>(Joe) Joe, Bass

>(Mike) I'm mike, I sing a bunch and play the drums.

> (Jeff) Jeff, guitar

You all go by the same last names? That’s very 1985 by the way. But you are influenced by a lot of good early pop-punk and hardcore. What are your main influences?

>(Joe) Erg as a surname, in our earlier days we were more part of the New York/Jersey City pop punk scene where, since there were a lot of Joe's, Mike's, Chris', what have you, it was common convention (a Ramones tradition due to our locale perhaps) as well as easier to stick the band last name onto a group of persons rather than remember a string of real last names.

>(Mike) I’d say as a band our main influences are punk bands like Black Flag and the Minutemen, jazz artists like John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, pop bands like the Beatles, Teenage Fanclub and Big Star, and proto-metal bands like Deep purple and Black Sabbath.

Also, drumming while singing? Is it hard to do both?

>(Mike) I’m very used to it now, almost to the point where its harder to play when I’m not singing.

Does singing behind the drum set throw people off for those seeing you for the first time?

>(Mike) I’m not sure. I’m sure it used to but I think most people who see us know that they're going to be seeing a singing drummer. it might throw them off for a moment but its pretty easy to get used to since there’s only three of us on stage and I’m right in the middle.

What gets you in the mood for song writing?

>(Joe) I usually think up the one song a year I write while driving home from work. I then hum it into some sort of crude recording device when I get home. This is known as the J. Biafra method of songwriting.

>(Mike) hmm...most of the time I’ll be walking around and I’ll think of a line that i think is clever and I’ll come home and try to build a song around it. sometime I’ll grab a guitar and just play some chords and sing some lyrics and try to write a song. That doesn't usually produce anything worth listening to though.

What are typical themes in your songs?

>(Joe) We own a lot of records so we drop a lot of names.

>(Mike) Girls

You call yourselves the "Near Sighted Three" are you really all Near sighted or is it for the look?

>(Joe) We can produce real medical documentation that proves each of our individual optical deficiencies.

>(Mike) We're really near-sighted nerds. I CAN'T SEE GOD-DAMMIT!

So how did the band come together? And did you have a glasses only policy?

>(Joe) We were all friends in high school. I feel like we were just the 3 guys that wanted to play music that continued to hang out after graduating.

>(Mike) yeah that’s basically it. And we needed something to do before The Simpsons came on.

Looking at your show listings- you're going from playing huge places like the Electric Factory in Philadelphia with The Bouncing Souls and Lifetime to small clubs like Cafe Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre and I sometimes read on message boards that you will sometimes play basement and living room shows. What do you like the best? Also what are the major differences in playing each.

>(Joe) I love playing basements the most for a variety of reasons. First of all, when playing a basement, you're almost entirely sure to not piss off any regular bar patrons who may or may not want to fight you after you are done performing which is not the case when playing a bar. Secondly, you are less likely to get dicked over money-wise by someone doing a basement show than an official, real-deal, coke-on-the-nose show promoter you might deal with in other settings. Finally, there's plenty of friable asbestos to be found in basements and I happen to have a death-wish. Most importantly, the vibe at basement shows is usually 100 times better than in other show environments.

>(Mike) I’m definitely more of a fan of basements. I love that I can be way up close in the faces of the bands i love, and that people can be close to us when we play. At a basement show people can go crazy for your band and they're right there with you going crazy. We’re a part of the experience. When you're on a stage its more of a "we're up here and you're doing your thing down there" kind of thing. I like being able to play clubs to but there’s just nothing else that compares to a good packed sweaty house show.

Speaking of Lifetime. Did they ever say anything about you calling your record "Jersey's Best Prancers?"

>(Joe) Yes, when Lifetime found out about our spoof, the repercussions were physical and dire. Dan Yemen got the drop on me one day, pummeled me with fists, and then finally palmed my skull and squeezed my temples with all of his might until I passed out - a move that he calls "The Daneurysm".

>(Mike) Ha ha. Yeah luckily the punches in the stomach are Joe's department. Actually we were pretty relieved that they thought it was funny. We’re big fans!

You're playing "The Fest" in FL and it looks like a ton of really good bands and unlike say Warped Tour or Bamboozle not filled with bad scene bands. Have you played it before and are you glad you're playing with that many great bands?

>(Joe) We've played it twice and it's the most fun a punk rocker can hope to ever have over the course of 3 days. Although, it's probably not as exciting if you are not a drinker.

>(Mike) it's definitely the best weekend of my life. This year is crazy. i can't believe Seaweed and Naked Raygun are playing. It’s going to be insane.

Anything else you would like to add?

>(Joe) Don't take any wooden nickels... unless you are a renegade numismatist.