Duncan Reid

One of the things I admire the most about Duncan’s former band The Boys, is how great the band remained throughout their career.  For me, each of their albums got better and better when it seemed for many of their peers the exact opposite was happening.  They started off as punk with a pop edge and ended up with straight power pop gems To Hell With The Boys and Boys Only.  Duncan Reid’s debut solo album Little Big Head picks up right where those two albums left off.  Tremendous power pop the likes of which this earth hasn’t seen for a long time and was long overdue for.  Memorable songs with no fillers, the way our rock n roll forefathers intended it.  A friend of mine described Duncan Reid’s music as “beyond brilliant”, who am I to squabble?

Interview by Jay Castro

Let’s start with: where you are originally from and what (or whom) motivated you to want to pick up an instrument and learn how to play it? 

I’m from a little, historic town in England called Canterbury. It’s famous for its Cathedral which is the centre of the Church of England, the official religion here. Nothing ever happens but it was a great place to grow up. We lived on a Council estate, which was housing given to families who couldn’t afford their own place. It wasn’t rough though, or at least, it didn’t seem rough to me. We were always outside in the street, kicking a football which we were mad about, playing cricket or riding our bicycles.

As little 7 year old boys we would ride for miles on our bicycles, sometimes going to the seaside for a swim, which would take all morning to get to. We’d get hungry at mid day and knock on some strangers door to ask for a sandwich. Can you imagine today? A parent’s nightmare.

Or we’d raid the local apple farms, stealing from the trees. My little brother even managed to steal a ton of trout from the local fish farm, sneaking in there with his fishing rod. One of the bigger boys picked on him once so I waded in all tough and hit the bully. I broke my little finger so I’ve never thought it a good idea to hit anybody since.

London was only sixty miles away but it was in another universe which I moved to when I was 16.

There were only two things I ever wanted to be- either George Best, a really famous and brilliant footballer, or Paul MacCartney. I was never big or fast enough for football so it was the singing bass player route for me.

You started your musical career with The Boys in late ’75, ’76 when you were a teenager.  One of the things that separated that band from other British punk at the time was that you kept politics and out of your music.  As a solo artist do you still subscribe to this mantra?  If so why?

Well, I have so far but maybe I should have a go at it. I’m always looking for new ideas for song lyrics. I’ll have to look for a cause to bang on about. Maybe I’ll write a song about bus passes!

Do you feel like Rock ‘N’ Roll music has had, at least in part a “good guys finish last” motif.  Even pop groups seem to be getting more attention for their ridiculous behavior rather than their actual art.  Take for example when Andrew Oldham puffed up the Rolling Stones as a darker more brooding version of The Beatles, or even Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13 year old cousin.  Did you feel your career overshadowed a bit because the groups you were in never had anyone that purposefully cut themselves on stage or cursed on live national television? 

Well, The Beatles started out as goody two shoes, nice boys and it didn't stop them getting big now did it? The Boys were actually quite an outrageous bunch. Big party animals. Although extremely talented I think the “party at all cost” approach prevented The Boys being as big as they could have been. Much more effort went into having a good time and finding the next drink than went into being as good as we could be. Like The Faces, who had a similar approach, we were still bloody good though.

The songs on Little Big Head have a very timeless feel to them.  Have you written these songs in the last few years or did a version of them exist in rough sketch form for a long time now?

All of the songs were written in the year leading up to making the record. I'd made a record with Honest John Plain and Vom Ritchie from Die Toten Hosen called The Mattless Boys (as all the Boys including Casino Steele but not Matt Dangerfield were on it). That was the first record where I was happy with my song writing. Afterwards, I got myself some home recording software and the songs kept tumbling out. I thought they would either be for a new Mattless Boys or even Boys record as that was being planned.

Events overtook that though, so when I left The Boys, I found I had enough for an album and so made one! The two songs written after I left the band and just before recording started were Montevideo and All fall Down.

