10 Questions With...Darren Hill

Red Rockers: Darren Hill, James Singletary, John Griffith and Jim Reilly

And now for something not completely different, but a little different.  I got the opportunity to talk a little bit with Darren Hill.  A man that has worn many hats in entertainment, so to speak.  He not only was a musician in a couple of pretty successful bands, but also manager of some of the great and legendary (no exaggeration) bands/performers in music history.  That's not all kids, he's just added entrepreneur to his impressive resume and like most things he's been involved in, it's a really interesting venture.  Darren Hill really is the definition of self-made success. 

DJ:  Where are you from originally?  Who/What got you into playing music?

DH:  New Orleans. During high school I was really into music and went to shows all the time – The Who, Stones, Pink Floyd,  Jethro Tull…I saw dozens of shows. I was learning how to play bass (figured 4 strings would be easier than 6) at the time, but the songs I was trying play were just too complicated. Then, within the span of a few months,  I saw both The Ramones and The Sex Pistols. It changed my life.  I realized that it was more about passion than technical proficiency. From that point on, I knew that was what I wanted to do.

Darren Hill and Dee Dee Ramone

How did the Red Rockers form?  What’s it like being a “one hit wonder?”  In no way meant to be derogatory, millions of people try the music business and so few actually have a hit.  Do you remember where “China” peaked?

The original band (John Griffith, James Singletary, and myself) all grew up in the same neighborhood and were friends. John could play piano and guitar already but James and I were just learning. After we saw The Ramones together we decided to start a band. I recruited a drummer that went to my school and we started practicing in John’s garage. Sometimes we would open the garage door and all the kids in the neighborhood would come watch us. Our first gig was opening for local New Orleans punk legends The Normals. Our second show was opening for The Cramps (original lineup). The Normals split up and we soon became the top punk band in town. We opened for everyone that came through – Black Flag, Mission of Burma, X…then we did our first out of town tour with The Dead Boys.  Eventually we realized that we were going to have to leave N.O. if we wanted to make it, so I talked the guys into packing up our belongings and we moved out to California. Our drummer was still in school and his parents wouldn’t let him leave so we recruited Patrick Jones in LA. Howie Klein (who later became president of Reprise Records) signed us to his label 415 Records out of San Francisco. Our first record Condition Red was released in 1981 and it got a lot of attention. We were dubbed “the American Clash” by several critics. We toured quite a bit on that record and then had a falling out with Patrick. Jim Reilly from Stiff Little Fingers took over as our drummer. We did some dates with The Clash – which was a real dream come true for me.

415 Records was sold to Columbia Records and that’s when things started to change. At the same time, our sound really started to evolve. “China” was just another song to us, but the label really thought it could be a hit.  They hired Annie Liebowitz to shoot our album cover and gave us nice budget to shoot a video. Radio really took to the song – it was # 1 on the Alternative Chart and I think it eventually cracked the Billboard top 40. MTV was starting to catch on and they played the crap out of our video. I think they didn’t have that many videos at the time…haha.

Suddenly we were in all of the Teen magazines. Anyhow, we toured constantly that year and sold quite a few records. Looking back, it seems surreal now. 

Do you attribute the breakup of the Red Rockers due to the band’s “style” change that was “China” or was it just time to move on?

In 1985 we were the support act for U2’s “Unforgettable Fire” tour. The tour ended on the East Coast and we decided to relocate to Boston. Boston had always been really good to us. We were all living in a big old house and working on songs for a new record. John had a girlfriend still back in New Orleans. One day he left to go visit her and never came back…haha. I’m sure it was much more complicated than that – there was a lot of pressure on us from the label at the time. I was devastated – I thought the songs we were working on were really good and that band meant everything to me.

After the breakup, Jim Reilly (drummer, Red Rockers and Stiff Little Fingers) and yourself would join The Raindogs in Boston.  How did that come about?  Please talk about that band.  

Jim and I were planning a new band when we met Johnny Cunningham at an Irish pub in Boston. Johnny was a world-renowned Celtic fiddle player from Scotland who was in the band Silly Wizard. He was sort of the Jimi Hendrix of fiddle players. He agreed to join our band, but we still needed a singer. A mutual friend of ours introduced us to Mark Cutler from The Schemers in Providence, RI. We loved his voice and his songwriting.  Eventually we talked him into joining what would become The Raindogs. We were signed to ATCO/Atlantic and recorded two critically acclaimed records and toured with Warren Zevon, The Waterboys, Don Henley, and Bob Dylan before calling it a day. 

After that, I was recruited to play in Paul Westerberg’s first post-Replacements band. We toured the world and played on “Saturday Night Live.” Then I played in a short-lived band called Klover with Chris and Brian from Gang Green. We recorded one record for Mercury.

I might be incorrect, but didn’t you have a record label, Monolyth?  Is it still operational?

Yes, I became partners with Jeff Marshall – who already had Monolyth up and running. I brought in Grandpaboy (Paul Westerberg), The Royal Crowns, The Pinetops, Big Bad Bollocks, and others.  Sadly, this coincided with the decline of the record business and we eventually closed shop.

How did you enter the world of band management?  What makes for a good band manager?

