[RH Photos] Riot Fest 2015
Photos by Vanessa Bly
Riot Fest changed the festival game this year in a big way; it’s been the fest’s largest number of one-off reunion acts ever. With The Prodigy, Ice Cube & Special Guests covering Straight Outta Compton, Snoop Dogg playing Doggystyle, The Academy Is… playing Almost Here, The Ataris playing Blue Skies and Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits, L7, The Movielife, Modern Life is War playing Witness, Alexisonfire, Rancid playing ...And Out Come The Wolves and (probably) more, the air this year was nostalgic to say the least.
Tom DeLonge and blink-182 Reaching Amicable Break-up
It's sad to see one of your childhood favorite bands publicly feud, yet that's what blink-182 fans have been dealing with since (former?) guitarist Tom DeLonge took an "indefinite hiatus" from the band this past January. Since then, DeLonge and the remaining blink-182 members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker have released contradictory statements defining DeLonge's role/membership within the band, with Hoppus and Barker explaining a letter sent to them by DeLonge's lawyer and manager while DeLonge himself stated he never "officially" left the band and was blindsided by the statements released.
Nevertheless, Hoppus and Barker recruited Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba to take over singing/guitar duties for their Musink Festival this past March. The reception was very positive, leading to speculation that Skiba would join the band permanently. In fact, he's expressed mutual interest in replacing DeLonge, telling Alternative Press:
I think that’s a great idea and it’s something we have discussed. It’s something I would be very excited to do and I’ve known the Blink guys for about 15 years, and we’ve become good friends. Playing songs I haven’t written with Mark and Travis is a blast, so to go in and create music with them would be amazing.
It appears the band is moving towards that possibility with news that DeLonge, Hoppus, and Barker are reaching an amicable decision about the band's future. Despite DeLonge's aforementioned "hiatus," he hasn't yet officially left the band, leaving Hoppus and Barker stuck in limbo in regards to recording and touring - pretty much any movement or growth for blink. Hoppus recently told Das Process that they "are right now going through what so far has been a friendly divorce with our former guitarist. Hopefully things clear up and it doesn’t get all manager-y and lawyer-y and all that and we can move forward.”
blink-182 as we know it is dead, but it sounds like their future is close to being theirs to determine once more.
[via Yahoo! Music]
[RH Interview] Josh Caterer: Smoking Popes
Brynn: What are you listening to these days? Are there any new artists that you have been really into?
Josh: I tend to listen to a lot of older music. I like to search through the archives and find old things I've never heard before. Lately, it's been a lot of old country music...Porter Wagoner, Skeeter Davis, Kitty Wells, Ray Price. The stuff they were recording in the 50's and 60's was pretty amazing. As far as recent music goes, I like the new Robbie Fulks album called "Gone Away Backward". And I like Jake Bugg.
Brynn: You have collaborated with artists like Alkaline Trio, Bayside, and many others. Are the Popes working on any new collaborations?
Josh: No, the Popes aren't working on anything right now. I'd like to make another solo EP this year, so I've been focusing on writing songs for that. I recently had the privilege of collaborating with my friend Ben Calhoun from Citizen Way. He sang with me on one of my gospel songs called "Shed For Me". We made a video for that song which is up on YouTube. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Ben's a great guy and we're talking about collaborating on this next EP as well
Brynn: Who are some artists you would love to work with and why?
Josh: I'd love to write some songs with my friend John Davis from Superdrag. He became a Christian around the same time I did and his story of faith is kind of similar to mine, so it would be really cool to put our heads together and try to do a gospel project. We've talked about it, but it just hasn't happened yet.
Brynn: Who are three of your all-time favorite singers?
Josh: Judy Garland, Ray Charles, Feargal Sharkey.
Brynn: What fueled the reunion in 2005?
Josh: It just seemed like it was time. I'm glad I took all that time off to concentrate on my faith without the distractions and temptations surrounding the Popes, but I finally felt like I could return to the rock scene without compromising my faith or my identity in Christ. It had been seven years since our last show. I've noticed that our career seems to go in seven year cycles. We were originally together from 1991 to 1998...seven years. Then we were broken up from 1998 until 2005...another seven years. Then we started touring and making albums and being very active again for another seven years, until late 2012 when we decided to slow things down and take a break from touring. So we're into another seven year period now. I'm not sure exactly what these seven years will look like for the Popes, but we'll probably be laying low, gathering our strength for a big push in 2019. Unless the world ends before then.
Brynn: Has there been a show since the Metro reunion that really sticks out in your mind as great? Why?
Josh: The Chicago shows are always pretty special. We played at Double Door last fall, and it was a really memorable show. Also, our shows with Alkaline Trio at the Troubadour in L.A. were really special. I love that club, and that whole tour was pretty incredible. I never did any crowd-surfing until we toured with Alkaline Trio. Matt Skiba sort of got me started on that. It's a lot of fun.
Brynn: There have been a few members that have rotated in and out of the Popes over the years; How has that effected friendships and relationships? How do you think it has effected the sound?
Josh: We've had the privilege of playing with some great drummers over the years. Mike Felumlee was the one who really defined our groove in the early days. Then Rob Kellenberger played with us at the reunion show. He's a powerhouse drummer and also very creative, so he's very inspiring to play with. Ryan Chavez brought a different vibe to the band because his style was less punk and more classic rock, so it brought out a different side of the band, which was cool. And now Neil kind of combines some of those elements together in a way that bridges the gap between different eras of the band. Neil can do it all. He's a very solid and very energetic drummer and he gives our music a great energy. It's been a pleasure to play with all of them.