The video for the song “Aren’t Women Wonderful” features a lot of great classic movie clips.  You have also produced and financed a number of films and television shows if I’m not mistaken.  Does film influence your music a lot?  What are some of your favorite film/television projects you’ve worked on?

The video was made by a Brazilian lady called Andrea Stern who is a film student in England. I think that's why it has so many film references in it. I really like the video. It goes perfectly with the song as it has all those classic actresses in it.

Yes, I've been involved with a lot of films and TV. Many of them I wouldn't want to own up to! One I'm very proud of is Hotel Rwanda. It won many awards and was nominated for 3 Oscars. It's a true story about a man who, through circumstance and against his will and judgement, becomes a hero, saving the lives of countless people. It's very moving and leaves you full of admiration for the real man it's based on.

I went to a screening in Los Angeles where, after the film, the star Don Cheadle came out and answered questions. After a while he said "Here he is. The man the film is about." There was a loud gasp as the whole audience rose to their feet. It was a bit like going to see a Superman film when Superman comes into the cinema after.

There is a church in LA which gave me an award as an "Outstanding Humanitarian" for my role with that film. They clearly don't know me!

With this being your first solo record, was it difficult not having a group there with you to bounce ideas off of or fill in some gaps when you arrived at a creative impasse?

When it works I think the group dynamic is the best way to make a record. It happened with the early Boys albums. Songs were written and bought to the rehearsal studio but a lot of input came from everyone during the rehearsal period. That happened less with the later albums and I think they would have been the better for it.

As I mentioned before, I'd made pretty detailed demos at home of all the songs on Little Big Head but I still had Tony Barber in the studio dissecting them and putting them together in a different way. Tony has worked with loads of people from The Buzzcocks to Nirvana. He's getting better and better as a producer and I've learned so much from him.

We've started making the second album with my new band playing on it and its sounding meaty. I would like to find a songwriting partner. It would speed the process up, but the new songs seem to be coming together fine using the old method.

The song “Rolling On” is a retrospective or your life.  You go through your personal life and career in a way that would suggest you have no regrets.  Is this an accurate interpretation or are there any one or two things that really stand out to you as wishing you would have done differently?

I can't complain about the hand life has dealt me. There have been some hard times but when I look back at all of the things I have done and all the places I've seen I know I've been lucky. And it's still going on. It's like I've been given this licence which allows me not to grow up.

I'm sitting here in Stockholm right now looking at the waterfront. Tonight a load of people will turn up (I hope!), I'll play to them, it will be great fun and during and after they will make me feel special.

If you complain about that you really are a miserable bastard!

I read an interview where you told the story of The Boys touring with the Ramones and you and Casino Steel had to teach Johnny how to play the song Baby I Love You and even come on stage and play it with them during their show.  This obviously was a huge bonding experience, because from what I’ve read those guys weren’t exactly the easiest guys to get to know!  If you could take any band/musician with you in the supporting slot on the tour who would it be and why? 

I think it was John Plain who taught Johnny to play Baby I Love you because he didn't know it. Johnny was completely foxed by the fact it had a minor chord. The Ramones didn't play those. Cas played the string parts on his organ and we sang backing vocals making us the only two people to play live with The Ramones who were not called Ramone.

The Ramones were an odd, unhappy bunch. They say "don't meet your Heroes". Very true.

I would always take TV Smith with me on tour.

A.   He's a great act,

B.   He's a great guy,

C.   I love playing One Chord Wonders with him, and

D.   There's only one of him so it’s easy.

In your musical career, you have played all over the globe many times over.  Is there a place that you consistently anticipate playing?  If so where is it and what makes it so special?

Boy, there are so many.  I can't wait to get back here to Sweden. Talk about pretty girls. And they like getting drunk too! Audiences in South America are wild and I love the Japanese. So polite and then they go mad while you play. They look after you so well in Germany, and Italians are so stylish.  I wish they all could be London fans (there's a song in there!).

What’s in store for the near or not so near future?  Any plans for another record?

