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“Finally, something to emerge from Las Vegas that is both raw and original. Something definitely punk, with hints of hardcore and a pure understanding of what it means to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack and forge on with your own unique blend of punk, aggressive rock and philosophy.” – Americore Magazine
2¢ Worth began as one punk rock fan’s attempt to transplant beachside skate punk to the Las Vegas desert.
Tito Bruch, guitar 1996-2004
I grew up in Southern California and wanted to play that style of punk in Vegas. I started piecing together a band called Last Red Cent with Paul Lee [drums]. I used to buy pot from his roommate at the time. He also started to work with me as a tile apprentice.
Paul Lee, drums 1996-2000
Before the band, I was jamming with some metalheads until I discovered punk. Tito and I met through a mutual friend in 1995. We started 2¢ Worth with bass player Michelle Scheffer.
Tito Bruch
Michelle ended up moving to Colorado, so we started soliciting for a bass player, and that’s how we found Darrin. A little quark of his was that he wanted to change our name, so he came up with 2¢ worth. For the record, I hated it [laughs]. I liked the way Last Red Cent rolled off the tongue. I had a lot of thought behind how it would be presented, with a backwards R and N and a dollar sign for the S. Darrin was so insistent and I figured it wasn’t a big deal and it stuck. As a side note, you couldn’t get a cents sign on a Windows PC back then so we had to keep spelling out the name [laughs]. Right after we settled on the name we got Austin [Le Duc, vocals].
Austin De Luc, vocals 1996
I was acquaintances with Paul at the time I came into the mix. I believe he gave Tito a reference.
Paul Lee
Austin and I went to high school together; that’s how we met. That dude can really belt out some vocals.
Austin De Luc
We didn’t have the internet back then. To get a hold of someone, you either had to get lucky grabbing someone’s number in the white pages, or searching from person to person until someone had your number. I think I was given one or two songs to write lyrics and melodies to, then I was accepted into the group.
Tito Bruch
Austin ended up jumping ship after one show. He was able to showcase his talent to some people who never paid him any mind until they heard him belt out the material he wrote with us.
Austin Le Duc
I left the band because I was not as into punk rock as Tito and Adam [Segal, guitar/vocals]. Also, there were personality conflicts. Ultimately, Phatter than Albert was knocking at my door. They were my peers; friends from my generation. They were also into the same genres as me.
Tito Bruch
It was just something that would never be, unfortunately. No big. Adam ended up picking up the slack. He is quite the talent.
Austin Le Duc
The story of 2¢ Worth really starts when I left and Adam arrived. October 1996
Adam “Bomb” Segal, who had cut his teeth playing for influential skatepunk band The Faction, moved to Vegas in the mid `90s for work—but he was also interested in continuing to play music.
Adam “Bomb” Seagal, guitar/vocals 1996-2004
In the early 80s I was in The Faction. Right after the Faction, I was in a band called The End, which was later called The Living End. Then I was in a band called 16 that sort of did first what Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies did later. We made punk versions of hits. I did a US tour with this band called Brain Pudding. That was the last thing I did before law school. I wasn’t a member of that band, but they were a three piece and needed a second guitarist for live shows. I finished law school and moved to Vegas in 1996.
Tito Brunch
Just like with Darin, Adam got involved with 2¢ Worth when he answered one of my ads.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
They posted ads at local music stores stating that the wanted to add a second guitarist. I saw one of the flyers and ended up joining the band.
Tito Bruch
I always wanted us to have two guitar players. First off, I’m a hack on the guitar [laughs]. I couldn’t play lead to save my life. I’m also only a mediocre rhythm guitarist. I’m fighting my Caucasian-ness daily for rhythm. But the main reason is that I wanted to replicate that Bad Religion sound, and we needed at least two guitarists. If I could do it again, I’d go with three [laughs].
Paul Lee
When I first met Adam I honestly thought to myself, “this nerd can’t play” [laughs]. Thankfully, I was proven wrong. “Pure talent,” that’s how I’d describe that man. He was very easy to get along with, and always patient writing new material or recording.
The band soon found another signer, but experienced a number of other lineup changes. Darin was out by the time 2¢ Worth was getting ready to record their first album, and was replaced by Phranc Laparra and later Kirk of local band PiMP.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
We never recorded with our best singer, Austin, the first guy we formed with.
