A brief chat with Pennywise

Californian punks Pennywise put out the Yesterdays outtakes album last year, and then went on a killer package tour with Bad Religion, Offspring, the Vandals and Stiff Little Fingers, among others. They’re coming to the Gothic Theatre on March 14, with support from local band the Wiredogs. Later in the year, they’re playing the prestigious Ink N Iron Festival in Long Beach. We spoke to singer Jim Lindberg about all of these things and more.C

Yellow Scene: The album Yesterdays is less than a year old, but are you guys working on a new record?

Jim Lindberg: We’ve just been concentrating on doing shows, and with all of the other stuff that we have going on. Hopefully, after we’re done with touring after the first half of this year, we’ll have time to hit the studio. I have a batch of songs I’m really excited about, and hopefully the other guys do as well. We have a US tour, a little bit of Australia, and then some festivals. Then it’s time to hit the studio.

YS: You toured with the Vandals, Offspring, Stiff Little Fingers, etc at the end of last year…

JL: That was amazing. I’ve been saying for a long time that I really wanted to package up with those guys. We’re all friends with those guys so it was very cool to get out and see them every night. I’m fully aware that people who like us usually also like NOFX, the Vandals and all of those bands as well. I think it’s great when we can all play together.

YS: Do you like playing Colorado?

JL: We’ve had great shows in Colorado. We’ve been coming there for years and played all kinds of different venues. It’s an absolutely beautiful place. There’s an active sports scene with all the skiers and snowboarders, and it’s a pretty wild show most of the time. We’re excited to be back.

YS: What can we expect from the set?

JL: We’re gonna mix it up with old and new songs. The Yesterdays release is a bunch of outtakes, and we’ll be playing stuff off that. We also have a cover song that will be interesting – our drummer Byron had the idea of doing the song “Loser” by Beck, to kinda represent the whole controversy with Kanye at the Grammys about real artists. It’s a shout out to Beck, knowing that’s a guy who has been an LA musician making songs on his four-track since the early 1990s. If anyone’s a true musician, it’s Beck. We’re gonna do a cover of “Loser,” and also “I’m Not a Loser” by the Descendents. I just heard some Wiredogs online and they have a very cool sound. Any time we can bring out a local band, it makes for a better show.

YS: After this tour, what’s next?

JL: We have two dates in Australia, we’re playing festivals, and we’re playing the X Games in Austin with Nicki Minaj. A lot of stuff on our plate, and then back to the studio.

Pennywise plays with A Wilhelm Scream, Teenage Bottlerocket, and Wiredogs at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 at the Gothic Theatre; 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood; 303-789-9206; $25.