Life In A Bungalo

Head: The Bungalo Interview Part II
This is the second part of a long ass Head interview conducted by our very own Sal Lucci. Click here to read Part I. How did the split record with Metal Mike come about? Metal Mike knew the guy who was putting out the single, who knew us, and found out that we were fans of the [...]
Head: The Life In A Bungalo InterviewPart I
Until about a year ago, I assumed Head broke up. Turns out they’ve been pretty busy over the past two years: new LP, new 7″, CD anthology, South by Southwest 2006 in Texas, Insubordination Fest 2007 in Maryland, Gonerfest 2007 in Tennessee… “Who the hell is Head?” some may ask. The greatest band from Seattle—ever. [...]
Gogol Bordello Interview: Bungalo Record of the Year
Click here for a full photolog of Gogol Bordello  With his striking mustachioed looks and a sound that can make just about anyone break into a circle dance, Eugene Hutz has taken his troupe of gypsy punks from obscurity to stardom. The band: Gogol Bordello. The sound: Like nothing you’ve ever heard before. They straddle the [...]
Interview: The Donnas
From the moment Lookout! Records released the self-titled Donnas record in 1997, punk rockers the world over were smitten with this quartet of rock & roll hotties. Luckily, the band had the chops to back up their pixie-like demeanor. These gals play rock as if it was forged into the Earth by a female god [...]
Mad Marge & The Stonecutters Interview
I first heard Mad Marge two years ago on a psychobilly comp called “Return of the Hot Rod Zombies.” The song was “Shake,” and it completely changed the way I listened to female psychobilly singers. Rather than act all cutesy like some of her contemporaries, Mad Marge tore into the track like a vampire [...]
Interview: Rise Against
Rise Against managed to do the impossible. A quartet of California hardcore kids (including former members of punk band 88 Fingers Louie) got so big on Fat Wreck Chords that they incited a major label bidding war for their services. After signing to Geffen, they released their tightest, catchiest records to date and received complete [...]
Interview: Jim Lindberg
Radio Bungalo is pleased to present an interview with Jim Lindberg, lead singer of Pennywise. Besides being the vocalist of one of the biggest bands since the mid-’90s punk explosion, Lindberg is an accomplished author, recently releasing his acclaimed memoir, “Punk Rock Dad.” The book sounds like it might be a silly coming of age [...]
Interview: Silverstein
Formed in 2000, this band of Canadian natives was quintessential in transforming Victory Records from an underground straightedge hardcore label to an emo-core giant. Silverstein’s music eschews traditional power-punk and screamo by blending melodic vocals with monster guitar tones that recall Texas Is The Reason and early Ignite.  Life In A Bungalo caught up with [...]
Interview: Scott “Deluxe” Drake
Scott “Deluxe” Drake has been in many bands in his almost 25 year career, most notably Los Angeles’ the Humpers, who released six albums and a slew of EPs over the course of 10 years. He’s showing no sign of slowing down either, as he’s just released his second solo album, Grand Mal (Rankoutsider [...]
Interview: Brandon “Manimal” Usher
A year ago, I came across a toy customizer who was selling off blind custom toys for $25. Having grown tired of Dunnys, but still to poor to commission custom art, I took him up on the offer. What I got was a 3″ Qee that looked like it was plastered with asphalt. Simple yet [...]
Ryan Heshka Interview on Juxtapoz
Ryan Heshka is an old soul trapped in the body of a 36-year-old. A Vancouver transplant via Manitoba, he has spent the better part of the last decade painting canvases featuring pin-up girls fighting space invaders, giant creatures battling for dominance, and outlandish landscapes that look like they were torn out of a 1930’s comic [...]
UNKL: Innovation Through Kickass Design
I’ll admit it, I’m a late bloomer. The first time I heard of UNKL was at this year’s New York Toy Fair. Hiding between rows of uber-crappy kids’ stuff stood a small booth overflowing with some of the coolest figures I’ve ever seen. Little green robots with gas masks, monstrous giants with little white heads, [...]
