Photo by Jackie Roman
It’s not everyday that you get to see a band that brings out your inner youth. Not only does Agent Orange play a style of music that’s equivocal with youth (punk) but they have the same exuberant vitality that they have when you throw on one of their early albums from the eighties. Of course, they aren’t the same band that they were back then but they still play their full-speed surf/skate punk classics and so much more. At the same time, they’ve evolved in fantastically skillful ways. Skamp Zine was insanely lucky enough to interview guitarist and singer Mike Palm about this process:
What encouraged you to start Agent Orange back in 1979?
Always being a big fan of music, it was just the right time to start a band. Punk rock gave young musicians like us the opportunity.
What were the band’s influences back then?
First wave surf, instrumental music and early punk rock
What were your favorite bands to play with in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s?
The Middle Class put us on our first L.A. shows at the Hong Kong cafe and Kings Palace. We played shows with just about everyone.
Courtesy of Agent Orange
What was the initial reaction to “Bloodstains” from the punk rock community?
“Bloodstains” was a crowd favorite right from the start.
What was it like to record the Bloodstains EP all on your own back in 1980?
I arranged the recording session with Daniel Van Patten, who was the drummer of Berlin. We recorded it at his studio in San Diego.
How psyched was Agent Orange when DJ Rodney Bingenheimer put “Bloodstains” on the Rodney on the ROQ compilation?
We were stoked because we were huge fans of Rodney’s radio show. It was a big deal to be included on his first compilation.
Was it an interesting experience to work with Madonna composer Brian Elliot on Living in Darkness?
Brian owned the recording studio. He wasn’t really involved with the session.
Were y’all stoked that Posh Boy Records wanted to release the album?
I guess, maybe? There were so many labels that we could have went with… I can’t say that it felt like the right decision.
Courtesy of Agent Orange
How insane was the public reaction to Living in Darkness?
I guess, the whole thing was kind of underground. It seems like the interest built as we branched out and started touring all over the place.
Was Agent Orange shocked to be picked up by Enigma Records?
Once again, that just sort of happened. We recorded an EP with a smaller label who had a distribution deal with Enigma. Someone at Enigma noticed it was selling and all of a sudden they were interested.
What was it like having Brent Liles and Derek O’Brien from Social D join the band?
Brent joined the band first, then Derek came later. That was the Agent Distortion period!
How much did Real Live Sound being released by Restless Records help spread the band’s music?
Real Live Sound was actually the last release we did for Enigma. I’m not sure if it did as much for the band as actually touring and playing live.
Did it stun you at all that bassist Sam Bolle would eventually leave Agent Orange to play with Dick Dale?
No because Dick was always trying to steal my band members!
Was it fun to record Virtually Indestructible with The Plugz drummer Charlie Quintana?
I enjoyed working with Chalo. He is an amazing drummer and a really funny dude. He played in the band over a year. Lots of killer shows.
Were you excited when drummer Dave Klein, who recorded with The Seeds and Sky Saxon, joined Agent Orange?
Yeah, I really like Dave’s drumming with the Finks. He was playing keys with the Seeds so that’s cool, too.
After catching y’all on your last tour, I couldn’t help but feel that Agent Orange’s sound has only gotten darker. Has the addition of Perry Giordano only helped influence the band in a more hard rock/old-school metal direction?
That’s funny, it seems to me like it’s gotten less dark! Perry brings a lot of energy to the table. He’s a really upbeat kind of guy. High-energy plan!
I also couldn’t help noticing that y’all have Agent Orange skateboard decks now. Have they been flying off the shelf?
Everyone is stoked about the skate decks; It’s been a long time since we had them. They’re really well made boards and we have them in three different shapes/sizes. We only sell them at the shows and online.
What are Agent Orange’s influences these days?
I think we’re pretty much to a point where we are doing our own thing. I guess we are influencing ourselves!
What are your favorite bands to play with now?
We’ve been bringing In The Whale with us on the last couple tours. They’re blowing everyone away.
If you guys could share the stage with any musical act, alive or dead, who would it be?
It would be great to go back and play the Hong Kong cafe again with the Middle Class. Unfortunately, that can never happen. R.I.P. Mike Atta
What can we expect from Agent Orange down the road?
You never know! Stay tuned and find out.
What we certainly can expect from Agent Orange in the near future is one helluva killer show. Agent Orange is set to play March 3rd at Yucca Tap Room, located at 29 W. Southern Ave. in Tempe. They share the stage with Denver rockers In The Whale and locals garage/surf punkers The Rebel Set, thrash punks Skull Drug and punk rockers Reason Unknown. More show and band information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/1710740355811926/.
~ Garyn Klasek
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