I used to skateboard all the time. When I was in grade school up until most of high-school I would spend countless hours after school skating and causing general trouble with my friends and cohorts. Not only is skateboarding an amazing sport but it also used to get you involved with a lot of much older and grittier types. When you hang around dirty parks and teen centers you get to meet all the cool kids that your mom wouldn’t want her little 13 year old hanging out with. Along with the various trouble this gets you into it also gets you into a whole assortment of amazing basement, grange hall, house concerts. Basically it was all the local punk, ska, hardcore-whatever bands. When your thirty there is really nothing color then skateboarding to a shitty grange hall with dilapidated conditions to hear some older kids rock out some crazy loud misfits covers.

Terrior Bute brings that feeling back to me. A three man band out of Milwaukee, their sound blends synth-core, punk, and a spattering of electro to build a sounds all it’s own. Getting their start through the Milwaukee basement punk scene has clearly kept all the pretentiousness out of their sound which makes stand out a bit from similar bands. Henry writes “we hit the crowd with as much energy and noise as we can and fuck the rest”. This gives there music a raw purity that you can here. And it’s fun too. Also if you listen to it you will grow more chest hair, which is something else that you envy when your 13 watching 25 year old punk guitarist spit blood on the crowd.

They’ve been busy finishing the new album which you can get here:
www.viciouspop.com
Also their myspace: www.myspace.com/terriorbute

But despite they’re busy recording schedule they were kind enough to lets us know how they make the secret sauce (Also the destroy keytars):

Tyler: You guys have know each other since highschool right? How did Terrior Bute all get started?

Jeff: Yep. We were sophomores in high school when we formed. I think we all just wanted to be in a band sooner than later. I guess we sort of just capitalized on that raw sweet sixteen energy.
Henry: When we started we didn’t really have any idea that we would actually mesh together as well as we did, or that we would make something out of it.  It was organic I guess.

Tyler: What are you biggest influences musical or otherwise?

Jeff: We were listening to a good deal of Devo, Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, etc. when we formed which I don’t think is surprising to anyone. Seeing bands like Japanther and Juiceboxxx were an early influence on genuine punk rocker attitude. Now a days, a ton of things under the sun influence us.
Henry: Now we all listen to a lot of the USAISAMONSTER, to be specific, and some early Chicago house. Other prog, krautrock, psychedelic, pop, r &b, and heavier stuff too.

Tyler: 80s seem to be still holding on as a valid retro style, in that spirit how do keytars (and 80s in general) fit into your music and performance?

Jeff: We are not trying to be a bunch of RETRO DUDES. A lot of great sounds and concepts and inventions were first used in the 80s that deserve the respect of existing outside of a retro-chic-memory. Not to mention my 3rd keytar is broken and there probably won’t be a 4th. Again, its not really like that though.

Henry: We never tried to be an 80’s revival type group,  we wont deny that many of the groups we take a lot of ques from were from that decade, we have wanted to do our own thing from the get go.  The keytar was fun and a pretty obvious nod to that era, but after a lot of trial (and a shit load of errors) we realized that keytars aren’t physically built for basement punk music and should be left to Tears for Fears and the Human League and bands that hold still when they play.
Jeff: yeah, unless someone starts making a cheaper yet more durable keytar.

Tyler: We live in Greenpoint Brooklyn and therefore eat a lot of polish food, how does food figure into the creative process?

Jeff: We are all pretty big snackers, I’d say.
Henry: yeah, specifically Ryan.  We’re late to a lot of shows because we need to go and get Wendy’s and we always have to hit up the regional shnacks when we travel.  Had to hit up Geno’s in Philly.

Tyler: You play at a lot of shows which fit more into the punk scene, how did that start up and how does that sort of crowd effect your performance of more non-punkish music?

Jeff: Milwaukee’s basement punk scene is great; we kind of just wandered our way onto playing basement shows with mostly punk bands right off the bat. We have pretty sloppy raw shows and its great when people embrace that and have fun anyway rather than trying to qualify it as fitting into any sort punk niche.
Henry: .  Its actually something we have kind of relied on.  I think we all just kind of figure, if we hit the crowd with as much energy and noise as we can and fuck the rest.  We figure that the show will probably end up being fun whether all of our stuff breaks or if we fuck up all our new songs or if Jeff yanks fiberglass insulation out of the ceiling or bleeds on everyone.  Its our attitude that I think makes us more punk and its what makes us I think more approachable than some of the other bands that may be doing something similar to what were doing.

Tyler: Whats the most important part of your live shows?

Jeff: If the vibe’s ripe, the vibe’s ripe. I think everyone can feel it when the vibe of a show is ripe. 
Henry: If everyone in the band is feeling right, if everyone is vibing, than we don’t play bad shows, no matter what might go wrong or how big the crowd is or what they think.  If we are all on… its unquantifiable but  that’s what’s really important.

Tyler: And whats the most important piece of gear?

Jeff: Probably a working power strip or drum mat or kick pedal. Those things always end up being really important when they are not working or there. We have a Moog Rogue that’s also kind of important. That’s another thing that’s really noticeable when its not working.

Tyler: I visited Milwaukee a year or so and have to say I enjoyed every moment (Lake Front bewery being a highlight),  what are the best things about that your town?
Follow up being is beer, cheese, hockey or cheese curds the best thing in the Midwest

a.) Growing up in Milwaukee is great because you have a pretty awesome perspective of the rest of America, as in, you recognize you are living in Milwaukee and not New York or L.A or Miami. You don’t live in the same city as Will Smith or Wesley Snipes or Ashley Olsen but at least you know what its like not to live in the same city as Will Smith or Bonnie Raitt or Patrick Swayzee.

b.) While all of those are pretty important to the Midwest, beer is probably the most historically important. In the mid to late 19th century, Wisconsin and the rest of the Midwest really capitalized on their German beer baron roots. And besides, what better way to wet the whistle of a blue collar Midwestern individual after a long day at the factory than with a nice crisp beer.

Tyler: What is next for Terrior Bute (another east coast tour perhaps)?

Realm Dwellers, our second full length album is coming out on Vicious Pop Records in February. Its taken a really long time to get finished but we are all pretty excited for it! Also, we are going on a small tour to Austin to play some SXSW parties in March. Unfortunately, Ryan is gonna be studying hard in Copenhagen Denmark next semester so we are planning to have a Big Fun 4ever friend play his parts for the shows we are gonna play. It’s a total bummer but also pretty exciting finally getting down to Austin. 

10. Any final words, thanks, links to mp3s upcoming album releases etc, that we should know about?

REALM DWELLERS >>>>> www.viciouspop.com
Its gonna be totally wicked and is finally coming out already! Always a big thanks to Shane Hochstettler  for recording it and being an awesome dude, Meg for doing the album art, all of big fun, Eric Apnea for breaking our cherry and everyone else involved with Vicious Pop in one way or another…thanks for being hearty good dudes and dudettes! And thank you Tyler, thanks a lot.

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