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"As long as I'm breathing oxygen, I'm writing" - An Interview with Mad Tab

An in-depth conversation with the Orange County punk lifers on the heavy reality of the punk rock life and the unwavering vision that kept them alive.

By Eugenia RoditisMusicngear Editor

Photo credit: Roxy Wheeler

Forged in the Southern California underground back in 2006, Mad Tab have lived through it all: lineup collapses, hiatuses, addiction, deaths, and the kind of momentum swings that would break most bands. But they never let go of the one thing that kept them tethered to reality: the music.

Now, with their explosive single Awake -the debut on Norwood Fisher's new label- the band is stepping into a version of themselves they always knew existed: fast, sharp, and emotionally bruised in all the right ways.

In this strikingly honest conversation, Mad Tab lay it all bare. They open up about the "delusional" resilience that kept their brotherhood alive through the wreckage of the past, the spiritual bond they've built with Norwood, and why, after nearly two decades, punk rock remains the only language honest enough to tell their story.

Eugenia Roditis, Musicngear: You've been grinding in the Southern California underground since 2006 through lineup shifts, pauses, and resets. What kept Mad Tab moving forward through all those changes, and what finally clicked internally that made “Awake” feel like the right moment to step forward again?

Graham: I’m a songwriter, can’t stop it. No matter what. Jails, rehabs, hospitals, hiatus, momentum, records, sobriety, kids, deaths, life. It doesn’t matter, I’m still writing.

This song was written over 10 years ago. The message, that moment you really hit that wall, and it kinda wakes you up and makes you take a good look at your life. Who I spend my time and energy with and what I’m doing, not doing, accomplishing, and not accomplishing.

I was in a really bad place. This tune, like a lot of them, was me processing the hope to get out of that lifestyle. As long as I’m breathing oxygen, I’m writing. And as long as I’m writing with Dave, it’s MAD TAB.

Dave: I’m not sure I can say it was one thing. I think it’s a ton of things. Friendship, brotherhood, having to do it otherwise, I’d probably go kind of crazy because I’d still be getting zapped with song ideas and music creativity from wherever we all pull creativity from. I’ve played with a lot of bands, and really, there’s no other musical chemistry than what I have with Graham. I think we’ve been through so much, both individually and in our friendship, that the band has sort of become more than a band. That sounds a little cheesy, but it’s true.

I don't know how Graham views it exactly, but for me, releasing music holds a place in time and documents a chapter of life. You can tell where we were at if you listen through the back catalogue of music we have. Also, I think the road or path of life kept naturally bringing Graham and I back together through it all. There were breaks even as much as I think 4 years. But regardless of what happens, if we’re writing together, then it’s Mad Tab.

"Awake" almost didn’t make the cut for this record, but I’m really happy it did, and honestly, we picked this as the first single because it was the one song we all voted to be a single. But the more this process happens, I’m realizing it’s the perfect song for it, and in a way, it really is symbolic of everything we’ve been through in the past that has led up to now.

It’s been a crazy journey. Jail, deaths, hiatuses, on and off with sobriety, gaining quick momentum and screeching halts, doing everything wrong for a long time, or not taking it seriously at all for the majority of it, up until a certain point. Sometimes you need to grab ahold of something and use it as a means of hope, and I think with everything that Graham and I were going through, Mad Tab was that hope. As for the right moment idk about anything clicking and becoming the right moment, because I don’t think that really exists. You just do it. We have a lot to say that I believe people will relate to, and it’s better said through our punk rock. Overall, what kept us going was Graham and my brotherhood. There were plenty of points where neither of us had anything, but we had our friendship.

Musicngear: You’re the first signing to Norwood Fisher’s new label. What did that recognition mean to the band and how has working closely with him shaped the next chapter of Mad Tab?

Graham: We’ve been friends with him for years. Dave used to tour manage Fishbone for years. So we just got down to the bone of it quickly. He loved the new tunes and had been wanting to do a label for years. We love him and admire his creativity and personality in the business. We felt it would be a good idea to take it on with him. We already had the whole record almost done before Norwood was interested. Thank God he likes it the way it is.

But it’s honestly not even like that. His label is more like a co-op. Everything is even. We pool our abilities together and try to make things happen. I’m excited to release these next few singles, videos, and the full-length with him.

Dave: I’m grateful, and honored, to be the first band signed to Norwood's label. It didn’t really hit me until all the interviews we’re doing asked that question. Norwood and I have known each other for over 15 years, from when I was working with Fishbone. We weren’t really pitching him or anything either. I sent him Awake and the record for some constructive criticism so I could get some real feedback and not just “this is great” or “it’s really good.” But he didn’t have any, he said he liked it multiple times, and told me about the label he wanted to start.