Tito Bruch
After Austin left we got a new singer named Alex. I first met Alex at a house party we played at. He was singing for a band called the Disgruntled. He was later referred to us when we were soliciting for a singer.
Alex, vocals 1996-2000
Austin Le Duc was an acquaintance of mine. The local music scene (and Vegas in general) was pretty small back then and everyone sort of knew each other. When Austin’s run as vocalist with 2¢ Worth was coming to an end, he referred me to the guys. I was in a hardcore band before that called Irate, which featured Paulo Del Carmen on bass. He now plays in one of Adam’s current bands, Hostile Talent! Small world.
Paul Lee
I met Alex the night he showed up for his first practice. He’s a cool dude.
Tito Bruch
Alex was a cool frontman. He had a lot of drive, and he really wanted to go for it.
Alex
I actually had not heard the band prior to trying out, but I was really impressed with their chops from that first try out. They were players at a skill level that I had not experienced with anyone other than Paulo at that time. I was really digging their tunes, and was honored to come aboard. It was pretty cool to be in a band with a dude that used to play in The Faction [laughs].
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Alex didn’t get along that well with Darin, so Darin ended up leaving the band. They were in a band together but they weren’t actually friends, the way the rest of us were friends.
Tito Bruch
There’s always personality clashes in bands, it’s just inherent. Darrin, like Adam and I, was a transplant to Vegas. But he didn’t have a career yet like we did and that really set him apart.
Paul Lee
I thought Darin was a good guy. He just had his vices, and so did I. But he was a damn good bass player.
Tito Bruch
After Darin was Phranc Laparra and then Kirk. Phranc was was a friend of my younger brother. He was a decent bass player and loved a lot of the same old school punk that I did. He was much younger than us but the scene has no age barriers and neither did we… when it comes to music, that is. Kirk was playing for PiMP and we did a lot of shows together, so when we were in need, we asked and he obliged. He was very easy and super smooth – he fit right in.
The band began work on their first album, which was produced by Segal. Segal would go on to record all of 2¢ Worth’s output.
Tito Bruch
Adam liked to record, so he recorded the album. He’s such a techy nerd. I liked to play live, so it ended up being a good blend for the band. I did a lot of production for Adam over the years—replacing MICs and stuff. I learned a lot.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
After high school, I went to the College for Recording Arts in San Francisco and wanted to be a recording engineer. I produced a few bands back then (1986-1988), but then went to traditional college. After law school, I bought a small 8-track digital recorder and I really got the recording bug.
Tito Bruch
Working with Adam was pure tutelage. I was really green regarding practical studio experience. I got my hands dirty quick and learned a lot. Adam is a bounty of experience and has pretty much done it or seen it.
Alex
Adam had the mic set up in his home studio in his apartment. We did some studio doubling that I thought was a nice trick for fattening up the vocals and making them more interesting.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Alex did pretty much all the lyrics on All or Nothing, and Tito and I did most of the music.
Tito Bruch
Alex also tried to bring in some lyrics from his high school band, but it didn’t really fit with what we wanted to do. But Alex always had lyrics.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Darin wrote one or two songs while he was in the band, too. It was a pretty good mix.
Tito Bruch
We all had something in our pockets, and whoever brought something to the table, we made it work. In the beginning, you try to use everything you’ve got. Even if it doesn’t work, we can only fit so many songs into our live setlist, so some songs get cut anyway [laughs].
Adam “Bomb” Segal
We did scratch tracks, and then did the drums with Paul over in a closet at his house, then overdubbed everything else at my apartment—where I lived when I first moved to Vegas.
Paul Lee
All or Nothing was my first real recording experience. I had Tito’s guitar in my headphones while I played.
Alex
The recording sessions with Adam were the first time that I had done anything other than a quick-and-dirty 4-track in someone’s garage. It was a very enlightening, educational process and Adam was certainly as good at it as anyone that I had worked with at that time.
Paul Lee
Working with Adam was awesome. He knows his stuff.
Alex
While I was proud of the writing, I was never a huge fan of my voice on that album. I always felt that I sounded better live. Whether this was true, or the byproduct of my bloated teenage ego, I cannot say. I can say that my sentiments were entirely due to my performance ,and not any deficiency in the recording process. We didn’t use any of that Melodyne or auto-tune BS back then [laughs].
Alex and the band parted ways after only one album together. After Alex’s departure, Adam picked up the frontman reigns—whether he wanted to or not.
