I have been booking and working with Damaged for a little over 4 years(they took a year break) and let me tell you they are a great bunch of guys who are always willing to help out a friend and always ready to ROCK they put on a great show with lots of energy and fun,they played the Whatever68 3 Year Festival and will also be playing the 4 Year Fest on 4/2/16 3PM at the Bancroft Bar in Spring Valley CA, go give them a follow on most social media spots and go see them live when you can,I have never known of anyone to not like this band or these guys as the awesome people they are. We started our projects together and will continue to make them awesome together! Thanks Damaged for your friendship and continued support to me and WE68.


Hi Joel thanks for taking time for Let's Talk Punk can you tell us a little about yourself?

How's it going Punk Globe?!!! I've been around for quite some time now in the punk rock scene since I was about 7 years old, going on 30 years old now and I play guitar in a Punk Rock band DAMAGED from Orange County, California with a very close group of friends Michael Schworck (R.O.U.S.) the two Mendiz bros Diego and Gus, and Ricky Browell.

How long has Damaged been around?

I was looking and our Bio says we have been around since mid 2012 but in 2013 we technically weren't even a band anymore so 3-4 years we can say.

What struggles has the band had and how have you got through them?

AAHHH our struggles are gone which is a good thing. All I can say is Ricky our drummer has fixed that issue when he joined in October of 2013. The only other struggle has been enjoying alcohol too much before our set, so we've fixed that and we enjoy our alcohol too much after our set. Other than those two things we just push through and make the best out of what we have.


What is your opinion of the music scene today?

Well it's changed a lot within the past 10 years, Orange County needs it's place for Punk rock. I notice that too many bands are just out to compete with each other instead of working together. I go to a lot of shows to support friends bands and just local shows even if I don't know who they are.I think too many people depend on social Media than anything else, including watching a live concert online instead of watching them live. Also bands and promoters not working like they should be, I like to see bands do their job by promoting their own shows with flyers and a bottle of 3m spray glue! That's enough of a rant.

Do you have a favorite local venue to play shows?

To be Honest I don't have a favorite. I do enjoy most of the venues, my least favorite part of venues are usually the unorganized promoters but other than that I do enjoy playing shows at The Tiki Bar, The World Famous Doll Hut of course, Observatory and The Slidebar. I'm hoping to find some new favorites out of our area soon.

Have you toured or played any out of town shows?

No tours yet but we are planning something hopefully by Summertime and a few bands to tag along with. Out of town we have played the Northern LA areas, Las Vegas and our awesome show for the Whatever68 Radio/PP Promo Records Punk Rock Halloween Bash in San Diego.


How often and for how long do you practice?

Now days I usually take out my guitar every other day and practice for about an hour or until I get tired I guess. Basically going over scales, riffs ect. With DAMAGED We usually meet up once a week for a few hours usually writing or just getting our music tight for live shows. I also Mix music so I spend a lot of my time in my "Beats Laboratory" at home where I have all of my gear set up so I can consider that practice since I do mix the DAMAGED tracks for now and a few others at the moment.

Who writes the songs, what are they about?

We actually had to ask someone else what they think our band is about ha ha. We all write our songs, each one of us have done our part in writing for the band which is rad because we all don't think alike. Most of our songs are about our life and what revolves around us what we see, hear and how we feel. For instance Young and Free the first line is "Is this the American dream or am I just a Machine?" others are about drinking problems and anger and some are just about Horror.

Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?

Of course!!! When I was a kid I used to carry a mix tape that my older sisters made which had The Vandals, Exploited, OP Ivy, Total Chaos and Circle Jerks. As I got older I started listening to other bands like D.I's Ancient Artifacts, TSOL's "Dance with Me", pretty much all of The Misfits and to this day most of those bands are what keep me playing music the way I do. I actually have a small collection on my wall of records.


Who are some of the bands you have had shows with?

I've actually have had some awesome shows when I was younger. In my old band when I was a kiddo I was in a band called The Bonzos. We use to play at the Showcase theater and The Galaxy now "The Observatory" a lot and I've had the pleasure opening for "The Exploited in 2003 The Adicts multiple times. With DAMAGED I've shared the stage with DRI, Doyle, Angry Samoans and Guttermouth just to name a few.


