Photos by Brittany Woolsey.
For Los Angeles-bred punk/ska group The Interrupters, it’s a family affair.
Brothers Kevin Bivona (guitar), Justin Bivona (bass) and Jesse Bivona (drums) met with vocalist Aimee Interrupter in 2009 after the brothers and Aimee played a small tour together. Two years later, they decided join together as a band, which has already garnered the attention of the influential Tim Armstrong (of Operation Ivy, Rancid, and Transplants fame), who they now consider like an older brother after he produced their debut album.
“As far as me and my brothers go, our grandfather was a jazz musician in the MGM Grand orchestra, and he made a lot of records,” Kevin said. “Because of that, my dad, a trumpet player, went more the studio route and we just had instruments around all the time. We were curious and started playing at a really young age. Aimee’s grandmother was a piano bar jazz singer, so for everyone in the band, music has always been in our DNA. We didn’t choose music. Music chose us.”
In their short three years as a band, The Interrupters have already opened for big-name punk and ska outfits like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Against Me! They’re currently on tour supporting their debut self-titled release, including a stop at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach tomorrow.
The band boasts a sound that effortlessly blends punk and ska, led by Aimee’s commanding, raspy voice.
It’s easy to compare the female-fronted Interrupters to a band like No Doubt — which Kevin said has shown immense support for The Interrupters and who is a big influence for them — but Aimee is one tough chick and is incomparable. Kevin believes that’s one of the band’s strengths and what makes them unique.
“The thing is, when Aimee is singing, she means every word she’s saying,” Kevin said. “You can’t really say that about most bands out there. She really cares. It’s awesome for us because there’s not really gender thought when we’re doing stuff as a band. We never tell her she can’t do anything because she’s a girl. We’re all kind of the same.”
Kevin also said that grabbing the attention of some of his biggest musical influences, and being able to perform with them, have been among the most rewarding experiences to come out of this.
“The cool thing that we’ve got to do from going out and playing shows is when we get to go out and play festivals where we get to see some of our own favorite bands,” he said. “We did the Riot Fest a couple years ago and got to see bands like X and performers like Joan Jett. Running into these scenarios where we can watch our heroes play, those are always the moments that are so awesome.”
As much as he considers Tim Armstrong a mentor and de facto older brother, Kevin said he still gets star struck by him.
“We’ve all been fans of Tim our whole lives,” Kevin said. “He’s like our brother. Sometimes we still have those moments where we’re like, ‘Oh my God. That’s Tim Armstrong over there.’ That feeling never really goes away. The cool thing is that we’ve been working at it for a while individually, so it’s kind of like all the combined efforts we’ve made as individuals have paid off really quick. I’ve been playing with Tim since 2005, and he knows my brothers and Aimee, so when we started the band, he was on board right away. He’s been really supportive and cool.”
The Interrupters are currently on tour with 7 Seconds, and say they look forward to tomorrow’s Long Beach show, since they consider it their homecoming. The group previously played at DiPiazza’s earlier this year with Mustard Plug and performed at the Ink N Iron Festival aboard the Queen Mary.
“Every time we play in Long Beach, the shows are just awesome, and it’s like we’re friends with everyone in the crowd,” Kevin said.
The Interrupters play a 21 and over show at Alex’s Bar, located at 2913 East Anaheim Street, tomorrow at 8:00PM. Tickets are $17.50 and can be purchased online by clicking here.
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