My son was born in 1990 and I decided I didn’t want to miss his childhood being on the road playing in a band. The problem was – I didn’t know what else to do. I had been in music all my life. I had some job offers from labels, but it would have meant moving to LA – which I didn’t want to do. By default, I ended up handling the business for every band I was in. In the back of my mind, I always thought that one day I would go into management. I tried to pay attention, learn, and make contacts throughout my playing days. It seemed like a natural transition for me. Plus, I didn’t have to move. I think what really helped me the most was the fact that I had the experience of being in a band myself. I think the musicians that I work with know that I understand and have been in their shoes.

Red Rockers with Jello Biafra joining them on stage

What bands/performers have you managed in the past?  What bands/performers are you currently managing?

My first two management clients were The Royal Crowns and Dropkick Murphys. Over the years, I have worked with Combusitble Edison, Skavoovie & The Epitones, The Black Eyed Susans, New York Dolls, and Hot Rod Circuit. My current roster includes Paul Westerberg/The Replacements, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Roky Erickson.

Are there any new projects/tours/albums you can talk about that your clients will be putting out in the future?

The Bosstones are working on a new record this summer and will be going over to Europe for the first time in several years to play some festivals.

Roky Erickson will be going over for festivals this summer as well. He just released a record with Okkervil River last year on Anti and more recently a dvd with The Black Angels.

Paul is doing some soundtrack work.

Who are your 5 all-time favorite bands/performers?  Are there any guilty music pleasures?

The Clash and The Who are by far my two top favorite bands. The Stones, Faces,  & The Jam probably round out the top 5. Can’t forget The Kinks either. I’ve really gotten into jazz over the last several years.

Is there anything or anyone you’d like to plug or promote?  Please use this space to do so. 

I recently opened an antique/art gallery in East Greenwich, RI called POP – Emporium of Popular Culture. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time and it’s a lot of fun. www.emporiumofpopularculture.com.


How about that guys?  If that's not a cool and interesting interview, than I don't know what is?  I'd like to thank Darren for his time and the great pictures that he supplied me with.  Check out all of his bands...they are worth your time and effort.  If your local, stop in and see the cool stuff at Darren's POP.  I have to get down there myself.  See you next time with another interview.  This one will be hard to top.

10 Questions With...Kevin Stevenson

Kevin Stevenson has been in a couple different bands.  An incredibly skilled guitarist and songwriter, as well as, one of the nice guys on the music scene.  A guy that gives his all in every performance.  He'll sweat and bleed for his audience.

How did you get started playing guitar?  Are you self-taught or did you take lessons?  When did you start writing songs?

I started playing guitar when I was six or seven years old. I am self taught, and started trying to write songs as soon as I started playing.

I hear a lot of different things in your music, who has influenced your playing and writing over the years?

As far as my influences go, I have been into music from day one, so I don’t really know how to answer that question. I think that I have always been into any music that actually has something to say, especially any music that breaks the rules, musically and/or lyrically, and of course I am enthralled by stand out musicians like Grady Martin, Ray Charles, Marty Stuart, Louis Jordan, etc. etc., as well as stand out songwriters like Hank Williams, Keith Richards, Smokey Robinson, John and Paul, all of the greats. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Grady Martin was a great session musician in the 50’s. He recorded with the Johnny Burnette Trio (look them up if you don’t know them. One of my faves!) He also played on Marty Robbins’s Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, another great album, he was a busy man in the fifties and sixties, seems like he played with everyone. I have a lot of albums and singles from his solo career, more great stuff.

Talk about your time in Only Living Witness with your brother, Eric.  I know he stayed until the end, but you left to form the Shods.  Was that to do something different from metal?

I was going to quit Only Living Witness, but got thrown out anyway! Bit of luck on my part, and yes, I was getting a little bored with all of my music being written in one style. None of my favorites ever did that

When I was a young teenager, hung up on all my metal stuff, I’m not talking about Bon Jovi and Poison either, I was into Slayer, Hallows Eve and all of the underground speed metal, I was over my Aunts house for Thanksgiving talking about, “my music”, and she said, “I hate to tell you this, but you are just going through a Heavy Metal Phase.” Man, I was mad at her for saying that. Flash forward one year and you could find me listening to Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Johnny Cash, basically anything that wasn’t Metal, I mean, I still listened to that stuff, and still do, but she hit the nail on the head. I guess every kid goes through one phase or another, but if you are a true music fan, it doesn’t last too long. You always end up listening to the stuff you liked in Elementary school, and saying, “What the hell was I thinking? This is the shit!”

What were the Shods about?  They weren’t quite a punk band, because Scott Pittman, Roy Costa and you, could all play really well.  You could here some pop, punk, straight hard rock or even r&b/soul influences, depending on what songs or albums you’re listening to.  I loved the diversity, but did you ever find this to be a problem with your audience, since people like to “label” bands?

When I got a little older, 17-19, I REALLY started getting into all kinds of music, Blues, Country, Punk, early Reggae, Soul, and since I loved it all, why wouldn’t I write in all of those styles? As far as the Shods fans go, if they like my songwriting, great, but I never catered to anyone. People have always loved to label bands. “They are Hardcore, or they are Rockabilly,” and usually they are wrong. Every time someone has tried to turn me onto a band by explaining their sound, they have always been way off in my eyes. Let me give you an example, when I was young I went to see, “Slap Shot” at the Channel in Boston, and there was a band on the bill that I hadn’t seen before, so I asked a friend of mine what kind of a band they were and he said, “They sound like AC/DC.” That band was The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones. AC/DC, what?

Is Poorhouse Records still in existence?  Will there ever be any more demos or unreleased material compiled?  I have all the Shods records except the original; I’m Living In Lowell, MA EP.  I heard about a possible Shods documentary, is there any news about that?

