Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Twenty2 is a Montreal based melodic punk act preparing to release their new album “Dismissed”. Several lineup changes have resulted in Luke Pabich and Sean Sellers of Good Riddance. “Dismissed” is out this 22 July on Thousand Island Records, and frontman Jon H Genier agreed to sit down for a round of Roll of the Dice. We rolled a FIVE.
1) Congrats, in advance on the release of “Dismissed” and the additions of Luke Pabich and Sean Sellers of Good Riddance. What stood out most to you with this recording compared to “Nice Knowin’ Ya?”
Thank you very much. First off, there are a few reasons I wanted to make this record. The original idea was to record 6 songs that would be our 6-song EP, Nice Knowin’ Ya‘s “side 2”. Because NKY is so very poppy, I felt it needed to be balanced out with some more aggressive songs. Another reason for this is after a few months into the pandemic, I figured I wouldn’t want to look back at this down time & regret not doing anything worthwhile. So I thought it would be cool to try & do something special, like record some songs with some legends like Luke. I pitched him the idea, he was into it, & we got along so well & had so much fun doing it that 6 songs turned into 12 & we decided to do a full album. And then another reason why I wanted to do this is to experience writing songs with very experienced people, which turned out to be pretty much what I expected: no corners cut, a ton of work & attention to every detail. Recording-wise, it was very different from anything I’ve ever done in the past. For one, because we were all doing it separately: Luke & Sean in California, Dan & I in Montreal. It was challenging to say the least, but since we spent a good 6 months writing & getting prepared, it went as well as you could hope for.
2) In light of the shitshow that has occurred on basically every front globally over the last few years, how is the Santa Cruz/Montreal dynamic at this point?
In normal times, I spend about 2 months out of the year in California, so it’s like a second home to me at this point. Dynamic-wise, it all felt very familiar to me, kind of like making music with like-minded friends that I don’t see too often. We focused on the music, didn’t talk too much about politics & all that, perhaps because the music was a nice break from all the craziness.
3) The world and Twenty2 has changed a lot over the last 20 or so years. What are some of the biggest changes, both positive and concerning, you’ve come across in your time within the scene?
For Twenty2 at least, what’s changed the most is we take the music more seriously than before & so I think that will make us a better live band. We’ve only done 1 show so far since 2019 but we have a bunch of shows lined up for the rest of the year. I’m interested to see how much the scene has changed indeed. If it’s anything like the rest of the world, it will have gotten way more politically charged & politically correct, which I think is a real bummer. I hope people remember there’s a time & place to still have fun, & one of those places is definitely at a punk rock show. So fingers crossed.
4) One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Although I don’t think they’re active right now or anymore, one band that a lot of people seem to have missed out on is Only Crime. They are by far my favourite band out of the 2000’s. Other than that, a band I discovered during the pandemic that I really like is Kvelertak. Really dig those guys. A Vulture Wake, who are on the same label we are on, they’re incredible. & then on a more up & coming / local level there’s Bring The Light, The Lookout, Our Darkest Days, Bussieres… I don’t think they exist anymore but Depwine from Montreal, those kids were incredible, I listen to their EP all the time. What else?… I have to say, I try hard to find new music I like, but I’m terrible at it.
5) Beyond the release of “Dismissed”, 22 July, what’s next for the four of you?
So just to be clear, the four of us doesn’t include Luke & Sean. Try as I might, I can’t get Luke to quit Good Riddance (that’s a joke), so we have put the old band back together, so to speak. Jo Vallée is back one drums & we just welcomed Steph Turmm on guitar. We’re (almost) ready to rock. We start playing shows again in August through the rest of the year, a lot of them with our fellow label mates Our Darkest Days, & we are very much looking forward to that. So that’s our rest of our year. 2023 I’m sure we’ll be playing a lot as well & I still have it in the back of my mind to finish our Nice Knowin’ Ya EP with 6 more songs… We’ll see.
Thanks guys!
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
