Tsunami Bomb are back with a new record soon out with Alternative Tentacles and it was about time that I talked for our zine with Oobliette, keyboard player and vocalist, also one of the co founders of the band.

YOU ARE BACK AND THERE IS A NEW LINE-UP IN THE BAND. WHAT ARE THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS DOING RIGHT NOW? HOW DID THE NEW MEMBERS FIT IN THE BAND?

OOBLIETTE: We are!  If you go back to the very beginning, I think most of the original, original members are not necessarily some of the members that many people know of.  I think the most questions we field are asking about Emily.  She has her own project right now that she is focusing on and wasn’t interested in a return to the punk scene.

The original idea for the reunion was to only play the two first shows as a sort of album release for our retrospective, ‘Trust No One’.  We had so much fun playing and enjoyed Kate Jacobi so much we decided to get the band back together.  Kate fits in perfectly,  after spending the last few years playing with her I can’t picture the band any other way.  I hear her voice any time that a Tsunami Bomb song gets stuck in my head.  Andy Phol is a long time friend and was actually at the very first Tsunami Bomb show.  His guitars add a whole new perspective to each song and I really enjoy writing with him and am always floored by the parts he comes up with.

THE NEW RECORD IS READY FOR RELEASING IN ABOUT MONTH TIME. HOW WAS THE RECORDING PROCESS? DID YOU GUYS PRODUCE IT YOURSELVES? 

OOBLIETTE: We are so excited to get this album out!  We recorded it several different places and in two batches.  I live in New York, some of it was recorded out here.  We did produce it ourselves.  When thinking about it, it just came natural.  Dominic and I have always had a really strong connection in writing music together.  We also both know the sound we were going for and had a vision for the album.  I feel like it was a smart move, with our comeback after being gone for so long to be able to have that creative control over the release.

WHAT WAS THE LYRICAL INSPIRATION FOR THE NEW RECORDS? DO YOU CONSIDER TSUNAMI BOMB TO BE A POLITICAL BAND?

OOBLIETTE: Let’s see, if I had to describe this album it would be…..  “Don’t tell us what to do, everyone do what you want and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for it, everything we love dies, put your money where you’re mouth is, don’t tell us what to do,  shit is fucked up, like, really fucked up right now, we are so happy to be back, if you don’t like that we are back, fuck you, don’t tell us what to do.”

So, I wouldn’t say we are political as far as taking sides but I would say that we are political in the way that we think everyone has the right to be heard and should be given the chance to explain why they feel the way they do.

photo credit Amber Mannon

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE NEW RECORDS, I KNOW IT IS HARD QUESTION. COULD YOU GIVE US A BRIEF TOUR THROUGH THE NEW ALBUM, SONG BY SONG?

OOBLIETTE: I think my favorite is a song called Petaluma.  The second I heard the song I immediately thought of this kind of haunting chorus singing the word “follow” .  It’s different, and it’s dynamic.  I like that it’s sad but also angry.  When I left the band originally there was so much hurt that I feel like I had been carrying and this song makes me feel like I can finally start to let some of those emotions fade.

Really, the whole album is my favorite.  There was a lot of heart and soul put into these songs.  In the past, when I had written, it was always in satire.  This is the first time I’ve been this serious and this honest in music.  Writing with Kate and deciding the topics of each song was a great experience but it was also very painful.  I feel that this album tells a very distinct story when you listen from beginning to end, it tells our story, and I am so happy we were able to do it and to share it.

YOU ARE RELEASING THE NEW ALBUM WITH ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES. WAS THE LABEL NATURAL CHOICE FOR YOUR BAND? HOW DID IT COME TO COOPERATION WITH ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES?

OOBLIETTE: It all came to be because Jello asked Dominic if we were boring.  The rest is history.

IS THERE A TOUR IN PREPARATION FOR PROMOTING THE NEW RECORD? ARE YOU CONSIDERING COMING TO EUROPE? HAVE YOU PLAYED IN EUROPE BEFORE? WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FANS AT CONCERTS AND SCENE IN AMERICA AND IN EUROPE?

OOBLIETTE: We don’t have any dates yet but it is on the horizon.  I haven’t played in Europe.  I left the band just before we started touring internationally.  But I am very excited to visit.

PHYSICAL ALBUM RELEASED VERSUS DIGITAL ONLY RELEASES. WHICH ONE DO YOU PREFER?

OOBLIETTE: Vinyl, all the way!

HYPOTETICAL SITUATION. LABEL YOU SIGNED ORDERS YOU TO COMPROMISE YOUR ART, YOUR MUSIC, YOUR MATERIAL ACCORDING TO THEIR WISHES. HOW WOULD YOU REACT?

OOBLIETTE: 10 middle fingers in the air!

CAN YOU LIVE OFF MUSIC? WHAT DO YOU DO FOR LIVING OUTSIDE THE BAND?

OOBLIETE: I might be able to, but it’s not something I want to do full time.  I am the GM of a restaurant group and work for an amazing boss.  I love what I do and wouldn’t change a thing.

TSUNAMI BOMB IS FANTASTIC MIXTURE OF PUNKROCK AND MORE DARKER SOUND. WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSICWISE? 

OOBLIETTE: Thank you.  I really love Oingo Boingo, I listen to a ton of the old Trojan Records artists like Desmond Dekker, I like a lot of metal, especially viking metal, Andrews Sisters, I’m all over the place.

FOR YOU, WHERE LIES THE BEAUTY OF UNDERGROUND SCENE? CAN YOU STILL REMEMBER WHAT DREW YOU TO THE SCENE, WHAT MADE YOU SAY, THIS IS IT, HERE I AM TO STAY, THIS IS WHO I AM?

OOBLIETTE: It’s that you can be whoever you want to.  I was drawn to the scene because there was a local theater, the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA., that gave kids a place to hang out, go to shows, skateboard, paint, you name it.  Bands from all over toured there and that what really got me into the underground scene.  The music, I just got into on my own.  I used to pick just the most messed up CDs I could find in the dollar bin.  From there I got into metal, industrial, and punk music.  Once I found out there were local places to see music like that, I never looked back.

LAST QUESTION, THANK YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME. ANY SHOUT OUTS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING THAT I DIDN´T ASK YOU?

OOBLIETTE: I just want to say thank you to anyone who takes a listen and gives us a chance.  We don’t do this for the money, we do this for the fans.  We have to juggle our jobs and families to be able to leave and make the few shows we get to play happen, but the fans make it all worth it in the end.  Tsunami Bomb has a long history and we are so excited to show you this new chapter in it’s tale.