Fritch Clark is a 48 year old 3rd generation New Bruswicker, who claims he's a shy guy.  But when I broke out the recorder he talked and talked and talked and didn't seem shy at all.  When he talks about music and the New Brunswick "scene" he gets all gitty and smiley. Fritch made a rad movie call “The Last Bastions of Rock” that you should definitely check out.  If the interview doesn't read like a normal interview it’s because Fritch talked for 64 minutes and I talked for 2.  Thanks Fritch. I appreciate the time you gave me.

LP: How did you get into music?

F:  I would listen to RSU to hear about football and stuff and heard music that the big radio stations weren't playing.  In the 70's it was all Led Zeppelin and I could never be that cuz they were just so good.  It wasn't till I heard The Ramones and I was like, these dudes are kinda geeky, I'm geeky, I could do this.  The music’s not great and I can strum along to it.  They were a real people's band.  College radio has gotten me into a lot of bands.  The first big concert I went to was Kiss and I knew I was never gonna be that.  That's why I loved The Ramones so much.  It was cheap to go and you could see yourself doing that.  In 1978 I saw a band named The Dead Kennedy's in Trenton and I just got it. The best music I've ever heard in the worst place possible.  Calhoun Street in Trenton, NJ.  I remember going back to school and seeing kids in their Bob Seager shirts and just being like you don't get it.  You don't know what you're missing.  I had DK and Black Flag shirts.  I got it right away.  This was before the internet so you would show up and put your name on a mailing list and get flyers in the mail.  The 1st I heard of The Court Tavern, it was across the street and Joe's (The bartender) grandfather owned it.  It was called Joe's bar.  Well I would go out, because in those days 18 was the drinking age.  High schoolers went to the bar and drank.  Can you imagine drinking at 18?

LP: Legally you mean?  I knew plenty of high schoolers who drank.

F: But I would come here because my mom said she knew the owner.  But Bobby's father owned it by then, not Joe Zimmerman (the guy my mom knew).  I would come here because people were accepting.  You know when you walk into a bar and everyone turns and stares at you?

LP: You mean you get the record scratch reaction when you walk into the room?

F: Yeah, well that didn't happen here or the Melody.  Nobody really gave a shit.  They were busy doing there own thing.  So New Brunswick became my home base but there was another place, The Dirt Club in Bloomfield that I also liked.  It was owned by Johnny Dirt, who just recently passed away, and it was an old house (Johnny lived upstairs), just a blue collar bar that had original bands.  This guy would tend bar in a leather jacket and boxer shorts.  Back then The Court, The Dirt and City Gardens were the only places to see original music.  Everywhere else had cover bands.  These places had REAL music.

LP: There's a reason why people come here (The Court) the beer is cold, the music is loud and people want to fucking hang out.  Do you consider yourself a filmmaker or was this the best way to tell your story?

F: Oh yeah, I a filmmaker.  I started as a kid making Super 8 films by myself, and then in 1990 I made 16 mm film projection in the Rutgers film co-op.  I learned a lot from Alan Igrin at Rutgers.  He was my mentor.

LP: Was the footage in the documentary all yours?

F: I was lucky to get a lot of photos of from different people and Darrell, from Channel X in Piscataway, gave me a lot of footage.  PCTV (Piscataway TV) was big for me because that's where I learned about video(ED's note- Filming and making a film involves film.  The actual thing known as film.  Video is a tape.  Completely different medium here, especially in those days).  But yeah, that's a lot of my footage.  Around 2001 the Melody closed and I saw a flyer that said Come Save The Court Tavern, because the city wanted to redevelop this area.  I went, along with about 500 hundred other people, to the city hall meeting and I taped it.  It was the most important thing I've ever filmed.  I just wanted to document stuff that was happening to the places I loved.  I walked by the Melody for years (when it was closed) on my way to work and the day they razed it I filmed it.  I just wanted to show how the city changed from when I knew it in 1980.