We are really busy. We have tours of Norway, Germany and the UK leading up to Christmas. I'm working on getting to the US next year and in the meantime we have already started recording the next album. I've written the majority of it. We'll fit the recording around our availability and that of Tony Barber and look to get it out next year.

Coming soon is a new video of "Kelly's Gone Insane" which we will use to try some digital marketing experiments. All part of getting the name out there.

Where can people go to hear your music or purchase the wonderful Little Big Head album?

If people want a signed cd direct they can email me on duncan@littlebighead.co.uk. Otherwise it's at places like Amazon, Spotify and all the usual download places.

To see all the fabulous Duncan Reid and The Big Heads videos, go to their YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/duncanreid91

Follow Duncan and the band on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/DuncanReidTheBigHeads?ref=hl

Visit Duncan Reid and The Big Heads official website!

http://www.little-big-head.com

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Wyatt Blair

     After about 30 seconds into Wyatt Blair’s debut record Banana Cream Dream, I was pretty sure I was going to love it.  It’s one of those records you sit down to listen to, loving every song, hoping and keeping your fingers crossed the next song is going to be as good as the one you just heard, and it is!  Wyatt Blair’s music embodies everything I love in bands like Dave Clark Five, 1910 Fruitgum Company, and The Bay City Rollers (yes you read correctly, THE Bay City Rollers).  Rock N Roll that straps a smile on your face and shoots high tension coiled springs from the bottom of your feet.  Can’t wait to hear more!

Interview by Jay Castro

Who is in the current Wyatt Blair band and how do they earn their keep in it?

Jeremy Katz (Bass)- he plays in an awesome band called Froth! I live with Jeremy so it is convenient and he is one of my best friends.

Tomas Dolas (guitar)- Tomas & I have been playing music together for years and grew up in the same town in Laguna, CA we moved to LA together to play music in out band Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, I also live with him so it is so convenient and he is like a brother to me!

Cameron Allen (drums)- Cameron also plays in Froth with Jeremy, and I actually grew up with him as well in Laguna, CA I was in my first band ever with him when we were 14 me and cam go way back!

Where are you from originally?

I am originally from a small beach town in Orange County called Dana Point which is nestled between Laguna Beach, CA & San Clemente, CA

What influences did you have in mind when writing the songs for Banana Cream Dream? 

I don’t know really, my goal was to simply make an honest pop/rock record that anyone could enjoy from any age, area or social “scene” persay…  I didn’t want any major musical influences, just solely the people and reality we all live in together J

I read that out of all different art forms, music has the power to alter a person’s disposition the fastest.  Do you agree with this?  Do you have any favorite music that you can put on that will always lift you up from a slump?

Oh, I 100% agree! Music to me is very emotional and in a weird way, very sexual. I think it is one of the most powerful things you can be a part of or witness! Whenever I am sad I really like listening to sad music, I tend to throw on slow folk records like Vetiver or Little Joy, I always listen to Flaming Lips when I’m sad too for some reason their music really gets me… and when I’m happy, I love listening to happy music. One of my favorite bands that cheers me up is Bananamou, Bananamou from New York. Her record is SO SO good I highly recommend you check it out. I also always throw on this band called Adult Books; they are classic, you got to check them out, definitely one of my favorite bands ever! 

If you could tour with any band/musician from times gone by, who would it be and why?

I would LOVE to tour with Rick Springfield because he is a “PPG” a power pop genius!

The new album is on Burger Records.  How did that relationship begin?

My friends in The Lovely Bad Things gave them some of my demos a few years back and ever since they’ve been a string support vein for my music, I am so honored and lucky to have such a great label in support of us!

You are currently touring in support of Banana Cream Dream and have been playing many places with other great bands.  What’s been the most memorable show so far?  Good or bad.

All of the shows have been memorable to say the least, my personal favorite shows have been New York, NY & Austin, TX! The tour has been great fun and every city has had its fare share of awesomeness. J

So you’ve played in quite a few bands I see.  What or who inspired you to want to start writing and recording your own songs and perform them with your own band?

