Tag Archives: Old Man Markley

Interview: John E. Carey Jr. & John Rosen of Old Man Markley

I remember the very first time I heard bluegrass/punk rockers Old Man Markley.  I was amazed and intrigued at the same time and could only think, “where has this band been all my life?”  The band puts together a perfect mix of genres I never really fathomed would work so well together, and the result has been in my weekly playlist for years now.

Earlier this year, the band dropped their sophomore release on Fat Wreck Chords titled Down Side Up.  Where I was a fan of their 2011 debut Guts ‘n Teeth, their second album has really grown on me.   From the ode to Gary Busey to the fun track about a certain lovable companion, the album is catchy, fun, and begs for repeat spins.

Having seen them live before, they have no problem winning new fans over.  This seven-piece act is going places and are not to be overlooked.

Recently, I caught up with John E. Carey Jr. (lead vocals and guitar) and John Rosen (banjo and vocals).  They were able to take a quick break while in between shows and were more than happy to shoot the breeze with me.  Check it out:

Old Man Markley

BHP: So, first things first, how did your latest tour treat you?

John E. Carey Jr.: Our US tour with Dropkick Murphys and Jim Lockey and the Solomon Suns was great. JLSS unfortunately had visa issues and couldn’t make the first half of the tour, so the Revillers from Boston filled in. Good Times!

BHP: You are getting ready to head to back to Europe to play some festivals and shows with the likes of Pennywise and even Larry and His Flask. How stoked is everyone in the band to return overseas?

JC: It’s a great accomplishment for us to be returning over seas! I’m Looking forward to the people, sites and falafel!!

BHP: Mmmmm falafel. So when you get back to the good ol’ US of A, you are all on board to tour with Dropkick Murphys some more. No rest for the wicked huh?

JC: No rest is right, but we are happy to again have the opportunity to go out with DM in support of our new album.

BHP: On Down Side Up, it sounds like you guys and gals toned it down a bit and focused more on the bluegrass appeal to your style. Was this on purpose, or did your recording just kind of lead you this way? Regardless, it is an incredible release.

JC: I don’t think we were intentionally toning it down, as much as toning it up and just letting our creativity flow.

BHP: I mean, y’all did have a #1 spot for a Bluegrass album. Did you ever think that would happen? I know your debut release got well-deserved attention.

JC: It was a wonderful surprise, but i guess hard work leads to great things. It’s awesome we made #1 and I’m extremely proud of the band.

BHP: So What was done differently on this album than on Guts ‘n Teeth?

JC: We built a home recording studio and tracked most of the album there. Most of the songs we really developed while we tracked them, which was a different approach to recording our first record, Gut’s ‘n Teeth, which was ready to go by the time we went into the studio to track it.

OMM - Down Side UpBHP: I love that in the album notes it was listed that a Converse shoe was used as an instrument on that track. Was that random or were there many shoes used in looking for the perfect beat?

John Rosen: When we were recording the song, Chris Hesse of Hoobastank, who played shaker on the song, had suggested the sneaker tapping to flesh out the instrumental section of the song. It was just an off-the-cuff suggestion thrown out at the spur of the moment and it just happened to work great.

JC: Like George Martin said “All you need is ears.”

BHP: How did “Beyond The Moon” come about?

JR: I’ve always been a huge fan of Gary Busey ever since I first saw The Buddy Holly Story as a kid. More recently, when reality TV breathed new life into his career, I discovered shows like Celebrity Rehab and I’m With Busey. I’ve always been fascinated with him and had toyed with the idea of writing a song about him for years but didn’t know how to approach it. My first pass at the song was a much sillier version than what we ended up recording. This first version felt a little too cheap, too Weird Al Yankovic, so I took out all the references to his movies, Dr. Drew and his teeth and shifted the song’s focus from him to me. In this version, Gary is just a passing reference in the chorus. The rest of the song focuses my struggle to write a song about him. So really, it’s not a song about celebrity or mental illness, but a song about writing a song.

BHP: Man, I loved I’m With Busey. So anyways, did the greatest villain ever out of all the Lethal Weapon franchise ever catch wind of the song, and if so, what did he have to say?

JC: As far as I know, Mr. Busey has not heard it, but I’m sure he will.

JR: I think someone may have brought the song to his attention via Twitter, but none of us have heard anything about his reaction or if he’s even heard it for that matter. I’d only hope that if he does hear it, he understands the song is not a swipe at him but just the opposite.

