J Church songs have the smartest, funniest, and catchiest lyrics in punk. Who else but Lance Hahn could write hummable lyrics about Situationism, class war, murder, palindromes, Marge Schott, and Hong Kong pop stars? Also marked by exquisite but honest musicianship and bursts of ridiculous proliferation, the legendary ex-San Francisco indie band can fill six jukeboxes with its massive and excellent body of work, including a new split CD with Storm the Tower. Look for the band with its killer new lineup (featuring members of Storm the Tower and DFI) on tour now.
GR: What's it like being having J Church as a four-piece band?
LH: Well, it means that all of our guitar solos aren't the same tired scale that I use on every song! Mostly, I think it gives us more dynamics. Before we just had "loud" and "soft." Now we can work a little more in the gray area. David also can come at chord progressions from areas that I would never think of. Plus, it just feels more like a "band" and not so much "three guys playing some songs"...
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GR: Where did you find the new guys? Do they know the old songs?
LH: I was working with Ben (the new bass player) at a record store in Austin (Sound Exchange, RIP). I knew Chris (drummer) from his other band, Storm the Tower, whose first record I released on my label, Honey Bear Records. David (guitar player) I knew through Ben. They're old friends from Richmond, Virginia. To be honest, Ben was the real catalyst and practically single-handedly got this band going. He and Chris were pretty familiar with J Church stuff. David is just a really quick learner.
GR: Is J Church an "Austin band" now?
LH: Pretty much. We're getting more and more entrenched in the local scene. Touring with two other Austin bands surely helps. But we also hope to play more regular local shows when we get back from tour. This line-up has only played three Austin shows over the past year or so, but they were all pretty great.
GR: Why are you touring during Summer when all the students are at home on vacation? What were you thinking?
H: Tell me about it! Never again! We were just working around everyone else's school schedules. But seriously, never again. This was easily the hardest tour ever to book. The shows are mostly sketchy. Seriously, this is the first time we've toured in the Summer and it will probably be the last.
GR: Has the popularity of new commercial punk bands helped people "get" J Church at all?
LH: Nope. There was a time when I thought it was helping. But it really only helped commercial bands take ideas from the underground and make money off of it. I don't care. I don't think anyone rips us off in particular. But the end result is that kids can go buy their pop punk/emo records on major labels and don't have to look to the underground. Some people think that's good as it weeds out the flakes who are only in it for sheer entertainment purposes. I'm not there 100 percent, but I do think you have to come to a band like J Church from a different angle than you would someone like Blink or Jimmy Eat World.
GR: Have you resumed collecting records since the apartment fire cleansed you of worldly possessions?
LH: I'm just a little more in control. I still go record hunting all the time. The fact that there isn't a really great record store in Austin helps curb my collecting. But a new store is opening soon and I fear it will be the death of me.
GR: Are buffets in Austin really that good?
LH: They're not good. They just are.