I guess I have always been writing songs, I just never took it too seriously until Burger Records wanted to do a tape hahaha

On one of your Facebook posts, you recently declared that Mountain Dew is the best soda.  I thought this was pretty vague.  Is it the original flavor Dew?  Oh, and have you tried the Mountain Dew with the old school label that uses real sugars in it?  Because THAT is good stuff!

I had this weird craving for one and I searched everywhere for one and finally did and it was probably one of the greatest feelings ever! Better than holding in a long pee and finally going!!! You just blew my mind, I have never heard of that! Where can you get one of the “OG” mountain dews?!?!? *slurp slurp*

I read an interview with Keith Richards where he said that anyone buying digital music is getting short changed.  Do you agree with this and if so, why?

I agree to a certain extent, I think buying a physical hard copy of music is much more meaningful and “real” in a sense that you can physically hold it, its tangeable….but at the same time digital or physical your ears get to listen to the music the artist wanted you to hear.

I don’t like using the term “guilty pleasure” because I don’t think anyone should be made to feel ashamed of anything they like.  However with that being said, what do you listen to that you think a lot of your fans may be surprised by?

I have a weird obsession with Bananarama!!! I collect all of their 45’s and LP’s

What do you have in store for us in the near, or not so near future?  Any plans to tour Europe?

When the 12” LP will be available, we will be going on another Banana Cream Dream national tour in September...we are hoping to come to Europe very soon! It is a goal of all of ours. J

Where can people go to get or hear the amazing Banana Cream Dream record or any other music or merch that you might have available?

You can follow us on facebook or you can digitally download the album on our bandcamp page at (http://wyattblair.bandcamp.com) or you can order a hard copy at Burger Records at (http://www.burgerrecords.com) 

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Night Birds

Night Birds have taken the ingredients of those early Frontier Records bands (Adolescents, T.S.O.L., Circle Jerks and Rikk Agnew), mixed them in a blender, topped that cocktail with a layer of D.I. and mixed in East Bay Ray’s surf style guitar for good measure. Night Birds since its inception have been highly prolific. In 2011, the band put out one LP, The Other Side of Darkness and one EP, Midnight Movies. Now in 2013, Night Birds are set to follow in their own footsteps with the releases of Born To Die In Suburbia LP and the previously released Maimed For The Masses EP. In their own words, Night Birds are a “[s]peedy punk band with hooks and melody,” but really they are more than that. Night Birds have taken the essence of their influences and positioned themselves to be the Frontier style band of today.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

BRIAN GORSEGNER, sing of NIGHT BIRDS

Where is the band from?

NEW JERSEY

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

Joe Keller - bass

Brian Gorsegner - vocals

Ryan McHale - drums

PJ Russo - guitar

How did the band start?

In 2009 Joe and I started the band. I was gonna play drums, and we had another guy singing and playing guitar. We wrote a couple of songs, and did some covers. We actually wrote "Paranoid Times" with that lineup. The band was sort of split with the sound we were going for, so it sort of fell apart, and then we recruited Mike to play guitar and our friend the Coastman to play drums. That lineup last a while until ending up with the lineup we have now, of PJ playing guitar, and Ryan playing drums.

Any particular bands that the band had in mind or was listening to on heavy rotation while writing the new LP Born To Die In Suburbia?

Naked Raygun, the Dwarves, Angry Samoans, the Damned, New Bomb Turks. Stuff like that. Speedy punk bands with hooks and melody. Same kind of stuff we've always dug. While recording BTDIS I listened to the Pixies "Bossanava" while driving to the studio every day. Not sure why. But recording was going really well, so after I had done it coincidentally the first 3 days I continued to do it for the other 8 or 9 because I got superstitious. 

Following up this question on older releases, I hear a lot of D.I. influence. More the early stuff like Team Goon, Horse Bites Dog Cries and Ancient Artifacts. Are the bands fans of D.I.?

