We are that idiot.
It’s pretty much impossible not to likethe Interrupters either the band, or the members who compose it.
As previously mentioned, they’re pretty much impossible not to like.
Interrupting the Interrupters.Jimmy Fontaine
This is… interrupting the Interrupters.
KEVIN BIVONA: We met each other while… JESSE BIVONA: No, because it happened organically, and we’re all brothers and they’re married.
So we’re not like the Ramones.
The Interrupters.Jimmy Fontaine
Our last name’s actually Bivona.
KEVIN BIVONA: If anything, it’d be the Bivonas.
So why not become the Bivonas, like Van Halen or something?
The Interrupters' fourth studio album, ‘In the Wild,’ debuts Aug. 5.Jimmy Fontaine
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: It should have been.
KEVIN BIVONA: It’s a very interesting name.
I haven’t met many other Bivonas.
JUSTIN BIVONA: Maybe it’ll be an album title one day.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: It’s the name of a town [their ancestors came from] in Sicily.
And the twins took a pilgrimage to Sicily, to the little town of Bivona.
JESSE BIVONA: We went and visited our namesake, tiny little mountain town in the middle of Sicily.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: And everything was closed.
I saw you guys play both before COVID hit and after.
I’m curious how it’s different from your end.
What are the challenges of touring with COVID out there?
KEVIN BIVONA: Well, it’s…
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: It’s a laundry list.
See, nowI’minterrupting him!
Touring used to be wild.
We’d go into a city.
And if we had the night off, we would just go all around town, go to restaurants.
Maybe, we would go to find other concerts that were happening of other bands that were on tour.
But now it’s different.
And we kind of stay in a bubble with our whole touring party.
We’re so grateful to be back out on tour.
I know you’re about to play a bunch of European dates.
How is touring Europe different from America?
JESSE BIVONA: Well, they don’t have…
So, moving on, what’s the worst show you all have ever played?
JUSTIN BIVONA: We did a show in Australia.
It was 110 degrees.
And we all got offstage and threw up immediately.
KEVIN BIVONA: Immediately!
We didn’t even talk about it.
We all walked to separate corners of this field and started throwing up.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: Because it was that hot.
It was the hottest show in the world.
KEVIN BIVONA: And we were wearing suits.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: And I was wearing a leather jacket.
So you’re stuck with it.
KEVIN BIVONA: It becomes a part of you.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: It becomes a part of you!
There’s no slipping it off.
It’s just stuck.
So I was stuck with that leather jacket in 120 degrees.
The hot ones are the hardest ones.
KEVIN BIVONA: I’m trying to think if we ever had any straight up disasters on stage.
That wasn’t rad.
But I got back up and I finished the set with a broken arm.
I gaff taped my wrist, and then I was in shock.
So I took advantage of that, the adrenaline of the shock.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: But you asked if there was a doctor in the house.
KEVIN BIVONA: And there weretwodoctors!
I was like, “I think we’ve made it.
There are doctors here”
How many more dates did you have to do with that arm?
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: All of them.
JESSE BIVONA: Three months of touring.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: Because we went on tour withGreen Dayright after that.
And we weren’t going to miss that for the world.
We pulled it together.
I iced him every night while he was sleeping.
KEVIN BIVONA: Like an assistant coach.
I’d come off stage.
She’d be like, “You have to ice.”
I’m like, “I don’t feel like it.”
She’s like, “You got to ice.”
Where did that song come from?
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: That song I wrote about my 13-year-old German shepherd wolf dog that passed.
And I was so sad.
I had her for 13 years.
She was just my whole life.
And I was singing it and I sang it for Kevin and he put some guitar chords behind it.
And then we were just like, “You know what?
Let this song be what it wants to be.”
This song is its own thing.
KEVIN BIVONA: It’s like that sixties,Phil Spector, girl group vocals with the backgrounds.
And us just doing our best to support that.
How do your songs usually come together?
Or is there no typical way that you all write your songs?
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: I don’t think there’s a typical way.
Sometimes I’ll write a chorus and sing.
Sometimes it’s just lyrics.
Sometimes Kevin will sit on the piano or the guitar and I’ll just start singing.
And Kevin’s like, “That’s great.”
KEVIN BIVONA: I’ll be like “Yeah, that’s a song.
We should make a voice memo of that so we don’t forget.”
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: We have 40 to 80 song ideas.
KEVIN BIVONA: Once the seed of the song is there, we collect them all.
And then all four of us get in a room on our instruments and go through them.
And then we’ll always come back to it.
Later we’ll be like, “Hey, what about that one thing?”
And it’s like, “No, remember, we didn’t like that.”
And Aimee was just like, “Whatever happened to this song?”
