WHO
The Migraines

WHEN
Sunday, March 21 at 6 p.m.

WHERE
Axis Skate-park; 5416 Middlebrook Pike; 583-3885

TICKET INFO
$5, all ages.

Comment
on this story

An American archetype resurfaces with The Migraines

by John Sewell

There is nothing new about punk rock. Defined as a musical form by rock critics around 1976, the term punk has been both embraced and reviled by the general public and by the members of the underground subculture that surrounds it. Essentially, punk is simplistic four chord rock 'n' roll that espouses a rebellious view of life. In an ironic twist, the punk genre has proven to be a rigidly defined sound, fashion, and attitude that allows for little or no variation within its ranks. Like it or not, punk is an American archetype that shows no signs of abatement and has become another form of folk music, always recruiting angry young kids to fly the flag of anarchy. Like television and fast food, punk is a ubiquitous American institution.

Despite the rigid sonic format, punk rock has produced some of the most exciting rock 'n' roll sounds of the late 1900s. The simplistic recipe of punk rock is easy to replicate and yields good results. Like the blues (another narrowly defined, yet respected genre), there's plenty of room in the punk rock formula for musicians to bring in their own quirks and keep it interesting. After all, nobody ever said that punk rock was either rocket science or high art.

Fort Wayne, Indiana's The Migraines are a textbook punk rock band from the breadbasket of America. The Migraines have studied their punk well, and have placed an individual stamp on the music without wavering too far from the original blueprint made by The Ramones in the mid '70s. What's more, The Migraines aren't egotistical enough to claim they're breaking new ground with their music.

"I think that a lot of today's punk music is a rehash to a degree, but that's not necessarily a bad thing," says founding lead vocalist/guitarist Eddie Migraine. "I think music in general is a rehash of what has come before it, so why should punk rock be any different? Each band makes some changes and throws their own little thing into it, and then another band will draw from that band and the cycle continues. I would be the biggest liar in the world if I said that The Migraines are breaking new ground musically. We're not charting any new territory—we just try to do what we do as well as we possibly can and try to be entertaining and put on a good show."

Formed in 1993, The Migraines followed the usual revolving door band member policy before arriving at the current, steady lineup of Marty Migraine on drums, Gee-Gee Migraine on bass, and Eddie on guitar. "We've had some member changes from the beginning but that's to be expected," says Migraine. "You start a band and it's at one level of expectation for all the members. When that level changes, a member might not have had the same idea or the same vision. Touring is hard on most people, and that's why some of our early members left. A lot of the humor in my lyrics is getting a little bit more racy and a little more off color, and maybe that's another thing. Now the guys I have in the band are really, really politically incorrect—probably moreso than I am. So that has kind of worked out well. I think this is definitely the best lineup we've ever had."

The bands from the past that preceded and influenced The Migraines all made strong contributions to the thriving punk gene pool. "I keep going back to the old sounds like The Dickies, The Ramones, The Misfits," says Migraine. "I know there are a lot of bands that try to replicate The Ramones' sound exactly, but I like most of those bands. I think what we're doing with The Migraines is a little bit darker than most of The Ramones-influenced bands, though. There's a definite heavier, Black Sabbath kind of sound that's creeping into our newer material. We're a little more aggressive than most pop punk bands and the comedy angle of our lyrics is also different."

In a strange twist of fate, The Migraines linked a deal with One Foot Records, a label which is fast becoming a major player in America's punk rock market. "It's kind of funny how we got on One Foot," explains Migraine. "I had released our first album, Shut Up, on my own label called Sick Duck Records. We sent a copy to Maximum Rock 'n' Roll and they trashed it really bad. About a week later someone from One Foot called us wanting to hear the record. They liked it, re-released it (there had only been 1,000 copies pressed on the Sick Duck label), and the same record got a great review in MRR the second time it got reviewed."

The affiliation with One Foot has gained increased exposure and recognition for The Migraines. "We're not going to put out a new album for a while because the guys at One Foot think they can sell more copies of (the band's newest opus) Juvenilia," says Migraine. "We're really excited about our new material, but it's good to be able to work out the songs before recording anyway."