Phoenix punk band Mike and the Molotovs are blowing up big time

We live in unprecedented times. While many artists have expertly distilled the socio-political quagmire called daily life, few do it with as much grit and bravado as Mike and the Molotovs.

"When we started in 2022, we were still coming out of COVID and all the economic struggles," says singer Mike Lee. "There's the pressure cooker of what it feels like right now. All the conversations I'm having with friends or family and people online about how frustrated they are about things. If you're not mad, you're not paying attention."

Most of the band — Lee as well as bassist Bryon Anderson, rhythm guitarist Ivan Neurotic, drummer John Stockfisch and lead guitarist Jason Ford — have a punk background suited for their angsty musical aims. (Stockfisch used to play bass for Screeching Weasel in the '90s.) But co-lead guitarist Daniel "Country" Morris is an "old-school hillbilly dude from Kentucky," says Lee, and he’s allowed the band to develop their "spaghetti punk" sound. The marriage of punk and country ain't new, but the band's take is nonetheless interesting.

"There's something grounding about country music," says Lee. "It feels so far removed from a lot of the slick overproduction. It just feels very organic to Arizona."

In fact, Lee thinks punk and country have more in common than you'd expect.

"They were against the confines of what society was expecting them to do," says Lee of the accompanying cowboy imagery. "I'm sure there's some problematic shit with cowboys, but the spirit is that you don't have to prescribe to some of the more bogus tendencies.”

But Mike and the Molotovs' sound is more than just rocking country-punk. With song titles like "Red, White and Fuck You," from 2023's "This Is Spaghetti Punk" EP, the band balance anger and intensity with humor and brevity.

"It's easy to yell and be very angry; there's a time and a place for that," says Lee. "I'm never going to be angrier or scream louder, and the band's never going to be heavier, than bands that already exist. So what we do is something that's a little different and infuse (those) rowdy ballroom, drunk and celebratory vibes blended with the frustration of what's going on and make fun of these people that keep us enslaved in this system. I don't know that it's super angry, but it is definitely frustrated music."
Lee went even further still, explaining that humor and joy are great equalizers.

"All of this humor, and the way that it can land, is something that rock 'n' roll has really forgotten about," says Lee. "We're all working-class people. Let's make sure we're angry at the right people and let's laugh and have a good time and find camaraderie … instead of splitting people apart."

It’s a trend that very much continues on the band’s latest EP, "Monarchy in the USA," which drops on Saturday.

"I think (the title track) is my favorite," Lee says. "I'm going to use that example again of planting the flag and just being like, 'This is where we stand, and if you don't know who we are or what we are, that's a great place to start.'"

Its humor, then, is not just in the lyrics but the song’s structure itself.

"It's weird because it flips the script on what we normally do," Lee says. "Our formula is country verses and then it'll get heavy on the chorus. We swap this one around so it's heavy on the verses and the bridge and then it's country on the choruses. We did this on purpose to make fun of this corporate machine that’s shilling out this inauthentic country and painting it red, white and blue. In the hands of a real producer, it would be a bro country song."

It's a tactic they learned from musical heroes like Devo.

"They were excellent at hijacking New Wave and throwing in things that dig at the system and at the insanity of MTV and record labels and rock stars," Lee says. "You can read as deep into it as you want. Those are the books and movies I enjoy — 'Wow, this is weird in a really interesting way. I want to do it again and let this sink in.'"

While they're not yet on Devo's level, Mike and the Molotovs have been successful. The band have clearly had an effect on live crowds (including during shows with Powerman 5000 and Mac Sabbath).

"We have this song called 'Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Work at Walmart.' People would come up to us after the show like they were going to a priest and asking for absolution," Lee says. "Like, 'I shop at Walmart; I totally know it's not good.' It's like, 'OK, son. Go support some local business and don't eat meat for a week.'"
It’s bigger than confused fans. In early 2024, the band won 98KUPD's "Playdio" competition, where local bands submit songs to air on "Holmberg's Morning Sickness." And, yes, they won with "Fucked the Bosses Wife (For the Working Class)" of all songs.

"We didn't expect to win," Lee says. "We were like, 'I'm going to submit this. We're probably not going to win. They're going to make fun of us. It's exposure. Who cares?'"

But the sudden uptick in fame/attention was especially peculiar for the band. It struck at an issue central to the group, and got them thinking about their larger creative purpose.

"So when we won that, we were like, 'Well, this is corporate radio and we have a song on corporate radio now,'" Lee says. "How does that jive with this idea of being anti-corporate?' It was a lot to really wrap our heads around. On the one hand, it's great bragging rights. On the other hand, I don't want it to be seen as diluting our message, and I want to be absolutely clear and reaffirm where we are."

So, in response, songs across "Monarchy in the USA" address this topic.

"'Monarchy' and 'I'd Rather Die than Be Rich' really came from that experience," Lee says. "Like, how close do we want to get to being commoditized? It's a weird space to be in, and there's a lot of debate within the band and the community. Like, can Rage Against the Machine play Coachella and be on a major label? Can they be in bed with Live Nation and Ticketmaster, and what does that truly look like?"

All of that gets at something that's not only central to the EP, but the band in general. Fame and money are pointless — only the music matters.

"None of us are trying to make a living at this," Lee says. "None of us want to be musicians full time. We're all working-class guys. We're just doing this because it's fun, and we're saying something that's relevant."

That's not to say they don't want to be popular (even as Lee says he won't "lose any sleep" if fans don't connect with the new EP). But it comes down to nailing this balance between their audience and the band's ethics and end goals.

"It's a very fine line between 'Are we doing it for popularity and to make money?' or is it out of an authentic place," Lee says. "We want to make good music, we want to have social commentary, we want to have fun and we want to get people to think."
The band also recognize that they're very much in a battle against time to achieve their mission.

"There's a very finite amount of time where you have everybody's health and their attention and their focus, and so I don't take that for granted," Lee says. "I don't know that it's a conscious decision, like, 'Oh yeah, we're going to release something every year,' but it just feels like there's momentum. I want to take advantage of the fact that we have so much talent floating around in the band."

Not just time but the massive machine of corporate music.

"It's awful; it feels that music these days is just so easy to discount and it gets lost among the sheer amount of content that's being created," Lee says. "It does feel like, 'Oh man, like I haven't put anything out in six or nine months, and the Spotify numbers are dropping.' If you're hyper-fixed on those, it'll drive you crazy."

So, what they’ll just do instead is play shows and release music. (Lee says the band are "one-third of the way finished with our next release," which is either an EP or LP.) Because if you really want to master these unprecedented times — where jerks rule the coop, content is king and decency is scarce — you've got to truly be in it for the long haul.

"I want this (band) to be 20 to 30 years long," Lee says. "I can stand behind this for the next 20 years as I'm releasing more EPs and albums."

Mike and the Molotovs' "Monarchy in the USA" release show. 8 p.m. Saturday. Yucca Tap Room, 29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe. The show is free and the first 100 entrants receive a free mystery gift.