Life During Wartime interviews: Bi-Marks
Hey, it’s been a while but we’re back with another exciting Life During Wartime interview! Portland punk rockers the BI-MARKS played live on KBOO on June 6, 2011 and had this fascinatin’ on-air conversation with LDW’s Colin. Hear their killer performance here!
Calvin: Wuzzuuuup? Wuzzuuuuup?
LDW: Alright, so we should just get this out. So what sort of what have I done?/what burns? Would you like to say?
Calvin: I’d like to say oh my god to biggy dude
Eric: Don’t forget to say hello to burno to a millionaire.
Calvin: What am I? Who are you? Who am I?
Eric: Don’t forget to tell a man where the plums at. H3 is in place!
Calvin: (moaning)
LDW: OK, backing up to the questions — who are you guys and what do you do in the band? Let’s start with you, Evan.
Evan: My name is Eric, I play guitar.
(all laugh)
Eric: I’m Evan, I do nothing.
Calvin: I’m Kevin. I’m bored and I play guitar.
Kevin: I’m Calvin. I’m really really really bored.
Ian: I’m Ian and I slappa da bass.
Calvin: Oh, he slappa da bass alright. I tell ya that much.
LDW: What else do you do in the punk scene? What other—
Kevin: Nothing!
LDW: —bands do you do or… OK, nothing from Kevin. What other bands do you guys do outside of this?
Eric: Me and Ian are in this band Death Machine, and Calvin is in Athetic or whatever it’s supposed to be.
Calvin: It’s a new band.
LDW: Is it called Fnordgasm?
Calvin: No, no.
Eric: That’s what it should be.
Calvin: It’s called Oh My God.
LDW: And does the new post-Nerveskade band have a name yet?
Ian: No, but we’re playing next month, hopefully.
LDW: Awesome. And how did you get the name Bi-Marks?
Ian: It’s kinda like Bi-Mart but different.
Calvin: You know what I mean?
LDW: What made you think that’d be a good band name?
Eric: Marijuana.
Ian: Russell Slayton.
Calvin: Total boredom.
LDW: Alright, and how did this band start?
Ian: Evan and I lived in Seattle. And…
Eric: They told me I had to do it.
Ian: Yeah.
Eric: So I did.
Ian: So we flew him out here and he started playing. And played one show in Seattle and moved down here. Calvin started playing drums. This guy Justin was in it for a while. And then Adam Becker. And then now Kevin plays guitar.
Calvin: That’s just what we’ve done.
Eric: And dude guyman. He’s the guy.
Calvin: Dude guyman does the dirt.
Eric: Chasing boys in NYC.
LDW: OK, so you guys have a song called “Fear the Animals.” How did that song title come about?
Ian: Uh, there’s a line in the song which is, “We gotta get outta here if it’s the last thing that we ever do,” and that’s also a line in a Fear song.
Eric: And the Animals.
Ian: And a line in an Animals song.
Calvin: (earnestly) Really???
Ian: That song’s about buying weed.
Calvin: Word. Word. That’s straight straight.
LDW: Did you guys just record an LP?
Ian: Yes.
Kevin: Yeah.
LDW: And is it done with the mixing stage?
Ian: No, we still gotta mix, but all the tracking’s done. It’s called The Golden Years.
LDW: And do you know who’s gonna be releasing it or how soon it’s gonna come out?
Eric: Gus from Mundo Muerto is doing it, but… I don’t know the name of his label.
Ian: Mata la Musica Discos.
Calvin: Mata la Musica, what have I done?
LDW: Do you think the fact that you have an LP coming out and you’ve written a lot of new songs will ruin your reputation as the laziest band in Portland?
Evan: No.
Ian: Hopefully not.
Eric: We still need to borrow a van at some point in time. As soon as humanly possible.
Calvin: And we need 25 bucks each.
Eric: We need to borrow a van to get to Hunting Parties in July ’cause we don’t have a van and we’re supposed to play that. So if anyone wants to help, that’d be tiiight.
Calvin: I mean, real tight.
LDW: Just call 1-800-BIMARKS.
Ian: No e-mail us at bimarksusa@gmail.com
Evan: (gives out phone number)
Calvin: 420 420 69/11 420 4 twenty-four seven
LDW: A question from Maus — Why is Adam Becker?
Ian: It is what it is.
Calvin: Duh duh duh dee?
LDW: Alright, and what future plans do you have for the band? Just the LP?
Ian: I think we’ll book a tour after that. If some people can help us or something, ’cause we’re not gonna do it ourselves.
Eric: We need a lot of help.
Calvin: We need a lot of 25 bucks.
Kevin: Someone else would have to do all of it for us. (all laugh) But we’ll have a good time so, you know.
Ian: Dump, dump, dump.
LDW: Anything else you guys wanna say that doesn’t involve cuss words?
Calvin: Who am I?
Ian: Is it cool to snack in here?
LDW: Big time.
Calvin: (makes weird cartoon sounds)
Ian: (crunching loudly into mic)
LDW: And that was Bi-Marks, ladies and germs. Now you’re gonna hear more punk rock music…
Life During Wartime can be heard on Portland, OR’s KBOO 90.7 FM Wednesday nights from 11 p.m. — 1 a.m. They can be reached at lifeduringwartimepdx@gmail.com, and you can send them records at PO Box 1113, Portland OR 97207-1113. Get their podcast here.
