The Interrupters will release their self-titled album through Hellcat Records this coming Friday 1st August. Having toured with Rancid in 2013, along with regularly playing with Tim Armstrong as Tim Timebomb and Friends, he produced the record which the band wrote and recorded in a matter of days, saying “Working with Tim, nothing ever gets over thought, it’s like lightning in a bottle“. This week we catch up with front woman Aimee Interrupter to answer our Hotseat questions. Expand this post for her answers as well as video clips for singles ‘My Family‘ and ‘A Friend Like Me‘. You can pre-order the album now online [Here].
THE BASICS
Name : Aimee Interrupter
Band : The Interrupters
Job In Band : Singer
Website Address : facebook.com/wearetheinterrupters
HOME
Hometown : Los Angeles
Hometown is best known for : Traffic, Plastic Surgery, Reality Shows, Paparazzi and Tacos.
Best venue in your hometown : The Henry Fonda Theatre. They have an awesome patio upstairs and they project the show on the wall. I end up watching most shows from up there!
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : The Twins (Jesse and Justin Bivona) singing ‘Forgot About Dre’ at karaoke night at the Chimney Sweep.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : Rancid / Transplants / Interrupters at the Hollywood Palladium. We had a lot of family there, and we’ve all been to so many shows there. It was fun to be able to play there, AND with such great bands. Check that one off the list!
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? I was working on a solo record and Kevin was co-writing with me and producing it. He brought in Jesse and Justin to play drums and bass on some songs, and we got along so well we decided to start a band. Waaaaay better than being a solo artist!
How long has the band been going? A little over 2 years
Any particular story behind the name? Kevin and the twins’ Mom came to visit us right after we started the band. She was excited and she kept interrupting me. When she left I said, ‘Your mom is such an Interrupter!’ and we all knew that was gonna be the band name. It goes well with our lyrical content too, so it totally worked out. Their Mom knows the story and she loves it!
What’s your most recent release? Tell us a little about it… It’s our first album as a band. Tim Armstrong produced it and co-wrote with us. Most fun record I’ve ever made! We didn’t overthink anything and did a lot of it live. Tim totally got our vibe and helped us out so much, we were lucky to have him on board.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? We recently played a festival up in Montebello, Canada. The whole town was flooded with kids who came to see the show, a lot of people were hanging out in the streets by the festival site and camping. Tim Armstrong was up there and we went out on the streets with him and played acoustic without telling anyone. We happened upon a ‘Music For Cancer’ charity fundraising booth and Tim asked them if we could set up there and play. We did an acoustic set of Tim Timebomb and Rancid songs, just us and Tim. Seeing people walk by and realize what was happening as it was happening was amazing. By the end of the set we had a huge crowd of people singing along, AND the charity raised over a thousand dollars in 20 minutes. I will never forget that.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I wrote my Mom a birthday song when I was 8 years old because I was sad that I had no money to buy her a present. I made my siblings clap along and sing back up. It was a big family hit! I still sing it every year. So I figured if I could find a way to do that for a living I should go for it. Now I just have another set of siblings clapping along and singing back up!
Any particular band / album or song that you personally credit as a major influence? I love Joan Jett but the first aggressive female vocalist I ever heard was my Grandma Dee. She sang and played piano to me over the phone for hours on end. The first time I ever heard Janis Joplin I thought it was my Grandma haha.
Your first band name, and what style did you play? My first band was called Amoeba and we were all over the place. I would describe it as folk/punk, very Violent Femmes inspired. My job was to sing and make sure our band didn’t turn into a jam band. I tried to keep our songs under 3 minutes.
Most prized music related item you own? I really like my autoharp. It’s the same brand Dolly Parton uses so I think that’s pretty cool. Don’t ask me to tune it though..ha
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Hanging out with my dog, Daisy. She is kind of a full time job and I love her so much!
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Reconnecting with all the family and friends I have in different cities.. and of course, making new ones!
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… Leaving my dog 
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? We don’t usually make crazy requests on the rider BUT we do have these menthol lozenges we get from the Asian market by our house and we bring them EVERYWHERE.
Favourite place you’ve toured… and why? So far we’ve only done North America, so I’d have to say that’s our favorite!
Most memorable show you’ve played? and why? The Marquee in Arizona. The crowd’s energy was amazing and my Mom came to that show. Halfway through the second song i realized my Mom was standing in the front of the crowd with a circle pit going around her, and she waved at me! My heart sunk and I thought she’d get knocked over but she didn’t and she had a great time.
Got a favourite song to play live? ‘Take Back The Power’ is a fun one for me. That one is more of a straight up punk rock song. The ‘I’m not that in to ska bands’ people always perk up when they hear us play that one, and that opens the door to them liking our ska stuff too.
Any embarrassing on stage moments come to mind? Uh forgetting lyrics? Getting the crowd to clap at the wrong part of the song? Too many come to mind!
Any pre-show rituals? We all get into a huddle, say how grateful we are to play music together, tell each other we love each other, and at the end we scream ‘This is my family!’ together.
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? Gas prices and my band being able to find a neutral temperature that we can all agree on to keep our van/hotel room at. I’m always cold! I bring my heating blanket on summer tours.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? We just had a BBQ and the last song I heard was ’Today Was a Good Day’ by Ice Cube.. and it was…
Last album you picked up? Material Issue – International Pop Overthrow. It was an album I loved as a kid and I just re-discovered it.
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? Cock Sparrer – Shock Troops. Always on high rotation.
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? The Interrupters!
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? Our album is coming out and we are going on tour with a lot of awesome bands!
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? Operation Ivy! They are a big inspiration and we practically know how to play their whole record already.
You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? We wanna see hologram Tupac perform our whole record in full.
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? The Clash
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? ANY venue in Australia. You tell me! We would LOVE to come out there!
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? One of the back up singers for the Dan Band. I’ve seen them live and they kill it!!
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. Against Me! and X
PLUG TIME
Got any final words? Our debut album ‘The Interrupters’ out August 1st on Hellcat Records!
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THE INTERRUPTERS – The Interrupters
Available Friday 1st August on Hellcat Records.
Pre-order on iTunes [Here]
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