by Melanie Bryan
Fire Sale is a punk "supergroup" composed of Matt Riddle (Face to Face and No Use For A Name), Chris Swinney (The Ataris), Pedro Aida (Ann Beretta), and Matt Morris. We recently got to chat with Pedro about the formation of the band, the meaning behind their latest single, and more.
MSM: How did Fire Sale come together, and is there a story behind the name?
PEDRO: I had been a fan of Chris's podcast 'That One Time On Tour' for some time and one episode there was a request for a song collaboration for what would end up being "Southern Gothic". I submitted my vocals and I guess Chris liked them enough to ask me to do it a few more times. Next thing we know we have a full lineup and a handful of singles. Originally the name of the band was Southern Gothic but Chris came up with Fire Sale (I'm not sure how) and that stuck. People love to make the Mr Show reference a lot.
MSM: How do you feel that your experiences in previous bands have helped to shape your sound in Fire Sale?
PEDRO: I think being in previous bands over the past 25 years+ taught me more of how to be in a band in respect to collaboration, patience, and how to treat your bandmates. Until recently I hadn't fronted a band since my college aged years so it was nice to bring that element back to my songwriting and creativity. Working as an audio engineer and producer has helped tremendously in regard to composition of song structure and melody.
MSM: How will this single, “A Fool’s Errand”, and the ones to follow compare to your previous projects in other bands?
PEDRO: This song is definitely the bounciest and poppiest of the bunch so far. It takes me back to the 90's era California sound similar to Face to Face, Lagwagon, and Descendents.
MSM: Would you mind going into the meanings behind “A Fool’s Errand”, and the B-side “We Dance for Sorrow”?
PEDRO: I wrote the lyrics to Fools right around the time I had lost my corporate desk job during the pandemic. It was probably one of the best things that happened to me because I was able to put 100% into my career as an audio engineer and musician/songwriter. It's basically about not holding back your words and being slightly reckless with your intentions. Sometimes you're so down you just stop giving a fuck about the people that have wrongned you. The lyric "so burn down that bridge" touches on that.
MSM: Which musicians do you admire most, and why?
PEDRO: Hands down, Jason Isbell. The man is not only one of the finest guitarists and songwriters of his generation, but he also takes a stand for social and political causes.
MSM: What do you think about the current state of the music industry?
PEDRO: The music "industry" is absolute dogshit controlled by few with profits as the only goal in mind. The "art & community" of music, however, is doing fine due to music and music production being more accessible.
MSM: What’s your motto or some good advice that you live by?
PEDRO: "Be excellent to each other" - Abraham Lincoln
MSM: Lastly, what’s next for Fire Sale?
PEDRO: Working on our next single at the moment with some weekend tours and festivals hopefully in the next year.
FOLLOW FIRE SALE
PHOTO PROVIDED COURTESY OF EARSHOT MEDIA
