The Bollweevils are a Chicago institution. The on again/off again act will be releasing the new LP Essential on 05 May via Red Scare Records. This will be their first album in 14 years. Before we get started, The Bollweevils just dropped a new single and video for “Predisposition”, the lead track from the new album. Take a quick look and listen:
OK, are you properly satiated? Good. TGEFM got a chance to speak with vocalist Dr. Daryl Wilson (he’s an ER physician) about the new album and more. We rolled a NINE.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the announcement of Essential. What the hell took 14 years to make this full-length?
Hahaha, that’s always the first question I seem to get hit with when I have done interviews. Yeah, it’s been a long time since we recorded but not without trying. We had planned on getting a full length LP together after we recorded the 7 inch we put out back in 2015 on Underground Communique. Those songs are on this LP and the writing process of putting the other songs on took a while. We had some material that just didn’t see the light of day because we would start the process of writing and then our lives would get in the way, or a band member would leave. At the time it would be a little frustrating and we would sometimes think we were never going to complete anything or even stay together as a group. But we added Pete Mittler. This rejuvenated the band and our writing process. We reworked songs that were initially written and realized we were a much better and different band. Same at the core, but more apt at taking criticism for what we brought to the table and it really made us perfect these songs. I think the wait allowed the raw materials to fuse into this beast of a record. Sometimes the obstacle is the way.
What can you tell us about the songwriting process on this album compared to your previous work?
As I was saying, we took our time, hahahah. We really did. We didn’t rush anything. If we thought there was something missing from a song, a lyric, a drum fill, a bass line, a guitar lick, we kept pushing each other. We have matured to a point where the criticism we give to each other truly felt constructive. We weren’t so defensive of our parts. This writing process really was a whole rather than a sum of parts. Everyone has their roll, don’t get me wrong, I write all the lyrics, but if Ken said my lyrics weren’t working, or Pete said the cadence of my verse needed work, I knew it was coming from making the song the best it could be. And vice versa, I could comment on the guitar or other melodies and no one took offense.
What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep coming back to writing and playing?
Music is such a great outlet for all things. My day profession can be a bit stressful, and add that to the day to day stressors of life, music is a great way to let go of the residue that weighs us down. It’s also such a primal way of connecting with people. I love the way a song can stamp out a moment in time and evoke an emotional response. I love how music rejuvenates my spirit. Playing live is on another level. The opportunity to share what we have made with 10 people or 1000 people is special. Seeing smiling faces or seeing people that you win over who have never seen you before is an amazing feeling. It’s such an endorphin hit, and anyone who performs knows how addictive that feeling is. Having an outlet to express my feelings or my concerns with the world around me also keeps me motivated. Also, having my children see that you can be a professional like myself, and also still pursue your passion is important. Showing my kids that you find joy in all the things you do is a big motivator.
When The Bollweevils came up you were all pretty young, looking back, what advice would you have for the young, up-and-coming acts you play with?
Yeah, we were really young! The advice I would give to the up-and-coming young acts out there now is, just do you. We always did things our way. When people were telling us to sign a petition to not play the Metro back when we were just starting was ludicrous. We didn’t sign and walked our own path. When we were told to wait to put out our first LP because a local label was looking at another band, we went to Dr. Strange and the rest is history. You have to walk your own path and be true to yourself. Trying to please other people will leave you dissatisfied. You have to be pleased with what you are doing and go on from there. Right now it seems that people get inundated with so many inputs of info and avenues for criticism that is more destructive than constructive. Just listen to that inner voice and let it guide you.
The Bollweevils are such an influential band — how is that high standard you set in your time with them playing into the writing and/touring process? Does the high bar you’ve set for yourself help, hinder or affect your creativity, and to what extent?
Daryl: Really good question. The high standards we set, I think help with quality. I think that is the most important thing, especially when you have limited time. Our lives can sometimes inhibit prolific output on the band front, but that just makes us focus on the quality of the things we do. The flip side is that you don’t always strike when the iron is hot and you have to rebuild that heat. I wouldn’t to just do something to do something, you have to ask yourself is the undertaking you are starting ,is it worth sacrificing other endeavors. I don’t think this situation hinders creativity, I just think it makes us certain the process has meaning when it’s started. I find inspiration strikes at odd moments. I may experience something at work that motivates me to write, or a situation occurs in the news cycle and I am inspired to write. Now these ideas don’t all become songs, but they may spark something later or get developed when the time is right. This is where the quality metric comes into play. Just writing to write isn’t going to produce something we can all be satisfied with. Even now, I love the new record, but I know it’s time to write more new songs. I am motivated, but I am not going to write just to write and put out something subpar by our standard.
What’s the state of the scene from your point of view? We are living in a “just deal with COVID” world and everything about this timeline is some level of completely fucked. What impact, if any, does the current cultural and political landscape have on the band?
I think that there was a time when I thought that music and art was being tested as to if it was a necessity. Although we know that art doesn’t make the trains run on time or manage an ICU, it was a vital part of what made us as a community feel connected. During lock downs I saw the music scene find new ways to interact and even thrive. The DIY spirt, that is ingrained into the DNA of punk, really came through to make me feel confident that the scene is alive and well. With political acrimony, social separation, a rise in anxiety, it made me have tons of motivation to write and ease my own unease. I found myself delving deeper into stoicism and meditating on death and that motivates me to live. A part of living is music, so, I think the impact on the band is a positive. It’s a part of making sure what we produce is quality. Making sure what we say yes to is worth the time since time is so precious.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
Some bands on my radar that your readers may or may not know about are, Won’t Stay Dead, local here in Chicago, Celebration Summer, out DC way, and if you don’t know SPELLS from Denver…well now you do! SPELLS is one of my favorite bands playing right now. They are super fun live!
What’s next for The Bollweevils?
We are heading to Pouzza FEST in beautiful Montreal May 19th-21st. We of course have the record coming out before that on May 5th. We have a record release show in Chicago on May 27th at the Chop Shop with The Dopamines and The Reaganomics. Working on 3 videos right now with 2 out by the 5th of May. We’re also planning a show with some of our old pals from our Dr. Strange Records days, out in California in late summer around August, then FEST in Gainsville in October. A few more fests and hopefully some Midwest dates this year as well and slide into 2024.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I really just want to say thank you for having me and sifting through my ramblings. I appreciate all the people that have supported us throughout the years and am really happy with the new release. Red Scare has been great and I am looking forward to getting even more new music out to you all. I promise it won’t be 14 years in the making.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
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/