BHP: I loved the tracks “Up Side Down” and “Fastbreak”. You can hear the chemistry throughout those duets. Stuff like that does not happen accidentally. Was this something that had to be worked on, or did it just come naturally?

JC: Joey had all the music worked out for “Up Side Down” to a tee. Originally, I tried singing it and I had the hardest time following the up swing of the song! After a bunch of failed attempts, I realized it would better suit Annie, so she ended up taking the lead on it. Joey and Katie sang the harmonies trading back and forth and my vocal response just sounded cool so we went with it! Then it really came together. Great song, one of my favorites on the record!

Old Man MarkleyBHP: Same here. Speaking of “Fastbreak”, the album sleeve lists the song as “Fastbreak” and the lyric insert lists it as “Run Away From Me”. Which is right? More importantly, as a dog lover, tell me all about Lucy.

JC: The song “Fast Break”, and yes that’s the official title. [I] pretty much wrote [it] one afternoon after I chased my pet chihuahua Lucy down the street during one of her glorious sprints for freedom! I like how light hearted the lyrics are and dark at the same time. The line “don’t run away from me, for your own safety” makes me think of some hopeless obsessed romantic warning his ex not to leave him or else, when really I’m referring to Lucy possibly getting hit by a car on her adventures escapes!

Lucy is a chichi-mutt that we adopted off the mean streets of Redondo Beach. She rules the OMM manor and used to tour with us, but these days she’s more comfortable staying with grandma and grandpa lounging in the sun. The road can be a ruff place for a little munchie.

BHP: Sounds like one rad dog. I need to pause for a moment and give kudos to the limited edition vinyl pressing of Down Side Up. Whose idea was that? I know I missed out on nabbing one, but still, that is one cool press. Who came up with the idea?

JC: Obvious choice for us. We wanted to go all out with the limited color release so three color red whit and blue seemed appropriate!

BHP: So, what’s it like to be a bluegrass band on a punk rock label? I know that you incorporate tons of punk rock into your music, but still, you are on CMT’s radar, and I would have to say that is probably the first for a Fat Wreck band.

JC: It’s rad! We are having fun and making music and that’s all the matters! We love Fat and I like to think they love us! I’m sure we are the first Fat Wreck band to be on CMTs radar and that’s great! The more support we can get the better. It only opens up more windows of opportunity for us and that’s what we need to stay on the road.

BHP: Looks like Fat Mike assisted in producing Down Side Up. How does it feel to work again with not only the guy in NOFX, but also in a sense, your boss?

JC: I don’t really consider Mike our boss, Fat works with us like record labels are supposed to. But it’s a total family vibe with Fat and that’s what i love so much about them. Producing with Mike is really a dream come true! I always send him demos of our songs and he tells me what he thinks, its great to have his input and we trust him as a producer but ultimately Mike let’s us do what we do, and that’s what is most important to us.

BHP: That’s awesome. I think what I love the most about your band is how humble you are to your fans and how much family feeling is contained in the band. Is it always a blast to play live with the band?

JC: Lot’s of love! And yeah, it’s always a blast!

BHP: As your band clearly is maturing, are you living into a rock star life, or are you more still into just crashing on a couch at a random house while on the road?

JC: Actually, turns out these days crashing at a random fans house on the side of the road every once in a while and sleeping in our beloved bus the rest of the time is the rock star life; at least for me. So yes; I mean no.

BHP: Haha. What’s the most messed up thing that you all have witnessed to date while on tour?

JC: The price of diesel gas!

Old Man MarkleyBHP: I believe that! So does Mr. Markley himself have calluses like no other? I have seen that man shred the washboard a mere foot from my face and it is intense. Has he occurred any injuries from washboard thrashing?

JC: In the first year, Ryan would scrape up his knuckles regularly, almost every show. He went through a few different variations of spoon handles too and finally made the right set using his old drum sticks and kitchen silverware. He later hooked up with Columbus Washboard Company and now he gets his boards with stainless steel grills which hold up longer. Still he manages to tear them up after a few tours so he recently built a washboard that he can replace just the grill on once its torn up. It works great! Now Ry just orders back up steel grills and he’s good to go!

BHP: Awesome. While I am on the topic, your live shows are entertaining as hell. How fun is it to just jump on stage and do your thing to thousands of people?

JC: I’m having the time of my life!

