While on my way back home to Philly recently, I ran into the Explosion/the Loved Ones members Dave Walsh and Chris Gonzalez on the Chinatown bus. I’m sure most readers of our site know that the Explosion recently announced their plans to disband after nine years of constant touring, with two full-length albums (a third, Bury Me Standing, waiting in the wings) and a handful of EPs left in their wake. The band has been a favorite of mine for quite some time now and I wouldn’t hesitate to put their best work Flash Flash Flash (Jade Tree) as one of the best punk rock albums of the last ten years.

I’ll be sad to see them go but at least the boys are keeping at it with different projects, specially Dave and Chris who recently joined the Loved Ones as full-time members. I had a chance to shoot Dave a few questions as the band was on their way to California to play the Explosion’s final West Coast show.

Damian has said before that band members being tired of the constant touring contributed to the break up. Were there any other factors in the decision to call it a day?
Well, for the most part I think Matt was finding touring to be more tedious than anything else. He was figuring that the law of diminishing returns was happening for the band, and in a way I totally can see that at this point. After touring constantly for nearly nine years, if there is not a substantial growth after the fifteenth tour, frustration definitely takes it’s toll.

As a band that went from indie to major, how do you feel the situation with Virgin effected your band? Are you a supporter now of the long-running belief that major labels destroy bands or were you on good terms with Virgin?
Our signing to Virgin effected the band and our personal lives in almost every way imaginable. First off, I will say that signing to a major label is one of those life decisions that I am extremely happy to have had. There are not a lot of people in the world who have had a company invest a million plus dollars in a group of friends that are creating a piece of art and poetry. In that way, I feel very fortunate for having had that opportunity. But, when you sign on to work with a label like Virgin, you form a partnership that you are not always going to be pleased with. I feel that we left on good terms with Virgin, absolutely.

Looking back, would you have changed anything in the band, in terms of direction, touring, etc.?
Yeah definitely. First, I would have wanted the band to do more headlining tours, and less support tours, built the core fan base up a bit, playing smaller venues to kids who want to be there, to see the Explosion, not big headliner X. As far as direction of the music, I would maybe change the direction of the way we recorded some of the albums; spend less money and time. Money and time can crush creativity, and suck urgency from an album.
What were some of your favorite moments over the last nine years with the Explosion?
I loved almost every moment, from the start to the end. Touring Europe and Australia, holding a koala bear named Dudley, playing Brixton Academy. Really just writing, traveling, performing and spending time with my best friends.

Any updates on when Bury Me Standing will be released?
No updates right now unfortunately. Our friends at Chunksaah have expressed interest in releasing it, so maybe that will happen. Also, my friend Pete Cardoso has pressed a 7″ with two tracks from the album, and a remix of one of the songs, that I did. His label is called Smash and Grab. They will be available at the last shows, and probably on our Myspace page after that. He has a 7″ series, of bands he likes, with famous artists who do the covers. Art Chantry did the artwork for ours, and it’s sick!

Even though the band relocated to Brooklyn years ago, was there any debate to have a final show in Boston as well?
Not really. To be honest, Boston was really good to us at the beginning. Again, we got diminishing returns playing Boston over the years. I am not talking shit on the city, it’s just one of those places. There is a large turnover of kids in the Boston scene, a lot of college kids, and a lot of people that move away from Boston when they get to be about twenty five. I mean, that is what happened to us. Maybe a Boston show would have been OK, but really we only had it in us to do these last two, in cities where we know the shows are going to kill. Philly and New York never disappoint.

How did you and Chris end up with the Loved Ones?
It’s funny. Dave texted me this past December, while I was visiting family in Miami. He asked if I wanted to go out with them to play second guitar for a tour of the East Coast. This was before the Explosion broke up. I wasn’t doing anything, so I said sure. About a week after that Spider quit the Loved Ones, and they were looking for a bass player to come in for that tour. Chris called me up and asked if I thought he could do it, and I said probably. I couldn’t see why not. Chrissy is an insane guitar player, so playing bass probably wouldn’t be that difficult. We practiced with Dave and Mike, and there was a great connection; really a perfect fit. After that tour, Matt told us that he intended to leave The Explosion. The timing couldn’t have been better, one door closed, and the next one opened.

Are you excited to be working with Pete and Bryan (of the Bouncing Souls) on the new album?
Extremely. I love and respect those dudes beyond belief. They have always given me and my band(s) a shot, taking us on tour with the Souls, just being there all the time. I feel that this will be a great meeting of the minds when we actually get into the studio

The Loved Ones just announced their involvement with CMJ 2007. Any other plans for the fall or is it really just all recording?
Recording, and a European tour with NOFX in November. Psyched for that.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Chrissy and I are talking about starting another band. A fast-pop-punk band with short songs. I got this name for it; Folded Flags. I think it will be cool, we will see. I may also play with Matt from the Explosion in a secret band, that I don’t think I am at liberty to discuss. Let’s just say this, it’s with a Japanese tattoo guy on a reality show (Editor’s note: Maybe this is who he is referring to?).

Just because we met on the Chinatown bus, have you had any life-threatening/incredibly-insane experiences on it, like so many others have?
I did drink with this awesome lady Violet once. She was on her way from Baltimore to meet up with some guy, because, and I quote, “baby daddy ain’t givin’ me what i need.” I sat next to her, in the only seat left on the bus, and she pulled out a bottle of Seagrams Gin and some fruit punch. She wanted to get loose, because she was nervous about meeting this guy. We passed the bottle around a while, and had a few laughs. I showed her a picture of my wife, and she thought we looked good together. It was so fun. We were laughing and hollering, and the people around us thought we were kooks. We talked about Dr. Phil and the Nation of Islam. Let’s just say that when we started talking all racial, religious, and sexual, tension went out the window. There was a mutual respect and human connection. It was like we were old friends. I wonder what she is up to now.

For all of you on the East Coast, be sure to make it out for the final shows. Next Friday, 8/31, at the First Unitarian Church with Modern Life Is War and Ram & Ox. For ticket info, go here. The final show will be in NYC the following day at the Knitting Factory with Modern Life Is War and the Ergs. For ticket info, go here.

Tags: Interview, The Explosion, The Loved Ones //