Interview: Reel Big Fish – Summer 2003

S&S: What do you guys like to do when you’re not playing a show? Do you like to hang out with the other bands?
Justin: We totally do. Zebrahead has a barbecue. Everyone’s been barbecuing before shows. It’s really good because we’re not eating fast food. You get tired of eating sandwiches and everything else. It’s cool to actually cook real food.

S&S: Where would you like to play that you personally haven’t played already?
Justin: In England, I think. We’re going to England in August. The band’s been there a million times, so I don’t know how beneficial it is to interview me, since tonight will be my eighth show. (laughter) I’m totally new. I’ve never been to England with the band, but I know they’re really popular over there, so I’m excited about that.

S&S: Did you always want to be a musician?
Justin: Yes, always. Ever since I was 14 and started playing the drums.

S&S: What advice would you give to bands just starting out?
Justin: Don’t be lazy, and flyer as much as you can for every show you’re on. That’s what it’s all about – promotion, getting your name out there, and showing concert promoters that you can work hard. A lot of bands just get on a show and do nothing. That would be my advice to any band that’s just starting out. Build up hype about your band.

S&S: How did you meet up with Reel Big Fish to get in the band?
Justin: I used to play in a ska band from Orange County called Jeffries Fan Club. I was the drummer in that band. So, we played a bunch of shows with Reel Big Fish. When Jeffries Fan Club broke up, Aaron, the singer for Reel Big Fish, called me up and asked me if I wanted to start a ska band with him. It’s called the Forces of Evil. So, we started this other ska band two years ago, and we’ve been playing when Reel Big Fish isn’t on tour. Three weeks ago, I got a call from Reel Big Fish’s manager who asked if I wanted to go on tour with Reel Big Fish.

S&S: Are you going to stay with them after the tour?
Justin: Yeah, I’m pretty sure I am. Things seem to be working out, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t.

S&S: When you get on stage, do you feel pressure to have to play well?
Justin: Totally. [Reel Big Fish is] like, “Don’t even worry about it. Who cares. Just relax”, and I’m going, “Ok, yeah, sure.” I’ve listened to Reel Big Fish for years, but I’ve never had to actually learn the songs. Being a fan of the music and having to play it are two totally different things. So, I get a little nervous some times. Yesterday, we played in front of 10,000 people and I’m going, “Fuck. I better not mess up.” I didn’t. I played fine. You just can’t think about it too much. I guess it’s like sports or anything else. If you think about it too much, you’re going to mess up. You’ve just got to do it, and make it happen.

S&S: You are currently touring with Zebrahead, Wakefield, and The Matches. How is it going?
Matt: It’s going amazingly well. We’re rocking it out every night. It’s going really, really well.

S&S: Is there anywhere you would like to play a show that you haven’t already?
Matt: I’d love to go to Thailand or anywhere in Polynesia. We haven’t played a show in Alaska. After we play a show in Alaska, then we’ll have done all 50 states. If we play a show in Guam and Puerto Rico, then we’ve pretty much done all the territories, too. So, we will have covered the entire United States thing. I’d love to play a show in Russia. Moscow would be awesome or St. Petersburg would be rad. That would be really cool. I would love to do that.

S&S: The band has encountered several member changes over the years. Is it hard when that happens, and what do you think of the current line-up?
Matt: It’s not really hard because we have encouraged so many line-up changes that we’re kind of used to it by now, getting used to a different player. Fortunately for us, the players that we’ve gotten have all been really good. So, the adjustment period isn’t really that long, and I really like the line-up that we have now. We’re rocking, so it’s good.

S&S: Did you always want to be a musician?
Matt: No. I kind of fell into it. I started out doing it for fun, trying to get a date. The whole date thing never worked out, but it started to pay pretty well. So, I just quit my crappy job.

S&S: What did you originally want to do?
Matt: Be an artist, actually.

S&S: Do you still work on stuff like that in your free time?
Matt: Yeah, I’ve done some designs for the band for t-shirts and stuff. I do stuff on my own, like I draw and paint on my own.

S&S: What band has been your favorite to share the stage with?
Matt: I personally love Zebrahead. They’re really good friends of mine anyways, so it’s just great to be able to play music with them. They’re really energetic, and they really get the crowd moving. I really like that. It’s cool.

