What does punk rock and a tube of toothpaste moshing in the pit have in common?  Nothing…unless of course you are talking about Christian punk band Absolved.  Yeah, you heard right, a tube of toothpaste.  To find out more about the hi-jinks of Absolved, read on.  In case you have not heard of these guys, you should really check them out.  They recently signed to Thumper Punk Records however, they have a great EP out called “This One Goes To Seven.”  The really unique thing about these guys is that each of the album covers is hand drawn by the band.  What’s refreshing is to have a punk band that is not afraid to take chances and redefine punk rock.  So check these guys out, read below, and if you are ever at a show where they are playing, beware of the tooth!

Band: ABSOLVED
Music Style: Good Ole’ Punk Rock
Home Town: The 805 Baby!
FACEBOOK REVERBNATION

Jimmy Sisco – lead vocals, guitars
Byron Brumit – bass

Q: Looks like there is quite a history with Absolved, two of the members go back quite a ways and quite a few bands,  give us a quick overview of how the band got started, when did you officially decide that Absolved was for real?

JIMMY: In 1999 or 2000, I was in a college class called “History of Christianity” in which Byron, our bassist, was also a student. For odd reasons I was wearing a straightedge t-shirt and Byron came up to me out of the blue and introduced himself and said that he worshipped Ian MacKaye. But I mean, who doesn’t? I had seen Byron around campus before but being the anti-social recluse that I have always been I never instigated any conversations even though he was clearly someone I could get along with amongst the multitude of assembly-line looking clowns that attended the college. Byron and I then started a band called “O.I.N.K”, a name which is totally Byron’s fault and stood for something my old brain cannot recall. We wrote some songs and practiced though we never had a drummer. Byron graduated leaving me all sad and alone but eventually around 2002 we tried the band thing again, this time coming up with the name Working Class. More songs were written (some of which we still use in Absolved today) but we still had no drummer. In hindsight, maybe we just should have done the Godflesh thing and used a drum machine to play live. Byron moved out of state and that was that. Then in 2007 he moved back and he and I decided to try one more time, but this time he enlisted a drummer whom he had played in a band with previously. So from 2007 till 2010 it was me, Byron, and Aaron. I think we always kinda felt this band was legit and that it was only a matter of time till we got some attention from others besides our own families who are kinda obligated to lie and tell us we are good. Last year we added a 2nd guitarist, Bob, who had also played in that previous band with Aaron and Byron. So basically I am the only member to proudly say that he has never ever played in any ska band. Thanks be to God.

BYRON: I saw this guy at Bible College with tats and a Straight Edge shirt.  We spoke and talked about the bands we liked.  Soon we were attempting to put something together.  The very first name of the band….OINK.  Problem was we could never seem to get the timing right, both in life and as well with actually having a drummer.  Fast fwd several years.  I had been living in Washington State and my Dad “Dirty” Jack became ill.  So I moved back to California to be closer to him.  This is when we decided it was time.  I approached Aaron Kelly who I had played with before and well here we are.

Q: What is the significance of the name Absolved?

JIMMY: When Working Class originally didn’t work out, I took 4 of the songs I had written for it and was going to put out an EP on my own and came up with the name Absolved as the moniker. When Byron and I decided to give this another whirl we realized that a few other bands had “working class” in their band name so we decided to go with “Absolved”. Being human, we all falter. The Old Testament is chock full of laws. According to the Talmud there are 613 laws to be exact. It’s impossible for anyone to truly follow so many, and hence people were reminded just how much we were incapable of keeping the divine standards. But thanks to what Christ did for us, we can be absolved of all wrong-doing through our faith in Him and our willingness to change and to be changed. The band name itself mirrors that sentiment, a sentiment that all of the members of the band hold fast to in our own ways.

BYRON: To me the significance is being free of the guilt that we carry as humans.  The hardest thing in life to do is to forgive yourself of your faults and let go. It’s hard to wrap your mind around the idea that a sacrifice was made so many years ago to restore our relationship with God.  Being absolved allows us to be free of the guilt and torment that would anchor us to our past.

Q: What does everyone in the band do when they are not playing?

JIMMY: I’m a school teacher, Byron is a bookkeeper I think, Aaron is an electrician, and Bob works at the airport.

BYRON: I work at a lumber company in Chino.  This takes up a decent part of my day.  When I get home I take Abby out for a walk (bulldog), and then it’s off to Azeroth, or working on something for the band.

