Grab your s’mores, your bug spray, a shot of Malort and pack your bags as Riot Squad Media is returning to Northeast Pennsylvania to take over the West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert, PA with Camp Punksylvania! The 3-day festival with multiple stages and amazing national and local acts like 7 Seconds, The Bronx, Less Than Jake, will take place from 5 July until 7 July tickets are available here. Weftin Mohr of The Chemical Imbalance has joined TGEFM to discuss this year’s festival for the latest installment of our 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 The Chemical Imbalance; your mission, your sound, the 300 other acts you’re all involved in, haha?
Well, one thing is for sure… we’re not a “Members of…” band like some of those other jagoffs out there. We’ve all been in multiple other bands that have been somewhat noteworthy… I make it clear to everyone who asks: you’ll never see a “Members of…” tagline of us on a flier… and if you do, just know that we had nothing to do with it – and let us know so we can yell at them, haha.
The sound of the band is definitely a change for all of us – it’s grating, sporadic, noisy, plus – musically speaking, it’s challenging for all of us, and at times, it can get a little silly. We’re not trying to blaze trails or pioneer anything, but we’ve yet to hear a “ska” band sound like this – some might argue we’re a Folly ripoff. But I dunno… we’re a little more experimental than them (No disrespect to them at all, we love and respect them exponentially)
I guess the main mission of the band is simple: to have as much fun with as many people as we possibly can, but also, more importantly, is to spread the word of self improvement, self empowerment, and to generally inspire people to take care of their mental health and to let them know that they have the power to change it for the better. We’ve all felt like it was over for us at one point or another, but the truth is that it’s never over. The path is long and winding, but we can overcome it, no matter who or what you are.
What does The Chemical Imbalance have planned for us beyond Camp Punksylvania?
Beyond??? Well… we’re working on our first EP – it’s gonna be called All That You Love, is All That You Own. It’s 6 tracks long, and it’s got a couple of songs I wrote for my solo schtick on it, but there’s two new ones on there we wrote together… and overall, the guys added their own spice to it and made the already existing songs 100 times better so they’re KINDA like brand new songs anyway! Our song “The Best, The Worst, and the Most Likely” sounds absolutely insane with the addition of Trombone!
Other than that, we’re talking about possibly touring a bit after the release. It’s a little hard to say how long / if / when it’s gonna happen… but we’re talking to some people right now who are interested in it. I wont say any names, but if it happens, it’ll be sure to knock your socks LOOSE.
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences with
the band so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
Well, I fart A LOT every practice and Danielle wants to kill me more than half the time for it (In fact, the entire band wants the same thing) but I think if I had to pick one time, it was the time we were playing in Anchorage, Alaska in a basement that REEKED of piss and potato chips where everyone was wearing reflective vests and shooting fireworks off at random. At one point Joey swung around and whacked a guy with his bass on accident and he started bleeding everywhere and then, with the utmost appreciation and heavy metal fury, proceeded to scratch and pull at his wound, making it WAY worse than it needed to be and MUCH bloodier… Richie fixed him up with some duct tape and staples when we were done playing, and then we all did mushrooms with the dude and his Husband. He was actually stoked he got hurt, claiming it was a “Blood tribute” to us… it was so rad. I miss him.
The Chemical Imbalance wound up being one of the highlights for many last year at Camp. What made you want to come back and do it again?
We were honestly shocked we had such a good reception… I mean, I knew people were gonna dig it. But to have them begging for more and getting asked all day “Where can I hear this stuff?” “Do you guys have an album out?” “When are you playing next?” It was honestly super heartwarming. The ska and punk community can be really rigid about what’s cool and what’s not (Especially in recent years) and we have more gatekeepers than ever… but it was nice to feel such warm love for such an off-kilter band. Laura gave us the offer on the spot to come back… we couldn’t say no.
How has it felt being able to watch this thing grow from the inside?
Breathtakingly awesome and terrifying… It started out as just “Hey, let’s play the Weftin songs live” to “Hey let’s be a band and do cool shit” in a matter of days. Same thing with the “Members of…” statement I made earlier. WE ARE NOT “Weftin live” – We are our own band who happens to play my solo stuff sometimes. I work better with more than one brain, and not for nothing, these dudes I play with are the best musicians I know! Richie, Kyle, and Joey are 3 of the greatest songwriters I know, Danielle is the best drummer I know, Anton is the best trombonist and one of the most creative composers I know, and we’re all friends on top of it? That’s a winning team if I ever saw it. I feel like the weakest link half the time because they’re all so talented. Our live shows are surprisingly nuts sometimes… not even by the crowd standards always, hahahaha.