F: The Court started by Bobby Sr. having Bobby Jr.’s friend’s play.  See the mural on the wall downstairs with the fingers in his ears?  That's Bobby's father.  He didn't understand any of that, but he still gave opportunity to the kids. Jim from The Smithereens gave Bobby that gold record and that meant a lot to Bobby Sr.  The main thing about the movie is, it’s a family run bar.  It's like a town center.  It's pretty amazing that in the worse parts of New Jersey, the best music came out.  I really wanted to make this documentary, but it had to be good because people from Brunswick would see it, and show about the Bobby’s, Jr.  & Sr., and the music that came out of it.  New Brunswick was a special place at the time.  The Court, the Melody, the Roxy, Patrix.

LP: The Bowl-O-Drome.  The Underground.  That was under the hotel right?

F: Yeah it was.  I just wanted to show that you need to show love to places that support live, original music.  Even though this place is a dive bar, it's still got a lot of love.  It's run like a dysfunctional family.  Everyone can agree on one thing and that's We need a place to play.

LP: Awhile back while prowling on MySpace I found the map of the New Brunswick bars on your page.  I showed my parents and they were all smiles being like I remember The Underground, I remember Bowl-O-Drome.  Is that who this film was made for or was it more the younger kids to try to educate them?

F: I wanted to make the movie for everybody.  New Brunswick has a great musical history.  We can go way back, the guy who wrote the music for The Charleston came from New Brunswick.  New Brunswick music didn't start in the 80's and stop in the 90's.  It's always been here and will always be here.  It might be different now the in the 80's with all the clubs but I'm not gonna compare this decade to that decade.  The movie gave me a chance to give back.  I feel very blessed to have been a part of this great scene.  I was never in a band, but I lived in these clubs.  They gave me, and a bunch of other people, a place to go and a place to feel comfortable.  It also gave me a chance to interview some people I would have been to shy to talk to otherwise.  I'm kinda of a dork.

LP: Most musicians are dorks to.  That’s the great thing about music, these guys aren't some athlete who's all big and crazy fast, these are regular guys.

F: I could have just made the movie about The Court but I really wanted to show all of Jersey's great music.  These were the clubs I went to and that's what I wanted to show.  I also went to a lot of basement shows.  Basement shows will live for ever here in New Brunswick.  So many huge bands have played basements here in NB.

LP: I think that's why I like playing the Court so much is because it's like playing someone's basement.

F: I also wanted to make this movie as a thank you to the owners of these clubs that allowed me to see shows.  I would have gladly paid more money then I had to, to see these bands.  That's happening now.  You're seeing bands that maybe 20 years down the road you can say I seen them at The Court.  I bought a shirt from Marc Echo when he was a student here.  You never know who these people might become.

LP: Do you think it was better being in a band back when?  Ya know when people had to come to your shows to see you or better now with how easy it is to get your music to the public?

F: AHHH, it's just different now man.  It was a special time.  Handmade flyers and records.  Buying merch directly from the band.

LP: Did me and my generation miss something special?  It's never gonna be like that again.  I feel like I missed something.

F: You're just realizing that the bands you love now are big time bands.  The Descendents, Sick of It All, The Bouncing Souls, and bands like that, they all played places like The Court and City Gardens before they got big.  Ten years from now you might be saying "I saw those guys at The Court" when the next band from here get famous.  Did you miss something?  Well you missed that time and place but you're here for the next time and place.  You're a part of it now.  What's going on now you're a part of.

LP: Just being in a band I feel like I missed out on something.  To be able to play at maybe The Court and The Roxy on the same night or just get on more shows in general.  I don't know.  I just feel like it will never be like that.

F: It won't be like that.  A lot of people at that time lived in New Brunswick.  The Bouncing Souls had a house, Inspecter 7 lived here.  You could drink a lot at any bar and just walk home.  That's one thing I do miss is being able to pop in and pop out of a lot of shows on any given night.  Asbury Park is like that now.  I really like The Asbury Lanes.  I feel like they get it. 

LP: Why did you make this movie?

F: I felt it was my civic duty to do this movie.  I wanted to give back to the bar owners and bands that gave me so much.  I wanted to make a positive piece explaining why all these places were so special.  Not everybody got to know Jonny Dirt, Randy Now and Bob Sr. I wanted to get on record what these owners had to say about that time.  I wanted to show people these owners because not everybody knew these people.  New Jersey in general just has a great history of music, movies and art.  I just wanted to show that.  We're not The Sopranos and Jersey Shore strerotype.

