Interview: Endless Struggle Talks New Album, Salt Lake, and BBQ Buds

Endless Struggle has been on the scene going on three decades. Their latest album, ‘Where Do We Go?,’ released earlier this year via Recidivist Records, sums up the many hard life lessons learned in 27 years of playing and surviving on the scene. “The scene” here carries important context. Endless Struggle reigns Salt Lake City punk. Shrouded in religious stereotypes and strict social values, Endless Struggle wants you to know they are everything Salt Lake City has to offer and everything that it isn’t. “We’re proud to be from here,” shares vocalist, Bobby, and guitarist, Spence, as they discuss the diverse and modern city they know and love, while acknowledging it will always be hard to be different; it will always be hard to be punk. “Stereotypes were definitely accurate at one point in time, but Salt Lake City has always had a cool underground scene. They even made a piece of shit movie about it,” observes Spence.

Salt Lake’s growth and obtainable imperfection can be directly attributed to the culture shock that kids have forced within the city limits. Salt Lake City is no longer a passover town for bands. It is now a major stop on every tour; however, Bobby and Spence bemoan the current lack of all ages venues to reward and fertilize the next generation of misfits. According to Bobby, “In the 90s, we used to have more warehouses, but everything was still low-key and always hidden from the cops. You had to be on the ins to get in.” Spence’s favorite venue was a friend’s backyard. Flyers would advertise shows there as “Your Mom’s House” and you either knew or you didn’t. Due to an increase in morality laws, the bandmates explain, no venue with a liquor license (including clubs like The Elks or The Eagles) can simply choose not to serve the night of a show or to not serve to minors, destroying all chances for kids to find the safe and loving embrace of the pit. But as all western, rural kids have done before, they will survive and they will proudly thrash their way through the noise. The bands are waiting for them.

Endless Struggle tips their hat that ‘Where Do We Go?’ is their most political album to date. While Salt Lake City will always ground their music in the kids they were and the men they’ve become, it is national politics that drives this album’s thesis, “Pretty fucking pissed!” Endless Struggle never sought to be political commentators and instead chose to focus on the more pressing and every day life antics; however, the final consensus came to fuck it, it can’t be avoided when your loved ones are being mocked and belittled for party platform points.

This anger and distrust pounds through the rough and ragged rhythm of the album, cradled in the spirit of Oi! Endless Struggle wrote the album collectively, each member bringing his own inspirations and genres to the table, leaving nothing out from ska, to thrash metal, from oi! to “just grab your fucking girl and dance.” The reason it works? Friendship. “We’re an amalgamation across the board,” reflects Spence. “It seems to work great. We’re such great, tight friends. We all BBQ together. We all do birthdays together. The older you get the less friends you have; but, I always have these four.”

On the western horizon, you can catch Endless Struggle this weekend in Vegas at Punk Rock Saves Lives’ Punk Rock Hoedown during Punk Rock Bowling. Endless Struggle will also be making its Big Sky premiere at the Best Damn Punk Show in Bozeman, MT. Endless Struggle closes out, “We always love LA and we’re excited for Las Vegas, but we’re REALLY excited for Montana!”