An interview with the wonderful Misfortunes from Cali...

• Introduce yourself!...Adriana: I'm Adriana, and I play bass and sing./Mel: I'm Mel, and I play guitar. I'm the band member you'll always find hangin' out at the bar./Richie: I'm Richie, and I play the drums.
• How did the band meet?...Adriana: Mel and I met through a mutual friend. Then we formed a band together. We played some shows with the band Richie was in. Then Richie filled in on drums for a while.
• How would you describe yr sound to someone who had never heard you play?...Adriana: Just punk rock & roll.
• What do you consider yr main influences?...Adriana: Bands with great energy. Sometimes bands you normally wouldn't listen to, they get up on stage and put on a kick ass show, and it just fuels your need to play.
• I know you do a cover of the Ramones' 'Rock 'n' Roll High School'...are you a big Ramones fans?...Mel: Oh, yeah! The Ramones rock!
• What topics/issues do you focus on in your songwriting?...Mel: We just write about what we feel at the time./Richie: Everyday life.
• Are you promoting a certain political/social platform, or are you just looking to create a fun atmosphere?...Adriana: I'm not about politics. I try not to be all out there about things I'm not too educated on; and I don't really follow politics. We just write to have fun and entertain people./Mel: I'm just looking to have a blast and to create a fun atmosphere./Richie: Just to have a rockin' time.
• Who writes the lyrics/songs among you? Do you take turns?...Mel: No, we don't take turns, but that would make for some weird Misfortunes music. Adriana writes most of the lyrics.
• Where do you get the inspiration for yr writing?...Adriana: Just life. Is that too vague? If I have a strong feeling about something, I usually write about it, or it's hidden somewhere in a verse or two. Which is probably why we don't write about politics. He he he.
• Tell us about the scene where you live....Adriana: It's mostly younger kids having backyard gigs. There aren't too many clubs to play at. We did play a few shows when people found venues, and it's always fun, because you see all the younger kids that can't get in to the bars. We'd love play only All Ages shows, but it's hard when you're starting out and just trying to get shows and get your name out there.
• Is the rock crowd where you live accepting of women?...Adriana: Yeah. Every now and then you run into the stupid 'show me your tits' guys but fuck them, we're up there to play our music and there are other people out there that appreciate it regardless of our sex.
• What sort of reaction does yr music usually get?...Mel: We usually get a pretty good reaction./Adriana: I'm sure there are people that don't like our music, but people hardly go out of their way to say 'Hey, you sucked'!
• During any shows you've played, when did you get the best audience response?...Adriana: At a skate park competion in Montebello, CA.
• How about the worst?...Adriana: We don't know, we haven't gotten a response that we'd call the worst. Even if there were only 1 or 2 people that liked our music, hey we got 2 more fans and that's a good thing.
• What sort of attitudes have you experienced toward yr music?...Adriana: They range from 'You sound like the Ramones and Blondie' to 'It's so cool that you guys are about playing good music and aren't about being an all girl band'.
• I know you said you are working on a new album and mixing it now. Can you give us a little scoop on what it will be like?...We're really happy with the recording and we think it'll sound good. We had a lot of fun doing it. I think it made us closer as a band. We hang out more now, and we want to do more as a band as well. Hopefully our fans will love the recording. I know it's about time we did record!