Last month we reported that Bad Religion performed at the Guitar Center in Hollywood for an episode in the "Sessions" series. The epsiode, apparently in 3D, will be aired this summer on DirectTV.

Meanwhile, Guitar Center also did an interview with Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz. The interview can be read in this months (May) edition, with Bad Religion on the cover!

The interview is mainly about the early years of the band, the punk scene, writing songs and of course guitars. Here are some interesting parts taken from the interview:

"As the core songwriters in the band, Graffin and Gurewitz fortuitously came to the realization that the music itself was more important than the ephemeral fashion- and trend-driven elements that drew some fans to the punk genre. "We wanted to cultivate songwriting," says Graffin. "The bands that we liked the most had great songs. We knew that if Bad Religion was going to have any impact in the L.A. punk scene it had to be based on our songs and not the way we looked or on any fashion innovations."

"We just tried to be punk," adds Gurewitz. "I was just learning to play guitar, and I wrote everything as fast and aggressively as I could. A lot of the hardcore bands that were formed during the second wave of L.A. punk were surfers and former jocks. They were tough guys. We were nerdy, smart kids who were outcasts."

[...]

"But Gurewitz's role as a songwriter is much bigger than his previous comment suggests. He says that one of his secrets for writing songs is buying a new guitar: "I judge guitars by how many new songs they have in them. When I get a new guitar, I usually get a new song out of it right away as soon as I get home, and sometimes I'll even get two or three new songs just like that. Each guitar feels and sounds a little different than the other ones, so it makes me play a little bit differently, which leads to me coming up with new songs. Each guitar is like a new friend or a new writing partner."

Graffin, who likes to write songs on acoustic guitar, agrees with Gurewitz: "I wrote some of our early songs on a cheap Sears acoustic guitar. It has its own sound that happens to be very cool. When I got my first Martin acoustic I think my songs improved or at least it felt like they did. A good sounding guitar helps you write better songs. I've always gravitated towards Gibsons and Fender folk guitars with old-timey sounds that remind me of radio sounds from the 1930s. It mixes so well with my voice. If you can strip a song down to a simple melody line that you can play on an acoustic piano or acoustic guitar and it still sounds good, you have a good song."

Read the complete interview here or in Guitar Centers Buyers Guide (includes photos from the performance).

Talking about song writing...during one of the Bad Religion shows in Boston last April, Greg Graffin hinted during the show that they will do one more album next year: "after this year you probably won't be seeing much more of us. We're going to try one more album and then all join the navy, do honest work". This was also picked up by boston.com
Bad day? Inside information? Wishful thinking? Who knows...the future will tell...