever happened and SOMA shut down. I think that really, really damaged the music scene; it kinda sucks because that's exactly when all those guys (the rest of Counterfit) moved out here. Right when we started everything was just completely dead and dormant. I don't know, but things now…wait, we've been together with Dan for what eight, nine months-?
Dan - Yeah.
Adam - Right now I think things are totally picking up.
Dan - Tonight was just amazing, I mean, the scene is really picking up obviously, and the attendance at this show was really, really good.
Justin - I agree, I think a lot more bands are networking and becoming friends and making a scene, because that's really what makes a scene, you know. So I think it's definitely in the rebuilding stage, but San Diego has potential to have a fuckin' really amazing scene.
Adam - You can see it's totally apparent, because you can see a lot of bands are going off on tour now-

Joel - So you guys wanna stay here (in San Diego)? (Silence)
Joel - I guess that's a tough question.
Justin - Well right now we're homeless, and mostly jobless, so life kinda sucks.
Dan - I got a job today.
(Clapping)
Justin - Yeah, so right now I don't think our spirits are that high in San Diego just because life's kinda shitty at the moment, you know.
Marc - I think it's really expensive to live here.
Justin - This is something we can talk about some time other than during the interview.
Adam - It's weird because now that we're back from tour, and we're planning to tour a lot more, it's kinda like we're in limbo between tours and it's hard to find a job. We're basically staying at a friend's apartment, she's letting us like crash on the floor, rent free, which is cool, and we're going out June 5th again, and I don't know…
Dan - I still live with my parents.
Adam - Dan still lives with his parents in Escondido, near the Wild Animal Park. And his parents are rad hippies and they have solar power-
(Laughing)
Dan - And you realize if my mom reads this it's your ass (laughing), you have to practice at my house.
Adam - Dan says my parents are hippies and what the hell.
(More laughing)
Adam - All right, next question.
Dan (still laughing) - No one is going to find this interview amusing other than us.
(We have some side conversation for a while)
Justin - Should I scare these kids? (there's a couple guys standing in front of the van and Justin is hovering over the horn).
Everyone - Yeah.
Justin - Awe, shit. Wait hold on, I gotta turn the van on.
Marc - Can we continue
Justin - No, wait, you're gonna love this.
(Justin honks the horn, the kids don't move or even look startled)
(Laughing)
Justin - That really sucks, they didn't even jump.

Joel - How about explaining this picture (there's a picture of a girl flipping off the camera with 'no mo emo' written on it taped to the van wall)?
Justin - That's this girl Jen that put us up in Kansas and in Omaha, and she gave us that.
Adam - We really like Lawrence, Kansas, even though we didn't play there. We had a show in Kansas City, and we came to Kansas- it was the longest drive, how long was that 18 hours? We drove from New Mexico to Lawrence, Kansas, we had some friends staying there. So we went to Lawrence, Kansas and the town's totally cool, because there's so much music there, like the Get Up Kids, and Apple Seed Cast, and-
Justin - Reflector.
Adam - And Reflector, the Anniversary, the Casket Lottery, the New Amsterdams, whatever. We just met a lot of cool people and it was a really cool town. We stayed there, didn't play a show, went to Kansas city, on the way there we found out the show was cancelled, on the way back had a flat tire, after that got a parking violation… yeah it was fun. We had a big red parking violation sticker right here (the bottom left corner of the driver's side window).
Justin - We had to rip it off and it left all the white stuff underneath it.
Dan - Those fuckers are impossible, they do it just to piss you off.

Joel - So tonight was your CD release show, so lets talk about the EP. I guess my first question is how do you all feel about it?
Justin - I'm happy with it overall. I'm definitely happy with the way it sounds, this was the first time we went into a studio- everything else has been self recorded, by Adam and Marc. And I am really happy with how everything has turned out, but you know you're never happy with your own recording, you're your own worst critic. I think overall we still did a good job with it.
Adam - We realized too, when we put out the "One The Downside" EP, it was weird. We were at a turning point, like everyone came from sorta a pop punk type base, and we were sorta gravitating to more of a technical, indie type vibe. We had some new songs, we had some old pop-punks songs so in order to play the new songs and the old songs together, we kinda like played everything at a faster tempo. So when we recorded this EP we knew it was going to be a little strange, especially because we were recording some of the songs that were on the old one- especially in San Diego, because this is the only place that we sold that old EP. We knew people were going to be a little weirded out because the old songs were slowed down and blah, blah, but I'm happy because that's how I feel all the songs are supposed to be, originally intended for the most part.
Marc - I think we've gotten a lot of mixed reactions on it, like, a lot of people love it, a lot of people say they think it's too slow. We're pretty happy that they're the speed they are, and they're going in the direction they are so-
Justin - The overall response has been more positive than negative though. Like it seems at first people were a little bit weirded out at the tempo changes, but once you get used to it you kinda notice that that is the tempo that the songs were intended for.
Joel - I like it, but think you guys should play "In Between the Black and White" live.
Adam - I know what you're saying, but just the 2, 4 upbeat nature of that song really doesn't match things now….I don't know.
Marc - That songs is probably a good five or six years old, I used to play it in a different band, well, same name, but completely different singer, bass player, two different guitars-
Justin - Still Counterfit-
Marc - And it was still called Counterfit back then in Connecticut, five years ago, and that's why I think that we just couldn't take the song with us to this point.
Adam - That song is somewhat retired.
Joel - I understand, but still want to hear it.
(Laughing)
Justin - We'll have a special private party-
Adam - We'll have a private porno show for you.
Justin - Whoa!
(Laughing)

