Too true. ETID, currently headlining the punk/metal-themed Take Action Tour, pretty much defies every stereotype of a heavy rock band. Despite the group’s origins in Buffalo, it features an unmistakable Southern influence in its thrash assault. Buckley, who more speaks than screams in his songs, is just as apt to throw out a snarky lyric like “you know I’m no good at court-ordered goodbyes” as he is to whip up the rage. And the band unabashedly embraces trashy ‘80s pop culture, as seen by the “Bachelor Party” and “Teen Wolf” motifs littering their video for “We’rewolf,” the first single from their fourth record “The Big Dirty.”
As Every Time I Die prepared to embark on the Take Action Tour, we spoke with Buckley about his love of the Reagan era, the joys of Buffalo and exactly what the created phrase “shinfo” means.
Buffalo’s a little depressing, no? Someone on your website called you “Buffalo’s finest…that’s not saying a lot.”
Absolutely. It’s a place you only appreciate once you leave. You really have to get out and go somewhere bigger to realize it’s a really nurturing place.
Considering your hometown, where does the Southern influence in your music stem from?
My uncle, who lived about 45 miles north of me in the country, he always threw parties and played a lot of CCR, Mellencamp, all those types of bands. I grew up with it, and everyone in the band kind of had the same upbringing.
You’ve gone through five or six bassists. How come?
It’s not that we can’t keep them—they can’t keep us. We have Josh [Newton] now. He’s stable…but we hate to say “permanent.”
On Wikipedia, you’re credited with coming up with the phrase “shinfo.” True? And what does it mean?
Yeah, we invented it. It even made it on to the site Urban Dictionary. It’s a term that means when someone adds a completely useless piece of information to a story. It’s short for “shitty info.” We’re all guilty of it.
In your video for “We’rewolf”, you reference a whole lot of bad ‘80s films. And is that the “Thriller” dance you’re all doing at the end?
It absolutely is. I absolutely love the ‘80s, and we wanted to do an homage. The whole thing is kind of a spin-off or a take on “Teen Wolf.”
You write a DVD column for Alternative Press magazine, touting your favorite bad ‘80s films. What’s the best worst film from that era?
I’m a kind of horror buff, so I’d go with “Sleepaway Camp.” It’s really fucking scary, ‘80s clichés or not. I grew up on this stuff, and was lucky enough that my parents would let me watch everything. And my uncle, not the one who likes CCR and Mellencamp, he would show us movies like “Faces of Death” when I came over. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea of his…
You have a unique vocal style. It’s sort of screaming, then almost spoken word…
Yeah, it’s hard to describe. When we started I didn’t know if I could sing, but I liked melody…and I also wanted aggression. I wanted it to stand out, and not be a typical hardcore vocalist.
What’s the strangest rumor you’ve ever heard about yourself?
That I was high school friends with Kelly Clarkson. That’s absurd. I think she’s from Texas or something.