Tito Bruch
Alex stuck it out for a while, but eventually he left the band. Alex was young—we all were, but he was extremely young—barely out of high school. Paul and Alex were both close in age, and everyone was trying to hold onto their adolescence. That generation gap just ended up causing problems more so than any personality conflicts.
Alex
In honesty, we had some creative differences and I was a bull-headed, opinionated, angry and often disrespectful kid. I got myself kicked out. Also, I was not feeling the new material that was being brought to practice. I felt that it was going in a softer direction when my personal tastes were for heavier, aggressive stuff. I am sure that my insensitive communication to the guys about that rigid opinion was a deciding factor. Not to mention that I really was/am not that great of a singer [laughs].
Tito Bruch
This is when Adam took over vocals. He was our singer for the majority of our run.
Paul Lee
Adam is a good frontman. At that particular time, we needed leadership and Adam just filled the role perfectly.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Any time I’m singing, it’s out of necessity and to not deal with a singer. I hate singing.
Tito Bruch
It’s a tough job to sing and play at the same time, though I personally liked that dynamic.
Paul Lee
I was optimistic about Adam taking over vocals. The dude had great experience.
Tito Bruch
I’ve always thought that a frontman with a guitar around his neck was impressive. And it’s not that often you get a frontman who plays lead like Adam did.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
It was sort of a hassle for me and Tito to bring in yet another frontman. And then what are we going to do when they leave? We already had two singers come and go so it was just easier for me to do it.
Tito Bruch
We had so many singers who didn’t work out, and Adam stepped up and it became the norm.
With a lineup of Adam, Tito, Paul and Kirk in place, the band recorded their second full length. Shortly after, the rhythm section was gone.
Paul Lee
Recording Give Up the Gun felt more professional because Adam had his studio up and running by this point.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
This was after I got my first house. I had a studio that I built in the garage, so that’s where it was recorded.
Tito Bruch
We started feeling more secure with our live performances and everything. So recording was real smooth.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
The songwriting was still me and Tito, but the lyrics were almost all mine by this point.
Paul Lee
I had a severe drug problem and it was getting worse at this time, so I was booted out of the band.
Tito Bruch
Life takes over and unfortunately substance abuse can be a big part of lif—especially in Las Vegas. It happens, sadly. Paul definitely had his problems and had to move on. People have their vices, and as long as they can make it to practice and do their part, then I’m not going to judge them. It’s not healthy but sometimes it makes for great records.
Paul Lee
I finally got clean in 2006. We put together our last song together, and my personal favorite, “Kiss Goodbye” just before my exit. I was out of the band in 2000.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Vic Moya took over on drums. His drumming is kind of the sound of the band. He was the only “punk” drummer we ever had.
Vic Moya, drums 2000-2002
2¢ Worth’s drummer was having some issues. I was in Happy Campers then, and we had worked with Adam. He even acted as producer on the Happy Campers’ S’moreCore album.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
We became friends, so when Paul left I reached out to Vic and asked if he could do both bands. I’m not sure how it was with Happy Campers back then, but it wouldn’t have mattered if he stayed in Happy Campers or not.
Vic Moya
Adam knew my playing ability, and that I learned really fast. He asked if I wanted to play a show in two weeks with 2¢ Worth, and I was down. It was shredding punk rock—how could I say no?
Adam “Bomb” Segal
In Vegas, you never really take anybody, because everyone’s in ten bands [laughs]. But Vic it turned out Vic had left Happy Campers for other reasons and so he was in.
Tito Bruch
Vic is a rock solid dad and a great drummer. He also introduced us to our next bass player, Ben [Dubler]. Ben is a talent himself. Versatile is an understatement.
Ben Dubler, bass 2000-2004
My buddy Vic had just joined on drums and they needed a bass player, so he suggested me. I played with Vic in a band called The Sweat Hogs and he knew I’d be a good fit.
Vic Moya
Ben was just the most solid bass player I had ever played with. And he learns really fast. 2¢ Worth had a show to play and had about ten days to teach somebody the set. Ben was a no brainer.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
I think we were Ben’s first punk band. We just let Ben overplay and go crazy on bass lines, which was fun.
Ben Dubler
I’ve never been much of a “punk” guy. I’ve been a metal head for as long as I can remember. So I definitely brought some change to the band. The songs became harder and more intricate.
