Last July there was a fundamental change in SF hardcore band, the Lewd. Long time guitarist Bob Clic quit to join another band. The Lewd replaced him with the Greaves, a fouding member of the Reno Rad scene (ex-Thrusting Squirters guitarist, producer of 7 Seconds' debut EP). The Lewd are currently working on more new songs, a new tour, and enjoying the success of "American Wino", their debut album (recorded with Bob Clic last spring). The Lewd recently granted their first Greaves-era interview.
Satz - VocalsMRR: Here's a word association quiz. I'll throw out a word or phrase and you guys say what comes to mind.
Olga: Like a psychiatrist?
MMR: Sure. Ready? Violence
Satz: Violence? Violence has been a part of every revolution. Any real revolution will have it's share of violence. But it isn't the ultimate, winning factor.
Greaves: It shouldn't be written off as cool. It sucks. It's the wrong tool.
MMR: Are you revolutionaries?
Satz: Musical Revolutionaries.
Olga: We're freedom fighters. We're trying to fight our own way.
Satz: we're fighting big business.
Olga: We're fighting police departments, fire departments, city governments-just to do shows. We've had about 10 shows shut down in the last 2 years.
MMR: Some people interpret Lewd songs like "Fight", "Beyond Moderation", or "Suburban Prodigy" as advocating violence.
Chris: We don't advocate violence.
Satz: Those songs are a narrative of a society gone sour. It doesn't mean-this is what it is and this is great. No, this is what it is and maybe, if you don't like it, you'll do something about it.
Greaves: "Suburban Prodigy" is a parody.
Satz: A lot of the songs are satire or parody, but they are also calculated to make people think, to use their head and take it from there.
Olga: we illustrate the reality of it, of this situation. But at the time, we're trying to have fun. I mean, you got to be able to laugh about it sometimes.
Satz: The trouble is, all this media hype has vivid picture of us as a complete extreme, like something out of the "class of 1984."
Chris: It's a joke.
MRR: All right. What do you think of when you hear the phrase "heavy metal"?
Olga: Blue Cheer!
Satz: Yuck.
Greaves: Motorhead's good, but even they come out and say they're not heavy metal.
MRR: Some people consider the Lewd heavy metal, or at least they used to.
Satz: Pretty off base.
Olga: No, to me heavy metal means double bass drums.
Satz: Our old guitarist was influenced by heavy metal, but the Lewd has never followed a heavy metal formula. I think heavy metal is basically mindless. Hardcore is about trying to be aware.
Olga: But there is a crossover influence occurring between the punk and heavy metal scenes. A lot of heavy metal bands are starting to simplify and become more like punk bands. And then you have the punk bands incorporating the trick of heavy metal, like a cool guitar part-but just not stretching it out 20 minutes. Simpler punk rock progressions seem to be getting more complex.
MRR: The newer Lewd songs seem to be more sophisticated, some of them.
Chris: There's a lot of different influences in the lewd, everyone if the band has their own tastes.
MRR: Say something about the lyrics that are being written now.
Satz: We're trying to take a more constructive approach.
Chris: "Thee, Thy, Thou is about becoming your own preacher, your own pope.
Satz: Lyrically, a lot of the stuff on the first album were comical things like "Mobil Home", "American Wino". But the serious stuff is bitching about situations or bitching about society, our civilization. The stuff we're getting into now is like-OK , now that we've bitched about it let's do something constructive to change it. Not just sit around and bellyache.
Greaves: We want to keep a more positive outlook.
MRR: That brings about our next word association. What about "Nazi Punks"?
Chris: What about Nazi cab drivers, Nazi teachers, Nazi cops? They all suck!
Satz: It's kind of hard for me to say, I haven't been exposed to that many Nazis.
Olga: I'm against assholes and assholeism, myself.
Greaves: Looking at this whole word association thing, I don't think it's doing much good. When you flash us these words, and we give you an answer, it gives people a generalization of what we're not really about, see?
MRR: All right then, what do you want people to think of when they hear the words, "the Lewd"?
Chris: Dwel, backwards.
Olga: If you're nude, you're Lewd.
Satz: There's a denotation, but the name develops a connotation, and that is whatever it's gonna be. It's a band, whatever energy they create. Like the Beatles-do you think of little bugs crawling around? Or the Dead Kennedys-do you think of dead guys in a coffin? No, you think of a musical group.
Olga: I think if you're going to call your band a name, your band has to be that. The initial impact, anyway. That's show biz.
Satz:The name Lewd creates a real rough first impression. A real raw immediate word. For some people it's a terrible thing to think of-"A name of a group, what on earth could that group be about?" These are the people who put rules on free expression by labeling this or that obscene. I've put those people on the defensive immediately by calling myself the worst thing they could accuse me of.
MRR:So they're powerless to limit your free expression; in effect, your saying anything goes, right from the beginning, every time. Symbolically-"I've got a license to make a fuss."
Satz: Not every time, just when you need it. Taking the name "The Lewd" literally doesn't go beyond the first impression. That's why I'd rather people thought of the word lewd as a musical group, not an obscene gesture. If your going to be obscene every time, your putting strict rules on your own free expression.
MRR: Last question, what would you like to see happen in the SF hardcore scene?
Olga: More all night parties like we used to have.
Satz: It would be great if the bands could get together and throw their own shows like they used to.
Chris: It's been talked about.
Olga: It's harder and harder to find a place.
Satz: Get a warehouse together and charge at the door.
Greaves: No matter what there will always be good bands coming out of San Francisco.
Satz: I think things are getting a little better. Like, I haven't seen any violence at a show in a while. The last two times we played LA there was no need for that much security to keep kids from writing on the wall.
Olga: That's why they're paying $9 a ticket, to pay for security.
Satz: For the past year or so a lot of the bands and fanzines have been saying to the community, "If you do this crap, this stupid stuff, you're off-the-wall, you're wrong. Come on you guys, you're ruining it for us." I kind of see it having an effect if ever so slight. But I have gone to shows lately where people weren't beating up on their brother, or destroying the place just to be doing something. Because they finally figured out , they grew up that much, that there'd be no place to go or they would have to pay $15 a ticket for security.
MRR: Maybe the bands can get together and do shows again-as long as they know they won't be done over by their own fans.
Satz: Yeah. I know it's cliché, album title, but I really think the future looks bright.