I was fortunate enough to score an interview with bassist Jay Bentley & drummer Brooks Wackerman of Bad Religion when the Van's Warped Tour made it's way to Vancouver.
Having lasted in the music industry for 30 years, these guys make ideal interview subjects as they are full to the brim with knowledge & advice. First & foremost I wanted to know if the music industry had changed for the better of for the worse over the past three decades:
"It depends on whether your a consumer or an artist," claims Bentley. "I think for an artist the better part is that recording costs are basically zero 'cause you can do an album on Garageband on your laptop. You can put your entire record up on MySpace & get a fan base without touring. As a consumer you can find great bands, the downside is that you have to sift through a hundred million bands now."
According to Bentley the reason why Bad Religion has lasted the test of time is because they write music for no one but themselves. They pride themselves on not following the latest trend or fad. Instead they stick to making the music that they want to play.
"Really this is just a hobby gone completely insane," says Bentley. "This was never a career opportunity, this was never meant to be a job. It was never meant to last 30 years. There is something that happens in this band for us that will keep us playing for as long as we can whether were popular or not."
The whole idea of making a career out of playing music is ludicrous to Bentley. He believes if you love playing music then you should do it, regardless of your circumstances. It should not matter if you have a job, a wife, or kids. If you love it then do it. If you can't support yourself solely off of your music than get a job. Bands come & go because they are not in it for the right reasons. As Bentley puts it "You can't use your band as an ATM".
Their longevity has meant that Bad Religion have seen the rise & fall of many bands. For this the bassist gives advice to up & comers out there: "Don't be an asshole on the way up, cause we'll see you on the way down."
The band has had various member changes over the years but both Bentley & Wackerman agree that Bad Religion has never sounded as good as what it does at present. Both can't wait to work on their 15th studio album due out next year. Supposedly, it will contain what they describe as 'guttural hints' along the same lines as The Devil Wears Prada. The record will still have that distinct sound that they are renowned for, but with a slight twist.