An Interview with Peter Litwin

Coffin Break hve been viewed as one of the more forgotten bands of the 'grunge' era and that's a pretty apt statement. The band was not just a 'grunge' band but were more of a good 'ol punk band than anything else. The music, especially 1990's "Rupture" still stands up strong today and it's good to see them getting the appreciation they so richly deserved. Frontman/guitarist Peter Litwin was kind enough to take time out to answer some questions.

What was it like when you guys got started?

The Seattle scene was very small and there were hardily any places to put on all ages shows. Often we would have to go across the water to Bremerton to put on an all ages show or play down at the Community World Theatre in Tacoma.
What was it like in Seattle before Nirvana and Pearl Jam broke?

It was great actually. The scene was small and most of the bands supported one another. It seemed like when we played a show that 60-70% of the audience were in other bands. People had a lot of fun at shows then too…now it seems like people often just stand there and don’t slam dance as much anymore... back then it was just out of control sometimes at shows-which made it really fun.

What was "success" like and how did you deal with it?

We never became as successful as some of the other Seattle bands like the ones you mentioned but I was always so happy to be making records and touring around the world doing my favorite thing in the world. When I think back on it now I realize how lucky I was to spend my twenties touring the world in a punk rock band! Who could ask for more?

How did you guys decide to leave C/Z and sign with Epitaph?

Well C/Z had very little money and thus was not able to give us much in the way of tour support or even pay to record our records. So when someone like Epitaph was interested who could offer those things we jumped at the opportunity. Plus we were pretty stoked to be label mates with our heroes Bad Religion, not to mention being label mates with NOFX, The Offspring, and Down By Law!

When did you decide to bring Jeff in and how did that work out?

Jeff was a friend of mine…I think it just seemed to make sense since he was a cool guy and a great guitarist. As a band we were looking at growing musically and it seemed like Jeff could help us in that regard.

When did the band decide to call it quits?

Soon after touring to support our last record -"Thirteen", I think we were just tired and had enough.

How was it reuniting after 13 years?

Re-uniting was great! I was surprised how much fun it was to play these songs again. It was cool too that as soon as Rob, Dave, and I were back in the same room that any old animosity seemed to just melt away. We just jammed again the other day for the first time since we played Geezer Fest back in August. We were asked to play a memorial show for our good friend Ben McMillan (Gruntruck, Skin Yard) who passed away recently. The show is next month sometime.

What are you guys up to now?

We are all in other bands too. We are thinking of playing some more shows together too. Well I hope I answered all your questions... if not let me know.

Cheers,

Peter Litwin

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