30 Years War.

30 YEARS WAR is the soundtrack of a bloody grinding train wreck. It's on the stereo of speeding cars and blasting out of the headphones of delinquents. It's angry, loud, fast hardcore music made by guys who like to ride skateboards and drink Milwaukee's Best. Thirty Years War is Aaron Meister (vocals), Casey Zelinsky (guitar), Gideon Naude (bass), Jeremy Tucker (guitar), and Tanner Zelinsky (drums). Check them out on Thrasher magazine's Skate Rock Vol 12 Eat the Flag, and at 30yearswar.com.

Why does 30 Years War go through so many bass players? How many grand total?

Jeremy Tucker: Fifth time's a charm.

Casey Zelinsky: Ryan Wanamaker, Matt, me, Chris, Troy, Barry, and Gideon.

Jeremy: Seventh time's a charm.

Do you either have to be from Sonora or go to UCSC to be a bass player in 30 Years War?

Casey: No. Troy never did, never was from Sonora. Neither was Chris.

Where's the singer?

Tanner Zelinsky: We have one?

Casey: Yeah, right? This is how every meeting with the War goes; without a singer.

Jeremy: He shows up on special occasions, like shows. He might show up for a practice after months of not having a show, for the practice before a show.

Casey: Or maybe not. Usually he just shows up at the shows.

Jeremy: As far as I know, I've only been in the band for a year and a half and I've seen him at two practices.

Casey: Gideon's seen Aaron once.

He's a nice guy. You should meet him sometime. He has glasses and squats and screams.

Gideon Naude: I plan on it.

Jeremy: He's good at it, squatting and screaming.

So would you guys agree that meat is good for rock and roll? Has rock and roll gotten better after meat was reintroduced back into the equation?

Casey: Yes, meat has been reintroduced into the equation. And since Aaron has been eating meat he's been in the band more.

So meat is not only good for rock and roll, it's good for brotherhood?

Jeremy: Meat is just a beautiful thing. Meat is good.

Does anybody actually know the words to 30 Years War songs?

Jeremy: After being in the band now I know what they are. Aaron is a pretty brilliant character. He's got glasses and went to college and all that stuff.

Casey: Thirty Years War started in college.

So you're a college a band, like college radio?

Casey: We used to go skateboarding and it would start raining, and we decided to start a band. I wasn't a drummer, I had nothing to drum, I don't play the fucking drums. Aaron said "I can sing." We had a guitar and a bass. I thought, "This band is cool. I like it."

(The rest of the interview was conducted with Aaron while he was somewhere else ...)

What's the deal with Creature skateboards?

Aaron: They pay us a lot of money every time we get photos in mags with us wearing their clothes. So make sure you put a lot of those pictures in the article. I need some new shoes.

What label is the War on now? Are we expecting a new full-length soon?

Aaron: We're putting out a full-length with Lorelei Records. It's a good one, too.

What was the 30 Years War about?

Aaron: Ask Casey about that one. Casey just liked the name when he heard it in a history class. I kind of don't like the name, but what are you going to do? If you really want to know, it was a giant war in Europe circa the 1600s that resulted in the dawn of the modern era and a change in social structure.

Why do you go through so many bass players?

Aaron: They don't like Casey. I have no idea. Someone told me if a band goes through more than three bass players they should just give up. I guess we're screwed any day now.

Will Gideon become a hermit after The War?

Aaron: Most definitely. And he'll probably trip on his earlobes by then.

What's the songwriting process? Mostly your lyrics and Casey's music? The Beast?

Aaron: I don't do shit anymore. I used to drive for a couple hours to practice for 45 minutes, then drive back, but I'm over it. They can just write songs and I'll just scream some shit at a show or something. I can't remember the words anyway, so what's the difference? I want to be like Axl. They don't know when I'm going to show up or not, then when I do I'll be a total ass and tell them they're lucky to have me. I'm the glue, you know?

How do you go about integrating new members into the mix? Who's out next?

Aaron: I'm out next, for sure. I used to be the hot one. All the ladies loved me. Then Tanner came along with his dreamy eyes. I took a bit of a hit. Now with Gideon in the band I've lost whatever cool points I had going for me. I'm losing.

Did I ask about how meat is good for rock and roll? I'm concerned about that.

Aaron: I'm feeling you on this one. Now that I started eating meat again, I'm way more pissed off. I get the kind with extra hormones so my balls can shrivel up and I'll be able to do the butt rock scream.