Strung Out are absolute legends in the punk rock scene. Being together for over 25 years all whilst staying loyal to the iconic Fat Wreck Chords. We caught up with guitarist Jake Kiley to talk about the new album Transmission Alpha Delta & March 2016 Australian tour.

SCENEzine
How is 2016 going for you so far?

Jake Kiley
So far it’s off to a good start. We’ve got some nice weather here in Los Angeles. Just been chilling out and getting ready for the tour.

SCENEzine
Did you get a chance to check out the Star Wars movie?

Jake Kiley
Oh I did. I saw it a few weeks back. I really liked it I thought it was great.

SCENEzine
Your newest album Transmission Alpha Delta is a solid album start to finish. Well worth the wait. Are you happy with how it turned out?

Jake Kiley
I’m stoked on how it turned out. The time we spent writing it really paid off. Sonically I think it’s our best sounding album also.

SCENEzine
You did a video for the track “Modern drugs”. Was that fun to make?

Jake Kiley
Yeah that was super fun to make. Most of my memories from that are me nearly getting my ass kicked from people jumping everywhere (laughs)

SCENEzine
One of our favourite tracks form the album is “Westcoasttrendkill” can you tell us a bit about the writing process for that song?

Jake Kiley
The song really came from a riff. We were just jamming and the song evolved. I really love how it turned out.

SCENEzine
Once you’d finished the album how did you decide which songs to play live?

Jake Kiley
A lot of bands will just play the first song from a new album live. But we’ve just started putting more into the set to see how the audience responded. The response for the new songs live has been great.

SCENEzine
You must have seen a lot of Strung Out tattoos over the years. Is it cool to know your band is inked on so many people?

Jake Kiley
It’s awesome to see. I especially like when people incorporate lyrics into the tattoo.

SCENEzine
Strung Out has been around for over 25 years cementing your place in the punk rock scene. What would you say is the reason behind the longevity of the band?

Jake Kiley
We have stayed true. The internet definitely helps make that possible. There is so many genes of music and the internet allows people to access them easily. Our genre of music has come in and out of fashion many times over the years but we retain our fast energetic sound whether it’s cool at the time or not. We are a band that has never followed trends it wouldn’t feel right.

SCENEzine
One of our absolute favourite Strung Out songs is “Velvet Alley” which also translates well done acoustic style. Where you surprised how well that song translates acoustically?

Jake Kiley
I haven’t heard that version of it in a long time. Not a lot of our songs would translate acoustically but that definitely does. Our songs usually are written with the intention of being played loud and fast.

SCENEzine
A big fan favourite is “Matchbook”. Do you still enjoy playing that live and seeing the crowd reaction?

Jake Kiley
Oh yeah that’s always fun to play. We usually close out our sets with that song. Sometimes we don’t play it live. When that happens it feels like something is missing.

SCENEzine
The exciting news for Australian fans is you are touring the land down under in March 2016. Are you excited to come back?

Jake Kiley
Yeah really excited. We can’t wait to get back down there. We love coming there and this time its especially good because it’s our own tour. The last few times we came with festivals like Hits and Pits and Soundwave. So getting to do a headline tour is really exciting.

SCENEzine
Do you have a favourite Australian memory from a past tour?

Jake Kiley
I couldn’t narrow it down to just one we always have such a great time. Playing shows with Bad Religion was awesome. Plus Soundwave was a blast. I mean being at the hotel after the show and getting into the same elevator as Zakk Wylde and System of a Down is just surreal. Also we played a festival called Youthfest in Sydney many years ago with Frenzal Rhomb that was a blast.

SCENEzine
This time you are coming for quite an extensive run of dates. Was that always the plan to stay for a while?

Jake Kiley
Yeah this time we aren’t just playing the big cities. We wanted to get to play as many places as possible that we may of never been before. That way we get to see more of Australia.

SCENEzine
Do you prefer intimate sweaty clubs or playing to thousands at festivals?

Jake Kiley
Clubs for sure. The vibe of the audience is better. Plus a lot can go wrong at a festival and if things don’t go right or you fuck up then your fucking up in front of thousands of people.

SCENEzine
You guys recorded a rad cover of “Bark at the moon” any chance you’ll play that at one of your Aussie dates?

Jake Kiley
I really like that cover too. I’d like to play it. Maybe I’ll talk to the guys about playing it on some of the dates.

SCENEzine
Can you leave us with a last message for your Australian fans?

Jake Kiley
We are stoked to be coming back. Thanks for all of the support over the years and we will see you soon.

(interview by Christian Ross)