Download the issue in PDF format - Antigravity Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

BACKROOMROCKwe’re accused of beingderivative of bands I’venever heard ofDo you remember what it felt like the first time you heard your favorite music? I was 14 and had beenlistening to a lot of metal bands. it was typical stuff like Metallica and Slayer. One day my friend,Christian Barnes, came over to my house and changed my life with two words: punk rock. Ramones,Descendents, Black Flag and a ton of other American and British bands just took over my life.I’d never been moved so much in my young life. I thought I knew what aggressive music was before, butthis was better to me. These guys weren’t singing about religious stuff or gory murder shit. They weresinging about everyday life. The music was gnarly and I could relate.As time passed and my punk collection grew, I saw a real downhill slide. More like a straight nosedive.I saw punk rock get taken advantage of. So much bad music attached itself to the genre while totallyhaving nothing to do with it. In my opinion, there is a punk sound and once you have enough sub-genres,the sound is lost. Back in the ‘80s, crust would’ve been called cross-over and in the ‘90s hardcore turnedinto shit that was nothing but breakdowns. For a long time I missed bands that sounded like and justwere punk rock.On the Gulf Coast, two dudes and their bands are really capturing the heart and root of it all: BuckBiloxi and the Fucks and Gary Wrong Group. When I first heard these two bands I was excited. I hadbeen missing Gary Wrong’s previous band, Wizard Sleeve. I knew that Gary was into different soundsand always surrounded himself with like-minded musicians. I couldn’t wait to hear what he was up to.Featuring Benny Divine on drums and Casio, Weird Steve Kenny on white-noise-frequency-screechingdrum-machinething and Mr. Quintron on percussion, Gary Wrong Group slays with spacey, scary, darksongs. I mean, it’s not easy to describe it. Flipper versus Suicide? Do you even know what that means?Me neither.Buck Biloxi, on the other hand, was an unexpected treasure; I just stumbled upon them at Saturn Barone night. And it was perfect. Truly raw, late ‘70s killer punk. As of late they’ve really gone places,playing a handful of killer fests and releasing a good chunk of songs with 7”s on both Orgone Toilet andPelican PowWow records. There are few bands out there that can really nail that no frills sound, totalglue-sniffing idiot (and rad) punk rock. DeeDee would be proud.GARY WRONG GROUPTell me about this record, Knightsof Misery.Gary Wrong: It’s our LP out on TotalPunk and Jethro Records. Jethro is mylabel and this guy Rich runs Total Punk.I stole the name from this old swamp popguy named Johnnie Allan. My favoritesong of his is called “Knights of Misery.”It’s a very tortured song.And the LP actually is total punk.It’s layered with all these tones anddelays. How do you describe it?It’s nasty... I don’t know, man. It’s justSouthern punk with a lot of crazy shit.Did Mr. Quintron have a lot to dowith the sound of the recording?It was a mixture. I’d record a track, thenhe’d add to it and vice versa. We did it atmy place in Mobile and at his house inNew Orleans, the Spellcaster Lodge.Do you think that the Southproduces a distinct sound, whetherit be metal or punk?Yeah, of course. I mean, it did a lot morebefore the internet. Now everybody hasaccess to everything. It kind of cheapensit a bit.Whenever I go out of town I runinto so much stuff that you don’tsee a lot of in the South. Like punkswith mohawks and everybody looksall ‘77 or a lot of other people massproducing the psych thing.But it’s all cheap. I think things are justmore real down here. But there are abunch of yahoo fucking losers.When you guys are writing, do thesongs pour right out of you?It depends. Some of the songs have beenaround for a long time and been reworkedand other times we just do them right offthe cuff. But yeah, we can write reallyquick or I can just make it take forever.Sometimes they gotta grow a little bit.I know exactly what you mean bythat. Did you listen to anythinggrowing up that influenced theGary Wrong sound?20
I listened to a lot of Chrome andHawkwind and other weird acid folk stuff.What do you think of all thesebands using Kickstarter forrecording and touring?I don’t like it. I can understand if it’ssomething unattainable. But if you cannot do dope or quit smoking and drinkingfor a month to record a record thenfuckin do it. Or if you’re trying to makea movie or something, that shit’s fuckinexpensive... I mean, if somebody wantsto give me money, that’s cool. But I’m notgoing panhandling for it on the computer.You and I both play in the punk/garage rock scene.Don’t say garage rock. I play in the backroom.what people tell them to like.I don’t want to ask you what’s coolto hear right now. I’d rather ask youwhat sucks. Who deserves to getpunched out there?Aw man, everybody. I mean, it’s differenteverywhere you go but it’s also the same.There’s always good and bad; it justdepends on where you’re coming from.People are morons.Do you feel like people expect youto be a certain way since you’refrom the Gulf Coast?Yes. It’s weird. Like when Kajun SS wentto Europe, people expected us to be alllike Dukes of Hazard. Like where themol’ Duke boys? They expect stuff but youdon’t have to give it to them.I hate saying garage. The garage isfor the car, dude.[laughs] Yeah, it’s back-room rock.I know that in that scene we’ve bothrun into bands that are completelyimage over sound.Oh yeah man. I’ve seen it.Does it bother you when some ofthese guys get any recognition?People are morons. They’re going to likeDoes this band have any plans fortouring in the future?Not really. Benny is always busy, Quintronis busy.And you’re a family man.Yeah, and I run my label.How is it being a father and arocker at the same time?It’s cool! The only limitation really isscheduling out-of-town shows, and whileI love to play out-of-town, getting thereand back without coming out of pocketis pretty hard; and being away from thefamily with nothing to show for it is prettymuch out of the question... usually. Ha ha.Does your daughter loverock‘n’roll?Well yeah, duh... she specifically asks for“the ‘Mones.” On the way to daycare,“Beat on the Brat” and “53rd & 3rd” areher favorites... [I’m] not looking forwardto telling her what DeeDee wrote thatsong about. She really digs MOTO andthe Spits, too. On the way home, it’susually “Daddy, ENO!” Her singing alongto “Baby’s On Fire” is hilarious.Tell me the pros and cons ofrunning a label.The pros are the satisfaction of puttingout music you love for a handful of peoplewho also love it. Cons are the rising pricesat the pressing plant and the United States21
Page 1: Vol. 10 No. 9 July 2013 #108
Page 8 and 9: Featured ColumnistParts One through
Page 11 and 12: photo by Kevin ComardaWeird Al Yank
Page 14 and 15: y M. BEVISphotos GARY LoVERDECreepy
Page 17 and 18: intro KEVIN BARRIOSinterview by KEV
Page 19: y. I did so much of the shit on my
Page 23 and 24: derivative of bands I’ve never he
Page 25 and 26: make a bit too much of their affini
Page 27 and 28: y Dirk Fontenot“For your own sake
Page 29 and 30: FRIDAY: 7/5Circle Bar: Debauche, 10
Page 31 and 32: featuring Kristopher Batiste, Seizo
Page 33: Spotted Cat: Andy Forest, 4pm;Washb
Page 38 and 39: words and photos Robert OffnerWe di

Download the issue in PDF format - Antigravity Magazine

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?