Erica Liss: It’s All About Dat Bass
Interview by GINGER COYOTE
I am so happy my dear friend Erica Liss who recently re-joined MDC agreed to do an interview with me.
Erica Fucking Rawks hard. She along with the wonderful Dave Dictor (Darla) have magic when they play on stage…
Do enjoy my interview with the rad Ms.Liss
Punk Globe: Thanks so much for the interview, Erica. It is so great that you are back rawking with MDC. How did that come about?
Erica: It came out of the blue! Mike Smith, who had been their bass player for over a dozen years or so, decided he needed a break from touring to focus on his art (he’s an amazing muralist). Dave reached out to me in January to ask if I’d like to come back to do a few tours in the meantime. The timing was perfect because, for the first time in ages, I actually had the free time to be able to commit to touring again – let’s call it my gap year!
I hadn’t played with them for 30 years but had stayed pretty close to Dave over the years, and with Al Schvitz still in the band the only “new” entity was Barry D’Live (RKL, DRI, GWAR) who I’ve known forever though I’d never had the opportunity to play with before.
It’s definitely a more relevant time for MDC now. Back in the ‘90s we had a markedly different political climate, – it was the Clinton era. Though he was a flawed president, nothing, not even the Reagan days, can come close to the political chaos and deception we’re facing now. MDC IS a call to action – “No Trump, No KKK No Fascist USA”!
Punk Globe: How long had you played with MDC in the first round in the ring?
Erica: The first, go-round was from 1992 – 1995. MDC was Dave, Al, and Chris Wilder of Stikky fame and me. I was on the Shades of Brown album as well as some split 7 inches – one was with Capitalist Casualties. The rest are fuzzy… We toured constantly, even to Russia. Al’s unwanted residency at San Quentin put the kibosh on that line up though.
Punk Globe: I remember seeing you up on stage with the band I was amazed and getting to know was even more amazing.
Erica: I love you, Ginger!!!
Punk Globe: I know that you were playing in the band Turbonegra was that before or after you left MDC?
Erica: That was way after! Sally Disaster and I started Turbonegra around 2007. The original lineup was Sally, me, Rina DeVille, Shelley Cardiff, and Amanda Guilbeaux.
Punk Globe: Did you play with anyone else while in San Francisco?
Erica: San Francisco back in the day had so many great musicians to play with – it seemed that everyone was in like five bands at a time. Between 1987 and 2011 I was in Girl Band (Shelley, Christa, Lynda, and me), Sorry Ever After (Christa, Lynda, Mike, and me), Olive Ewe (Moki, Christa, Amanda, and me), RampAged (sort of a skatepunk band for the older set – get it?), Alcohol of Fame (that had Becky Wreck from the Lunachicks and Shauna Hall from 4 Non-Blondes, Spit and Cara Crash), Monster Island (with Dave Dick and Bill Schwartz from the Witnesses), Psychedelic Wedding, Industrial Rainforest, Thursday’s Child, Ready! Ricochet… ffs – I can’t remember them all!
Punk Globe: What prompted your move to the East Coast?
Erica: The dot snots had taken over our vibrant city and made it unbearable. Rents had gotten so stupidly expensive that a lot of musicians and artists couldn’t afford it anymore. Talk about a hollow city! Moki and I were visiting friends in NY and we didn’t even think twice about it – two weeks later we moved. We had been living above the Zeitgeist then.
Punk Globe: Did you play with anyone after you moved?
Erica: When we first got here Moki and I found a drummer and started a queer punk band called Poof Pony – we were touring within three months. Then Craig Flanagan (God is My CoPilot) and I put together a couple of weird and wonderful projects which never quite got off the ground, though we did play out some. I also played with the legendary Ass Falcon until most of the band left NYC, and have been playing with Not All Heroes for the past few years – we just put out an album – Death Threats and Love Songs – https://notallheroes.bandcamp.com/album/death-threats-and-love-songs
Punk Globe: I remember hooking up with you Christa and others at The Rainbow and Miss Pamela ex GTO’s was out front trying to recruit girls to be on a remake of The Dating Game. She had some of the guys with her the majority of them were older businessmen. I remember all of us laughing. Then we went to the Roxy and hooked up with Jennifer Precious Finch. A fun night.
Erica: Yeah – that was a blast! We got to see the Glam Skanks’ first show that night.
Punk Globe: You are still on the East Coast have you had any problems with the others in MDC in Portland?
Erica: I flew out to Portland to practice with them for a few days. We’re doing a lot of different songs than we were 30 years ago, so it’s been fun and challenging getting up to speed!
Punk Globe: Since rejoining MDC have you been playing a lot of shows?
Erica: I just got back a week ago from 12 shows in 12 days Texas to LA tour.
Punk Globe: What is on the horizon for you and MDC?
Erica: I will be with them supporting KGB for a few weeks of their tour this May, and maybe some East Coast shows around the Tompkins Square Park Hardcore Matinee in June. We’re also doing Rebellion and a bunch of European shows this summer.
Punk Globe: Do you have any Internet addresses you would like to share with the readers?
Erica: Here are some rare MDC videos, from 30 years ago and a couple from an insane East LA party we played recently:
MDC in Milan, 1992: http://bit.ly/3ycxdyB
MDC in St Petersburg, 1992: http://bit.ly/3Yhd05B
MDC interview in Hungary, 1993: http://bit.ly/3YggZPy
MDC at ABC No Rio, 1992: http://bit.ly/3Zu1nJo
MDC East LA 2023: http://bit.ly/3ICkVo0
MDC East LA 2023 pt 2: http://bit.ly/3Zh1Q23
Punk Globe: Describe yourself in three words Erica?
Erica: I am a rebel
Punk Globe: Any last words for Punk Globe readers?
Erica: Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it!