Part 2 Interview with Mark Lind focusing on his new project, the Warning Shots!

Mark Lind has started a brand new project recently with his sidekick Jason Messina, their buddy Dilo and Nick and Rich from the Morgan Knockers.  The five piece released digitally (as I covered already) a five song EP and has plans to record a few more songs next month!  This interview focuses less on Mark's other projects but what he is focusing on now, the Warning Shots!  

Run Don't Walk: How would you say the Warning Shots differ from the other projects you have you been a part of?  What do the other members bring to the table to make this band unique?

Mark Lind: It’s 100% collaborative. We started The Warning Shots knowing that three of the guys in the band have all been the “front man” for their own bands and that’s how we approach it. I might be the hands-free guy with just a microphone but Rich, Nick and I are all singing pretty much at all times and doing our own parts. We also practice a lot so we play the songs over and over and they just change and develop as we go through them each week without much discussion involved. Changes just happen and we measure whether or not they should stay based on the number of shit eating grins around the room as they happen. These developments are new for me. I’m not sure if the other guys have experienced this before or not. If they have then I’m jealous of them.

RDW: The band recently released in digital format a brand new four song E.P.  In terms of song writing, did you guys go about it differently than you would in the Ducky Boys and Nick and Rich in the Morgan Knockers?  From listening to Nick's songs in the Morgan Knockers, he definitely has his own unique way of writing.

ML: Someone comes in with an idea and we all sort of add to it until it turns out the way that we agree it right. Each of us sort of comes from a different place musically so each person adds a unique voice to the song. Whoever comes in with the idea is sort of in the captain’s chair to a degree but it’s not like we’re resistant to each other’s ideas.

I don’t know what process Morgan Knockers used to write but I am pretty much in awe of everything that Nick comes up with and everything that Rich plays or sings. Ducky Boys’ writing process has been so weird in the past few years that it would take me too long to explain it. It works for what we do but it is very different than this.

RDW: What is some of the subject matter about in some of the newer songs? 

ML: The standard stuff. Things that everyone can understand. Love, loss and pain were here before any of us and they will be here long after we’re all gone.

RDW: Do you have future endeavors for recording more songs for the band?  How will those compare to the first four that you have released?

ML: We’re heading back to the studio in February for four more songs. These next four will be better than the first four and hopefully that trend will continue into the future. People seem more inclined to check out small samples of songs these days and we’ll continue to offer than for the foreseeable future. I’d like to do a full length someday but we’ll have to see what the future offers.

RDW: In terms of the local scene, who are some bands that are out right now that you enjoy but may not be getting the recognition they deserve?  Who would you like to play with eventually while in this band? 

ML: The Warning Shots would like to play with everyone and anyone. We’re not trying to do something that is such a niche sound that its audience is limited. So far we’ve played shows with punk bands, hardcore bands, indie rock bands and pop bands. It’s gone over better than expected at all shows. Even the biggest hardcore tough guy likes a catchy chorus.

Regarding the local scene, there are just too many great bands to name. They’re all getting varying degrees of attention but you can never really predict which ones will gain more traction than others. The only two bands I’ve ever accurately predicted big things from were Dropkick Murphys and Anti-Flag. Those two bands were just too good out of the gate to ignore. Time tells with all the others. I do think Boston has the best bands of pretty much every genre of music so I guess, to some degree, all of the bands deserve more attention since this city isn’t the musical Mecca is should be.

RDW: I have asked this question to a couple different people who have a strong hold in the scene (Matt Kelly of Dropkick Murphys and Matt Henson of Noi!se) and I want to know your input.  With the rise of social media, and the effect it has had on music, how do you think it has affected the punk scene in particular?  There are obviously many positive sides but also negative sides that give our culture different connotations.  What has been your experience with it and your opinion the effect it has on our culture such as punk rock, hardcore, etc.?

ML: Social media is very interesting to me. I love to use my music page to conduct my own personal sociological experiments. Of course the internet has changed the whole world and music is just a small part of that. I think some bands are missing out on the experience of getting out there and hanging up posters and fliers and really spreading their names with hard work. All of us are just relying on the easy route now which is internet promotion. But the crowds are smaller than they used to be too. People can check out a band online and then skip the show if they choose. We used to have to go see the band to hear what they sound like. I’m too damn old, busy and lazy to get out and flier and hang up posters but if I was in my teens or early 20’s again then I’d be working both the internet and the street. That’s the way you really pack heads into the shows. The Warning Shots are trying to go for sheer quality to get people interested. Whether we’re succeeding in that is up to the opinion of the listener though. We can only do our best and hope for the best. We’re happy with what we’re doing.

RDW: What would you like to see change in the scene today?  What would you like to see come back again in terms of keeping people in their place, on an even keel, and things like that?

ML: I’d like to see more community return to the scene. When I was a kid my favorite bands were the ones we played with. I listened to their records at home and I genuinely liked the bands. I knew every word to their songs. It wasn’t some sort of lip service to benefit myself. The bands propped each other up and cheered each other on. Maybe I’ve become more cynical but I just don’t sense that these days. So it’s not about keeping people in their place; it’s about boosting people to the next level. Let’s get some more of that going….. but we need to mean it. If you don’t mean it then don’t say it.

RDW: Any final words?  How about upcoming shows you would like to plug?

ML: Well we have a video on Blank TV’s station on YouTube. We have a new EP out that is available at www.thewarningshots.com. Shirts and CD’s can be ordered there too. It’s coming soon to Interpunk and digital distros. We’re playing December 20 at PA’s Lounge in Somerville with Hudson Falcons and Spectre Hawk. And then we’re playing again on January 4 at the Middle East with Burning Streets, Cradle to the Grave and OC45. We’ll have shirts and CD’s at these shows.

The Warning Shots Facebook
The Warning Shots Official Page