There’s something in the water of Scranton, PA, bringing us the likes of Tigers Jaw, Captain, We’re Sinking and, of course, The Menzingers who are over in the UK for the first time. So, ahead of their Newcastle show, Faye got talking to them about their local scene, the release of Chamberlain Waits and weed cookies.
Faye: Can you introduce yourselves?
Tom: Sure, I’m Tom, I play guitar and sing.
Greg: I’m Greg, I do the same, play guitar and sing.
Faye: How are you today?
Tom: Great, it’s not as cold as it was in Glasgow, that’s for sure, which is where we were yesterday, but there’s no Buckfast here.
Greg: That’s true, which is a good thing.
Tom: It’s this insane caffeinated spirit, it’s pretty intense.
Faye: Can you tell me a little bit of history about The Menzingers?
Tom: Well, we all played in separate bands when we were younger, they were ska bands. Then since we graduated high school and we kind of started that summer. Greg had played in a band with my brother, and Eric, Joe and I had played in a band together, and then we just kind of started jamming and took it from there.
Greg: We come from a town called Scranton, Pennsylvania and the scene is extremely small, so we all kind of played in the same kind of bands, so it just kind of went from there. Everyone knew each other because we always played shows together.
Faye: It still seems like a pretty good scene, with Tigers Jaw coming out of there too.
Greg: Yeah, the band I used to be in was with some of the guys from Tigers Jaws, and let me go on the record to say, I was the first member of Tigers Jaw. I didn’t play the first show, I quit, it was a battle of the bands thing, and I didn’t want to do it, so then Tom’s brother jumped in and played. They probably won’t say that, though. [laughs]
Faye: Aren’t Captain, We’re Sinking from there too?
Greg: Yeah, that’s my brother’s band too. Everybody has played in each other’s bands and dated each other’s girlfriends and everything. [laughs] It’s a very small scene.
Faye: Are there any other bands emerging from there?
Tom: I’d just say Captain, We’re Sinking, Tigers Jaw, and Title Fight who are from a little outside of Scranton, anyone else?
Greg: Yeah, those are probably the ones you’ll hear of, but there’s other bands in the States that are doing really well like The Holy Mess, Highlites and Dirty Tactics from Philly who are good friends of ours.
Posted by changetherecord 
With ska-punk legends Less Than Jake playing down the road, there’s obviously a bit of uncertainty regarding how The Menzingers will fare, but the 50 or so that are gathered into the dingy Northumberland Arms plausibly manage to pack the venue out.
