Hi Adam and thank you very much for this interview. So 2 years after the release of your "Profiled" EP you're back with your self-titled full-length debut. Are you satisfied with the media's and fans' feedback so far?

We've been pretty excited with the feedback and media. The album is selling well and we're all satisfied that the album is an accurate representation of where the band is right now.

Musically speaking it's the physical continuation of “Profiled” EP right? Same Rock and Roll style and spirit.

That's what 286 is, dirty in your face rock and roll. That's what 286 will always be really. We didn't want an album with surprises. We are a primarily a live band and we wanted the full length to have the same feel as a live show. It's a studio album but not overly produced.

You took care of the production and you created a somehow old-school rock sound that in my opinion fits exactly your music. Was this total control over your sound the reason why you decided to take things into your on hands production-wise?

It was really important for us not to overproduce and to maintain that same raw rock and roll vibe that I feel when I listen to some of my favorite albums. As you can imagine, not every label is excited about us wanting to get a sound like that so rather than to debate or get into all that we just took control of the production to make it sound like we wanted it to. For instance, most engineers would have wanted us to edit out the deer grunt call at the end of Unemployment Blues.

Since this is the first time we speak I'd like to ask you a few things on the band. You are from Pennsylvania, Martin and Nikee from Argentina and Pete from New Jersey. How did you 4 get together the first time? Don't worry, I read and watch the vid on your side about how things like that bore you, but I'm dying of curiosity.

Ha ha, you did watch the video! No it actually was by chance. Martin and Nikee originally came to LA with their band from Argentina and their bandmates didn't like the change. Basically they had the idea for 286 and it took them a long time to find a suitable drummer. Pete was in a metal band from Boston called Pivot and he too made the trip to LA and ended up without a full line up. Martin, Nikee and Pete had been jamming together and getting the musical portions of the songs ready when I moved to the west coast after the punk band I was in disbanded. I actually found an ad on craigslist that said they were looking for a cross between Bonn Scott and Phil Anselmo. I thought to myself, “that sounds interesting” and I answered it. I've always liked rock music and for the past 3 years I was playing guitar and singing in a prog punk Fugazi style political band so I was down for a change back to my roots.

I still haven't figured out what does your name mean? How did you come up with that?

That's the million-dollar question; the answer is probably a let down. It's the number on our rehearsal space in downtown LA. If you have a better story and want to spread it we'll agree with you. We could say that 286 is the number of chicks Martin “the jefe” Verry has locked up in his basement or something.

Returning to 286 cd, I'd like to ask you who is mostly responsible for the songwriting and if there's a standard process you follow.

Martin primarily comes up with the song skeletons. Once they are done, He Nikee and Pete work out the details and craft it into a 286 song. Once the basic structure is done Martin and I sit down and talk about melodies and all that and then I write the lyrics to the tracks. This process seems to work for us. Lately the late Jerry Falwell has been giving me lyrical ideas through the ouiji board but I haven't used any of them yet…I think when he and Satan get drunk they try to fool me though. They are crafty bastards.

You clearly state on your website that you hate writing stupid chick songs or rock ballads and generally trendy stuff. You sound pretty angry to me so what are the themes that inspire you most lyric-wise?

We're probably not as angry as we come across and we actually have a really good time on stage. I don't mind trendy stuff if it's good - just because something is a trend doesn't necessarily make it bad. When the trend is emo, then a trend becomes bad because real rockers don't want to hear grown men whine about a chick they lost in 9th grade - that's lame. In fact, I have a policy to not write “love” songs or songs about relationships. Listen to the radio for a ½ hour on any station, that's what 90% of the songs are about. I don't think I could possibly add anything to the body of work on the subject. The markets been cornered and I like to go in my own creative direction. I'm not saying “love” songs are bad, I'm just saying I have nothing interesting to add to what's already out there so I choose not too. I won't write a ballad because the album “needs” one.

The other thing I've noticed is that you're really pissed off with this "emo" thing. Almost every picture or video of you includes this slogan. Is the "trend" factor that's getting up your nose?

Emo is evil, I had a dream that a bunch of angry young men in eyeliner wearing their sister's black jeans tied me up in a room and made me listen to their band cry to music for 2 hours and they never once played a guitar lead. When I was about to succumb to the torture Dio kicked the door in and he made the metal hands and they all were instantly vaporized.

