The Dumpies, from Austin, Texas, blend energetic Ramones style punk rock with splashes of hardcore and garage rock. Since the start of 2017 they have released four impressive records named after athletes. The latest being named after the South African runner Zola Budd. Between February 25th and March 11th 2020 (My mind can't properly process the year...) The Dumpies will be hitting up shows around South Africa. Get amped!
We will post the show dates soon! The following is a short interview with the band!
The latest album is named Zola Budd, after a South African Olympic runner. What's the story behind the name?
Dumpies: To us Dumpies, the real test of life, the rubric we measure ourselves by, is our failures. It's about fucking up, making mistakes, hurting people you love, especially when it involves your heroes. You take responsibility, you accept, you learn. The figure of Zola Budd represents how messy and tragic and complicated shit can be, and how it's important to make mistakes and keep moving. Plus she ran barefoot, which is pretty badass.
What are some of your hopes regarding touring South African, end of Feb / early March, next year?
Dumpies: Touring has always been an opportunity to interact and share artistically culturally and socially with people we would otherwise have never met. After traveling and playing music in Chile, Argentina, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia we wanted to push that to another culture and continent. South Africa in particular seems like such a deeply complex and layered place - the intense mix of so many cultures and environments and histories all interacting with each other. We mostly want to come and learn and soak things up and meet new friends and lift each other up and party together. Like Youth Bridge sang in ’Sink With Kalifornia’…..“I don’t care if you’re from North, South, East or West, I live for humanity, forget the rest.”
How is the scene in Austin, Texas?
Dumpies: The scene in Austin has issues, but is ultimately solid. The best shows still happen under bridges and in illegal spaces. There is a lot of bullshit music in Austin, because of things like SXSW. But there is still a super tightknit community of folks around—bands like Army, Mujeres Podridas, Body Pressue, and labels like ihateiskate really help keep things alive in this city. Our singer and guitarist live in Austin and our Bassist and Drummer live in Oregon, so we don't get to play locally much as we want to.
What draws you to playing in a punk band?
Dumpies: We’ve all been doing it for so long it’s basically second nature to us at this point, like blinking our eyes or taking a shit. I’m not sure any of us would know what to do if we weren’t doing this. Punk is a collage. It can be anything. It’s not how you dress or the bands you listen to or your job or lack of or anything. It’s an attitude of embracing and releasing at the same time. Be open to embrace other cultures scenes and people. Be able to release your energy and artistic output without judgement or inhibition. It’s a mindset, a thread that runs through all fabric of your life and what you do.
I get a strong Recess Records feel from the band. What do you all think of bands like Fleshies and Toys That Kill (F.Y.P)?
Dumpies: Hovercraft Records (home of the Dumpies and run by Mark and Tim) was started in the spirit of Recess Records. Todd Congelliere has been putting out loud energetic snarky music of his own and his friends unchanging to any trends and doing it really well year after year. FYP is one of our favorite bands - from the old albums like Dance My Dunce to the latest album from Toys That Kill all that stuff is inspirational and just delivers (Sacia said that the Dumpies song ‘Witch Love’ sounds like Tim ripped the bass line off of ‘Toss My Cookies’ but he disagrees) Fleshies too! That scrappy Oakland early 00’s sound that Jello put out on Alternative Tentacles and then picked up on Recess Records fits grooves and inspires us too. We were never cool enough to see The Fleshies live but the videos look like we definitely missed a spectacle, though I think Joel could give John a run for inspired lyrical gymnastics. And at a Underground Railroad to Candyland show 8 years ago in Portland, a drunken Tim ran up to Todd C. — took off his shirt to show him his FYP tattoo on his chest — and yelled some rambling acclamations — only to have Todd look at the ground and shirk off into a corner to avoid the maniac.
Questions by: Shaun
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