by Michael LelloWeekender Editor
Despite its 20-year run in underground circles, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard a single note played by Strung Out. But if you’ve heard the metal-infused punk rock of Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold or Rise Against, then you’ve heard Strung Out’s influence.
The pioneering Los Angeles quintet is marking its two-decade anniversary and a new album called “Agents of the Underground.” The title, says singer Jason Cruz, represents a band coming to terms with its perennial under-the-radar status.
“I’m not gonna lie — it would have been nice to get some attention a long time ago,” Cruz says in a phone interview to preview Strung Out’s Saturday, Oct. 17 show at Eleanor Rigby’s in Jermyn. “When I was starting out, I would’ve loved to have a song on the radio for my dad to hear it and tell his friends. You want to be validated. I don’t want to sit here and like say, ‘I’m a punk rocker, and I don’t give a shit.’ But then I gave up. It’s accepting your own mortality in a way.
“That’s why I called it ‘Agents of the Underground,’ because it’s embracing who we are finally. F--k it, this is what we are.”
The album, released Sept. 29 on Fat Wreck Chords, which is owned by NOFX’s Fat Mike, is Strung Out’s seventh studio record; the band has also put out a slew of EPs, 7-inches, a live album, a B-sides collection and has appeared on compilations and soundtracks. Two of the “Agents” songs, “Vanity” and “Black Crosses,” debuted on Revolver and Spin’s Web sites, respectively. You can also download them for free or stream them by visiting this story at theweekender.com/music.
“Agents” was produced by Cameron Webb, a fan of the band who has worked with Motorhead and Social Distortion.
“I guess I could say that Cameron came along when the band was not at a spiritual crisis, but it’s just that we’ve been doing that for so long, we just needed a fresh shot in the arm,” Cruz says. “It took someone like Cameron to come along and reintroduce us to what we do. It’s more raw and sincere.”
It’s telling that the “Agents” press release contains no quotes from the media; instead, it includes testimonials from musicians that have been influenced by Strung Out, an appropriate aspect to focus on during the band’s 20th anniversary:
Riley Breckenridge of Thrice: “I don’t think I’d be in a band if they didn’t pique my interest in music.”
Tim McIlrath of Rise Against: “Their complex riffs and harmonies challenged and inspired the scores of bands that would walk in their footsteps.”
M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold: “Strung Out was different for me because they blended the sounds of melodic punk and metal unlike any band I had heard before them. … I still love throwing on Strung Out to hear the soundtrack to some of my greatest summers.”
The members of Strung Out — Cruz, Jake Kiley (guitar), Rob Ramos (guitar), Chris Aiken (bass) and Jordan Burns (drums) — had a common influence, too.
“Those guys love metal,” Cruz says of his bandmates, “and I don’t. I come from a complete different background. The band Bad Religion, that’s the one common thread. Bad Religion is the one.”
The fact that Strung Out has been the Bad Religion to other bands is something Cruz is proud of. It’s also something he feels is his duty.
“I’ve said this before: As a musician you have to contribute something to the world,” Cruz says. “You can’t just be a f--k-off and worry about rock-star status and be about yourself. As a musician, you have to inspire. That’s your one and only f----n’ job. You don’t have to get up at 6 in the morning. You have to give everything. You owe it to what you’re doing.”
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Strung Out, w/ Pour Habit, The Flatliners, Saturday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m., Eleanor Rigby’s (Route 6, Jermyn). Tickets: $13 advance, $15 day of show. All ages. Info: www.strungout.com, myspace.com/eleanorrigbys
