[pullquote quote="I've watched too much corruption go on around me for too long and I really want to make a difference."]Many punk rock bands are known for their political views–whether or not those opinions are expressed thematically in their music. While many are just “talk,” many others are also very active in the societal concerns they are passionate about.

Vandals bassist and entertainment lawyer, Joe Escalante, is taking his convictions to the next level by running for judge in Los Angeles County.

Noisecreep sat down with the conservative punk rocker, father, and Loyola law school grad to talk about his campaign for a seat on the Los Angeles County bench.

Here are some snippets from Escalante’s Noisecreep interview with Chris Epting:

On winning his election:

I’ve watched too much corruption go on around me for too long and I really want to make a difference.

When voters look at a ballot, they should know who they are voting for and I’m working hard so that they can get to know me. Once they do, I think they’ll realize I deserve it.

On The Vandals:

[pullquote quote="I want to make a difference. That's why I'm running. That's why I hope people will give me a chance."]Well right now everyone is keeping busy. I have what I’m working on, our drummer is out with Sublime, and another guy is working on The Aquabats.

But when we get booked for the right shows, we are there, playing as hard as ever, in Japan, Australia, the States wherever. Some of the shows I’m proudest of recently were ones we did for the troops overseas. Regardless of what anyone might think about the wars we are in it should not affect how we treat the troops and we love playing for those men and women.

On Making A Difference:

Like I said, the most important thing for me is making a positive change.

Cleaning up corruption, giving the voters a fair shot to know the truth about all the candidates – I want to make a difference. That’s why I’m running. That’s why I hope people will give me a chance.

For more info on Joe’s campaign, see his Facebook page.

[Source: NoiseCreep]