What type of music do you like listening to?
I mostly listen to punk rock and hardcore type of stuff, like a little bit of metal.
Who are some of those punk and rock bands you like to play?
Bl’ ast, Circle Jerk, The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, and like Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash when I’m keeping it mellower.
Who introduced you to all those bands?
My dad and everybody who played it at the skatepark. If there were something that I hadn’t heard before, I’d ask my dad, ‘who is this?’ And he would always know what band was playing and give me a little bit of background about them. That was around when I was six or seven years old asking who The Dead Kennedys are. That shaped who I listen to, and as soon as I got a phone with like Pandora, I started discovering more bands.
Where were you skating with your dad back then?
The Upland skatepark a lot, like the big full pipe. We’d go to Baldy sometimes and lots of backyards. Especially if there was permission or one that was not a bust, I wasn’t like thirteen and barging pools with everybody, but up until then, it was places we had permission.
That’s a rad experience to grow up skating backyard pools and listening to punk bands, almost like you time-traveled to a previous era.
Yeah, that’s just like my dad and all his friends that never grew up. Then Salba always brought his guitar to sessions and going to see JFA at all the skate events they would play. Listening to it and being able to see it live like at a skatepark that reinforced it.
Talking about shows, do you remember your first concert?
Duane Peters actually got me tickets to see US Bombs at House of Blues. That was my first show, US Bombs and Social Distortion. I was like in the fourth grade. I don’t remember how it got set up. I met Duane a couple of times, like at the Made To Skate bowls in Huntington Beach. So I skated with Duane, and somehow we got in touch with him, got the tickets, went to the show and then went to school the next morning after going to a punk show that night. It was crazy; I was so tired I didn’t even get home till after midnight and back to school the next day.
Did you try explaining that you went to a concert with any of your friends?
I might have told a couple of friends, but they probably were just so confused. I’m sure they had no idea what I was trying to say.
Do you ever get into the pit?
My first pit was a few years later. I think it was JFA and the Angry Samoans at a local show. All my friends that skated were there. I was probably thirteen or fourteen. I would always jump in there.
You a stage diver too?
Yeah, I remember a JFA show where my friend and I jumped up on stage and ran across and jumped into this girl who had her back to the stage. As soon as I jumped, I saw her, and I was in the air I couldn’t do anything. I went straight into her. I don’t know why she had her back towards the stage. She got smoked.
Who do you want to watch live that you haven’t yet?
I mean not that they are possible to see. I never got to see Motorhead, but I saw one of Lemmy’s (Kilmister) other bands, The Head Cat, but I’d like to see Motorhead. I’ve always loved The Clash growing up, and Johnny Cash. Those would be the three if I could go back in time.
Sound off in the comments below!