Tito Bruch
Ben was doing us a favor and just had to bring 50% of his talent to the band to make us sound 100 times better. We should have renamed the band “De La Dos Centavos El Muerte,” and let him do lead vocals on top of his guitar work, and we’d be touring with Slayer or Lamb of God right now [laughs]. That guy is a fucking metal monster of another kind.
The newest incarnation of the band cut their teeth on a live album, ‘Live, Sick and Raw,’ before entering Adam’s studio for their next proper full length.
Tito Bruch
Live, Sick and Raw is a great recording. It was recorded off the board at a great little local venue called the Boston on Jones and Spring Mountain. You could record off the board and it sounded decent, so we decided to put it out real quick. That was Adam’s idea. It was real simple.
Vic Moya
It was standard practice to get live recordings at the Boston. I think it was 20 bucks to get a CD of the set run through the board. I must have almost 20 from various bands I’ve been, so there was no pressure. All the pressure was on Ben because it was his first show as bass player in the band.
Ben Dubler
I knew Adam was recording it, but I had no idea it was going to be released. It came out pretty well, considering how cheap all the gear was in that place.
Tito Bruch
That was one of the first things that Adam did live, as far as recording goes. I love that album, man; it’s a great example of our energy.
Vic Moya
It went off pretty smoothly. I had been in the band long enough to where I was really gelling with Tito and Adam, and I had been playing with Ben in bands for almost five years. Once it was recorded, it was pretty raw. So Adam took it and did that Adam Bomb magic on it in his home studio and BLAM! It had big beefy sound and had tons of energy. I was proud to have that as my first release with the band. It’s my favorite of the two CDs put out with me on drums.
Ben Dubler
After the set, a couple of kids who bought CDs came running up to me to ask for my autograph. I told them I’m brand new to this band, and that this was my first show, but they said they did not care they just wanted our autographs. I felt like a rockstar! [laughs]
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Next was Still Sick After All These Years. Like Give up the Gun, Still Sick was recorded at my house.
Tito Bruch
Adam and I did most of the writing on this one since Ben and Vic were still new.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Ben did some of the riffs because Ben’s a great guitarist. Even though he was the bass player, he’d come in and show me something on guitar.
Ben Dubler
I wasn’t sure how much they wanted my input, so I was playing these basic bass lines following the root notes. The first song in, Adam said “I thought you were a good bass player?” [laughs] So right then, I knew I could get away with playing these intricate runs and make every song a virtual bass solo.
Tito Bruch
Adam knows how to get the best performances out of people, no matter who is in the band or what’s going on in their lives. The process is always the same: clean and concise—to the point. That said, it’s a little quicker when you have people this talented in the band.
Vic Moya
This session marked the beginning of me learning to truly understand my instrument. The process was all about deconstructing what I was playing and figuring out why I was doing what I was doing and how I could do it in a solid manner.
Tito Bruch
Ben and Vic are both career-oriented and so when you have that mindset, it makes it real easy to start going.
Vic Moya
After we were done, being able to hear what we had accomplished as a band, it was awesome: Four guys doing four different things who made this one cool sound. It’s a feeling unlike any other. And that recording will be around for as long as we keep it. That’s kind of cool.
2¢ Worth never toured, but they did play often locally—with one particular show standing out.
Isaac Campa, Happy Campers
The first time I saw 2¢ Worth was when Happy Campers was playing a show with them in some warehouse on the west side. They were an all-around impressive band, but the thing that stood out to me was Adam on guitar. Every song he would rip into a blazing solo, and would lean back like he was holding a machine gun and screaming “Say hello to my little friend!” Most of the bands we were playing with were still bumbling through power chords—me included [laughs].
Adam “Bomb” Segal
I told Tito at my very first practice that the day the band needed to tour was the day they would need to replace me. My touring days were long behind me by then. We eventually played a few shows out in California, but my work prevents touring.
Tito Bruch
Sure, I’ve always had the fantasy of being a rock star and touring but I made more money at work than I would have ever made doing the barbecue on the Warped Tour. If you were new on the Warped Tour, you had to throw the barbecue for the other bands. I helped a friend do that and it was miserable. So our thing was playing locally.
Brian Addeo, Better Broken, ex-Mercury Sky
2¢ Worth was one of my favorite local bands. At a time when the melodic hardcore genre was on the rise, they stuck with the hooky, talented vocalist rock. It was a nice dynamic in the scene, and they were always super nice to us.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
The best show we played was at UNLV with Pennywise. There was a nice, big crowd who were really into it.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
We have some video from that show and it sounds really tight. Even though I never liked my singing, voice it worked really well that day.
