THE BRONX
By; Sarai Thomas

MAT CAUGHTRAN - Vocals
JOBY J. FORD - Guitar, Back-ups
JAMES T WEEDY - Bass, Back-ups
JORMA VIK - Drums

THE BRONX kicked off the first night of their tour in San Francisco at 12 Galaxies to a sold-out crowd. These guys are so bloody fuckin’ talented! On stage they unleash riot of insanity with their instrumental aggression. And Mat's abrasive vocal cries rattle my spine, quiver my insides and decimates a part of my heart.
 I had the luxury of meeting up with these boys at 12 Galaxies. I sat down with Mat Caughtran, vocalist of THE BRONX for an interview. Can I tell ya, Mat's optimism and positive mindset for the events that are up and coming for this band with the tour, the new album and the year to come, got me even more pumped up for their show. I really enjoyed the interview with Mat. He was really nice, easy to talk to, such a positive person and had such awesome things to say about everything. After talking to Mat, I know these guys are the real deal, which makes me love this band even more!

I'd like to introduce you to our readers. Could you start by giving your name and your influences?
My name is Mat and I’m from Pico Rivera, Los Angeles and my influences musically have basically stemmed from early Metal, early Los Angeles Punk Rock and ah, Neil Young and Jimmy Hendrix I was kind of brought up on. Punk stuff I got into later as you usually do. When I was growing up it was first my sister’s record collection like Iron Maiden and my dad played like Jimmy Hendrix and other music like that. And then when I was growing up, like going through Junior High it all started with other bands like Black Flag, Minute Men etc.
So you have a history with a variety of music?
Yeah! Yeah! I love it.
Could ya give our readers some background history of THE BRONX? When ya guys got together, etc.?
Yeah! We’ve been together for like 3 to 4 years now, but when we first got together we, Joby and I, were in another band and he was writing this stuff that wasn’t really getting the format what that band was about. So he got together with Jorma and James and starting writing songs, and he came to me one day and he said, “Dude ya got to hear this. It’s really good, you should sing for us.” So then I came to practice and I hadn’t met James or Jorma before, and it was really cool. Right off the bat it was awkward, but then there was this cool vibe going on, so we kept doin’ that. Then we kept on making three song demos and people were just really stoked on 'em. We were kind of blown away by that but we kept on making more. And they would say, we want to hear more. So we would make three more songs, and then three more songs and then that kind of was the whole first record, just those demos.
Now I know that you guys are from LA? I’m curious how ya came up with the name The Bronx?
It's just cause it’s the opposite.
I was lookin' at our itinerary and it looks as if you guys are shootin’ off your first show in San Fran? I’m curious why you decided to kick it off in San Fran?
'Cause it has always been great for us here. It’s always been awesome ya know. Playin’ at Slim’s with the Supersuckers, Throw Rag, and other bands like that. It’s always been great every time we come here and we have been so excited! We had to cancel a tour, go into an escape plan, 'cause our new record was taking longer that expected and that was a real bummer. We were all itch’n to get on the road. So to have it start here and then tomorrow to be able to go home and play at The Troubadour, and to see all our friends in San Diego the next night is just a cool, cool three days.
That was my next question. Are there any stops along the way of this tour you're lookin’ forward to?
The Auto Bar in Baltimore is a really, really cool place. And we’ll be in Moorehead, Minneapolis for my birthday, February 13. I hope it's killer and hope it's fun. Yeah! Going back to New York is always cool, you know. Every stop on this tour is going to be so much fun. We’ve been itchin’ to get out for so long and this tour is so perfect for us. It’s all really cool.
Now you guys have just finished your newest record. Could you tell our readers more about the album?
The album is actually not out yet, we just finished it. And it will probably be out sometime around June or somethin’ like that, but um, it’s amazing. I’m really, really proud of it. It's going to blow people away, particularly fans of THE BRONX. So much better than the last record, just the leaps and bounds. Like in between records we took like huge, huge steps. I almost felt like we skipped our second record and went straight to the third one. It’s extremely good, I’m really proud of it.
Better than the last album? Really?
Blows the last one out of the water.
So after this tour what’s next for ya guys?
Just continuously to tour. I think we are in the works to do something with Joan Jett.
Nice!
Yeah! We’re workin’ on that and touring. Traveling the whole year, ya know?
Now you guys are touring with High on Fire. How are those guys?
I just met them. Well, down at home we were all drunk together at our friend Alex’s bar in Long Beach. Everyone was blacked out, so I kind of ran into him or her and they said, “Hey remember me?” and I said, ”Yeah! What’s up?” Yeah, everyone is really, really cool on this tour. Everyone play and get on the road. It’s really cool. I feel a good vibe.
All right! These questions are as fast as you can answer.
Cats or Dogs?
Dogs.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Neither.
Elvis or The Beatles?
Elvis.
Simpsons or South Park?
Simpsons.
Sun or Rain?
Sun.
Playstation or Xbox?
Neither.
Mayo or Mustard?
Mustard.
Peas or carrots?
Carrots.
Boxers or briefs?
Neither.
    Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhodes?
Randy Rhodes.
Thanx Mat, for takin’ the time to interview with me. It was great meeting and talkin’ with you! Hope your tour was exceptional and awesome!
www.thebronxxx.com