Sons of the Beach
Most bands’ merch is pretty predictable. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers—that sort of stuff. But San Diego noise-pop band Wavves lets its true colors show with its tchochkes . . . and that color is green. The band’s colorful line of grinders, rolling papers and other 420-friendly items makes it clear that Wavves is on our side. Always up for trying new things, the band recently helped co-create a video game styled after the old-school Paperboy. The game’s name? Weed Demon. Here’s what bassist Stephen Pope had to say about that:
Do you guys play while on tour? Where does gaming fit into the Wavves lifestyle?
I play a little bit, but [frontman] Nathan [Williams] is a huge “gamer.” Any spare time we have he is playing video games. He just recently started bringing a PS3 on tour. I’m often woken up by Nathan screaming [an expletive] at the screen and throwing the controller across the room.
How did you guys come up with the idea of a game based on delivering marijuana?
We were throwing around ideas of classic NES games and we just decided that a psychedelic nightmare version of Paperboy would be the most fun to play. I think weed delivery just made the most sense.
What is Wavves’ views on medical marijuana? I think I know the answer to this, but I gotta ask.
Totally for medical marijuana because it has so many benefits . . . but it should be totally legal, not just for medical use.
Everyone does T-shirts, caps, etc. for merch, but Wavves also sells grinders, papers and other cannabis-friendly items. Why?
Why not be creative in every aspect of the band? Just having shirts would be boring, and having papers/lighters readily available on tour comes in handy.
Thoughts on the federal crackdown taking place in medical marijuana states?
It’s just a speed bump. It’s a last ditch effort by the feds to try to destroy MMJ, but it obviously isn’t working. (Matt Tapia)
