- Shane Regan - vocals, bass guitar
- Brian Rogers - lead guitar, vocals
- Chris Jenkins - vocals, rhythm guitar
- Anthony Schmidt - drums
YSIB is a four-piece punk band from Federal Way, WA. All the band members are currently in their early twenties and have never played in a band before. The band began as a duo in 1995, when vocalist Shane Regan and guitarist Brian Rogers wrote the song "Why Should I? Because" which would later become the name of their band. Eventually the two began writing more songs, and finding friends to play with them. (A detailed history of YSIB is available on the FAQ page.) After many changes, YSIB's line-up stabilized in early 1999.
YSIB has started to find a following in the Federal Way area. The band's website recieves thousands of hits a month, and YSIB's on-line guestbook has been signed by thousands of visitors (most of them angry Silverchair fans, but still). The band has played shows with local favorites such as Deep Fried Denise, All in All, Negative Trend, ATMF, and David's Address.
YSIB's first release was an EP titled Pseudo-punk. The band members handled the recording process all by themselves, recording all 10 tracks with digital sound editing software on Anthony's computer. Although the recording quality of the songs was not great due to the band's inexperience with recording and mixing music, the recordings did a good job of capturing the band's potential and energy of its live shows. Check out standout tracks such as "Yeah, Right," "Let's Play Coprorate Rock," and the anti-Silverchair anthem "Don't Wanna Be Daniel Johns."
After YSIB went on to sell tens of copies of their EP, and play a few shows in support of it, guitarist Chris Jenkins went on to Arizona State University. However, the band continued on, collaborating on-line and during breaks while still playing the occasional show (mostly parties). In the summer of 2000, Chris came up to Washington again, and the band began working on Preventable Car Accidents. Once again, the band recorded and produced the album itself, with Brian handling most of the mixing. The album, although recorded in the same manner as the EP, shows a much more "mature" YSIB. More harmonies, better mixing, and overall better sound quality make this a much more listenable album from the band.
Songs from YSIB's releases can be found on Internet radio stations, various file sharing networks (our lawsuits are pending), and the popular download site MP3.com. A few broadcast radio stations around the country, including one in Waco, TX, have stumbled across YSIB and played tracks from the EP on specialty new music programs.
So is YSIB a punk band? The answer is a resounding "kinda." Although YSIB first and foremost plays fast punk-style songs, the band prefers to be called "pseudo-punk." A quick look through the band's lyrics uncovers a chilling fact: YSIB songs are... "different" than most punk bands. Instead of complaining about the government and the "system," YSIB hits topics such as math equations and how Driver's Ed class sucks. "KISUX" (short for "Kevin Isaacson Sucks") is simply about some guy that the band members knows who sucks. Punk rock stereotpyes are glorified in songs such as "We Are So Punk Rock." As guitarist and principal songwriter Brian Rogers jokingly comments, "I like the 'system' just fine."
However, like most punk rock bands, the songs are loud, fast, and sound really bad. Your parents won't like YSIB; if they do then they probably aren't really your parents. The only thing more important to YSIB than keeping their punk rock image is exploiting punk rock stereotypes. This isn't your older brother's punk rock, this is the first band of a new generation of punk rockers who aren't afraid to say, "punk is dead."
Although YSIB's attitude and sarcastic lyrics have put them under fire by many punk rock purists, the band is beginning to find an audience with people burned out on a hardcore punk. Let's face it, all the punk rock virtuosos have either died, gotten too old, or suddenly learned how to play their instruments. Bands like NOFX and Bad Religion are still putting out good fast punk records, and YSIB has ripped off every riff they've ever recorded. Let's face it, today's punk rock scene sucks, and YSIB is glad to be a part of it.
We've all had a good laugh, now let's play some music.