Viva! The Moms
If you had told me six years ago that this interview would exist, I don’t think I would have believed you in any capacity. I recently got to sit down with Joey Nester, formerly of a band called The Moms, who I have notably loved since I was in high school/the release of their first record. This is a big one for me on a personal level, and I hope you enjoy it. Starting off the new year with a bang - but I wasn’t bothered.
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY C. TUEL
DMM: Hey Joey! How’re you doing? Obviously, I know who you are, but would you mind introducing yourself for the transcript? And of course, thank you for agreeing to chat with me!
Joey: Thanks so much for your interest in doing this interview. I’m sure there are still a good handful of people who will be happy to see some action around The Moms’ camp. I’m Joey, singer/guitar from power trio The Moms.
Photo taken from The Moms’ Facebook page .
DMM: I guess question-wise, it makes sense most for me to start on a timeline of your earlier work when you were still with Paper + Plastick, and during the times you were unsigned…. On that note - what were your musical inspirations either personally or as a group from 2013-2014, through “Viva!” + “Buy American”?
Joey: We all had some pretty diverse tastes in music, but we all shared a common love for the PBR-fueled good time punk rock n’ roll that we grew up with. By the time “Viva!” Was released Jon, Donny, and I had been playing together for years and we prided ourselves on being LOUD and singing at the top of our lungs. We were inspired largely by basement shows and having songs that people could yell along with us in tight, sweaty underground spaces. Back then we really lived for our friend group and the party.
DMM: Viva, as a standalone song and subsequent video, to me, explains to me why the Buy American cover looks the way it does. (Especially with the BTS videos released at the time.) But now that it’s tattooed on my arm, I need to know where the original idea and composition came from, and of course, how did you get that shot?
Joey: We went back and forth with Paper + Plastick for long time with the album artwork. Ultimately, they insisted on using a photograph by Ryan Russel, because he had some “cred,” and we agreed to it because we were tired of the release being delayed. Ultimately, I think it suits the album very well…let that be a lesson in picking your battles as a signed artist. (What an honor to have it immortalized on your skin!!)
DMM: (Thank you! ) That’s crazy! This starts a further rabbit hole for me… I’m excited. It absolutely suits the album though, from fan and publication perspective.
DMM: Viva! Is also one of the few songs we have a dedicated music video for. What inspired a video shoot like that?
Joey: At the time of the Viva! Music video, we were all really proud to have taken the path-less-followed as touring punk rockers. The video kinda embodied our interpretation of the drudgery of the real-world. Also, we were really excited to smash a lot of things on video.
DMM: I figured you guys would be stoked to smash stuff! It’s in my personal hall of fame. Whole thing makes me want to visit a rage room again. Have my own “Viva!” moment.
DMM: I’ve wondered this for years, and this can totally stay off the record - what the hell got snorted? I know it was said it was truly ingested, so a decade or so later… we’re all good health-wise, too, right?
Joey: Ha! The powder that our friend snorted was crushed up caffeine pills. We were strictly beer drinking stoners, so we didn’t have any hard-stuff around. And although we made some seriously unhealthy choices back then, I’m happy to say we are all in good health in 2024.
DMM: Always happy to hear about good health! My best guess was vitamin powder, and looks like I wasn’t too far off!
DMM: Also none of you were parents/at the time were not parents (if applicable!) - why “The Moms”?
Joey: When we started the band, we were kicking around a lot of ideas for names. Jon suggested “The Moms” and it stuck. Nothing more behind the meaning, it was just fun and perfectly meaningless. We did play our first basement show as “Knock Hockey” - which we didn’t hate either.
DMM: That’s awesome nonetheless! I do dig “Knock Hockey”, that basement show must have been a blast!
DMM: Speaking on Buy American, to this date - even 10 years and two months later is still such an incredible record that truly holds up to the test of time. I’ve never heard anything like it. What do you as the artist compare it to?
