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PB Army, The Interviewan interview with Keith Bergman by Erin Fox Calling your band "The Peavy Army" might inspire an expensive lawsuit, but The PB Army works just fine for this Toledo-based threesome, whose music, much like their moniker, remains virtually unclassifiable. With the group's sophomore album, "Spine For The Snapback", listeners can expect to have their asses completely rocked off, regardless of specific musical inclination. Keith Bergman and the PB boys incorporate a lot of different musical ideas into the mix, be it brash drunk-punk stagger or space-rock bravado, but ultimately, the focus of the group lies in their quest to pound riff-hungry listeners into submission, as they manage to do quite nicely with the exceptional new record. Keith raps with The Gauntlet's heavy metal homeslice, Erin Fox about the band's current beligerance… The Gauntlet: Where did you come up with the name The PB Army? What does PB stand for? It's a play on an old Pabst Blue Ribbon slogan, "PBR Me, ASAP." Many people ask us if it stands for "peanut butter." Other creative guesses include prison bitch, pouty baby, prickly bird, and poseur barbecue. We're working on a "submit your own weird guess what our name means" game on our website. The Gauntlet: From the opening notes of "Trouble In The Woodshed", the listener is imparted with a feeling that is both reminiscent of classic records from the seventies and remarkably fresh sounding. Do you feel that this impression is due to the manner in which the album was produced, the songwriting or both? Keith Bergman: I would say it's the songwriting, although the production (what there is of it) might evoke a rawer, "throwback" feeling. We're influenced by quite a lot of things, some obvious and some more obscure, and one of the aspects of the band I'm proud of is that we don't fit into an easy genre description. We didn't churn out 12 songs that all sound like Kyuss b-sides, or whatever. I think bands in the 70's were a little more open to experimentation and not so concerned with what bin at the record store their album would end up in. I'm not saying everything we try works, but the important thing, to me, is trying it, and keeping things interesting for ourselves. Otherwise, you might as well just be a cover band, and play the original songs you're ripping off, and save everyone a lot of hassle. The Gauntlet: Where did the band get their alter egos as The Inebriate, The Equivocator and The Mocker? Keith Bergman: Those are a reference back to our first album title. They don't really mean anything, I just had an idea for the artwork, and we had access to a talented artist, Richelle Nontell, who painted those for us. Micah as the Inebriate, riding the drunk horse through the sea of empty bottles, is my favorite. The Gauntlet: How long did it take for you to record "Spine For The Snapback?" Keith Bergman: The actual recording was quick – way too quick, actually. We were pressed for time, which is nothing new for underground bands on a budget. We did most of the basic tracks in a couple days, and I did the vocals a few weeks later. Almost all of them (except for the harsh screaming vocals on a couple songs) were done in one day, after which I couldn't talk for a couple weeks. Next time around we're going to take longer and polish things a bit more, no matter what it takes – I like how "Spine" came out, but I can think of about 9000 things I'd like to have done differently, if we'd had time. The Gauntlet: What types of equipment do you use in order to achieve such a low down and dirty sound? Keith Bergman: The cheapest stuff we can find. I'm still using the 5-piece Ludwig drum kit I bought used in 1990 with money I was supposed to be saving for college. We use cheap guitars, Crate amps, and we don't buy anything we can't fit into a minivan for touring. We may finally upgrade some stuff here soon, before we record the next album, but I like traveling light – the thought of having to use a Club Wagon with a trailer behind it, and haul all that crap out every night to play in places the size of my living room, wears me out. If we ever start playing theaters, that's when we'll buy the 27-piece rotating drum kit with gong and the collapsible wall of fake Marshalls. The Gauntlet: Who are some of the musicians that you most admire? Keith Bergman: This changes on a daily basis, and a comprehensive list would take all week. Right now, off the top of my head: everyone in Sabbath, Devo, Carcass, Faith No More, Jethro Tull, Blue Oyster Cult, Voivod, Coroner… Joe Jackson, Josh Homme, Sinead o'Connor, Jonah Jenkins (Only Living Witness/Milligram) and a good dozen or so local cats here in Toledo that you've never heard of. The Gauntlet: Do you consider yourselves to be a part of the Stoner Rock scene? Do you feel that such a tag paints you into an artistic corner? Keith Bergman: We're a part of it in the sense that we play with some of those bands, we have riffs in our songs, and