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Reducers SF came to be some six years ago, bore out of the San Francisco local
scene with designs to play something better than what they were hearing at the time.
A few pub closings and street cleanings later, mission accomplished. With the release
of their latest “Crappy Clubs and Smelly Pubs” LP, Reducers SF bring fans on a virtual
tour of where life began for a once little known but ambitious Punk Rock upstart.
Several singles, split EP’s, lips and defiant screams later, the band has met the challenge
with their continued assault on the demands of yesterday’s history and tomorrow’s challenges.
So loosen up your blue collar, kick back, pop the top and settle in for a few quick ones with
the Reducers’ founding guitarist/vocalist Glen McHenry and bassist Mike Crowell…
Me: I enjoyed the brief "tour" of the Bay area social scene there on the inside of your CD cover
--might be the closest I ever get unfortunately. Is this record a means for getting back to your roots --
or are you even that far removed from them to begin with?
Glen: I think we’re still wallowing around pretty deep in our roots. We’re still doing the same stuff
we were when we started this band, and in some cases, before we started the band. Most of those
bars on the inside cover is where we can be found spending most of our time, and unfortunately, our
hard earned money too!
Mike: We’ve only done two albums so we haven’t had much time to get away from our roots, but it
is true to what influences us in song writing.
Me: I'm finding there's always so much being made for “this” style or “that” style-for instance you've got
the So. Cal thing going and then you've got the Fat Wrecks thing, that identifiable modern Punk slant with
a degree of Pop crossover. If there is a way to, how would you classify the San Francisco style? I find
compared to other areas, maybe this one gets overlooked to some degree-do you see a difference or is
there even a reason why there would be?
Glen: I think there’s a difference simply because of the attitude that different cities produce. The SF punk
sound is very genuine, in my book. It doesn’t have the glitzy, somewhat plastic stylings of Hollywood, or
the So. Cal style of hardcore. I believe it has the anger and intensity of the East coast punk and hardcore
but with a different kind of aggression. There is a lot of music going on in SF, a ton, and I think it gets
overlooked because you don’t have the major connections in this city like you do in LA. You go down there
and they’ve got movie stars going to punk shows for crying out loud! It’s not what you know, or sound like
in this case, it’s who you know and who they can hook you up with. SF is happy producing the rock n’ roll,
and maybe leaving out the sequins and pink leather pants.
Mike: There’s so much difference in my opinion of the bands here that it would be very hard to try and
classify an SF “sound” anyway. There has been talk of a “TKO Records” sound, but I don’t buy it. I think
the Reducers SF are as different as the Bodies are to the Beltones and as the Working Stiffs are to Thug
Murder. One thing that I think I can say with confidence though, TKO puts out some great bands!
Me: So who's some of the local talent you've toured with-describe a little about San Fran's relevance to the
Punk community?
Glen: We did a three-day tour of Southern California with a bunch of our label-mates the other year. That
was pretty memorable. TKO records threw us, the Bodies, Pressure Point, Workin’ Stiffs, the Forgotten
and the Randumbs on a big-ass bus and pointed it down to LA. There was so much booze being drunk that
we all filled up the porta-pisser twice before we got down south. The driver had to empty it into a cornfield
on the side of the freeway. What a fiasco that was… I’m surprised we made it back home with everybody
still intact. I think we showed what relevance we have on that tour!
Mike: We’ve also toured with the Randumbs for whatever that’s worth. What is SF’s relevance to the punk
community? Just another town that puts out its share of bands. Except in this case, it’s really fucking hard to
go on extended touring since your rents are inflated to 3 times what any other city in the US would probably
pay. In the end, SF will probably be remembered as the city with great bands that never toured!
Me: Do you think the Punk community has gotten overexposed in recent years after it being practically non-existent
for some time. In fact I've noticed a lot of similarities from band to band, which you expect you know, in terms of
subject matter but musically... so how do you guys keep your edge?
Glen: We keep our edge by going to work everyday and dealing with all the shit that life sneaks up on you all
the time. I think certain bands out there who are now labeled as “punk” have received success so fast that they
haven’t spent enough time in the trenches in order to grow nice and bitter, like us, ha ha. I think the term punk is
thrown around so much these days that a lot of people don’t know what they’re talking about any more. Now
there’s a ton of bands that sound like Blink 182 and they’re all supposed to be punk because they spike their hair
and sing teenybopper love songs.