LP: What do you think was the decline of the "Rock Club" as we know it?

F: There were a lot of factors.  Drinking age had a lot to do with it.  People started suing also.  Some kid got hurt at City Gardens and sued.  I came from the Old School.  If I got hurt doing something stupid my father would say "You deserved it”, these kids weren't like that.  There were some owner disputes, like at the Melody.  Plus people grow up.  They get jobs and start families.  It was the right time for it and people took advantage of it.

LP: There's a small window for things like this.  For a band, a movie, a comedian, a "scene" even.  You never know, the window could re-open.

F: New Jersey has a great history of music and that's what it's about.  Music is in the last place you look.  Like love, you don't go looking for love it just finds you.

LP: That's a great place to end it.  Do you have any thank yous?

F: Court Tavern, Rest in Piece Jonny Dirt, Che Fontaine from Born Reckless.   

Issue #8 Kid Nichols Interview

Bob-Sings/Guitars

Casey-Drums

Kyle-Bass/Sings

Greg-Guitar

LP: Lets start with the standard band interview questions - How did you guys meet, how long you been around, where are you from?

B: I will take the lead on this one

G: Bob will take everyone

B: I'll take the lead and let Greg finnish.  Well me and him (Greg) were in a band together that wasn't very good.  We stopped playing after a while and we asked Kyle, who we knew through a friends band, to play bass and got Casey, Greg's friend to play drums.  Now you guys fill in the gaps.

G: Me and Bob have been jamming in one way or another since we were fifteen, and Me and Kyle were in a cover band for shits and giggles for awhile.

LP: So you guys are all from the same town?

Everyone: Middletown.

LP: So do you guys know Knowshon Moreno?  Is that your boy?

B: He went to high school with my wife's sister.  They were in the same grade.  He's actually a really nice guy.

LP: So you've known each other for awhile and your all from Middletown, How long has Kid Nichols been around?

G: About a year, about a year this month.

K:Me and Greg were in a cover band for like 3 years playing bars and Casey used to come out an see us and we started talking about old punk albums and we started learning them and Greg contacted Bob

B: And was telling them that I missed being in a band and we should get together and make music

K: I did both (cover band & Kid Nichols) for a while and then just backed away from the cover band completely

B: Yeah, you were doing like a 1/3 of one and 3/4 of the other (Eds note- nice math)

K: The cover band just stopped being fun

LP: So I saw you guys opened for TSOL and Shot Baker at Santos Party House- How did that happen?  How sore are you knees from that one?

B: Greg's still cleaning out his mouth in that one.  Very, very, very soft hands.

LP: Not Andy Diamond soft though

B: No his are like babies hands

LP: And very white teeth

B: And a very well manicured moustash.  I must say Andy knows how to take care of himself.

G: I just had an email communication with the dudes from Rocks Off when they were booking the Souls booze cruise and just keep in touch through emails.  I asked him did he have any shows and he said how bout TSOL at Santos.  What was I gonna say "No we don't wanna play with TSOL".  It actually wasn't that hard getting on that show to be completely honest.

B: That was a strange day because I was the first to get there and I didn't know who worked there or who booked the show or anything, so I just walked in with me gear and said to someone "Hi, I'm from Kid Nichols" and the dude was like "Hi, I'm from TSOL" and I'm just like "You sure are, you sure are." It was weird cuz he didn't know who to talk to either.  Those guys were real cool though.

K: They weren't all holier then thou.  They hung out with us for awhile telling stories.  Their tame stories destroy our craziest ones. 

LP: Let's talk about where the name Kid Nichols came from?

B: Me and Greg, when he would be at work and I would be home on the computer, would trade off ridiculous statistics on baseballreference.com and would basically send each other links.  Check out Old Hoss Radbourn or 3 Finger Brown, and Kid Nichols was just one of the guys.  When it came to naming the band I thought it kinda sounded rad.  Me and Greg were dead set on the name but were hesitent to bring up to the other guys.