We’re like, “Ah, we decided it didn’t fit.”
She goes, “No, this fits.
This needs to be on the record.”
And she hadn’t done vocals yet.
And she was totally right.
The record totally needed it.
Totally fit in with her story.
It is her story.
And pulled it up on their phone and played it.
And we were like, “Yeah.”
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: The twins are the archivists of the band.
JUSTIN BIVONA: What about this one from four years ago?!
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: They have every idea we’ve ever thought of in a catalog.
And they record all of our shows.
So every show’s recorded.
Everything we’ve ever done, they have recorded away.
I’m now waiting for the deep cuts box set to come out.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: So are they.
JUSTIN BIVONA: I’m already writing the liner notes.
What about when it comes to covers?
I’ve seen you guys do covers live, obviously you have the Billie Eilish song.
So how do you decide which songs you want to cover?
We’re all a part of it.
So any song that everybody’s singing is my favorite.
And when that happens, I am the happiest.
It’s just everything I could ask for.
It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.
It makes me feel less alone.
“Got Each Other” is a good example of that.
JESSE BIVONA: I’m going to go with “Broken World.”
So it’s not always “fun to play,” but it’s a big vocal.
The crowd sings along loud.
KEVIN BIVONA: He likes a challenge.
I don’t like a challenge.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: I don’t like a challenge.
KEVIN BIVONA: I like simplicity.
And it was the first song we ever recorded.
And everyone’s singing and I love that.
I know it’s not our song.
It’s a cover.
KEVIN BIVONA: Yeah, that might be my current favorite to play too.
It’s so fun to play.
We all sing together.
Feels like a nice pasta dinner with everyone.
Okay, maybe the most important question of this interview: Who controls the stereo while on tour?
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: I think I probably do.
Because we drive in silence.
KEVIN BIVONA: True.
However, on the last tour, we had to quarantine in Cincinnati, Ohio for 10 days.
And Justin discovered this song called “Cincinnati, Ohio.”
We would just get on the bus and he’d be like, “Cincinnati, Ohio.”
It was actually a really good song.
I forgot what the artist name is.
JUSTIN BIVONA: Connie Smith.
KEVIN BIVONA: Anyways, that became the theme song of the tour.
But Aimee used to control the stereo.
And now whoever is maniacal enough to torture us controls the stereo.
I’m in my own world."
KEVIN BIVONA: It’s true.
We had a van driver one time that would put on a record while he was driving overnight.
But he couldn’t pick up his phone to change the album.
Can you change this record?"
Dude, I know, I’ve been listening to it!
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: Since the beginning.
KEVIN BIVONA: Our first tour, we were opening for Rancid and they had them up there.
And we were just like, “Oh, this is fun.
I want to jump off these.”
So then when we weren’t touring with them, we just had our own.
Ever have any mishaps jumping on or off one of those things?
KEVIN BIVONA: That was my broken arm.
JUSTIN BIVONA: I fell on my butt once.
KEVIN BIVONA: Justin in Vegas one time jumped up and it slid out from under him.
And this is earlier in the tour we were all talking about.
We’ve all fallen down on stage, right?
And Justin’s like, “I’veneverfallen down on stage.”
And I’m like, “Well then you haven’t been on stage enough.”
And then sure enough in Vegas.
And I just remember looking at him like, “There you go.
We got one.”
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: Wait, have I fallen on stage?
Don’t jinx yourself.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: Oh no!
KEVIN BIVONA: Jesse fell off a stage one time before a show.
JESSE BIVONA: It was on the Rancid tour.
We were in Edmonton, and we were doing a changeover.
We’re about to go on in literally eight minutes.
And then we’re like, “All right, great.”
Then I took one step back and there was no more stage.
My rib caught the side of the stage.
KEVIN BIVONA: It was a high stage.
JESSE BIVONA: It was an eight-foot stage.
My rib caught it.
I hit the ground.
Justin turned around and goes, “Where’d you go?”
And then I’m on the floor.
“What are you doing down there?”
We go back up to the dressing room to get ready for the show.
They could see it on my face or something.
KEVIN BIVONA: He was sweating.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: His whole side was all bruised.
JESSE BIVONA: I had a micro fracture in my rib and it hurt to sing for a week.
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: But you played the drums.
And you like a challenge.
KEVIN BIVONA: He doesn’t want to brag, but he will.
JESSE BIVONA: I’m just glad I didn’t break my leg.
Because looking back on it, I got off easy, honestly.
KEVIN BIVONA: We would’ve still made you play with a broken leg.
He likes a challenge.
Before I let you all go, anything you would like to say to your fans?
AIMEE INTERRUPTER: We…
Well, I think we’re all out of time.
