On Wednesday, March 20th, the fine folks here at XROXX had the distinct privilege to sit down with none other than Jay Bentley of melodic punk pioneers Bad Religion prior to their show at The Rave that evening. What you see is what you get. Enjoy, and by all means, ROCK ON!!!!

XROXX: First off, thank you for taking the time to meet with us. How are you today?

JAY: I'm doing great. Thanks for having me down at your luxury studios (laughs).

XROXX: The Process of Belief marks the long awaited reemergence of Brett (Gurewitz) into the band, returning to the fold after about six years or so. How did that come about? Who's idea was it and how did it happen?

JAY: Well, it was my idea to get Brett to do a song on The New America, but that was because The New America was going to be something different when we started it. It was going to be a twentieth anniversary record type of deal. It didn't turn out to be that way, but it still kind of got Brett back into the fold. He wrote "Believe It," and that was how it all started. I called him after that, and we were all talking, and Greg (Graffin) was talking, and when that record came out we did a bunch of tours, then in February we lost Bob (Schayer), and I basically told Atlantic that it literally was just over. So we were all just ready to go home, and I remember this, Brett called me and said "Hey, do you remember The Ramones' thirteenth album?" I was like "No, not really." And Brett said "Me neither, and I'm the biggest Ramones fan in the world. But the point I'm getting at is that if you guys are going to make another should probably do something special." And I started laughing, like "Well I don't know if we're doing another record. I don't know what the hell we're doing. Then all of a sudden we've got a new drummer, Brett's writing songs, we're back on Epitaph. It was like waking up from a dream, like you just wake up and you're in Westbeach Studios recording The Process of Belief.

XROXX: Obviously, when fans first heard that Brett was rejoining the band, there was a huge buzz. Everyone was talking, everybody was just pumped and ready for a new Bad Religion album. Then once you guys rejoined with Epitaph, that only spurred the hype on more. Did you guys feel a lot of pressure going in to make the record, about living up to the expectations of your fans and followers, given that the duo of Brett and Greg are known for producing the best Bad Religion songs and albums? Was it nerve racking in any way whatsoever?

JAY: No. When we were in a room, not too much bigger than this, practicing the songs, and I think after we had gotten to the point where we could play the songs back back to back, I think that's when we started to think "Now this is good." And we wanted to go out and make this record the best that it could be, and that's really all we ever cared about. I mean, I'm our biggest critic. If anybody else didn't like it, I didn't like it first. I think that once we had got done recording it, that was the easiest part. I think Brett had a lot of pressure on him when it came to mixing the album, because now you're handed this bunch of songs that are really good and have potential, and what do you do with it? He called me a couple of times and was like "I'm just freaking out!" I said, "Just breathe, man. Go grab some coffee and get over it. It's just like when we were making Against the Grain. Just relax."

XROXX: After leaving Atlantic Records, you guys reunited with Epitaph. Did you know that you wanted to go back to Epitaph, or did you look at any other labels and weigh your options?

JAY: Greg didn't want to go back. I said I would, but I would have to go and talk with them, because I hadn't really spoken with anybody at Epitaph since we left. I worked at Epitaph when we left, so I was probably the one who left on the worst terms. Otherwise, I don't think anybody really gave a shit, but I still wanted to sit down and meet with the people there first.

XROXX: Epic Records is planning to release another Bad Religion Greatest Hits album, the second since All Ages, which came out back in 1995. Can you shed anymore light on the album as to what to expect, or is it still in the works?

JAY: (laughs) That has nothing to do with us. Surprisingly they called Epitaph, and asked Epitaph if they could make this greatest hits album. I mean, I just laughed and said "Fuck them. No!" A greatest hits record based on four crappy albums? Good luck. Why don't you just call it "The Greatest Crap They Made While They Were Here," you know? There's five songs that are "singles," and the rest is just bizarre.

XROXX: Tell us what your first show was like.

JAY: Our first show? I was so nervous that I threw up, and we had eight songs, or nine songs. And so we played our nine songs in this old warehouse, and to our surprise, after we had finished playing people asked us to play our set again. So we did, and it was really cool.

XROXX: Do you have any personal experiences in Milwaukee, good or bad? Some bands love it, and some bands hate it.

JAY: Well the vivid memories I have are all at Summerfest. I remember I was standing watching The Promise Ring play, I guess it was in 2000, and a huge thunderstorm came through. Brian (Baker) and I were running down the street, and this bus was just closing its doors as we jumped through to get on. Just as the doors closed, it rained harder than I had ever seen water come out of the sky. I was laughing "HAHAHA!!!! We made it!!!" And that was my Milwaukee memory.

XROXX: One last question, what do you think of ska music?

JAY: I'm a big supporter of The Specials and Madness. Definitely.

XROXX: Thanks again for your time and good luck with the show tonight.

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