Poorhouse Records will always be in existence! I hope some of our albums will someday be re-released, and some of our unreleased stuff will be added, but who knows. We never had any Record Labels pounding down our door, so somehow I doubt that any labels are going to be fighting over us for the re-release rights. Ha, ha! Wait a minute, I doubt that any record labels will be around in a couple of years! Fuck ‘em.

I know you played with Rivers Cuomo when he was living in Boston in the late 90’s.  Do you want to talk about that time? 

Sure I’ll talk about playing with Rivers. He is an unbelievable songwriter, as well as a man who has a genius IQ. Smart as a whip. I just wish that he had called me before, “Hash Pipe” came out, and gave me a heads up. That freaked me out the first time I heard it. I said, “Wow, why would WBCN (legendary rock radio station in Boston, no longer around) be playing the Shods?”  

Editor's Note:  "Hash Pipe" and some of the Shods music sound eerily similar.

When were you diagnosed with multiple sclerosis?  What was your initial reaction and thoughts about your music career?  Please talk as much about it as you like.

When I was first diagnosed I thought, “Well, that’s the end of my music,“ but I never stopped playing, how could I? It’s all that I know. I never stopped writing either.

I seem to remember you playing a bunch of different guitars.  Do you have a collection?  What guitars do you favor?

Well, I wouldn’t call it a collection, I never saw myself as a collector, I’m a player. I like to have different guitars to get different sounds on my recordings. That’s the only reason I have my guitars.

Who are your 5 all-time favorite bands?  Do you have guilty music pleasures?

I can’t name my five favorite bands, it changes every day! But, I’ll give it a shot: The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, The Who, The Clash, and Johnny Cash . Guilty Pleasures, yes, I love the Classics 4, well I love the album, “Traces,” I have a lot of guilty pleasures, which I won’t name. (Ha, ha)

Is there anything or anyone you’d like to plug?  Take this space to promote anything you want.

Hey Scott, tell your Mother to get her shit out of my house


I'd like to thank Kevin for taking some time to do the interview.  


Please check out the Shods here.
Purchase their music here.

10 Questions With...Jay Berndt

Photo Credit: Heidi Finn Photography

Just about two weeks ago I reviewed a really great solo record called Sad Bastard Songs by Jay Berndt.  I knew a little about him through some mutual friends and he has a very unique story.  Hopefully, you'll get to learn about Jay and his music through our interview together.

How did you get started in music?  When did you know you could sing?  How did you develop your voice?

I got my start playing drums when I was about twelve.  I was living in California and I joined my junior high school marching band back in ‘83/84.  My instructor didn’t just teach me how to play drums but taught everything about the ensemble.  I learned about saxophone reeds, tuba mouthpieces, clarinet finger pads… Everything about how the ensemble works together as a unit.  I think that was what inspired me to experiment with other instruments.  I didn’t have any fear about “I don’t know how to play that”; I’d just pick it up and try.  My family moved back to Rhode Island in ‘86 and my drum set was in storage.  My dad had this ‘58 Kay Archtop guitar around and I tuned it to an open E and learned how to play some Ramones songs.  From there I learned how to actually tune a guitar from some books and began to play full chords.  I think I started fiddling around with bass guitar around that time too.

I guess I started singing along to Black Flag, the Misfits and Bad Brains records in the late 80’s and I thought I did a decent imitation.  So when Brian McKenzie was putting together Kilgore in 1990, he had asked Bill Southerland to play drums and I bluffed my way into singing.  I had never even sung into a microphone but I just went for it and it sounded pretty good at our first practice.  I got better from scrutinizing Beatle records and obsessively learned all of the harmonies on “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver”.  Bill’s father was also a great hard rock singer and he gave me lots of great tips on stage presence, and dynamics.  I felt like I started to develop my own sound once we started playing regular shows around ‘93.  Once we started recording our first album, I had to see a vocal coach because I kept blowing out my voice on the road.  That really taught me what I was doing right and wrong with my voice and how I could preserve it.  I haven’t taken any vocal lessons since ‘94 but I learned a lot in just those few lessons.  These days, I feel that my voice is really the strongest it’s even been.  I don’t smoke anymore, I eat healthy and I try to stick to singing baritone.

Talk a little about the Kilgore (Smudge) days…I know you guys toured and recorded with some big names in the business.  What were the pros and cons of being in a working band for you?  When did you know it was over for you?  Or rather, when did you know you wanted a change?

I guess the biggest pro’s were being able to travel some of the world, meeting some of my idols, and playing with awesome bands… But the best feeling was watching the band get good.  We were a decent band but I remember coming home after our second tour, and we were this well oiled machine.  All of us; we just got so much better as musicians.  These were guys I went to high school with and they were all damn good musicians, but the road made us stronger.

But the road also tested our nervous systems.  It really zapped our heads.  I always called it the Kurtz Syndrome… “Every day I was in the shit, I couldn’t wait to get back home and every day I was back home, I couldn’t wait to get back in the shit.” It wasn’t easy.  We had some casualties along the way.  I remember one tour where we all ate salami sandwiches for three weeks straight.  I think we lost our bass player after that tour and then our founding member and main songwriter, Brian McKenzie left about a year later.  I knew we were in trouble after he left.  We banded together and worked hard to trudge on but some of the magic was gone.  I remember being on Ozzfest in ‘98 and just feeling miserable.  We didn’t feel like we were playing well, we were fighting a lot… We should have been on top of the world, but it just felt like a drag. Plus playing the same songs night after night, year after year… It just felt like, lather, rinse, and repeat.  We lost the reasons of why we had written the songs and feelings we were trying to convey.  It’s why to this day; I really don’t like playing many shows.  I really knew it was over when we started writing songs for our third album and I just couldn’t come up with a single melody for anything.  It was quite an eye opener…

Why did you leave the music industry?  What happened during the “lost years” (1999-2003) of Jay Berndt?

