The Adict’s Monkey Tenth Studio Album, Upcoming Showcases, and More!

Having been around for nearly 40 years English punks The Adicts have got a lot going on currently from getting signed to DC Jam Records to hitting the studio to record their tenth studio album to some upcoming showcases and everything in between. Frontman vocalist Keith Warren A.K.A. "Monkey" filled me in as to what else the band has in-store between now and the end of the year.

1. Can you introduce yourself and give us a brief history of your band?

Monkey: Yeah my name is Monkey I’m the one with the strange makeup and clothes and the band has been around since the late 1976 and as of today we still have 3 of the original members in the band.

2. You have been a band for nearly 40 years what comes to mind?

Monkey: Where did the time go? No it doesn’t feel like we’ve been around for so long so we just enjoy it and energetic about what we do.

3. So how did the signing with DC Jam Records come about?

Monkey: They were invited to come see a show my old manager knew a band who were apart of the label and they had come to a show in L.A. or Anaheim and they became interested. So we hadn’t really been on a label for quite a while, and these guys seem to have the right approach and attitude and look forward to working together.

4. How does it feel to be on your tenth album?

Monkey: We’re looking for to it and excited about it. Writing songs individually we don’t really get together to get all of our ideas together. We have a few shows in May then going into the studio so we’ll have some time to do some stuff and make it up as we go along.

5. You're going to be working with Derek O’Brien what do you think he will bring to the table for The Adicts?

Monkey: Hopefully he will bring lots of beer and also he’s got loads of experience working with different genres and bands. We haven’t worked with a producer before Mark Allen was the only other one the rest of the time we’d release everything ourselves. Hopefully we can bring it some good ideas because we had wanted to start fresh with a whole another angle.

6. Where are you recording the album?

Monkey: It’s in Derek’s studios in Santa Fe Springs, California.

7. Who writes the songs, what are they about?

Monkey: We all have individual ideas just haven’t gotten together to put them together. Just have our own offsets of what we want so we’ll bring it together when we go the studio. Right now we don’t know what the songs are we have some riffs and some ideas but the actual songs won’t get there until we hit the studio and it will be what it will be once we get together. We don’t have a concept or anything like that just writing songs, rehearsed and rehearsed, keeping things fresh and alive. It’s exciting for us banging out songs over and over again so it will be a surprise to us as to what’s going to happen because we don’t know yet.

8. Do you feel any pressure for a follow-up?

Monkey: Naw no there’s no pressure.

9. It’s been three years since the release of Life Goes On. Why such a long time period between albums?

Monkey: I don’t know we just toured and waited for the right moment. Ten albums in 35 years is a huge thing for us so we write when we can unless we don’t have the time.

10. What inspires you to do what you do?

Monkey: These days it’s each other exciting new projects, tours, stuff like that and getting out there and playing really. These people have been able to have a good time enjoying yourselves having fun really.

11. Does The Adicts have any more goals that they want to achieve or have they met them all?

Monkey: No there’s still some ambitions like some parts of the world we’d like to explore and like to make some money that’d be nice. I don’t know just keep going we’d so lucky to be able to still do it and all of the fans being able to buy our CDs and t-shirts and just be in this position without them we wouldn’t be able to do this at all.

12. Where do you buy your attire?

Monkey: Most of the time the stuff comes from online or thrift stores then I just add my own touch to it.

13. How many outfits would you say are in your personal collection?

Monkey: It depends on the length of the tour I’ve had stuff stolen before just have to make sure I have enough. Having enough makeup and clothes because I get worried about things getting lost and the character I play I like being able to do that persona I’m not really like that guy on stage all the time.

14. What more can we expect to see from you guys?

Monkey: We’ll do a little tour in May, east and west coasts then Punk Rock Bowl in Las Vegas then in the studio for 2-3 weeks off a couple of months in the summer and have the album released in September then have a couple of more shows in California, Chicago, Florida, then to South America I think.

15. Would you like to add or say anything else?

Monkey: No not really just looking forward to returning to the road meeting all of our friends and just having fun.