INSIST ON PUNK INTERVIEWS:

STEPMOTHER, Rock N' Roll Madness From Australia. First U.S. Tour.

Whose stepmother was the inspiration for the band name? Was she cool?

There wasn’t a specific stepmother in mind—more the whole evil stepmother trope from fairy tales. You know, the kind who locks kids in the basement and boils the neighborhood cats? I wanted something that sounded heavy but also kinda ridiculous, like Spinal Tap.

When did you guys get together?

Sometime in 2022, after a particularly boring couple of years in Melbourne.

What are your influences?

Man, we’ve got a lot! I’m into The Lewd, The Weirdos, MC5, Blue Cheer, Nervous Eaters, Pink Fairies, The Pagans, The Stones, Agent Orange, Bl’ast!, Eater, The Germs, The Stooges—basically all that Nuggets-era ‘60s punk and psych stuff. Then there’s the old West Coast punk scene, all the ‘77 UK stuff, surf rock like The Ventures and The Shadows, and just anything that kicks ass—Chuck Berry, for example. We take bits from all that but try to do our own thing.

"Touring is 20% rocking and 80% talking shit in the van."

This is your first time playing in the U.S. with this band. Any expectations?

We’re gonna have a killer tour. My two good buddies, Chrispy and Noel—who I’ve toured with for over 20 years—are taking over drums and bass for this run. We already have a million inside jokes. Honestly, for me, touring is 20% rocking and 80% talking shit in the van. Somehow, I managed to get killer lineups for every gig—not a single stinker. Lots of old friends, plus some new bands I’m stoked to see for the first time.

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT STEPMOTHER LIVE

APRIL 3rd, AT TV EYE!

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