The A.K.A.’s (Are Everywhere!) are one of those bands that simply can’t be ignored.  Even if the world did ignore The A.K.A.’s they would press forward and continue to do what they do.  After talking with the band’s frontman Mike Ski, it’s obvious that his passion is undying and in Ski’s words, “The nature of our band is to never be content and it’s a reaction to everything until everyone is cool.” 

 

After having to reschedule our original interview due to Ski having a hell of a bout with the flu, we were finally able to connect with him, despite him still battling whatever bug he had.  Ski phoned in from a very cold Philadelphia tour stop, where his band was playing alongside The Vincent Black Shadow, Wednesday 13 and Creature Feature.  “It’s the kind of sick where all you can do is sleep and feel like shit,” Ski explains.  “I’m trying to sweat it out by playing ridiculously hard.”

 

Despite illness The A.K.A.’s, rounded out by guitarist Chris Bazan, keyboard player Josie Outlaw, bassist Justin Perry and drummer Chachi Darin, have taken their unique blend of pop, old-school Clash-inspired punk rock and even a splash of surf rock to the road with a zeal driven by the band’s forthcoming release of Everybody Make Some Noise!  The follow up to White Doves & Smoking Guns is sure to garner new fans and surprise their diehards with an eclectic blend of everything that makes The A.K.A.’s who they are.

 

Ski explains touring as, “An ongoing social experiment.”  “We tour with bands that surprise people,” he explains.  And while some of these bands may sound nothing like The A.K.A.’s that the whole point.  “These eclectic bands can find something about our band that they believe makes sense, “he says.  “We can play with Hawthorne Heights or Big D and The Kids Table,” Ski continues.  “It might not always make sense [to others], but it makes sense to them.”

 

“It would be easier to get on tours if we played the same heartless pop music as everyone,” says Ski.  He notes that The A.K.A.’s purposefully tour with bands that cross the genre spectrum.  Ski says that even a tour (while not planned) with Fall Out Boy would be great for his band.  “You play with Fall Out Boy and that’s a huge opportunity for someone 15 years from now to have someone say, ‘I heard that band and they opened me up to this,’” he explains.  So really, it’s about opening people’s minds to a new kind of music that they may have not otherwise been exposed to.  “I look at that and say, ‘Where would I be without that,’” Ski says.

 

Ski notes that the challenge is writing lyrics and music that are both inspirational and socially aware, but not lame or boring.  “I want to be notable, even if it’s only notable to myself,” says Ski.

 

The A.K.A.’s musical ethos hasn’t changed since the band’s inception either.  Ski says that when the band started, each of the members were at a point where they would have rather listened to what they bought when they were 15 years old.  “We like to combine that with something modern and contemporary that doesn’t sound cheesy,” says Ski.  Listeners can hear distinct influences of bands like The Clash, MC5 and even the B-52’s.  “It’s a weird band for us to be compared to,” notes Ski, but it’s not unfounded since the band was also into old surf, garage rock. 

 

So enter the new chapter of The A.K.A.’s; Everybody Make Some Noise!  It’s a record full of layered keyboard harmonies, guitar crunches and Ski’s often gritty vocal barks.  As soon as you think it may be a little too grainy, the band do a stellar job of hooking the listener in with the right amount of “pop.”  “Musically, we outdid ourselves with the record,” says Ski.  “We’re all really proud of it.”  And that’s not to come across as conceded.  “It’s a rollercoaster ride from song to song,” he continues.  The band tinkered with all sorts of different instrumentation on Everybody including a Farfisa synthesizer, piano, modern organ and different guitar tones.  “I feel what we did was really daring,” explains Ski.  “It’s an element of fearlessness.”

 

Essentially, the band is trying to ensure that listening to them live or listening to them on the record is seamless.  “We knew the strength of our band was the live show and it’s difficult to capture that when the recording process is so digitized,” says Ski.  Even the drum tracks were recorded as a full band and it took three 14-hour days to get it to a point where the band liked it.  “Our drummer didn’t like when it sounded too perfect,” notes Ski.

 

The final product of Everybody Make Some Noise! is really a testament to everything the band holds true, from the lyrics to the layers to the surprising guest appearances.  Ski says that the band entered the studio without having any plans.  “We’ll just go in and make the fucking record,” says Ski of the band’s mentality.

 

The guest appearances on Everybody include Anti-Flag’s Chris #2, JT Woodruff of Hawthorne Heights on “Dead Flowers Forever” and Dead Kennedy’s legendary frontman Jello Biafra providing his unique voice on “Everything Is a Commercial.”  Ski is quick to mention that The A.K.A.’s didn’t necessarily search for these names to appear on the record, it just sort of happened.  “Those things came about organically and it feels right,” Ski says.  “Everybody brought something individual to the song and [took] it to another place.”

 

Having Chris #2 from Anti-Flag was a perfect fit for The A.K.A.’s because as Ski explains, Anti-Flag was the first band to really acknowledge The A.K.A.’s as a socio-political band.  “We love them,” says Ski.  “#2 from Anti-Flag has his signature bark / snarl that is really intense and compliments what I did.”

 

In regard to having Woodruff of Hawthorne Heights on the new record, one can understand the respect Ski has for that band.  “Those guys are awesome dudes,” he notes.  He continues to say that The A.K.A.’s and Hawthorne Heights have a relationship that goes beyond “genres.”  Having Woodruff on “Dead Flowers Forever” is probably what allowed the song to make it onto the record.  “I demoed the song a while ago,” explains Ski.  “And when we went into the studio it became a struggle to me.”  After hearing that Woodruff was interested in working with the band, Ski knew exactly where he would fit best.  “It could be an interesting opportunity to really make that song good,” Ski thought.  When it was all said and done, it worked perfectly.

 

“The Jello [Biafra] thing was fantasy,” Ski says.  “We all love the Dead Kennedys.”  The band’s producer (Alex Newport) had brought it up and luckily their mixer had previously worked with Biafra.  “He literally did it at the last hour and we felt like it was meant to be,” says Ski with excitement.  “Having the three of them is so confusing and doesn’t make any sense and I think it’s totally cool,” boasts Ski.

 

Even the album’s title has an interesting story behind it.  According to Ski, the band was at a point where they were actually at home and not touring.  “Being at home is weird,” says Ski.  So the band had an idea to marry an art show with a live show.  Ski says that he gathered 25 artists from all over the country to focus on a real topic or a fictional topic inspired by protest.  The final product would then be displayed on a picket sign during the art show.  A total of three shows were held, dubbed as the “Everybody Make Some Noise Protest Art Show.”  The A.K.A.’s performed with one other band, and then partied with a gallery-like environment and D.J.’s.  “It was way better than the same old show,” says Ski.  He then decided that he wanted to take the “Everybody Make Some Noise” name and continue it and that is how the album’s title was derived. 

 

Now armed with an extremely poignant record, The A.K.A.’s will hit the ground running.  An intense tour schedule awaits the band including a good chunk of Warped Tour and other shows planned through the fall.  Ski notes that he would love to have an international presence with the new record and after hearing the final product, it doesn’t seem too far fetched.  “We want to continue doing what we’re doing,” says Ski.  “We don’t have a goal to sell one million records although that would be awesome.”  The band will strive to stay on the road, make new friends and allow the world to hear their message.  “Honest art is a reaction to what is going on,” says Ski.  “We’re being that band that’s not afraid to say what others are afraid to say.”            

   

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III - Senior Editor / Founder

 

Photos: Brandon Vincent