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. The Galaxy Has Eyes 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 Galaxy Has Eyes; your mission, your sound?
Our mission is to have as much fun as possible on this insane water slide to the end of the world. Being a punk has always come second to the need to enjoy what we are doing. It’s easy to be disappointed with the state of everything but we want to create a refuge where you can come out and scream about it.
In terms of our sound we really just ask ourselves three questions: is it energetic? Can you dance to it? And why does Charles keep dropping his sticks?
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 non-Camp bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Our band is full of so many weird influences so this is one of our favorite things to talk about. For Kyra you’ve got the Misfits and a deep seeded need to just become Danzig. Carbo fell in love with guitar from the moment he heard Slash in Guns N’ Roses. Jared started full tilt into playing sax when he first heard Moon Hooch and Leo P. He also doesn’t want us to rule out all of the 80’s saxophone solos he’d heard on the radio growing up. Charles fell in love with drumming from the first time he played a Beatles song in front of a crowd. And Cody worships at the altar of Les Claypool and Primus.
In terms of some non camp bands we’d highly recommend some of the local bands we’ve shared the stage with: Dragon Fruit, Dead End Lane, Italian Blood, Bad Smidgen, 25th Hour, Sh’Bang, Dickie Devil and the Deviants, Rubix Pube. There’s countless more but I don’t think anyone would read through what essentially becomes a novel.
You are gearing up for Camp Punksylvania in the coming months, what does the festival circuit mean to artists like yourselves?
The festival circuit is a great opportunity to reach out to tons of bands that we never thought we’d have a chance to meet. Half of the excitement here is the opportunity to spend a weekend with some spectacular musicians both known and unknown. This is our first time participating in an event like this so we are in an excited panic to put our best foot forward!
What does The Galaxy Has Eyes have planned for us beyond Camp Punksylvania?
Three things: new places, new music, new dance moves
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences with the band so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
One of the most memorable ones was having an opportunity to go to London and play a show. We also got to play in DC at the Pie Shop when we got to open up for Blitzkid!
One of the more frequent unexpected things is when Kyra gets injured mid set. It’s happened way more than we care to admit. She’s been punched in the face (accidentally), tackled (accidentally) and almost had her knee dislocated (on purpose….okay accidentally). But she’s pushed through every time and still given the best show she possibly can
Regarding live shows, 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?
We are definitely excited to dance with everyone at Camp Punk and we hope they are ready to do the same! We don’t hold anything back at our shows (because we don’t really know how to) so we want the audience to come and lose their minds with us!
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?
I think our biggest regrets have always been when we’ve let our insecurities get in the way of the music. Whether it’s been at practice, studio, or live there’s been times where that horrible feeling rears its ugly head and the roadblocks start. And when we finally get to the other side of those moments, we’ve often realized that we wasted so much time judging ourselves for nothing
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 people in the punk scene tend to idolize their individuality and their hard fought ability to carve a space out for their ideas. Especially musically. And it’s been nothing but spectacular that this music scene has room for you to do that! Truly it is. But I think those same people tend to struggle with the cognitive dissonance that comes with separate individuals coming in and living what they consider their own truths to be. I think it’s important to remember that individuality has been sold to you by the exact same society you are trying to revolt against and nothing makes them happier than watching outcasts exclude other outcasts. The most punk thing is simply doing what makes you happy and respecting the neighbors around you enough to let them do the same.
I won’t call it a ska revival because ska is something that’s never gone away, but there is a massive rejuvenation of the scene with We Are The Union, Kill Lincoln and Catbite. What is going on out there that has gotten so many people back on their boards to ride this latest wave of ska?
I’m not sure if it’s obvious to everyone but there’s A LOT of music out there. And it’s recycling itself all of the time; and I say recycling in a positive light here. Ska music, rock, country, it’ll never die (even if we wish it would sometimes); it will just evolve in the moment that best suits it. And it’s clear Ska is back with a vengeance right now and I couldn’t be happier. It’s the best kind of time capsule when it comes to music and production. Listen back to bands like Catch 22 and then come to the present and listen to Catbite and you can clearly hear the parallels but it’s coupled with a modern twist that reminds you that music is still evolving, even if the instruments don’t change. Plus it’s mad fun to skank
If Punksylvania were a real camp, what activities are each of you leading?
Kyra would likely be leading arts and crafts and blowing everyone else out of the water with her artistic skills. Carbo and Cody would likely dive into a class about all lightsaber combat forms. Charles would be sitting at a table discussing the nuances of life with someone who definitely wasn’t ready for those conversations today. And Jared would be running a fashion focused workshop. Someone told him that brown doesn’t mix with black and he just can’t let that stand
Let’s pretend there’s some post show jam sessions… what song are you playing at the Campfire sing-a-long?
Hands down we are playing “I Will Survive;”anything Britney Spears or N’Sync; Primus for an off speed pitch; and then we are gonna finish it up with the “Free Credit Report Dot Com” song
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see?
We are super excited to see Catbite, Less Than Jake, The Bronx, and Big D and The Kids Table in action since we’ve heard so many great things about them. Of course we are going to run ourselves ragged to see every band we possibly can though. Especially the Amora boys since we are coming from the same area!
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
We’d just like to say it’s going to be an honor to play at Camp Punksylvania this summer and there’s nothing we’d love more than for you to come join us in throwing down at the pit, skanking til your legs fall off (accidentally) and sharing your love of all things punk and ska with us all weekend
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/
