The Bronx 'IV': How Mariachi Saved the Punk Heroes From Extinction (PHOTOS)

Sweaty, bruised and with half a beer poured directly in my ear. I find myself in this state at the Bronx's record release show at New York's Bowery Electric -- halfway through the first song.

Amidst fans hanging from the light rigs and a dangerously surging pit in the small, boiling basement venue, the L.A. hardcore quintet celebrated the release of their latest album, IV, with 200 or so fans, friends and even a guest spot by Har Mar Superstar.

And as singer Matt Caughthran tells Spinner backstage before the show, none of us -- the band included -- would be there if it wasn't for their Mariachi El Bronx side project.

"It just felt like the end was near," he said of the band before they took a hard left into Mexican folk music. "It felt like a shitty way to end, like we were all just kinda down. No one had any money, we didn't have a manager, didn't have a label, it was just a hard time. Even creatively we were kind of dry. I love that record [The Bronx's third LP], but a lot of the songs are just like ideas put together. As a whole, it's really scattered because we didn't know if we were going to survive, individually, and as a band. It was a really hard time, man."

What looked like a joke on paper in 2009, what with a heavy punk band donning traditional mariachi outfits and enlisting veteran musicians, turned out to be a huge success, leading to a follow-up album two years later. "People really liked El Bronx, we couldn't fucking believe it. We had so much material and we were so inspired, so we decided to make another. [Now] we're so excited to get back and record loud music."

Stylistically, IV is the Bronx's most diverse set yet, featuring more melodies and hooks -- and even a couple mellower songs, like the ballad "Torch" -- without compromising the raw power of their first three albums. "I deal with a lot of self-doubt creatively, and it gave me a lot more confidence to trust my instincts and be more confident in songwriting. That transferred over for all of us into this record. We wanted to keep things simple, go with what we felt was cool and not overthink it. It's pretty direct."
Ten years on, Caughthran says not much has changed for him and his bandmates (though he does admit to exercising and keeping his mind sharp "so it's not just Corn Nuts and bongwater in there").

"I'm still the same in almost every way. When I was younger, I was really self-destructive. I still am to a certain extent. You learn what's dumb and what not to do. I've learned a lot of what not to do."

When pressed for an example, he offers up this: "For a long time I tried to find the perfect pre-show coctkail. I'd be like, 'Last night I had Xanax, a vodka soda and three beers, and I sang great, so I'm gonna do that again tonight.' All that shit is out the window, man. I did one show where I was so fucking pilled out of my mind, I was like three seconds behind the band the entire show and I didn't even know it. When I we got off stage, I was like 'That was fucking awesome' and the dudes were like, 'You're an idiot.'

"But I'm not a jaded person. I still have the same enthusiasm for music that I did when I was young. I don't want to do anything else. Being around
for 10 years, we're really proud of that and it's not gonna be hard to go 10 more. We crossed that point of 'Is this band going to work?' two or three years ago."

WIth that breath of fresh air, creatively and personally, Caughthran is visibly thrilled to be back playing "aggressive" music, even if it sometimes comes with a hefty price: At one show in London years ago a fan lost an eye while raging in the pit.

"Someone got their fuckin' eye poked out. A finger went in through the most impossible angle. We didn't know what todo. Like, we sent merch to the hospital," he says with a laugh. "You know U.K. press, how sensational they are, it was a headline story: 'Eyes gouged out!' Eyes rolling down the fucking stairs, lands on stage!'"

As the interview winds down and Caughthran preps for their show -- the second of a two-night stand at Bowery Electric -- I ask if he's taking it easy on the partying for this big occasion.

"Nah. We got trashed last night, man. New York is so brutal on fucking Cali dudes, 'cause we're used to bars closing at 2 so we keep drinking. We went to fucking McDonald's and they've got the fucking breakfast menu up. It was brutal, but we love it, man."



Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Us on Facebook | Sign Up for Our Newsletter