RAKING IT IN
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes playing mix of hits, new music on tour
Spike Slawson’s life is good.
He’s living in San Francisco and gearing up for another run with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
The punk rock group recently released its album “Rake It In: The Greatestest Hits.”
And the band’s current tour is full of great music, he says.
“On this tour, we will have new music,” he says in a recent phone interview. “For me, the whole appeal of this tour, and this is speaking only for myself, is that we get to showcase new outfits. The shiny, trashy outfits bring a little theater to the performance. I mean, when you are on stage, there always has to be a little theater to the performance. It’s nice to do something different each time.” Slawson is the lead vocalist of the supergroup. Each of the members has a history with other bands, and The Gimmes have become successful as a cover band.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes consist of Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape on the guitar, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) on the other guitar, Lagwagon drummer and Fat Wreck utility superhero Dave Raun on the skins, Fat Wreckhead-honcho/NOFX main dude Fat Mike, and incomparable crooner Slawson.
However, on the current tour, Scott Shiflett, Chris Shiflett’s brother and guitarist for Face to Face, is filling in for brother Chris, and Jay Bentley from Bad Religion is subbing for Fat Mike.
Slawson says the new album finally compiles all the best Me First and the Gimme Gimmes hits onto one disc. From perpetual favorite “I Believe I Can Fly” to the Eagles tune “Desperado.”
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes have been releasing classic punk covers of the greatest hits of the ’60s through the ’90s.
“I would love to say I have written these songs,” he says. “Even the arrangements are different. There’s not an art to it. It’s like a haiku, and you can only fit in so many words. There’s also a chemistry to it all. It has to work out with each song.”
Slawson hasn’t performed in Albuquerque in more than five years, when he toured with Swingin’ Utters, and believes this is the Gimmes’ first time to perform in the Duke City.
“I’ve always enjoyed Albuquerque. It has this pretty amazing vibe,” he says. “I’ve also got to get out there and get some Whataburger. That’s one of my favorite places.”