Good, Clean Fun
Interview With December Suicide
Los Angeles
From Issue 1.1, September/October 2004
Five hours later. Too many drinks later. Too many unnecessary friends later. Too much joking and not enough serious answers later, the interview with Los Angeles County band December Suicide finally ended.
An hour after the start of the interview, a quick assessment of the band turned up a group of people interested in crass oddities with the sick humor of junior high boys telling inside jokes better left unprinted.
They like to make themselves laugh.
They like to make fun of each other.
They like to have fun, but they do not like talking to reporters with an agenda.
After all, the band does not have an agenda and they ignore any discussion that revolves around responsibility and deep meanings of what it is they do. That is just the way it is.
They are a band. They have fun and that is it. That would be the end of their story were it not for the fact that they are very good. This makes it all the more difficult to walk away from their somewhat self-deprecating humor.
However, bass player Xavier openly admitted his bandmates are good at what they do.
Take for example, their lead vocal singer and lyricist, Cory. He writes rather poetic lyrics. On the band’s demos his voice is faded compared to the volume of the instruments, which adds a chilling and hypnotic edge to the music. However, he warned fans, “Don’t take us too seriously.”
He jokingly attributed motivation for writing the lyrics to his bouts with bi-polar disorder. Then he gave a more serious answer.
“It’s just experience,” said Cory. “Just everyday. I’ve always done it. All through high school it’s just easy to express. It’s really what just comes at the time. I don’t know. I just write a lot about what I feel at the time.”
After that comment though, he snapped back into the reality of a pizzeria and a long tabel surrounded by his band mates and a bunch of friends as they passed around a napkin with what else, but more ramblings scrawled on it.
Coming back down to a level of seriousness, Xavier shouted out their guitar player Ryan is, “the best guitar player in the world-you’ve gotta get that one down.”
Listening to the songs, December Suicide has fast, catchy riffs. The speed of how they are able to play is obviously on their side. The roll of Ralph’s drums comes banging down with Chavez’s bass and Ryan’s guitar with seamless intensity. December Suicide is good at changing tempos and juxtaposing Ralph’s insanely fast drumming and Chavez’s powerful bass, with Ryan’s shifting rhythms and Cory’s voice. Their music, unlike the band’s interview, is not easily dismissable trash. This is ironic considering they come off sounding as if they do not care.
The songs do not waste time making the music flowery-something hard to do when a lot of their songs revolve around girls. The music is upbeat without sounding like another tired pop band.
However, the band would never classify themselves as pop, or punk or any other genre for that matter. They just play what sounds good to them and whatever is fun. It is not punk or pop. Simply put, it is good music to blast in the car or to hear at a show.
“Punk is the past-that’s what it is,” said Xavier obviously irritated someone would even ask what punk is.
Formerly known as the Liberats, December Suicide came about in 2000. Ralph and former guitarist Brandon formed the band in 1998. However, the band grew tired of their old sound and songs. Armed with a new guitarist, new band name and new material, they picked up where the Liberats subsided.
“Everyone learned to play their instruments,” said Ryan of the major transitions the band experienced.
“We all got better,” added Xavier.
Self-released demos in 2002 and 2003 were followed by December Suicide tracks on the Radio Disaster Vol. 7 compilation in 2004.
All of their demos are self-released and according to Xavier there is no point in putting a price tag on the music. “Why charge people when you know they can’t afford it,” he asked. Anyone interested in the music, has the option of buying it, or the music is available through the band’s website (www.geocities.com/likeyoumoredead.html).
Fast-forward another two hours later into the interview, the band was still joking minus Ralph, a former carbohydrate counter, who decided to go jogging at the last minute.
A lull occured and Xavier and Ryan now want questions.
Xavier began to describe another band he is involved with, Barbie and the Hookers, and detailed the various venues that band played at.
Ryan goofed off in the background with constant sarcasm spewing from his mouth delievered with deadpan seriousness.
“We’re all cynics; we’re all selfish,” Cory said earlier of himself and the band. The band’s technician Juan added, “You guys are like a volcano. You’re dormant for awhile, but then you’ll play like three, four shows.”
Now that Ralph is back from a lengthy stay in Missouri, the band intends to practice and play more concerts.
Ready for pictures, Ralph wandered back in wearing a stupid cowboy hat. The group lined up constantly laughing.
As for a story and the defunct interview, it flew out the window from the beginning. These are just guys having fun, making music that should be heard. There is no point in dissecting the music until it bleeds and becomes another tired band story.
Perhaps, writing about music is stupid. Sometimes, you just have to listen to it.