Floridian punk provocateurs Problem Child finally return to an Orlando stage on Saturday with Zig-Zag

Though we are five years out from the egg punk vs. chain punk meme wars, mutant-punk (varying combinations of the two) is running rampant, with bands multiplying sinusoidally — there seems to be a repetitive nature to the disappearance and reappearance of such bands in large groups.

Devo-loving noise punks will soon be as pervasive as the cowboy boot. First came the era of Warm Bodies and Landline (2016-2018), who were duly replaced by quarantine projects Prison Affair and Snõõper (2020-present). Florida’s Problem Child sprung out of that antecedent period, releasing a hard-hitting demo tape on the first day of 2016.

Problem Child, as per AC/DC, are Jason Perez (vocals), Anthony Rapisardi (guitar), Donald Deyo (bass) and Taylor Yackulics (drums). From their very formation in West Palm, Problem Child were (and very much are) considered a must-see Florida punk act. It’s no wonder why — the frontperson’s brutish thrashes and antics (also on widescreen display in solo endeavor Ch.83) are as unpredictable as a wild hog’s charge. The band responds more than in-kind.

Orlando Weekly finally sat down with Orlando-based Problem Children Jason Perez and Taylor Yackulics to talk about their past and possible futures ahead of a reunion show in Orlando on Saturday, Sept. 9.

There is practically zero music journalism on Problem Child, besides maybe TLU raving about the rawness of your performance with C.H.E.W. back in the day. How did the band start?
TY: It all started when Antwan and Ice Don asked me to be in a noise-rock band with this guy named Jason. He seemed kind of shady and annoying, and we never played noise-rock.
JP: Sounds about right.

Was this anyone’s first project?
JP: We were in some terrible bands before PC, and now we’re in an even shittier one. We wrote most of the songs on a cat piano and an old metal ashtray in a sweaty warehouse between a stoner metal band and an off-the-grid biker bar/warehouse. I’m not joking.
TY: This was my first project that I was a founding member of. I didn’t write the songs, it’s three people with good ideas and then I play the drums.

The themes of hopelessness and decay in the early PC demos remind us of both Brian Yuzna’s cult-slasher The Dentist and the Inhuman’s 1980s lo-fi downer “Cheap Novocain.” What inspired you lyrically for Problem Child?
TY: I like songs that make you feel like you pissed your pants in front of the whole class and everyone is laughing at you. You’re crying from embarrassment, but you’re also filled with rage. “Fuck you, you’ll all be sorry when I’m dead.” Piss-your-pants hardcore, that’s what I call [New York hardcore outfit] SQRM. Maybe that’s why Jason is good at it.
JP: That movie looks dope.

“Glue Trap” could not be a more accurate description of the music and content industries today: “Check out my new aesthetic, nostalgia meets ignorance, fueled by web presence.”
TY: I take “Glue Trap” personally because I’m from the suburbs [referring to the song’s first line, “The suburbs are breeding, filling with scum”]. Also, it came out in 2016, so everything is probably infinitely worse now. Obviously, people like to see heinous, kooky behavior online. I like to look at frogs on the internet.
JP: The last good band was the Original Dixieland Jass Band. Cop City/Chill Pillars is a close second, but they still suck.

Building off that, Sn​õ​õ​per — who I am not knocking by any means — are huge now after commercializing a sound that predated them by a half-dozen years at least. Why do you think the mutant-/egg-punk market has become so populated?
TY: I don’t know what Sn​õ​õ​per is, I’ve never listened to them, if that’s a band. But yeah, they fucking suck and they’re the worst band. Next year, Orlando Weekly should add onto their list, “Worst Band Award.” I hope Sn​õ​õ​per’s Tesla full of money malfunctions and drives itself off a cliff. Our tape is on the Jimmy channel, so does that make us egg by default? I’m more of a Japandcrustpunk enjoyer, so I’m chain, but I dress like I have a job because I do, so I’m mutant-punk. [Note: Japandcrustpunk is a wildly expansive archival YouTube music channel.]
JP: Anyone who uses these terms seriously should listen very closely to my lyrics because the message I’m trying to convey is: Fill your Tesla full of money and drive off a cliff with Sn​õ​õ​per. I still think Primus is the best punk band.

How does this next chapter of Problem Child play out?
TY: I just wanted to do this to get interviewed by Maisie for the Weekly, so tour is canceled now. After this, realistically, we will do nothing. We wrote one new song by emailing each other parts and it sounds dope, so obviously we would never release it. It seriously sounds like Exit Hippies and Hairy Pussy wrote Pet Sounds. It’s that fucking good.
JP: I fully intend to use any money made from merch on this trip to invest in crypto.

Your tour also features returning South Florida band Zig-Zag. What are you looking forward to most?
TY: I’m looking forward to looking up from the drums and seeing Anthony dancing around twinkletoes, Jason with blood coming out of his face, and DJ standing there like Dave Grohl and Jesus Christ had a sexy twink baby. Getting to see Zig-Zag will be amazing. Hopefully they won’t hate us because we are torturously annoying. By the way, I just listened to Sn​õ​õ​per, and holy shit — they owe Mark Winters a Tesla full of money.
JP: I really hope I see Bam Margera [Jackass] somewhere. That would be so cool.

Following Saturday’s Orlando show, Problem Child go on tour with fellow Florida punks Zig Zag, who are reuniting after the untimely passing of guitarist Austin Ashley. Catch them all at Will’s Pub with Coffee Stain and Super Bitch on Saturday


Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | or sign up for our RSS Feed