Well I had grown weary of the major label treatment.  Throughout our time with Warner Bros, they were always trying to make us something that we weren’t.  Punk got big in ‘94, so they were suggesting we sound like that.  The whole Korn sound got big and they suggested we start wearing Addias… The last straw was a radio DJ telling me he was really excited to hear the industrial remixes of our latest album… I fucking lost it.  It wasn’t just the label; our manager, our lawyers… they were all giving us advice on how we should change what we sound like or what we look like, how we could sell more records, be more marketable towards a certain target demographic… I just began distrusting everyone.

They even offered me a solo artist contract if I would stay with the band.  But I didn’t even know what I wanted to do with music.  I knew I didn’t want to play metal anymore.  I felt that it was too constricting and I wanted to try different styles.  Plus, I didn’t trust anyone, except my wife Jessica.  So I just dropped out… I spent most of that time trying to figure out what I wanted to say and how to say it.  I just holed up in my basement with 4-Track recorder and kept writing and recording songs until I found something that got me excited.  But that wasn’t really until I tried country music in 2003.

Were the bands; The Revival Preachers and The Brimstone Assembly test runs for what you’re doing now? 

 

I suppose in retrospect, yes… I never had any plans of doing anything as a solo artist.  At the time, those were serious projects for me.  I learned more in the two years I played with Damian Puerini (guitarist for the Revival Preachers) than in the ten plus years I had been playing guitar prior.  I mean I had barely played guitar in a band, never mind playing guitar and singing at the same time.  It was also the first time I fronted a band where I wrote all the songs, produced our records, booked the shows… So I had some growing pains, and there were some frustrating times.  But overall I’m really proud of those bands.  The music was good and we had a lot of fun.  Plus, each of those bands had really amazing musicians and they’re all great people as well.

How do you feel your music and songwriting has progressed over the 20 years you’ve been doing it?  Besides, the obvious of going from metal to country/bluesy rock.  

I think in the last four or five years, I’ve really come into my own with my songs.  I never really wrote any of the music with Kilgore.  I wrote all of the vocal melodies, lyrics and I'd make suggestions to arrangements or key changes, but I just couldn’t write metal songs.  I always felt that great metal songs were based on the guitarist being able to write a great riff, like Tony Iommi or Ritchie Blackmore.  I tried to write some songs for the band on the second album and one of them almost made the cut but they were just bad Soundgarden rip-offs and didn’t really fit with the rest of the album.

After I left the band, I was stumbling around trying to find my voice in my songwriting.  Somewhere around 2001/2002, I got inspired by the European acts The Hellacopters, The Hives, and Turbonegro.  They were just making cool rock-n-roll records.  All that stuff made me break out my Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Carl Perkins records.  Just a simple verse, chorus, bridge structure with a catchy melody.  So that’s the thing I spend the most time on, trying to find a good melody.  I tend to write most of my songs when things are quiet; like when I’m walking the dogs, ironing cloths, doing dishes… I just start singing.  Once the melody is there, I pretty much completely hear the rest of the song in my head.  Drums, bass, guitar, piano… It’s all there.  The lyrics always come last.  The melody sets the tone of the song and lets me think of ideas or stories I’d like to convey in the lyrics.  And it really doesn’t matter to me if it’s gospel, country, blues, rock or a metal song.  As long as you have a good melody and something interesting to say, you have the makings of a great song.

Talk about your latest album, Sad Bastard Songs.  I really enjoyed it.  My review was no BS.  Was it difficult to write such personal songs?  You played many of the instruments yourself.  What’s your secret for being able to learn so many instruments?

Well thank you.  You really hit the nail on the head with describing these songs as my children.  I’m really proud of them and the album as a whole.  I think it’s some of the best work I’ve done.  It was challenging to write such honest songs.  I’ve always written about myself, but I always felt that I didn’t want to give up too much, so I hid behind allusions, flowery language or humorous stories.  With these songs, I felt I needed to purge some demons I had been wrestling with.  I had written and recorded about half of the album when my wife really helped me realize that the strongest songs were my most honest ones.  So I actually scrapped a few of the songs I had already recorded and I started over.  Even as the album was ready to be submitted to the label, I had 11 songs that were heartfelt, honest and raw and 1 song that had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of them.  To replace it, I actually wrote, recorded and mixed “Running Blues” in a day or two before handing in the masters.

Handling most of the instruments was a challenge.  Mostly because I record to analog tape and you can’t copy and paste like you can in digital recording.  You hit a bum note while recording and you gotta do it again.  Seeing as I’m not much of a solo player, I felt I needed to bring in experienced players to add that missing something to some of the songs.  The foundation was there but it was the piano, guitar solos, and pedal steel that pulled it all together.

What is Moto Destructo Studio?  How did it come about?  Are they open for other bands to record there?  Do you need a helper, because I need a job?