Who are your musical influences?

My main musical influences have always been Danzig, The Ramones, The Exploited, Descendents, D.I. and a variety of Country and Rockabilly believe it or not. Oh and I can't forget KISS!

What song of yours are you most proud of?

Down I'm actually proud of. It's the first finished song I had for the band and still to this day I enjoy playing it live. If my hands aren't bleeding or bruised at the end of the song, I just didn't give it all.


What bands do you enjoy listening to?

I'm a very picky person to be honest and my taste changes as time goes on. These bands are at the top of my list now Danzig, KISS, Pantera, Black Flag, Flipper, Calabrese, The Damned, Lamb of God,Throwdown, T.S.O.L., Silent Horror, Wayne "The Train" Hancock, Ignite, Pennywise, The Descendents, Demented Are Go, The Quakes, Resilience... I have quite a long list ha ha but think I'll stop there. I'm actually always listening to music, most of my day is spent enjoying music.

Besides being an awesome musician what other hobbies do you have?

Thanks!! HA HA! About a year ago I started sculpting and I've been getting better and better at it. I throw on a horror or Sci Fi movie usually old and start sculpting away. Fun stuff and learned it from a really good friend and amazing sculptor.

If you could play any place of your choice where would it be?

If I had a choice I would Love to just tour outside of the States, somewhere in Europe. They always have awesome shows, huge shows with amazing lineups.


What are your immediate music career goals? (Next 1 to 3 years.)

I'm hoping for DAMAGED to be able to do at least a small tour in California, Arizona and Nevada. By the end of this year we're going to put out a full length album but other than That I'm hoping to play in front of a bigger crowd at every show and open up with bigger talents.

What are the best and worst things about being a band?

The worst things in being in a band is that one member that complains about every one and everything "Which we don't have any longer", the unreliable members or the Promoters just looking to take advantage of the actual talent.

What personal advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a music career?

Push for the best, don't play shows or a specific style to please one crowd or to try and fit in. Always keep learning even if you teach yourself, most of the old school punk rockers are amazing musicians now and know a lot more than most people about their own instruments. Do what makes you happy and if you're not happy in the band you're in, then just move on. Don't let anyone tell you that you're too old or hold you back from the things that make you happy. Our time is too valuable to be wasted on nonsense.


What are some typical mistakes people make when trying to pursue this career?

Well I can say on my end, I had too much fun and never realized the time. My mistakes were letting others hold me back from moving on which can't just be blamed on other.

Any thank yous or shout out you would like to make?

Way too many shout outs! I hope I don't miss any and if so don't hate me. First and foremost thanking my band Members in DAMAGED Gus, Diego, Ricky and Mikey for being there with me on our drunken trips. The boys from ROUS Ray Ray and Ryan, Larry Lugz & Georgie V, The boys from Orwells, Nightmare ELvis and Fidel, Boys from Bear Fight All of them I guess ha ha, Sky is SO FLY, Sal of SAL'S PHOTOS, Martin Wesser of Last PunkRockers Records, Lisa Monday-Gomez, Melanie Wyatt and the rest of the Whatever68 Team, Big Mac from the Doll Hut and Elijah Hanway my other brother from another everything for all being there as my friends and support. Last but not least my girl Erica for putting up with my shit, my cat Smokey and dog Sparky for all being my emotional support ha ha. Sorry If I missed any of you Quite a lot.

Any upcoming show or festivals?

We actually have a few shows booked that are really good. We have a show March 2nd with The Others from Germany @ DiPiazzas in L.B., March 26th @ The World Famous Doll Hut for Mac's B day show!!, April 1st In Santa Ana @ Original Mikes with the Gutter Demons from Canada and the day after April 2nd We'll head back down to San Diego area to play the Whatever 68 4 YEAR Festival!!!!! We have quite a bit planned for everyone this year and hope to see some new and familiar faces.


Where can the readers find your music and band info?

facebook.com/band.damaged
instagram.com/damagedoc
reverbnation.com/damagedoc

Thanks Joel for being part of Let's Talk Punk

Thank You Punk Globe for having me on here.