Features

Have you already heard Night Birds’ new album? If not, you are seriously missing out! It’s 25 minutes of ferocious 80ies hardcore punk with additional surf influences and it kicks ass from start to finish. Definitely one of my favorite albums to have come out this year. Here’s an interview we did with frontman Brian Gorsegner where we talk about pro wrestling, becoming a parent and horror movies. And if you are at the Fest this weekend, make sure you go and watch these guys!

PRT: I read that some of the anger you get rid of in your songs, comes from working in customer service. Having worked there myself for three years, I can certainly relate to you saying your hope in humanity is pretty much destroyed at this point. Suppose you get the chance to work a job that comes with zero frustrations... would you take it if it entails that as a result you would write happy songs?

Brian: My job is a constant reminder of how much society sucks, but it doesn't end there. Even if I had the best job in the world I'd still be riddled with disgust for this place. The financial elites are probably already up on Mars laughing as they watch people throw their trash on the ground as the pull away from the McDonalds drive through. But ya know, even though I've come to the conclusion the world is more evil than good, I think it gives me a greater appreciation for the good. Like when someone holds a door open, or a stranger buys you a cup of coffee. It's not ALL bad, just mostly. There will always be Bill Murray and pizza, so at the end of the day it's cool to be alive. 

PRT: You reference pro-wrestling on the new album and said you saw parallels between pro wrestlers like Mick Foley and the punk rock bands you like, in that both destroy themselves for their craft without giving too much thought about the future. Which made me wonder if you guys ever check yourselves and if you think about long-term plans with Night Birds?

Brian: We don't really make long term plans. For touring we do, but that's just because of everyone's busy work and life schedules. For the band, it's done when it stops being fun, and we stop writing new albums when we feel like we're out of stuff to write about.

PRT: You became a father between the last album and this one (congratulations!). How has that affected you being in a band along with having a day job? Is it simply a matter of planning things better?

Brian: Honestly the biggest change is how much I love touring right now. I love my daughter more than anything, but with this new insane sense of responsibility it makes touring feel like vacation for me again, like when I was a teenager just stoked to get away from my school and parents for a few days... Now touring is like, a chance to reset my brain, and come back to parenting revitalized and ready to go. I think that's important to take a step back every now and then, and my wife and I have a good system worked out so far. She went away to do some art stuff in Europe this year and I stayed at home with Dorothy, so we work it all out and keep it balanced. She's never resentful toward me when I need to go on tour for a bit, she knows it's important. What really rules, is as opposed to when I was in high school and never wanted to come back home, now after about a week I can't wait to get home, so it's the best of both worlds.

PRT: The song "Blank Eyes" deals with your wife's battle with postpartum depression shortly after the birth of your daughter. Was that a particularly hard song to write seeing as it's about such a personal experience that you went through as a family?

Brian: Truthfully it kind of just wrote itself one night while that stuff was going on and I don't really remember it. I recall it feeling good to sort of turn my brain off for a few minutes and focus on something else. I don't often write lyrics as like, therapy, sometimes I'll write music in that way, where I'll be in a shitty mood and playing and writing music in my room serves as a way to get that shit out, but not normally lyrics. 

PRT: "Mutiny At Muscle Beach" marks the first time you've worked with a producer. How different do you think the album would have turned out if you recorded it by yourselves?

Brian: Well, it really wasn't the first time, it was the first time we had someone "producing" as a standalone job, as in not also engineering. Chris Pierce, who produced "Mutiny", has also recorded our "Midnight Movies" records, "The Other Side Of Darkness", and "Monster Surf"... This was just the first time he was able to focus on the producing end of it and not juggle other tasks, which ruled, and no doubt played a big role in the final result, which we are really pleased with.

PRT: You'll be heading for Gainesville next week... being something of Fest lifers by now, what is one Fest experience that really stands out for you?

Brian: Last year at Pre Fest Alicia Fox and Paige, who are two really popular WWE pro wrestlers, came to the show, I think maybe they were friends with Less Than Jake or something? Or they were actually fans of punk rock? I can't recall... But they were there, and they heard our song "Maimed for the Masses" about Mick Foley and came up and talked to us after the set and said they really enjoyed it, and it was a real trip because Joe is a huge wrestling fan and he got a chance to talk to them and said they were really rad. Always rad when people you are a fan of dig your thing, especially with 2 mediums like pro wrestling and punk rock, because there's not TOO much crossover there, but I thought that was awesome. 

PRT: For those of us not at the Fest this year, what is your top 3 of more obscure horror movies we should watch on Halloween?

Brian: Not sure how obscure they really are, but I'll go with my top 2 Frank Hennelotter films and a new film by Chris LaMartina who did our recent video for "Mutiny at Muscle Beach"... Chris's film is called "CALL GIRL OF CTHULU", and my 2 favorite Hennenlotter movies are "FRANKENHOOKER" and "BRAIN DAMAGE"...

PRT: When you ask people why they like horror movies, it seems like they either watch them simply because they're fun or because they help you face your worst nightmares. Which point of view do you agree with the most?

Brian: Definitely the first one.  Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and watch something demented and twisted. 

PRT: You released a video for the title track, which was directed by horror filmmaker Chris LaMartina. Would you ever like to take your love for all things horror further and write/direct your own horror movie?

Brian: Sure! If someone was foolish enough to give us money to do that, that is. It would star Carrot Top, that much I already know.