IE: So, let’s run down some of the events that are upcoming for the band. Let’s start off with the Warped Tour. Even though 7 Seconds has been around awhile you have to admit that this might be one of the biggest things that has happened for the band… correct?

Kevin: Definitely. We’re on a tour with bands that sell double and triple the amount of records we sell, to a shitload of kids who have probably never heard of us. In that respect, it’ll be like we’re a new band again which is ok with us. We’re a bit tired of the “hardcore legends” tag we see attached to our name a lot lately. That makes us sound so, I don’t know, dinosaur-like… but yeah, this is most definitely the biggest tour we’ve ever done, crowd size wise. It’ll be interesting to see how we do. So far, in just 2 shows of the Warped Tour we’ve done, we’ve gone over very well.

IE: How did you find yourselves in the scenario that you’ll be playing select dates on the tour? How did it all come together?

Kevin: Side 1 Dummy, our record label has contacts there and talked with them about us being on the tour. What’s funny is that a couple of years ago, we looked into doing some Warped Tour dates and someone there said we were “too old school”. It’s probably true. Yesterday at the show, Ice T was onstage bragging about being around for 14 years, old school G and all this and I was thinking, damn man, we’ve even been around longer than Ice T! We’ve got 6 years on him!

IE: Being that 7 Seconds has mainly steered clear of big business in the past does this tour which is sponsored by Vans offer you any challenges from a personal aspect?

Kevin: Well come on, we were affiliated with Sony 3 years ago. How much more corporate can you get than Sony? At least I can feel ok wearing Vans shoes or whatever. The challenges will be to see how many kids we’ll actually be able to get through to. Remember, this is a tour that’s headlined by Blink 182 who have made a career out of getting young girls to show their tits. We’re the exact opposite of what bands like that are about so it’ll be interesting to see how it all goes. Of course, we’re only doing a couple of weeks worth of shows.

IE: That leads us up to your new record and your new record label. Can you tell us a little about each starting with your label?

Kevin: It’s called Side 1 Dummy. They’re out of LA and are a small but up and coming independent label that also has bands like Suicidal Tendencies, 22 Jacks, and Royal Crown Revue. The people who run the label are all great people and we’re pretty psyched about the enthusiasm they’re showing towards us. That means a lot more than huge advances and promises of videos on MTV or whatever. The deal is, we wanted to make the record WE wanted to make and they had enough faith is us to go for it and that’s what we did. 

IE: It’s been 3 years since your last record came out. When you were writing the material for “Good To Go” what was the bands number one goal in regards to how you wanted people to perceive the new material?

Kevin: The first thing was to get people to stop trying to compare each album we’ve done. You can’t. They’re ALL different. Lots of people will say that this new album sounds just like “The Crew” or “Walk Together…” and as much as there are similarities, they’re very different for many reasons. I love this new album for it’s sound, it’s feel, it’s message but I also love it because it was one of the easiest and most fun albums we’ve ever made. We spent way less time on it than we did on “The Crew” and it sounds way better.

IE: Do you think you successfully did what you set out to do?

Kevin: Yes! And that was to make a fun, simple and sincere, melodic hardcore record. 

IE: Without a doubt the newer material is a throwback to your older style. You must here grumblings from kids who preferred the older stuff. How does that make you feel as a musician when you put out new material, are high on it, and when you play it out live all you get is requests for the old stuff?

Kevin: It’s fine and we expect it. I do to when I go see a band that I’ve loved for a long time. That’s cool. In return, we ask that people will give the new material a chance. That’s it.

IE: What is the breakdown on the set list for this tour going to be like? What can we expect?

Kevin: On the Warped Tour it’s predominately older songs, songs off “The Crew” and “Walk Together” with songs from the new album thrown in to freshen things up a bit. 

IE: Can you explain the new cover artwork and the title “Good To Go”. What is the meaning behind the kid sitting on the car and the title?

Kevin: A friend suggested that we tell people that the boy on the car is the little baby on Nirvana’s “Nevermind” now all grown up which would be pretty funny. I don’t know. The guy who helped us design the album cover had an old photo and he sent that one to me and I immediately knew that was the one we had to use. I guess you could look at it like this: the boy represents 7 Seconds. I don’t know what that means but it kind of sounds good.