Hahaha!!  Moto Destructo is the name for my home recording studio.  It’s really just a one man operation. It’s a fully analog recording studio, with a Tascam 16 track, one inch tape machine, 24 track Soundcraft board and numerous external pre-amps, compressors and effects.  I learned over the years by recording onto tape and invested the time and money into the equipment, so I never really had much desire to “upgrade” to digital recording.  Plus, I just can’t get past having to use a mouse instead of faders and knobs on a board. And people can argue endlessly about which is better, but I still like the sound of tape.  I’ve recorded all of my projects at the studio and I do take in other clients, but it’s mostly singer/songwriters or bands that I know I would enjoy working with.  I’ve done a number of albums with local artists such as; Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons, Brian McKenzie, Chris Fullerton, and Villainer.

What are the Broadside Basement Sessions that I’ve seen on You Tube?  Will they continue?

The Broadside Basement Sessions is a video performance series with me and some of my friends working on some original music and some covers.  All of it is very raw; we only rehearse the day of the shoot and have only played the songs a few times.  It’s an opportunity to throw a few musicians together that really haven’t worked together and see if we can create some magic.  We have done two sessions already with a new one launching in early April.  And I’m definitely planning on releasing more… You can find some of the videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rustyknucklesmusic

 

Who are your 5 all-time favorite bands/performers?  Are there any guilty music pleasures?

I’d say the artists that are always in rotation for me would be: The Beatles, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Howlin’ Wolf.  They are always a source of inspiration.  There’s so many more, and don’t get me started on a “Top Ten...” list!

I wouldn’t say it’s a guilty pleasure but for decades I’ve been saying that I don’t like Bruce Springsteen and I have recently fallen in love with the Darkness on The Edge of Town album.  I don’t have that punk rock integrity thing where you’re not supposed to like something.  To paraphrase Smokey Robinson; “If the song makes you tap your toes, it’s a good song and it’s OK to like it.”

Is there anything or anyone that you’d like to plug?  Take this space to talk about anything you like.

I’d love for everyone to listen to Sad Bastard Songs, of course.  And I’d love to have everyone come down to the German Club show on Sat 3/26.  This will be the first show I’ll be performing songs from SBS with a full band, so I’m really excited.  Also there’s the Tom Waits Tribute/Benefit for Amos House on Fri 4/1 at the 201 in Providence.  Lots of great acts coming together for a great cause… 


I'd like to thank Jay Berndt for doing the interview.  If anyone is within driving distance and would like to see some great music please come out.  The German Club is in Pawtucket, RI and is a FREE show.  The Tom Waits Show is a benefit show.  All the more reason to go to both shows if you live within 50 miles of the venues.

Listen to Jay Berndt's Music here.
Buy his music here and here.

10 Questions With...Joe Fletcher

Joe Fletcher was kind enough to take a few minutes to answer some questions for me.  He and the rest of the Wrong Reasons will be starting a tour with Lydia Loveless on April 15th.  He has also put up his fantastic album, White Lighter, for FREE download, for a limited time.  Everyone reading this should jump on that offer.  Please throw in a tip to support the band, it's the least you could do.

I know you’re originally from St. Louis, MO.  How did you end up in RI? 

My mom and I moved from St. Louis to Warwick, RI, just before I started kindergarten.  This is where my stepfather is from.  We stayed a year before moving to Pennsylvania and then South Carolina.  After a few years away, we settled back in Rhode Island.

I enjoy your songwriting it’s very visual. So who/what got you started in music and songwriting? 

My love of the electric guitar was what first got me going full steam in about 8^th grade.  Appetite for Destruction had hit the streets and the kids at my junior high were going mental growing soft little mustaches and tearing holes in their clothes.  Before The Wrong Reasons, I was strictly an electric guitar player in Rock N’ Roll bands.  Somewhere around the end of the last band I was in, The Deterrents, I started working on my own songs and learning how to sing and play acoustic guitar.

Where does your music/songwriting influences come from?  You hear a little of everything in your songs. 

If I'm on a roll writing songs, they can come from anywhere.  Something I overhear or read or remember.  Literally anything.  Despite the music we do, I've never felt like I had to be limited to songs about trains, the devil, and cars.  Originality in my writing is important to me. 

How do you feel you’ve progressed from Bury Your Problems to White Lighter?

Personally, I feel like I am a much better singer.  There is something about it that feels more honest to me as well.  That may have as much to do with the way it was recorded as anything else.  It is a very natural sounding record.

White Lighter has a pretty all-star cast of musicians from the Providence scene.  How did that come about?  Did the Wrong Reasons go on break or were these people that you wanted to work with?  Just a little confused on why the guys didn’t play on the album. 

I didn't know those guys yet.  I started recording in April of last year.  Leading up to that, I didn't have that steady of a band.  I got in touch with some friends that were wiling to help, so I just started rehearsing these different songs with different people for the record.  During the recording, someone mentioned to me that bassist Joe Principe and drummer Dave Hemingway were not playing with anyone.  I got in touch with them and we started rehearsing on the days that I wasn't at Machines with Magnets mixing White Lighter.  They've been with me nearly a year now.  I am a lucky guy.

You’re doing a small tour with Lydia Loveless in April.  What are some favorite places to play?  Where would you like to play? 

We are very excited about the tour with Lydia.  We’ve been doing shows with her in Ohio for four years now.  Her first record since signing to Bloodshot will be out later this year.  Things are really looking up for her.

