New Jersey kids will always have a chip on their shoulders. It’s inevitable, growing up adjacent to the number 1 (New York) and 4 (Philadelphia) major markets in the country. Forever on the outside looking in, forever being looked down on. This constant sense of inferiority and alienation, along with some super talented men and women created fantastically fertile fields for the pop-punk scene to grow and thrive in the late 90s – early 00s. It was a beautiful fucking time to be alive. Every scene across the country holds a special place in the hearts of those who lived or witnessed it, but none compare to the talent sprouting up at each of the turnpike gates up and down the Garden State from 94-02. That scene, borne on the floors of places like the Wayne Firehouse, the Garfield American Legion and The Derby Firehouse witnessed the birth, rise and explosion of bands like Armor For Sleep, Bigwig, The Ergs!, Folly, The Gaslight Anthem, Lifetime, Midtown, My Chemical Romance, Saves the Day and Thursday among countless others and for those of us lucky enough to experience it, that scene in New Jersey was our world. (NJPP ARCHIVES)
On 7 June, New Jersey pop-punk is once again taking over the stage at the Derby Punk 25th Anniversary being hosted at Broken Goblet Brewery in Bensalem, PA featuring Jersey greats Catch 22, Humble Beginnings, Boxcar and more. (TICKETS) For one day, the NJPP scene travels back in time to relive the hope, energy and sounds we loved before careers, kids and expectations pulled us out of the New Brunswick basements and into the workforce, drowning.
TGEFM was lucky enough to speak with Chad Looney of Simple Mischief about the scene’s legacy, their time in the NJPP scene and their upcoming appearance at the Derby Punks 25th Class Reunion.
“The years won’t say what happened to you” – Midtown – Come On
What should our readers know about Simple Mischief, your history and releases? What have the members been up to in recent years?
Where do I begin? I don’t know what Simple Mischief means to others. To me, it’s the beginning of a life of playing music, particularly the bass. I picked up a bass so I could join a band. At the time, pop punk, punk, and ska were really becoming popular. I was 14 when I first went to play in the attic of Matt (our original guitarist and vocalist) with Paul (our drummer) in Bordentown, NJ. In those first 3 years of high school, we went through half a dozen members. By the time we released our 2000 album Jumping Life’s Fences, we were a 5 piece group, consisting of Dave G. on guitar (formerly Go Real Slow), Tom W. on guitar, Chris P. on vocals, and Paul and I. We had played a lot of local shows by this time. After Simple Mischief, we went on to play as The Arena Drive without Chris P. Chris P. and I would later go on to be part of a progressive metal band called Isyou. I currently play and sing for a bass-driven band called Devil Moon Risen in Phoenix, AZ. We are all married, and Paul and Dave have children. Dave is in business, and Paul owns a farm. Tom is in marketing, and put this whole reunion show together. Chris is a master tiler. I’m a schoolteacher.
“Tramps like us, Baby, we were born to run” – Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
NJ is 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 lived out west for the past 7 years, I would definitely say the tri-state area churns out cutting edge bands across genres. In my opinion, a lot of that is probably due to population density, and the East Coast frantic and obsessive work ethic. We (as in all bands of the NJ Pop Punk scene) wrote about our first hand experiences living in NJ. Mohawk Barbie had the song “I Love Jersey,” Go Real Slow had a song “Bored-in-town,” and Simple Mischief had songs about high school culture and cliques. The scene’s song writing wasn’t abstract. It was a direct assessment of its surroundings in NJ. Writing songs about ex-bandmates seemed to be a fairly common practice as well.
“God I Miss You, God I Miss This Place” – Lanemeyer – What A Shitty Summer
You are gearing up for the Derby Firehouse 25th anniversary reunion show, after mostly radio silence over the last few years, what is it about this particular show that “got the band back together”?
I definitely love that Lanemeyer song. Tom W. felt inspired to put this reunion together. Simple Mischief did a reunion show about 14 years ago at Joe’s Mill Hill Saloon in Trenton. I never thought there would be something like this. I can’t imagine there being another opportunity like this. It’s definitely a must see!
“We ran into some punky kids bought some beers. They showed us around under a bridge by the river. We got drunk and sang Clash songs we were saved” – Bouncing Souls – Here We Go
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences you had as part of the band? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
Hands down, playing live was the greatest experience. Waiting to play was the greatest experience. Finishing playing and enjoying the other bands, socializing after having that release and rush, were the greatest experiences. I still love the rush of playing live music today. The weirdest moments involved kicking out band members. It’s like a Romantic break-up in a lot of ways. I still have regrets about how some of those situations went down.
“All those nights in the basement. The kids are still screaming” – Thursday – War All The Time
We’re all at very different stages in our lives now but this show gives us a chance to relive and reexperience our relationships with the bands. What do you hope your fans – and their kids – take away from the experience, aside from ringing ears and aching joints?
I imagine many of the kids have never seen this side of their parents. So that will be worth it, in and of itself. I hope people have a good time and feel some nostalgia.
“Theres No Connection, Just Feelings Of Regret” – Bigwig – Girl In The Green Jacket
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 really love this Bigwig song. They were so powerful. Like I said before, I regret the decisions to kick people out/part ways. As you get older, you realize how hard it is to find good friends. Like if someone is a slacker and doesn’t show to practice, then yeah, kick that dude out. But unfortunately that wasn’t always the case.
“We should try to reestablish that connection that we made” – Saves The Day – Hot Time In Delaware
The Derby reunion is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Who are you most excited to see? Alternatively, what NJPP acts not on this bill would you most highly recommend our readers check out?
I’m excited to see all the bands. I really loved Mothermania. Face First were also close friends of ours. Bigwig was always the apex of the area. Mohawk Barbie was nuts! These and many more bands I wish were playing.
“And my legacy will be one that keeps pushing me away” – Lifetime – The Truth About Lars
What do you see as the legacy of the Derby shows and the other countless firehouse and hall shows across NJ, and the artists who played them?
Legacy is a hard thing to gauge and control. But I feel the 90s were a solid time for music. Everything was raw. Recording technology has in a lot of ways sucked the life out of music. Technology in general has opened a Pandora’s Box of detrimental effects. I was glad to grow up during that time, a time where you wanted to be where you were, and going to shows/playing shows was something we always looked forward to.
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/