by JOHNSON CUMMINS

The self-titled second release from the Bronx, their first for a major label, is hardly the polished pop-punk the majors have been schlepping lately. Oblivious to current trends and devoid of historical revisionism, the Bronx prove to be all heart and guts, and a welcome breath of fresh air for punk rock. After wiping the floor with legendary heavyweights High on Fire a year ago at la Sala Rossa, the Bronx return with Mastodon and Converge for one of the most anticipated shows for Montreal fans of heaviosity. The Mirror talked to singer Matt Caughthran over the phone before they started the tour.

Mirror: The Bronx signed to Island almost two and half years ago, but you wanted to release your first record independently. Was it because you wanted to develop a grassroots following at first?

Matt Caughthran: It really didn’t have as much to do with getting a following as just us wanting to develop as a band. We were only a band for a really short time at that point, and didn’t think it was the right time to just jump on a major label.

M: Your second-ever show in L.A. was already swarming with suits.

MC: That was just super-weird. I was in bands for about 10 years before that, and my old bands never got any kind of attention. We were just trying to get songs together at that point and we already had A&R guys showing up, and a management deal.

M: How did you guys get that buzz so quickly?

MC: We put our demo up on the Internet and gave some copies to our friends, and it just started from there. It wasn’t so much overwhelming as it was unreal.

M: A lot of kids are finally getting tired of watered-down pop-punk bands. Are you finding kids digging deeper?

MC: Well, I haven’t being paying attention that much, but I think with music in general, fans are really starting to get into honest bands and not falling for the obvious stuff. There’s also still a massive amount of people who won’t really seek anything out and just take whatever comes their way, and I don’t think that will ever change. As far as punk rock is concerned, once corporations are involved and there is money to be made, it’s just not going to be the same again, but there are always going to be bands doing it for the right reasons, and those bands will never go away.

M: Are there any current bands that you guys have been getting into?

MC: Yeah, we just did a tour with Priestess and we absolutely love those guys. Talk about a band that is in it for the right reason. They don’t give a shit what they look like or what’s going on, they just get up on stage and just rock the house.

M: You guys just finished playing the role of Black Flag in the forthcoming Germs movie. What was that like?

MC: That was so awesome. We got to do the soundtrack, doing “Police Story” with Pat Smear, and then showed up on the set and I actually got a couple of lines about cops. It was definitely an honour to play a band that has been such a big influence on us. n

With Mastodon and converge at the Spectrum on Sunday, Sept. 10, 8 p.m., $20, all ages

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