The Mr. T Experience has always maintained a relatively low key status in the pop/punk realm, a genre it is partly responsible for creating back in 1986 at a little pizza place on the Oakland Bay. At the time, the now-famous Gilman Street, which produced legendary acts such as Green Day and Operation Ivy, was still a few years away. Dr. Frank, the band’s only remaining original member, is a 35-year-old man with a degree in history. However, the frontman may be better known for his own history in shaping pop-punk, a genre he describes today as “not all that interesting” and “homogenized and predictable.” “When we first started doing this, it used to be against the rules to write songs about girls,” Dr. Frank explains. “You just didn’t do it, but we’ve always tried to do something different with it.” And this may be why MTX hasn’t garnered the commercial success of bands such as Blink-182 and Green Day. Since the band’s beginning, Dr. Frank has prided himself on taking what was already there and “hitting people over the head with something new.” These days it’s nearly impossible to find a pop-punk band who isn’t strumming out three chords and complaining about their girlfriends, but when MTX introduced the concept fans were turned off by the idea. “We were kicked out of the `punk rock club’ because of that,” Dr. Frank says. “But we wanted to frustrate expectations. You have to provide a reaction.” MTX has received plenty of reactions over its 14-year career, and although not all of them have been positive, this has not fazed Dr. Frank. Back when the record industry came down on punk rock back in the early `90s, swooping up Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid, many people believe that MTX was left out to dry. However, Dr. Frank feels no bitterness towards the band’s lack of exposure. “Bitterness doesn’t get you anywhere. If all you do is think of that then you don’t accomplish anything,” Dr. Frank says. “I guess I’m a little envious, but things have worked out way better than I ever imagined. We still have hundreds of kids going to the shows who know all the words.” In fact, the only regret Dr. Frank does have is that he wishes he would have taken things more seriously in the early days of MTX. However, Dr. Frank admits because of how he approached the band at the start, he has had many learning experiences that have helped shaped the band. “We never thought anyone would hear it. We just didn’t have the time to make it as good as it could be,” Dr. Frank says. “It wasn’t until 1994 that I made punk rock full-time.” With 14 years under his belt and over 300 songs credited to his name, Dr. Frank has come to the point in his career where pushing the envelope has become more of a challenge. “You try and give each song its own character, but when there’s hundreds of them it gets harder. You have to make it good and then completely forget it,” Dr. Frank explains. “I made a promise to myself and God to never make a record sound the same again.” Maybe this would explain the slight departure MTX’s latest full-length takes. For “Alcatraz,” Dr. Frank and the band recorded at several different studios hoping to encapsulate a different sound for each song on the album. Dr. Frank even strayed away from the punk rock standard of Marshall amps and incorporated vintage Fender equipment. “I realized the subtleties were being lost a little bit with pop-punk,” Dr. Frank says. “I want people to like this record, but I wanted to do something challenging. You can be forgiven if you do something terrible, but there is no excuse for doing something has already been done.” Indeed, Dr. Frank realizes not all fans will take kindly to the new sound but he wants to stray away from the “`Fat Wreck Chords approach,’ where everything sounds the same.” “I think Mr. T fans are a little bit smarter than the usual bunch of people. Every time you do anything at all you only worsen or improve your position,” Dr. Frank says. “But you’ve got to have a reason for people to pay attention, and I believe there is nothing insincere in what we do.” Dr. Frank believes individuality has been another reason for the band’s lack of commercial success – the band introduces concepts the general listener isn’t ready for. “I’ve never been in the position. I’m not saying I wouldn’t like to find out, but I think it’s a long shot. For us to ever make it big is an astounding concept,” Dr. Frank says. “The main things you think about are the songs, the band and maintaining your independence.” With 11 albums and 14 years of experience, Dr. Frank still has certainly tried hard to keep the Mr. T Experience on the more “experimental” side of pop punk. However, one major goal still looms in his mind. “I want to win the Nobel prize of Rock and Roll,” Dr. Frank says. “I’ve never been good at anything in my life, but I’m good at this.”