Hearingthevoice.com

Seems like after months and months of praying and praying finally gave a positive result, Jim Lindberg came back to the music scene with his new band called THE BLACK PACIFIC. Like Jim himself said "Pennywise was a big experience in my life but sometimes you need to move on" The sound of The Black Pacific is fast, strong and at the same time melodic getting along pretty good with amazing sing along parts and good lyrics "Lindberg´s style" I talked with the band during their first European tour and for my surprise I realized that Marc Orrell, ex-Dropkick Murphys is playing the guitar in the band!!check the band www.theblackpacific.com and enjoy the interview.
(Video of their first single "The System" included at the end of the interview)

By: Miguel Guinness.


Are you happy that this is going to be an interview which is not going to be about Pennywise?


Jim: (Laughs, laughs) I already answered a lot of questions about PW and that is expected after the first record but I kinda feel like just to put something on the website as a definitive statement about the PW questions so anyone will understand in what we are on now. The bottom line is that this is a new band and I prefer to talk about the new band, the reaction of the people for it and I totally understand that PW was a big part of my life and I have a big love and respect for all the PW fans and PW family so it´s a good thing.



Would you describe THE BLACK PACIFIC?

Jim: Well when I left PW I got along with Alan the drummer Alan Vega and we met at the warped tour he was member of a band called Good guys on black, we started jamming together, we got along pretty well, the songs came very easy is like he was reading my mind when I came to the music he knew how I wanted the songs to sound just very easy friendship from the start and then we played with one of my oldest friends Davey Latter but he was playing in another band and they went on tour so I had to find a new bass player and a guitar player and then through Joseph at Sideone dummy he was able to find me a new bass player Gavin and Mark on the guitar, he used to play for The Dropkick Murphy´s and basically we got together and we came to Europe.



Is THE BLACK PACIFIC just a project or is a band that you want to keep on and on?

Jim: It´s definitely keep going and it´s gonna keep expanding and with the release of future CDs we will get more infuences. I really like The Clash, The Ramones, I like Jaw Breaker and a lot of good bands and I want to use their influences as well.



Jim, would you explain us why you never got mellow, romantic or acoustic through the years like so many other punk rockers?


Jim: Because the music I made is basically the kind of music that I grew up listening to, and I knew that probably the better thing was after leaving PW could be the moment to make my hard rock record now, so I figured out I start to play all my hard rock music now on and do some acoustic stuff probably later.



How the connection with Sideone Dummy happened?

Jim: I know Joseph he owns the label since a long time we played in a band called Wax and then he started the label and is one of those guys who is a really good person and very cares too much about the punk rock scene and he and I were talking at the phone and we always have really similar points about what it´s important in punk rock and we both care very much about the punk scene and we all grew up listening a lot of punk bands so when I finished the record, I just gave it to him to listen to it and then put it out and it was a really easy situation and it´s a great label.



Now talking about your first single "THE SYSTEM" who produced the video and is the song (video) referred to BP(British Petroleum)?

Jim: It´s funny, I named the band The black pacific and then the BP oil disaster happened like at the next week there goes my BP logo but it´s kind of the whole record is like symbolic where I live and where I grew up that is in L.A. right at the ocean in Hermosa Beach and it is called Hermosa Beach but is a really smoggy, dirty place and its got lots of industry, its got a lot of oil refineries and things like these, and the song the system represents that we are trapped in a system that we can´t get out of it like I like to live in Hermosa Beach but there are so many factories around and you feel like trapped in that system and it feels like it´s impossible to escape it and the song suggests that you have to find your own ways to mentally escape that system if you can´t do it physically.



How people reacted to your band in this first European tour of TBP?

Jim: It has been really good you know? We just go out there and play our show some nights is crazy like last night in Italy the kids went totally off, it was a big pit, people were crowd surfing and singing along but other times they just stare at us, so is different every night and that´s a great exercise for the band because is brand new, specially when you are in Europe you are in a different country every show and you will find every kind of audiences every night and we go there and we play the same with the same energy every night, doesn´t matter what the crowd is doing we play as hard as we can, we work our asses of on stage no matter if there are 2 people or 2000 so I think is a good lesson that you have to learn.



If any of your daughters would follow your steps and play in a punk rock band, how would it be your support?

Jim: Mmmhhhh(Laughs) That´s a really good question, but well I might be scared(Laughs) They already like certain bands, when they were younger my older daughter was a big fan of Blink 182. And they hear the music that I play and I like, but I think when punk rock first started there were some dangers to be in the scene for sure, there was like a lot of bad stuff going on and in the scene there were a lot of fights a lot of violence and I would be concerned referring to that, now is not so dangerous as it used to be, it´s kind of different some how. So you have to learn a lot having kids and then you notice why your parents were so strict when you were a kid like having so many rules and things like that because they were worried about you and then you go to Hollywood to a punk rock show and if you do the shit that I did and I did a lot of sick shit I could have being killed 100 times, I could have being killed in my way here tonight too, but when that come to your kids of course you worry a lot about them and that´s why kids rebel because they get sick of the parents being so strict, but at the same time I play The Clash for them and they love them, they love The Ramones and Blondie and I support them hearing music that is not possible to go to any of their shows.(Laughs)



Which solution do you think would be the most effective to eradicate the drugs and the violence that surrounds it?


Jim: That´s a great question, there is not a lot of easy answers, lot of people think legalizing certain drugs is the answer for that, I´m confused on that one, but the thing is that alcohol causes more damage that many of those drugs together but I think that it would be any easy answer I think we all have been doing it what do you think is an easy answer Miguel?

Miguel: For me Legalizing! For example if the governments legalize the drugs tomorrow I will not go and start to consume drugs because now they are legal, in my case I don´t do drugs and the fact that drugs could be legal will not make me start to do drugs, you now what I mean? So I think what really important is, is education that´s the most important thing, because if the newspapers write tomorrow "Finally the cocaine and marihuana are legal and cheaper" I will not go to my next convenience store and buy me a kit of junkiness. Beers are enough for me.

Jim: Totally I agree, I think the way that the way that the Mexican government is doing it now is not the right strategy and we al know is not working, and I think there are some complications into legalizing some drugs, I think people should be aware of the adverse developments that happen related to drugs. It can´t be so glamorized, I think there is a lot of people using drugs, who doesn´t know what is behind of that line of cocaine or that joint, they don´t know all the deaths, crime and bloodshed behind it, I already said that there are so many answers but I said yes you replied your own question (Laughs) education is the key.



Anything that you would like to add, something you want to correct or something that you forgot to say? your free to do it now.


Jim: I just want to say to all the people who like PW and the songs I wrote for PW I think they will like THE BLACK PACIFIC a lot. Nothing has change for me in the sense that I still want to play music, that´s important and if you keep an open mind I´m sure you will like TBP and go to our website www.theblackpacific.com I´m gonna start a blog on there and talking about different topics and working on books and stuff like that so you haven´t heard the last from me.