Social Life known for punk rowdiness
Want to go?
What: Social Life
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Westerwood Tavern: 508 Guilford Ave., Greensboro
Admission: $1
Information: 274-4410
Etc.: www.myspace.com/sociallifenc
The members of Social Life agree that punk is what brought them where they are today. Guitarist Zach Miller prefers the simplicity of punk to the highly technical aspects of other genres.
"Guitar solos are like garlic," Miller says. "A little garlic is great but too much and you kill every vampire around."
The Greensboro punk band Social Life includes Miller, vocalist Andrew Denoff, bassist Tony McCarthy and drummer Caleb Gross. They all started listening to various forms of punk when they were about 13.
"If punk rock is dead then we're all zombies," Denoff says. "Punk is supposed to have heart. Lately punk rock has become really commercial; just look at the Warped Tour."
Miller adds, "We hate how indie and punk music has now become a fashion show. We write a lot about how much we hate hipsters."
Drinking, hanging out and girls inspire the music of Social Life.
"The lyrics are usually about the angst that is attributed to early 20s or 30s males," McCarthy says.
"Shut up, Kerouac," Denoff chimes in.
The members of Social Life continually riff on one another. When Miller's girlfriend, Erin Thrasher, calls him during the interview, the other band members exclaim, "Zach is whipped" because of his prompt response and his shift in tone while talking on the phone. But it's all in good fun.
Denoff and Miller formed Social Life in March 2007. The pair's taste in music, particularly punk, meshed so well that it seemed natural. Denoff already had a song in mind that they began to rehearse. That song would eventually become "Patty Hearst Syndrome."
Like most of Social Life's song titles, "Patty Hearst Syndrome" has nothing to do with the song itself. The titles are usually random or funny quotes that someone in the band heard and felt like writing down, such as "Ralph Nader's Suit" and "Trolls in the City."
McCarthy met Denoff at a party on Halloween in 2006.
"I couldn't think of anything to wear so I just wore a suit," McCarthy said.
"Andrew comes up to me and asks, 'Are you dressed like a mod?' I was like, 'No, but it's awesome that you know what a mod is.' I had just moved to Greensboro from Fayetteville and hadn't met that many people into rock 'n' roll."
McCarthy hung out, partied and talked about rock music with Denoff for several months before eventually joining the band in 2007.
Social Life had its current lineup for only a few months before the band played its first show in October 2008 at Nate's Place in Greensboro.
"The show was free and the beer was only $1, so the place was packed and rowdy," Denoff says. "By the time we got done playing the bar had completely sold out of PBR."
That show quickly built Social Life a reputation for its rowdy live shows, with a trail of broken bottles and cigarette butts in their wake.
Social Life's first EP, "Happy Hour," was released in June 2008. Since then, McCarthy says they have enough songs for a second EP but are holding out for enough material for a full-length album — which McCarthy says will be more layered and intricate than their EP — and a tour around North Carolina. When not touring, they plan on "blowing our tax returns on tattoos and alcohol."
This article originally appeared in Go Triad
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