BHP: What would you say was the best show you ever played?

JC: One of my favorite shows we ever played was in Paris at a punk squat to 300 people in a tiny sweaty concert room in an abandoned building! It was dirty in all the good ways! And the bad ways too. PunkSpring festival in Tokyo with Weezer and Nofx was pretty cool too.

BHP: So what influential punk act from the past do you thing y’all will cover next? I will not lie, I love your takes on classics

JC: We just finished tracking a No Use For a Name song “The Feel Good Song of the Year” for the benefit compilation Fat is releasing later this year for Tony Sly’s family.

BHP: I can not wait to hear that. So, folk and bluegrass seem to be really popular these days and I am sure you are all aware. I am just curious what your reaction would be if say, a band like the Avett Brothers or Old Crow Medicine Show were to ask you to join them on tour

JC: I love those bands and it would rule to tour with them!

JR: It’d be the thrill of a lifetime for me. I’ve got a ton of respect for both those bands and love their music. We’ve done our share of touring with high profile punk bands over the past 3 years and I think touring in the alt country world would be a great change of pace. It’d be a chance to expose ourselves to a broader audience and introduce our sound to people who might otherwise never have known about us unless they were punk fans.

BHP: I know you are still living off the energy of Down Side Up, but have you all started writing new material for your next release?

JC: We have some really great new songs that were demoing! Very excited to get back in the studio after these next few tours!

BHP: What do you think people like Bill Monroe and The Stanley Brothers have to say about what route you have taken bluegrass to?

JR: It’s hard to say. I’ve been playing bluegrass ever since I was a kid and one thing I’ve learned is that in this this genre anything that pushes the boundaries of what is considered “traditional” bluegrass is usually viewed with a little suspicion, even skepticism. This isn’t always the case, but among purists (and you’ll find a lot of them in bluegrass) you’ll encounter this attitude from time to time. I’m sure Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe would be fine with what we’re doing musically. Whether not they’d consider it bluegrass might is another story.

JC: I think they would like it, and probably say that’s not really bluegrass! And that’s cool with me.


For more information on Old Man Markley, check out their band profile on Fat Wreck or head over to their Facebook page.

Down Side Up is out now.  Check it out on iTunes or Spotify.  If you really want to be cool, head over to the Fat Wreck Store and snag up a vinyl release.  It is so worth it.

Concert Review: NOFX / Anti-Flag / Old Man Markley – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH – 10/12/2011

There is nothing punk rock about the House of Blues at all.  Sure they sell PBRs in those big cans, but it is not the typical place for punk rock bands to take over on any given evening.  That’s not to say punk bands have never played there before, I am just saying when I think of a punk rock show playing a club, it is not HoB.  Hell, there’s even a bathroom attendant who will hand you a paper towel after you just pissed away said PBR.  I will say that the HoB is a clean, organized venue, a venue that hosts some kick ass shows at that.

Wednesday evening was the perfect example of this as the the place was filled to the rim of punk rockers of all types thanks to the popular independent godfathers of punk rock NOFX bringing their Eastcoaster Tour to town with special guests Anti-Flag, Old Man Markley and The Bombpops.

Thanks to an accident on Euclid Ave., it took me a moment to get parked and into the nearly sold-out HoB show.  Apparently someone felt they were ok to cut off one of those giant RTA futuristic train-looking busses.  Needless to say, there were lots of flashing lights and Cleveland’s finest Fire, Police, and EMT cleaning up the mess.  Because of this, I missed the opening act The Bombpops.  From what I heard, their female driven pop punk rock was actually pretty enjoyable not to mention the two ladies in the band are beyond cute.  I will be checking them out soon.

Punk / bluegrass act Old Man Markley took to the stage just before 9 p.m. and showed Cleveland just exactly what they were all about.  Having never been to Cleveland before, the band gave it their all while performing tracks from their Fat Wreck Chords debut Guts n’ Teeth. With seven members on stage playing their version of “Newgrass”, they proved Cleveland that they were not copying the likes of Flogging Molly or Gogol Bordello.

John Carey and Annie DeTemple took turns signing a whole slew of songs including “Do Me Like You Do”, ” Guts n’ Teeth” and the ever catchy “For Better For Worse”.  The crowd clearly was loving what that heard and for the first time ever I witnessed a square-dancing circle pit .  Ryan “Old Man” Markley played the absolute shit out of his washboard and Katie Weed (swoon) just about sawed her fiddle in half.  Then there was Joey Garibaldi and his homemade washtub upright bass – impressive.  The band decided to close their set with their unique rendition of Screeching Weasel’s “Science Of Myth”.

