On the surface, Indianapolis punk band Pat and the Pissers might seem like a joke. Well, initially, it was.
“We had a last-minute show at The Sauna in Muncie, where we all met,” said frontman Alex Beckman, 28, of the band’s origins in 2018. “Our friend Pat [who’s not in the band] said he wanted to start a band with ‘piss’ in the name, and our friend Aubrey said, ‘How about Pat and the Pissers?’”
The band used the name for the show flyer, thinking it would be a one-off thing. But the gigs kept coming.
“It kind of snowballed from a joke side project into something more serious by the time we finished our last year of college,” said Beckman.
Since relocating to Indianapolis from Muncie, Pat and the Pissers has made its mark in the DIY music community of Indianapolis, organically growing a local fan base through regular shows at venues like Black Circle, Healer, Square Cat Vinyl and State Street Pub. Along the way, the band has also toured the Midwest and beyond, building strong followings in nearby cities like Charlotte, Detroit, Kansas City and Nashville.
“We’ve always DIY booked our own tours, including the one we have coming up,” Beckman said. “A band comes to Indy. I go to their show, I talk to the band, and we become friends. Then, you play Ohio. You meet people in Ohio, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I know somebody in Pittsburgh too.’ It just spirals out like that.”
The tour, which kicked off March 7, celebrates the band’s latest full-length album, “How It’s Done.” It’s available now on streaming sites, and will be released on vinyl March 15 via Indianapolis-based label Romanus Records.
After three weeks on the road, Pat and the Pissers will cap off the tour back in Indy on Saturday, March 29, with the one-day “How It’s Done Fest” at all-ages venue Black Circle.
While booking their own tours, the band members also maintain their day jobs, which only allow them to do so much traveling each year.
“This is our first three-week tour,” Beckman said. “We try to do one or two two-week tours a year. And then, we do five or six that are three or four days. We try to play as much as we can all go without getting fired from our jobs.”
Showing Indy how it’s done
Pat and the Pissers recorded “How It’s Done” with local sound engineer Bill Stack from Green House Recordings, who they’ve worked with before. He specializes in recording punk, but says he’s happy to help anyone “looking to make an honest record.”
“It’s really fun to work with somebody that you not only know and love the sound they get, but they’re your fucking buddy,” said bassist Alex Kilmer, 27. “His recording style is true to DIY. It’s in his home with his gear, and he makes it sound beautiful.”
In terms of subject matter, Pat and the Pissers cover a lot of ground in their new record, while sticking to their spirited punk sound.
“This record tackles a bunch of different topics,” Beckman said. “There are songs about collectivism. There are songs about mental health. There are songs about toxic masculinity. There’s a song about bullying that was really important for me to finally put onto a record.”
In looking ahead to their first-ever tour of the West Coast, Pat and the Pissers say they couldn’t be more amped.
“We’re really excited for Missoula, Montana, and Bismarck, North Dakota. We’re gonna stop off at Pissers Palace, a tiny little dive bar in Butte, Montana, on the way,” Beckman said. “It’s exciting to finally be able to go to the West Coast and play places I never thought I would get to play.”
Seth Johnson is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach him at seth.johnson4291@gmail.com.
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