Bio

Muckhole has opened for Pennywise in Tauranga and Gisborne and for the Offspring at the Auckland’s Powerstation.

The album Kooza was recorded at Lab Studios, Auckland and co-produced and engineered by Chris Van De Geer (Stellar*).

Muckhole’s favourite opening spot was with Pennywise. "They were just like normal guys", says singer Sean O'Brien. "We liked the wavelength they were on, just turning up in New Zealand, do a couple of shows, go surfing, drink beer and get stoned. They were genuinely interested in us. Out of all the bands we’ve supported they’re the only ones that were an influence on us. They were semi-idols, I suppose. We respected them musically." In 1996 the band also opened for Green Day and the Sex Pistols.

But the band's favourite gig of the summer was the All Ages show at Napier’s State Of It venue at the old State movie theatre. "We expected no-one to turn up on a Tuesday night", says Sean. "There were 250 people, a good vibe and we did two encores."

Muckhole have derived little or no inspiration from the NZ music scene.
"There's a healthy NZ hardcore scene but we’re not really affiliated with it," says Sean. "They're more East Coast USA inspired in terms of politics and musical style. We've never been part of that scene because we've come from the suburbs, the Shore, the beach."

Muckhole are realistic in terms of their musical ambitions.
"It's about using Muckhole to have fun. We'll pursue any avenue we can take it," says Sean. "But we're not gonna slug it out forever if we're not going anywhere. While it's fun we'll keep doing it, but as soon as it becomes work to keep the public face of Muckhole alive, we'll go back to how it was before and do our own things. We're not banking on it. We're not hoping to quit our day jobs. It’s just a good hobby."

Do Muckhole mind the 'punk' label?
"Americans call it 'punk'. We call American punk 'hardcore', says the singer. "It's whatever you want to call it. It's all just fast rock 'n' roll, really."

Muckhole had previously disbanded, but reformed in early 2015.

Band Members:
Jason Ennor (drums)
Sean O'Brien (vocals)
Scott Patterson (guitar)
Aaron Peck (bass)

Links

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