Delving into life and music with Scream's Enoch Thompson / Interview

Enoch Thompson of Scream in Seattle. (Cat Rose photo)

By Andy

Armed with copious songs of the raucous and melodious sort that spanned their 40-plus-year career, Scream bounded into Seattle on Nov. 1 for an elevating gig alongside Dischord Records mates Soulside and additional acts Coyotes on Peyote and Mold Mom at The Vera Project.

The band's stellar new album, "DC Special," arrives on Nov. 10 and it contains everything you'd expect from the stalwarts of the punk rock scene: loud, soft, fast and slow -- and always dead-on nailing whatever style sits in their bailiwick at any given moment. It's got friends galore all pitching in to bring the latest DC musical offering to life, and we desperately need the uplifting messages within this record these days.

Original members Pete Stahl (vocals), Franz Stahl (guitar), Enoch Thompson (bass) and Kent Stacks (drums) lead the immense Scream Team on this platter, which was recorded, mixed and produced at Inner Ear Studios by Don Zientara, Ian MacKaye and others.

Before Scream's Seattle gig, I sat down with Thompson and we dug into the band's past and present days and, of course, got the lowdown on the "DC Special."

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** Scream's back out here again. What keeps you guys going after all these years? You got the new album out, doing some touring. What's it been like being part of the band and what keeps you guys rolling?

I'm addicted to rock and roll. We love music so much. We love each other so much. We've been together (more than) 40 years now. What got us back out there -- Franz had been sending me music for like the last three or four years. And Pete came up with this great concept of the 'DC Special' -- and we thought it was a great, perfect time to get out and support the record now. But I think the greatest motivational thing was the pandemic. After you sit around for two years and you have no human contact anymore, get back out there and do the same thing, like reclaim your independence or whatever. That was my inspiration. 

** What does this album mean to you? What are you really trying to put across here?

What stands out now is because our original drummer Kent Stacks... we didn't know at the time when we recorded it that Kent had lung cancer. I don't know, six months later, something like that, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. So for that, I'm really glad that we were able to get him one last recording before he left. (Stacks passed away on Sept. 20 of this year).

** What stands out for you, message-wise, that you guys are bringing to the table here in 2023?

How the songs touch people. How we were in fear that the pandemic was going to be the new normal, at least to me. It was when Pete finally reached out and said he had this concept of 'DC Special,' which was like, to get all our friends together and try to get people who influenced us to play on it. We were able to get people that came from their childhood, like Pete and Franz's childhood, like this band called The Hangmen. One member from that band. So we're just taking one or two members from different bands that we always like -- Razz and bands like that.

** Who are some of the others? 

Minor Threat and Fugazi. Ian (MacKaye) and Joe (Lally) were there. What band was Martha (Hull) in? (Pete: "She was in the D. Ceats and The Slickee Boys.")  Onam (Emmett) is formerly known as Tomas from Red C and Amy Pickering from Fire Party and Jerry Busher from Fidelity Jones (and now Scream).

** I heard one of the songs, "DC Special (Sha La La)," obviously. "As long as we're together, the only thing that matters." That's a great line right there. Is that kind of what the message is that you guys are bringing about?

Well, that exactly. Actually how we needed each other to start the DIY scene, right? And it seemed like everybody's sort of getting right wing, left wing -- divisive. Politics in the pandemic and life in general. So, yeah, got to the point that you had to try to express. Pete's always been good lyrically of expressing great sad and disdain, but I thought it was really great because this is more of an uplifting (record). It's just reminding you of how we need each other. 

** What's been the main message from day one?

Always think about your community and try to invest time and love in your community. You got to remember the history and how things got together. You got to try to change, always try to motivate for change. And then you have a great deal of faith and belief, and I think we always try to push that. We never really bash you over the head so much with our lyrics. We try to make people think more, create a picture.

** Obviously, the world today, a lot of it's in shambles, a lot of fucked up things going on. But you guys have always spoke out. You've always addressed strongly against war, racial injustice, inequality. Fighting the fight just as strong as ever when it comes to that?

Oh, absolutely. I mean, we still protest to survive, we still contribute and will do benefits for any sort of good cause. We're always striving for a better world.

** And a lot of those songs throughout the years take on such more of a significant meaning as you go. They're still relevant.

Absolutely. I mean, same things are still going on. All the violence, guns everywhere. We're constantly trying to stay and keep people aware of the situations we are in; why we started being punks or alternative people. Even if we're just speaking from a musical perspective, we're always going to stand up for righteousness in some way. But we're not blatant with it. But we're definitely passionate about everything. Write about influence, change the ideals of those who are oppressing.

** How would you like the band to be remembered? What kind of mark would you say you guys have left?

For being passionate, a great live band, number one. Always contributing to the world. A loyal band that paints an honest picture of himself. We're not rock stars. We don't want to be the biggest, most popular band, as big as like Guns N' Roses. But we put that much love and dedication, I think, into our music and into our craft. I would want Scream to be remembered as a band that wore its heart on its sleeve, and to move people.

** And with Kent. So sorry about your loss. What did he bring to Scream as a person, a player, as a human being?

He's a unique character. I've known Kent since first, second grade. What did he bring to the band? He brought a work ethic that would be greatly admired. He was never late, even when he was sick. He's just a hard worker. Could always count on him. As they say, 'the heartbeat of Scream,' there's no one like him. I mean, talented and he had a great passion for life. ("He was special. I miss the hell out of him," an emotional Thompson added. The two youngsters met at Glen Forest Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia, and Thompson recalled one taxing day they endured at a nearby playground: "Some guy was being a bully, being a dick to him, and I went and kicked the guy's ass and let Kent get a couple of punches in. Told the guy to never touch him again.") 

** What's your journey been like through punk rock and music? What have you learned? What have you brought along with you over the last 40-plus years?

An extended family is probably the most important thing. Cherish the moment. The road has been very auspicious and intimidating up and down. But I've been through like a lot of stuff. Life is always death. And I had a wicked drug addiction. If it wasn't for punk rock or music or whatever, I probably would still be wobbling in that.

** Got you through some tough times?

And the people of my community in DC, even though I moved from there because the population has quadrupled or tripled, at least too many people there. But the people that I know there, where I'm from, are very special people. Learned a lot. I think the main thing is integrity and loyalty.

** We spoke about life during the pandemic, and within those trying times came the George Floyd murder. How did that affect you as an African American? Pete mentioned "I can't breathe" during the Seattle show, is that a Scream lyric?

Our song "Last of the Soft" is about the living and dying through the pandemic and life, too, in general, but we sing about the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted as a response to (the) George Floyd murder and the anger of years and years of police brutality against black and brown disenfranchised people like us. We have to scream back, "I can't breathe," and we sing about (it) in this song. Scream will always sing about injustice and how we need to come together to make the right to move. Power to the people.