Chance Rush
Just like I can't cut off my own head, I can't stop myself from starting and re-starting this band. I will always be grateful for and never deminish the history with the other band members I have played with. This is the only outlet I know. Starting a new band with the same lyrical style and some of the same songs would be lying to myself. And the numbers more so than just the history of the band, 11 and 17 (and especially Dec. 28th 11:17 pm 2002) has an ongoing history and sentiment which I will never be able to shake off.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
What started out as a couple of dumb asses in Vacaville, Ca jamming in a local park, a few years and a whole new line up, and now you have 5 dumb asses who between beers decided to pick up instruments and mic's. In 1990, I played guitar with then drummer Robb Morgan, and he and I worked on some songs building off some stuff I had written with former band mates (all former members of Bloody Mess and the Skabs and Sub 13, the prior legends in the midwest) Ugly Friends from Peoria, Il. Robb and I quickly met up with a real guitar player and I went to just writting music and lyrics, leaving the playing of instruments to people who had better skills and better abilities. The band was then known as Retarded Children in Agony. The name was changed because well, California is to politically correct and the rest of the band didn't want to always explain what the meaning behind the name meant, so we changed it to 11/17 (11/17 is a visual joke, if drawn out correctly it looks like a skeletal hand flipping the bird- Try it, or trust me... I say just trust me, and lets move on shall we... Thanks)... We played a KDVS bennifit with a stand in Bass Player, named Jeff Reed, and the show went well, with I believe 5 or 6 originals and 1 cover of Bloddy Mess and HATE's song Lame Town. And then we tried to move to Las Vegas and try to get it going down there... Well punks in a trailer in the fucking desert with nothing to do but drink and other such bad vices, we parted ways... I moved back to Northern California where I met Jude and James at the best fucking job on the planet earth... We clicked and what do you know, they played instruments too... So I got it in my head to start 11/17 again... We found Joel to play bass, and off we went... We played for about a year and a half, and then I went back to Peoria for about 3 years, came back and Jude was fronting for the band Girth... As soon as that band broke up, Jude picked back up drumming and we got James and Joel back and well because I am such a fat lazy bastard, I wanted another singer to help along... So we began the duel vocals thing with W.H. ... Our last show (Played at Shady Brady's in Roseville, Ca) I had the fortunate luck to get to play with a Nardcore version (including some original members) of Agression and SammyTown from FANG, his new band RESISTOLEROS So as I get ready to head back to Peoria, Il., 11/17 is on a permanent hiatus, but we will never say we are broke up... Because 20 years from now, we will be 50-something punk rock bastards doing a reunion gig in some shitty bar, (probably the Stag in Woodland) getting shit faced drunk and playing like hell... Something we are very proud of. And I am proud of my band mates and all of our friends in the Unity Crew. Your Fat Little Buddy, Chance
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
I did, in the Sacramento area... Now, here in Peoria, IL I need a new band.
Your musical influences
Henry Rollins, Crowbar, DRI