Of course, those records are great!

How did the band hook up with Fat Wreck? Any reason why the band chose to go with Grave Mistake again to release their new LP?

I heard that Chad, the guy who runs Fats day-to-day operation, was a fan of Night Birds. I sent him some demos, and he dug them. He sent them up the chain and everyone liked them. Younger kids who might not know who Night Birds are still check out Fat Wreck stuff, and I was really interested in trying to get our bands music out to younger kids. As much as I still love punk now, it was really important to me when I was 14 and had a huge impact. I wonder sometimes where I'd be now had I never discovered punk, and odds are I would not have liked the person I ended up being. As much as we appreciate anyone at any age digging our band, I think it's important to expose ourselves to young children... uhh... I mean... errr...

As far as doing our LP on Grave Mistake, we had all agreed on doing the album together a ways back. Alex has always really looked out for us and done everything in his power to make sure we were happy. He puts out our records, but he's also our friend. He's toured with us, booked us shows, put us up in his own home, stuff like that. As we grow as a band, Grave Mistake seems to grow as a label, and vice versa, so it's beneficial for both of us to work our butts off.

Faster and Louder described Night Birds in this way “These guys continue to draw inspiration from the surf-inflected punk/hardcore sounds of early '80’s California without sounding like copycats or second-raters. And like only the best punk bands can do, they create a sound that's true to a classic period yet still highly relevant to present times.”  Do you feel this review is accurate? How does the band feel after reading a review like that? 

I think Josh has written my favorite Night Birds reviews ever, and he always has really flattering stuff to say. I'd like to think it's true too. I don't think there is anything wrong with taking cues from the bands you love; it just gets boring when a band sounds exactly like another band. Truth be told, I was never a fan of Bl'ast! because I thought they just tried TOO hard to sound like Black Flag. It just sounds awkward to me. But when a band draws from a large pool of stuff and make it their own, the results can be cool.

In 2011, Night Birds “…played 60 shows and did 2 records [that] year,” Midnight Movies and The Other Side of Darkness. In 2013, the band has released one EP Maimed For The Masses this year and has a new LP coming out this summer, Born To Die In Suburbia. Is 2013 looking to be as busy or busier than 2011? 

This year is looking more like 50 shows. My wife and I are expecting a baby in November so that will mean some sort of break from shows. We are trying to cram in as much now as we can. Had I not gone and pro created, we would have hit over 60 this year since we had a 2.5 European tour booked that I needed to postpone. We'll make it up though!

How was it playing Insubordination Fest?

Always fun. It's a pretty tight knit scene and we've made friends with lots of those pop punk weirdos through the years. Our past bands always played Insub Fest too... The Ergs, For Science, Psyched To Die... It's nice and close and people fly in from all over.

Night Birds got the ball rolling pretty quickly with having releases out with Dirtnap and No Way Records. In addition to the band’s songs being very good do you feel with Night Birds having members who were in known bands previously made it any easier getting shows/releasing records/getting press at the beginning of the band’s life? How did the band use its member’s prior experience in obtaining this goal?

Sure, if people dig a band they are always likely to check out what those members do next. The goal is to make sure to deliver something good right off the bat, since you've got that advantage, and I still think our demo and first couple of 7"’s hold up just as well as what we are releasing now. You can have a big head start but at the end of the day if your band sucks you are just going to suck in front of a larger audience.

If you had the choice which classic California label would you rather have put out a Night Birds release, Frontier or Posh Boy?

Frontier had "Group Sex", Adolescents "s/t", TSOL "dance with me", Rikk Agnew "all by myself", Suicidal Tendencies "s/t"... Posh Boy had the Rodney comps, the Beach Blvd comp, Agent Orange "living in darkness", and I want to say an early Social Distortion 7"? Maybe "1945"? Either way I'll go Frontier, though Posh Boy had the cooler logo.

