it's gettin' to be a cold cold night...

A lot of bands attempt to be political, but only sound as if they are reading off of a card with unwavering bullets of facts. There is something to be said for a band that can not only get the crowd excited and immersed in the music, but who can possess the fans with a sense of social awareness. State Radio manages just this. After being harangued by the security at the Troubadour in Los Angeles – apparently bondage belts don’t pass security – I found a place in State Radio’s van, or home-on-the-road, to set my belt and recorder while I watched their set.

Chad engaged me in conversation while dodging the cold within a blanket, quickly diverted from the topic of an interview, and got my life story while revealing glimpses of his own happenings. Chad, a previous member of the band Dispatch, left the outfit after political differences. Politics are a priority for the singer and his band must reflect that – use the stage as a platform to inform not just to line your pockets with money. Mike joined the interview later on in the discussion and provided sporadic commentary. “Hi. I’m Mike. I play drums. And I’m from Boston, too.” My recorder in my lap – before I knew it, half an hour had passed and it was time for them to begin their load-in.

When State Radio began, there was no booking agency, label, or corporate offices. The band simply “booked everything and hit the road…It’s so much work that you don’t concentrate on the music, it’s just about getting gigs.” When in a band much of the concentration needs be focused on the music and the business aspect becomes obsolete, especially when you hope to make a political impact with your music – as State Radio does. Dispatch disbanded due to “political discrepancies” and Chad now feels that he “can do more within this band” due to the fact that all members are on more or less the same wavelength when it comes to current events and what needs to change within are constantly conflicted society. Issues like that make one focus less on the music scene and the constant battle between indie or major labels.

“[Chad] thinks that the major labels are dinosaurs. They [major labels] have been to slow to react to the changes.” He analyzes as he further wraps the blanket around his feet. “We don’t have a record label or anything – we do have good management. We’re lucky in that way.” And maybe that’s the way to go – to not rely on a label to put your music out. Instead self-releasing your albums and taking the responsibility for the exposure of your band, for the marketing. Major labels get too much of a voice in an artist’s career – but without one there is more freedom and a better creative representation of the music. Just something to ponder.

Judgments of the CDs and modern-day bands admired by State Radio cannot be made easily. After conversing about the deterioration of the music scene and the fact that most teenagers have sold their souls and any musical integrity for an inexpensive flat iron, band names started to surface. “The two or three bands that we were into on Warped made it worth it.” Mike dug Helmet and Chad was into From First to Last – pre-Sonny Moore’s resignation. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster and Scary Kids Scaring Kids somehow work their way into the conversation as well.

State Radio is the kind of band that makes you rethink the reasons you listen to music. State Radio is the band that makes you want to look at the album art and ponder the work behind the production of their CD. State Radio is a band with a message. Listen carefully.