By Keith Walsh
Despite the popular misconception that punk rock is a kind of monolithic genre, in actual practice punk encompasses a multitude of styles and influences. Michigan’s pop-punk act The Down And Goers is one example that shows that it’s not all hardcore, thrash and weirdness. The band, consisting of Clifton Williams on guitar, bass and vocals, and Dave Miller II on drums, features straightforward (though hard-edged) pop and rock, with a variety of influences and mainstream lyrical themes about family and relationships. The tunes are quite catchy, and to me are reminiscent to sounds by Social Distortion and Green Day.
Very different from the angry cries of rebellion that first put punk rock on the musical map in the 1970s. TDAG’s debut 12 track disc has a lot to offer those who like any kind of rock and roll. That’s no coincidence—from an email exchange with Williams I discovered his love for blues, metal and hard rock — and Paul Simon. Williams told me he uses Sonar for a DAW and then mixes in the drums, recorded separately in Pro Tools then given to him.
KW: You’ve got some serious chops How long have you been playing? What’s your band experience?
Cliff Williams: Thanks! I’ve been playing guitar for most of my life. It started with the old metal bands (Metallica/Guns N Roses/Pantera) and then moved to the hippie stuff like Grateful Dead and Phish. I’ve been in bands most of my life but my main band was called Blue James Band. It was a rootsy/rock/jammy type of band and was super fun. We toured all over the country (and England) and released 3 full length albums. Lots of fun playing different stuff every night.
KW: The tunes are about family, relationships. Not much political. Is this part of a commercial approach or just the way things evolved?
Cliff Williams: Ha! Making a punk-ish/rock record is definitely not a commercial approach to anything. Actually, making a record in general right now isn’t too smart given that shows are basically non-existent. But really, I’m not sure why there’s nothing political on here. I guess writing about relationships is what comes naturally to me. I’m really into politics but for some reason I like writing about relationships. This record has a lot of songs about failed relationships whereas my previous songs were mainly about successful ones. During this writing time I was around some failing relationships and had some rocky times in my own so maybe that’s why the words came out as they did.
KW: I find your sound is very American sounding, pop punk. I wouldn’t be surprised to find Springsteen is one of your heroes. Who are your heroes?
Cliff Williams: Thank you! That’s a compliment (the American sounding statement). Paul Simon is actually my number one songwriting influence. His song writing is perfect in my opinion. But the inspiration for the sound of the Down and Goers is based on 90’s punk bands like NOFX, Operation Ivy, Rancid, Pennywise, etc. Those bands have GREAT songs that I think are folk songs at the heart of them. That’s what I wanted to have: good/concise songs in a rock/punk setting.
KW: I grew up in Fullerton where Fender guitars were born. Any Fenders in your arsenal?
Cliff Williams: I have 2 electric guitars: a 1978 Gibson ES 335 and an American Strat. My amp is a vintage looking (1994 lol) Fender Blues Deluxe that I love. I use a Mexican Fender J bass. I have to get around to buying an American J Bass.
KW: Tell me about the drummer and your experience together.
Cliff Williams: I met Dave Miller II through a Craigslist ad that I posted. Craigslist can be a huge pile of crap with a few diamonds hidden in the rough. Luckily, I struck gold with Dave as he is an absolute monster on the drums and was perfect for this project. We met and rehearsed the songs a bunch in his basement and headed into a studio outside Detroit. There was very little editing done on his drums. He’s that good.
KW: How about the studio experience– the album is well recorded.
Cliff Williams: I’ve produced and recorded 3 albums with Blue James Band so I’ve had some experience. I have a home studio that I like to record my guitars, bass, and vocals in and I leave the drum recording to the people with the really good mics! I never mix my own stuff so I was lucky to find Jacob Dennis out in LA to mix it. He did a really great job achieving the sound I set out to make. I’m happy with the sound of the album…now I can’t wait to play it in front of humans!
KW: Did you ever dabble in hardcore punk?
Cliff Williams: No, but Black Flag rocks!
KW: Do you have any interest in getting a full band together and playing live?
Cliff Williams: Oh yes. Please please please let live shows resume soon! My dream is to get another guitar and bass player and play a bunch of shows with Dave. He’s such a beast on the drums. I love the energy of this music and it would fun to play this music to a crowd.
www.DownAndGoers.com
Down And Goers On Bandcamp
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