It’s also scary to watch this come alive… but the good kind of scary. I have no idea where our sound or direction is gonna go… But I think we’re all past the point of caring where we fit in… I dunno, the unknown is scary, but I embrace it.
Speaking of your 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 just want everyone to walk away from our set saying “What the FUCK was that???”
Good, bad, or indifferent. If people walk away saying that, then we achieved our aim.
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?
Ahhhh man, there’s been a couple of gigs… we were supposed to play down in Virginia with Mephiskapheles and Pietasters but it ended up not happening due to some communication errors and the reunion of Botch (My favorite band) – We were supposed to play with the Misfits and Turnstile and Aaron Carter and… ugh, I don’t wanna think about it…
I guess the biggest advice I wished I’d taken is “Don’t worry about what people think” – I take that advice HEAVY now, but I think a lot of how I wrote songs in the past were tailored to what people said they liked. Now I dont give a damn… WE don’t give a damn… We write what we always wanted to hear, with messages we want people to hear.
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?
I think ego has a lot to do with it… everyone wants to look cool and elite, but also they wanna “stand up for the little guy” and let everyone know that they’re not a total dirtbag – whether it be genuine or a front.
I never considered myself a Punk, nor a Ska kid – none of us have. We’re all fans of music… lots of different kinds. From Willie Nelson to King Crimson to Westbound Train to Chubby Checker to The Residents… its all good… to someone somewhere. I think if you gatekeep music of any type, you’re not only furthering the spread of ignorance and stupidity and scaring potential fans and contributors away, you’re also letting everyone know you’re insecure and willingly close-minded. So just chill, and don’t be afraid to try and listen to something outside of your bubble.
The Chemical Imbalance is from NJ. It’s such an interesting, diverse and generally under-appreciated place that has bred so much amazing music. Why do you think the area churns out so many brilliant musicians and songwriters? How does the area feed into the music you are writing, if at all?
Having the best pizza and bagels in the world alongside New York is definitely a good kickstarter. Also being able to access NYC and Philly even whilst still having Hoboken, Jersey City, and Atlantic City all on our coffee table is a plus.
Nah, but seriously… A lot of people hate on Jersey for no particularly good reason. And a lot of the times, its people who either haven’t ACTUALLY been here, or have only been through Newark Airport (To which I apologize for on behalf of the entire state). It’s not just because I’m from here: I’ve been to almost all 50 states, some of South America, most of Europe, and little bits and bobs of Mexico and Canada in between… It really is a special state, and I’m proud to call it home. Being in Jersey for some time gives you a really interesting look on life… and a good smattering of what the rest of the country is like. Stuff like that bleeds into who you are, and I think a lot of notable musicians from here would agree.
Like I said with music earlier, try it out! Come visit sometime! And if you don’t like it, that’s alright, we don’t like you either!
Also it’s Taylor Ham, cancel me, mahfakka!
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? On the flipside to that one… Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
I guess the catalyst for this all was kind of a last gasp shout. The last band we were all in, Fat Chance, kinda took an unexpected hiatus. The majority of us still wanted to play, so we decided to do something else in the meantime. Musically, I think we were all just trying to make noise that scratched all our itches, and without the attitude of being put in too tight of a genre box. We’re inspired by a lot of different bands, it’s hard to say what the main ones are.. But I think the attitude of No Service Project is a big one. They never stay with one sound for more than a record, and they’ve always changed so vastly but so amazingly every time. I’d like to follow in their footsteps, personally.
If Punksylvania were a real camp, what activities are each of you leading?
I feel like Joey and Richie would be the best counselors, Kyle and Danielle would probably be running some arts and crafts thing. Anton would be a lifeguard for sure… I’d be a good janitor! Or a crackhead out in the woods… either or.
Last year, Weftin told us he’d perform “The Campfire Song Song” from Spongebob at the end of the season Camp talent show but it never manifested, so let’s try again… What song are you performing around the campfire this year?
Damn dude, you must drive a delorean… cuz you LOVE BRINGING UP THE PAST.
I’m sorry… I’ll do it this year⁽ˡᶦᵉˢ⁾
I dunno… maybe I’ll do “Prayer to God” by Shellac this year because I miss Steve Albini… and I have a lot of hate inside me.
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see?
7Seconds I’m stoked to see, I also wanna tell Kevin Seconds to change his stage name because, although it is clever, it makes my eyes roll.
Kevin, you’re so smart and talented, I know you can do better!!!
Also, The Bronx, Big D and The Kids Table… also The Dirty Nil and Sammy Kay?? Come on, thats fuckin SICK!
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
All I wanna say is that no matter where you were planted, you can grow into something beautiful
No matter how dark it gets, there’s always a light
And never trust a goddamn word that Record Labels tell you.
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/