K:  At first I was thinking Nickels.  Like dimes and nickels.  I was like your not talking about the turn of the century baseball player are you?  It's a rad name.  Why wouldn't I want to be in a band named Kid Nichols.

B: And then Casey was like "sure, whatever"

LP: Drummers never seem to give a shit about anything band related.  Are you a typical drummer or do you actually care what happens?

B: He's the the producer of the band.  He's definatley not the not give a shit drummer.  He gives a lot of shit.

K: The second song we wrote was his song.

C: I stay up till 4 in the mourning cutting up and mixing practices, producing songs and sending out to these guys.

B: It's not just a clever name he IS actually our producer.  He's producing the record.

K: Every practice we have he spends time setting up stuff to record and cuts the stuff up and tells us what should be where. It's rad.

C: Besides that I actually produce the songs that are gonna be on the record.  Recording practice is not much producing.

LP: Should we talk about the album?  Do you wanna talk about the album?  We should talk about the album?

B: Sure we can talk about the album.  We recorded drums, guitar, and bass at the Boombox studios in very very ass south Jersey with our boy Donnie Switchblade, of The Rumblers, and we're doing the vocals with Casey here.

C: Yeah I'm just enginering  the vocals and adding other shit, so right now were still building some of the songs with vocals and harmonies and melodies.  But it's good that these guys are in town.  A couple of nights a week we try shit.  Just hum something, does it fit, doe it work?  Let's try it.  Some shit you like, some shit you don't.

LP: So when can we expect this album to be done?

B: Gun to my head I'd say September.  Well if all goes right.

C: I don't wanna put a date on it.

G: September or October.

LP: I won't print a month.  How about I say a Fall release.

B: Autumn.  A quarter 4 release.  We don't even have a name yet.

LP: So who are the baseball fans in the band?

Everyone: We all are.

B: It's not so much we're fans but stat heads.

LP: So whose your team?

B: (While wearing a Red Sox hat) Mets

G: You're only wearing it to get a rise outta Yankee fans

B: So It would be like you wearing a Braves hat to get a rise outta me

G: Well I wouldn't do it

B: I don't care if you do it.  It wouldn't bother me

G: I'm a Yankee fan, that's why I wouldn't do it

K: Yankees

C: Mets

LP: Anything else you guys wanna say?

G: We're playing the Trash Bar September 1st

K: Facebook.com/kidnichols

LP: Oh shut up.  You didn't just plug your Facebook page.  Wanna plug your Tumblr while you're at it (http://kidnichols.tumblr.com)?

B: What team did Kid Nichols play for Greg?

G: I think the Boston Beaneaters or something

LP: Boston Beaneaters are correct.  They were the Original Atlanta Braves (Kid Nichols picture and retired number are on display on the outfield wall at Turner Field in Atlanta)

G: Good cuz if it were the Red Sox then Kid Nichols would not be the name of the band 

B: Greg won't eat Boston Baked Beans

K: He's a Manhattan Clam Chowder guy

http://twitter.com/kidnichols

http://kidnichols.wordpress.com

http://bandspace.com/kidnichols

Issue #3 The Turnbucklers Interview

LP: So I think the first question everyone wants to ask you guys is, do you guys all know karate?

F: I’m a 2^nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do

A: We’re 2/3rds karate trained

LP: Really!  I was kinda only kidding.  Are you guys busting my balls?

F: No, I got it probably when I was 12 or 13 and quit after that.  Andy what are you?

A: I’m only 1^st degree

LP: Wait, you’re a black belt too?

A: Hell yeah!  It’s a pre-requisite

F: We’re still training Sean

LP: I’ve known Sean for awhile(Sean used to play guitar in Band of Felons), but what are your guys backgrounds?  Ever been in any other bands?

F: Not really, maybe in high school.  I used to play a lot of guitar and I just stopped.  Then I jumped into rap.  Rapping and making beats.  Me and Andy started doing shit and that shit didn’t work out.  Started hanging out wit Sean and then Andy played some psychobilly shit and I just wanted to make some fucking rock and roll music.

