Californian band returns to the country this week for four shows.
Between the 1970s and 1980s, the punk movement was born, bringing notoriety to bands like the Ramones , The Clash , and Bad Religion Do It Yourself style, and among them was Pennywise .
Formed in 1988 and still active today, the Californian group took inspiration from the creature in Stephen King's horror novel It for its name and since then, with its politically charged lyrics and fast-paced sound, has been one of the biggest names in the American underground scene.
After 30 years of success, the band went through some tough times, such as the suicide of their first bassist and main songwriter, Jason Thirsk , in 1996, when they had only released three albums. But the band managed to recover with the hiring of Randy Bradbury , who had previously worked with the band as a guest musician.
Now, years later, Bradbury is one of the pillars of the group and one of those responsible for keeping Pennywise the underground punk rock icon it is today. “When you start making music, you don’t imagine you’ll be able to do it for so long,” the bassist says in an interview with Wikimetal . “We’re very lucky to still be doing what we do, and you only realize that when you look back and see everything you’ve been through.”
This week, the group arrives in Brazil with the We Are One Tour promoting their most recent album, Never Gonna Die , released this year. The shows will take place in Fortaleza (November 29th), Rio de Janeiro (November 30th), São Paulo (December 1st) and Curitiba (December 2nd). “We always enjoy going to Brazil,” he confesses, “The audience is always lively and very energetic, and it’s a beautiful place with beautiful beaches,” he says, recalling past tours here when he and his bandmates enjoyed the Brazilian seas for surfing, “But I confess I don’t remember much, because my memories are flooded with the alcohol we consumed there,” he says, laughing.
At 54, Bradbury admits that life on the road isn't always easy. All the members already have families with children, "But we try not to stay on the road for too long without coming home. I think my wife even likes it when I'm not around," he jokes on the phone while sitting in his home studio.
Speaking about the new album, the bassist explains that they sought to maintain the original sound that won over the fans: “If our fans want to hear reggae, they’ll put on Bob Marley . When they want to hear Pennywise, that’s exactly what they want to hear, and that’s what we’re going to deliver, for as long as they allow us to continue doing so.”
The creative process on Never Gonna Die followed the same pattern as the band's other eleven studio albums: each member brings their ideas to the studio and together they work on the tracks, but today, technology makes the work easier. "Before, we always got together in the studio, but now it's easier, you can record a lot of things at home."
"Basically, what we do is each person records their ideas at home, and then we get together in the studio and listen to everything. Before, when I had an idea, I had to wait for the next session to go into the studio and try to explain what I was thinking to the others; now I arrive with everything ready to be discussed."
But Bradbury admits that this ease has its downside, "I think it's made people lazier, because before, in my day, you needed to know how to play well, otherwise the recording would be bad. Now, you can fix everything in the programs. I don't like that, but it's the price to pay for the convenience of making music."
Never Gonna Die is like any other Pennywise album, with strong and political lyrics. "We just want more equality and for everyone to be happy, you know?" he confesses. The bassist says that despite the band's themes, they don't seek to go against any ideology or party, "I don't want to tell people what they should think, otherwise we would be as bad as what we criticize so much. Our message is: wake up and look around, see what's happening and do something, anything. We want everyone to be able to think for themselves, without the influence and pressure of family, friends and colleagues."
“You can’t just come along and say someone is wrong for thinking that way; everyone has the right to believe what they want, and that’s why we fight,” he says. “I want music to be something that helps people. Music is something that makes you feel good and helps you forget about your problems for a while,” he says, sending a message to his Brazilian fans: “Come to the show, have fun, and let’s forget about our problems together and have a good time.”
“People are fighting all the time and I can’t take it anymore,” he says, sounding a little discouraged. “These issues need to be discussed, and I think it’s important to bring them to the table, but respect is being lost… I want people to remember to have fun once in a while. That’s why I make music.”
“I know it’s a cliché, but life is a journey and you have to enjoy every moment of it, otherwise, what’s the point of it all? What are we doing here? Every individual, every life matters. In the end, what matters is being a good person and doing good for yourself and others. The world is crazy and we have crazy people in power and some of us are genuinely unhappy with that, but let’s forget about that for a while and just enjoy music together and have fun?”
