Razorcake Issue #19

Kat: So you find guitar harder than violin?Julie: No, I think just because I started(playing guitar) later. Anything you learn asa kid is easier. And it’s a totally differenttuning. It’s not like it transfers instantly.Kat: Is this band the same line-up as DickArmy? You were called Dick Army before,right?Julie: That was almost us. This guy namedDustin played guitar and upright bass, buthe had too many other musical commitmentsthat paid.Gabe: Why the name change?Julie: Actually, we got into legal troubleswith another band with the same name.They had it longer than us, so we said fine.Gabe: Texas Mafia’s much better.Kat: You weren’t all heartbroken? No sentimentalties?Julie: Nah. And it coincided with losing theguitar player, so it was kind of appropriateto change the name. The band kind ofchanged, anyhow.Gabe: You both [Todd and Angelique] arein The Hangmen. Are there any ill feelings?Like, do you spend more time on one side?Todd: Ah, no. Everyone’s been really coolabout it.Gabe: (to Julie) You play with a lot of otherpeople, too.Julie: Yeah, and actually I played on thenew Hangmen record. It’s pretty friendly.Angelique: Danny has his band, too.Kat: (to Julie) And you toured with Loverecently.Julie: It was such a good experience andit’s lead to paying gigs that finance what Iwant to do. It’s amazing! And it’s amazingto watch a performer like him from behindand watch what goes into making somethinglike that. It’s epic to watch.Kat: How did you get that gig?Julie: Jennifer who books at Spaceland is inWACO with me and she knows the guitarplayer in Love right now. They told me theywere looking for string players and that Ishould call. He (Arthur Lee) called and said,“You’re in WACO; you must be great.”Kat: That’s so random.Julie: Very random. I was so excited whenI called, but I totally didn’t think they weregoing to… they didn’t even audition me.They just said okay.Kat: Have you ever toured outside thecountry?Julie: I haven’t, but Angelique and Toddhave with The Hangmen.Kat: Do you find that audience is totallydifferent? Not so much different from LA,but from an American audience?Todd: I think they’re more enthusiastic.They love the rock and roll. But I’m speakingmore from a Hangmen point of view.This band hasn’t been outside of the country.But yeah, Germany, Spain… they reallygot out of hand.Kat: Yes, and Germans love DavidHasselhoff.Todd: Another question for the ages.Angelique: They know so much, too.About music and stuff.Kat: Do you think being an LA band influencesyour music in any way?Danny: I don’t think LA has a sound, so Ican’t really say. It’s kind of like a mishmashof crap.Gabe: Or maybe influences the lyrics orsomething?Julie: Not at all. I think in Denton, Texas,where me and Angelique came from, there isa really unique musical scene. There were somany original and interesting bands wherenothing was exactly the same, but it all hadsomething in common.Angelique: It was small, so there was definitelymore of a concentrated… I mean,there’s just so much out here.Julie: Everybody knew each other, everybodyplayed in each other’s band.… It was avery incestuous scene. And it was a friendlyscene. There was competition, but it wasfriendly competition. Whereas here I get thefeeling, with the exception of a few bands,that there’s just a lot of… shitty-ness andcompetitiveness. It’s unnecessary. And Ithink we would all be better if everyonewere more supportive of each other insteadof trying to beat the hell out of each other.Gabe: Have you personally had any particularexperiences that you’re willing todivulge?Todd: I can’t really be too objective of thatbecause I’m from here. It’s always been thatway so I don’t know the difference.Danny: You kind of end up being obliviousto the transplant drama. But I think peoplecome to LA looking for this sense of glamourand when they don’t find it they just turnbitter.Angelique: Overall I don’t think it affectsus because we’re not trying to… Like NMEsaid, “This is, and will always remain,underground.”Julie: We take that as a compliment.Kat: Do you have any online addictions?Todd: Gretsch. I like to look at the jazz kits.18” bass drums with no extra holes. Classic,vintage Gretsch.Kat: Drummers love their drums. They lovebeing the drummer, and are so passionateabout it.Todd: There’s a weird Zen about doing it.Danny: They’re actually the ones working.They’re up there sweating.Todd: I don’t know what it is. It’s like thatspace between zero and one. You constantlyhave a chance to make it more exact the nexttime. It’s just an amazing thing.Angelique: [laughing] I don’t even knowhow to get on the internet.Julie: I don’t like to look at stuff I can’tafford. It just makes me feel bad.Gabe: The song that’s always fascinatedme, it’s this really dark song of yours called“Ice Cream Sandwich.” What’s that songabout, if you care to go into it.Angelique: It starts off where I’m sitting ata Laundromat watching a kid and then itkind of goes into suicide and love and allthat.Todd: Short. But sweet.Kat: And it’s such a happy name for a song.Angelique: Well, the first words are“Eating an ice cream sandwich.”Kat: Your CD opens with a song called“The Assassin,” which is an instrumental.I’m wondering, do you go into it knowingthat you want to want an instrumental, or doyou realize that maybe there are no lyricsthat can do that song justice?Julie: I wasn’t and generally I don’t reallythink anything when I start writing a song.It just comes out the way it wants to be.There’s a certain way it is. That, or I justcan’t think of any lyrics.Kat: I love it when you can say somethingwithout any words. So how did you comeup with a name for it then?Julie: Actually, my friend Jason, whoaspires to be a director, was talking aboutwhat the video should look like. His ideawas an assassin and this very slow, sortafilm noir chase through some abandonedbuilding. And at the end there’s these threereally hard drum hits and you shoot him.Gabe: That’s awesome!Angelique: There’s this other instrumentalthat we play where people say they imaginethis or that, so it’s kind of like you’re notputting words to something and people canconjure up their own things.Kat: Have you seen anyone wearing aTexas Mafia t-shirt?Angelique: I went to a stoner rock show –Nebula – and there was a stoner guy wearinga Texas Mafia shirt.Todd: We cater to all.Julie: Yeah, for some reason guys withreally long hair seem to like us.Danny: Remember that one guy at TheScene who wouldn’t stop talking aboutQuiet Riot and stuff?Julie: We get really weird fans wheneverwe play The Scene.Kat: I saw the lead singer from Quiet Riotcoming out of a Ralph’s in Van Nuys andhe had really bad hair extensions.Todd: Are there any really good hair extensions?Danny: You know, some people can do itwell.Kat: Well, not him because he had no hairin the ‘80s.Gabe: They were probably plugs.Julie: Like the Barbie plugs.Kat: Totally random Teen Beat question…Have you ever belonged to a fan club oranything like that?Todd: We all shake our heads no.Julie: I have people I admire, but I’m notone of those people who knows a lot abouttheir favorite bands or whatever. I’d rathernot know anything about them and keep themusic separate because sometimes you findout people are dicks or sometimes youknow too much.Todd: Celebrity kills art. It really does.Julie: I’d rather take things at face value.Danny: I was obsessed with The Smiths fora long time. I wasn’t in the fan club but Icontributed to the fanzine.39