Grab your s’mores, your bug spray and pack your bags as Riot Squad Media is about to take over Northeast Pennsylvania with Camp Punksylvania! The 3-day festival with multiple stages and amazing local acts like The Suicide Machines, War On Women and A Wilhelm Scream, will take place from 1 September until 3 September, tickets are available here. Swam (Vocals & Guitar) of The Karens joined TGEFM to discuss their upcoming appearance at Camp Punx for the latest installment of our Camp-centric Roll Of The Dice interview series. Check it out below and I’ll see you at the campfire!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What can you tell us about The Karens, your sound and what you stand for?
I started this band in 2020 after seeing Black Flag live. Complaint Department (our first EP) was pretty much just me trying to make my own Nervous Breakdown EP, but with a Karen theme. As time has gone on, we have evolved our sound to have elements of hardcore punk, skate punk, horror punk, crust, screamo, grunge, we really pull from all punk subgenres. We have street punk choruses and pop structures. Just a goofy, fun punk band is my goal. As far as what we stand for goes, we hate nazis, hate the way the world is. I wish everyone could just have the essentials they need to live, but we can’t have that. I wish everyone had equal rights, but again we can’t seem to have that either. Maybe one day. Until then, we will at least attempt to cheer people up with our silly punk songs.
You are gearing up for Camp Punksylvania in the coming months, what does the festival circuit mean to individual artists like yourself?
It means everything to us. To share billing with Fat Wreck Chords bands as well as bands like Doc Rotten, Suburban Downgrade, The Wasted, ya know bands we really respect. It’s an honor. And the festival organizers and promoters, everyone involved from the bands, audience members, interviewers, everyone, it means a lot to be a part of something like this.
What’s the state of the live 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, do the current cultural and political landscapes have on the two of you and your music?
Well, as a correction, there are currently three of us. Swam, Bean, and Joe. Joe who? JOE MAMA! Anyways, we have a song called “Don’t Vaccinate Me” that’s making fun of anti-vax Karens, that people keep thinking is dead serious. It’s been kind of funny, the reaction to that song. The live scene got hit HARD due to the pandemic. Ive heard a few people say that punk got hard reset from covid, and I kind of agree. The expenses of just doing local shows are insane, god forbid touring. But everything is ridiculously expensive now and the 1% of the 1% have been hoarding their wealth and have been basically unaffected. Now me personally, I’m a fan of bringing back the guillotine, but that’s beside the point.
Every artist has 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?
My biggest regret is having to cancel the shows we’ve had to cancel due to people harassing and threatening venue owners and promoters. I wish I was always polite and easy to work with. Unfortunately I’ve been a bit of a tornado because I have really had zero guidance or management.
Any summer camp worth its salt knows there needs to be a lot of different activities to participate in. What activity would you be in charge of if Camp Punksylvania was an actual sleepaway camp?
God, that’d be brilliant, wouldn’t it? Probably group sink pissing. We could have merit badges and everything. Pin the tail on the cop. Lots of fun activities.
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see on each stage?
Im not sure which acts are on what stage. But Suburban Downgrade, The Wasted, Escape From The Zoo, Doc Rotten. Just excited to be a part of it.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I really want people to check out the following bands that aren’t on the festival: Pinky’s Brains, No Bison In Buffalo, Wednesday Demonstration, Two For Flinchin, Powder Keg Culture, Evelyn’s Casket, and Panther Revival. Also please check out Iron Lung bands like Big Baby, Eteraz, Physique. Lots of great punk out there that people should be talking about more.
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/
