Hard Times was the band’s first with indie label Epitaph, and "they have been very patient,” Ness says. “It hasn’t taken 10 years to write a record. I could have put out three records if we weren’t such a busy touring band. We toured
Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes for four or five years. You can’t write a new record until you shut down the touring machine.”
To say Ness and company like to tour is like saying the Orange County native enjoys a little Hank Williams or Johnny Cash now and then. But some 200 shows per year over the past four to five years came to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit in 2020, derailing a foreign tour of Europe to promote the ongoing 40th anniversary of the band.