INTERVIEW
THE DUCKY BOYS
by Taron Cochrane, October 2006

Hi, Mark! Tell me a little bit about  yourself?

Mark Lind: There really isn't a lot about me to tell  outside of what's on record.  I'm pretty boring. I have a really hard time  talking to people without a guitar in my hands. I hate having my picture taken. I like hummus.

Could you give us a brief history of The  Ducky Boys and where you stand today?

We started in 1995 and pretty much drew to a  close in 1999. We did reunion shows over the years and never completely went  away but we came back strong in 2003 and continue today. We've had some line-up changes over the years but me and Jay started the band and we remain at the  center of it. We currently play with DeRocco and Joe Riot and we hope to have  them on board for a good run... as long as they're willing to  stay.

With each album released you continuously impress myself and many others.   What is it about The Ducky Boys that people love so much?

I can't really speak for  others but I think that people identify with the honesty of the words and the  fact that they are getting exactly what they see; no gimmicks or images etc. I'm  fairly sure that some people see us as an underdog band and identify with us. We're never the most popular band for what we do but we're very consistent in  our musical growth and we deliver what our audience is looking for every time.  Finally, I think there are people that appreciate seeing a band grow over the  years with the audience and we certainly have done that. Our audience hasn't  really needed to move on because we aren't stagnant. As they get older and more  mature so do we both musically and personally. And there's something there for people to connect with.

The latest release, "The War Back  Home" and your first solo album, "Death or Jail" were both released earlier this  year on Sailor's Grave Records. Why Sailor's  Grave?

Sailors Grave is a division of  Thorp. We were signed to Thorp and we carried over to Sailor's Grave. That's not  to say that we were obligated. We're very happy to be with them and would  re-sign in an instant. And we probably will when the time comes.

Any favorite songs off of those albums that really stand out for  you?

That's really something for someone  else to decide. I'm already looking towards the future and focusing on those  songs. I guess if I were to select some favorites then they would be "Bombs  Away", "Better Days", "Jealousy" and "Tortured Soul".

You write alot of songs that don't ever make it on  the albums. How do you determine which ones get the axe?

I guess you gotta just see what works and  what doesn't. The truth is that virtually every song I've ever made up has been released now... or was released as of May 2, 2006 when "The War Back Home" and  "Death or Jail" were released. So its not so much an issue of never getting  released but being delayed. Don't get me wrong, I've thrown a lot of things away  in the past but as of May I had cleaned out the closet of completed songs.   I got about another 30 songs cooking right now, give or take a few. I'm sure  some of them will get the axe but a good amount will get released. I hope to put  15 on the next Ducky Boys' CD and release another solo EP early next year. I'll determine what song goes to which CD based on the feel of the song and the vibe  of the overall project.

Like many other musicians, you  come across as having an undying love for music.  Where do you think this  love stemmed from?

I'm  a pretty boring person to others but I love to listen to music and study what  they do in my mind.  I've always been that way. When I was a kid I'd just  go into my room and put 45 records on the record player by myseld and listen  over and over.  Absolutely nothing has changed about me in that respect. I  might come off like a total internet nerd but I'm just occupying my hands and  eyes while I listen to music. ha. I'm lucky to be a single guy at my age making  a decent income because I spend most of it on music. I love it. Absolutely love it and I don't foresee that ever changing. I don't care if its the Transplants,  Elliott Smith, Madball, Buddy Holly, or what. I love checking out new  music.

Do you think the Boston music scene  has changed since the band first started out? If so,  how?

I see it as having changed but I'm sure a good part of that is actually me changing as a person and thus my perspective changing.  It was  very innocent when we started. Lots of kids playing kids music. Now its older  guys playing kids music. ha. Once Dropkick Murphys broke big I think some bands  got the idea that they could do the same and some of the innocence went away but  lightning rarely strikes twice and I think we have a lot of great bands today  that just love playing music. And of course we still have our flagship band in Dropkick Murphys making excellent music and some of the other top dogs like the  Unseen, Blood for Blood and shit.

Any funny Ducky Boys stories to share?

We're not the biggest party animals or anything but we got a little unruly in  Vegas when we were there in 2004 with Dropkick Murphys and Blood for Blood. We  went out with BFB after the show to the casinos and shit and we all ended up  roasted. Doug never came home. I got struck with a case of the shitz and had to  go back to the hotel.  I was there just long enough to find the toilet unable to flush what I fed it when I hear a knock at the door. I go out and look and it's Jay completely drenched and carrying his soaking wet shoes.
He says he  "fell" into a fountain somehow. I let him in and tell him about the toilet. He  goes in and literally sticks his hands in the bowl and starts trying to plunge the toilet with his bare hands with my turds and cruddy paper floating around his arms. I was truly horrified. No one has ever been that drunk in the history  of human kind. Eventually we fall asleep drunk as skunks. When we wake up the next morning Steve (our guitar player at the time) had kicked the door down,  taken my pillows and blankets and we never woke up. I decided that night that  post show partying was not for me.

What are your plans for the future?

To make more records. The best records we can make  and not relent on the quality. We can't tour like some bands due to life obligations so we'll focus our time on making the records worth your $10.

Most important  question of the interview, do you think Justin Timberlake is really  bringing "sexy back"?

No. I  am!

Thanks for talking to me! Anything you'd like to add  before you go?

Yes. The band called The Falcon from Chicago blows  my fuckin mind!

Links:

http://www.duckyboys.com

http://www.myspace.com/duckyboys