Jeff Rosenstock started one of the first donation-based record labels called “Quote Unquote Records” in 2006 while performing in several important underground bands like Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Bomb the Music Industry. Shortly after the break-up of Bomb the Music Industry, he began his solo career with his official debut record, We Cool?, in 2015. Since then, he has risen in critical acclaim and has built his own path into the music industry he aimed to destroy.

He is touring off the back of his 2020 release No Dream. Rosenstock has a long history playing in New Orleans with his many different bands. He also has worked closely with local indie label Community Records and performs with local ska band Bad Operation. We spoke by phone and discussed his connections to New Orleans, the new wave of ska and his blossoming career from outsider punk to composer for the Cartoon Network.

What’s your relationship with Community Records like?

Well, my personal relationship with them is that my first band ASOB [Arrogant Sons of Bitches] played with Skacopter or Skacopter Seven [it was Skacopter Four]. I forget if there was a number in their name. But it was Greg’s original band. [Greg Rodrigue and Daniel “D-Ray” Ray are the co-founders of Community Records.]

We were friends when Bomb the Music Industry and Fatter Than Albert would play together a lot. And they’d always helped out. But then also Greg, I believe, interned at Asian Man Records, which is where the whole other chunk of our crew comes from. And when they were doing Community, I think all of us were like, “Hell, yeah.” It was so sick that they were doing a label. And it was so cool that they were doing you know, New Orleans stuff and like providing a space for punk in New Orleans, or at least like our little punk scene in New Orleans. It’s cool because for a while, it was kind of hard to find that when you travel through New Orleans.

Is there anything you remember from coming through New Orleans back then? Like how has that changed?

It’s honestly just always been really, really fun. We’re always looking forward to it. Whether it’s like, walking around doing touristy shit, like you know, walking Bourbon Street or whatever, or just getting good food, trying to go on a hunt for po-boys.

It’s such a unique city in America. It doesn’t look like anywhere else. It feels different being in New Orleans. I don’t know if it’s a feeling that you would feel as a person from there. But it’s like you’re in a different place in a big way. We all love New Orleans. We try and always come early if we can.

Greg was telling me you went to Snake and Jake’s. What’d you think of that?

It was very smoky and they were playing a lot of ska and I was like, “Oh cool, they’re playing ska in here.” And they were like, “Of course, Greg took us to the ska bar.”

What made you want to work on Cartoon Network’s Craig of the Creek?

They asked me. I think it’s a dream job in general. But knowing [creators] Ben [Levin] and Matt [Burnett] I was just like, oh shit, this is getting cooler and cooler… I would’ve been excited to do it, but it’s even more exciting that it was a good show.

Do you know anything about current ska bands in New Orleans?

Yeah. Bad Operation’s awesome. I was stoked to see Greg and D-Ray in a ska band again, and also see everybody be like, “Oh, this man’s sick.” It’s a great band. I love Bad Operation. They’re playing our show.

You’re touring off the back of No Dream and it’s been a long time since.

It has, yeah, 2019. [Laughs] That Joyce Manor tour was the last tour we did in 2019 where we did the live record, that was basically the last show we played.

How does it feel to be back on the road?

I’m excited. I mean it’s just been really great. Like hanging out with each other in the van. We’re all really happy. It’s just been nice looking at things that are not the place where I live, you know? It’s good playing with each other. It’s fun getting back into it and remembering how fast we play [laughs] now that we like been sitting around our house for like a year and a half.

A lot of people don’t play New Orleans. What is the draw for you to come to New Orleans?

Well, I think a big part is that now we could play shows in New Orleans and people will come see our band. I don’t know why bands skip New Orleans. It’s right in between Florida and Texas, both places that bands love to go. I can’t say that we always played well or played a good show or made any fans or had anybody like us or anything like that. But I think any time we’re doing a tour of the South, we definitely sneak New Orleans in there. You’re a loser if you don’t.

How do you feel today versus back in 2015?

I feel really lucky. I feel really grateful that we’re able to do it. I think it’s not really just me. You think about everybody in the band—like you think about John [DeDomenici, bassist], who’s been doing all these things with me for forever. You think about Mike [Huguenor, guitarist], who has been in do-it-yourself bands with Shinobu and Kevin [Higuchi, drummer] with Whiskey Avengers and the handful of bands he’s been in. When we went on our tour after recording We Cool? we got an email from SideOne about putting out our record, which is something we never really thought would happen. It’s weird for as long as we’ve been in this, that whole thing happened really fast. Personally, I’m just grateful to do it. I just gotta try and do a good job. That’s all I can really do,

Punk pioneer and indie legend Jeff Rosenstock will perform in New Orleans on Thursday, December 9, at Tipitina’s.