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 Weftin Mohr of The Chemical Imbalance (and tons of other acts you should be checking out) 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 has The Chemical Imbalance been up to since we last spoke ahead of the 2024 Camp Punksylvania? It seems every member of The Chemical Imbalance is involved in multiple other acts, where does everyone find the time to recalibrate between shows?
Oh you’re TOO kind, Ed! Thanks for thinking of us every year.
Well, lemme break it down -Honestly we’ve all been gung-ho on the EP. We were planning on making it a big thing (doing a lil tour, making a music video, big promo shit, etc.) But we were just like “eh fuck it, let’s just get it out there” because realistically, it’s about the music at the end of it all… and, well… I mean… with 3 years of being a band with no record, us and the few fans of ours were gettin’ a little antsy to have something tangible, hahaha.
Me, Danielle, and Anton are in The End Times as well. We cooked up a new EP called Cannibals a month ago and it was alittle bit of a big deal for us. Stephen Blickenstaff (who did the artwork for The Cramps) did the artwork, we got Chris Alfano of Postman Syndrome and East of the Wall to record us. It was a lot of fun, and definitely a turning point for us as a band…. maybe next year we’ll FINALLY get to play Camp? Hahaha
Joey and Richie are always doing Wondermutt, and Kyle I’m sure is finding time to work with The Squalors as well as TCI.
We’re ALL fuckin busy and burnt the entire time, but the soul is always there. We don’t just write music for fun, it’s for survival. It’s because we have to.
This will be my 3rd consecutive year seeing you perform at Camp Punksylvania. What makes you want to come back and perform at Camp again? How has it felt being able to watch this thing grow from the inside?
I mean, I’m no way affiliated with what goes on with the inner workings of Riotsquad Media and Camp as a whole (contrary to popular belief) but with that – in a way, it feels like watching your best friends kid grow up. Like “wow, you were pooping in a diaper and eating mush not that long ago and BAM now you’re in Highschool and driving a car!”
It makes me happy to see people’s dreams come true. And when it’s people I truly care about, it gives me such a special feeling. I meant it when I first said it: I hope this thing never stops for the pure fact that I love to see my friends smile and be together, if not only for a little bit.
The Camp Punksylvania socials recently posted about the inclusivity and diversity of the team and lineup. From an artist’s perspective, how does the diversity of the lineup and the volunteers improve Camp for the artists and the attendees?
Well, I mean, the short answer is “it’s Punk Rock”; as long as you’re not full of hate and your mind is open, then you’re welcome to kick it with everyone.
I always said Punk has always had too much Weisswürst (I hope at least one person laughs at that) – as I go along in life, I see more and more people of different backgrounds gravitate towards extreme and alternative music and humbling collectives. It’s a beautiful thing because it’s real. And it gives us something more in common than just death and taxes – it shows that we all have that fire in us, and that should be enough for us to be on the same team. Our looks and preferences aren’t important after that.
We’ve touched on this in previous interviews, but many of the Camp Punx artists have not been afraid to get political and in the interest of bluntness, this timeline is kinda way fucked. With all the shit going on, many of us need the community that comes from these small acts of rad at Camp. How do you hope the festival and your set benefits the scene and community?
I always said that I was too dumb to comment on politics. The fancy buzzwords and 7 syllable smart-guy terms always made me feel unqualified. But with how crazy-loud everything is (and just crazy in general) it’s impossible to avoid it. And I may be politically inept to some degree, but I HATE hate and with what’s going on with our country and the clowns that run it, it’s impossible to shut my mouth about it, so why should anyone else?
Punk has always been political, and to pretend that it’s not is absolute buffoonery. I’m glad to hear people standing up and screaming about this shit. The suit and ties in the capital building want us to be silent, we HAVE to be loud, and we have to be loud together. No matter what.
In 2024, I was lucky enough to bring my oldest to day 2 of Camp. They got to meet Fred from Taking Back Sunday, I was able to read the joy written across their face as Catbite performed and I watched them fall in love with SOJI and The Karens. Thats my story, but kids make up a pretty big demographic at Camp. Ox from the Skagazine team has been invited to share the stage with Suburban Downgrade and Suicide Machines or Gabe from Kids in the Pit performing with Punk Rock Cellist last year and now his band World of Chaos being invited to perform. Looking at these kids in the crowd, surfing the pit or on stage; where do you see the future of the scene? Are the kids actually all right?
Seeing youth join in is always great. They’re gonna be the ones to carry the torch when we’re all in the dirt. It’s unbelievable how wild some of them are (I see you, Ox!)
I grew up in a whitebread, republican-American house on a farm with a cornfield and tire swing and all! I didn’t know what a lot of this stuff was until I was in my teens. And I gave my parents the creeps when I started going to shows and listening to crazy music. It’s nice to see parents exposing their kids to this stuff, because, again, it’s real life shit… and overall, these kids will have such an understanding of the world when they grow up, that it can only lead to a positive progression… I think at least.
In a world where students are being detained for exercising their First Amendment rights in a student newspaper, its not far-fetched to assume artists could find themselves under fire for their lyrics. With the current political climate, are you finding it more challenging or invigorating to approach the causes you support musically? How do you think musicians can or should traverse such rocky ground right now? What steps, if any do you take to keep your personal life separated from your musical career? Have you found yourself in any uncomfortable situations with listeners who wanted to use their “trust me, bro” sources to minimize your music and lyrics?
People think they know who I am, what I’m about, and what I do. But a lot of them are sorely wrong… I keep a lot of my personal life close to my chest nowadays because it’s really nobody’s business. I can’t tell you the amount of times throughout my musical career I’ve been accused of “playing a character” on stage. I ain’t a theater kid, and I speak plainly; what you see is real.
I think that’s really what it’s gonna take at the end of it all; music is widely looked at as an escape from reality, when in my case, it’s dealing with it. And I think more and more artists are doing that nowadays. It’s invigorating for me to approach causes I care about nowadays because in a weird way, I know it’s pissing somebody off out there. I feed off the concept that someone, somewhere is upset that me and my friends are making moves. I think the best steps we as artists can take is to dive right in and come out swinging and let everyone know you mean business. Stand proud. Ya know?
One of the coolest moments from Camp last year was the Career Mode set when Black Guy Fawkes and others joined the band to perform a few pop-punk and emo covers. Career Mode is returning this year, what songs could they perform to get you back on their stage to grab their mics?
Well, I mean anything from the nu-metal era of the 90s will probably get my blood pumping. I don’t expect them to play the wacky shit I listen to… ain’t nobody gonna throw down to The Isley Brothers, Melt-Banana, Smegma, or (God forbid) The Residents.. HA!
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see this year?
Vulture Raid, Working Class Stiffs, The What Nows?!, Escape from the Zoo as always… those are just givens at this point. I personally am incredibly stoked for Cancer Bats – Liam Cormier is basically my biggest inspiration as a frontman in The Chemical Imbalance. “Hail Destroyer” was a mainstay in my car throughout highschool. I’m also very excited to see Black Guy Fawkes full band. Definitely one of the hardest working musicians out there, it’ll be a treat to hear those songs amplified and filled out.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
JUNE 17TH The Chemical Imbalance is dropping our debut EP All That You Love is All That You Own and you’re either gonna love it or hate it. Both opinions are sooo valid.
We’re gonna print vinyls and shit and hopefully have an online store by that point so yeah, be on the lookout for that!
And yeah, be good to each other, keep an open mind, embrace something you might have judged before. Hear the other side of the story, at least once. Listen first, talk last, and think for yourself in between
And as always…
Stay weird and true.
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/