INTERVIEW: CKY IN CONVERSATION WITH JESS MARGERA
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
CKY (short for Camp Kill Yourself) will finally make it to Australian shores in 2026 with a three-date tour. They are going to be playing Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. When, they land in Brisbane to play the Crowbar on the 25 January, it will be the night before Australia Day celebrations kick off where the city will be in party mode.
“Cool,” stated Jess Margera. “That sounds like a lot of fun. We always have fun in Australia”.
“We haven’t been to Australia for a while. I think our last visit was for Soundwave in 2012. And I was there with my brother’s punk band - a while ago now – about 10 years, I think,” ruminated Jess Margera. “We have been away too long. We love Australia. I dread the flight over, but I am happy when we get there. I like the old Zoo (now Crowbar). Yeah, it’s got history, that place. We have played there before. And we just can’t wait to be playing for our fans, and it sounds like an awesome time to be in Australia”.
CKY comprises of Jess Margera (drums), Chad I Ginsburg (lead guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), and new bassist Mike Leon (ex - Soulfly), who made his debut with the band over the 2025 US summer at the Warped Tour.
“We are tour fit,” said Jess Margera. “We are also making new music. We are going to drop some new songs – singles - before we come to Australia. We have enough to make a new album, and we will get that done soon. It means that when we play for fans, we will give them a real mix of music in the set. We know that fans love the first two albums ‘Camp Kill Yourself Vol 1’ and ‘Infiltrate – Destroy – Rebuild’ but we will also play some tracks from ‘The Phoenix’ and some new songs that will either just be released or that we are working on. So, it will be a bit of everything”.
“We really do need to apologise to our fans in Australia and make it up to them,” stated Jess Margera. “We have had such bad luck the last two tours. Every time, we were on the way to Australia – something happened. We need to get back and play some rockin’ shows”.
It’s a good time to be a CKY fan. The band are in the process of recording their long-overdue sixth album. They will be here in January 2026 with their first visit in over a decade, and the band are celebrating their 25th anniversary.
“It hasn’t been smooth,” explained Jess Margera. “It feels like 25 years. Lots of ups and downs, but it’s cool to be doing it after all this time. I didn’t anticipate that a song we wrote in my bedroom in high school would pay a lot of my bills when I’m 45 years old”.
CKY’s music was a huge part of the 2000 era with their music featured in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 soundtrack, the infamous Jackass TV series, as well as just about every skater and surf compilation CD of the time.
“I know I live in Pennsylvania now and travel to Nashville for band practice – a 12 hour drive,” said Jess Margera. “But those early days in LA and that scene were great. I am thankful for them. I got to travel the world and see places like Coolangatta beach. I loved that place. Now that’s a beach! We have played with great people over our time”.
CKY has toured the world with the likes of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and the Deftones. Musicians like Polyphia, Dillon Francis, and The Dead South have covered their iconic songs.
“You get in such a grind of just touring, recording, touring, recording, touring,” explained Jess Margera. “You don’t get to stop and ask questions like, So, do I want to keep making music or do something else? But when I really think it over - I really want to keep making music. Then, I come back with a fire under my ass and that’s great.”
And that’s what CKY have planned for fans as the band continue to create music and celebrate playing that music live. After 25 years, CKY still refuse to be put in a box. But their no-fucks-given energy is partially why their impact on the punk music scene is of legend status. Get into Australia Day early by catching one of these gigs.
CKY Australian Tour Dates for 2026
23 January 2026 - Max Watts, Melbourne, VIC
24 January 2026 - Crowbar, Sydney, NSW
25 January 2026 - Crowbar, Brisbane, QLD
