We’re gonna say it, MKNG FRNDZ are fucking adorable. Daniel Scott Erickson and Tami Hart are two punk kids from “the neon side of town” who just love to dance. Every time we hear their songs we want to lose our shit on the floor and then go giggle with them. Go listen to “Situation” on their MySpace and tell us you stayed seated with all your limbs in check. Then stop lying… that shit’ll get you in trouble.
We went for coffee with them and left with our cheeks hurting from all the larfs. In fact, we md frndz fr lfe!
Chief Magazine: Let’s just start at the beginning. It’s easy. Where are you guys from originally?
Daniel: I’m from Anchorage, Alaska. People are always like, “Sarah Palin!” It’s always a talking point. Oh well. Growing up there was awesome in retrospect. When you’re growing up you’re pretty isolated, and it’s a really small scene, but you make it work. I went to some pretty awesome shows. Like Red Ants came there, Seven Year Bitch. You would have never thought those kind of performers would come up there but they did. It was pretty cool.
Tami: I’m from Beaufort, South Carolina and we’re famous for Pat Conroy and Forrest Gump! And crack. There’s a lot of crack. I remember my senior year of high school, it was like, ABC and NBC news were coming down, because “Beaufort was turning into New York, because of the crack epidemic!” Kids would come up to me at school and be like, “Wanna buy?” I was eighteen. It was kinda cool.
Did you ever try it?
Tami: On accident once.
Daniel: “On accident” off and on for a few months!
[giggles ensue for a good minute]
Tami: Our next record: I Accidentally Smoked Crack. Anyway, I was living in Portland, Oregon and I was hanging out with this girl that I worked with at Whole Foods. I thought she was really cool, she was this ’77 punker girl, and her name was Asia, and she talked really hoarse, you know. She was a mess. She always came to work late and the first thing she would do was run to the bathroom because she had to puke. And I thought that was really cool! [laughs]
Daniel: So Foxfire.
Tami: Totally! One night I ran into her at the Jockey Club, which was this total punk dive bar that I loved. I went into the bathroom, and she was in there with this lady, and I was like, “What are you guys doing?” And they put the pipe in my mouth and were like, “Try this.” And I was all, “Alright, I’ll try anything once!” It didn’t even feel like anything, it just felt gross. And then I remember leaving the bar, and she was literally in the parking lot, like dying. And I was like, “I don’t think that’s a good thing.”