“Loud Guitars, straight forward riffs, and screaming.”
Passionate and emotional Punk Rock that you can’t help but wanna raise your fists and sing along to. Lansing, Michigan’s Little American Champ are cut from the same cloth as earnest Punk Rockers such as Latterman, O Pioneers, Joyce Manor, and The Gaslight Anthem. Melodic and intense Punk Rock that would provide a perfect soundtrack to any sweaty and drunken basement show.
How did Little American Champ first come together?
It was in the summer of 2010. My brother and I were in college at the time, and we needed something to do that didn’t involve drinking games and partying. At that time, Jonny’s band just broke up and it seemed like the next logical step in music for the both of us.
Little American Champ’s ‘Nothing Forward, Nothing Backward’ (EP)
I love the fact that I could download all your music for free off Bandcamp. Do you think that’s an important part of trying to get LAC’s music out there?
There is no doubt it helps in terms of exposure, but even more fundamentally, we never really had an expectation of a return on the music we created. I’ve never felt compelled to put a price on our music, especially when delivered in a digital format.
Getting back to your question though, I do believe it’s good policy for upstart bands to put their stuff up for free. Even if you could charge and still distribute it somewhat effectively, it’s still important to remove as many barriers as possible.
Did you play in any other bands before Little American Champ?
I never played in a full time project before LAC, but Jonny was in A Big Crash before we started our band. A Big Crash was made up of some of our good friends who we are still close with today. ABC was straight up Pop- Punk. Lots of Blink 182 and NOFX.
‘This Is A Public Place’ (EP)
Who are some of the non Punk Rock bands Little American Champ are influenced by?
I’m not sure how evident these particular influences are, but we’ve grown up listening to a lot of Classic Rock. I still get down to the Beatles, ELO, and Tom Petty for sure. Tom Petty is a rock titan that could easily crush up with merely his sight.
‘”..A record that brinks on perfection for me….. that record changed my life.”
How would you describe Little American Champ to someone who has never heard you guys?
I’ve never been skilled when describing my own band, but I would say it’s like Get Bent, Against Me!, and Joie De Vivre in a blender.
Or to a non-Punk Rock listener: Loud Guitars, straight forward riffs, and screaming.
“Tom Petty is a rock titan that could easily crush up with merely his sight.”
How did you first get into Punk Rock and Who were some of the first Punk bands you got into?
My middle school years were when I first delved into Punk. I remember going into a fucking ice cream shop of all places, seeing a punk, and thinking, “what the fuck is that?” The rest is history. The first Punk bands that I got into were mostly bands of the late ’70s and early ’80s hardcore. Dead Kennedys (a favorite of my youth), Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Minor Threat, and The Misfits were all bands that introduced me to Punk.
“..I remember..seeing a punk (for the first time), and thinking, “what the fuck is that?”..”
How does the songwriting work in Little American Champ?
Typically, either myself or Jonny would write a song, bring it to the other, who would give their input and help polish it off. Although lately, song writing has been even more of a collaborative process, working together on a song during its infancy vs. just helping the other finish the song. Once we feel a song is the best it can be, we take it to Travis (drummer extraordinaire) and he does his thing. That’s our very fancy creative process!
What are some of your favorite venues to play?
I am personally a big fan of house shows. GTG House in Lansing is a great place for shows and it’s run by a bunch of really cool people. As far as actual venues go, maybe I’m saying this because we have played it nearing twenty million times, but Mac’s Bar in Lansing is one of my favorite venues to play. From the aesthetic of it, to the avenue it has provided for start up bands like us, it’s a huge part of our community in Lansing.
“..I still get down to The Beatles..”
Did you grew up in a house with a lot of music playing and do you think it has shown up in any of LAC’s songwriting?
I’m unsure if we grew up in a house that had more music playing than your average family unit, but there were definitely some tasty jams being blasted. I have been revisiting a lot of the Classic Rock that my Dad would crank in the car like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles. I think my mom helped Jonny and I develop a taste for Pop hooks because she was always very into Michael Jackson, Shania Twain, John Denver, and the like. I don’t think you can glean any overt influence on our music from the stuff listed above, but It was our first exposure to music and definitely molded us as kids.
“…when it comes to having my brain matter melted, one band that definitely comes to mind is Restorations from Philadelphia..”
What bands have you played with live that completely blew you away?
That statement is so strong; it’s hard to have some band stand out like that. But when it comes to having my brain matter melted, one band that definitely comes to mind is Restorations from Philadelphia. Although, I just saw them when they came to Hamtramak last spring, and did not have the opportunity to play with them, that band fucked my ears by the end of their set. When some band your unfamiliar with, travels from far away, comes to your town, plugs in, fucking rocks in earnest, and then leaves you on your ass, it’s a really cool feeling.
“Mac’s Bar in Lansing is one of my favorite venues to play.”
Do you have any friends who play in bands?
Well as I mentioned earlier, Jonny played in A Big Crash, which is now obviously long over. From that band, spawned Little American Champ and Small Parks. Small Parks is a band our friend, James Radick, started with Danny and Josh (the founders of A Big Crash). It’s ’90s style Emo featuring some really fast songs, really a great band. As far as other bands go, it’s honestly too many to name but Cain Marko, Low Cloud, Giraffe Attack, It’s a Secret, Secret Grief, Hawk & Son, This is the Year, and Between Brains are really awesome Michigan bands making sweet music.
If you could name one record as “Greatest Punk Record Ever Made” which one would you choose?
If I am forced to pick one, ‘As The Eternal Cowboy’ by Against Me! is a record that brinks on perfection for me. I really love everything about that album. From the tones to those incendiary lyrics to the album’s frantic pace, that record changed my life.
Anything you wanna plug,where can we get your music?
You can find all of our music at littleamericanchamp.bandcamp.com. For free! Duh! In terms of new music, we just finished mixing two new tunes that will also be available in some capacity really soon! One of the tracks will be included on a 4-way split with some really awesome friends of ours.
