Interview by Erin Eddy
Anyone who is a fan of the SoCal skater punk scene of the 90’s will know the name Joey Cape and if you don’t know his name then you definitely know his voice; a distinct vocal style that makes Lagwagon instantly recognisable. Or you may be more of a Bad Astronaut fan. Either way, Joey is a veteran of the punk scene, and his bands have earnt their place as staples of the genre.
It’s been a long time between visits to Australia for the punk rock legend, so in early 2023 he’s making up for lost time. Not only will Joey be touring with another of his projects, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, he’s slotting in a bunch of solo shows around the country while he’s here, also.
Joey takes care of guitar duties for Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, a long standing favourite amongst the skater punk community for their fun, fast and ferocious covers that put a punk spin on popular songs. The Gimmes are a band comprised of notable musicians synonymous with the genre (just don’t use the term ‘super group’ if you don’t want to cause an eye roll response in Mr Cape, as HEAVY learned!), including but never limited to Fat Mike of NOFX, Spike Slawson of Swingin’ Utters and Dave Raun, of Lagwagon.
The Australian leg of the 2023 tour for Me First And The Gimme Gimmes is one of those
rescheduled-from-forever-ago post-Covid jobs. What this means for us is the added bonus of now having Joey Cape solo shows at our disposal. Joey told HEAVY that he spent a “dangerous amount of time” in lockdown on his own, which he maintains was actually beneficial to him once he got past the confusion of it all. It allowed him time to pursue a bunch of things he otherwise wouldn’t have turned his hand to, but ultimately when he needed healing, it was music that he turned to.
Joey’s solo record A Good Year To Forget is aptly titled for a record cataloguing one’s experience of 2020, yet also something of a juxtaposition in that the healing power of music incites you to reflect back on it with some fondness, for it sure did teach us all a bunch of things about ourselves.
HEAVY spoke with Joey about getting through the trying times of the pandemic, his various musical projects and what he plans on getting up to in Australia.
For Joey, not only was 2020 a year of illness (Joey himself contracted Covid and spent a gruelling period of time hospitalised), lockdowns and mandates, but a year in which he lost a parent and experienced the end of a 20 year marriage. A Good Year To Forget is his diary of catharsis and he will be taking these songs to stages for intimate shows across Australia in between shows with the Gimmes from January 31 st , 2023.