LA Drugz

Photo by Emilio Venegas Jr.

     Hailing from different parts of the ever-growing metropolis better known as Los Angeles, LA Drugz have tapped into the cities roots of both punk and power-pop by mixing both The Beat and Nerves penchant for melodies while having enough grit to hold their own with any punk band that shares the stage with them. LA Drugz features an impressive resume of both past and present bands (Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Maniac, Bad Machine, Images) and received the EP of the year award from Lord Rutledge himself for Outside Place. If that wasn’t enough, their video for “Outside Place” is homage to one of the greatest cult classics of all time Repo Man, but the real cult classic might just be them.

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Justin Maurer (guitar, lead vocals)

Where is the band from?

We're an LA band from nearly every corner of Los Angeles County. I live in East Hollywood, JD in East LA, Cezar in San Pedro and James in Carson.

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

Justin Maurer (guitar, lead vocals)

James Carman (drums, backing vocals)

Cezar Mora (lead guitar, backing vocals)

Johnny "JD" Reyes (bass)

How did the band start?

As the third lineup of Clorox Girls was breaking up, Cezar and I tried to form a Beach Boys cover band in Spanish. He had some connections in the Latino low-rider world, and we thought we could make some money by forming a cover band. Learning full Beach Boys songs with all of the harmonies in Spanish proved to be extremely difficult if not impossible. We opted to start a band that played originals instead. James plays drums in a band called Images. I was really impressed with his drumming and singing so we brought him onboard. JD is an old friend of James' so he brought him in on bass. With our powers combined, we are . . . LA DRUGZ!

Photo by Emilio Venegas Jr.

What bands did you have in mind when starting this band?

Shit, well, ‘60’s LA music like Arthur Lee/LOVE, The Seeds, The Standells. Also some power pop stuff like The Nerves and The Beat, UK stuff like Small Faces, The Who, early Stones and early Beatles. I guess the Nuggets comps mixed with poppy ‘70’s punk like Buzzcocks, The Kids and The Boys. 1966-1979, those are the years containing the music that we're into.

In an LA Drugz article written on the Ratboy ’69 blog, it seems like every member in the band had his or her lives altered and changed by music. I don’t mean in the typical way every musician does, I mean music gave him a mission/life choice from a potentially dangerous option.

Yeah, Ratboy is over in the Netherlands I think. Sure. Cezar grew up in North Long Beach on the border of Compton. He was literally down the street from Snoop Dogg. Cars full of people looking for a party would ask him, "Where Snoopy house at?" At that time there was a lot of gang shit going down. He told me that he could have gotten into the gang shit or music, and he chose music. James' older brother was involved in gang stuff in Carson and actually had a hit put on him. I think seeing what his older brother went through made James realize that getting into music was a better option. JD has told me that music saved his life. Me personally, I would have had a much harder time without it. I came from a pretty dysfunctional family and as a teenager got into a bit of drinking and drugs as well as some petty crime like shoplifting and vandalism, if not for falling into music so hard, I might have ended up in jail, who knows.

To piggyback off this question, how supportive are your families of playing in bands?

My dad played in an early 80s punk/new wave band in LA called The Defenders. My grandpa is still active singing in barbershop quartets. My sister played in a few bands out in New York. I come from a musical family. That said, my dad has told me "You have an expensive hobby, son." As painful as that is, he is probably right!  Ha ha!  Even though I spent ten years of my life releasing albums and touring the world with Clorox Girls, with every band you have to start over. Sometimes I have that internal conversation, "Is this really worth it?" But I'm getting off track. Yes, my family has generally been very supportive even though they like to give me advice on the reasons I should quit music and focus on a more sustainable career. We practice at James' parent's house in Carson.  They let him construct a rehearsal room and mini-recording studio, so they have been extremely patient and supportive.  Cezar's Dad has also been very supportive of his son and I'm sure JD's parents are proud of him as well.

Photo by Paul Silver

Do you think music can still be a vital force in such a disposable age?