To say I was entertained by the band was an understatement.  I have been wanting to see OMM live since I first heard about them a year ago and can not wait to see them again next month when they play an after show at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin.  This band performing live was right up my alley.  I see good things happening with them in the years to come.

Up next was Pittsburgh’s pop political punk rockers Anti-Flag (and clean cut too) who welcomed to the stage by cheers and boos.  Apparently some Browns fans just can not shake the fact that if a band hails from the rival team’s city that they suck too.  I might as well admit that I am not the biggest Anti-Flag fan, or shall I say I have not been the biggest of fans for a while now, but these guys killed it on stage.  Their stage performance was well-done and they had the crowd obeying every command.  Playing what seemed a ton of songs with a few from 2006’s For Blood And Empire including “The Press Corpse”, “This Is The End” and “1 Trillion Dollar$”, the band rocked out throughout their entire set and played like the rock stars they have become.

At times it appeared that Justin Sane and Chris Barker were trying to outdo one another with stage kicks and jumps (Barker actually jumped from atop the bass drum at one time), but it was all in good fun for the foursome.  Barker made the comment that the Cleveland stop was the “second best” show that he had played on the current tour and left it up to Cleveland to make it the absolute best by starting a giant circle pit.  I think Cleveland earned the title of best show after they were just running in circles.

It was no surprise to me that the band started preaching politics and many of the young ears listened.  Speaking of the whole Occupy Wall Street amongst other current political affairs, the bad knew what they were preaching and hopefully inspired one or two folk in the crowd to learn a little more about what goes on in this crazy country we live in.  I was more interested in the rock and not the talk so once they started playing again I started paying attention again and good thing I did as they performed a cover of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” and nailed it.

During the last song of their set there was some commotion on stage and suddenly Pat Thetic jumped in the crowd and was handed some of his drum set by Sane and Barker.  In a moment’s time, with help from the fans in the pit, Thetic assembled his set and started playing his drums with fans holding on to it preventing it from moving while the rest of the band played on.  I’m pretty sure they played “Power To The Peaceful” as the closer, but to be honest I was too busy jumping up on the barrier between the stage and crowd so I could take some pictures.  It was a pretty awesome site to witness.

Finally the band that everyone was waiting for all night was to take the stage.  The curtains rose and there was El Hefe standing there by himself admitting he had no idea where anyone else in the band was.  Smelly soon jumped behind his set and did not have a clue either where Fat Mike or Eric Melvin were.  11 minutes later the missing half stumbled onto the stage.  Fat Mike, sporting two drinks in hand, took a few moments to sip out of each cup and made faces that clearly proved whatever he was drinking could fuel a car.

Within the first two songs, the band signaled out a the-die wearing hippie dude in the crowd and started maxing fun of him.  The hippie dude took this opportunity to crowd surf to the front and Fat Mike yelled “dude, you don’t even shave your legs?”

I loved that they played one of my all time favs, “Linoleum”, as well as “Franko Unamerican” and even “Seeing Double At The Triple Rock”.  I also enjoyed hearing “Arming The Proletariat With Potato Guns” as well as watching the people dance around me during El Hefe’s horn playing.  Honestly that may have been more entertaining.  NOFX also played Rancid’s “Radio Radio”, a version I almost prefer more to the original.

During “Lori Myers”, the two girls from Bombpops came out to fill in for female vocal duty after El Hefe called their band “Kids-bop” and sang the part pretty much perfectly followed by a well deserved stage dive into the crowd.  As much I wanted NOFX to play “The Decline”, they did not as they played it at the HoB in 2006 (the only time I missed them), but they did play “Murder The Government”, “Don’t Call Me White” and “Dinosaurs Will Die”, a couple other favorites of mine.

15 years ago I got to see NOFX play a Warped Tour in a gravel parking lot and then later that year with the Bouncing Souls and Hi-Standard at the Agora.  In those 15 years, they have put out 6 albums and toured the world god knows how many times.  A lot of songs played that night spanned throughout their almost 30 year career but they played pretty much the same songs that they have the last two times I have caught them live.  I would have loved to have heard more songs off White Trash, 2 Heebs, and a Bean as well as Punk In Drublic, but I guess there is always next time.  El Hefe seemed to be the sober man of reason that night while Melvin was in his own little work of happiness and Fat Mike, who admitted he was not on pills to the crowd that night, was half way to black-out land.

