With a style that's equal parts Iron Maiden and Suicidal Tendencies, the Richmond, Va. crossover thrash outfit Municipal Waste carved out a niche following penning party-themed dystopian concept records, and producing a raucous stage show that incorporates dress-up wizards and shit but doesn't take itself too seriously. Historically, The Waste's relentless thrashings have been fueled by cheap swill-beer, most notably Milwaukee's Best, but as of late, the band has taken an unexpected turn into the realm of craft brew. They've teamed up with the famous Munster, Ind. hardcore brewpub Three Floyds Brewing, and are launching their own line of craft beer they're calling Toxic Revolution.
Heard Mentality caught up with The Waste's resident beer geek and drummer Dave Witte to talk about his yeasty concoction, and the band's upcoming tour supporting Anthrax, which pulls into Anaheim House of Blues, Friday, March 22.
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OC Weekly (Adam Lovinus): The beer you're launching is called Toxic Revolution. A name like that brings to mind Sparks, that energy drink malt liquor that was big like ten years ago. Were you guys into Sparks?
Dave Witte: We drank Sparks when it was legal. That stuff was crazy. I had to stop drinking it. It gave me terrible heart burn and I felt like it was stripping the enamel off my teeth.
So, what's going into Toxic Revolution?
Basically the beer is an American oatmeal stout, hopped and dry hopped and damn good. It clocks in at 8.5% [alcohol by volume] and 50 IBUs.
Are you into homebrewing?
I've brewed before with mixed results. A coffee stout, turned porter. Thin, but the coffee flavor was spot on. I cold pressed it and added coffee right before bottling. I used Blue Bottle Coffee. I love their coffee. I was told to keep brewing by the local homebrew association. Nice compliment, but I'll leave it to the pros.
You're touring with Anthrax. If you type “Scott Ian is” into Google, the words “a douche” is the first suggested search. Does that worry you at all?
Not at all. Scott says a lot of great things about us and I'm looking forward to meeting him. We are all long-time Anthrax fans and it will be amazing to see them play each night.
You guys definitely have a cult-horror film aesthetic happening in your production. In terms of that, who are you guys into?
I loved Creepshow growing up. Basket Case, Clive Barker, Troma, Romero, The Howling and An American Werewolf in London were really great… and all the Evil Dead stuff. So much stuff! All of us could probably talk for a while on all the different things we all love. I just had my new drums adorned with Zombies. It looks sick.
People get kind of berserk during your live sets. Give me an idea of what it looks like from your point of view.
I have the best seat in the house. I've watched everything you could possibly think of–people jumping out of balconies, off PA systems, climbing all over the ceiling, crowd surfing a couch from the back of the room onto the stage… it's tons of fun.
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