As
one of the founding members of the iconic magazine Flipside, Condors frontman Pat DiPuccio has been to his fair of classic
shows where the bands weren’t afraid to mix styles to create their own sound. In
contrast many of today’s bands are all to happy to pigeonhole themselves within
specific genres, The Condors, on the other hand, stick to an older musical code
of keeping no divisions between subgenre musical styles. This code is readily
apparent on 3 Item Combo, which is a
healthy mix of Graham Parker, Plimsouls, Kinks, Byrds and American power-pop
style melodies and songcraft with a helping of Rock ‘N’ Roll and blues to top
it all off.
Interview by Ed
Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
Pat
DiPuccio (aka “Pooch”)
Where is the band from?
Los
Angeles, California
Who is in the band and what instrument do
they play?
Pat
(guitar/harmonica/ld vocals)
Mark
(drums)
Mario
(bass)
How did the band start?
It
grew out of the remnants of a band called Piggyback (with ex-Fuzztone Mike
Czekaj). The Condors were formerly
known as the Spitfires. Once the
Canadian Spitfires released their disc, the L.A. band changed its name to the
Condors.
In an interview with The Music Korner, Pat talked about “When
we started FLIPSIDE . . . the division between the terms ‘Punk’ and ‘New Wave’
was practically nonexistent. A gap grew between the meanings of the two terms
in the years following. I tried to keep the original concept alive in The
Condors.” This seems apparent on 3
Item Combo where the band isn’t afraid to mix genres. Why was this
important during the early development of The Condors to have this attitude?
It
shows depth when a band is able to cull from a variety of styles while
retaining the elements that make that aggregation unique. The bands I like keep things
interesting by throwing a few curves to the listener on their albums and in
their live shows.
Following up with that statement a lot of
bands used to be happy to label themselves into a box, but it seems more and
more bands are less content to do that? Have you noticed that at all?
No.
Actually, I find there are just new terms for styles of music. As long as people can compartmentalize
art, they’ll do it. It makes it
easier for the consumer if they can grasp a concept right away, even if it
doesn’t exactly fit the artists involved.
In the same interview in The Music Korner, Pat mentioned, “I’ve seen, and heard, a lot of music, and I’ve witnessed
some amazing, and terrible, acts. I try to remember what I liked best about
certain artists, and consider that when recording, or performing. Also, of
course, I respect anyone with chutzpa enough to publish, or write for, a ‘zine,
run a radio program, record a disc, or play live. It’s not easy, as anybody
who’s done it knows.” What are some of the amazing acts you have seen?
Wow,
um…The Stones (of course), Alice’s Billion Dollar Babies tour, The Dictators’
“Manifest Destiny” tour, The Jackson Five, the Kinks, a particular Starwood
show with the Pop and Plimsouls,
XTC’s “Black Sea” tour, The Replacements at the Palladium, The Zombies’
50th anniversary show in London, The Clash’s “Black Market Clash”
Roxy show, Gang of Four at the Whisky (first tour), D-Generation at the Viper
Room, Radiohead at the Whisky (first tour), The Parliament/Funkadellic P-Funk Earth Tour, Rancid, and, of course, Bruce
Springsteen. I know there are
more, but those were pretty memorable gigs. Between playing in bands and Flipside, I was out four nights
a week, two-three venues a night, for over two decades. I was bound to see some cool stuff
somewhere.
Following up on this quote, how tough do
you think it is as a band, when a song, LP or a band can be decided on the
basis of 30 seconds in this short attention span world instead of listening to
a full LP or live set? Does this attitude affect The Condors at all?
It
really doesn’t affect the band that much.
I’ve always liked songs that could grab you right away. Many of the artists I enjoy make albums
that serve as a collection of singles.
A&R folk have always been particularly quick with their assessments
of artists based on an analysis of a song, or group of songs. That short attention span plays a big
part in deciding who gets signed and promoted by their label.
How do you think The Condors are doing
with a resurgence of power pop bands coming out both new and older bands?
I
think we’re able to play alongside live, and on air, with power pop bands of
any age. We’re older than the
newer groups, but we’re not mired in the past, so that’s a nice edge to
have.
How do the Condors feel after being on so
many best of lists for 2012? Any
plans to get back in the studio quickly after all the positive reaction to 3 Item Combo? In the past, there have
been a few years between each release.
Yes,
we have one song already recorded, and I’ve been in the studio with our
producer, Steve Refling, laying down guitar tracks with scratch vocals to make
it easier for the others to learn the songs and record their parts. With the other three discs, I had to
wait until the band was ready to record.
Naturally that took time. The next disc will be assembled piecemeal,
without having to wait to record in the studio as a unit. That option offers more flexibility and
hopefully a leads to a faster recording process.
50 years ago people used to buy music and
get their water for free. For Pat, who was one of the founders Flipside, how do you think this
transition from LP’s to CD’s to digital only release to internet downloads to
(arguable) vinyl rebirth affects music in any way for The Condors and other
bands?
For
the Condors, I don’t see it affects the music much. I sequenced “Wait for it” as if it was a disc with two sides
anyway. I mean if you put out an
album, you always have an option to listen/tape/download your favorite tracks,
anyway. The creative process
shouldn’t change, nor should the total music experience inherent in a piece of
work.
If you could only own one of these
classics bands, Nerves, Plimsouls or The Beat releases which bands would you
own?
The
Plimsouls were a far better live band than the other two acts, and they had a
pulse on the city of Los Angeles. I consider Peter Case an elite songwriter,
and he’s continued his craft on his solo discs.
What bands have directly influenced The
Condors in sound and/or songwriting?
It
varies disc-to-disc and member-to-member.
I listen to a variety of styles on my Sirius radio when I’m
driving. On 3 Item Combo, for instance, the song “Holiday” is my Ray Davies
homage, “Angry Little Man” echoes Wilko Johnson’s attack, “Full Blown Love
Attack” is Fleshtones inspired, while “Zzyzx Road” has an intro melody before
the song kicks in, the way Cole Porter would often do. There’s a bit of Steve Earle that shows
up now and then, too.
Where can people hear the band?
Right
now, on our CDs and through the usual online channels and sites. We’re taking a break from playing live
to concentrate on the next release.
What’s next for The Condors?
Write
new songs, put out the follow up to 3
Item Combo, and then play live behind it.
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