Joey: Thanks! I do think the sound we achieved was pretty unique. While it did embrace the drunken debauchery we were surrounded by, it also had some emo sensibilities, all while sounding like a very slick studio record.
DMM: Now - I do have a couple questions about specific songs on that record. Obviously, I have my own interpretations that I’ve been sitting with for 10 years, but it’s more important to me on a technical level to hear yours. I would love to know what inspired Business Is Booming, which I feel like is an incredible staple of the record aside from it being the one that houses the nod to the title of the album… where did that song come from?
Joey: The lyrics to “Business is Booming” are some of my favorite. The song is very clever, if I do say so myself. The idea came during the Occupy Wall Street protests when I had the thought, “man, someone could make a fortune if they sold bombs to these people.” We never condoned any kind of violence, but it was a statement on the paranoia and the anger in the media at the time.
DMM: That’s so sick. It’s absolutely a favorite because of its lyricism.
DMM: And I feel I simply can’t NOT ask about Bedtime - for this specifically anything that you’re willing to share, we’re fully willing to listen. This is kind of my magnum opus of random reasons you should stay alive. On what’s probably a far too personal note, it was the song I discovered when on hold with the hotline in my teens and was using YouTube to kinda guide the process, so I think it’s important to discuss in any form you’re willing. I know it was a beacon for myself and plenty of others.
Joey:“Bedtime” was one of the first songs we wrote as The Moms. Around that time, one of our dear friends had had some struggles with their mental health that resulted in a dramatic episode during one of our ragers where they declared to the party “IT’S FUCKING BEDTIME” before shattering a pint glass across the kitchen cabinets. That was the inspiration right there. And while we’re on the subject, I’ve always had mixed feelings toward the lyric “I won’t kill myself, because all my friends would miss me.” There are people struggling with suicidal thoughts who feel like they don’t have any friends, and I’ve always been concerned that that lyric offers no solace to those people. Overall, we’ve had a lot of people tell us that that song really helped them out in times of despair, and for that I am very happy. The community of punk rock offers a community of friends for all. Everyone’s invited. (I’d also like to add that the aforementioned friend is better than ever and doing great things with their life!)
DMM: Thank you so much for sharing this. To ease some of those mixed feelings, I’d like to assure you that it did offer so much solace. Reminded me, personally at that time, that there was a community waiting for me and friends to be made. Thrilled to hear about your friend doing so well! It can be bewildering at times that some of our worst moments eventually come to serve as help for others.
DMM: Of course, you toured a fair bit during the time of being in The Moms, even writing the EP “Songs From The Road”. What was touring like for y’all?
Joey:We toured in the most classic way possible. Four young kids crammed into a van, traveling to new places, making no money, sleeping on floors, playing basements/cafes/dive bars, partying way too much, until we were all filthy and tired and broke. It was the most fun. We would get home and work our day jobs until we had the money to do it again. Wash, rinse, repeat.
DMM: This was also around the time you got signed to Bar None, and for those who don’t know, that’s the same label that’s housed The Front Bottoms. I’m sure this was a turning point for the group in a lot of ways, but what was it like for you?
Joey: It was an honor to have gotten the attention of Bar None. They remain a respected Jersey indie label that has stood the test of time.
DMM: And speaking of ‘Songs From The Road’, there’s only one thing I can actively compare the music of The Moms to, and it’s your one song from that EP titled “180 Grier on Nursery”. It immediately strikes me as the sister song to “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” by Against Me! - can you concur? Is there any inspiration taken from that second track?
Joey: I’m glad you ask! It’s time to get the record straight! “Songs from the Road” is an EP of COVERS. All four songs were written by bands that we would play with over our years of touring. They helped us by putting together shows, housing us, feeding us, and inviting us again and again into their local scenes! “Songs from the Road” was intended to be our way of showing appreciation. For whatever reason, however, when the songs were released - the publisher/Spotify didn’t credit the original artists!! I was pissed! I remain pissed! Here are the bands!