we tour a lot of underground shithole clubs. We don't really fit in with the more orthodox stoner rock bands, but playing with them makes more sense than doing shows with, say, emo or death metal bands. I don't think it paints us into a corner, because we just don't worry about it when we write songs. The Gauntlet: What do you find to be the most gratifying aspect of being a musician? Keith Bergman: I love all of it – writing songs is one of my favorite things to do, I love playing live, I really enjoy getting in the van and touring, and I even like the booking, web site maintenance, and that kind of stuff. I love the total immersion into the band. Even if we never get any further than we are now, we've written music I'm proud of and had a lot of fun adventures. Obviously, though, I hope a lot more are on the horizon. The Gauntlet: Do you find that there really is a substantial amount of power in being a "power trio"? Keith Bergman: I think its more "power" in a sense of control, than in sheer watts or volume. If something goes wrong on stage, it's easier to salvage the song and keep going (or to improv and end up somewhere unexpected)… it's also less "cluttered" sonically. Mahlon, our bassist, is a very up-front player; he never just follows the guitar, so it's good for him to be able to be heard, and to have room to make his mark on the songs. It's also a helluva lot easier logistically – fewer people to feed on the road, or get in the same room at the same time for practice. The Gauntlet: Which bands have you enjoyed performing with the most? Keith Bergman: Man, almost all of them. Jamming with our friends in other area bands is always a great time – the camaraderie around here lately has been awesome. Most of our labelmates (Highbinder, Evolotto, The Highgears) are great friends as well. Playing with bigger names is cool too – one of our biggest shows was opening for Clutch. But that's a little different, you don't always get the chance to hang out with the headliner aside from the quick "hey, how ya doing" between you tearing down and them setting up. Meeting the other regional bands who are out eating shit on the road just like you on a daily basis is always cool, too. Making friendships with fellow musicians you would otherwise never have met is an awesome benefit to doing this. The Gauntlet: "Viva Los Alamos" has a raw, punky feel that puts forth a vibe similar to bands like Dwarves. Is punk a major influence upon the band, or did the track happen to turn out that way? Keith Bergman: We're influenced by punk more as an idea than a sound – we're definitely into the rawer, stripped-down stuff like Zeke, New Bomb Turks, and a lot of the old Sub Pop stuff. It's not something I'd want to play for 50 minutes straight, but it's cool to throw some of that aggression and energy in there at times. It's one more color in the paint box. The Gauntlet: What types of things do you do to get the crowd involved during a live performance? Keith Bergman: Micah and Mahlon run around like idiots, collide into each other, spit water on people, jump off stuff, and otherwise act like morons to make up for the fact that we don't have a frontman. It usually works pretty well. If that fails, I'll whine and bitch at them, and tell them I have cancer. I'm not above pity applause. The Gauntlet: How does the group approach songwriting in general? Keith Bergman: It usually starts with Micah throwing in a couple riffs. Then he brings them to me, I start on vocal melodies, and help him arrange it. We usually give the songs as "finished product" to Mahlon, and then his bass lines change them around completely. It always seems like a screwed-up, half-assed way to work, until we have a song finished, and then it's the best system in the world. The Gauntlet: Which song do you feel is the most representative of what the group is all about? Keith Bergman: I think "A Hole In The New Leaf," "Dying On the Starting Line," and from our first album, "Acres of Tires," "Diablo Centavo" and "Circle the Wagons." It's hard to really point to one representative song, but those seem to get the point of the band across the best. Maybe "Ashtabula" as well – it's got energy, screaming, sweating, and some sludge and melody at the end. The Gauntlet: Are there any touring plans currently in the works? Keith Bergman: We toured in the spring, and we were supposed to hit the west coast this month, but that fell through. We may go back out in the winter for one more run before we get to work on the third album. Not sure at this point, though – we're sorta in a regrouping mode, getting song ideas together and brainstorming about the next album. The Gauntlet: What does the future hold for The PB Army? Keith Bergman: We're looking for a larger label, and we want to tour Europe next year. Other than that, more of the same, I hope – making music I love with my friends, and having adventures. It's pretty simple, but it's worked for us so far. |
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