As far as favorite places to play, I love Nashville, Memphis, Austin, and St. Louis.  I would really like to get out to Northwest and California.  I just played a show in Portland, OR while on a short vacation.  I like their style out there.  Also, a European tour must happen at some point.

What do you think of the Alt-Country/Americana genre?  Do you think Providence is an unlikely place for such a strong Alt-Country/Americana scene? 

I don’t think much about genres and defining a band’s sound. If anything, the limitations of a genre too often confine a band.  I suppose we might be a bit easier to market if we just played honky tonk or just played country blues, but I would also be lying to myself on a daily basis about what I’d like to be doing.  I just follow my natural inclinations of how and what to play based on what I like to hear.  Personally, I find it funny how much magazine space has been devoted to things like “Whoa, this Deer Tick sure doesn’t sound like they’re from Rhode Island.”  Old country, folk, and blues records have been available to me in my local New England record shops for as long as I’ve been looking for them.  I can get in my truck and be in North Carolina by dinner time.  We’re not talking about some great distance.  I’m not sure what people from here are supposed to sound like.  The Pixies?  Sea shanties?  Who knows?  I think Providence is as likely as anywhere for talented musicians to get interested in and play a variety of American roots music. 

Who are some local bands that you like to see/play with?  Is there anybody that you’d like to play with, that you haven’t already? (Nationally/World)

Locally, I love Brown Bird, Last Good Tooth, and Keith McCurdy.  Some of my current favorite national acts that I would love to play with sometime… Bob Dylan, John Prine, Justin Townes Earle, Gillain Welch, Hayes Carll, The Avett Brothers…  this could go on forever.

What are the plans for you and the band in the future?  A new record?  More touring? 

Well, this record just came out in December.  I’d like to record again next winter.  We’ve got quite a few new songs already.  I am really anxious to record with current live band.  As far as touring, after this ten-day run with Lydia Loveless, we’ll go back out in July for much longer one.

Any guilty music pleasures?

For better or worse, I'm not really too embarrassed by anything that I like.  It was been suggested that I should be ashamed of my love of George Michael's "Faith" record or the first 50 Cent record.  The unimaginative sometimes roll their eyes when I say "Purple Rain" is the best record I ever heard.  I am very comfortable with this fact.  I would rather listen to good pop music than another "roots" band that sounds just like the last one.


I'd like to thank Joe Fletcher again for answering my questions.  Please go see Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons if they are playing anywhere near you.  It's a guaranteed good time.  Also, jump on that limited time offer of the FREE download of White Lighter.  I can't recommend it more.

10 Questions With...Greg Burgess and Jack Hanlon of The Throttles

Greg Burgess on guitar and Jack Hanlon on double bass

This is the second interview in the new series, 10 Questions With...  Which as you all know from the first one, is much more than just ten questions.  These interviews go hand in hand with the reviews of the CDs I get.  It's a mixer of sorts, a get to know the performers type of thing.  

This particular interview was with both Greg Burgess and Jack Hanlon of The Throttles.  They took some time out of their busy days and read their email.  We'll (I'll) have to figure out how to interview two people using the same questions.  There were a couple of the same answers, but that's my mistake, it's bound to happen.


Derek Johnson : What made each of you start playing your respective instruments?  Who are your earliest and current influences?  Talk about your background in music.

Greg Burgess: I started playing guitar in high school.  It seemed like a fun thing to do when I was high on pot.  I thought the coolest thing about the guitar was that they “didn’t,” teach it in school.  

Jack Hanlon: Growing up, two of my friends were starting to play. One played drums, the other played guitar, so I ended up buying a bass. I wouldn't switch to double bass until I started playing in The Crowns. Influences, let's see, guys like Willie Dixon, Big Crawford, Wellman Braud. The old blues guys mainly. I've been playing music for over twenty years. I've had very little formal training.

My earliest influence was Angus Young.  I was in the sixth grade and I went to see my first concert: AC/DC at the Boston Garden.  None of my friends were allowed to go so my Old Man had to take me.  I was absolutely blown away.  It was AC/DC in their prime with Brian Johnson, anyways.  Also, the first time I saw footage of Jimi Hendrix, (it was some special or something and he was doing a version of ‘Voodoo Child) it had the same impact as that AC/DC concert.  I’m all about the Gypsy jazz players now, starting with Django Reinhardt, the inventor of the Gypsy Jazz guitar to the current Gypsy guitar players in Europe

When I got half proficient on the guitar I had the need to play with people, so I started going to blues jams in Boston, waiting around all night to get up at the end of the night to play the three songs that you were allowed.  It took a little while and then I started getting better. 
 

Here’s my only question about the “old” band.  It’s not if there will be a reunion.  I know everyone is off doing other things.  It’s been about 10 years or so since, The Amazing Royal Crowns ended.  Knowing what you know now, is there anything you guys wish happened or did differently?  I don’t mean more success or anything like that, but are you happy with how that part of your career turned out?  I can’t even figure out a good way to word it.

Nothing overly apparent. I wish we could have been on one label as opposed to having to bounce around like we did but that was not our fault. Both labels we were on went belly up. Let's just say, I'm at peace with how thing turned out.

Maybe because it’s been so long, but when I think back to the Crowns’ days, all I can remember is the total good times.  It was the best time of my life playing in that band!

Do you think the Providence scene has rebounded?  There was a couple of years where it didn’t seem like much was going on.  Currently, it looks like there are a lot of really good diverse bands and performers around.  

