Sunday, October 21, 2007

So-Cal surf-punk waves are crashing over Ann Arbor. In their wake they leave curbs grinded in to decay by skateboard trucks. Young acne faced, Adderall imbued punks are sweating side by side with their aging jaded vet counterparts. The tide recedes and leaves the hum of a muffled super-fuzz version of Misirlou emanating through the doors of The Blind Pig.

I spoke with Mike Palm guitarist/vocalist and the only remaining original member of Agent Orange. I put him somewhere between the Adderall and the arthritis punks.

Over the twenty-eight years that Agent Orange has existed, the DIY underground network has been completely revamped by the internet. A band can exist mainly in cyberspace, their city of origin completely irrelevant. Palm’s jaded vet half seems reluctant to embrace this idea, “Well it’s interesting with MySpace and the internet in general it’s easier to network, but it seems to me as the DIY ethic is not as prevalent as it used to be… Fanzines used to be more important, independent labels, the indie network used to be more of a community, technology has made people a little more detached.”

His continued enthusiasm for touring and playing with Agent Orange is still his main focus. He says that “It’s been the busiest year for the band ever.” I asked Palm how they keep things interesting, “The industry is always changing and that’s what exciting now, having the longevity we have, gives us the perspective to see how things evolve and change.”