There comes a time in every young electro-punk-dance band singer’s life when he starts to reflect on the places he’s been, and where his life is going. A time when the cathartic pleasures of the dance floor give way to the introspection of the empty bar at the end of the night—when he starts watching the “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” video on repeat for 45 minutes straight every night before bed and ‘really getting it.’ I have no idea if that’s what’s going on with my Boston homeboy Evan Kenney, of the hard-partying act Bodega Girls, the erstwhile hardcore band Read Yellow, and the recently launched country rock group ThunderBloods, but based on the slowed-down, nostalgic tinge of the band’s songs like “Ghouls Gone Wild,” it sounds believable enough. I spoke with Kenney about the new band, getting back in the van, and who parties harder, nightclub scenesters or dudes in cowboy boots.
Who’s in this band? It’s pretty different from your last band Bodega Girls, right? Kind of like the exact opposite in fact?
It is myself, Jesse Vuona, who was in Read Yellow, Steve Lord who was in Kingsley Flood and Bodega, and these two young chaps named Taylor Sullivan and Austin Bousley, who are “the new guys.” Yeah, it’s a pretty different, more straight up rock n’ roll than the electro-vibe, but that party, don’t-give-a-shit attitude is still behind the music, which I guess is where I come in.
Are Bodega Girls still a thing? What stuff are you working on with them?
Bodega Girls are still very much working. We are actually releasing a song tomorrow called “Surf’s Up America” which was a collaboration with Isom Innis of Foster the People and Anthony Rossomondo of The Klaxons and Damn Personals. The song will be premiering on Converse’s Facebook page and website tomorrow, I believe.
Who parties harder, hipsters or country bros?
Hmm, I’ve seen Heartworn Highways enough to know that country dudes kick it way harder.
You got to see a lot of the downside of trying to ‘make it’ when you were in Read Yellow with Jesse. Is it weird taking a more casual approach now? Or are you ‘going for it’?
Yeah, to hell with ‘making it.’ I am not even sure what making it really is. I mean, I’m sure that some of my favorite bands still have members who bartend when they aren’t touring. I think the days of flying around in private jets with nude groupies are dead and gone, but its worth a daydream, right?
What if you had to bartend on the jet while you were flying around to pay for the plane gas? That would be kind of a mixed bag.
I would bartend the shit out of a 1970 Rolling Stones tour, but I’m sure Bill Wyman was a bad tipper.
What’s the story behind the song “Pussy Patrol”? I feel like there’s a metaphor there I’m missing.
“Pussy Patrol” is a song about how growing up in Catholic School we were always taught that the devil was this terrible dude with the fire and brimstone, but the more that I heard about him and read about him, it seemed like he is a pretty tight dude with a lot of shit figured out.
Like how to get tons of pussy.
Exactly.
What’s the plan for this stuff? Are you going to ‘put out a record’?
It’s funny, because what started as a chill hang with a bunch of dudes now has ended up being a ‘thing,’ and we plan on releasing everything on vinyl and touring in the near future. I hate to say it, but I think I may ‘Get In The Van’ again. My liver and soul just aches thinking about it.
Rollins would be proud.
Or he would put me in a headlock, whatever comes first. But yeah, it’s lots of love songs from dudes who are too terrible at skateboarding to become pro skaters, so we decided to be washed up rockers
You know how hard it is to get people to listen to music these days, even on sites like this, or maybe especially on sites like this, where we post tons of new music every day, a constant stream of disposable content, one band blending into the next. Why should anyone listen to your songs? And which one?
I feel you. I get overwhelmed when I think about how much music floods our social platforms on an hourly basis, but it’s beautiful that people are still creating. If I would want someone to listen to one song of ours, it would be “Ghouls Gone Wild.” I’m really proud of that one. It’s a deep dark love song that I could never had seen writing even 5 years ago. It’s heavy, and nostalgic.
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