Photo credit: Brian Froustet
When you listen to D.C-based Police and Thieves, it’s almost like you are hearing the perfect union between the new and old school approach to that area’s rich musical history. I could rattle the list off, but that would be a waste of time so let’s just focus on this amazing band and their new record Amor Y Guerra.
I can’t help but think of a recent episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” when I think about P&T. In that particular episode, Anthony explored the “other” D.C.; the one that exists outside the political spectrum. You don’t have to be from that area to know that Police and Thieves are the sound of that “other” D.C., just like their peers before them. It’s politically-minded, pissed off, and progressive hardcore.
I had a chance to exchange a few words with lead singer Carlos Izurieta not too long ago. Read on and definitely check out this band.
You have been involved in the D.C. scene for quite some time now; notably with your old band Worn Thin. Over the years, what has D.C.’s music scene meant to you?
C: As I get older, I am beginning to appreciate and see the full scope of the musical history of this city and I am proud to be from here. The thing is D.C. was never a hotbed of commercially successful bands but it had bands that influenced many of those bands. One example of that is how many mainstream bands cite Minor Threat as a big influence. Awhile back, I was reading in Rolling Stone how Jack Johnson learned to play guitar by playing Minor Threat songs. I see the loose connection with surfing and digging aggressive music but it’s more than that. It spawned so many sounds and movements such as straight edge, emo and then later on the whole “Dischord sound” that so many indie and post punk bands have. But I think it’s biggest influence on the underground music scene was it’s sense of community and merging the music being made with political and social activism through concerts/protests and organizations such as Positive Force.
Read more after the jump.
Speaking of the album, Amor Y Guerra translates to love and war. Simply put, what do those two words mean to you?
C: Well to me, they describe the current state of the world we live in. I see how people use their love of ideals to wage war on people who do not agree with them. Not to delve into religion but you see how the lessons of the past have not been learned. To this day, you still see the love of religion and ideals being used as a tool for war and hate. Just replace the conquistadors with modern armies and crusades with occupations and you see they are doing the exact same thing, forcing ideals and religion on people who do not want that way of life.
When people see the band’s name, I’d be willing to bet that the first thing that pops into their head is The Clash song. The name doesn’t actually stem from them though. Can you explain the correct origin of the moniker and why you chose it to represent your sound?
C: You are exactly right. It comes from a song written by a Jamaican reggae artist named Junior Murvin. We had our first show and had settled on this horrible name, The Law. No one loved it and no one hated it so we kept it. The day of the show our friend Tad, who had designed the layout for the demo suggested we call ourselves Police & Thieves after the Junior Mervin song. No one had really thought about that name till then. We all liked the song and the name was cool so we went with it. Immediately afterwards, a bunch of people were emailing us asking us if we knew their was already a band called Cops and Robbers, which was pretty amusing to me since we were friends with one or two of the members and my old band Worn Thin had played with them before.
Your songs have a deep and straight forward socio-political message. Our country is dramatically changing and some people seem to be labeling Barack Obama as almost this Superman-esque hero, destined to save us in our troubled times. Personally, while I support his election and thinks it’s a big step forward, there are still things that are painfully ignored. The thing that stands out in my mind was the passing of Proposition 8 in California the same day many people were feeling euphoric about Obama’s victory. People seem to be all about one huge event while a major human rights violation can just seemingly slip through the cracks at the same time. What do you make of this and can we stay balanced?
C: I think with this latest Presidential election, we are on our way to becoming a more equal society. We are not there yet but we are taking big steps forward. There is still a lot of work to be done to level the playing field especially in women’s and gay rights. You cite a perfect example with the passing of Proposition 8, being California is a blue state. You have to scratch your head and wonder how in the hell it passed. Then you see there are select groups in this country who do not think everyone in this country should have equal rights, only the ones who think like them. I mean how do you go from allowing gay marriages to banning gay marriages? Just looking at things like that you realize how far we have to go until everyone in our society has equal rights. As I said before, women’s rights are still largely ignored in this country and were definitely trampled upon by our current administration. As of right now, I don’t think anything can trump electing a minority as president and hopefully in my lifetime we will see a female president as well. As a society, we need to exude greater tolerance amongst each other from Democrats and Republicans to whites and minorities. We need to break down these barriers and stereotypes that stop us from getting to know one another and we need to not be afraid to listen and learn about new things and new cultures. I think music has a way of doing this as music seems to affect everyone of every race around the world and brings people together regardless of religious or political affiliation. It knows no borders; it knows no race.
Where do you think punk and hardcore will go from here with the political and economic landscape changing?
C: Hopefully, if the changes Obama promised come to fruition, I think we will see the punk and hardcore movement move towards a more community based form of activism on a local level. As you can see, most of this country is hurting and is in need of help. Before this recession happened, there were several millions of people who were uninsured. Now, with the rising unemployment rates, it will get even worse as more and more people struggle just to pay their rent and mortgages. We are facing tough times and I hope we will begin to see more people working within their community to help those in need, especially as we face one of the worst recessions this country has ever seen.
I read that you are working on getting your masters degree in Latin American studies. What do you plan on using your degree for?
C: I was working on it, but took some time off to really think about what I wanted to do with my life. It’s funny, when I was growing up, I always heard from adults once you graduate from college you will know what you want to do for the rest of your life. But being several years removed from college, I still struggle with that question about what I want to do with my life. But I know that I want to help people and know that, at the end of the day, I tried to make a difference and that I did not squander all the opportunities that were given to me. I initially wanted to use that masters degree in Latin American studies to teach at the university level, but now I see that maybe that’s not the best way to help the people in my community. I live in a neighborhood in D.C. called Mt. Pleasant; a largely Hispanic neighborhood that is going through gentrification. I see a lot of people in need of help on an educational as well as a financial level. Just recently I was working with a non-profit organization in D.C., called Families Against Mandatory Minimums, translating letters from prisoners who were unfairly sentenced, many of them Hispanic and poor. This got me thinking that for at least the time being, working with organizations such as these seemed like the best way to make a positive impact on my community.
What are the band’s plans for the rest of the year and for 2009?
Michael, our original guitar player, is quitting the band to concentrate on law school so we are are working with a new guitar player to replace him. After that, we will begin to write new songs for a 12-inch EP on Youngblood Records. We want to play the Northwest this spring as well as do some touring through the Midwest to Chicago, as well as down south to Texas and possibly Mexico.
Any final shout outs/thank yous/experiences you’d like to share with us?
Check out new records from these bands from the D.C. area: Control, Mindset and Savageland.
