A.K.A.S

JULY '08

Harder Beat Magazine Online

They’re everywhere!

By Shane Epting

The AKAs
Photo: Gene Smirnovs

The A.K.A.S’ new album, Everybody Make Some Noise, opens more cans of punk rock whoop-ass than a drunken cage fighter with a Mohawk. Though the sense of angst and frustration are easily evident on the album, the band takes it to a deeper level. Mike Ski, (lead singer/one-man rebellion), appeals to listeners with insights of society’s shortcomings.

As a result, you will not hear The A.K.A.S on the radio anytime soon. They do not rock like Bon Jovi or Hannah Montana, but they rock better than many jive turkeys that live on The Edge. All of this raises questions about the music business, marketing, image and listeners’ values.

It’s interesting when musicians reflect on the current state of their craft and its market. Ski spends his two-cents well. He illustrates the point that “bands are really stupid and naive a lot of the time when it comes to what they are doing. The more successful the band, the more retarded they are,” he notes. “They never have a chance to learn the importance of [fan] interaction.

“And, number two, managers are stupid,” he states. “They’re dumber than bands normally. Record labels are the dumbest people on Earth. The only hope for music is listeners. We’re not so much trying to sell records as we are trying to disseminate ideas.”

The A.K.A’s, unlike some disgruntled punk bands, are not simply bitching for bitching’s sake. Ski pinpoints the causes of his frustrations rather well in his lyrics. And the band backs him with zest—spine chilling, punk rock zest. If you aren’t happy with your American Dream, he is singing your tune, literally.

“People just don’t like to be told what to do,” Mike explains. “The reason Rage Against The Machine is so popular is not because they have songs that were inspired by Noam Chomsky — but because they had a song that says ‘f*ck you, I won’t do what you tell me.’”

Throughout Everybody Make Some Noise, Mike’s lyrics detail his opposition to mass consumerism and the media’s influence, and they ring stridently. His concerns, though, go beyond the album, his sentiments extending to a global level. “The number one thing you can do to combat global warming,” he elaborates, “is to become a vegetarian. Did you know that 40% of the world’s land surface is used to feed animals for [our] food. That is insane. It bothers me, and I think that it’s crazy.”