Ben Dubler
We played well, and people seemed to really like it!
Vic soon had to step down, and 2¢ Worth recruited Dave White for the role, though he was replaced by Chris Jensen towards the end. Adam decided to step down as vocalist—paving the way for the band’s final vocalist to take over.
Vic Moya
I left the band due to health reasons. I was having heart issues, and gearing up for my second spinal surgery. So we all decided to replace me. I used that time to focus on my art because I was on bed rest for six months after surgery.
Tito Bruch
Vic is a rad artist.
Vic Moya
During that time, I redesigned the Bishop Gorman mascot and letterhead, created a ton of t shirt designs for Folsom, and worked on a marketing campaign for a law firm.
Tito Bruch
On top of being a great talent, Vic is a responsible parent to his children—which was always a priority in 2¢ Worth. Adam. Vic. Ben. Chris. All fathers first, punk rock second. Just as it should be.
Ben Dubler
We got to open for Pennywise again—this time at a private snowboard magazine show at House of Blues.
Tito Bruch
Due to it being a private affair, it was a very rare occasion that we saw Jim Lindberg [Pennywise vocalist] on stage nearly shitfaced. He just doesn’t do that on tour or while performing. Period. Very rare occurrence. So it was fun.
Ben Dubler
They fed us like kings, and paid us better than any other show we ever did before or after combined [laughs]!
Tito Bruch
We got paid almost $1000 ,and were required to fill like an hour-and-a-half time slot! We had a new drummer, Chris Jensen, and we had to teach not just him, but ourselves, a bunch of old material to make the span of our slot with two-and-a-half minute songs. I think our set was 27 songs [laughs]. Seriously. And we were very practiced. We fucking nailed it.
Ben Dubler
Chris wasn’t in the band long, and soon 2¢ Worth was in need of a drummer, so I asked Dave White. Dave and I were in a couple of bands together. He’s hands down the best drummer I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing music with. He graciously accepted.
Dave White, drums 2002-2004
Ben and I had been doing other projects together while he was in 2¢ Worth. So when Ben asked if I was interested, I was all in.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Dave was definitely the best pure musician we ever had in the band. He was a professional drummer—doing Vegas shows and stuff like that. He had perfect timing.
Tito Bruch
Dave is a trained Jazz drummer. The guy was utterly a machine of time. He had proficient confidence in his ability. And he tamed large wild cats.
Dave White
Yes, I was a lion trainer before all this. I had just left the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand and was involved with what would later be known as “the worst show in Las Vegas history” called SpellBinder. It was a magic show with a live band, and I was the drummer/cat trainer. Then there was no cat, so I became just the drummer. The illusions were poorly made, the magician was terrible… it was a disaster. I did both gigs simultaneously for a while.
Tito Bruch
Dave was, by far, our best drummer.
Dave White
I liked what they were doing, and it was a far cry from what I was involved with at the time. They were in the process of writing songs for American Bread and Circus. I was primarily what would be called a “rock drummer,” not a “punk drummer,” but the mix just seemed to work. I tend to hit rather hard when I play, and Adam liked that.
Ben Dubler
After a couple of years, Adam decided he wanted to step down and get a singer so he could concentrate on guitar. Adam was always a reluctant lead singer. He did it out of necessity. He preferred to be the guitarist, but we all liked him singing.
Tito Bruch
It was an immense responsibility for him so I can understand him wanting to step down. Adam did so much for the band and we wanted to give him a rest.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
I just didn’t want to do both anymore. I don’t like the sound of my voice—especially for punk music. It’s just not a very cutting voice. I told them that I didn’t want to sing anymore, so we listened to some tapes trying to find a good vocalist. We ended up bringing in Mark for an audition and we liked him.
Ben Dubler
We liked his voice because it was gravelly and more akin to Bad Religion.
Mark Luca, vocals 2000-2004
My old band played a show with 2¢ Worth, so I knew that the band was tight and that Adam was a phenomenal guitarist and songwriter. There was word where I was rehearsing that their band was looking for a vocalist. I auditioned. We gelled.
Tito Bruch
Mark didn’t have a background in punk rock music at all. Joining us Mark stepping outside of his box; he was taking a big gamble for himself. He went for it, and I think he was great. He made us more unique. It changed the sound of the band, and it sounded exactly like what we were after. It had that whole polished, two guitar, Bad Religion sound.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Alex and I kind of did faster punk, but Mark was a rock singer.