Radio Bungalo #32: CIV Interview
To subscribe to Radio Bungalo use this RSS feed: http://lifeinabungalo.com/?feed=rss2&cat=2 Gorilla Biscuits were one of those bands that never fit nicely into a punk rock category. They were too catchy for hardcore, too straightedge for punk, too heavy for Offspring fans, but the band had an energy that seemed to appeal to everyone that ever wore [...]
WKY Kills It: An Interview with WeKillYou
Roam around Ontario long enough and you’re bound to find them. They’ve swarmed onto bridge underpasses, engulfed newspaper stands, and devoured post-no-bill boards. What are these little creatures you ask? Why they are ghosts. Those tiny figments of your imagination that have come to life thanks to an ambitious Canadian wheat-poster designer, known only by [...]
Sket One Interview
I had never heard of Sket One prior to buying my first Dunny. And even then, I thought his cutesy designs in Series 2 were suffering from a severe lack of badass. But then the disease started to set it. I fell in love with his “Operation” Munny, and couldn’t stop staring at the custom [...]
Getting Spooky With Doktor A
When it comes to reimagining vinyl toys, few artists have as much vision and offer as much creativity as the mysterious Doktor A. Hailing from somewhere east of the Atlantic, the dear Doktor has been churning out custom toys based on some of the greatest creatures that ever existed—Frankenstein, Dracula, and many more. His work [...]
Electric Frankenstein Interview–Part 2
One of the most ferocious rock bands to be born from the New York/New Jersey punk scene, Electric Frankenstein sweat rock ‘n’ roll. EF weren’t so much conceived as emoted from the ashes of everything cool about rock. They tear down music to its most primitive, carnal elements, plug the guitar into the amp and [...]
Electric Frankenstein Interview–Part 1
One of the most ferocious rock bands to be born from the New York/New Jersey punk scene, Electric Frankenstein sweat rock ‘n’ roll. EF weren’t so much conceived as emoted from the ashes of everything cool about rock. They tear down music to its most primitive, carnal elements, plug the guitar into the amp and [...]
The Eric Pigors Interview
Eric Pigor’s art is like a test tube filled with parts of the Addams Family, some vintage horror movies, and a touch of Mexican wrestling. He blends kiche with cool and has just released a Circus Punk that epitomizes his creepy sense of style. With Halloween approaching, Life In A Bungalo decided to visit [...]
The Art of El Maz
Take one look at El Maz’s custom designs or the stunning imagery on his first production piece for the Gwin toy series and it’s hard to imagine that this 27 year old Northern California native was raised knee deep in the graffiti game. His paintings, be they on vinyl or canvas, conjure emotions of desolate [...]
The Jim Koch Interview
This is part one of a four part series Life In A Bungalo is producing in celebration of a fantastic series of Circus Punks created in tribute to the greatest New Jersey high-octane punk band–Electric Frankenstein. The Circus Punks are cool as hell, but this is just an excuse to pay homage to a band [...]
Fake News/Real Vinyl
Life In A Bungalo just received an e-mail from the folks at the Daily Show with a look at the Dunny they customized for the upcoming Kid Robot Paintball event. The artists, William Joseph Dunn and Dave Blog, posted a photolog of the customizing process on his Flickr site. Proceeds from the show [...]
Confessions of a Customizer
Plaseebo Custom is a shop dedicated to creating unique, one of a kind collectable figures and designing original figures for limited soft vinyl production. We pestered lead designer Bob Conge to fill us in on what separates Plaseebo from the rest of the run-of-the-mill customizers. Could you tell me a little more about your firm [...]
An Interview with Tara McPherson
Call her the queen of poster pop, call her a lowbrow goddess, call her the female Frank Kozik–To outsider art fans Tara McPherson is a master (or is it mistress) of cartoon imagery and is single handedly making it cool to like sad girls with missing hearts and super-hot space cadets. Life in A Bungalo [...]
Who is Abe Lincoln, Jr?
For weeks toy fans were speculating what the super-secret chase figure would be in the latest set of Kid Robot’s widely popular Dunny series. In the past, Dunnys designed by kings of lowbrow like Kozik and Coop have spurred hundreds of vinyl art collectors to scurry to hunt down these hard to find chases. Then the [...]
