The Mean Jeans are a good ol’ fashioned, party hard and get rowdy on stage, punk band from Portland. The trio, consisting of Billy Jeans (guitar/vocals), Jean Wilder (drums/vocals), and Howie Doodat (bass, vocals) recently played the Dark Horse (formerly Bordello) in Los Angeles.

After finishing up on stage and toweling off the sweat, Billy Jeans and Jean Wilder “attempted” a serious interview with ChinaShop. The guys told us all about how they are able to create such a powerful sound with only 3 members (a lot of it, according to Billy Jeans, comes down to the fact that they are too lazy to search for additional members), as well as discussed filling up swimming pools with Red Bull plus Jager and amazing parties they don’t quite remember.

What bands do you most associate your sound with? Are you greatly influenced by The Ramones?

BJ: Our new album sounds like Rick Springfield.

JW: In fact we are trying to change the name of the band to “Rick Springfield” but we’ve hit a few snags with the legal department over at Epic/Columbia. If all else fails we can still fall back on “Chris P. and the Crunchiez.” The Ramones are good too though, but I don’t think they are around anymore.

It sounds like you guys like to party and make that a pretty regular hobby. What are some of the more memorable partying experiences that come to mind?

BJ: “more memorable partying experience” is sort of an oxymoron, but when we were playing on a boat in Stockholm during the week the sun never sets I was reportedly seen walking on water in a jester hat with Jager shots balanced on my shoulders.

JW: Well he wasn’t exactly walking on water because I was riding a giant tuna underwater and holding him up by his feet. It all ended badly for me because I accidentally filled my oxygen tank up with Red Bull and Jagermeister. I keep those right next to my oxygen tanks so it was an honest mistake.

Who is the craziest in the band? Why is that?

BJ: Howie Doodat lives life like there is no tomorrow. We’re talking jet skis, prison, inhalants, bass solos, danger.

JW: I’d have to say the freshly recruited sax player, but you don’t know about him until a couple questions down from here, so just ignore this answer.

What is your favorite thing about being on stage?

BJ: Sometimes people bring us shots while we are on stage, which is awesome. Last time we played the Tonic Lounge in Portland I took an unnecessary amount of shots on stage, they were just handed to me. I fully blacked out, but someone said we were good I think.

JW: Honestly my favorite part of being on stage is being able to forget all of my problems in real life such as: paying off my loans that I used to open another Applebee’s in Portland, returning all the trophies that I’ve amassed from the various Pancake Eating Contests now that they’ve discovered that I cheated, paying off the $420 in late fees that I’ve accrued at Blockbuster Video because I lost their VHS copy of “House Guest” in the couch for a couple months, etc. etc. You know how it is.

Where’s your favorite place to play?

JW: Fast food chains, bowling alleys, bounce houses, IMAX movie theaters, in your dreams with special guest Freddie Krueger and anywhere with the White Wires.

What’s the best thing about living in Portland? Do you fit into the indie music scene there?

BJ: Tuff question. Probably the Jager bombs. Mean Jeans get in where they fit in.

JW: Yeah, the Jager bombs at Applebees are only 4 dollars after 10 pm. Anyway, we could get sponsored by Red Bull and Jagermeister and/or maybe secure some sort of lifetime supply of Jager bombs? We can discuss that privately if that’s more comfortable for you. But yeah I don’t think we are associated much with the indie scene over there.

What was the inspiration for the song “Steve Don’t Party No More?”

BJ: At first, we were literally raging together all day, every day. We’re talking jet skis, Jager bombs, whip-its, unemployment, the whole nine. Bros for life. Then one summer Steve stopped texting me back, I was like “dude I can’t believe you aren’t coming out tonight.” And he never came out ever again. To this day, I still can’t understand it.

JW: Yeah he obviously hasn’t taken the advice that is clearly laid out in front of you on the place-mats at Applebee’s: “Text your crew.”

What is the strangest thing that’s happened to you on the road?

BJ: One time we were partying really hard, I don’t really remember where, probably an Applebee’s, but I twisted it all the way around until it faced the front again. It was nuts.

JW: Strangest thing I’ve noticed on the road is that sometimes people actually come to our shows…

Have you always been a trio? Is it more of a challenge to create such an intense sound with just 3 members?

BJ: We were originally a 2-piece guitar and drums band. The addition of a bass helps, but in all honesty, every time I am ripping one of those annihilating guitar solos on stage, I hear like 55 harmonies in my head that would probably make the songs even more ripping. But we’re lazy, so we’ll probably just keep it to 3 dudes.

JW: Actually I don’t know about that. You see, I’ve been vacationing in San Diego since we played in LA, and I’ve slowly been filling up my parent’s swimming pool with Red Bull and Jagermeister. Anyways, to make a long story stupid, my dad called in the pool guys to come see what was up with all the discoloration and whatnot. The pool guys turned out to be complete party animals so I went ahead and invited them to join the band. So now there are approximately 69 of us in the band, including a soprano sax player named James Earl Jeans.

Is there any preparation involved in your on stage attire?

BJ: Howie Doodat rocks FUBU head-to-toe in his day-to-day life. I ain’t with that, so we dress him up like a punk when we hit the stage. We like to keep it tight. Always loose, but really tight – like a policeman in JNCO’s or the pope in leather.

JW: I generally try to align my multiple Aerosmith t-shirts so that it looks like just one 3D Aerosmith shirt. I tend to get a lot of comments on my Aerosmith t-shirt/vest combo after our shows…. those comments generally being: “Dude, get out of my face before I kick your ass”.

Words by Nicole Pajer. Photos by Dustin Downing.