A couple of weeks ago at the Battle of the Hamms, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a spectacular new local punk band with one of the best names: Idiot Man Child. The band consists of Jake Asen on bass and vocals, Chris Holmes on drums, Tristan Barstad on guitar, and Jesse “Riff” Ostlund on guitar. This is a bar-clearing punk band you should know about, so I talked with Jake about the band’s origin and supergroups.
High Plains Reader: So your band is called Idiot Man Child, huh? What’s the story behind the band name?
Jake Asen: I was led to believe that this band Protomartyr from Seattle or Detroit – I believe their original name was supposed to be Idiot Man Child – and then they got signed and ended up changing the name. So I figured it’s fair game now.
HPR: You and I have talked before about how lyrics are the most important part of a song for you. What lyrical themes are you getting into with IMC?
Jake: This is one of the first times I’ve been political with music because generally, I try to stay away from those themes. But with IMC, it felt like the right project. With IMC, a lot was written during the pandemic, so I got into a lot of the stuff happening in the world during that time – the riots and just the state of the world. Tackling a lot of big stuff that needed to be said. On top of that, we are very much against North Dakota politics and how oppressive they can be toward the LGBTQ+ community, and that hits home because 3/4 of the band is LGBT.
HPR: Is it true you cleared out Dempsey’s with some of that sentiment?
Jake: Yes. We played the song “There They Go Again,” and it’s about the police. All I said was the song title and that it was police brutality. After the show, the sound guy told us that he turned around, and half the bar just left. So I guess you can now call us a bar-clearing punk band.
HPR: When you write music, are you influenced by former greats of music, or does all your motivation come from within?
Jake: It’s all me. No, I’m just kidding! It’s a lot of locals, as far as locals go – Arachnid. They are a big influence on IMC as far as stage energy and sound. It was almost exactly what I wanted to sound like – just a really aggressive sound.
HPR: A very underrated Fargo band.
Jake: Totally, Totally and obviously, bands like Baltic and Germ Circus also had a big influence on us. As far as bigger bands, it was a lot of Idles and a lot of Protomartyr and then just a lot of classic ’80s punk rock.
HPR: This project started as just you and Kryos. Now it looks like you have a full band minus Kyros. How did the current lineup come together?
Jake: Well, it started during COVID as what I thought would be a one-and-done thing. I wrote a bunch of songs on my own, and the opportunity came up to record them. Thankfully, my friend Wyatt (Kyros) was around and willing to be a session drummer. He just wasn’t able to play live or really be in the band because he is very busy with Pursuit and Thrallfrost. So I did everything else besides drumming on the demo.
HPR: Who is the band now?
Jake: Chris Holmes from Seriously Hot Shit, Germ Circus, Straight Line Arrival; Tristan from Pass the Flask; and Riff from Swing Low RIP. A super group of sorts.
HPR: Funny you say that because my next question was going to be the local scene is packed full of great loud talent. If you could build a supergroup made of you and any other local people, what kind of music would it be, and who would you bring in?
Jake: Good question. I would still have Riff for sure. So easy and fun to work with. It’s a very hard question. It’d be like a Type-O rip-off band. I’d definitely get Wyatt (Kyros), I’d get Max Johnk. I’d definitely get him.
HPR: If you can get a Max Johnk, you definitely get a Max Johnk! Who does vocals? You?
Jake: Well, no, I would just fill in where I was needed. I could play bass or guitar, or harmonica or the clarinet.
HPR: Type-O ripoff band with a clarinet sounds legit!
Jake: Yeah, but I think I’d have to go with Sean Thompson for vocals, I’d just have to. He is such a nice and quiet guy, but on stage, he turns feral. He looks scary, like he’s going to fight you!
HPR: Thanks for answering all these important questions. Anything you want to plug?
Jake: Check out https://idiotmanchild.bandcamp.com/album/idiot-man-child to buy the album!
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IF YOU GO
Idiot Man Child, Mares of Thrace (Canadian), and Hanging Wound
The Aquarium, 226 Broadway upstairs, Downtown Fargo
June 12, 2023