UPSO Interview: Why Mustachioed Men Are Cool
Prior to the release of Dunnys Series 2, there’s a good chance you never heard the name UPSO or Dustin Amery Hostetler, but you probably have seen his work. Designing portraits with digital media and a cartoony, yet life-like style, UPSO has received paydays from some major magazines, including Wired and Flaunt. And, thanks to [...]
Adam Wallacavage Interview
Best known for his outrageous photography, Adam Wallacavage has jumped off the deep end and invited art lovers into his undersea world of massive sea creatures. The artist has created a series of stunning chandeliers modeled after octopi and suspended high above the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Each piece is masterfully designed and completely different from [...]
(Circus) Punks Not Dead!
A little over two years ago, Paul Fresno and his partners in crime stormed the art toy world, resurrecting a staple of carnival culture—the knockdown doll—and offering it up to the rising stars of the lowbrow scene to modify it as they please. Art giants like Tim Biskup, Gary Baseman, and Frank Kozik joined [...]
Shan Michael Evans is Squidboy
If you want to get a major toy manufacturer to take notice of your work, you make a custom figure. If you want to blow the playing field away, you start by making an entire custom line of Dunnys and follow that with an endless flow of custom paintings and platform toys. Shan Michael Evans, [...]
Tombstone Brawlers Interview: Bringing the Doom and Gloom
It’s hard to visit the Garden State and not notice the Tombstone Brawler’s name plastered on almost every show flyer. The band has been rocking the East Coast for seven years with their brand of full-on rock n’ roll and creepy psychobilly lyrics. Life In A Bungalo caught the Tombstones at a recent NJ show. [...]
An Interview with motorbot
Yesterday, the artist known as motorbot posted a picture of this custom Kaws designed to look like Mickey Mouse. I’ve seen a ton of his work around the Web, including a fantastic ham-shaped Labbit, but this boggled my mine. It wasn’t that the work was shocking (though it is pretty awesome)–what made me ponder it [...]
Eagles of Death Metal Interview–Radio Bungalo #25
Playlist: Eagles of Death Metal: “Bad Dream Mama” Eagles of Death Metal: “Miss Alissa” Eagles of Death Metal Interview with Jesse Hughes Eagles of Death Metal: “Don’t Speak” WWiii: “Take Off Your T-Shirt” Osaka Popstar: “Blank Generation” Between the Buried and Me: “Kickstart My Heart” Be Your Own Pet: “Bicycle, Bicycle, You” Time Again: “Broken Bodies” Stars and Stripes: “Storm Over Europe” Misfits: “Skulls” The Clash: “Garageland” To [...]
Vintage Lagwagon Interview
Warning: This interview contains large amounts of senseless babbling and prattling. It was conducted with Jesse of Lagwagon, during their show on May 31, 1996, at Coney Island High. A good time was had by all. Jeff (Bungalo): OK, we’ll start off with who’s in the band and ages? Jesse: I’m Jesse. I’m 21. I’m the bass [...]
Nekroman Interview-Radio Bungalo #19
Formed in 1989 by Danish submarine operator and tattooist Kim Nekroman, The Nekromantix survived at least two waves of psychobilly going on to release successful records on Epitaph’s Hellcat imprint. Commandeering a handmade coffin-shaped upright bass, Nekroman has written dozens of songs featuring the creatures of the night and tons and tons of ghouls. But [...]
An Interview With The Turbo A.C.’s
If kicking ass had a soundtrack it would feature more than a few songs by the Turbo A.C.’s. This band of NYC castoffs has created the perfect melding of rock and punk satisfying both the greaser and mohawker nestled deep within your rock ‘n’ roll soul. After stints on Blackout and Nitro Records, the trio [...]
The Horrors of Geoff Kresge
Over the course of 15 years, Geoff Kresge has switched from playing electric bass in AFI, to upright bass in Tiger Army, and now guitar in The Horrorpops, he stops short of calling himself a punk virtuoso, but his dexterity is second to none. “When I started playing as a kid, I started out as [...]
Boy Sets Fire Interview
Boy Sets fire incorporates an eclectic range of styles that dominate the last album. Was the sound something you set out to do, or is it created from the band’s different influences? We’ve always done that since we first started, but I think it’s just matured over the years. It’s what I call musical schizophrenia. Ever [...]