I agree with you that this can be a very disposable age. We live in a free culture. People expect music for free via download, streaming and in person. Everyone wants music including advertisers but no one seems willing to pay a fair price for it. Music and the musician have become commodities that our society takes for granted. That said, of course music is still a vital force. I don't see the same kind of cult dedication for bands that existed in the ‘60’s, ‘70’s, ‘80’s, or even the ‘90’s, but when the right band comes along, they will inspire scores of kids to start their own bands. The Internet can instantly broadcast music across the world, but the problem is oversaturation. It's hard to get excited when we're over stimulated and oversaturated. Also, most of the bands now don't really match up to their forefathers, so musicians have to bring some balls to the table too.

Justin, you have lived in many different cities over the years, Portland, Seattle, Madrid and now Los Angeles. Have you noticed any similarities between each cities music scene or is each one completely different?

When I lived in Portland about ten years ago, it was a very close-knit incestuous scene and all of the bands really supported each other. There were great bands like The Observers, The Minds, The Triggers, and The Hunches. The Exploding Hearts' car accident had recently happened and that was still very fresh and very painful. I am very lucky to have taken part in a cool time in Portland's musical history. I went to high school on Bainbridge Island, which is near Seattle. I cut my teeth on punk shows in Seattle in the ‘90’s. It was an interesting time full of skinheads; punk, hardcore and 3rd wave ska.  Gradually everyone got into Murder City Devils and the whole greaser thing. In Madrid, when I lived there, Malasaña was still popping off as the Rock and Roll neighborhood with a ton of great bands, DJ’s and Rock and Roll bars. After Madrid, I was in London for a couple of years then LA. I'm coming full circle because I was born here, moved away when I was 11 years old, now been back for about 5 years.

Similarities?  For the style of music that I have played, punk, Rock N’ Roll, power pop, in all of the cities it is very much the same. You have a core group of people who end up in most bands. It's hard to find a good drummer and multiple bands share the same drummer. You have the same 50-100 people going to these shows in small bars or clubs. You become a part of small, but dedicated scenes and fan bases. The easiest town to play music in, I guess, was Portland because it was so cheap to live there. My rent was $280 a month and I lived in a huge 4-bedroom house with 3 roommates. I guess it has gotten a little more expensive. L.A. is a pretty tough town to make music happen in but that said there's still a ton of cool bands and cool people who shake things up from time to time.

Justin since you are an author in addition to being a musician. Do you notice the same struggles for a new writer to have work published in much the same ways it is for a new band to get songs released and noticed? Or are the music and literary worlds two different animals?

There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. I think to be successful in both worlds you have to do a lot of schmoozing, meet a lot of people, get to know the movers and shakers and work with them in some way. It's pretty much the same for any business although people are reluctant to look at writing or music as a "business." That said, most writers and musicians are terrible business people and lose a lot of money pursuing their passion. And yeah, it’s a similar struggle. You have to have somewhat of a reputation to get noticed by any sort of media, which is ultimately what you need for success. So for a new writer or new band, no one knows who you are, but my advice would be to keep on plugging away, it might take months or even years, but good work gets noticed. If you have faith in what you do, then others will have faith too. As easy as it is to be discouraged by lack of attention, just keep doing it if it makes you happy. It's not an easy road to take. The musician life and the writer life are really difficult and frustrating paths with few payoffs on the way. That said I have met some of the best people through music and through writing so it is equally a curse and a blessing.

Photo by Emilio Venegas Jr.

In the 2013 edition of the Lord Rutledge Awards, L.A. Drugz won the EP of the year for Outside Place, how excited was the band?

Lord Rutledge has been very supportive. What a great dude. Always honored to be included on anything he puts on his site. What an excellent music blog.

Is the band’s favorite movie Repo Man? The video for “Outside Place” is practically a shot by shot remake and homage to one of the greatest cult classics of all time.