Q: What bands have influenced the sound of Absolved (I hear a lot of punk influence, good punk!)?

JIMMY: The funny thing is that I am the band’s principal songwriter and I don’t even listen to that much punk! I grew up in the Bay Area and at a time when the thrash metal movement was blooming and so by nature I am a headbanger. If you listen to our songs, there is always a tinge of metal in there because of that. But at the same time, I was a huge fan of Suicidal Tendencies, Agnostic Front, Agent Orange, DRI, SOD, and other bands that incorporated punk AND metal, so in a way, it was the best of both worlds and in this band I try to do that with our songs as well. The other guys in the band are more punk than me, and so their playing styles and what not make the songs sound like what they have become. We have found a happy medium I guess. Vocally, I used to and still do listen to a lot of the youth crew and straightedge hardcore bands like Floorpunch, Youth of Today, Minor Threat, Better Than A Thousand, In My Eyes, Chain of Strength, and even modern representations like Bane and Have Heart, and I think my vocals have been influenced by all of that which of course lends itself to our old school sound.

BYRON: I grew up on Minor Threat, SOA, Black Flag, Dead Kennedy’s, Rancid, and Descendants….then moved to Officer Negative, Headnoise, and The Deal.  Basically if the bassline is fun I enjoy the band.

Q: You guys are pretty brazen about your faith, real in your face, how does that translate in the punk scene in California?

JIMMY: To be completely honest, I don’t think we really are that “in your face”. We really only have two, maybe three songs that are very explicit about our religious beliefs. But there isn’t a question of who we are and what we stand for, even if it’s not so explicitly stated lyrically. The punk scene is a funny thing: some of the new school kids are a bit more militant while the older guys who have been around for some time understand that there is more to life than “the scene”, and because of that they tend to listen to the music for music’s sake, not for the lyrics. However, no one wants something force fed to them, and if they do they are a sadist. Respect is a two-way street and we have never had any problems with anyone because we give the other bands and the show patrons the respect that they deserve and in turn we expect it back. Christian band or not, it’s just the right thing to do.

BYRON: I remember going into the Christian bookstore and seeing the crazy poster “If you like Metallica you will love Newsboys”. OK it wasn’t that bad but I felt as if there wasn’t the genre of music available to me that I enjoyed.  If I was not in ABSOLVED I would still listen to them no matter which side of the fence I was on.

Q: You guys are obviously a Christian band, where does the band draw most of its influences from in the bible?

JIMMY: My undergraduate major was in the Biblical Languages of Greek and Hebrew, and I have always had a deeper love and fascination with Old Testament studies. Our song “This One’s For The Survivors” even has some Hebrew lyrics in it. Not that the New Testament doesn’t, but the OT has a myriad of stories that are real, honest to goodness stories about heartache, pain, loss, and victory…the kind of stories that we all can relate to on an hourly basis. It shows mankind in its most susceptible state and how much it longed for the Messiah. Whenever I sit down to write one of our song’s lyrics, those types of things are on my mind. Let it also be known that the Song of Songs is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It’s no allegory, people! Three cheers for marriage!

BYRON: I am a Romans fan.  Ever since Mark Duzik’s class at Life Bible College I have been sold on Romans. I also enjoy Psalms, I mean honestly who hasn’t had issues in life and blamed God? I have been so mad at God in the past and then you realize wow, God is good and this is that little extra push we need to take it up to 11 and move forward with our lives.

Q: Did some of you guys serve in the Armed Forces?  Just curious, was listening to your new song Relentless Leathernecks.

JIMMY: I am the resident Veteran of the band. I put in six years in the United States Marine Corps serving as a Field Radio Operator in both artillery and infantry units. Some of the best years of my life. That song is about a famous World War I battle between the Marines and Germans in Belleau Wood, France where the Marines were vastly outnumbered and out gunned, but as we Marines do, we found a way to not only survive, but win. We have another song about the Marine Corps called “The Few And The Proud” which is on our now out of print and hopefully soon-to-be re-released self-titled debut album, also affectionately known as “the red album”.

Q: I am told that you guys have a quite a sense of humor, care to share any fun show hijinks with the general public?