Mike: You have to keep your edge by trying to insert elements that make your sound different than the thousand
of other punk bands around while still writing good music. As much as no one will admit to, punk rock is a very
competitive business. Bands are always squabbling about who should play where on bills, etc. We actually don’t
care to headline that much, so it’s ok for us, but others take it real seriously. In the end though, it really is all about
the music, and that’s what the fans will gravitate to.
Me: I like the new record-it's got a lot of those traditionally Punk elements from the old days and a little harder
edge I think than some of those watered down crossover types. The songs all come together as a unit without
there being any set agenda.
Glen: That’s great feedback, thanks a lot. Most of our inspiration comes from the earlier punk type stuff, along
with old rock n’ roll and whatever else turns us on. I think the cohesiveness comes from the band members, as
musicians, coming together and contributing to the song writing.
Mike: I think we also have our influences from late 70’s glam stuff like Slade, and the Heavy Metal Kids,
and Chiswick type rock and roll, so that helps round our sound out.
Me: I never thought I’d ever hear Slade ever come up as an influence, that’s pretty wild. Is there anything totally
off the wall or outrageous that's still to be done in the future, or have you covered it already? Elaborate...
Glen: World tour!! We really are going to try and do much more touring, eventually we’ll get our own jet plane
that has big paintings of us on the side of it so everyone knows what jackasses we really are!
Mike: We want to tour, bad, we want someone to pay for it too, so I don’t have to come home selling pizzas slices
for $4.50 an hour! Actually, when we get back from Europe in October, we are going to start compiling new songs for
the next album as well. We have new stuff we haven’t had time to play yet. Pretty outrageous huh?
Me: Speaking of “covered”, who would be your preferred band to honor with a tribute record, considering how they're
so popular now, who deserves it and do you bother much with cover songs in your past albums or set lists?
Glen: Cock Sparrer is always a favorite to cover. They make songs that are so brilliant, and yet so simple, and are a
blast to play. They would definitely deserve a tribute for all the great music they’ve produced over the years. We’ve
recorded a couple of covers but always kind of consider that cheating unless you can do something really substantial
with it. Live, we cover Slaughter and the Dogs, Cock Sparrer and we have done stuff by Menace.
Mike: Agreed with Sparrer. I would like to cover some Beltones or Thug Murder some day after they make it Triple
Platinum!
Me: Life on the road-has it gotten easier with regards to more places to play-outside of locally, where would you say
are the best places to
tour?
Glen: We’re to tour Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria in September of 2001. That will be our first major
international tour. We’re really psyched for that one. California is tough to play since it’s so spread out. The places
to play are limited since the music Meccas are too easy to saturate since there’s LA, SF and a few towns sprinkled
around them. N.Y. was a fantastic place to play, what an energy!
Mike: East Coast touring is easier just because of proximity from one city to the next. As Glen said, between LA
and SF is a fucking vast desert of nuthin! 8 hours of some shit boring scenery…I get excited if I see a fucking cow
for Christ sakes!
Me: Besides yourselves, what band do you expect to make waves in the next several months -- is there really some
new and legitimate talent out there that you can see will make their break? Also, going back for a second, obviously
every Punk group today has their heroes they point back to from the old school, and who's yours? Who would you
like to see comeback or if not that, get more respect than maybe they did...
Glen: A band called the Beltones is set to release a new record soon and to tour along with it. I think they’re great
and have a huge potential to make some waves. It is good to see The Business is still at it. It’s a weird time right
now with all the older bands, a lot of them are re-forming now and some are not really what they used to be. Sparrer
does a great live show, if they ever get out here again, and I’m anxious to see Slaughter and the Dogs and Holiday In
The Sun in SF.
Mike: I have mixed feelings of old bands that re-form-is it about money or is it about actually enjoying what you’re
doing? They won’t tell you, but 9 times out of ten, you can tell yourself by the end of the first song.
Me: So what do you think, let's break down some more barriers here and bring the musical communities together --
maybe invite Huey Lewis & The News out on the road with ya?
Glen: I’m down with Huey! That’d be fun as shit but I’d be willing to bet they don’t party like they used to, but
then, neither do I, thank God!
Mike: Huey and the guys are great! Just good rock and roll, ain’t nuthin’ wrong with that! I’m sure they could
teach us a thing or two!
Reducers SF discography:
Split 7” w/Lower Class Brats - “Pair -01 Docs Records 1996
“We Are The People” 7” EP - Pair - 01 Docs Records 1997
“Don’t Like You” 7” Single - TKO Records 1998
“Backing The Longshot” LP/CD - TKO Records - 1999
“No Control” 7” Single - TKO Records - 2000
“S/T” 7” EP - Burning Heart Records - 2000
Contact: www.reducerssf.com