Tito Bruch
Our differences didn’t cause a problem because everybody was willing to give it a try. All your favorite bands: the ones you love so much, you eventually learn that they lead completely different lives. Bad Religion didn’t all live in an apartment together [laughs], you know? Some of these guys don’t even see each other expect when they practice, record and that’s it.
Mark Luca
I had been in a few bands before joining 2¢ Worth. In the first few seconds of playing, musicians can hear the weak links in a band: I didn’t hear one.
Tito Bruch
Mark has a strong voice and he tried hard. I think it worked out till our days end.
The lineup of Tito, Adam, Ben, Mark and Dave recorded two albums together before calling it quits.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Recording with Mark went really well. I always liked his voice and his note selection on the melodies was really cool.
Mark Luca
Ben, Tito and Adam are all talented original songwriters, they wrote the songs. They sometimes approved of and used my lyrics.
Tito Bruch
We let everybody do anything that they wanted. Adam and I took care of the music, and Mark and Adam did lyrics. As long as Mark was able to fill the words in the song, and didn’t sound too idiotic, we were game for it [laughs]. Once you hit 35, you just let people do what they want to do.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Mark had a pretty deep, low voice that naturally sounded better with slower songs, so we would write to his voice a little bit more. It would be pretty nuts to have him singing the really fast punk stuff in that register. We weren’t trying to be a “cookie monster” band or anything like that, so the music got more “rock” influenced because that’s what he could do with his voice.
Dave White
Adam is one of the most laid-back producers I’ve worked with. He lets you have creative freedom, and aside from specific parts he may want to hear, will let you do what you feel. He has a very kind demeanor that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. This in turn yields better performance … at least for me.
Mark Luca
I saw Adam create and write one of our better recorded songs in like te minutes: Finished/completed. He is an amazing personal music dispensary.
Dave White
Adam has a fantastic ear for detail. He is also very knowledgeable with recording techniques and equipment and knows how to get the sound he wants. To be honest, I’d love to work with him again.
Ben Dubler
We all liked the direction of the music with Mark and Dave.
Mark Luca
Our lyrics for that record ranged from personal fun, and life, experience(s)/views, to satirical, vocal thoughts about evolving modern governmental and technological change. Tito introduced the ‘bread and circus’ concept and title.
Tito Bruch
When Rome started to take away democracy and control the laws, the way that they did it was by distracting the citizens with free bread and shows. They started feeding them at the Coliseum with wine and shit. So that was the Circus. Everyone was busy and instead of voting they went down to the Coliseum to watch Christians get fed to lions get free fed food. While they’re doing that we’re going to start stealing your rights away. I saw happening here in America with television and Coors Light, and it’s still going on! If you don’t like the way that shit is going down now, vote! A lot of people forget that. That’s the important thing I had to say in that album.
Mark Luca
We had new original material, at almost every next show. New songs always meant new rehearsals, which kept things fresh.
Ben Dubler
American Bread & Circus, is a toss-up for my favorite record, along with the one we did after, United States Of Hysteria.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
I learned a lot from every recording session. You can hear how much better United States of Hysteria sounds compared to any of the earlier stuff.
Tito Bruch
I consider Adam the premier producer of the genre in Las Vegas. Hands down.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
We always recorded pretty fast. We’d set up some quick tracks with scratch guitar and just work with the drummer and then everybody would just come in and do their parts. I really like those songs and I think that album came out good. There’s some cool stuff on there.
Tito Bruch
When Hysteria came along we had been doing it for a while and that’s when everything started coagulating and gelling real nice. Everything just came together perfectly. Hysteria was a great album.
Mark Luca
We all knew our roles and we didn’t like mistakes. In the few years that I was with the band, I’m sure that I did make one (“Crowd Unnoticed”) mistake [laughs]. I’m am sure that they did not. We were considered a tight band, musically.
Tito Bruch
The stuff Adam was writing, it hadn’t started to get too complex for me to play. I was going through a divorce that really destroyed me during this time. My personal life was just a mess. I was working so hard just to keep my house. I had to sell my boat. It was very rough.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
We didn’t go in with the thought that things were necessarily winding down.
Tito Bruch
I was working all the time, and didn’t have time to learn the new music. So we split apart. We had other interests. So Adam and Dave and I started Vegas Dogs.
