THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES (A Biography) Following the success of their Mercury debut, Don't Know How To Party, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have completed their fourth album, Question The Answers. Expanding on their unrestrained sound, a mix of soulful ska rhythms and heavy punk melodies, this album hones their barbed wire cry into songs that are meaningful as well as manic. Recorded over a three month period, the Bosstones enlisted the services of three different producers. Philadelphia's Butcher Brothers, who list among their credits Urge Overkill, Cypress Hill and Aerosmith, worked with the band on several tracks, as did Boston's Paul Kolderie. Aside from his work with The Pixies, Hole and Radiohead, Kolderie produced the first two Mighty Mighty Bosstones albums for Boston's Taang Records. Ross Humphrey produced the band's remake of their own song, "Dogs and Chaplains." In addition to studio work, Ross was supervisor of live broadcasts with the Westwood One Radio Network, and is currently The Mighty Mighty Bosstones live sound man. Born of the hardcore/punk rock scene in Boston, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones played their first out of town gig on the eve of the Persian Gulf War. Known for the intensity and spontaneity of their live shows, the band has been on a relentless tour of North America and Europe. Aside from a string of sold out club and theater dates, they spent part of last year as support act on tours with Fishbone and Stone Temple Pilots. The year culminated when they opened for their home town heroes, Aerosmith, on New Years Eve at the Boston Garden. They also took time out briefly to record "Detroit Rock City" for the KISS tribute album, Kiss My Ass. In keeping with the theme of Question The Answers, The Bosstones were put on the spot to answer some questions themselves. Timothy Burton (saxophone) Q. How did the band record the new album? A. We tried a lot of techniques that were new to us. It was really Paul's (Kolderie) idea. Usually you take this militaristic approach where you hunker down in a studio and knock out an album in one session. No matter what you do, you are going to be at your most creative, energetic and spontaneous early in the session. On this album we broke it up. We recorded a few songs at a time, in different studios, working with different producers. It was an attempt to give the album texture. Q. How would you describe The Mighty Mighty Bosstones? A. Ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things with a limited budget and questionable talent. Nate Albert (guitar) Q. Who are your favorite musicians? A. Motorhead, Madness, Marley and Metallica. And that's just the M's. Q. What's the biggest problem facing the world? A. Probably the nuclear stockpiles in Eastern Europe. No one is watching that stuff. I swear to God, that is going to be a disaster. There's all these underpaid scientists and fragmented military factions who can supply counties and groups that in the past had no access to nuclear capability. That and the rise of nationalist and fascist ideals everywhere. Joe Gittleman (bass) Q. How do you write songs? A. Reluctantly. I play around with my guitar during commercial breaks. Q. What kind of person do you respect? A. People who are true to themselves and maintain their integrity through adversity. Either that or snappy dressers. Dennis Brockenborough (trombone) Q. Do The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have a message? A. I think we have a message of harmony, tolerance and compassion among all people. There should be no boundaries between people. We try to reflect that attitude by breaking down musical barriers. We like to mix all types of music together, like mixing older ska sounds with newer rock sounds. We basically play whatever we want. At our live shows, we try to break down the wall between us and the audience. Q. What city has the best food? A. New Orleans is definitely one of my favorites. Joe Sirois (drums) Q. What music publications do you like? A. I like Thrasher, though it's not really music. I like Bikini too, but that's really not music either. They've both got all the hip fashion and girls with mad flavor. Q. What do you scream in the middle of the night as you wake up in a colds sweat, half drunk, being flipped out of your bunk as the driver nods off at the wheel? A. I scream, "What the fuck...what the fuck?!" Kevin Linear (saxophone) Q. Who is your biggest non-musical influence? A. The inspiration for all that we do is the people we meet. All the people we meet from tour to tour, album to album definitely influence what we write. Q. What's your daily routine to keep in shape? A. A light breakfast, a sensible dinner, and a twelve pack of beer. Ben Carr (Bosstone) Q. What's your favorite kind of venue to play? A. A big nightclub or ballroom with a decent stage so the audience can participate and everyone can do their thing. We try to create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome. At its best, you get a cool mix of people that kind of looks like the apocalypse prom. Q. What's the worst thing about touring? A. Never being in a town long enough to get to know it and the people. Dicky Barrett (vocals) Q. How do you write songs? A. There's no formula to Bosstones songwriting. There is no blue print to how I write lyrics. We've always had an everything-including-the-kitchen-sink attitude. Good ideas and good songs come from taking a million different approaches. That's how we wrote Question The Answers. Q. What does the album title mean to you? A. It means you should probably question the answers, including the ones we're giving to you now.