For a band that never signed to a major label or ever has their songs played on commercial radio, they filled up the HoB with no problem.  It was a good night of music from all the bands on a Wednesday night.  People young and old were all over the place having a good time and sang along at every opportunity.  Based on the condition of the crowd by the end of the show, I am guessing many called off work the next morning or went in with a severe hangover.  That’s punk rock right?  Regardless it it was or not, it was tons of fun thanks to all of the bands played to Cleveland.

Album Review: Old Man Markley – Guts N’ Teeth

I have been digging Old Man Markley‘s self-proclamed genre of “Newgrass” for quite some time now, but it appears that I forgot to let the rest of the world know.  The band released Guts N’ Teeth on Fat Wreck Chords back in January and I guess I enjoyed it so much that I failed to talk it up a bunch.  So, 5-months later, without further au-due, ladies and gentlemen, Old Man Markley…

So, wait – what is this “Newgrass” genre I speak of?  It is a fine mix of punk, folk, and bluegrass making for one catchy sound.  Think old school country jam meets folk rock / punk rock fueled by countless rounds of draft beers at your favorite drinking hole with friends.

If having a good time could be put in music form, “Newgrass” is probably what it would sound like.

Back in 2007, the band started off in LA jamming out in a bluegrass fashion as well as took countless bluegrass favorites of theirs and covered them in a much different way based upon their own punk rock standards.  After a couple years the band, containing up to nine people currently, took all they knew musically and pushed out their debut album Guts N’ Teeth.  The result is one of the best CDs I have heard in 2011 and I am not just saying that.  Put it this way, the moment I heard the opening track, I placed my order for the vinyl because I had to have it in my collection.

“For Better For Worse” was that catchy track I heard.  I was an instant fan.  It was a mix of all the current types of music I have been digging lately – Folk, country, punk, and bluegrass.  The song was full on energy even if  singing of a girl that can’t be had.  Resembling something sounding like Tumbledown meets Dropkick Murphys, the song made you want to throw a foot to the ground a few hundred times while tossing back drinks.  Does it sound to you as if I liked this track?  You bet your ass I did.

Following was “At The Bottom”, a banjo-heavy track full of group vocals backing up singing about passing out at the bottom of a bottle.    “Running Weight” was a fiddle frenzy track that was more like an adventure if anything about getting from point A to point B without getting caught.

“Do Me Like You Do” was an entertaining cover of the 1924 song written by Gene Austin and Roy Bergere.  Covered usually by jazz artists, this mean bluegrass version was full of fun a quarrel at the same time.  Slowing down things a bit was “Song Songs”, a song about all the songs that many members of this band have probably written for others throughout the years.

Another track that caught my ear was “Letterman”, a song of an angered escape surrounded by some amazing folk rock music, especially the harmonica playing.  With harsh lyrics like, “so now your hiding in a sad song, we don’t want to sing along”, it’s clear that  the song is not aimed for good feelings one bit.  “Lowdown Blues” was a prime example of what the Stray Cats would have sounded like if they ditched the whole rockabilly feel and moved to the mountains.

I would not have been surprised if Tim Barry and the Avett Brothers had something to do with “Living and Learning”.  Hell, even Slobberbone hints throughout this track.  I guess it’s that time where I tell you if you need to listen to one track on this album it’s this one.  Seriously, good shit right here.

For a bunch of punkers from L.A. who used to be in bands such as Youth Brigade and Angel City Outcasts, Old Man Markley is downright impressive.  Mandolins, banjos, fiddles, autoharp, harmonica, washboard, and high spirited singing full up this album of non-stop folk/punk/rock goodness.  Like I said before, this is one of my favorite albums of 2011 and to think, it came out in the beginning of the year.  I dare anyone out there who says they like folk or country to tell me that there is not at least one song on this album that made them thing “damn, them boys is good”, because as a pretty solid fan of those genres, that is exactly what I said.

Old Man Markley will be touring with NOFX and Anti-Flag this Fall and as luck would have it, they are hitting Cleveland.  I know I will be in attendance that night.  Something tells me I will not regret it.


Can I just comment on the above video?  Best. Video. Ever.