This special edition focuses solely on the upcoming Operation Ivy tribute comp Mooorree Than Just Another Comp, due out in April via Sell The Heart Records and Lavasocks Records. Today we are speaking with Shaun of Middle-Aged Queers. We rolled a FIVE.
1) Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! The first one I'd like to ask is: It seems that almost everyone I meet has a story about the first time they heard OpIvy. Do you remember yours?
I honestly cannot recall the first time I heard them. I got involved in the scene around 1993 and they were already ubiquitous by then. Any party you went to had them blaring, the majority of my friends had a dubbed copy of Energy in their cars. (editor- who didn't?)
I will confess that because they were no longer playing shows, I didn't really care about them. I was really excited about the scene that existed when I arrived. Bands like AFI, Black Fork, Dead and Gone, Hickey … I was more interested in going to see their shows and buying their records.
I have never owned an Operation Ivy record. I've never had to; their music is ubiquitous and I already know all the songs by heart.
2) What does OpIvy mean to you in particular, and in the broader pantheon of punk music?
For the West Coast and more specifically the East Bay, they had the lore of venturing out on tour. And they even did it in a car! That part of their story helped my teenage band (Wet-Nap) realize we could tour in a Jeep Cherokee. And we did!
3) Why did you pick the song you chose to do?
By the time we were asked, the majority of the songs had been selected. Out of the four options, what solidified choosing “Sleep Long” was that many of our membership has experienced homelessness or housing instability in at some point in our lives.
4) There are a lot of great covers on the comp. Aside from YOURS, can you pick another track that stands out for you, and let us know what you dig about it?
Plush Palace's cover of “Take Warning.” They added their own flavor and really made the song their own.
5) Aside from the comp, what can we expect from Middle-Aged Queers in the near future?
Record more! More comps, more splits, maybe another album sometime in 2024.
We would like to tour more; if you are in a wildly popular band, you should take us on tour with you! Otherwise, you're homophobic. Sorry, I don't make the rules. Please contact Sell The Heart Records with all opening slot tour offers.
Mooorree Than Just Another Comp is due out 07 Apr 2023. You can preorder digitally at the STHR Bandcamp. For physical releases on vinyl (inventory is going fast!) visit the Sell The Heart or Lava socks web stores.
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.