I have a media marketing production company called OPB Productions, so I was telling him if he needed anything, to let me know, any editing or whatever. Eventually, the conversation naturally grew into discussing being signed by him, and I was very down with that. In my opinion, it’s nice to have the backing of someone opening doors and really helping out when there are already years of trust built. “Regular” labels don’t really operate how they used to, and we’ve become such a DIY machine/operation that I think we just all believe in what each others doing and want to build something cool.

We grew up on DIY counter culture, punk rock, and skateboarding culture, and now we’re living it. But now that I’ve been thinking about what it means to have Norwood’s recognition, I’d say it feels really great. Makes me think of all the tours we’ve done and everything we’ve been through. Which was quite a lot, so I think there’s a two-way road of understanding each other’s capabilities. As for shaping the next chapter of Mad Tab, I think that Norwood has already become and will continue to be an integral part of our story. He’s the perfect dude for it as well.

Graham and I are extremely resilient, maybe a little bit delusional too, because we’re very aware that the other person isn’t going to give up regardless of what might happen

Musicngear: The song carries a strong theme of breaking cycles and pushing forward. Was there a specific turning point or conversation inside the band that sparked that message, or did the song grow out of years of accumulated experiences?

Graham: Not really. I wrote this song a while ago, during a hiatus with the band. When we came back after that, it was a rocksteady/ska line-up, and we didn’t use it.

When Dave wanted to jump back into the punk stuff, he recommended this song. I made the demo, and we went for it.

Dave: I don’t think there was a specific turning point. Maybe when we decided to do our punk shit. There’s been a lot of breaking cycles within our relationship. Again, both together and separate. There’s been a lot of turning points. Whether it be stopping destructive patterns, relationships with women or substances, breaking patterns of thinking, there’s been a ton.

Graham wrote Awake like 10 years ago, so in a way yea I guess it did grow out of years of accumulated experiences, just without it being planned. It’s definitely the right song for where we’re at, though. And where we’re at is a good place all around.

Musicngear: What instruments, amps, pedals, or studio gear played the biggest role in shaping the sound of "Awake"? 

Graham: I put 57’ classic Gibson pickups in all my guitars since I was a kid. Someone told me to do it, and I've been stuck on em ever since. So I think at this time I didn’t have the Gretsch yet. But I put the pickup in those guitars too. I play through a dual-rec Mesa Boogie head and a Marshall cab.

We used an acoustic guitar on that song, too. There’s synth (Moog Sub Phatty) and organ (Nord Stage 5d, I think) as well. So it filled out the sound pretty good. Scott’s got an '80s or '70s Japan-made Yamaha p bass. He played through a Fender 800, I think. And Rob’s drums are PDP with Soultone cymbals. Not sure what mics we used.

Dave: That’s more of a Scotty or Graham question if regarding amps and pedals. My setup on keys is a Nord Electro 5D (an amazing keyboard), and the Moog Sub Phatty Analog Synthesizer, running through a split pedal so I can control the levels, and there have been a couple of changes of overdrives and boosts that I’ve used. The Nord has a full-on pedal board built into it. So the record has all sorts of effects. Roland for the amp.

I think the sub phatty creates an interesting tone to the song. I’ve removed the keys and listened to the track on its own without the sub phatty, and it’s crazy how subtle but how much it adds to the song.

Have your personal life shit handled before you try and get a group of people focusing towards the same thing, so that everyone can actually show up for it

Musicngear: Every long-running band hits walls at some point, creative, logistical, personal, or industry-related. What were the toughest obstacles you had to push through over the years, and what advice would you give newer bands facing similar roadblocks right now?

Graham: Roadblocks: hubris, entitlement, getting carrot dangled, drugs and alcohol, single-handedly.

Advice: never stop writing. Someone told me that when I was young, and it stuck. Also, find your tribe and find your strengths and stick to that. Just make it about the song and the vibe. And have fun. If you’re not having fun, there's a problem. Also, don’t take yourself too seriously.

Dave: This is a good question. I think a lot of the walls you hit can be self-created, by many different means. For me personally, I had to push through surviving and creating a way while also building a dream. I was never good at just going with the flow or doing the normal 9-5 kind of work. I just didn’t care about it, but at the same time, I did whatever I needed to in order to be able to do music and grow. I think the creative walls weren’t really an issue, though. Graham and I basically create songs every day. We are both extremely creative, and together our ideas never seem out of reach. And if they do at first, we figure it out. We always have.