Vendetta Red Interview
Vendetta Red is taking the rock world by storm, creating a whirlwind of press with their brand of screaming emo rock, infused with chaotic lyrics and song structure that switches from moody melody to roaring hardcore. Their video for “Shatterday” is on MTV, and their latest record Between The Never And The Now” is shredding [...]
Yellowcard Interview
Imagine walking into your high school cafeteria, and being told that you have to sit through a concert while you eat your sloppy joe and rubbery pizza. But instead of your high school choir or marching band walking into your lunchroom to bore you for an hour, it’s a national punk rock band. That’s just what [...]
The Raunch Hands: New York City’s Kings Of Sleeze
The Raunch Hands have been one of my favorite bands for quite some time. Their influences are many, and they proudly wear them on their collective sleeves, but they are still one of the most original bands in any sub genre of rock and roll. At the time the Raunch Hands were an active band [...]
Niagara Rises: The Story Of A C-Pop Queen
Punk rock and art don’t always go hand-in-hand, but Niagara’s past as singer for Destroy All Monsters helped mold her into one of today’s top Lowbrow artists. Ditching the mic for a brush, this queen of Detroit rock is taking over the pop art world. Life In A Bungalo got the rare opportunity to chat [...]
An Interview with an Action Park Employee
In 1996, someone had the bright idea to have the second annual Warped Tour at Action Park. For the price of admission ($46) music fans and amusement park aficionados got a day-pass to Action Park and access to the show (featuring Face To Face, CIV and Down By Law). While walking through the park it [...]
Mooney Suzuki Interview
Formed six years ago, the Mooney Suzuki has stirred up some noise in the neuvo garage rock scene with their over the top art rock shows and twang-driven rock tunes. The band’s two guitarists met in high school and soon formed the backbone of the band. According to drummer Augie Wilson, “They met through the [...]
Sir Mix-A-Lot Interview
It’s been seven years since Sir Mix-A-Lot has graced the hip-hop world with his genre of comedy rap that spoofs as much as it attacks. But the original pimp of the nation has returned with a new album and a message to the ever-angry hip-hop community. “I don’t know where we got this thing that [...]
Kathie Olivas: Living With Misery Children
Kathie Olivas’ art is equal parts creepy and cute, balancing a line between the obscene and the beautiful. Much like her contemporaries Liz McGrath and Scott Radke, Olivas takes traditional imagery and twists it just enough to make the audience wonder whether the subject is a child, an alien, or a corpse. What attracted you to [...]
Low Flying Owls Interview
Not since Mudhoney and The Jesus and Mary Chain ruled the college radio charts have there been as many fuzz-driven bands as there are today. Groups like The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Spiritualized and Singapore Sling drench their music in a layer of distortion that is both mesmerizing and pure. Sacramento, CA-based The Low Flying [...]
Jeffrey Lewis “A Portrait Of An Indie Rock Superhero”
In late October, during Rough Trade Record’s CMJ showcase, a skinny, young man with a mop-top hairdo jumped on stage with a comic book, while half a dozen roadies were busy assembling a huge stage set for Moldy Peaches star Adam Green featuring a full string section. “Hi, I’m the special guest—Jeffrey Lewis,” the man [...]
IMA Robot Interview
The mutated punk/new wave sound of IMA Robot was conceived in 1997 when singer Alex Ebert joined up with noisemaker/ keyboardist Oliver Goldstein and guitarist Timmy Anderson to run loose in LA with their brand of hip-hop infused dance rock. At the time, Ebert claims that his love for hardcore rap, like NWA and even [...]
An Interview with The Fever
Very little is known about The Fever. Early this past Summer, the band swept through New York with the short but powerful 5-song “Pink On Pink” e.p. The record was soaked in raw rock n’ roll, and punctuated by an awesome cover of Glamorous Life. Now the group is presenting themselves to the masses at [...]
Explosion Interview
The Explosion play fist pumpin’ punk rock like nothing seen in the last 10 years of pop-punk purgatory. Now with a major label backing them and a dozen new anthems, these tattooed Bostonians are ready to raise everyone’s adrenaline level. Life In A Bungalo caught up with bassist Damian Genaurdi just before heading out on [...]
