Roll of the Dice: 9 questions with The Last Gang

Have you checked out Obscene Daydreams, yet? The fantastic new record from Fat Wreck Chords’ The Last Gang is so damn good! TGEFM highly recommends you click this link to download, press play on the record and then check out our interview with the quartet below, and then listen to Obscene Daydreams again and again and again and again.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congratulations on the upcoming release of Obscene Daydreams! Let’s start it off by talking a little bit about how the record came into existence. What was going on at the time that helped kickstart and influence the songwriting process?

(Sam Mankinen) We were reaching the time for a new album cycle and I had just recently joined the band, so we had a good little ignition to the flame that keeps us burning. It was just right place right time to get record 3 going and I think it’s just the beginning of lots of good music to come. As far as song writing influence, we have lots of artists that influence us musically along with our day to day lives.

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?

(Brenna Red) The Clash “Give ’em Enough Rope”. Watching videos of the Clash live with Strummer stomping it out on stage. It just clicked, like I vividly see myself doing that same thing. It’s hard to explain. Like it wasn’t just a dream, but I could see this as a reality. 

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?

(Sean Viele) I don’t think I myself have any regrets. When I started playing bass, I didn’t think any level of success would be achieved through it.  I did it because I thought it was fun. There were zero expectations. I still think it’s fun. I had no expectations of success when I joined The Last Gang. And now we’re about to put our third record out on a label I dreamed about being a part of only a decade ago. I often regret things I eat on tour all the time, but that’s about it.

“Berlin To Rome” is about your love for touring… What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences as a touring musician so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?

(Sean) We’ve had some amazing experiences on tour. The friendships we make, the bond that’s been woven among the group, the abundance of miles we’ve put on our bodies, it’s incredible to think about. I can remember before the pandemic, we were still very much a party band. We drank a lot and really wanted to be where the action was. Post-pandemic, well, I’ve quit drinking and the other three can have a few and usually leave it at that. So much of the madness has been stripped from tour, but we still do fun stuff and life is never ordinary when on tour. 
In Slovenia, myself, our sound engineer and Kenny went white water rafting on some unexpectedly powerful psilocybin mushrooms. Never thought I’d do that. But really, the whole fucking thing is weird. We drive around in a van and play music for people. It doesn’t get much more bizarre than that if you ask me. 

“NRA Back 2 School” and “The Others” are 2 tracks that really focus on some of the key issues in this upcoming election.  How has this election cycle impacted your songwriting, your live sets and your mental health in general?

(Ken Aquino) Everyone has their own ways in dealing with certain things. Music is one of the main outlets for each of us, so it’s impossible for us to not have the world influence our music. Naturally things that piss us off currently are US politics and certain people’s attitudes on inclusion. Mentally I think it’s taken a toll on everyone I’m sure. It’s hard not to have some level of worry. But one of our goals is to kind of help with awareness on these things and turn that worry into positive conversations and we can move forward. And songs on our record like “NRA Back 2 School” and “The Others” are songs  that I think help us accomplish that goal. 

What’s your pre-show routine look like? Any rituals, stretches, etc, before you take the stage?

(Brenna) We should warm up, but honestly we don’t. Maybe it’s something we can get better with. But our hotel ritual is systematic. Mine is…..  A candle bedside. Rub lavender oil on the hotel pillow. If there’s a bathtub, fill it with epsom salt. Earbuds. Face mask.  Then finish the night off falling asleep to South Park. If there’s no South Park, “we’re gonna have a bad time”. It’s our woobie. Oh, and if there’s a gym, Sean and our TM work out at o’dark 30. It may not sound that interesting, but it’s our key to touring. We’re all so very copacetic. We’ve toured so much together and we’re a well oiled machine. 

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?

(Sam) Best bands I can think of right now that people should be listening to are Webbed Wing, Spiritual Cramp, White Reaper, No Plan, Homefront, and Classic Traffic. We all come from such diverse musical backgrounds, but these have been hitting our ear waves pretty hard lately.

What’s next for The Last Gang?

(Ken) Currently we are on tour in the UK for about a week and a half. Our new record Obscene Daydreams comes out on September 20th, and we have yet to announce a tour we’re doing in Mexico in November. We’re also gearing up for 2025 and planning more fun. 

Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into
with our readers?
The Last Gang
Fat Wreck Chords

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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.