The Shitkickers
"I passed out next to the pool with nothing but my boots on."
Words & photos by Schmitty
How long's the band been together?
Since ’97-ish.
How did the Shit Kickin' begin?
Shawn and I were roommates in Santa Cruz back in the mid ’90s. He was playing metal and I was writing punk songs, but we were both listening to Hank and Marty Robbins. A few years later when we both ended up in downtown S.J., we started working on the drinkin’-est, cussin’-est songs we could muster. We added Julie on drums to the mix and played our first couple of shows as a three-piece. The rest of the crew joined soon after and now there are seven of us…usually.
Are you guys any good when you don't drink?
Hell, I don’t know. Probably not.
Did music get you closer to drinking, or did the drinking get you more into the music?
Umm… Closer to drinking? I don’t think any one of us needed our arms twisted. Shows and practice go about the same. A lot of beer-swilling and shit-talking.
Jack or Jim?
Jim Beam. In fact, the only things on our rider are plenty of Coors and a bottle of Beam. And a step stool for Josh.
Do you have any near-death stories or horrid black out situations you could share?
One night after a show in N’Orleans, I passed out next to the pool with nothing but my boots on. I woke up the next morning with mosquito bites all over my ass and a wicked sunburn.
Who are some of the band’s heavy influences, musically?
The Hanks, Beastie Boys, Slayer—you name it. We’re a bunch of skaters and one BMXer raised on roots country and steeped in everything worth a shit from the ’80s and ’90s.
How about non-musically?
Todd Prince, J.J. Rogers, Jason “The Kid” Adams, and Heavy Metal Chuck.
What the fuck is Brian’s corner, and how come it hasn't been updated since July 2007?
What do you mean? Go check that shit right now at shitkickers.net.
What would be a dream show for you?
You know, we’ve recorded an album at Sun Studios, we played CBGBs before they moved to fucking Vegas, and we’ve met some amazing people on the road. We’ve been talking to some people about playing with Hank III, so I guess that will be the next notch in our belt.
How did you feel about having a track on our P-Stone Beer video?
It’s great being in skate vids because we don’t really do any all ages shows. How else are the rugrats gonna get their religion?
We know about your music being in Thrasher videos. Any other skate videos you've had tracks in?
American Misfits, 411, The Way of the West, a Duffs commercial, and a Canadian snowboarding vid. Does that count?
What’s the key to a good day of fishing?
First one in the water always gets a fish.
What’s the future hold for the band?
More drinking songs, fewer brain cells, and obscurity.
Download The Shitkickers songs and albums from the iTunes store here.
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