I've seen your very good video clip on “Forgotten Song”. Can you give us some more details on it? Are there any plans for another one?

Eddie Macias directed that video - it was shot on Easter Sunday right down by the 7th street bridge over the beautiful LA river (the big cement thing in the background). We currently have it up on our website, you tube and you download it to your iPod for free from iTunes. We have the link up for it on myspace and on the website for the folks out there who would like a copy. We have a plan for the next one and we were thinking maybe “Sands” but we don't know yet. My cell phone currently rings “Sands” so I hear the song a lot - or at least parts of it.

What are your musical preferences or favorite bands that more or less influenced your status as musicians, talking about all 4 of you?

Pete's a metal guy, Martin and Nikee are big Iron Maiden fans and listen to AC/DC and the classic stuff. Nikee can even listen to King Diamond wail and that's way too intense for me. Janick Gers and Adrian Smith gave Martin and Nikee tickets to their show in LA last year and they haven't stopped talking about it. Maiden are after all metal gods. I listen to a lot of weird shit no one would think that I would. For instance, if you took my Springsteen collection away from me I'd be lost. I also have a killer set of Vinyl classics and I really like The MC-5, I met Wayne Kramer last month and he wouldn't sing “Rambling Rose” a cappella however…

You really look like 4 crazy rock guys that like to party and booze all the time. Does this kinda reflect your philosophy when it comes to writing and distributing music?

We are pretty messed up and really do all that stupid stuff you see on Adam TV. Adam TV was really just an idea someone came up with to show folks what we really act like, which is overgrown kids. We have fun. We aren't total boozers though- I'm pretty regimented. I train Mixed Martial Arts every day and have a pretty solid diet I follow for the most part -I figure in the beer and whiskey part though as there's no way I have any intention of stopping that. I didn't drink, smoke weed or eat meat for a year and the music I created during that time really sucked.

I've read on your website that you inked a deal with Nightmare Records for the distribution of 286. Can you give us some more details on that deal? Does it cover your needs for now and can we assume that this is going to be your “home” from now on?

They are good people at Nightmare Records! Yeah, Nightmare is helping us with some of the distro for our album. It's a non-exclusive arrangement so we are still working on getting the 286 album out to as many outlets as possible. If that takes one label then great, if it takes twenty labels including kids on bicycles and the pony express then we will use that too. There are no rules in music anymore and artists have a lot more power then they did in the past.

You have already performed live a couple of times. What was the reaction of the audience? Are you going to arrange some more gigs in the future? Is touring part of your future plans?

We've performed a lot since we've gotten together. We even lived together in a van as roaming rock and roll gypsies bringing chaos to various towns. The audience reaction has been great. We find that even people that don't dig our style of music enjoy the show. I'm an entertainer, I want people to have as much fun at a show as we do making the music. To do that it has to be an interactive experience and that's what we shoot for. We are careful about the shows we pick because we want people to get the best 286 for their money - we are planning tours right now for the fall though so check in to the website for details.

Talking about your future plans have you made some already, like recording new stuff or things like that?

It will be awhile before we record again, we have started writing again already.

Before closing I'd like to ask your opinion on file sharing and in general on the internet role in the music industry. I've discussed the matter a lot with friends and one interesting point I heard is that file sharing only harms bad music and the cd cost. What's your opinion?

Be careful what you say, I heard that Lars monitors all discussions regarding music file sharing and that on certain occasions he will even sneak into your house as an official copyright ambassador, take your computer and erase all the files you shared with your friends. I know this because it happened to my friend Johnny Royal's 3rd cousin's girlfriend in North Carolina.

Seriously, though I see both sides of the argument. In general though, the Internet has changed the face of the music industry forever and like I was saying earlier, the artist has much more control then they did in the past. I will say that if someone in the world decided to buy one 286 CD and share it with everyone in the world it would be hard to eat, buy beer and pay rent and that would suck.

Adam, thank you very much for your time. I wish you all the best of luck and success. Any final quotations?

"Man's greatest good fortune is to chase and defeat his enemy, seize his total possessions, leave his married women weeping and wailing, ride his gelding, use his women as a nightshirt and support, gazing upon and kissing their rosy breasts, sucking their lips which are as sweet as the berries of their breasts." - Genghis Khan

I always wanted to end and conversation like that, I think it leaves a lasting impression.