IE: According to the website there is even more new material in the way of a BYO Records 6 song split with Anti-Flag. Can we expect the newer material on that to be along the same lines as “Good To Go”?

Kevin: We’ve still got quite a few new tunes and yes, they will be in the same vein as the songs on “GTG”. That EP comes out in the fall sometime. We’re still deciding the song titles. 

IE: There was another mention of “Courier Crisis” on the website (a video game) which was supposed to have 2 or 3 songs from you guys as a soundtrack. Did it ever come out and if so what do you think of it?

Kevin: Yeah, it did come out. They used “5 Years Of Lies”, “We’re Gonna Fight” and one other old one. It’s a pretty cool game actually. You’re this bike messenger who has to deliver stuff within a certain amount of time and you have to try and avoid getting hit by cars and cops and stuff. The copy I rented (no, we STILL haven’t gotten copies yet) was for Play Station. They also used Big Drill Car songs which is cool.

IE: As of recently you have been on a Clash tribute, the new Fat Wreck compilation, there are tribute compilations from Groove Core Records from NC and another from the Netherlands. You obviously keep busy. How do you find the time to be constantly in the mix?

Kevin: It’s hard because I also have so much other stuff going on. I don’t know. You make time to do the stuff that sounds like the most fun and interesting. By the way, we never made it on the Clash tribute though I would have loved it if we had. 

IE: What do you do to wind down when your not on the road touring? Any hobbies that aren’t related to the world of punk rock and hardcore?

Kevin: I love to take photos and I draw a lot. I also work on the computer, email, website, stuff like that. I’m always writing something. I also have my own small recording studio and I like to spend time there. I’ve always got my hands in something.

IE: After the Warped Tour dates you have more dates set up with H2O. Obviously a lot of touring is ahead of you. Do you still have the same drive and willingness to embark on tours of this length being that you’ve been doing it for so long?

Kevin: Touring now is going to be harder than it ever was in all honesty. I hate being away from my wife for long periods of time and both Steve and Troy have wives and kids they don’t like being away from. Also, on a physical level, it’s very hard to get up and do what we do, night in and night out. Touring constantly reminds you that you’re not 20 years old anymore. 

IE: Speaking of home, it is now Sacramento CA. For years Reno was the home of Positive Force Records and 7 Seconds. How did you wind up in Sacto and does it feel like “home” for real?

Kevin: For me, yes. The rest of the band lives in Reno still. But I love Sacramento. It’s a great and cheap place to live and there’s a really cool music scene out here. It’s neither too big or too small of a city and there’s just enough stuff to do and look at here. For now, it’s definitely the place I call home.

IE: I see a lot of mentions towards Allyson Seconds, on the website, and inside the CD. I am guessing this is your wife. If so it’s clear that she plays a big part within the band, things that might not be seen by the average fan. How does she help out and how important is she to 7 Seconds?

Kevin: She’s my best friend and knows me about as well as anyone possibly could. Her “help” is basically her patience, understanding, and support of what I do, no matter how much time it takes away from her and I’s personal life. She’s also our photographer and helps get t-shirts and stuff together before shows. I’d have to say that all of our wives support us in this way and make things go a lot better and smoother. She comes out for a few shows here and there but she has a lot going on her own. She’s a photographer and also an art teacher. She’s as busy as I am a lot of the time. I would love it if she could come and spend more time with me while we’re on the road but for now, that’s an impossibility. 

IE: Can you recall the way you were introduced or met each one of them? How about Allyson and your current guitar player Bobby too?

Kevin: Well, Steve Youth is my real little brother. We’re blood. We met Troy sometime in 1981 at a 7 Seconds show in Reno. He was living in Lake Tahoe at the time and was in a hardcore band called Urban Assault. We hit it off with him immediately and knew that some day he would drum for 7 Seconds. We were bound and determined. He joined In ’82. I met Bobby when he was like 15 or 16. He was this tiny little skinny skater kid who could really play guitar. He was in a couple of Reno hardcore bands and once  when we were looking for a guitar player, he mentioned that he was interested and it went from there. As far as Allyson goes, I met her when I used to go to this coffee house in Sacramento she was managing at the time. We got along right off the bat and I knew within a couple of weeks that I was really falling for her. Sorry for getting cheesy here. 

