Punk four-piece Aye Nako tackles issues in their music that could double as a college curriculum—histories of abuse, race, trauma, family, love, gender, and a misrepresentation of identity. But that’s not to say that their music is too serious to be enjoyed; on the contrary, singer/songwriter Mars Dixon and bandmates Angie Boylan, Jade Payne, and Joe McCann have perfected the multisyllabic lyrics over pounding drums and dissonant melodies that just begs for a mosh pit. On their latest EP, The Blackest Eye, the band explores more current events. Dixon talks to Myspace about how Aye Nako formed at an all-girls rock camp, being a meme addict and how he turned to punk music for survival.

Hometown: Jacksonville, AR

Homebase: Brooklyn, NY

Why are you called Aye Nako? What does it mean?

I'm half-Filipino. It's a saying that I heard growing up from my mom and other Filipina women. It kinda just means “Oh my god!”

How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard of you?

We're a 420-friendly, alien-friendly, queer punk band who writes songs about internalized racism, childhood abuse, trauma, awkwardness, sometimes romantical-type of relationships.

How did the members of Aye Nako all meet?

Joe (the bassist) and I are long-time buddies and we met the others through playing music and volunteering at Willie Mae’s Rock Camp for Girls in Brooklyn.

What made you want to form a band together?

Boredom, love of music, the urgency for the visibility of women, queers and pocs in punk or “rock” music in general.

Your wiki page says you promote a "community-oriented, anti-capitalist, LGBTQ-friendly ideology." Why is that philosophy at the forefront of your music and how important is it to appreciate your philosophy with your music?

Oh wow, I wasn't even aware that we had a wikipage! The thing is, I don’t know how to be apathetic and apolitical in the things I do. And at this point in history, as a black person, I have to push back against injustices and the toxicity that is mainstream society.

Is that why your latest set is called The Blackest Eye? 

The name was taken from Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, which deals with racism and child abuse. I read it maybe eight or nine years ago. I’ll probably never read it again because it’s very triggering and all too real for me. Inspiration for the songs and the title came from my traumatic history with both of these issues. Something inside me was hauling these memories to the forefront of my mind to a point that it just seemed like it was time to address them and process them through songwriting.

What about other childhood memories involving music? Can you talk about those?

When I was probably 6 or so, we had one of those big wooden stereo cabinets that I was so fascinated with. I used to always put on this one compilation record with Video Killed The Radio Star on it. My parents listened to country and my older brothers head banged to hair metal so I loved both of those genres as a kid. There was a drumset around that I remember defacing with permanent markers, holes in the drum heads and breaking off the snares. Never saw anyone actually play it though. I had a Casio keyboard around that time and that was probably when I realized that I could go beyond appreciating and enjoying music to making it myself. But I didn’t actually start writing songs til I was 15, not counting the a capella songs I made up years before about needing tissues to blow my nose or how I thought it was mean someone wouldn’t let me borrow one of their video games.

Describe your musical epiphany. Was there a moment when you were like, "Yep, this is what I'm doing for life."

It might have happened when I discovered the internet on my sister’s computer one summer when I was a teenager spending hours and hours raking the internet for bands with women in them. I realized there was more to music than what was played on the radio and that pretty much anyone could make music if they wanted to.

Were you in other bands before? What were they like?

When I was 18, I was doing an embarrassing solo acoustic thing. A couple years later, my guitar broke so I took that as a sign to move on to electric guitar and played in a few punk bands. I've played bass and drums in some bands too. Most of that stuff was pop punk-ish.

What do you do for fun now?

Sometimes I mess around with making electronic music, I dabble with video art and Photoshop, love watching horror films alone, and I've been a hardcore gaymer nerd since birth. I tend to be more quiet than others but I can get very enthusiastic about horror films and video games. Lastly, I’m in a few meme groups and memes are like my oxygen right now.

Do you have a day job? Does it help you make music for the band?

I have my own dog walking/pet sitting business and sometimes I give guitar lessons. It helps pay for my share in the practice space, musician's insurance, etc.