SURF CANDY CAN’T MAKE THEIR RENT.

PHOTOS BY AARON KRUSE @GRAINMANN | WINTER ’24

Jan 18, 2024

On a bone-chillingly cold Saturday night, I was invited out by my dear friend Dylan to Underground Music Cafe where he was bartending. I made it just in time to catch the second to last band, a trio of baby-faced punk-rockers out of “a small town called Chicago,” Surf Candy. They looked aptly styled for the music they were about to play, I’d say they had their whole punk look pretty down-pat. Besides the guitarist’s well-weathered cowboy hat which covered his bleached blonde hair, he was dressed head to toe in leather. The bassist had been blessed with flowing brown locks reminiscent of Slasher (a comparison he’s heard more than enough times) and a pair of black jeans that were just as much leather patch as they were their original denim. Peeking out from behind the drums was the quintessential Jack Daniels t-shirt I had expected to see at such an event.

Halfway through the set, in the sweetest sing-song voice I’ve ever heard, the blonde asked “Can we get a little bit more on the vocals, pleeease <3” before going back to whining, wailing, and screaming on the mic. During the transition between them and the proceeding band, I approached Surf Candy (@surfcandyband) for an interview, curious to learn more about the boys that completely embodied the rockstar persona on stage, despite the midwestern-boy-next-door character they quickly reassumed without their abundance of instruments, amps, and cords. Outside in the -6-degree weather, with my phone in one hand and a Marlborough Red in the other, I got to know the band. While the sweet sound of Oister Boy’s set bled through the walls and windows unto the patio, we talked about fate, making rent, and whether or not cowboys are punk.

@junjigreedo: What are you guys smoking?

Andy: Marlborough Lites, because I tried to quit over… like six years ago.

Wait, how old are you guys?

Andy: Uhh, 27.

Ian: 21.

Sebastian: I’m 20.

What do you play?

Andy: Drummer.

Ian: Guitar and vocals.

Sebastian: Bass and vocals.

You guys seem like such natural performers! It was so fun to watch you tonight. How would you classify the music and/or genre you make?

I: Rock and roll! Ha ha.

S: Hah… Yeah… that's it.

D: I’d call it that. Rock.

Who are some of your influences?

I: The Gizmos…

D: The Gun Club.

S: Uhh.. The Swankys from Japan. Uhh.. fuckin’ G. I. S. M. from Japan is awesome.

I’d say you’ve definitely got some rockstar costumes on. Do you dress like this all the time, or do you try and do it up really big for live shows?

S: No, we just dress like this all the time, haha.

I: Yeah, these are kinda like the only clothes I own.

S: We only have four pairs of pants. They keep getting holes so I’m always sewing shit.

Four pairs combined? Eco-friendly to sew them up, too. I thought the patches were a purely aesthetic choice at first, I didn’t realize it was out of necessity.

S: Yeah, I just don’t want to go to the store. And I haven’t been finding good stuff at thrift stores.

Do you do most of your shopping at thrift stores?

S: If I do [buy clothes] yeah, my partner goes to thrift stores. So I like, take most of their clothes haha.

I: I’m too poor. I borrow [Sebastian’s] clothes.

A: Kohls.

(Which made the other boys laugh)

Where in Chicago are you guys from?

I: Actually, I live in Saugatuck, Michigan.*

*2.5-hour drive to Chicago along Lake Michigan. Too bad there isn’t a direct ferry.

Oh shit!

I: I drive down for these guys.

Wait, so how did you guys meet?

I: Well, I did live in Chicago for a while. But, now I live in Michigan. Unfortunately.

Unfortunately?

I: Haha, yeah. Fuck corporate America. What the fucking am I doing? I can’t buy a place to live… I can’t…

A: Gotta make three times the rent.

S: Three times the rent!

I: I can’t do it. I work five days a week and I can’t afford anything else!

You work five days a week and you still have time to go down to Chicago, do music, and go on tour?

I: Well, that's the most important thing, right?

Are you guys in other bands besides this?

S&I: No, this is our only band.

A: I’ve been uh… uh growing up these past few years I’ve been in a couple different bands. I’ve been in a cover band, like really laid back. And then I joined a metal band with these old-heads, they were all like 50. And then I joined these guys, and now I’m the old man in the band.

What's some old man in the band wisdom?

A: I don't know. Pay your bills. Just keep playing, don’t stop. Because I always tried to find people like these guys since high-school and just, the stars align. The stars align eventually. You find the right people.

Do you believe in fate?

I: I believe in music. Yeah.

A: Right place, right time. It’ll happen.

S: Yeah, you’ll get led to the stuff. Sometimes it’s good shit. Sometimes it’s not.

I: I believe in old movies.

Really? What are some of your favorite old movies?

I: My Name is Nobody. It’s an old western. I love westerns.

What do you like about Westerns?

I: I like… every story is always different! As much as people want to say, “Oh this is just a Western” it’s not. Pay attention.

A: No laws. No claws (or clause?).

Is being a cowboy punk?

I: It is punk! It is! Isn’t it punk?

S: Yeah… Hah, it is.

I: Here’s the thing, here’s the thing, [Sebastian] shows me horror movies. I show him Westerns. And together, we make this. And [Andy] just drums like hell.

You do drum like a beast.

A: Thank you so much, yeah, haha.

So, horror movies are punk. Westerns are punk. Cowboys are punk. Drumming is punk.

A: Fuck yeah. I try not to like, pass out after the first song.

I: First song is always the hardest.

S: Yeah, once you’re done with the first song it's all… it's all good.

A: It’s cool moving around you know. It’s cool to chill and play and groove to it, but, you gotta look like you’re having a blast too.

You guys have a fun stage presence.

A: Hell yeah.

I: [Sebastian’s] the best at it.

Oh, he loves to perform. You love the stage.

S: I just like dancing!

I: Both of these guys are the best at it. They help me out so much.

S: Minneapolis has been fucking amazing! All the people who’ve come out to the show have been so sick.

I: Yeah what do you guys drink? What’s in the water here?

A: What’s in the Corona?

You guys going out tonight? [Does Sebastian] have a fake I.D.?

S: No…

I: He ‘left it in Chicago’ haha

S: All I do is smoke weed and [Ian] lives in Michigan, so it’s easy. Or I know someone where I’m going, and they can get me in.

That was hilarious during sound check when you were on stage, bass in hand, dab pen dangling from your mouth.

S: Did I do that? Hahaha! It’s my instinct, I’m so sorry! I felt so bad, I walked into the venue just hitting my pen I was like “Oh shit I’m in Minnesota!” It’s funny… So I teach music lessons in Illinois. And it’ll be funny, like, I wanna hit my pen. It’s my instinct just playing music, wanting to hit my pen and I’m like “Oh fuck, I can’t do that right now!”

You hit it like a vape!

S: Haha yeah…

A: It’s just CBD… just CBD

I: Is weed legal here?

Yeah, we just legalized it at the beginning of August, but no dispos yet because they have to grow the weed first.

I: We’re trying to come back in the summer. We’ll hook you up with some of that Michigan shit next time.

Come through! Ok… my fingers are starting to freeze. One last question. Punk in three words?

S: Uhh… Fuck corporate America.

I: Cut off finger.

A: Eeehh… Fuck-Ing awesome.

Thank you! This has been…

I: Surf.