Repo Man is one of my favorites for sure. It's one of the films that really personified the gritty side of Los Angeles as well as the wacky new age religion side. As a native Angeleno and as a punk I love the shit out of this movie. The co-directors Brett Roberts and Ardavon Fatehi did a lot of research and we managed to shoot at many actual Repo Man locations. And I got to drive a car in the LA River! Swerving around like a maniac! There's at least one bucket list item checked off!

Where can people hear the band?

We play out live in LA County all of the time. Songs can be streamed and downloaded here: www.ladrugz.bandcamp.com. Our video is on YouTube and links to everything are on our slavebook aka Facebook page as well.

What’s next for L.A. Drugz?

We're planning on recording some newer songs: "All Burned Down,” “Runnin',” and “Kids of Today" for a new single. We've also been invited for some European tour dates so watch out world!

Follow @AAmmunition

Maniac

      The men in Maniac supply us with a brand of catchy punk rock with abundant retro influences. There are elements of old punk rock, power pop, mod and even some new wave sprinkled in here and there. However, the band doesn’t hide behind all of this like some second rate nostalgic cover band. They’ve got the control and persona to use their influences as a tool rather than a crutch. After all with these guys; former and current members of Cute Lepers, Clorox Girls, Rough Kids, The Girls, Images, and L.A. Drugz it’s a mathematical impossibility for this band to suck! 

Interview by Jay Castro

Please introduce yourselves and how you contribute to Maniac?

ZACHE:  Zache Davis, bassist and lead vocals

ANDREW: Andrew Zappin. Lead Guitar.  

JUSTIN:  I'm Justin Maurer, I play guitar, sing backing vocals and lead vocals on a couple of songs.

JAMES: Young James Carman- the maniacal drumming back bone to this group of wild horses.

You guys are based out of L.A. but where are you all from originally?

ZACHE:  I'm originally from the East Bay but grew up in Seattle

ANDREW: I'm originally from Dayton, Ohio, but I've lived in LA for almost half my life.

JUSTIN: I was born in LA, but went to high school and started playing music in the Pacific Northwest. 

JAMES: I was born and raised in LA, in a suburb called Carson in the South Bay. It's definitely a part of LA, the city is so huge it literally takes nearly two hours to reach top to bottom.

Is it tough being in a band in L.A.?  I would imagine it gets pretty competitive with so much music out there.

ANDREW: I'm new to this scene. My initial assumption is that it would be full of pretentious punk pricks, but it's been the complete opposite. People are open and excited about music. I've met some fascinating people and made some great friends. I just wish there were more places to play.

JAMES: Oh fuck yes, the trouble is that there are so many bands out here, and the worst part is that 85% of them are shit. The face of LA music has changed completely in the last 10 years or so. It's even tougher to get paid. Most places don't even realize the fact of covering gas money to get to the venue. I love this city, but start treating the bands fairly! 

ZACHE:  I think there's a lot of talented bands in LA and not enough solid venues. The venues we do have are rad, but bands don't want to play the same place over and over. I don't feel like we compete much with other bands. We do this for the love of making music.

JUSTIN: The tough part about being in a band in LA is that old cliché, "It's so spread out…"  It's true though.  There's a lot of towns to play within LA County and Orange County, but you can be driving an hour or so and still be within LA City Limits or in LA County.  It's pretty hard to get folks to come out to see you play unless it's near where they live or in a central location.  I guess that's why Downtown LA has been a spot to play recently because it's kind of a middle ground for everyone living in surrounding areas.  It is extremely competitive but the "punk" scene is still pretty small, everyone knows everyone else and the bands tend to recycle members.  Just in this band alone we have The Girls, Clorox Girls, Images, LA Drugz - that's 4 more bands that members from this band play in!  So imagine all of LA, it's just the same people recycled over and over again just like an incestuous music scene in any other town.

You guys are in and or were in several other well known bands (Clorox Girls, Cute Lepers, Rough Kids) but what is Maniac’s origin story?  How did you all meet and start playing music together?

ANDREW: Prior to Maniac, I played guitar in my bedroom. In front of a mirror, sometimes wearing pants.

