“I’m already over-caffeinated and mentally straining,” begins Night Birds vocalist Brian Gorsegner, as he prepares to discuss his band’s third album and Fat Wreck Chords debut, Mutiny At Muscle Beach. It’s really the perfect way to describe that record—the 12-song, 25-minute LP is an ADD-addled, surf-influenced, punk-rock adventure through Gorsegner & Co.’s experiences dealing with the rampant assholery they encounter in their day-to-day lives in suburban New Jersey and the surrounding areas.
“I work in customer service, which is what fuels the majority of my hatred and my need for punk rock,” the 31-year-old singer explains. “The people I deal with on a daily basis completely destroy any hope I had for humanity. But it’s good; everybody needs fuel for their creativity.”
While there might not be any songs on Mutiny At Muscle Beach the album is chock-full of pop-culture references, from Kids In The Hall to horror movies to Seinfeld to professional wrestling—the latter of which Gorsegner says he didn’t know much about , but after watching a documentary about now-retired WWE wrestler Mick Foley, he quickly connected with the artform.
While Night Birds makes sure to bring that level of chaos to their live show, in the studio, it’s an entirely diferent story. The quartet always records analog, which forces each band member to be as proficient as possible to avoid expensive re-takes.
“All the new digital technology is cool, but shit like that is all part of the experience,” he says. “If you fuck something up, you have to do it again. We have to play everything. I’m fortunate enough to play with three of my favorite musicians who are all great players. It’s a challenge we’re always up to. We’re never gonna have that one song we can’t play live because we cheated in the studio.”
Just like its predecessor, Born To Die In Suburbia, Mutiny At Muscle Beach was recorded at engineer Mitch Rackin’s Seaside Lounge Recording Studio in Brooklyn—but for the first time in their career, Night Birds used a producer, recruiting former Doc Hopper frontman Chris Pierce, who has previously worked with the Ergs, the Measure [SA] and others.
Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock, which was started by Fat Mike the lead singer and bassist of the punk rock band NOFX and his wife Erin, in 1990.
We have released material for bands such as NOFX, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (for which Fat Mike is also the bassist), Propagandhi, Rise Against, Lagwagon, Strung Out, No Use for a Name,Less Than Jake, Against Me!, Anti-Flag, and more.
The Fat Angel Sings 