I think there are some great bands in town.  I love Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons and not just because I played a little guitar in the band at one point.  I really think the band has grown into it’s own.  Joe’s a great songwriter and their new record “White Lighter” is one I listen to often.  I love Brown Bird, another group of great players and great songs.  I think they’re fantastic.  Also, one of my favorite bands is Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores.  Our drummer Matt plays in that band and it is some far out World Music stuff.  Their music is incredibly inspiring!

Right now there are lots of great bands around. The Wrong Reasons, Brown Bird, Girl Haggard. Lots of great rootsy stuff, you know?  

Talk about the new band, The Throttles.  I know both of you play or fill in, for a variety of bands in the New England area.  What made you want to do another band together?  What made you want to have it be a trio?  What does Matt McLaren bring to the lineup?

The Throttles is a mix of a lot of styles. Latin, Swing, Bluesy stuff, a little bit of Country at times. We cover a lot of ground but really try to make it a cohesive sound. We like a lot of different kinds of music and it comes out in the song writing. Greg and I had been talking about doing our own band for quite some time. It just took awhile to get it off the ground. Matt really holds the whole band together. He's so knowledgeable when it comes to drums and percussion. I don't think there are many drummers as versatile as he is. A lot of guys would have trouble fitting in with us because they would have to be just as comfortable playing Punk beats as they would with Bosa Nova rhythms.

Matt is just a phenomenal drummer, totally versatile in a number of styles, different time signatures, and all sorts of crazy stuff.  He can do anything and completely pushes me to want to play better all of the time.

How does the song writing process work for the band?  Is it more jamming with each other or do you come in with ideas worked out?  Who is the lyricist?

Greg writes almost everything. He usually has a lot of it worked out but we'll usually practice things a bit before we play it live and sometimes Matt and I will contribute in those situations. The more difficult song with more parts are done this way. Sometimes Greg just has a few parts that he shows us and we'll just start playing them live and let the jamming take the song where it wants to go. We write lyrics for our own songs although we're open to working on collaborating in the future.

We hardly rehearse at all so the songs are forced to take shape live.  Sometimes it’s magic, sometimes it’s not.

How do you describe The Throttles musically?  There are so many different types of music going on in the CD.

I guess it would be kind of a ‘World-Music-Meets-Americana’.  There’s just so much music out there to be into.  It’s hard just sticking to one thing.

I guess at the end of the day we're a Rock band with a lot of different influences. I think our sound is definitely rhythm oriented. As long as it has a good beat. Slow or fast. Doesn't matter..

You guys have a show coming up with Los Straitjackets in New Haven, CT on Feb.17^th at Cafe Nine.  They are also a favorite band of mine and are really fun to watch live.  After all the years of touring, are there any bands that you haven’t played with yet, that you’d like to?  Who? 

I would LOVE to play with Heavy Trash.  God, I love that band and would kill to be on the same bill with them.  There are so many others, but that band sticks out.

Will The Throttles tour?  If so, would it be the New England circuit (if there is such a thing anymore) or more than that?  

I’d love to tour with the Throttles, I just don’t know.  It’s a day-by-day thing with us and we’re trying to play as much as we can right now.  We’re still in the process of developing our sound at every gig. 

We've talked about it. I know Matt would like to get us over to Europe. He thinks we'd do real well over there.

What does the future hold for The Throttles?  Another album, maybe some festival shows (Hootenanny), anything else?

Just trying to play as much as possible to support this record. I think we'll do more recording in the future as well.

Right now we’ve just been writing songs and playing out.  I would absolutely love and hope we do another record way sooner than later.  That’s the goal, anyway. 

  

Here is now the hardest question ever:  Who are your All-Time 5 Favorite bands for each of you?

Greg:

The Clash

AC/DC

Bob Dylan

The Beatles

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jack: 

Husker Du/Bob Mould

Yo La Tengo  

Howlin' Wolf

The Ramones 
Motorhead

Thank you to Greg and Jack for their time. 

Visit their site to find out where to see them live and listen to some songs.
Purchase their music here and here.

For any other bands/artists out there that are interested in being reviewed and interviewed, please contact me.  Thanks again.

10 Questions With...Tin Horn Prayer's Andy Thomas

Andy Thomas of Tin Horn Prayer

As everyone who regularly comes to this blog knows, I'm music obsessed.  I've had the opportunity to know some great bands and musicians over the years, but also be a fan.  When I like something, I want to tell people about it.  So, what better use of this platform than spread the news of good music.  As I review albums, I hope to get the chance to do an interview as well.  I've always enjoyed reading about the members of bands and learning about members.  So this is my attempt.

Derek Johnson:  Start at the beginning...it's boring but, it's where everything starts unless you're Quentin Tarantino.  How/When did you start playing drums/guitar?  Did you take lessons early on?  What or Who made you want to start?  A basic, early overview of your musical roots.

Andy Thomas:  I started playing drums when I was around eleven.  It was around the time that everyone was being forced to play an instrument.  Most people got stuck with flute or clarinet or something like that, but I wanted something cooler.  I had to “try out” to be a drummer by patting my head and rubbing my stomach and vice versa to see if I had the right dexterity – luckily for me, I did.

As far as guitar, I can’t really tell when I started. I was in my first band when I was about 13 and everyone used to leave their gear at my house. When they would leave I would pick the guitar up and play for while. I’ve never been formally taught at guitar, but just being around them I learned to play. I probably should take a lesson one of these days. I’m still not very good!