ZACHE: Maniac started as a two-day challenge in December of 2011. Andrew and I were sitting around with our original guitarist and came up with the idea to write and record an EP in two days. Andrew had never played in a band and we had been loosely tossing the idea of playing music together for a while. We had been casually jamming together already so it kind of just worked out. Ardy (original guitarist) informed us that he would be leaving town for work two days before our 1st show which would have forced us to cancel. I wasn't interested in waiting around any longer so we parted ways mutually and asked Justin to fill in for our first show. After one practice Justin said, "So you guys only practice once a week? I'll do it. I'll be in the band!"

JAMES:  I met Justin a while back when my other band IMAGES played with Clorox Girls in San Pedro I remember him coming up to me after we played with wide eyes saying, "We need to collaborate together." So we started a project called LA Drugz.  Zache was a mutual acquaintance. I met Andrew one night when he tagged along with the crew and came to my house and partied all night. They had a previous drummer, Richie from Clorox Girls/Rough Kids, who left and shortly after they asked me to do it. At first I was pissed that they asked me because they were one of the only local bands I enjoyed watching live and now I'm playing with them; pretty awesome. We all play tough and hard. I'm the young gun of this pack of Maniacs, but I still consider them my brothers and love 'em to death.

Did you have a particular sound or concept in mind when starting out Maniac?  What did you want to do differently with this band than with the others you guys have been in or are still in?

JAMES: I'm the drummer, so my job is to play tough and keep it together, which I'm a champ at. Be careful when you're at our shows because a cymbal might fly by and slice your head into two. Just sayin'.

ZACHE: The original concept I had in mind for Maniac was to not think too much about how we want a song to be written but more to just let it happen. In the past, I've over thought song structure and sometimes the result can be dropping an otherwise radical riff. It's also new for me to write songs from the bass instead of the guitar.

JUSTIN: Zache has said he wants it to sound "minimal," I don't really know what he means by that. Ha! Andrew wants it to sound like Cheap Trick and James wants it to sound punk. Since we all come from different places musically, we end up having a pretty unique sound. We don't have 2 songs that sound alike which is quite the contrast to most bands where every song sounds the same and follows a similar structure and formula. Maniac doesn't have a formula set in stone yet which is pretty refreshing. 

ANDREW: Maniac is my first band. When we started, I was a bit intimidated. Everyone else had been touring and playing for years. They knew the scene and had very particular musical reference points that sometimes I couldn't relate to. All I knew was I had certain stylistic tendencies as a player and that I should not shy away from those. So, I didn't. But, I also kept my ears open and began to incorporate new things into my playing and writing. In the end, I think what makes Maniac a unique band -- if we are in some way unique -- is that we've found a way to stew our various styles into a cohesive -- and still evolving -- whole.  

What other than music has inspired a Maniac song? Think like books or film, I mean living in L.A. with so many cultures running together there must be a lot of stuff to draw motivation from.

JUSTIN: You're right about LA having a ton of cultures and influences that undoubtedly spill into any kind of creative energy. I'd say the Nathanael West book, "Day of the Locust," the film "Chinatown," Dan Fante's, "Chump Change," Jerry Stahl's "Permanent Midnight," Bukowski's "Last Night of the Earth" poems, taco trucks and Thai food. I'm also pretty certain that drugs and alcohol have inspired some of the lyrics and music although we've been good boys recently. Zache sings though and I have no idea what he's saying most of the time, but I assume he's singing about sexual frustration and/or drug use.

ZACHE:  I'm inspired by real life happenings personal to me and authors like Camus, Steinbeck, Saint-Exupéry and Nabokov. 

JAMES: That's more for the front court of this band. But honestly, just the city of LA is inspiring enough in many doses. If John Fante ("Ask The Dust") were in a band, he'd probably be rocking out with us.

ANDREW: I write for a living. It's obsessive and totally self-conscious, so for me playing music is about catharsis. I don't intellectualize it. I play things that make me feel good. 

You have a brand new 7” out now on La Ti Da Records, Dim Sum b/w Pepe.  I am curious as to what inspired the cover art of the man holding the balloons?