Joel - Still on the EP, why did you decide to rerecord songs instead of writing new ones? Justin - Basically, because we didn't have any distribution on at all with Alphabet Records, not really anything outside of San Diego, and we didn't even sell that many here in San Diego. So there were songs that we still liked on that EP, and we wanted to get put out on a larger scale, like nationally and whatever, so we didn't wanna throw those songs away.
Joel - So do you plan on your next new CD having virtually all-new songs?
Everyone - Absolutely.
Dan - Maybe one older song.
Marc - Yeah, but not a song from the "From Finish to Starting Line" EP, none of those songs will be on the full-length.
Joel - So you guys are recording a full-length?
Everyone - Yeah.
Adam - I think the plan…well, I was talking to our label guy, and he actually wanted us to record it really soon, but we're going to be touring again in June, and possibly again in September. We're not sure if we're going to go in September, because we wanna write for the full-length and we're thinking…when are we gonna have time to do that? Especially since we're going to be gone for a month, June 5th to July 8th. I dunno, I think it's going to be coming out maybe around Christmas time.
Dan - We're just going to hire people to write the songs for us while we go out on tour and then come back and learn how to play them.
(Laughing)
Justin - We don't know what Dan's talking about.
Dan - Justin says 'I'm an asshole.'
Justin - Justin does say Dan's an asshole.
(More laughing)

Joel - So Negative Progression Records, do you like it, not like it?
Marc - I think they've treated us really well, they're really great.
Justin - Seth's done an amazing job, considering what a small label it is, he's really done a lot for us, and worked his ass off for us, and pulled a lot of shit off that we're surprised about and really, really grateful for.
Adam - I wanna keep this short, but that was one of our decisions. The reason we went to Negative Progression even though they were small, and we weren't expecting to get anything big at all, but the reason we went with him (Seth at Negative Progression) is because he really dug our music. And at the same time, we were really into the fact that he was like incredibly, incredibly talented at networking and talking to people. We totally saw it as a growing label, and that's what it turned out to be. He scored Caroline Distribution, which we were freaking out about-
Joel - Is that how you're getting stuff in like Tower Records?
Adam - Yeah, we freaked out about it. Our label guy, Seth, he put out a record called "Oldies but Goodies" with Landspeed, and "Playing 4 Square" with Suburban Home Records and was it Drive Thru too?
Dan - Drive Thru and My Records.
Adam - Yeah, it was like a joint type thing, but that's how he was associated with like Caroline Distribution, so we were fortunate enough, like Seth just kept in contact, and he scored Caroline Distribution for our release, so we're all over the country, and Tower Records. Just today, or yesterday, we sold out of our first pressing of the CD already, it's only been out for like three days and we were like freaking out, like jumping up and down. We're extremely happy with Negative Progression Records.
Justin - Holy Shit! That was the longest thing I've ever heard.

Joel - Alright two more questions, first just go around and what are your influences, like three bands. Marc?
Marc - Give it to Dan.
Justin - Are you talking like true influences, like stuff that inspired us into music or like-
Joel - I think just the music you play and the lyrics you write.
Dan - You have to give us five.
Joel - Okay, five, seven, not twenty-two.
Dan - Okay, I'll go first. The Police, Ben's Fold Five, Oingo Boingo, Radio Head, and the Pixies.
Justin - Shit. Guns N Roses, I'll have to go with the Misfits-
Joel - Really? As an actual musical influence to the songs you write?
Justin - I guess, I don't know, shit.
Joel - The Misfits are good, I just don't see it.
Justin - You said influences, so I'm just thinking… Come back to me, I don't even know, I've never really thought about this.
Adam - Alright, the Descendents. I guess I'll separate the Descendents and All, because those were the first two punk bands that I got into when I was really young. The Descendents, All, Bjork - big time, Smashing Pumpkins, and No Knife.
Marc - Definitely going to have to say No Knife started all of this for me, I used to listen to mostly pop punk. Definitely No Knife, Smashing Pumpkins, Mock Orange, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Jimmy Eat World.
Joel - Justin.
Justin - I really don't do much of the music writing, so my influences are really, wouldn't really be too important. So like I said, Misfits, Guns N Roses, old Metallica, and how many do I get?
Joel - Whatever, doesn't matter.
Justin - Radio Head, Converge.

Joel - Alright, so now um, closing comments, anything you wanna say… Dan - Thanks for taking the time to interview us, and also, since our CD is in major music chains for people to go out and get them there, and if they're not in there order them , because that would help us out, just unbelievably and we would appreciate it. Even if you're bored, just go out and order it and don't even buy it.
(Laughing)
Justin - I wanna say thank you also to Joel, and make sure you check out the website, w-w-w dot counterfit dot net.
(Laughing and Screaming)
Adam - mp3 dot com slash counterfit too. Alright, thanks to Joel for this interview, and thanks to San Diego because we really appreciate all the people that are into our music here.
Justin - Thank you to anyone who's helped us out along the way and thank you to anyone who will help us out in the future.
Dan - I never thought I'd say this, but it's really good to be back here and playing after tour.
Marc - Thanks to all the kids that come to shows, like everywhere in San Diego, all over the place, thank you to Joel, thank you very much to Sheena for helping us out with shirts and stickers-
Adam - Everyone says Sheena is the best
Justin - And Vida and Steve, like no matter how small we were, just singing the words up front, that stuff is fuckin' rad.
Adam - Support the fuckin' scene in San Diego, like whatever you can do. Like don't just go to shows because your favorite band is playing, go to lots of shows, support bands, listen to that radio station I was talking about tonight, 92.1, independent radio cause its really fuckin' cool.
Marc - Thank you to Jamie for letting us sleep on her floor.
Joel - Thank you to all of you guys as well.

http://www.counterfit.net
http://www.mp3.com/counterfit