Who were your early influences and who are they now?  Basically, any particular drummers and now, singer/songwriters/guitarists...etc.  Godzilla, Barney...Anyone like that.

As far as overall musicians, I’ve always like Dave Grohl because of the whole drummer to guitarist/singer transition.  Plus, he just seems like a cool guy I could listen to music and drink Coors Light with.  Keith Moon from the Who was always one of my favorite drummers, but I don’t claim to be anywhere near as good as he is.  As far as songwriters go now, I really like Frank Turner, Joe Pug, Justin Townes Earle,  Chris from Fake Problems, Tim Barry…I have a huge list!

How did Only Thunder come about?  How was your time in the band?  When did you guys know it was over?

Only Thunder started with a bunch of friends finally deciding to play music together.  We never really had an agenda or style other than playing music that we really liked.  I had a great experience in that band and wish it would’ve lasted longer. 

What's the Denver scene like?

There are tons of great bands from here.  But it seems like the majority of bands who “make it” out of Denver, are total garbage and a poor depiction of the group of musicians I hang out with.  I don’t think any city has one distinct “scene.”  Denver is made up of many different ones.  Since Denver is a smaller city, people from different places always seem to assume I know every musician in town.  When I was on tour with Ghost Buffalo, I can’t count the number of times I was asked if I knew the guys in the Fray.  Those guys are great musicians, and I’m sure they’re nice people, but they were so far removed from my “scene” when they were here, that I never even bumped into them.  I love the diversity of music in this town, but I don’t feel a particular kinship to most of the bands.  If I was asked to put myself into any scene it’d be the “old guys who drink too much scene.”  I’m ok with that.

How did Tin Horn Prayer get together?  Are they a full-time band?  I know other members were/are in other bands?  Will the focus ever be just on THP?

Mike and his friend Dan Beachy wrote some of the songs while Mike was still in The Blackout Pact.  He recorded some demos that he brought back to Denver that I just fell in love with.  I think he talked to people for awhile about setting up a whole band around it.  I think at first I was supposed to play drums.  When we finally got everyone together, it was just Mike, Eric, myself and this other dude all sitting down playing acoustic guitars – there wasn’t a lot of dynamics to it.  We started adding a lot more instruments and now we’re a full on rock band, but we still play some of those great songs that Dan and Mike wrote when they first got together.

As far as being a full time band I think we absolutely are.  Tin Horn is certainly my main focus and, even though I would love to play drums for another band, this is still my main priority.  Mike is actually the only member who plays in another band right now, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill.  Other than that, we’re all very focused on this band.

Will THP ever "get in the van" and tour?  Speaking of touring, what current (local or otherwise) bands would you want to tour with?  Regardless of the years of existence, put together a dream day long festival featuring Tin Horn Prayer and what other bands from history??? ( 5 or 6 bands, THP can headline if you want, just do the set lineup for the day)

We hope to tour a bunch this year.  We have a west coast tour planned in February and again, hope to travel wherever anyone will have us after that. 

Right now, I would love to tour with; Lucero, Gaslight Anthem, Justin Townes Earle, Titus Andronicus, Two Cow Garage, Fake Problems or Trampled by Turtles.  We would also love another shot at the Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan.  Our first show ever was with Chuck and we all respect the shit outta that guy.  Anyone associated with any of those bands listening?!  Give us a chance!

I can’t speak for the other guys but a great festival for us would feature all of those bands I just mentioned and maybe some classics like Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt or the Replacements.  I bet that would make for a good time.  (I'd pay to see that show, definitely)

What is your favorite venue to play with a band and solo?

Three Kings in Denver has always been good to us.  Other awesome places in Denver are the Hi-Dive, The Summit and the Larimer Lounge.  One of the coolest places I’ve ever played outside of Colorado is The Triple Rock Social Club in MN.  I hope we can make it there soon!

Speaking of solo performances, talk about your solo album and if you plan on writing another one, someday?

I still write songs as a solo artist and still perform from time to time but I don’t have any plans for another album anytime soon.  I do have a plan to post a bunch of bathroom demos on bandcamp pretty soon, but another full length in a studio just seems like too much of a daunting process to me and I don’t know if I’ll ever be totally satisfied with anything I record as a solo artist.

Talk about the program you helped create with Illegal Pete's.  When I was on tour, this would have been huge for us, especially after seeing their menu.  Any other projects in the works?

It’s called the Starving Artists Program and we basically give away free food for any touring band that promises to give us a little promotion on Twitter and Facebook.  So far the response has been overwhelming and I think it’s created a music friendly image of Illegal Pete’s which is what we set out for in the first place.  Because of the program, we’ve managed to bring in some big acts to perform in our restaurant; like Frank Turner, Ben Nichols and Lenny Lashley.  We’re constantly coming up with new ideas and are super excited to see what else we can do to help out musicians of all kinds.

What are your 5 All-Time Favorite Bands?
  
Damn, good question. I know I’m gonna go back and regret what I said on this list, but here goes. These are in no particular order:

Frank Turner

The Replacements

Slayer

Lawrence Arms

Against Me!

I know that was more than 10 questions, but you get more than you bargained for, due to the fact that I can't count.  I'd like to thank Andy Thomas of Tin Horn Prayer for being my first interview victim.  Hopefully, there will be more to come.

Please checkout Tin Horn Prayer here and here.


For any other bands/artists out there that are interested in being reviewed and interviewed, please contact me.  Thanks.