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Pep-Rock: Could you please tell us your name and what you do in the band? |
| Joe: My name is Joe McMahon. I sing and play guitar for smoke or fire. |
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Pep-Rock: Where did u come up with the name of the band and how come you decided to change your name from Jericho? |
| Joe: We were getting sued by another band that owned the rights to the name jericho . We had about a week to come up with a new name so it was pretty frustrating, especially after being " jericho " for 7 years. We were drinking and playing cards at about 5am on tour, and part of the game was "smoke or fire" (red or black card). It seemed like a good simple name. |
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Pep-Rock: How did you guys all meet? |
| Joe: I moved to Boston in 97' and tried out to play bass in Jericho shortly after. I got the job on the condition that I sing as well. Our drummer Nick's old band "born ugly" was starting the new band. Jeremy and I grew up together in Massachusetts , and Nick and Ken grew up together in New Hampshire . We all ended up in Boston . |
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Pep-Rock: How did the record deal with Fat Wreck Chords come about? |
| Joe: We recorded the record on our own and sent it out to labels hoping for it to get picked up. We had gotten a few offers when Fat Mike called me out of the blue and said he wanted to put out the record. We didn't expect Fat to sign us when we sent the record to them. They were our first choice for a label, and it seemed like a longshot. I said yes to Fat Mike before even talking to the band, because I knew I didn't even ask them if they wanted to sign. |
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Pep-Rock: What’s the plan for Smoke or Fire in 2005? |
| Joe: Touring non-stop. We're pretty much booked through next December already. We're excited to be going out with bands that we love and respect so much. Hopefully we'll be heading to Europe as soon as possible as well. |
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Pep-Rock: How’s everything going with the new album? |
| Joe: The response has been amazing. We were very happy with the record, but you never know how people are going to react. We're on the road right now with Against Me! and the record came out just last week. We recorded these songs almost a year ago, so they aren't new to us, but they are to all of the crowds we play for. Since the record came out last week more and more kids have been coming out and knowing the songs. It's just great to have that participation from the crowd back again. I'm glad people are enjoying the record so much. |
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Pep-Rock: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you guys before? |
Joe: I just describe it as punk rock. There are so many different names and ways of describing punk rock, and rather than try to classify our sound I'd rather just have someone listen to it and do that for themselves. |
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Pep-Rock: So it’s Easter time now, if you could wish to find one special gift inside your Easter Egg then what would it be? |
| Joe: I couldn't check my email before Easter because we're on the road, but I didn't get anything. We were in Nashville on Easter and people in the crowd made Easter Baskets for the Against Me! guys, but not us. I actually spent most of the day in the hospital anyway, so the day kind of sucked all around. |
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Pep-Rock: What’s the greatest thing that could happen to Smoke or Fire in 2005? |
| Joe: Safe touring I guess. I try not to have any expectations, because they only lead to let-downs. I'm having a blast, so that's all that matters to me. Anything extra is a bonus. I have pretty bad anxiety about being in cars (because of car accidents), so just all of us making it through all of these tours safely is good enough for me. |
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Pep-Rock: Do you guys having last comments or closing statements? |
| Joe: I'm just glad everyone is enjoying the record, and the live shows. We love doing this more than anything, so it means a lot to us, especially after all of the difficulties we've been through in the last 7 years. We always tried to do things our way, and it's nice to see people appreciating what we've worked so hard for. Cheers |
| Pep-Rock: Cheers |
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| To find out more about Smoke Or Fire - Click Here |