IE: I just have to work in something about Positive Force Records. That was your label back in Reno that you ran. You might be from out West but you gave a big break to NY’s Token Entry who in turn went on to influence many other bands which is now coming full circle with the emergence of H2O, who list both Token Entry and 7 Seconds as major influences. Care to comment on the whole Positive Force days?

Kevin: It was an awesome time and I’ll always have fond memories of it. But it was also one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. In the beginning, I figured I’d put out a couple of 7 inches of some Reno bands and then all of a sudden, I’m putting out stuff by Youth Of Today, Token Entry, Verbal Assault and everyone else and it was madness. And all during that time, 7 Seconds was constantly touring and I wasn’t able to run the label the way it should have been run. I was terribly unorganized and not in a good position to take on that type of responsibility. It wasn’t fair to the bands. I finally threw in the towel when our distributor ripped us off for several thousands of dollars and I couldn’t even pay our phone bill. It was heartbreaking when I came to the realization that I wasn’t able to keep the label going.

IE: How many releases did you put out and what were they?

Kevin: You know, I don’t have a list in front of me and my memory Is terrible. I think we did something like 18 records including records by Youth Of Today, Token Entry, 7 Seconds, Verbal Assault, Bedlam Hour, Outcry, The Yobs, War On The Saints, Weenie Roast, Justice League, White Flag, and a few others. 

IE: Have you ever thought about starting up your own label again?

Kevin: I have my own label called Poprockit. It’s a very small time project. We’ve done a bunch of tapes and a couple of CD’s, including one from my other band Go National. It’s all Sacramento music for now. I want to be able to deal with the bands I’m working with face to face. I HATE the telephone. It’s easier this way.

IE: The way things are shaping up for 7 Seconds right now this could be the most productive run for the band. You have a new record out on an indie, you’re playing music that stays true to your roots, and things seem to be going really well from an outsiders point of view. Do you see this as a culmination of a career of hard work finally paying off?

Kevin: Maybe but quite truthfully, it has always paid off for us. We’ve been extremely lucky with the huge amount of support we’ve gotten all these years and we’ve been able to make a living doing what we love to do the most, play loud hardcore music for people. We’ve travelled around the world and have met some pretty amazing people over the years. Our whole history has been one big “payoff”. No kidding. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. I’m not so sure kids in 1999 are ready for the kind of hardcore we play. Not the mainstream ones anyway. And that’s just fine with us because at the level we’re at right now, there will always be a demand for us and bands like us. 

IE: You play with tons of bands on the road and run into lots of good and bad bands. What bands that are out there now are ones that are catching your attention, especially up and coming ones?

Kevin: I love H2O. How can you not love that band? They remind me of what I truly love about hardcore. Same with Sick Of It All. I love the Bouncing Souls. I like OS101 a lot. Dropkick Murphys. Groovie Ghoulies. Rancid is a band I listen to quite a bit, especially their first couple of albums. There’s a great band from Sacramento, some friends of ours called The Knockoffs who are one of the funnest, coolest punk bands around. I try and avoid the metal-core stuff. I need melody!

IE: Is there one moment or a couple of moments over the years that you can point to and pick out as “special” or things that sum up your history with the band?

Kevin: There have been way too many to be honest. A few I can think of: playing with Black Flag in San Francisco in 1981 and Henry Rollins putting these enormous X’s on our hands before the show started. Playing with Minor Threat at various shows on the West Coast. Our first CB’s show, doing one of those Sunday afternoon matinee shows and becoming good friends with all the crazy NYC hardcore kids. Playing with the Bad Brains in San Francisco in 1981 and just being blown away, almost terrified at how fucking awesome they were. Our first Japan tour. Man, there are too many moments like that. 

IE: What do you see yourself as in your “life after hardcore” if you have even thought about it?

Kevin: Is there life after hardcore? :) I don’t know. I’ll probably run a record label. Open up a vegetarian café/restaurant which has been Allyson and I’s dream for years. Do a lot of travelling. We joke around about how we’ll be like those old people who travel around the country in those RV’s with all the stickers of where they’ve been, plastered on the back. That’ll be us in 10 years.

IE: Anything you’d like to add or talk about that we haven’t touched on?

Kevin: Basically, just thanks to all the kids who have supported us all these years and the ones who continue to move forward with us as we approach 2000. We hope to see you at the shows on the upcoming tours and don’t forget to go buy our new album!