After eight years together, the band had run its course, though some of its members decided to continue making music together under a new name.
Dave White
As far as I can remember, 2¢ Worth didn’t really have an “end” unto itself. It sort of faded away.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
I think it just lost steam.
Tito Bruch
I came to a realization from life taking over (baby’s being born, career moves, divorce) that 2¢ Worth had run its course. Plus Ben had left.
Ben Dubler
My wife and I had twin daughters and the band time was limited.
Dave White
When Ben left to spend more time with his family, we all felt that this was probably it. Not that it was Ben’s fault … just the opposite, really. We all had a good “gel” with each other, and none of us wanted to replace him.
Tito Bruch
Dave, Adam, and I decided to retire it officially by starting something new while attending a Black Diamond show on Halloween. And the greatest band in the world was conceived at that moment.
Dave White
This led to The Vegas Dogs.
Tito Bruch
Totally contrived and absolutely, methodically planned out to every detail, even the on stage banter was planned. Pure Schtick. Pure Rock. Purely unequivocal.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
It was sort of an “anti-band” band. Tito and I just wanted to have complete fun. We didn’t want to deal with anybody but Dave on drums because we were just three buddies at that point.
Dave White
We recorded very short and silly songs while drinking beer on Sunday afternoons. That was a lot of fun.
Tito Bruch
We put out two CDs. The songs were epic but were beat by our stage show which included disco balls, fog machines, sirens, strobes, spotlights, air raid horns, helicopters overhead and explosions to and fro.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
It was just about being friends, and we didn’t want to have any verses or choruses. We didn’t want songs with more than two parts. It was just to be totally self-indulgent, to just have fun and not try. We wanted to come and hang out—not get anything traditionally done.
Tito Bruch
It was just kind of an odd novelty but I wish it would have lasted. It was the greatest thing we ever did.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
It’s still the best version of Tito and I doing anything together as far as I’m concerned. It was doing Vegas Dogs.
Tito Bruch
I tried getting a message across to the kids for almost a freaking decade but nobody was listening. But Vegas Dogs—everybody went ape shit over that band. It was nothing but pure foot-stomping, head-banging, beer-drinking, bar fun. It was great.
The Vegas Dogs eventually called it a day, putting an end to the journey started by 2¢ Worth in 1996.
Ben Dubler
Adam and I played in a short lived band called The Sonic Saints featuring Eric Hill on vocals and Chris Moon (of MIA) on drums. I have two bands now.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Ben is doing The New Waves and Dr. Phobic & The Phobictones. I’m getting busier and busier with the reformed The Faction. Vic is in Chainsaw Massacre. Dave moved to California.
Dave White
I moved back to San Diego, started brewing beer and opened a brew pub called Hillcrest Brewing Company. I later sold it, and now make my living as a welder/fabricator.
Adam “Bomb” Segal
Tito’s still around, but not doing music to my knowledge.
Tito Bruch
Since the band ended I’ve been doing work on myself. I bounced back from a divorce, which induced a downward spiral of wine women and song. I moved to California, and I’m working as an installer for my brother’s tile company and getting groomed for operations manager for San Diego County.
Paul Lee
After 14 years of not playing, I am now the proud owner of two drum kits and I’ve just been practicing my ass off. I don’t know if a band is in my future but I feel like I’m really me again. I still love punk rock.
Alex
I took a break from being in bands after my son was born. Since 2012 I have been working on a stoner-doom project called Sonolith. I have always felt an internal tension between my tastes for punk, classic rock, indie rock, post-rock and metal genres that purists seem to have little tolerance for collaboration in, and I feel that this type of project allows me to fully explore my creative ideas and put out tunes that are heavy, melodic, and groovy – that people can really dig and shake their asses to!
Mark Luca
I’m grateful to all that participated in the fun. We took pride in our music. Adam is a truly talented songwriter/guitarist. He was the best I ever worked with.
Vic Moya
2¢ Worth was an amazing band to be in. I learned more about drumming during my tenure with them than any other time in my life. Adam was a wellspring of knowledge and he shared it openly. Plus, I got to play a couple The Faction songs with frikckn’ Adam Bomb!
Tito Bruch
I still play acoustic guitar and the drums, but with my niece! She did Carnegie Hall already at 9 years old. I’m just having fun.
Written and compiled by Emily Matview. Phone interviews transcribed by Kristy Calhoun. Edited by Emily Matview and Ian Caramanzana
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