BYRON: I will mostly let Jimmy take this.  Let me say that we all have great sense of humors. Bob and I go way back and seem to feed off each other. We do like to tease each other and I can only imagine that’s what it’s like with siblings who like each other.  Take it away Jimmy “the Tooth”…

JIMMY: I guess any band that writes songs about getting your annual physical and getting vasectomies shouldn’t be taken too seriously. We have an unreleased song too where there are no lyrics, just burps. I don’t know, I think too many bands take themselves too seriously. Must every band scowl at the camera for their official band pics? Scowl at the audience?  Scowl at one another? At themselves? Please. The tough guy posturing is always so laughable. Having been in the military and having a dad that runs with the 1%-ers, I know what tough is, and I see no need to bring that into our music or performances. As for hijinks, I believe that our other guitarist Bob has much incriminating evidence in his camera phone. He always has that dang thing on during band practices and what not. I can’t divulge most of our nonsense because I’ll have to 86 you if I do. There’s also some unfounded rumor that one of us dresses like a giant toothpaste tube and moshes to bands during their sets when we’re also on the bill. What a show of brazen disrespect! How dare he! As for any other behind the scenes pranks…like Dave Chappelle said, I plead da fif!

Q: You guys just played an awesome show at the Stronghold with some awesome bands (the Rekoning, The Way, and The Hoax) how was that show?

JIMMY: The show was a ton o’ fun. We finally got to meet some of our label mates and also our label Prez David Aaron for the first time, whom I’m going to call El Señor from now on. El Señor has put together a roster of bands that not only have the music in common, but also mesh so well personality-wise. So yah, ‘twas a fun evening. We’ve played with The Way several times and it’s always fun sharing the stage with them. And they always go on after us which is pretty cool cuz I spit on stage a lot so that means they get to step in it.

BYRON: It was one of my favorite shows.  I live in Santa Ana and commute to Ventura for band practice and gigs.  So to see my crew show up and heckle me and Jimmy (“Put the bag back on!”-Marcu). I mean, that simply made my night. All of the bands that played that night had good sets and had a blast. It felt like a time of worship, we laughed, and enjoyed the time we had together.

Q: So Absolved recently signed to Thumper Punk Records, congrats, what does this mean for the band?

JIMMY: Thanks, man. This means gold albums on the walls, having our CD on Target shelves, and artist riders that consist of a bowl of M&M’s sans the red ones. Other than that, I don’t really know. But with El Señor behind us we will be able to do some things we have yet been unable to do on our own, like, for instance, actually getting shows. It also means interviews like this and a chance to represent old school punk rock to people outside of our own families and our minuscule circle of friends.

BYRON: I hope it means I get a helicopter and my own dressing room and I can be snooty to people.  In all seriousness it means the world to me personally that someone would come behind what we have working on for the last five or so years.  As a band it means that we have confirmation that what we are doing is needed and that we can focus on writing music and obtain assistance for some of the other day to day items.

Q: Will you be releasing a new album on TPR?

JIMMY: We have plans on eventually re-releasing our out of print self-titled debut from 2010 on TPR early next year perhaps, and then around March 2012 our new full length will be released, also by TPR, God-willing.

BYRON: I told David that Bob and I need remote control helicopters.  Until then….we will just have to see.

Q: Tell us about the EP “This One Goes To Seven”  you guys have a pretty interesting thing you do with the album covers, can’t say that I have seen many bands do that in the past….

JIMMY: Yah, our new EP “This One Goes To Seven” is out now on TPR. First off, just the fact we have a Spinal Tap reference as our title means that everyone needs to purchase one of these pronto. The first run of 100 features hand-drawn covers that are drawn and colored by the band members themselves, and no two are alike. That was fun, but talk about tedium! I am constantly trying to think of things that haven’t been done before (or at least, not on a large popular scale) and this was one of those ideas. We have some other witty ideas but I won’t divulge those so that we can use em for future projects and so that bands like The Way won’t steal our insanely rad ideas.

BYRON: I can honestly say I don’t know where this idea came from.  However, I like the idea behind it.  We had 100 copies of the E.P. printed.  Divided up 25 covers per band member and then proceeded to draw each cover by hand.  Bob and I still have five blanks we need to finish, well, I have four. David @ TPR has requested a special item and I shall deliver.

Q: What can we expect from Absolved, will you guys be touring or hitting any of the festivals?

JIMMY: We envision more shows in 2012 than all previous years combined, so that’ll be rad. As for touring, that probably won’t happen for some time if at all. Being that three of us are married with children and we all have full times jobs, that makes it difficult to make any type of touring plans. But we’d love to play some West Coast fests for sure. But who knows. If Rancid comes calling, we’re hittin the road.

