For this Special DOC III Edition of Making Meaning, we’re talking with Alex Peightal of Submachine!
Catch Submachine at Descendants of Crom III Pre-Gala on Friday 9.20.19 at Howlers! Get tickets here.
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MAKING MEANING: THE BACKGROUND
Submachine plays Hardcore Punk Rock. They’re from Pittsburgh, PA (through-and-through).
Formed in 1989, Submachine has recorded and toured a ton (except for a slow period 2006-12). Their most recent album, People, was released in 2017. They’ve almost completed a new full-length and will be recording at Logic Bomb Studio before the end of the year. It will be released on Violated Records out of Philadelphia. They’re done touring for the year, but there are still a few dates on the calendar.
Members of Submachine keep busy in other bands, as well. Greg plays drums in Killer of Sheep (playing DOC III on Sunday 9.22.19 at Cattivo). Rickey plays guitar in Misdeeds. Cha Chi plays guitar in Microbials.
Submachine is: Rickey Budway (guitar), Jeff Cherep (guitar), Greg Mairs (drums), Jason “Cha Chi” Nulph (bass), and Alex Peightal (vocals).
Keep up-to-date with Submachine on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp.
MAKING MEANING: THE SONG
Listen to the song “Meth Lab Pt II, Frantic” from Submachine’s album People and learn what meaning Alex makes:
“Meth Lab Pt II, Frantic” lyrics were written by Alex Peightal & Ray-Gunn Buchanan, the music was written by Jeff Cherep, and the arrangement is by Submachine. It was recorded by the current lineup of the band at Logic Bomb Studio, produced by Rickey Budway and Submachine, and mastered by Zach Moore at HDdB Mastering. This song is from the People 7″, released in 2017 by Ramones at Frog Manchu Records in France.
Lyrics to “Meth Lab Pt II, Frantic”
No never / I’m a goner / can’t tell me / nothing I’m not / a believer / anymore / It’s not the / substance / It’s so abstract
I don’t need / knowledge / I don’t / I don’t know tact
The shame of the game / and a matter of fact / In spite of you is how I react / It’s no surprise / that my own demise / hinges in this world of piss vinegar
It’s that I’m / insane in / the same way / that I don’t / know how to say / Please I’m no / therapist / I pick my mad / and arrange my brain
There is / normality/ that I won’t / cease to siege
The solution to my absolution / Lies in the corruption / of your train of thought / before veins run out / of panic and frantic / and frantic is me my I I I
Alex Speaks
We don’t often have the opportunity to talk about music & lyrics. It’s nice to, but unfortunately there’s probably a reason for it. Suspicions aside, I’ll try to keep it brief. Off the top, this song has nothing to do with doing meth or a meth lab. It’s more the trappings of the erraticism associated with the stuff.
“…this song has nothing to do with doing meth or a meth lab. It’s more the trappings of the erraticism associated with the stuff.” – Alex Peightal of Submachine on their song “Meth Lab Pt II, Frantic”
The purposeful broken up sentences in the verses lends to the idea of an agitated state, the flow of the chorus suggests focus none the less. Don’t do drugs. Or do. Your call. The music lends to the feel of the song with a pounding monotony, like a headache. The accents and the non-traditional chorus parts break up that droning pretty well though, I think. It tends to build pretty nicely overall. Jeff had written the music while fucking around with the more generic side of a crust type riff. It definitely grew beyond that. There’s a few things going on in there that are kinda fun.
“The music lends to the feel of the song with a pounding monotony, like a headache.” – Alex Peightal of Submachine on their song “Meth Lab Pt II, Frantic”
Years ago, my sister and I got involved in a long heart to heart. She had jotted down a few phrases as we were talking. She happened to have written them in a notebook I used for, you guessed it… song lyrics. So I wrote around what she had written down. The song is an internal dialogue. It is kicking against the pricks. It is certain. It is manic. It is unreasonable. It is cleansing. It makes me happy.
DESCENDANTS OF CROM III
We talked to Alex about playing at Descendants of Crom III. The Third Annual Descendants of Crom heavy music festival takes place in Pittsburgh, PA September 20 – 22, 2019.
How do you feel about playing DOC III?
We like playing with different genres outside of the punk rock every now and again, disrupting routine can be a good thing. We’re fucking adorable, so we might gain a fan or two even. Or we’ll clear the room. Hard to say. Shy is a good friend and we were stoked that we were included in this years event. Everyone involved puts in a lot of work and it’s a well oiled machine. (Thanks Shy & everyone!!)
What can the audience expect from your performance?
I’m not sure how to answer that.
What other bands are you excited to see perform?
We’ve played with our friends Enhailer before, so it’ll be cool to check them out again. Everybody else is new to me for the most part! I’ve done my homework though.
What else do you want readers to know?
Submachine was started by Doug Fedinick aka Dick Thinker in 1989, with Jimmy Bartczak and Sam Ward. I rounded out the original lineup, with Jeff joining soon after. Our first show was in a basement in Pittsburgh’s Garfield section of town on Halloween in 1990. Jay is still the new guy, having logged his 20th year recently. We have slightly less hope than we did before, but we’re also stubborn, so we end up motivated. We continue to play shows, tour and put out records.
Thanks so much to Alex of Submachine for talking with us about their song “Meth Lab Pt 2, Frantic” and Descendants of Crom III! We hope this adds to your experience of their band, their song, and their performance. Thanks for making meaning with us.
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