I liked how the band put 3 exclusive B-sides on the Maimed For The Masses EP. A lot of bands put out a teaser EP and it just has a couple songs that will be featured on the upcoming LP. What made the band decide to the release this way?

We wrote as many songs as we could for the new album, and then cropped out what we didn't want, and were still left then more songs we wanted to put on the album, so we decided to do the single. Any of those songs could have just as easily ended up on the album but we tried to figure which ones went best together and split them between the "Maimed" EP and "BTDIS"...

Where can people hear Night Birds and what’s next for the band?
http://night-birds.bandcamp.com/

Our record comes out in two weeks, and then we are doing a record release weekend with Omegas and Give, a short tour with Red Dons, and a short tour with Zero Boys! We'll be playing on a boat somewhere at some point too! Keep your eyes peeled. Thanks.

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French Girls

The term “punk” has gotten to be such an all-encompassing term these days.  Used to be you’d throw that word out, and you knew pretty much what you were getting.  Now days, it means so many different things to so many people.  When I hear that word used in a band’s bio description of themselves, I can only hope to hear a band that sounds like French Girls.  They take the bits of punk that expose their rock n roll and nerves like The Damned or The Vibrators.  A jumble of that crushed in with some 90’s Rip-Off Records underlining and you have yourself a force to be reckoned with! 

Interview by Jay Castro

Who is in the band and how do they earn their keep in it?

Chela: I play bass guitar and sing. As far as earning my keep, I think they just keep me around for a good laugh.  

Mike: I play the guitar and yelp a bit.

Donald: I play the guitar and am a fellow yelper with Mike. 

Amy: I play drums and sometimes let out some screams.

The band is currently in Phoenix, but where are all of you from originally?

Chela: Cave Creek, AZ

Mike:  I lived other places, but have been here for a while.  I think I'm from here now.

Donald: I'm originally from New Mexico, but have lived in the Phoenix area since about 1995, so I am basically a Phoenician at this point. 

Amy: I am from the Cleveland area, originally.

What is French Girls origin story?  When and how did you all meet and come together?

Chela: Amy and I have been playing in local bands together for years and have known Donald for a while. Mike and I had played together in a band together a few years back so when the time came that we were all looking for people to play with French Girls happened!

Donald: I was in a band that had just gone its own way and was looking for a new project. I had previously known Chela and Amy from the music and art scene, so when Amy posted about looking to start up a new band I jumped at the chance. Mike was also interested in playing so instead of us having a guitar duel to the death, Chela and Amy decided to keep both of us. This is something I am very happy about because I think Mike and I complement each other on guitar very well. 

  

What influences did you have in mind when starting French Girls?  

Chela: My influences are more style driven than specific bands. I like a good, short song. Under two minutes is nice. I am into music that gets to the point and leaves people thinking, "That. Was. Awesome!"

Donald: I think we all have different influences that we bring to the band, but in particular to what makes our sound I know that I look at older bands like X, and Suzi Quattro for inspiration. 

Amy:  It was nice, we didn’t have any preconceived ideas. We all love music and share plenty of common interests but also have different things to share with each other and explore as a band, so it’s pretty cool. Our primary goal is to ROCK!

I read that out of all different art forms, music has the power to alter a person’s disposition the fastest.  Do you agree with this?  Do you have any favorite music that you can put on that will always lift you up from a slump?

Chela: That sounds accurate. Weird Al usually gets me out of a funk.

Donald: I completely agree with that statement. For me, there are many things that can get me out of a slump, but the first thing I can think of is 90's gangsta rap like N.W.A or Snoop Dogg. It probably wasn't their intent when they wrote it, but that always puts a smile on my face. 

Amy: For sure! Donovan. Donovan makes me happy. I love that dude.

You currently have a couple teaser songs streaming right now from an upcoming EP.  Can you tell us a bit more about it?  

Mike: We recorded some songs ourselves and just wanted to get a record out.  It'll be a 4 song, 7"EP and we should have the records soon.