“180 Grier on Nursery” - Trashkanistan, Baltimore, MD. Textbook punk rock, great partyers, even better dudes.
(DMM Editor’s Note: In the search for hyperlinks for this song, I discovered that Joey himself was the one to upload a Soundcloud link nine years ago for potential covers. Something to be said about lovely people, amazing tunes, and the beauty of ideas coming to fruition.)
“Sadly, but Surely” - Half Raptor, Russellville, AR.
High octane “buddy rock”. Amazing punk songs with a particular southern influence. Some of the nicest people we’ve met.
“What, we have car payments…” - Cheapshow, Detroit, MI.
High-octane pop-punk, excellent lyrics, GREAT hangs, incredibly hospitable and helpful on the road.
“The Supply of Power (La La La)” - The Front Bottoms, NJ.
We didn’t have a close relationship with TFB by any means, but it was inspiring watching a couple of Jersey Boys go from the Meatlocker/New Brunswick basements to international fame. This song was sent to me in a Zip file by the band in 2010 after I tried booking them in my backyard.
DMM: Oh my G-d! I knew “Supply of Power” was a cover, and suspected 180 Grier in the mock-up process for this since I found the original on Spotify, but wasn’t entirely sure - thank you so much for setting things straight. That’s also probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. They’re such a talent as well, and were one of my favorite performances I worked of 2024. As for showing appreciation, I absolutely believe it does! I hope Spotify execs fix it, never too late!
DMM: Right around this time marked the end of The Moms - 2018. For sure a moment where I remembered where I was and what I was doing. What were things like for you when that happened, if you feel like sharing?
Joey: In short, we decided to prioritize our friendship over the band. Had we continued, there would be none. Among other things, I had gotten selfish with the song-writing process and resentments grew as a result.
DMM: Absolutely an admirable choice and thought process. I can learn a lot from that, myself.
DMM: What are you up to now? What’s going on in your life?
Joey: We all still make music! Jon has a solo project (Jonathan Francis) and works for touring bands (Gaslight Anthem, Shannon and the Clams, among others). Matty, who was our most recent drummer, has a new project Original+ and is in the process of releasing an album. I currently play bass in a New Jersey honky-tonk band Old Lady and have recently been itching to release some of my own music again.
DMM: Hell yeah! If you guys ever need anything, I hope you know you can call us! I’ll be digging into the above for certain, and I hope our readers do as well!
DMM: Thank you for absolutely everything, from the music to the time you’ve taken with me. Where can folks find you, and where can folks find music from The Moms?
Joey: As of right now, we’re all still rocking and rolling in New Jersey. The Moms music can MOSTLY be found on Spotify, although there are some releases that only exist in the physical realm. No immediate plans on getting “Viva!” Or “Blow Me!”* EPs on any streaming platforms.
Thanks so much, it really means a lot.
DMM: I hope you know you all have all of our support, always.
The Moms were a band from the years 2013-2018, and I am eternally grateful for their time in the music scene, and the life that it put back into me twelve years ago.
*This link leads to the Bandcamp purchase page of “Buy American B-Sides”, but to my knowledge and from what I can find online from reviews at the time, it is the same tracklist.
You can find an archive of The Moms’ tweets here, an an archive of the Instagram posts here. You can stream “Buy American”, “Doing Asbestos We Can”, “Songs From The Road”, and the “Snowbird EP” on Spotify with the previous links, and “Viva!” as well as “Buy American B-Sides” can be purchased for streaming on Bandcamp with the links.
You can find Jonathan’s solo music on Spotify, and keep up with him on Instagram.
You can keep up with Matty in Orginial+ on Spotify and follow them on Instagram.
You can find Joey in Old Lady on Spotify, and keep up with the group on Instagram.
And for my fellow archivists and music nerds, I hope you enjoyed this one.