by Bryan Bedell

If you read my recent band roundup, you know that Scooter is, without any doubt, the best punk band in Houston with the word "scooter" in their mp3.com artist profile. Which is, you know, saying something. After downloading a few of their songs and placing them in heavy shuffle rotation they continued to grow on me, and I felt compelled to find out more about these self-proclaimed purveyors of "Nerd Rock." their web page featured more mp3s and links to a few interviews, but no straight answers. They're a mysterious bunch, that Scooter, but Mary agreed to talk if I promised not to mention the European techno band that "stole" their name…

Hi Mary! Who else is in the band?

Well, this just so happens to be Mary "Chutney" Carradine, the bassist. Other losers in the band include drummer Brandon "Biscuits" Zavala and guitarist Derek "Rocker" Lemons. No, we don't really call each other by the names in quotations

What made you guys choose the name "Scooter?"

Derek had a friend with the nickname of Scooter, I'm obsessed with The Muppets, and of course we all love the idea of a good scooter...

Were any of you in other bands?

Yes, we are the product of a small town where each of us played in different bands with different people. You may recognize Brandon from Dokken, Derek from the B-52's, and me from the teen supergroup, The Backstreet Boys...

Oh, yes, you're the "dangerous" one, right? So, are, like you and Derek an "item?"

It would practically be incestuous if Derek and I were really an item. Derek is currently dating a close friend of the band that we'll just call "The Vowel." Brandon and I are both single and very, VERY lonely.

What else do you guys do besides play music?

We are huge video game fans. Brandon is an excellent culinary artist, and I'm a computer geek grrl. Scooter always enjoys a good bowling challenge, as well.

Are any of you motorcyclists or scooterists? What's the story with your recent loss of scooter virginity?

None of us are nearly cool enough to own a motorcycle. I have a friend who is big into scooters. He rides his scooter everywhere and goes to scooter shows all across the nation. One night last summer, he dropped by to show off his newly revamped machine. It had pretty lights all over it, and it was purple...and...and...a nerd just couldn't resist.

I might be old, but citing (newer) Blink 182 as an influence (In the MP3.com bio) frightens me. How long have you been playing that Blink 182's been around long enough to influence you?

Okay, this deserves a total clarification. We actually do not cite Blink 182 as an influence. We did not set up the mp3.com page. A friend of the band did quite a while ago. He couldn't think of anything, so he just threw down "Blink 182" for us. We are more accurately influenced by Weezer, Jawbreaker, The Promise Ring, or newer Screeching Weasel. And Scooter has actually been around, in it's varying forms, since 1996 or so.

Tell me about Take Me with You. Where was it recorded? Is it self-released or on a label? how could one obtain a copy? Are there more songs than what's on mp3.com?

Our EP was recorded in March of 1999 at Aztlan Studios in Houston, Tx. It is a self release which is distributed through us and Ten Cent Records. Copies could be obtained by coming to shows, contacting Scooter or Ten Cent Records, or sweet talking Brandon into giving you a free copy. We have many more songs than what is on mp3.com and we will work on getting those up. Scooter will be going into the studio to record their first full length album, and mp3s of that should be up before the summer is over.

Do you play live much, and do you have a following going?

We try to play live as much as our schedules permit, and we do have a following down here in Houston. It consists mostly of really cool famous Texans like presidential candidate George Bush Jr., boxing champion George Foreman, and singing great Janis Joplin...

What's the music scene like in Houston these days? Are there any other good bands we should check out?

It's getting a lot better, as far as the bands. There are some really great bands down here, but it's hard as hell to get noticed when Houston stands in the shadows of Austin and Dallas, two really great music cities in Texas. If you're ever in the area, you should try to check out bands like Ultramagg, Lucky Motors, The Westbury Squares, and tons more that we're forgetting (sorry).

What are your plans for the future? Please don't say streaking across the stage at the MTV awards.

We plan on recording a full length starting in mid-July. There are no immediate plans of a tour, thus far, but we plan on playing shows around Texas as much as possible. And for any of us to publicly run naked anywhere is a death wish, so you don't have to worry about that one.