A: I was in some band when I was like 12 or 13 and the name was TAJ because the name of the people in the band was Trevor, Andy, and Joe.   I know its lame, but, those guys are in a band together now.  I forget what their called.  We played a lot of Jimi shit.  The guitarist was nice. 

LP: How did you guys all get together?  How did the band start?

S: I met this guy(Andy) at Guitar Center.  He just came up to me and was like   (making fun of Andy) “Cool guitar dude.”

A: So I’m leaving, ya know how the guys gotta check your shit when you leave, and I’m like, “who’s this asshole playing on a nice ass guitar with an AFI sticker.”  I walk over and it was you.  That was a nice ass guitar though.

S: So a few weeks later I was hanging out with my boy and we went to Andy’s house, He’s like(again making fun of him) “Yo, your that dude from Guitar Center.” I was and we started hanging out.

F: One of the first direct interactions I had with Sean was smoking weed on the side of dudes house and I come out and I’m like “I think I got my girlfriend(at the time) pregnant” and you were just like “UMMMMM”.  I barely knew you at the time.  I just needed to tell somebody.

LP: And then smoking weed lead to playing music?

S: Yeah.  The more we hung out, the more we jammed.  Now we’re a band together.  We drink and play video games too.

LP: So you guys are friends.  Y’all hang out.  Because sometimes bands aren’t friends and don’t hang out.  I think that shit’s weird.

S: Yeah, we hang out all the time.  We’re guaranteed hanging out at least once a week because of practice.  But we hang out more then that.

LP: I didn’t even know Sean knew how to play the drums?

F: Don’t let’em fool ya, he plays a nasty bass too.

A: Sean’s like a band Swiss Army knife.  We were all amped cuz we finally had a drummer, bassist, and guitarist.  We were just gonna go over Sean’s house and play on his shit because we could.  We got lucky he’s a pretty good drummer.

LP: He even sings behind the drums, are you looking into to getting the Britney Spears headset.

A: Nah man, Tommy Lee headset.

LP: Why don’t you guys let Andy sing?  I see him mouthing the lyrics during the songs.  It’s just mean the way you don’t give him a microphone.

A: I know right.

F: We want Andy to sing.  He just doesn’t

S: He sings on the record.  We all sing on the record.  He does the “Whoa’s” and the “Hey’s”.  We want him to sing more, we just won’t pressure him.

LP: I wanted to ask you guys about that.  You just got done recording at Killers and Saints, how did that go?

A: I think my leg is pregnant from Sam’s dog(Chuck) humping it.  Recording was cool though because Sam plays, so he gets it.  He was helpful.  Recording the music only took like a 1 ½ days.  Vocals took longer

S: We did 5 songs first and then went back and did 2 more.  It was real good.

LP: Good, What was the name you used when you first went and recorded?

S: The Bonus Brothers

LP: The Bonus brothers, that shit was gay.  The Turnbucklers is so much better.  How did The Turnbucklers come up?
S: We finished tracking and I was listening to the music by myself, and this is after all kinds of deliberation of discussing bands names, and I wanted a name that fit the music.  The recording came out like, real fast sounding and I thought it sounded kick ass.  I wanted a name that kicked ass.  I thought of wrestling and “Off the turnbuckle”.  There it was, The Turnbucklers.

LP: Yeah your name makes me think of wrestling and that’s bad ass.  Anything else? Any shout outs?

F: Yeah quote this, “Encarnacion”.  Nacho Libre is our muse.  Shout out to my son, Shane.  Sam dude, gotta thank Sam.

S: Somerville Town Drunks and Post No Bills- you guys hook us up with shows.  Thanks to my parents.  They let us jam at their house and cook us dinner.   And of course, thanks to Sam from Killers and Saints.

Issue #1 Post No Bills Interview

This interview took place in PNoB’s jam spot, which is at Eric’s house in the middle of fucking nowhere, during one of their practices.

LP: So I like your guys jam spot, I also like how you have to pass the police station to leave, how ya’ll feel about that?

E: I don’t

S: Pshhh

B: I go out the other way

S: I pass the police station

LP: Yea, I’m gonna pass it too.  Can I get another beer, speaking of passing the police station?  Anyway, how bout Johnny Vena playing some “Cold Nights” the other night?

