Pack your bags, grab your bug spray, throw back a shot of Malort and follow the inflatable hot dog as Riot Squad Media is returning to Northeast Pennsylvania to take over the West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert, PA with the 5th year of Camp Punksylvania! The 3-day festival with multiple stages and amazing national and local acts like Dillinger Four, The Lawrence Arms, The Vandals and Bridge City Sinners, will take place from 20 June until 22 June. Tickets are available here. TGEFM had the opportunity to speak with Philly’s Seeing Snakes to discuss this year’s festival for the latest installment of this year’s Camp-centric interview series: Happy Campers.. Check it out below and I’ll see you at the campfire!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What should our readers know about Seeing Snakes; your history, your mission, your sound? What does Seeing Snakes have planned for us beyond Camp Punksylvania?
So we have been around for a minute. A bit over 10 years. We’ve played up and down the East coast and we’ve been lucky enough to have an opportunity with a lot of rad bands and meet a lot of awesome people. I think at this point, our mission is to keep doing just that. To play the loud, fast music that we love and meet people that love that kind of music as well. Punk rock always works better as a culture and not a commodity, so community building is what we’re all about.
As for what we have planned for the future, we are working on writing and hopping into dropping a new album before the end of the year. We’re stoked to start playing those songs live.
You are gearing up for Camp Punksylvania, what does the festival circuit mean to artists like yourselves?
Usually if we’re on the road, we watch 3 or 4 other bands on a night and then pack up and drive off into the night. We’re looking forward to really hanging out with a ton of friends over the course of a few days, watching a ton of bands, meeting new people and just soaking it all in. We’re actually grateful to be a part of Camp Punksylvania this year. Super stoked really.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
For Tim, it was definitely Goldfinger. That first album changed how I viewed music for me. Simon Williams made me want to learn how to play bass.
For Rob, it was Screeching Weasel, because it was just super raw and fast.
For Brian it was the Bouncing Souls. The Bouncing Souls inspired me to play music because their heartfelt lyrics and infectious, anthemic energy made me feel like I was part of something bigger.
For Billy, it was Slayer. Just mean, thrashy goodness all around.
Regarding live sets, what are you most excited to bring to the Camp Punk audience? What do you want the campers to say about your set when they write home from camp this year?
I think it’s funny when people see us, we all look like run of the mill suburban people, and we play faster than the guys half our age. The thing we always get from people that know nothing about us is that they “weren’t expecting that” in regards to how chaotic our set is
We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
Well one thing we can all agree on is that we wish we did not drink “Coffee Milk” from the Olneyville New York System Restaurant in Providence, RI. There were some fierce car farts after that. Number one regret of all time.
The punk and ska scenes have almost always been at the forefront of inclusion and diversity within the music scenes. The flipside of course is that the gatekeeping in the scene is also very prevalent? Why do you think the genre brings in such a welcoming community and is so happy to let everyone in and also seems to shut the doors so quickly behind themselves?
Tim: Hell, I can remember taking my daughter to a Marky Ramone show when she was 8 and hearing snide remarks about how she had no business being there. She was 8! And she loves the Ramones! Her first concert was the Ramoms! I think a lot of people on the surface want to be welcoming, and really that’s the ideal that we should all be shooting for, but part of the punk, ska, hardcore, metal, whatever scenes is a sense of exclusivity. Some people want to squeeze the ever loving shit of making punk some exclusive cool kids club. It’s lame. Be weird, listen to something new, make friends wherever you go.
I’m fairly obsessed with the “Drinking Alone” single. Tell me a little bit about the single? What was going on at the time that helped kickstart the songwriting process?
So that song was written a few years back. A lot of what the song stems from is just watching relationships with people you cared about drifting apart and realizing you don’t have it in you to keep it together or fix it. I think looking back at how many friendships and other relationships dissolved coming out of covid was a major catalyst for that one. People change, and sometimes it stinks. What can you do though?
If Punksylvania were a real camp, what activities are each of you leading?
Fuck, well I think we would all be on grill duty. We all love to cook. We’re all pretty good at it too. We didn’t get this chubby by not making good food!
What song are you performing around the campfire this year?
You can expect us to alternate between songs written by Mojo Nixon and Wesley Willis. RIP to them both.
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see?
Riot Squad Media blew it out of the water this year. We’re stoked we’re playing Saturday since it’s so stacked. Friday, definitely want to catch D4 and Lawrence Arms, Saturday Murphy’s Law, Vandals and fucking FEAR!!! Sunday Kilograms and The Bad Ups. We live relatively close to those fellas and we’ve still never played together!
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Just that if you catch us around, say hi! We’re stoked to see everyone’s stinking faces.
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/