A Q&A with Bridge the Gap

90s-style melodic skate-punk…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
The title ‘Secret Kombinations’ is just a way to look at things and the world. Lots of things have been going on, and we just like to read between the lines and understand the possible Secret Kombinations that may happen behind closed doors to get things done. Songs like this are on the record, but there are other great songs like ‘My Creation’, which is about creating our own reality, and ‘Whippersnapper’ which is about our kids.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
At first, it just started off with some riffs that Chad had written that progressed into some fun demos. He called me one day, and we kind of started talking about the music again, so I travelled out to Chad’s house one weekend in late 2021. We messed with some songs and wrote a few new ones, and kind of built it from there. Next thing we knew, we had quite a few great songs, and thought what if we record these in a studio? We called The Blasting Room, and the rest is history, it was an amazing process to work with everyone at the studio, especially the talented Bill Stevenson.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
The amazing Bill Stevenson (Rise Against/Black Flag/Descendents/All). He’s amazing and took the music to the next level. Everyone at his studio is next level and there wasn’t a moment of the process that wasn’t considered for the better good. Everyone helped us bust out the tunes and make them more than we had ever hoped it could be.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
That we are complex in our written style, have things to say, and are smart about what we are saying. We like to have a good time and stuff like that, but we are probably a bit more serious about our message and want people to think about their lives, and do the best they can. We are all successful individuals outside of the band in our own ways. That’s punk rock, because we do whatever we want, and can still rock into our 40s and later.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
It could be lots of different ways, but probably the most common is Chad will stubble across a riff or rhythm or something and it kind of builds into more. Or Jeff will have a small riff or idea, track it on his phone, send it over to Chad, and he will have other ideas, and it builds. Rarely do the vocals or lyrics come first, it’s more a spark of the music that leads to more.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
There are so many to list, but probably most of the main influences have been Bad Religion, Pennywise, Stung Out, AFI, Social Distortion, Zero Down — 90s era EpiFAT…

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
It would be cool to tour where people want to see us, but probably the biggest experience would be to play in Japan or something like that.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
I would pick ‘My Creation’ or ‘Over the Target’. Sorry you wanted one, but those two actually would give a well-rounded idea of our sound. We are fast, and heavy, but also can break it down with melody.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
We are just having fun with it for now, and seeing how things progress, we have had a really great response for the record barely being out one year this March. It’s totally crazy how much things have changed and how far we have already come.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
To all the fans and friends who have supported us and believed in our music along the way, thank you. We appreciate all the time and sacrifices that have been made on our behalf — seen and unseen. We are truly grateful to be friends and band member, and hope our music lives with everyone out there. Thank you.

For more information on Bridge The Gap, check out linktr.ee/bridgethegapband