Freddy Hernandez Interview
Freddy Hernandez has been active in the local underground music scene for the better part of a decade, promoting shows, DJing and trying to get different types of bands and music heard that would otherwise be stuck in a basement or garage. He’s been booking shows at Connections in Passaic, NJ, for about a year [...]
Circus Punks: Interview with Paul Fresno
Remember the local carnival? That time of the year when meat is eaten off a stick, the Gravitron is spinning and tons of cash is wasted on trying to knock fluffy dolls off a shelf. Have no fear. Thanks to the dudes at Circus Punks you can play the game every day, but this time [...]
Christiansen Interview
Call it experimental, call it hardcore, call it Christiansen. In an age of dull, boring pop-punk, this quartet of Louisville rockers have jump started the progressive hardcore movement that At The Drive In pioneered, and the fans are loving it. Backed by Revelation records, there’s no stopping this movement. Life In A Bungalo got to [...]
Bad Religion Interview
It’s fair to say that Bad Religion have been around forever. Born from the late ‘70s California hardcore scene, Bad Religion have spent 20 odd years preaching their own sense of warped politics intertwined with burning punk grooves and harmonic vocals. Life In A Bungalo got a change to interview lead singer Greg Graffin at [...]
Azure Ray Interview
Azure Ray is a dreamy trip into the minds of Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor, two Saddle Creek Record alums who pour their hearts over a medley of mellow yet psychotic bleeps and bloops while caressing a guitar and piano. Sounding a bit like Tori Amos and kind of like label-mates Bright Eyes, Azure Ray [...]
Tiger Army Interview
Nick 13, founder, singer, songwriter of the psychobilly band Tiger Army got into the rock-a-billy movement gradually, having spent his youth involved in the punk rock skateboarding scene. “That was the first music that I really fell in love with and got deeply into,” Nick 13 told Life In A Bungalo backstage at a local [...]
My Chemical Romance Interview
In only two years, My Chemical Romance has gone from a band of punks with a solid plan of getting out of their New Jersey basement to a world-wide touring rock group that has spawned legions of fans with their gothic version of pop-punk. What’s a measure of success? In September 2002, MCR had [...]
Avail Interview
When you think of Avail two things come to mind—Catchy hardcore and rabid fans. Life In A Bungalo gave singer Tim Barry a call last week to find out why they’re doing this quick Northeast tour, as well as the latest happenings with the band. Avail is hitting some pretty small places right now, like Montclair, [...]
Atmosphere Interview
The bling has dulled. Hip-Hop has lost all its shimmer and shine, but dig a little deeper, past the MTV garbage and you’ll find fresh Atmosphere. A trio of old school hip-hop freaks who are single handedly making rap music cool again thanks to their latest release “Seven’s Travels.” Life In A Bungalo caught up [...]
Turbonegro Interview
For more than a decade, Norwegian-bred Turbonegro have held the title of underground heroes to a legion of fans who shunned punk rock for a new breed of alternative music dubbed Death Rock. Dressed in make up and denim and sporting a little too much flair, Turbonegro made their mark with the now legendary records [...]
American Analog Set Interview
The American Analog Set has flown under the radar for just over ten years, perfecting their dreamy, melodic, pointed and hypnotic pop songs. Originally based in Austin, Texas, the band has been through many changes over the years. Despite changes in line-up, location, and record labels, The American Analog Set releases albums that are critically [...]
Talent Supplied, Batteries Not Included
Formed in 1999, Billy Talent is one of the few bands to take hardcore punk, polish it up and still make it sound dirty enough to appeal to diehard punk fans. After a year of touring alongside The Buzzcocks and major league rockers on Lollapalooza, their latest self-titled record was released in September on Atlantic [...]
An Interview with Gentleman Jack Grisham
Jack Grisham is a hardcore legend who has served time in bands ranging from TSOL to Cathedral of Tears. His last venture, prior to jump starting TSOL in 2001, was as the frontman of The Joykiller, a keyboard infused punk band that spawned three fantastic albums. With Epitaph releasing a collection of rarities in August, [...]