Punk Globe: What was it like writing your new book?

Mike: It was a fun project, I guess one good thing to come out of the COVID lockdown for me!  I had long-term plans to write a book and finally got around to it. I’ve kept a blog (Ch3blog) of the band’s adventures for quite a few years now, so I was always getting encouragement and queries about a long-form book. I had a hard time finding the proper form and framing device for a whole book though, and after a few false starts, I settled on a fictional novel type of book that was the summer of 1983 US tour as the framing device and goes back and forth to my family and friends and the start of the band.

Punk Globe: What was it like for Ch3 to release their first records? Did audiences take to the band right away? 

Mike: We had a hard time catching on after the first record was released, mainly because we hadn’t even played a show before we made a record! We were just a backyard party band and made a little demo tape when we had written a few originals. That tape made its way to Robbie Fields of Posh Boy Records, who put us right in the studio and got the first 5 song ep out quickly! So it was a bit of catching up from then on, but the record caught on, and we started touring and here we are…

Punk Globe: Any favorite punk bands? 

Mike: Ah man, I always have to go with Clash, Damned, and Ramones, but it’s hard to choose, yeah? I’ve always loved 999, criminally underrated these days but still a solid band. We have a lot of local heroes who have become good friends, the fellas of Adolescents, Agent Orange, Shattered Faith, the Crowd…etc!

Of the new breed, our old family friends The Linda Lindas are just killing it out there.

Punk Globe: Is punk still a thriving force for you, Mike?

Mike: Definitely. “Punk” for all its many variants, boils down to the Do It Yourself/Think for Yourself ethic to me. That theme goes way beyond the music, and infects almost every decision in a way, ya know? So while the music may be the familiar soundtrack, it is the ideals behind punk that hold up to this day.

Punk Globe: What bands did Ch3 open up for in their early days?

Mike: Ah man, I think we played with just about everyone! That is the theme of the book, that Kimm and I were just true fans of the bands and somehow ended up sharing the stage with them so quickly. We played tons with all of our SoCal brothers, from Black Flag to X, and then we started touring we got to meet and play with almost all the major bands each city called their own. I will proudly say that we supported both Ramones and Cheap Trick!