ZACHE: The cover art was the idea of our original drummer, Richie. We played a show with F.Y.P. once and set up a back drop of 6 balloons, each with a letter on them, that spelled MANIAC. The balloon dude was a continuation of that. Kind of makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?

ANDREW: As Zache mentioned, we played a show at the Blue Star and dressed the stage with 'Maniac' spelled out in balloons. My favorite part of the story is that we were the opening act that night and every band that played after us had to do so with our giant silver Mylar balloons hanging over them. That pretty much says it all.

Maniac has been around a little over a year now and already you have played with some pretty great bands. What has been the most memorable show the band has played good or bad? Where was it and what made it so unforgettable?

ANDREW: Our second show was terrible. We opened up at the American Legion Hall in Highland Park. The house lights were on. Bright. And the crowd was standing 20 feet away from us. Highly uncomfortable. I wanted out from the first chord. Our third show sticks out as a great one. We were playing The Redwood with The Ballantynes from Canada. It was packed and it was the first time I saw people I didn't know gettin' down to our songs. It was also the first time I really felt present onstage. What's more, I broke a string on our second to last song. I figured that was it for the set. Then Jared, lead singer of the Ballantynes, handed me his guitar. They wanted us to keep playing. I felt validated. Also, it was sort of funny in that Jared's taller than I am and his guitar was slung so low I was playing it around my knees.  Our most recent show with Brent Amaker and the Rodeo was pretty terrific, too. Amazing band. Their lead guitarist is so good I've considered switching to kazoo.

JUSTIN: Yeah, I agree with Andrew, the only great show I can think of recently was a random Monday night at the Redwood in downtown LA. Brent Amaker and the Rodeo were the headliners, they're from Seattle. I didn't really know what to expect, they were described to me as Johnny Cash meets Devo.  It was a pretty accurate way of describing them actually. They had this outlaw, Cash vibe but with this amazing guitarist who played these Ennio Morricone type straight desert riffs. They put on a real show, man, like Elvis in a Vegas casino in the 70’s. They are dressed identically in white cowboy suits complete with boots and hats. The dude walks out with a gong, later in the set he busts out a bullwhip and they ended the set with the roadie placing a black cape on the singer, he walks off and the bassist does a fully nude male strip tease. It was fucking brilliant, one of the best shows I saw all year. I heard their recordings but it doesn't really do their live show justice, so I guess you just have to see 'em live.

JAMES: I agree. Brent Amaker and the Rodeo at The Redwood Bar. The show was just awesome and packed and those guys have the coolest get up I've ever seen in a band. Rock and Roll was in the air. Did I mention it was a Monday?

ZACHE: Sounds like we actually might do a west coast tour next year with Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. Personally, I feel like we'd be a great fit together. Maniac is simply put, punk rock but I'd like to think we have the potential of reaching a broader audience. Brent Amaker is like country meets the Stranglers. Their fans are a versatile mix of folks like ours. I've seen fans our Maniac become fans of The Rodeo and vice versa. They're fun to watch and extremely talented. I feel like they would challenge us night after night and they're also good dudes to have a drink with. With a combination like that, everybody wins. 

  

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

ANDREW: The Who. You know why. Van Halen under Roth. Cheap Trick. Guns N' Roses. Motley Crue. All bands who participated in the sort of storied excess and buffoonery that is at the heart of every genre of rock and roll except prog rock.

JAMES: Oooooooh. So many to name, so much pressure. Man this is tough. I mean who wouldn't have wanted to tour with The Stones, The Clash, etc. But I'm gonna be relevant. One modern band that always blew me away was The Hives. No one has sounded tougher than that band since they came out except us. POW!

JUSTIN: Too many to name.  I would have loved to play with Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Ritchie Valens, Little Richard, Screamin' Jay Hawkin. If I were around in LA in the 60’s, I would have loved to play with Love, The Seeds, The Standells, The Doors, Neil Young. In the 70’s, Van Halen, The Runaways, The Weirdos, The Germs, Black Flag, Black Randy, VOM, Controllers, Flesh Eaters, Gun Club too many to name. Touring-wise, I'd like to tour with somebody professional and low key. I'd be down to play a few shows with Motley Crue or Guns 'N Roses in the 80’s, but don't think I'd like to do a whole tour with 'em, my liver might explode.

