To start with, please give us a short introduction to THE EPOXIES.
Roxy: Epoxies have been around since 2000. At the time synthesisers were VERY uncool (and some circles still hate 'em) and Viz and FM decided they wanted to start a band that was different than what was going on in the Pacific Northwest at the time. They talked about robot garage rock, but it ended up being whatever the hell it is now. Epoxies could be considered a mish-mash of a hell of a lot of stuff. We just do what we do.

I've seen you last year in Hanover. Your show was really great. How did you overall experience the tour through Germany?
Roxy: We had a great time in Germany overall. The Hanover show was one of my favorites (even though I thought I was going to vomit the whole set because I ate too close to show time). We met a ton of great people and had a wonderful driver named Monika, who made the whole experience even better.

In Hanover some punk brought his rat to the show and Roxy liked toying around with it. Do you guys have any pets?
Roxy: We all loved that rat. I was sad to find out that he was drunk. Drunk people are fine...drunk animals made me a little sad. But, he was super friendly.





None of us have pets. I had a cat named Darby that I had to give away when I started touring so much. He's in good hands though.





He was a strange one. He used to drag his butt around on the floor like a dog and give you that weird drop jawed look when he would smell something bad. I used to call him my yukky little kitty....


You guys really seem to like fancy outfits. Do you create them on your own and what was the craziest outfit you ever wore on stage?
Roxy: We do create our own outfits. We can't afford to do it any other way.





I think some of the craziest outfits include some of Viz's creations. One time he wore a ton of video tape and came out with shredded skin. Abother time he wore some panty hose, a military cap, and red lipstick. I still don't think I've recovered from seeing that one and it was over 3 years ago.


Since your self titled debut album a lot of things did happen. You signed to Fat Wreck Chords for example. How did this come?
Roxy: We signed with Fat Wreck because we had heard nothing but good things about the label and it seemed like a good collaborative fit. The label has been GREAT to work with in every way, thus far and we are all excited about this record.





On the other hand, there are some (Fat fans) that seem pretty frustrated with this record coming out on Fat and we see a lot of random stuff about what they think about us. The hatred and bitching is actually very funny.


You also contributed to the "Rock Against Bush Compilation". At hindsight, are you satisfied with the impact the compilation had?
Roxy: Every little bit had to count. Yes, Bush did win again, but voter participation went up a sizable amount across the board. I think knowledge and curiosity about the current situation went up. Whatever amount this compilation has to do with that was worthwhile.

Let's talk about "Stop The Future" which is going to be released May 17th. What can we expect from your sophomore record in comparison to you first release?
Roxy: May 17th. That's today. It's strange to think that it's finally actually in stores. I've had the thing for months.....so it's time to get to writing the next album now....





But, to answer your question, the record SOUNDS much better in the first place. Martin at Jupiter does a great job. He did the original Synthesized 7". Secondly, I think we tried some new stuff here and there. Some of the songs have the same sort of pop vibe as the first
one. Personally, I am less interested in those songs. The rest either have a harsher, pining, or more desperate vibe.


What are the songs on "Stop The Future" basically about? Do you have particular topic you like singing about?
Roxy: There's definitly an unconcious underlying theme although several of us might contribute to the songs and the lyrics at various times.





I think the album rests quite a bit on the paranoia that is increasing in the US as our rights to privacy are being whittled away..and the push to blindly consume is ever increased. We try to approach pretty dire topics with a sense of humor, though. Our motto has been in the "We're fucked, let's dance" realm for a while.


"Stop The Future" features some songs which are like "Toys", for EPOXIES standards, almost ballad-like. Why the change in tempo?
Roxy: It wasn't too concious a decision to write slower songs. They just came out that way.



THE EPOXIES came up in a time when synthie sounds and new wave influences were pretty popular in punk music. How do you distinguish yourselves from the masses?
Roxy: Amusingly enough, we started the band before synths had really some into use again, as I mentioned above. We wanted to do a band that was not only fun to listen to, but put on a good show. When we started, the performance aspect for a lot of bands was less of a factor. We wanted to do the opposite regardless of how much more work it might be.





As for distinguishing ourselves from the masses, we do what we do and it seems to be working.


The 80ies really inspire your music. What about your personal lives?
Roxy: We lived through the '80's when they actually happened, but right now it's 2005. I live in the current year.

What's on the schedule for THE EPOXIES in 2005? Tell us about your plans.
Roxy: We will be doing a 6 week US tour with the Aquabats fairly soon, a week in Japan with the Gimmie Gimmies (well, that's what the rumors say), and then a 2 1/2 month Fat Wreck US tour.





All that will finish out 2005...and then we will wander over to your neck of the woods...


Thank you very much for your time. Do you have any final comments?
Roxy: Thank you for the interview. Always a pleasure.





xoxo





Roxy Epox