FEED THE CHILDREN, YOU DUMMY
A CONVERSATION WITH CHEAP TISSUE
The eclectically-named garage punk band Cheap Tissue brings back the nostalgia of old school punk rock with its no-bullshit attitude, mocking the inauthenticity of new age politics and the hyperreal LA social scene to a backdrop of fast, banging riffs. Theyβre all about the music, without a trace of diva: βI prefer to not listen to my own musicβ, Andrew Taylor (guitar/vox) says, βIβm not Mariah Carey or Anton Newcombeβ.
The band members have all been playing music since childhood, and have hopped from band to band ever since.Β Matt Spizer (drums) played in The Hunns and was later in a band with The Damnedβs Brian James; John Tyree (bass/vox) was a member of Richmond Sluts and plays with Derv Gorden from The Equals. Jesse Youngblood (guitar/vox) and Taylor played in a band together about ten years ago, and when they started thinking about getting together a new band, it βall just kinda worked outβ. The process of finding a solid lineup for a band can be grueling: βJesse and I started writing, we switched a couple members in the beginning, tried various people outβ, Taylor recalls, conceding, βbut this lineup has been solid for a whileβ. Though the bandmates have all βplayed several different styles of musicβ, the βdifferent styles come togetherβ, lending a clarity to Cheap Tissueβs wild, frenzied sound. βEverything weβve all done relates to our influence and playing styleβ, Taylor asserts, βwe all enjoy and take from various elements and put it all together in our own wayβ.
Most of the band members are originally from California, with Taylor from Long Beach, Tyree from Riverside, and Spizer from Hollywood, making their transitions to LA life fairly natural. Youngblood grew up in Uruguray and later lived in Santa Barbara, which is where he and Taylor met, as Taylor had βmoved there briefly, trying to chill outβ. Though none of the band members grew up in LA, it is βdefinitely all of our homes, and we love it hereβ β though it seems like a strange breed of love, given their lyrics heavy LA-mocking bent.
βA lot of our songs are about social commentary in the LA world that we live inβ Taylor says β and Cheap Tissueβs music definitely echoes its classic punk rock predecessors in condemning the fakeness of Hollywood culture. The bandβs first album, Cheap Tissue, was released in March and is a quintessential punk bandβs first LP, complete with distorted vocals and guitars, fast tempos, and lyrics that celebrate old school rock ‘nβ roll. βThe main thing about the first album was basically that all of your ridiculous new age ideals are selfish bullshit that you justify by telling other people that they are mean and/or insensitiveβ, he explains. βIβm not condoning bullying or any sort of fascism, Iβm just being honest. Some of this shit has gone too far and itβs laughable. Everyone just needs to shut the fuck up and live the best way that they can. Be respectful to others, but do not condone bullshit sympathy cardsβ.
CHEAP TISSUE ALBUM REVIEW
The first track on Cheap Tissue is a catchy, hard-edged riot song called βFeed the Childrenβ and βthe first song Jesse and [Taylor] wrote togetherβ. Its tune and lyrics are prototypical β80βs garage punk, with gritty guitars and a punk-rock agenda:
βWe donβt want to see your face
We donβt want to hear your human lies
We donβt want to play around no more
We just want to walk out the door.β
In line with the no-diva attitude of a true rocker, the two βbullshitted it forever until [they] actually wrote the lyricsβ, yet the songβs message is genuine. βThis is basically itβ, Andrew explains. βCut the shit. Your problems are privileged and stupid and youβre being a baby 99 percent of the time. Care about something more important than yourself, because youβre not important at all. Feed the children, you dummyβ.
The bandβs songwriting process is unplanned and organic; the songs sound like a whirl of chaotic sonic energy, fueled by passion, booze, and impromptu late-night jam sessions. βSometimes I will finish a song both lyrically and melodically and then other elements come inβ¦sometimes a song gets written with the entire band and the lyrics get written lastβ, Taylor says. βWe all have so many influences from the β40βs to presentβ¦our influences are derived mostly from β60βs garage and β70βs and early β80βs punk, but we all like blues, soul, girl groups, jazz…. all that shitβ. Though Cheap Tissue is βobviouslyβ¦of a certain clothβ, they have βtons of songs that [they] havenβt put out yet that span genresβ, so while they might stick to their classic punk routine, expect the band to integrate other genres into their music, as βNew Promotionβ did on Cheap Tissue, fusing punk rock with a β50βs vibe and Elvis-style modulated vocals.
βBand names are usually musiciansβ least favorite part of being in themβ, Taylor maintains, and Cheap Tissueβs name is a common point of misconception: βitβs not about toilet paper, despite popular beliefβ, they insist, though they admit, βwe have thrown it out at shows as a joke occasionallyβ. Though the name βCheap Tissueβ was flippantly posed βas kind of a jokeβ by Taylorβs girlfriend, it is a name with substance behind it. Given the bandβs propensity to criticize LA culture, βit just was funny to all of us to refer to everyone as cheap human meat bags. Tissue refers to flesh. Not toilet paperβ. βToilet paper is also funβ, Andrew muses, βit doesnβt really matter anywayβ.
When asked about plans for future music, Cheap Tissue answered that theyβre βgonna do the same thingβ¦do what we wantβ. βSome things weβve been working on are similar, some are differentβ,Andrew adds enigmatically, βyouβll see pretty soonβ.
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