Bouncing Souls

There is something impressive about a band that's managed to stay together for two decades, without the help of radio airplay, a single MTV appearance or even a crummy 30-second ipod commercial.

New Jersey's Bouncing Souls, along with a handful of brethren on both coasts, helped punk rock bridge the lean times between the late 80's, through the pop-punk explosion of the mid-90's and up to the current state of the genre. The band has always been fiercely independent, holding true to the DIY ethics of the movement's founding fathers, but has still managed to record some of the catchiest punk rock songs since the Ramones. 

Front man Greg Attonito took some time recently to entertain a handful of questions about the band's legacy, the occasional thoughts of splitting up and what's next for the Bouncing Souls.

So 20 years. How have you guys been able to stay together for so long?

It's been hell, man. Those guys never shower! Just kidding. We love the music, we love performing, we love to get people stoked on music and life, and we love the adventure. Those things always outweighed whatever difficulties we have had to face.

During that time, did the band ever think about calling it quits?

I have thought about it. More seriously sometimes than others. I think I somehow realized that I will always be a Bouncing Soul whether I like it or not. Ha! So, it was a matter of making things work personally and with the whole situation at any given time in those 20 years. Constant adjustments need to be made and sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's not so easy.

Do you have plans to make the 20th anniversary series of singles you've been releasing all year available on one complete CD?

Yes. We are talking about how and when we will release it now. We will let the world know when we know. It will be coming out on Chunksaah (Records).  It's just a matter of when.

You're playing Warped again this summer - how many times does that make it for you?

This is always fun: part of ‘97, ‘98, all of ‘99, ‘01, ‘04, ‘06 and ‘08... whew! 

What's the best and worst thing about playing Warped?

The best thing is spending some quality time with a broad scope of people and musicians that are on the tour. We are an extended family on the Warped tour so it is kind of like going to a summer camp/family BBQ where everybody knows you and is looking forward to seeing you. The worst thing about is when you are on the entire tour. It's a long, long tour, but this year we are on it for 16 shows...ah perfect.

I'm assuming you get slipped CDs all the time by young bands. Do you listen to them? Have you ever discovered any great bands that way?

I listen to them sometimes. I have not been blown away by any that I can remember.  

Have your musical influences changed much in the past 20 years?

They have broadened. I'm open to more and more music all the time and the way I listen to music has changed. Shanti, my wife, bought a two dollar record set in a thrift store that is amazing. It is a four record set that was made for radio stations to play in 1977. It's the top 50 number one songs of 1977 complete with Casey Kasem's voice introducing the songs with little anecdotes etc. To me, it was incredible to listen to because it was like I was instantly transported to the shotgun seat of my Dad's Monte Carlo in 1977. But now all those songs sound totally different to me. I hear all the instruments, the performances, and the production quality of them. It's really cool...so yes musical influences are always changing and evolving with new music I hear and music from the past.

.