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Music

Midnite Snaxxx Are Set to Make Valentines Day a Whole Lot More Punk

Screw chocolate and roses, pop your leather jacket collar and rock out with the Oakland punks on Feb 14.

Valentines Day is about to get a lot more rockin' this year when Oakland's Midnite Snaxxx release Chew On This, their second album of poppy and melodic punk.

Led by Dulcinea Gonzalez on vocals and guitar, the four-piece are driven by the bubble gum melody of the Ramones, 70s power pop and bourgeois snacks. Released on New Orleans label Pelican Pow Wow Wow (Gino and the GoonsAquarian BloodBuck Biloxi and the Fucks), Chew On This takes the tough/fun ratio to a solid 1:1.

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Proceeds from their record release show on March 3 will go directly to Planned Parenthood.

Listen to the track "Sad to See You Go" and read a short interview with Dulcinea below.

Noisey: You say that your second LP has a bit more bite than their first. In what way?
Dulcinea Gonzalez: We really are a different band these days. I still write the songs but everyone is more involved in the process. Camylle came to us having never played bass in a band before. She worked super hard to get up to speed and is now just ripping it up! Sammy on drums gives us the perfect blend of Tommy Ramone and trashy garage rock. Last but not least, we have a new guitar player, Chris Santamaria (Ex-Loli & The Chonies), that has added a whole new layer and perspective to our sound. With the new LP, we definitely took more time to work on these songs before recording than we had in the past. We all feel pretty stoked with the result and hope other peeps get off on it too.
 
What is your favourite track from the album that you like to play live? 
It changes from show to show. I do really like the raw energy of "Hey, I Am Human", with everyone literally grunting behind me. I also like our poppier songs like "Found A Way To Your Heart". The band is definitely a two-headed beast, playing both harder and softer tunes, but that's what keeps it interesting.
 
What was it like playing with Alice Bag? 
It was awesome. I mean HELLO --  getting to play with Alice Bag -- this incredible Latina who blazed the earliest of punk rock trails --  was an honor and super fun. When we met her, she was just super friendly and supportive. She's an awesome lady and it's inspiring to see her still playing killer music and being such a positive force in the community. At that show, lots of people of color came out and it really felt awesome to play in front of so many folks who look like we do. I hope we get to play with her again!
 
What have you learned the most about group dynamics from your time in bands? 
I've learned that you need all hands on deck. If you have one member that is only lukewarm about stuff, it's not gonna work. You need to surround yourself with people who genuinely care about making music, about being creative and who want to be part of the whole process. I feel incredibly lucky to be playing with the Snaxxx right now.
 
You have worked in events coordination from garage rock festivals to wine sales. What are the good and bad things about both?
Actually, I worked for an alternative news weekly in SF called The Bay Guardian for a long time, where event advertising and planning was my focus. I was able to transfer that experience to help out the Budget Rock and Burger Boogaloo festivals for a little while. Any fest work I have done has been a labor of love. What can I do? I'm Rock'n'Roller! The great thing about the fests is getting swept up with a really great band. The worst is realizing that you need to call for an emergency port-o-potty cleaning. Anyway, after the newspaper collapsed, I had to reinvent myself. I have pretty much always studied food and wine for fun on my own, so I decided to follow that passion into the wine industry. The great thing about working where I do is that I get to taste amazing wines from all over the world regularly. The worst thing is I don't have Sundays off.
 
At the end of the day do you prefer a cold can of budget rock beer or a classy glass of shiraz? 
I can appreciate both, but change that glass to a Bourgogne rouge or blanc and we are in biz.

What is the most overlooked or under appreciated Ramones song
"Carbona Not Glue".

'Chew On This' Is available Feb 14 through Pelican Pow Wow.