The single, solitary article that has been written about Phoenix free-shame band Fathers Day is a cautionary missive from a campus rag that reads more like an endorsement: "I can't lead you on and let you think that something creative is happening here... It would be irresponsible of me to suggest that this is music."

Their "thrash" is a stunted art-grind where spazzing is more integral than tempo, notes or any structure whatsoever. Their self-released, self-photocopied Spank The World is like the first Half Japanese album recorded for a Sightings audience. And, most importantly, these sun-scorched scene misfits—all aged 16 to 21—are like the Descendents' "My Dad Sucks" turned inside-out. Taking the guise of a band of not-so-proud poppas (Classy Dad, Golf Dad, Drunk Dad and Business Dad), the band screeches about how much you've disappointed them: "My Son's A Gay," "My Daughter's A Slut," "Get A Haircut" and a one-chord, dumber-than-a-gluesniff-hangover version of "Beat On The Brat." It's a hilarious deconstruction of the American patriarchy, which doubles as a tragic play that lays bare all the shame, humiliation and resentment hidden deep within our subconscious.

"We've always been described as "like hearing your dad scream at you while listening to Minor Threat,'" says wriggling 18-year-old art-brat Tristan Jemsek, a.k.a. Drunk Dad, guitarist for the irresistibly annoying spank-rockers. "I think that's pretty much what we're going for: brutal thrash with scolding."

How did the whole "Dad" concept evolve from its earliest stages?

Ryan Chadwick Avery (Business Dad): We chose the name first, after talking about how funny the name of the artist "Thanksgiving" is. We tossed around different holiday band names and Fathers Day really clicked. At our early rehearsals we'd talk about cliché notions about the stereotypical "dad image," and create a song around one specific idea or another. For example, dads love barbeques. We figured if a band of real dads were to start a punk band they would write tons of songs about barbeques. And so that's what we did.

Is this an attack on the nuclear family? On media's representation of fatherhood?

Ryan: We think it's all of the above, but its mostly just funny. The band started out as a satire, but the actual music/entertainment component grew over time.

What are you trying to do musically?

Andrew Jemsek (Golf Dad): I don't have a particular musical goal for Fathers Day… because we aren't really about the music.
Ryan: I think we are trying to say, "Lighten up dudes." Honestly, people take music too seriously.

Emily Spetrino-Murtagh (Classy Dad): It's really just supposed to sound like punk. It's obvious some of the members have more musical talent than others, but I always thought punk was about just playing fuckin' fast and awesome. And that's exactly what we are.

Andrew: I originally wanted Fathers Day to sound like the Buzzcocks, but that didn't work out.

What is a typical Father's Day rehearsal like?

Andrew: It is non-existent. Rehearsing is for chumps.

Tristan: The closest we get to rehearsing is talking about what we want to do the day of the show.

How does growing up in Phoenix skew your view of the world?

Andrew: There is just constant resentment. The people here act superior and rude all the time. Not many people are nice to me in Phoenix, unless I know them. I have to ride the bus. It has made me quite cynical about the people around me.

Emily: It's terrible and awesome all at once. Our scenes are always dying out and then coming back, usually crappier than before. But, none of that really matters cause Ryan, our friends and I seriously started our own scene within a scene. We just put on shows for ourselves really and it works out just fine.

The song "This Really Happened" [lyrics: "What's all these dice for?! What's all these dice for?! Dungeons And Dragons?! I can't believe my son is such a sissy!"] Did that really happen?

Ryan: It kind of happened. All the songs written in Fathers Day are things we see or hear about taken to the extreme. Ryan's father wished Ryan's oldest brother was more athletic and wasn't so nerdy. All of Ryan's brothers played Dungeons and Dragons when they were younger. So that snowballed into this really brutal song about hating your kids for being geeks.

What do your dads think of the band?

Emily: Father's Day played my mom's 50th birthday. My dad loved us and was really proud and happy that we were making awesome music.

Tristan: I haven't seen my dad since I was three or four. He really was a drunk dad.

Ryan: My dad always asks me about it when I see him. I invite him to come see us, but he never does. He has also never heard us.

Check out Fathers Day here.