BYRON: I am not just a pretty boy who plays bass in a punk band. I work at a lumber yard in Chino by day. This keeps me pretty busy. I would love to go out for a bit this summer. I really want to play Cornerstone.  I really just want to meet more people, to hear their stories and build memories.

Q: What bands should we check out, who have you guys been listening too?

JIMMY: Truth be told, I don’t really listen to any modern music in the punk or metal scenes. Way too over-produced and most of it doesn’t even sound like punk or metal to me. But from what I have listened to, our TPR label mates have some pretty cool and original sounds in their music so check them all out. I’ve been listening to the final Strongarm CD “Advent Of A Miracle” a lot lately. That came out over a decade ago and it still holds a passion and intensity that really none of the bands in the Christian scene today can match. The lyrics are beautifully crafted and well-worded and the music is awesome. They didn’t rely on a lot of the power chords and chord structures that so many hardcore and punks bands use, instead employing a lot of almost-solo type playing throughout each song. That band was amazing. On the more modern tip, I was a huge fan of xDISCIPLEx AD. Their most recent incarnation, Jesus Wept, is really very very good too. I think they have two albums out and both are outstanding. I was also a huge fan of the early Facedown Records releases long before the label branched into the Hot Topic trendy metalcore territory. However, as far as heavy Christian music goes, my staunch belief is that Vengeance Rising’s “Human Sacrifice” is easily the best of the best. That came out in 1989 I think. It rivals any mainstream metal album in terms of its power, aggressiveness, skill level, and overall sound. The great, classic Christian band Undercover had an album called “Branded” which is also simply one of the greatest Christian albums of all time of any genre. Haven’t stopped listening to it since it came out in 1986 or so. The honesty and power of it is still unparalleled, except maybe by LSU’s “Shaded Pain”, which is itself a classic album too. “When You’re A Rebel” by the Altar Boys is also a longtime fave of mine and their follow-up to it, “Gut Level Music”, is fantastic. Funny how all those last few albums I mentioned all came out at around the same time…late 80’s-ish. What an era in Christian music! And man, how I’d love to collab with Ojo Taylor, Mike Stand, and/or Micheal Knott one day. Geniuses.

BYRON: I have been stuck on THROUGH IT ALL.  I saw them several years ago at the Showcase. They had a Christ centered message and basically did for me in the Christian realm what Minor Threat did for me growing up.  They gave me something to look forward to.  You have a mic, stage, and a responsibility to share some insight, don’t blow it.for a bit this summer. I really want to play Cornerstone.  I really just want to meet more people, to hear their stories and build memories.

Absolved – “Relentless Leathernecks”

Q: What message do you want to give to the punk scene?

JIMMY: To the nu jacks in the scene, don’t forget where your roots are. If it weren’t for bands like ST or Dead Kennedys or Agnostic Front or Rancid or Iggy & The Stooges…or individuals like Ian MacKaye or Henry Rollins or Jello Biafra or Ray Cappo or Roger Miret, there would be no punk rock or hardcore as we know it today. To the old geezers like us still in the scene, keep reppin. To the whole scene, stay real. Punk has always been a genre that prided itself on confronting the status quo, and somehow the scene got hijacked by corporate entities and became what it is today. Let’s take it back. Death to pop punk (sorry Bob)!

BYRON: Go beyond the image and the outward appearance.  If you don’t like something seek a way to change it.  No need to sit back and critique things if you are not willing to stand up and fight for what you believe.

Q: Feel free to give some shout-outs, drop links, etc, thanks for the interview!

BYRON: Thank you so much for the opportunity to do this interview. I strongly encourage you to check out the bands on Thumper Punk Record. Thanks to Dusty at Caustic Fallout who created an awesome page for us. A very big thanks to David Aaron @ TPR who is one of the nicest guys I have ever met.  Check out Absolved on Facebook.

JIMMY: Yah…peace to El Señor David Aaron, peace to our 805 homies The Way, peace to the other TPR bands, peace to the venues, labels, and promoters that still support and cater to the underground punk scene, peace to our brothers and sisters in uniform who protect our freedom, and peace to everyone that has given Absolved a chance. Now your soul is ours. Flawless victory. You can send hate mail to jrsisco22@hotmail.com and you can harass us at facebook.com/absolvedband, reverbnation.com/absolved, absolved.bandcamp.com, and on thumperpunkrecords.com.