4TheRcrd Mag.

Unbeknown to me, Vancouver is considered by many in the know to have been home to one of the best punk scenes in the world, certainly the West Coast. Monsters such as DOA and SNFU have been playing this city and the world for years.One of the long standing players in this scene is an unfortunately little known band by the name of Aging Youth Gang, who’s members have been knee deep in the punk scene since 1983. Aging Youth Gang is the result of 2 popular local punk bands (The Spores and Curious George) breaking up, and the players who didn’t want to stop making music. Born in 1991, AYG balances on the edge of melodic skate punk and hardcore. Hard to classify and easy to enjoy, these likable old punks aren’t looking to be the next Dead Kennedys, they record albums when they can, they don’t really tour, and most have full time jobs with families to support. But above all of that, they’re really good. I spoke with guitarist/vocalist and founding member, Sandy Beach about the changing landscapes of music, the birth of the band and other stuff.How did you discover punk rock and your love of playing it?

I was personally more of a rock and roll guy, growing up listening to late ‘60s and early ‘70s stuff and then the singer for The Spores went over to Britain, and when he came back he was raving about what was going on over there musically. He brought back all of this great stuff like Stiff Little Fingers, The Buzzcocks, and The Exploited and started making tapes of it all that he’d play at parties. It was really great stuff. But what changed it for me was hearing the song “Lipstck” by the Buzzcock and “Nice And Sleazy” by the Stranglers. Those tracks just blew me away and caused me to start buying more of this stuff. I also was learning guitar at the time and got really inspired by the fact that I could play most of these tunes, and that you didn’t have to be a guitar virtuoso in order to play strong catchy riffs. And, well, I just kept playing.

Lineup changes and current lineup aside, how did AYG come to be?

We started in 1991. Before that I was in a band called the Spores from ’83-89. The singer in The Spores got busy doing film so he wasn’t able to commit to playing gigs and we eventually had to quit it. Another band at the time called Curious George was also breaking up and I asked the singer to form a band with The Spores drummer and I. We hired a bass player and in 1991 Aging youth Gang was born. Chris, our current guitar player, came to us about 10 years ago when our singer left the band and I took over vocals. He was in a band called The Karniverous Raunch F.U.X, 5 against 1 and The Insipids later on. Moving to vocals was interesting, but I seemed to be able to hit all the notes and it just became really enjoyable and comfortable. What’s been really good about this band is that it’s always been my friends. And this lineup is really good. We just get along really well and have a lot of fun. We like to call ourselves a “serious hobby band”

What’s been your best gig yet?

Actually, one of the best experiences we’ve had as a band came a couple of months ago when we opened for The Circle Jerks at The Commodore. Joe Keithly from DOA recommended us when the promoters were looking for another band to fill the card. We got the call a week before and though we thought it was really cool to be playing the Commodore, we weren’t expecting to play for many people at all. And it turned out that one of the bands on the card couldn’t get across the border, so we had to come up with a longer set. Anyway, it came time for us to come out and play, and there are nearly 200 people there already! And when we start, they all come to the front and start cheering and singing along to our tunes. It was a really amazing experience!

Any upcoming gig’s you’d like to plug?

We’re opening for The Dayglo Abortions at the mighty Cobalt on April 25^th, and that is guaranteed to be a crazy show. Always is when The Dayglo’s are playing.

Sandy would also like anyone who enjoys beer to drink from the R&B brewing canon, not only because it’s quality beer, but also because Aging Youth Gang’s drummer and Sandy’s brother runs the damned thing. And if you don’t drink, well buy a keg for someone who does. And go to Scratch records and buy AYG latest CD “Mohawks And Maalox” It may be 4 years old but it’s a spin that’ll grow on you.

IMAGE CREDIT: here.