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?

ANDREW: I have eclectic taste in music and, like everyone; I listen to different bands for different reasons. That said, sometimes I like to put my iPod on shuffle and hope it takes me from Don Henley to Peter Gabriel to Tears for Fears to Simple Minds to Bruce Springsteen to Tom Petty to Cheap Trick to Dead Boys to 70's Van Halen to Guns n' Roses to Ratt to Motley Crue to Dio to Iron Maiden and then somehow makes it from there to Tangerine Dream to M83 to Boards of Canada. If you wanna get real specific, Phil Collins hit singles, "Billy Don't Lose My Number" and "Easy Lover" are in heavy rotation in my car right now especially 'Easy Lover'. Philip Bailey's vocals really sell the shit out of that track and Nathan East is a beastly groove-master on bass.

ZACHE: No guilt here! I listen to and am inspired by many genres of music. I usually listen to KUSC when I'm driving which is LA's classical station. I guess you could call that the most opposite genre of music from us. I to a lot of jazz, classical, and I get down with some Ranchero as well. I'm currently listening to this Latin psychedelic-esque group from Columbia called The Meridian Brothers. I generally stay away from top 40 and new hip-hop made after 1997. 

JAMES: HA! Whoever knows me knows mine for sure. STYX. I love that band, ever since I was a kid. I don't care what anyone says. STYX rules hard.

JUSTIN: I love a lot of 60’s French pop, I like Ranchero music and Trio too like Los Panchos, I like some 70’s Spanish gypsy music like Los Amaya. I think "Hey Ya" was one of the best pop songs ever written. The Venga Boys first album was pretty unstoppable. I like pretty much everything by Oasis. I love the Doors and believe they captured the sound and the vibe of L.A. perfectly. If Van Halen or the Doors come on the radio I will turn it up.  I'm surprised by the amount of "Dad Rock" that I like. Generally in the car, and I spend a lot of time in the car, I'll listen to the 2 classic rock stations, an old school rap station (KDAY), the USC classical music station or NPR. If "Cocaine" by Clapton comes on, I will also turn it up just like I would turn up "Low Rider." Shit, Jackson Browne, "Runnin' On Empty." How many guilty pleasures can one man have? Ha Ha.

What music have you unleashed on the world and where can people go to hear it or buy it?

JUSTIN: Maniac have one 7" out on Canadian label La Ti Da, you can get it off their website, you can also hear the tracks there. We just recorded a full-length LP and so that should be out in the near future. In the past, I played in a ton of bands that released records, Deadly Weapons, Clorox Girls, Red Dons, La Mano De Mono, Suspect Parts, Role Models, LA Drugz. You can find links to listen to those songs on my website www.justin-maurer.com/music/. Most of it's also on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes and all those other digital mediums that pay bands a fraction of a cent per play. A FRACTION of a cent. I kid you not. I should have a check for 6 dollars coming to me pretty soon.

JAMES: A few. My resume isn't as nearly as impressive as Justin's! IMAGES - Thought Patterns 7", LA Drugz - Outside Place 12" EP.

ZACHE: I've put out three LP’s and two singles with The Girls. You can find those at dirtnaprecs.com and on iTunes and Spotify. 

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

JAMES: Just recorded a full length, like a few days ago. Ear bleeding orgasms cumming your way. Splooge.

ANDREW: It's going to be an incendiary record.

ZACHE: We just finished recording our LP last weekend and we're very excited about it. We're hoping to have that out sometime next year. We're fortunate to be surrounded by many talented friends in Los Angeles who also like Maniac and want to work with us. Expect a video or three very soon.

