Arizona's punk rock music scene is exploding.
Authority Zero helped spotlight this music genre with their recent signing to Lava/Atlantic Records. Now bars and clubs are adding punk rock nights to their weekly entertainment roster and radio stations are playing what used to be obscure bands.
But what is punk rock? Is it more than simply a genre of music? Does spiky hair, a studded belt and a couple of tats transform a person into a punk rocker? My mom would certainly think so, but she's not an expert on this subject by any means.
So, to get to the bottom of this, State Press Magazine met up with Fourbanger over the weekend.
Fourbanger is a four-piece group out of Mesa that is made up of two brothers Eric Huffaker (guitar/vocals) and Kyle Huffaker (guitar/vocals) along with Jason Heiner (drums) and Jeff Standage (bass). The Huffaker brothers gave SPM the d.l. on a couple of key punk rock rules before getting into who Fourbanger really is.
Rule 1: Don't be embarrassed if you dig a popular punk rock act.
"Some people think it's not cool to like pop-punk like the Sum 41 or Blink 182 stuff," Kyle said. "Who cares? I'm open to anything. Maybe sometimes it's poppy but sometimes it's hard stuff and faster than your average punk."
Rule 2: Punk rock brings acceptance.
"Maybe you feel like an outcast somewhere else, but when you go to a punk show it's like you're accepted there and it makes you feel like you're a part of something, so that's cool," Eric said. "I think punk is doing whatever you want to do and not let anyone else stop you from doing that. Some people like pop-punk and that's cool, and some people don't and want to grow a mohawk."
Rule 3: Support the scene.
"What's ultimately going to help the scene is everybody coming out," Eric said. "People should find a local band that they like and go support them because that's just cool when you can find someone locally that you love. I love a lot of local bands. I think Redfield is real good and Logik is probably my favorite."
The 411 on Fourbanger
Now that we have a few punk rock rules out of the way (you'll have to discover the remainder on your own or find your own punk band to fill you in), meet Fourbanger.
The band, which has been together for three years, named their group after a four-cylinder engine — a Fourbanger.
"We wanted a name that was powerful and strong, not like a flower or something," Kyle explained.
With Eric and Jeff having a blood relation, one has to wonder if their brotherhood makes the band stronger or creates added stress.
"I think that's why the music is so good," Kyle said. "He (Eric) got into punk before I did. In '93, I was a sophomore and he was a senior and he brought home Lagwagon and Strung Out. We had heard Pennywise and Face to Face and thought it was really cool. And then he brought home Lagwagon and Strung Out and was like, 'listen to this.' And I got into it."
"We don't really ever fight because he can pretty much kick my ass every time," Eric added.
When asked to describe the band, Eric said, "Basically, we're just musicians, I guess. We write music about everything that anyone can go through. Most of our songs are pretty easy to relate to. Anyone can relate to them. We love harmonies and we love kind of tricky guitar stuff, tricky drums."
"We like exciting music so when we think of Fourbanger we think of exciting music," Kyle added. "It's exciting. It doesn't make you drive off a cliff."
Standage, an ASU CIS Major, is the newest member of the band. "I came in last summer," he said. "So I watched them for awhile before I joined the band. The stuff that stood out to me is that there's two guitars and they work together really well with harmonies and they know how to sing and they can sing together."
"Thanks, Jeff, " Kyle said, clearly touched.
Since the group has been together, they've performed all over town, from Donnie Brasco's to Jugheads to the Big Fish Pub to the Nile, and released two albums: Start Your Engines and a self-titled demo.
"We're pretty proud of the last recording," Kyle said. "We're treating it like a demo. We don't want people to look at it like we're on a label."
Rather than sing about government, religion or politics, the group covers songs that deal with overcoming depression, getting older and dealing with friends and relationships.
The band recently hooked up with a manager from Desert Heat Entertainment, a management company that may very well help them become the next signed group out of Arizona.
"We're really looking forward to trying to get signed and get a record deal," Kyle said. "We feel that our sound is unique in a way. It is punk rock, but I feel that the vocals make us different and the song writing and the harmonies."
When asked if they've had any bites from the majors, Kyle said, "We can't really discuss that because then it gets rumors out and makes us look like a bunch of asses for saying, 'we're getting signed'."
The group, who is between the ages of 23 to 27, thinks listeners may be surprised to discover their ages.
"I think some people would be surprised that we're older and that we've been doing this for a long time," Eric said. "There's a lot of bands with 15-year-olds. We've all been practicing musicians for six or seven years."
They also suggest checking out their live performance for further insight.
"When we play a place where no one has heard us, it stands out because their vocals come out and they sing together and it's not something you usually hear," Standage said. "They're just really fun to watch."
"Stop kissing our ass," Eric said laughing and then adding, "It's a good time. Anyone can come out. Our CDs are cheap and we usually play a really tight set."
Now what more could anyone ask for from a punk rock band?
Reach Kelly Wilson at musicdiva@asu.edu.
