Formed in 1988, taking their name from the evil clown from the Stephen King novel It, Pennywise are one of the godfathers of modern-day punk. Formed in California in 1988 and releasing their debut long player in 1991, the band have always had a strong following across the world partially for their straight ahead punk sound but also for the incredible sense of humanity that shines through in their lyrics. This is a band that, with tracks like “Same Old Story”, “Bro Hymn” and “Fuck Authority”, have never been shy of calling it how they see it, whether they be talking about injustices on a personal front or a social/political one.
The next album from Pennywise, the band’s tenth studio release and their first since 2008’s Reason To Believe, continues the Pennywise tradition of having an uncompromising point of view and sound. Featuring great songs like “X Generation”, “Revolution”, “Stand Strong” and the title track “All Or Nothing”, the latest record is a welcome return, and as the band announces an Australian release date guitarist Fletcher Dragge ruminates on where it all began.
“The inspiration for forming Pennywise back in the late eighties was basically a lack of punk rock at the time”, begins Dragge. “Growing up in the early eighties in California, you had bands like Black Flag, The Descendants and Minor Threat. Over the years, a lot of the bands split up and the venues where they played closed down. I felt there was a need for some punk rock in general around the middle of the decade, so we formed Pennywise and basically made our own party, playing the kind of music we loved in backyard parties and the like. Things started rolling from there. Here we are twenty something years later, still kicking around.”
One of the most striking aspects that Pennywise are known for are their incredibly honest lyrics. It is rare to hear artists that say what they mean and mean what they say. “Lyrically, what we do comes from the heart. We’re just four normal guys playing punk rock music. Most of our fans know that being ‘rock stars’ or famous doesn’t interest us. We definitely don’t have all the answers, but we always try to point out the flaws of society and how, in our own individual ways, we can stand up to these and make a difference in our lives. As a band, we simply try to avoid sounding cheesy or clichéd. For us, the most important thing is to believe in what we say to the point where others believe,” says Dragge.
The love of punk rock and being able to speak their minds are strong motivating factors that inspire Pennywise to keep going today. “The world is a crazy place. With all the wars, revolution and financial distress in the world, there is plenty of lyrical and sonic inspiration out there. The corporate world and how they are taking over America, sponsoring politicians and the like, is something that really pisses me off in relation to America. The way that private individuals sponsor politicians and bend the world and its laws to their own ends sickens me,” says Dragge, passion in his voice. “The main point of Pennywise has been to inspire, whether it be to make people think for themselves or to rise up against oppressive points of view, whether they be from teachers, government or religion. The idea of living for today and making things count is paramount to the philosophy behind the band.”
The band has suffered tragedy, most notably the suicide or original bassist Jason Thirsk. Particularly after Thirsk’s death, there a point where Pennywise’s future was in doubt. “Jim [Lindberg, frontman] said that he wasn’t sure about the future of the band. I still felt that we had something to give the world. It was particularly hard for the first six months after Jason’s death, especially playing “Bro Hymn” live. However, our fans were incredibly supportive and always there for us, whether it is simply attending or jumping up with us on stage when we did “Bro Hymn”. We totally owed it to both ourselves and the people that had been inspired by the music Pennywise make to keep going. In the best way possible, we have some of the most passionate, vocal and crazy fans in the world,” explains Dragge.
The band are about to release their new album, All Or Nothing. Dragge says, “The new album is definitely a return to our roots as a band. I think that the fans will really like what we’ve achieved with the new release. We’re looking forward to getting out there and promoting it.”
One thing is for certain. In a musical world full of vacuous and plastic people desperate for their fifteen minutes of fame, Pennywise stand out, along with other bands such as Bad Religion and Fugazi, as people that have something to really say about the world around them. It is heartening to know there are still bands like Pennywise out there kicking against the pricks.
Pennywise’s highly anticipated new album All Or Nothing is set to arrive in stores April 27 via Epitaph Records.
