The Dukes of Hillsborough: Rudimentary Decay

Words: James Ferreira
Photos: Jana Miller

Old habits die hard. These boundaries of ritual and tradition can sometimes force our minds to become too comfortable, falling prey to the illusion of safety. The Dukes of Hillsborough – the sentimental heroes of Tampa’s punk scene – have avoided this dubious distinction by making honest music, playing their fucking guts out, and never taking themselves too seriously. About six years ago, it seemed like the Duke boys were shredding New World brewery almost every weekend. Recently, they have been a lot more selective about playing shows. One big reason is that their drummer, Phil Stanwick, currently resides in Atlanta.

“Phil living in Atlanta now is part of the reason we don't play many shows around here, but outside of the first couple of years, we never really played constant shows. I think it’s tiresome and stale for us and everyone else to play constantly in the same town,” singer/guitarist Jeff Brawer explained.

“And New World stopped giving bands open tabs for a while. That slowed us down,” bassist Travis Malloy quipped.

As their name suggests, the band has become a large part of central Florida punk lore.

“We figured the name would make us try harder to take over Tampa. We needed to earn it. Like Phil earning the ‘Bus’ nickname by trying to carry Jeff and me on his back for a block. But we've realized we'll never be top dogs, so now we're just Dukes of Hillsborough.  No The,” Travis recalled.

While their conquest of the Bay area’s scene might not have come to fruition, the band has plenty of accomplishments that make them one of the most intriguing presences in Florida’s independent music culture. The Dukes have become mainstays at The Fest, the annual punk rock destination for debauchery on a legendary scale.

“We've been in the lineup since Fest II. The Fest has become the best weekend of my life. I start getting the itch around the beginning of summer. I have tried to explain it to people and it sounds insane to me while I'm saying it. It's amazing to what a grand scale this thing has grown. People are coming from all over the world. I forget who said it, but the quote that comes to mind is “Playing at fest is great because there are a few people scattered all over who like our music. And every one of them is there at Fest.”  And I'm pretty sure most people you ask would reply, “Who? They played fest? Really? Huh, how about that?” Phil told me.

Nowadays, the Dukes mostly play the Punk House in Tampa, and Transitions at the SPOT. While they might not fit the traditional definition of a straight up punk band, the guys seem to relate the most with this genre, due in large part to their devil-may-care attitude towards the music industry.

“We get along with bands that don't take themselves so seriously. With the way the industry's going, a lot more bands in different genres will probably start giving up on making it, and relax and play the Punk House just because it's fun,” Travis said.

“Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. We listen to all types of stuff and our music isn't straight up punk, but we get along best with punk bands and share a lot of the same ethics,” Jeff added.

“I think of it like this: our scene is like an adult softball league. We are a bunch of people (the whole music scene we are involved with) who get together and have a good time. We got jobs, and some of us have kids, and some of us have mortgages but you always make time for softball,” Phil explained.

The Dukes may not be as visible as they once were, but rest assured, they still know how to fucking shred and always have a seemingly good time. As icons of Tampa’s independent music scene, they are well-respected and do a great job of keeping their fingers on the pulse.

“Things seem to be going well. There are great bands in Tampa. And the right people are in the right places. Matt and Transitions are doing a great service to Tampa and I hope people understand. Do you know he cleans up the parking lot after a show? At
three in the morning, when I'm sure he wants to go home, he is out there with a trash can picking up people's food wrappers and beer cans. Come on, people: let’s throw our own stuff away. I like Tampa, but what is really great about it is when you talk to bands from other parts of the country and they like it too, then you think we are doing it right,” Phil told me.

“Florida has too many great bands to mention. There are a lot of great younger bands coming out and a lot of old fucks like us that won't stop playing. We also have one of the best venues in the U.S. at Transitions,” Jeff said.

Only rapidly aging punk fans like me would ever describe the Dukes’ ideals as refreshing, but that’s exactly the sensation that ran through my veins after talking with these guys about our music scene (which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time).

“We started about seven years ago. We were all just basically good friends who had played in different bands together in the past. We really wanted to have something with just the three of us that was laid back with no pressure or stress. We never even discussed what kind of stuff we were going to do musically. We talked more about how much we were gonna drink and try to tour with no preconceived notions of ‘making it’ in any way,” Jeff recalled about the band’s humble beginnings.  
Dukes of Hillsborough have been signed to Tampa’s ADD record label for years and have released three full length albums. They are working on a fourth, which they hope to have released by next year, but I think I like Phil’s plans for the future best: “Finish these beers and go to bed.”

myspace.com/dukesofhillsborough