Logistical walls can be tough, but I think getting stuck on the “how” things will happen is a bad idea. Just stick to “why” you want it. We’ve definitely hit walls with band lineups, band members going to prison when the band had momentum. Band members getting wrapped up in things like drugs and alcohol. Hitting walls of disagreement or not seeing eye to eye at a couple points. But Graham and I are extremely resilient, maybe a little bit delusional too, because we’re very aware that the other person isn’t going to give up regardless of what might happen. It would have already happened.

As for industry-related, we’ve dealt with all sorts of industry walls, which is a big reason of why we started doing everything ourselves. It’s better when you don’t have to depend on others, especially when we know we can depend on each other. As for advice to bands, I’d say don’t put a time limit or unrealistic expectations of where you’ll be or how you’ll get there. Have your personal life shit handled before you try and get a group of people focusing towards the same thing, so that everyone can actually show up for it. Never give up. Respect the process. Always respect the process.

It can be frustrating, even maddening at points, but inevitably you will get to the other side, and all of the things you dealt with to get there will be exactly what you needed to be prepared. Personally, I would also say new bands shouldn’t get caught up in what anyone is telling them in their ear. Not everyone wants to guide you in the right direction, or has the right answers, or the right way, or the proper solution. Things happen how they do, and anyone that went against the grain made their own way that others followed. So ignore advice that there are specific ways to do things if you can think of and execute a better way. Also, don’t get married to your ideas. Sometimes they don’t need additions, but sometimes you think they don’t and then once they’re added, it’s way better. If you don’t consider it, you won’t know. That was long-winded.

Musicngear: What does success look like for you at this stage? Is the priority streaming numbers, stronger touring momentum, meaningful press coverage, building the label’s identity together, or something else entirely?

Graham: Success looks like getting into a flow of cutting records and playing out. Being consistent. Creating more content. Staying creative and building stronger bonds with the guys. Building bonds with fans. Making it more personal. More connection. Everything that goes into what a band does and needs. I’d love to be doing all of it.

I’d personally love to get hired to produce and co-write other artists' records. That’s a big goal of mine.

Dave: I think success looks like continuing to create the best of records and film that we can. I think if you have a worthy idea and you’re putting action towards it, then it’s a success. I don’t really have some bar or point that if we reach it, then I’d consider us being successful. I think we already are, and that we’re already doing it.

It’s similar to how I view time, which is that we’re in it, not that it’s coming, which is how I think a lot of people view it. As if it’s not already here, but it is, and we’re in it already. It’s only growing.

To label certain things, though. Getting on bigger festivals, bigger tours, more press, connecting with more fans, and not just getting likes, helping people, or inspiring them through our story. That’s success.

Musicngear: You’ve moved through reggae, ska, rocksteady, and punk before circling back to your core sound. Do those influences still shape the way you write today, even when the final result lands firmly in punk territory?

Graham: This record has just about all of that besides reggae. I still write all those styles of music. Idk, I just write what I want and what I like.

I might hear an older 77 punk song and think it would be cool to make it rocksteady or skinhead reggae or something. And vice versa.

Dave: We’ve been writing punk rock the entire time, so it doesn’t necessarily feel like we cycled through all of those genres. Graham and I write all types of music and countless songs, and they get put into the pile and pulled out when it makes sense. I guess.

We’re sending each other old demos, voice memos, etc., all the time like “remember this one?” I personally pull inspiration from all over the place, so they 100% still shape the way I write today. That and life experiences.

The bigger vision is to keep seeing bigger visions and making them become a reality

Musicngear: If Mad Tab could hijack any moment in punk history and add yourselves to the lineup - one show, one festival, one legendary night - where are you playing, who else is on the bill, and what song do you open with?

Graham: Probably 83’ with Bad Brains at CBGB.

Dave: That’s a tough question. I think I remember seeing an old Fishbone ticket stub when I was working for them, and it was Fishbone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, and Bad Brains. I can’t remember if it was multiple shows or the same one, but I guess it’d be around that time.

Or the Rancid, Green Day, Bay Area stuff. I’ve never thought about this before. Maybe the Social D, Minor Threat era.

Musicngear: Looking ahead to Alas! The Bomb Voyage…and beyond: what’s the bigger vision for Mad Tab from here?

Graham: More films, more records, more art, more designs, more gorilla marketing, more vandalism. I believe in this wholeheartedly.

I believe we will be doing an East Coast run with Rancid, a Japan run with Pennywise, and a Europe run with Millencolin. We’re the band.

Dave: More creating, more building, more reach, more fans, bigger shows, bigger opportunities, licensing music to film and television, more building with Norwood. Mad Tab has become more of a brand than just a band.

MTA (Mad Tab Affiliated) is a bigger vision. It encapsulates it all. Music, film, clothing, counter culture, all of it. I think the bigger vision is to keep seeing bigger visions and making them become a reality.

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About Eugenia Roditis

Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.

Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com

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