B: That’s some shit I’ve seen pictures of.  I wish there was video cuz I don’t remember it.  I was pretty drunk.

LP: I was pretty drunk too, but I kinda remember it sounding good.  Do you think he sits at home, practices and waits for the call to play?

B: Well his equipment’s been here for like 2 ½ years, so he’s been practicing hard.

LP: Now since we (the STD’s) have Bobby playing drums and were an even 4 on 4, what’s up with some band competitions? 

E: Like Modern Warfare?

B: Can we have weed Olympics.  Me vs. all the STD’s.

LP: Like a drinking contest.

E: How bout like a drunken song off.  We could have the contest before a show.

B: We could play a song every 5 shots.  Someone gotta drive me around that day.

LP: It’s gotta be at a place we can sleep at.  I guess we should open it up to all 4 piece bands.  The challenge goes out.

E: We should just have beer Olympics on the way to Ohio

S: No puking in the van

B: We’ll get a bucket and throw it out the window.  We can see which band can puke the most

I: No, but before that trip I’m really getting a van from work, drilling a hole in the floor and putting a funnel.

S: We gotta drill a bigger hole, with a seat, and we can put a door…

I: You just wanna shit.  No shitting in the van.

B: I just really want to see Scotty’s shit hit the ground while driving on the highway

E: We should drink the same amount and see who could hold their piss the longest.

LP: I hear that you should not play that cuz you had to piss every 20 miles on last year’s tour.  That’s good though because I gotta piss all the time.  We’re gonna be stopping a lot on tour.

I: No stopping, just kneel down and pee in the funnel.

E: I one time held me pee for 3 hours and when I got out of the car I could barely walk.

LP: Great story Eric.  So there are 8 of us going to Ohio.  Who’s the first to snap?  What’s the over/under on the mileage?  I say it’s Slagle before we even leave the area code.

B: Last year we bet Eric and we were right.  Team Post No Bills I bet Eric, Team STD its Slagle.

Everyone: Yea, I got Slagle

I: It’s not fair cuz you could push someone to snap

E: I don’t know, last year you (Ian) snapped pretty good. 

LP: What over the foot snuggling?

E: I would just bring it up and Ian would be all “I didn’t fucking foot snuggle!”

I: That was after like 3 days of it though.

B: You and Dave both snapped in DC.  You were like “We’re going home NOW!”

E: It was in Rockport or Rockville, MD, you and Dave “Where are the bars, where are the fucking good bars?”

I: That place with the shitty pizza place?

B: That was Maryland? I thought it was Virginia.  I didn’t know what state I was in.  That was the day I walked around with a bottle of Jameson.  Yea, that day never happened.

LP: Sounds like a pretty forgetful day.  That’s how I want our tour to go.  I wanna remember leaving and possibly, possibly pulling back in.

I: It was pretty intense.

E: You wanna at least remember getting to Skatetopia

S: I have a scar to remember Skatetopia.

E: When you fell?

S: When I tripped and fell to 10 feet backwards down a hill onto my back

E: I was just laughing.  I got a Skatetopia long sleeve to remember it.

B: We didn’t skate at Skatetopia and we still had 2 injuries

LP: You guys wanna talk quickly about your CD Welcome To Rockbottom?

B: I made to cover say Wecome To Rockbottom

LP: How did that happen?

B: I printed up a copy, everyone glanced at it said “OK” so I ok’d it.

1,000 copies later, we realized it.

E: I brought it to Immortal Ink and my ex was like “um… did you guys see this?

LP: You guys didn’t even notice?

B: We had had them for a couple of hours.  It was right everywhere else.  Fuck it, I reprinted 1,000 copies and stuffed ‘em.  The covers came out better anyway.

LP: Fuck it it’s over now.  The CD looks good, sounds good, y’all had and awesome release show so, Fuck it.  Anyway, any thanks going out?

S: I gotta thank Lindsey

B: Scotty’s trying to get laid off an interview.  I gotta thank Josh Kohn from Immortal Ink.  Thanks Josh

I: Thanks Sam from Killers and Saints

LP: Well thanks to you guys for your time