The lineup for Fun Fun Fun Fest this year is impeccable. It’s hard to even know which band to be most excited about, but for us, The Men certainly rise to the top of must-see acts. We caught their high energy set at Free Press Sumer Festival in June and it was easily one of the weekend’s highlights. Ahead of their appearances at and surrounding Fun Fun Fun Fest, we corresponded with The Men’s Mark Perro about their new album and the evolution of bands. Perro’s direct, no-bullshit approach to our questions are exactly what we would expect and what we love about The Men. Read our Q & A below and don’t miss The Men on the Black stage Sunday Nov. 10th at 2:40 PM and/or at their Nites performance headlining the North Door Saturday Nov. 9th.
PPI: Do bands have to evolve to remain relevant?
MP: I think bands have to keep doing things that are interesting to themselves, so that when they play, they are excited about what’s going on. And, alot of times, that means trying things that are different than what they did before, because quite frankly its boring to repeat yourself. Any band worth a shit doesn’t repeat themselves.
PPI: Is the band embracing the acoustic nature of Campfire Songs in a live setting or do the songs (that aren’t from New Moon) get a different treatment?
MP: I embrace that record. That record was completely a product of time and place though – in some ways, it was almost accidental. We didn’t mean to make an acoustic record – we were just hanging out and working on songs. The recording just sort of fell into place – a beautiful accident. Live we haven’t been bringing the acoustics around (this time) — we’ve been taking the steamroller approach.
PPI: We can’t wait to see The Men again at Fun Fun Fun Fun Fest next month. The fest seems perfectly suited for the band. Who are you guys stoked to see?
MP: Slayer and the Cro Mags. If we’re there in time, I’d like to see Judge too.
PPI: Is playing a festival that’s more niche and encouraging of music like yours different than playing other festivals?
MP: Don’t really know – haven’t done one like this yet. Looking forward to it though.
PPI: People have talked a lot about the changes to The Men over the past two years, where does the band go from here stylistically?