S&S: What made you choose to play ska music?
Matt: It’s not like it was a conscious choice. It’s just what was around at the time. A lot of the local bands that we grew up listening to or went to see were playing that kind of influenced music. So, we just started picking it up.

S&S: Where did you get the idea for your song “She Has A Girlfriend Now?”
Matt: That’s all Aaron. I think he just wanted to write a song where he could do a duet with Monique. At the time, she was in Save Ferris.

S&S: How did you get so far in your career? What obstacles did you have to overcome to become so well-known?
Matt: Well, we had to sacrifice being home, and for a lot of us, that was kind of hard. In the beginning, Andrew had a kid, [so] he had to sacrifice seeing his kid. Being on tour as much as we do, you know. Me personally, I’m a homebody. I love touring, and I love being able to play music for a living, but being away from home for a really long period of time kinda gets on my nerves a little bit. It’s just remembering that this is what it takes, and this is what you have to do. It took me a while to come to that conclusion, because for a long time I was just having a really hard time with touring. I would be completely grumpy and basically an asshole. Now, I just kind of roll with it.

S&S: What advice would you give to bands just starting out?
Matt: Play as much as you can, and play in front of as many people as you can and as many different people as you can. Promote yourself. Go out there and sell your CDs, and go shake people’s hands and sign them up for the mailing list. That’s a help.

S&S: What is your favorite food to eat on the road?
Matt: Anything I make myself. On this tour, we bought this grill from Home Depot, so I really love to cook. I love cooking. Greg, the guitar player from Zebrahead, loves to cook, too. So, we just get together and cook food. That’s awesome. I love eating all that stuff, because it’s homemade, [and it] tastes good. Actually, Dan’s a really good cook, too. Dan is the trombone player for my band.

S&S: What is your favorite Sesame Street character?
Matt: Grover! Always has been. I have no clue why, but it’s always been Grover. When I was a kid, I had a Grover doll. I’m 30 years old, so it was a long time ago, and I had a Grover doll. I had this book, this little kid’s book. It’s called There’s A Monster At The End Of This Book, and it’s Grover. He’s afraid of trying to get to the end of the book because there’s a monster there. On the last page, it’s him. He’s the monster at the end of the book.

S&S: I think I actually had that book, to tell you the truth.
Matt: That was a hit. A lot of people had that book. It’s great. [I liked] the whole Super Grover thing, because when I was a kid, I was really into comic books and super heros and stuff. He had the alter-identity. So, Grover.

S&S: Does anyone in the band speak another language?
Matt: Aaron can actually speak Pig Latin fluently. That’s not a lie. He can just go off on Pig Latin. That’s pretty cool. That’s definitely another language. Scott is studying his Martian. There are actually four Martian dialects. He’s got three of them down, but he’s studying the fourth one. It’s funny because it’s not even a spoken language. It’s all movement and breathing techniques. So, he’s studying up on that.

S&S: MTV or MTV2?
Matt: M2. Always M2, never MTV. MTV is horrible. It’s like a Lifetime for kids. Seriously, it’s horrible. M2.

S&S: What was your first job?
Matt: My first job was at a movie theater. I was an usher, and I would sell candy and popcorn. Actually, my first job ever was working for my grandfather doing plumbing stuff. The first job I got on my own, [was when I was] super young and got a work permit from school, so I could work underage. That was an usher at the movie theater in the Westminster Mall in Westminster, California.

S&S: Trampoline or pogo stick?
Matt: Trampoline!

S&S: Can you do any crazy tricks or flips?
Matt: I can do a flip. Plus, you can fit more people on the trampoline. That’s always fun. Trampoline naked with a lot of people – that’s good times.

S&S: Do you know that from experience?
Matt: No comment. (laughter)

S&S: Do you like to play in smaller venues or in front of big crowds?
Matt: Personally, I love the big crowds. There’s something to be said about the small crowds though, but I love that feeling, you know. The people running around, jumping and singing and stuff.

S&S: Does it ever get really crazy, like people getting kicked out or anything? Or you don’t really notice that, you’re just rocking out?
Matt: Yeah, we just rock out. We always rock out. Even when we sit around, we’re rocking out on the inside. (laughter)