POLITICAL? NOPE. JUST AWARE.

Interview With Dohrn

Riverside

From Issue 2.4, March/April 2006

With a name like Dohrn, some people might get the impression that this band must be full of radicals.

They would beg to differ, however.

“Not political. We’re just aware,” said Dohrn bassist Francisco (who likes to be called Cisco) Ochoa. “We sing about what’s going on in our community. It’s first-hand experiences. I see it as being more consciously open songs.”

Most of Dohrn’s listeners would probably agree.

The band, hailing from Bloomington (in Riverside County), is described by its members as “progressive, thrash grind,” and on a recent show flyer, they were called “909 Experimental Grind.” They, of course, laughed at that.

The “they” in this, would be singer Adrian Rodriguez, drummer Brian a.k.a “12 X,” bassist Ochoa and guitarist Pat Walker.

Their band name, Dohrn, is named after Bernardine Dohrn, a leader of the Students For a Democratic Society (around during the time of Vietnam). Dohrn, was once considered one of the most dangerous radicals in America (along with co-S.D.S. leader, Bill Ayers) and at one time, faced bombing charges.

“The idea was the spirit of the times,” said Walker. “[I’m] not saying that I completely agree with the tactic of destroying private, public property, but it is a good way to get people’s attention.”

The band Dohrn, however, wouldn’t resort to those kinds of tactics. Instead, they bring that kicking, in-your-face sort of thrash with lyrics that make people stop and think.

Take for example, their song “Lip Service,” which Cisco wrote after reading a local paper’s letters to the editor section. Apparently, after fear of spreading ebola, local government officials banned individuals from selling produce at the sides of roads or in independent stands. The local paper’s letters from the community reflected a certain degree of fear among some residents.

“There’s white power gangs forming in the Inland Empire,” Ochoa said. “People are just freaking out about a ‘brown invasion.’”

When he said “brown invasion” he somewhat cringed in disgust. There is a line in the band’s song that says, “swapmeets are swallowing us,” which is inspired from one of the letters written into the city editor.

“I didn’t even write that. Tammy, local resident of Fontana, wrote that,” he said.

Ochoa said he still keeps that letter as a reminder of how ignorant and stupid some people can be.

So, while a lot of people may want to attach the term “political” to Dohrn, their much more focused on picking out examples they see in everyday life. They’re not radicals; they’re just realistic.

“For all the protests and bombings, Vietnam came to an end when the administration felt it was time,” Walker said of Dohrn (the person) and the violent, radical groups that cropped up during Vietnam. “I guess what I’m trying to say, is that it is pretty sweet when the nerdy kids on the playground work together and take out the bully!”

And by bullies, Dohrn (the band) sings out against the racist and close-minded.

Dohrn has an album that was put out by Riverside label, Ethospine, which Walker said is more like a collective of bands rather than a label.

The CD that they have out right now, is still relatively new. Yet, they are already working on new songs. In fact, the day the interview took place, they were in the process of writing their fourth new song.

“It’s just friends wanting to document the scene,” Walker said of Ethospine.

“It’s a diverse collective,” Ochoa said. “We’re all about the same thing: doing shit differently.”

By differently, that encompasses almost every aspect of the music-including silk-screening their own shirts. Walker said they just love doing things themselves, which could be one part of the philosophy behind the Ethospine bands.

“In Riverside, [the music is] diverse,” Walker continued. “I think that’s what Ethospine is trying to capture.”

Here, at home, they have been told that they sound like a grind band.

“Outside [of Riverside],” Ochoa said, “they tell us, we’re ruining something good. In the Midwest, it’s good, but here in California, there’s just so many bands [to hear]....”

Dohrn’s songs are relatively short. They are around 40 seconds to maybe a minute long, which Brian said just happened to work out that way.

“Sometimes, you’ll go to a show and say, ‘This band’s awesome,’ but then they’ll play for an hour,” Walker said. “We promote thinking fast.”

They also like playing their songs differently at each show.

“Otherwise, people would just get bored,” Rodriguez said.

The place they happened to be practicing at the day of the interview happened to be in the storage facility of their fellow bands Rogue State and Dogs of Ire. They said practicing has been hard lately just because they don’t have their own steady place.

Cardboard with duct tape papers the walls of the storage unit as power chords slither around outside and inside.

Their practices are pretty productive. They must have ran through the same song at least six times stopping only so that Brian (who likes to drum shoeless) or someone else, could take a drink of water.  They were about to actually record a song on someone’s 4-track, but Ochoa could not find any blank cassette tapes.

They had been practicing for a couple of hours before the interview had started and said they would probably be there for a couple more until 9:30, when some bands were supposed to play at Pepito’s in Riverside.

“This is what we do to have fun,” Walker said of the band and the music scene. “Some people watch T.V. [for fun].”

“It gives us a chance to travel,” Brian added.

They have traveled as far as the East Coast, to New York and Philadelphia riding in a truck with a camper attached.

“I was too scared to drive in the back [camper],” Rodriguez said smiling. “I have to have a seat belt.”

They have played in the Bay area and in Ohio. They basically, like traveling, meeting new people, hearing new bands and collecting zines-Cisco especially on that last note about the zines.

He ticked off the names and histories of several zines during the interview, which Brian asked in amazement how he could even remember all of those names. He also talked about a store in Portland, OR that only has an inventory of D.I.Y. zines.

The zines, the music and the people-that’s all they are in it for. This is why when they are asked where they would like to see their band in the future, the answer is simple: still playing.

“As long as we play to new kids, it makes the songs feel new,” Walker said.

They also want their songs to make people think, but they are not overbearing about that. Their message is more subtle.

“Hopefully, the name will spark some interest to at least Google it,” Walker said.

Sparking interest and at the least prompting someone to investigate something a little further, in many ways encompasses what this band is about-and maybe that’s what being radical should be all about.