Follow @AAmmunition

Audio Ammunition Podcast #1

Audio Ammunition Podcast #1

Playlist:
Ricky C Quartet - Sometimes
Sonic Avenues - Sixteen Years
Wyatt Blair – Operator
Jail Weddings – May Today Be Merciful
Duncan Reid - Montevideo
Youthbitch - Heart Attack
The Ills – Get It
Peach Kelli Pop - Red Leather
The Love Me Nots – In Black & White
The Cry – Modern Cinderella
Images – Chemicals
Greenback High – Bombs Away
The Ballantynes- Faith
Neighborhood Brats – Bombay Beach Party Death Camp

Follow @AAmmunition

Images

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Nick Faciane

Where is the band from?

The band is originally from Carson, CA. I live in San Pedro and Ryan lives in Wilmington.

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?
James Carman - Drums
Ryan Miranda - Bass
Good Looking - Guitar

How did the band get started?
Ryan and James have been playing together since they were kids. When I was in high school I befriended James over the mutual interest of skateboarding. My first band, The Medics, ended up playing a string of shows with Easy Image, Ryan and James, and they later asked me if I could fill in when they kicked out their guitar player. I told them I would fill in until they found another. 7 years later and I’m not sure if I’m still filling in or not.

James, what made you decides to play drums and sing? Originally, were you just singing?
James is the front man. Originally he was up front and singing for the band. But after thousands of drummers spontaneously combusting on stage it got to the point where I just told him, "Look dude, we’re not going to find a drummer better than you. You should just play drums." I feel we made the right choice.

How did you guys originally hook up with the Buzzcocks? I remember seeing Images open for Buzzcocks at House of Blues in 2010 when they were playing Another Music in a Different Kitchen in its entirety. Looks like Images played with Buzzcocks again earlier this year.
This story goes back to those high school days. James comes up to me in the locker room one morning with this look in his eye. He says, "Dude, I met the Buzzcocks last night!" I didn’t believe him for one second. I’m thinking okay, this kid is telling another tale. He’s going on and on about how he kept in contact with Pete Shelley via email. And I’m thinking… "Yeahhh right, Pete Shelley uses MSN!” A few months later James is telling me that Pete had heard our recordings and really liked them and asked us to open for Buzzcocks the next time they would be in Los Angeles. So it’s July 2005 and we are driving to the House of Blues and I’m thinking that we are going to pull up to the venue and they are going to have no clue who we are. Next thing I know I’m playing on stage at the House Of Blues opening for Buzzcocks and shitting my pants. After that night we kept in contact with them and now we are all buddy buddy with them. It’s awesome. We really look up to that band and were glad we have the opportunity to play with them like we do.

How is the Thought Patterns single doing? Water Under The Bridge put that out. Do you guys have a San Pedro connection? I see it was recorded at Calimucho.
I am a San Pedro native, born and raised; I’ll probably end up dying there too. It’s a weird thing about that town. People joke about it being this black hole ghetto by the sea, but everyone who lives there loves it. Even if they won’t admit it. Once you get sucked in there’s no going back out. Anyways, we recorded at Cali Mucho with our buddy Kid Kevin. He also makes our t-shirts! The record is doing well, and I’m just surprised Craig Ibarra wanted to put out our record in the first place. I feel honored.

Any plans for an LP?
Yes. As soon as we get back from England this is first priority. We are working on new material and recording at the moment.

Did any specific bands influence Images sound?
There are tons, and they constantly change with our moods and as the years go on. Right now I have everything from Nick Lowe to Teengenerate on my iPod.
I can’t really speak for the other guys on this, but I’m sure we can agree on the classics like Ramones, Buzzcocks, Clash, The Damned, The Jam, you know, all the good stuff. We are all fans of the Red Onions.

Where can people hear the band?
The best way would be to come out to our shows and buy our records. But you can always find us on Facebook, ReverbNation.com/images and myspace.com/images.
I’ve really been procrastinating on setting up a website, but I promise, it’s coming.

What’s in the future?
Stay tuned for more rock and roll!

Sell music on Amazon at ReverbNation.com

Follow @AAmmunition