Punk Globe: MAQ had an amazing year last year. You performed at multiple festivals and toured the country. What were some of your highlights?

Shauners: One of the things I love about playing punk rock is making new friends all over. We met some really great folks in Montreal and then got to hang out with them again when we went back to the East Coast to perform at other festivals or during our East Coast tour. 

And while I like hanging out in big cities, one of my favorite things about this band is playing in small towns that might not normally get punk rock shows often, let alone queer punk. Places like Bakersfield or Burlington, VT are always a blast; people are more likely to dance and get silly than they are in Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Punk Globe: This year also saw a lineup change for MAQ. Fureigh from Homobilles joined you on guitar. What has that change been like for the band? What new elements do they bring to your sound, song writing, and your live show?

Shauners: Fureigh joined us at the tail-end of 2021 and we’ve really enjoyed having them with us. Fureigh’s approach to writing lead guitar parts has added a poppier element to our sound which gives an element of joy to our newer material that I couldn’t have envisioned on my own. Additionally, their vocals on old and new songs alike have been a wonderful addition.

Punk Globe: You just put out your new album, Shout at the Hetero. Would you like to talk about the inspiration for the songs on the album? 

Shauners: I wrote the majority of that record during the first few months of the pandemic lockdown. The record takes a much darker turn than our first album, which clearly reflects my mental state at that time. I was also listening to a lot of Zero Boys and Battalion of Saints at the time, and those two influences subconsciously leaked into both the music and lyrics.

Punk Globe: What are you currently working on?

Shauners: We’d been asked to do so many benefit compilations and tribute albums over the last year. Every time we’d go into the studio, we’d sneak in an extra couple of new songs. At this point, we’re sitting on a lot of unreleased material, much of which has already been recorded. Hopefully, we’ll finish up the third album in the new year and possibly round-up all the tracks we’d given to compilations for a separate release.

Punk Globe: MAQ has done an amazing job over the last few years reinvigorating the queercore seen in the San Francisco Bay Area. What are some of the local bands you are excited about? 

Shauners: Supersonic Symbiotic, Tits on a Bull, Pleaay, Easy Queen, and Closet Monster run the gamut of queer rock happening in the Bay Area right now that I am excited for. Sadly, we are losing mainstay acts like Lolly Gaggers and Sarchasm. It’s the natural progression of things. I can get a little sentimental at times!

Punk Globe: How do you see the queercore scene nationally and internationally? Are there bands who are jumping out at you as bands to watch for?

Shauners: I *love* the younger bands. The “gaybies,” as we like to call them. Whenever I am booking out-of-town shows for us, I always ask around to book the high school or college bands with queer members. The Groans from Los Angeles, Send & Delete from Tampa, and Dropping In from Bakersfield are three really great younger queer bands that I am stoked about.

Punk Globe: What are your predictions for the best sexual positions in 2023?

Shaunners: Ass eating will continue to gain momentum with the straights; those of us in the queer community should encourage this and other forms of depravity in our less evolved comrades.

Personally, I am a big fan of the “leap from” position as it allows for some bonus spankings in the midst of fucking. The Seated Wheelbarrow is incredibly fun, and you can throw anal beads into the mix for a more advanced experience.

Punk Globe: Is there anything I haven’t asked you would like people to know about you, the band, or life in general? How about Internet Links for the readers?

Shauners:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/middleagedqueers

Instagram: www.instagram.com/middleagedqueers

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleAgedQeers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MiddleAgedQueers

Bandcamp: https://middleagedqueers.bandcamp.com

 The music scene is entirely contingent upon people showing up for it. We cannot sustain only on occasional streaming; we need you to show up. This is my personal invitation to you to get back into watching live music. Go see that new local band open on a Tuesday night, get tickets for that recently reunited band from the 90s, and get there when the doors open to watch all the bands. Buy a t-shirt. Put a sticker on your water bottle. We’ve missed seeing you at shows, and we can’t wait to see you again.

Punk Globe would like to thank Shauners for the informative interview.