Rick Kosick: So what’s going on with this tour, are you guys supporting a new album?
CIG: Shit, we’re back! And we’re just thrilled. All day long it’s just CKY again.
Jess Margera: Yeah, we did an album at Rancho De La Luna out in Joshua Tree back in July or August, and then Chad mixed it at Studio 4 here in Philly which is Phil Nicolo’s place.
Is this going to be a full-length CKY album or an EP?
Jess: It’s full-length and should be coming out sometime this summer.
What’s the current lineup for the band?
Jess: It’s me, Chad, and Matt Deis.
How’s CKY going to be different than before?
CIG: So far, the new music is just fucking awesome. We’re going to be playing a bunch of new music on this tour and we haven’t had new music out for a very long time. We had some time to rehearse and made the songs even better live now. The band is feeling so good right now… everything is improving tenfold rapidly. It’s all about attitude, and we got a really good one right now.
How long has it been since you guys played or went out on tour?
CIG: We did a one-off at a Canadian rock festival when Daniel Davies was fronting the band. Before that we did a bunch of big shows on Soundwave in Australia with Daniel as well. And we played one gig that was an event tribute to Ryan Dunn in Cleveland last year. So this will be the first time back and I’ll be fronting the band.
Jess: It’s funny, because we did a whole album with Daniel, and then John Carpenter—the famous film director—is his stepdad. So he started working with John and they put that whole tour together and they’re still touring with John Konesky on guitar from Tenacious D. They have a killer band.
So you did a record with him and then he left to go play with someone else?
Jess: We wrote six or seven songs, but then we scrapped them because he said, “Look, I’ve got this John Carpenter thing, it’s my stepdad…,” and I’m like, “Absolutely, man, go do it. It’s family.” We were going to try and put one or two of those songs on this new record, but then we just said fuck it and started over. So this album is all fresh, brand-new stuff—even though we have another album pretty much on the shelf. Maybe one day we can revisit some of that stuff and give it a different name, because it was killer material in my opinion. Never say never. But that situation couldn’t have worked out any better, because it sort of forced Chad to step up to the vocal mic, which is where that guy needs to be. When we recorded the new album I was just thinking, “Holy shit, this sounds massive, why didn’t we do this years ago?!”
So how’s this new record going to sound?
CIG: The difference on this record is going to be me singing every song. Other than that, I produced and mixed this record like I did with all others, so it definitely still has the CKY sound. The last album was 2009, but this is updated into this current timeframe.
It reminds me of back in the day when Black Flag had different lineup changes and still progressed. Everyone still liked it the same like nothing changed.
CIG: If anything, we have a new lease on life at the moment. We’re really getting along great, the music is just getting better and better, and we’re going to be touring for quite a while to come actually. We just can’t wait to get back out on the road.
You’re sounding really good right now, Chad, what’s been going on with you?
CIG: [laughs] I’ve been in good shape, too. We learned as a group over time, and me, personally, I got to fix all of my demons and patch everything up. Anything that was bringing us down we fixed. That’s where we’re at, and I’ve grown a ton. I’m a fucking man now, you know.
I’m glad to hear that. We’re all very lucky to be doing what we do and it’s lame when our stupidity gets in the way. I know I’m just as guilty, too, and it brings you down and there’s no reason for it. You’ve just got to embrace the moment and run with it.
CIG: We are lucky, man, and we’re feeling incredibly grateful and realizing all that.
So the new tour starts off in England?
Jess: Yeah, we’re starting in Scotland and England. Then we’re doing some Canadian stuff and then the Warped tour. It’s going to be great this year with fucking Gwar, Valient Thorr, Hatebreed, and a bunch of other awesome bands.
Do you plan on doing a European tour later this year?
Jess: Yeah, there’s talk of if it… maybe in the fall. We might even take Bam’s band out and do like a co-headliner thing if he is up for it. He just put out a record called Evesdroppers and it’s pretty badass. He’s got Andy McCoy, the guitar player from Hanoi Rocks, Chuck Treece, Gas Lipstick, I played on some stuff, the CKY guys Matt and Chad play on some stuff, Alissa from Arch Enemy sings on a song, he’s got an Icelandic girl singing with him on a song duet-style.… it’s a pretty cool record. Not what you would expect from Bam, because his other band was like hardcore punk and heavier shit. I cut drums to his new album out there in LA at this place called the Nest… I’ve got brushes and a WW2-era Ludwig drum set, there’s a violin player next to me. I’m like, “All right, this is different.” Who knew he could do music like that.
That’s sounds cool.
Jess: It’s a shame, because I don’t think a lot of people give it a chance, you know, it’s Bam. They expect him to blow up a car or something, and when it’s, “Oh, check out his band,” they don’t even give it a chance. How could he possibly do music? He blows up cars.
Is Bam living in Europe right now?
Jess: Yeah, he’s in Spain right now skating his ass off. He’s putting together a video part and he’s really getting back into it. He got all the surgeries on his legs and feet so he can finally skate again.
I’m happy to hear he’s taken care of that. He was a good skater. Obviously he’s not going to be like a super gnar kid of today, but he doesn’t have to be that.
Jess: No, he doesn’t. He’s made his mark in skateboarding. As long as he still skates and busts out some cool shit here and there, that’s all anyone wants to see.
If he’s happy, that’s all that matters. He’s having fun and that will translate when people watch the footage and stoke them out.
Jess: Exactly. I miss the shit out of him. I haven’t seen him in months. But I can really tell he’s having a good time over there skating every day, and it’s for the better.
Any closing thoughts?
CIG: We miss you and love you and we’re all here together and will see you soon.
Jess: I fucking miss you guys, too… it’s been too long.
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