By Ellen Eldridge
Joe Bernardi wraps up his thoughts on Colleen Green by saying she “has been known to perform a cover of The Descendents’ ‘Good Good Things’ so slow and intense that it’s almost uncomfortable. Being so aloof and laid-back that it exposes the personal, honest sweetness in a song like that is Colleen’s M.O. in a nutshell. Colleen Green encapsulates the best parts of the Northeast and the West Coast. Colleen Green always wears sunglasses onstage. Colleen Green is long hair and getting high. I listened once. I will listen forever. Sock it to me.”
What’s the first gig you ever attended?
The first concert I ever went to was Bush and Veruca Salt in 1996. My friend’s mom and step-dad brought us and he made fun of me for wanting to wear ear plugs. It was an amazing show though, I was obsessed with Veruca Salt and thought they were the coolest girls in the entire world. Their album “Eight Arms to Hold You” ended up becoming one of my favorites of all time. My mom made me special pants to wear for the occasion. That was a concert though….the first “gig” I saw was at Westford Academy in Westford, MA and it took place on their football field. Big D and the Kids Table, Six Cents, and Dow Jones and the Industrials played (the ska band from Saugus, MA; not the power pop band from Illinois or whatever.) And some other bands that I don’t remember. Fake emo glasses were worn, people were skanking, which I hated, and me and my friends all wore clothes from Pacific Sunwear. This was in 2000, I believe, and I was in 9th grade.
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed?
This is a really tough question because I have played so many shows that I would call “the funnest show ever.” I smoke a lot of weed so I’m typically in a really good mood at my shows, and all my fans are really nice and make me feel good whenever I play, even if I suck. It’s just so nice to get up there and know that people care. I love to play and sing so I always have fun, but for the sake of the question I’ll say that the Sub Pop/Hardly Art showcase at SXSW 2011 was incredible. So many bands and artists that I admire were there, playing the same show, and it was so rewarding playing on that huge stage in a place as big as Red 7, and it was packed. Ah, I’ll never forget it. Two of my cousins came and brought their husbands and they were super excited and very proud of me. My record label was proud of me. Plus, the show was catered.
What is the best gig you have ever seen?
God dammit, this is a tough question too! If I may call back to the previous question, I smoke a lot of weed so I often feel like every show I’ve seen is “the best show ever.” I don’t know. I’m just gonna say it was JEFF the Brotherhood at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara in October 2012. We were on tour together with Diarrhea Planet, and this was the first night Emmett decided to play the epic guitar solo from “The Tropics” with JEFF. Everyone was pretty drunk; I was high. It was a really pleasant surprise for the audience, and it sounded amazing.
Gig you would most like to play?
Saturday Night Live. Is that too corny? I dunno.
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
SISU, JEFF the Brotherhood and whatever Mike Hunchback is doing at the time.
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Sock it to Me was released on March 19th on Hardly Art Records and Green plays 529 TONIGHT!