One of the songs Aerobicise has a voyeur theme to it.  Is this an issue with you guys, either doing the creeping or being creeped upon?

Chela: Teenage boys create their own woman. They want her to play chess, shower with them, and AEROBICISE. 

Donald: Besides music, and also to add on to what Chela just mentioned, we are also influenced by movies. The 80's movie Weird Science would probably be considered one of the French Girls biggest influences, so much so that we even had a "Weird Science" movie night. But as far as being creeped on or creeping on, I think with being on stage you kind of learn to deal with that stuff, to the point of almost not even noticing. This song was just looking at it from a teenage boy’s perspective without regard to our own experiences. 

Amy: We’re all creepers and have been creeped upon, to some degree, right? We like presenting some different perspectives on the issue of creeping. Don’t ever say French Girls aren’t deep.  

If French Girls could tour with any band/musician from times gone by, who would it be and why?

Donald:  The Rolling Stones, I'm sure they saw more stuff than anyone else can imagine. Not saying I want to experience it myself per se, but it would be cool to watch all the stuff going on as an opening band touring with them. 

Amy: The Who, early years. Can you imagine? I can and have many, many times.  

What has been the most memorable show the band has played, good or bad?  Where was it and what made it so unforgettable?

Mike: We played this show with King Tuff and Audacity in a warehouse last summer.  It was super packed, crazy fun and insanely hot, even by Phoenix standards.

Donald: We played a show in Tempe at the Yucca Tap Room, where we had a ton of kids dancing and literally spilling their beer all over the floor making it very slippery. Everyone walking by was falling or trying not to fall. Fortunately for us we were on the stage, but the bass player for the next band decided to stage dive while they were playing their set and he busted his head on the floor. I couldn't even tell that he was bleeding, I thought he was just wet from all the beer. Needless to say, that was one of my most unforgettable nights. 

Amy: There have been so many! For me, the ones I love the most are rooms where we are crammed together in a corner of a room surrounded by people. There’s something about those confined spaces that, I think, creates a really exciting energy.

I read an interview with Keith Richards where he said that anyone buying digital music is getting short changed.  Do you agree with this and if so, why?

Chela: I think the people that like vinyl, CD’s, tapes, etc. will always buy that stuff. I think it is great that a lot of those formats now include digital downloads with the purchase. I love album art. People are missing out on some cool visual experiences when they download just the music.

Mike: Listening to music is an experience that is first person and so often people relegate it to the background.  Some of my favorite memories are lying on the floor with headphones listening to an entire record while staring at the pictures and carefully reading the lyrics on a gatefold jacket.  It's sad that some folks have never experienced music like that.

Amy: Basically what everyone else said; I never feel like a tangible product is inconvenient or invasive, so it’s a bummer that they are sort of viewed that way now, by many. I still feel like the more information and artwork that comes with musical output, the better. It’s never not been exciting to me to unwrap an album, ogle it and feel it up a bit. 

I don’t like using the term “guilty pleasure” because I don’t think anyone should be made to feel ashamed of anything they like.  However with that being said, what to you listen to that you think a lot of fans may be surprised by?

Chela: I love the song "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. I mean REALLY love it.

Mike: Jeeez...I like everything so... uh. I really like the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack. I'm not embarrassed, though.

Donald: Ummm The Osmond Brothers album "Crazy Horses". I really, really like that album :) 

Amy: I’m not at all guilty about it but I love Bruce Springsteen and for some reason that seems to surprise people. Why? I don’t know, but I always find it funny that it’s so odd to folks.

What does French Girls have in store for us in the near, or not so near future?

Chela: I would like to be the first band to do a world tour playing from a hot air balloon. It could happen.

Mike: We've got this EP coming out and then we'll hit the southwest on a bit of a tour and maybe a full length record in the fall.  In the meantime, we have a few shows booked in Phoenix.  People can keep up with us at...

www.facebook.com/frenchgirlsphx

www.frenchgirlsphx/bandcamp.com

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