NEWSLETTER

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Panthers is one of the fucking hardest bands in Brooklyn right now. They sound like James Brown, MC5, and Nation of Ulysses gave birth to a squealing little baby with guitars for arms. Their shows are like a chaotic and danger-charged sociology lecture. A couple of them are also in the hardcore band Orchid, and they rule too.

VICE: Are you copping a Black Panthers thing or something with your name?

Jayson (vocals): The word “panther” actually has a pretty varied political history. There’s black, gray, weird, and pink ones. It’s kind of like saying that this is how we’ve read against the text of the usage of “panther” by standing it on its own.

That’s a bit rich.

Well, it’s also just fun to go onstage and say, “We’re panthers.” All bullshit aside, that was the reason.

Do people in the audience ever give you a hard time?

I’m more often verbally harassed at gas stations while we’re on the road. A tour hasn’t really started until I get called a “pussy homo” at an Exxon in Tennessee. I wish I had some crazy Bad Brains-esque story, but most of the kids who come to see us cried at I Am Sam, so I don’t think they’re really the fight-starting type.

But you must get hurt just from playing, right?

Sure. I’ve chipped a tooth on the mic, tumbled off the stage and then had the monitor pushed on top of me, fallen into the drums multiple times resulting in cuts and bruises, been hit in the head with Justin and Geoff’s guitar headstocks, and choked on confetti.

QUINN MORRISON
Panthers’ Are You Down? is out now on Troubleman Unlimited.

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