You’re starting your UK/European tour this April, which is the first time you've toured here in five years, so how excited are you for this tour, and also how stoked are you to be starting it at this years GROZEROCK festival? I am very much looking forward to performing in Europe and the U.K. again, not to mention that I get to rediscover the art museums, amazing food culture, walk around the tiny streets and corridors at night alone exploring and taking photography. I simply cannot wait, as for Groezrock it is an honor to be a part of it. We are good friends with Bill and Stephen of Descendents who will be there playing as FLAG! To get in the crowd and shout along with all of those old Black Flag songs is going to be great. I'm also excited for Samiam, Bad Religion, Grade and Rocket From The Crypt. All in all it is refreshing to play a Rock festival that actually has some artists that are more about heart and substance, as music is felt with your hearts, it is not about image.
You've seen band members come and go over the years, so why do you think the band has seen so many members leaving? Ultimately the band in a recording sense has always been me doing all of the recording, I write the parts, show the drum parts to the drummer and then the drummer and I record the album together. I can play drums although not confidently enough to expand upon the basic grid I write for my songs. I am good enough to show the basic drum parts that I want for each song and then I like to work with a drummer that can expand upon my basic ideas and push the songs to be something better. For the last several years that means drummer Bob Hoag and I have been in the studio, he also runs the studio Flying Blanket in Mesa, Arizona where I do all of my recording. Now as for the changing of the live line up. I have moved around the country a lot, had some members fall to the excess of drug or alcohol addiction, one got married and started his own studio... But currently Bryan Nelson our bass player has been playing with me for roughly five years now, he is my best friend, a solid player and a great partner, Thomas Holst joined as our second guitar player two years ago when we relocated to Arizona to be closer to Bob Hoag and his studio. And recently our friend Erik Perkins joined as our drummer, he toured with us last year in his old band Far From Finished who are also good friends of ours. I feel we all push each other to be better players, we are good at improvising, and vibing off each other. Like for instance we have a good chemistry on stage where I feel we are able to make the songs stronger, where we build upon them whilst still keeping them true to the original idea. The true testament of a good band is that I feel we bring such fresh new life into many of the old recordings, and some of the songs that to me at 36 may sound slightly dated on the albums, I feel that on a good night we can just totally crush it when we perform them live. There is actually a FREE live recording on our Bandcamp page as well, it was from our 2012 U.S. tour.
Regarding to the Rob Felicetti and the on-stage calamity, for those that don't know could you put the story straight about why it happened? I treat my band like family, we all love each other very much and we are brothers. I had the same mutual feelings for Rob and I feel that I am a very tolerant person, but when someone shows up on stage and cannot even play the songs because they are too inebriated then you are not only letting down the other three of us but most importantly you are letting down the fans who payed money to see you. I have no tolerance for that sort of behavior. Drink, have fun, whatever but when it comes time to play a show, then go out there, have a blast, and give it your 110% because there are thousands upon thousands of kids that would fucking LOVE to be doing what we are doing.