“I just got sick of dealing with singers” is the
genesis of how this band started. The Black Widows, who according to their band
bio just got together over an hour ago, have put together a string of all
instrumental tunes that are heavy on killer riffs that are both all original
and all evil. Who needs singers anyway? Well definitely not Black Widows and
they are out to prove a band can both rock and hold people’s attention with
only music, no vocals.
Interview by Ed Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
Dr. Vibe
Where is the band from?
Los Angeles, California
Who is in the band and what instrument do
they play?
The Executioner- drums, no vocals.
Pharoah Malo- bass, no vocals.
Count Funkula- guitar, no vocals.
Dr. Vibe- guitar, no vocals.
How did the band start?
I got sick of dealing with singers, and I like instrumentals. Had some
tunes. Found some like-minded dudes. Got some ninja suits. Thus, the Black
Widows.
The name came from my mailbox. Every day I would just stick my hand in
the mail box and grab my mail. One
day, for no reason, I looked in my mailbox before reaching in, and there was a
Black Widow spider in there! I took it as an omen.
I’m sure you have been asked this before,
but why no vocals? Why keep the “music is all instrumental, all original, all
evil?”
As I said earlier, I just got sick of dealing with singers. They have a tendency to jump aboard the
ego train, shall we say. Not all
of 'em, just 99% of 'em.
There's a lot you can say without vocals. It's a challenge to come up with something more than just a
killer riff. The Killer Riff is
important, but what separates the greats from everybody else is the ability to
convey emotion and depth, hold people's attention and maybe even have a rockin'
beat. There are a lot of instro
bands out there- rock, jazz, classical, world music. We like the challenge.
We play all originals because that's a challenge too- to come up with new
classics.
And we're all evil because that's just who we are.
The band just released their new LP, Revenge
of The Black Widows, how the reception been for the new LP? In a review
from Roctober, it states, “If you expect me to say anything other than “I
WORSHIP THEM!!!” about a motorcycle gang surf rock masked trash instro band
then you never met me.” That is a great review. How does the band feel about
getting such a positive review for the new LP?
We're glad somebody agrees with us!
The album just came out but we've had a number of reviews, all
great. I think we're different
from what people expect. We're basically a hard rock act that occasionally
ventures into quieter or jazzier territory. Most instro rock acts nowadays are
either doing surf music or some 60's garage bag or techno metal, which might be
catchy or interesting on a conceptual level, but in the basic "Kick Out
the Jams" aesthetic; most of 'em don't have it. We have it.
What bands did you have in mind when
starting this band?
There were no bands we wanted to copy, but of course the Ventures and
Link Wray and Black Sabbath were big role models. And Black Sabbath. Did I mention Black Sabbath?
We subscribe to the idea that you should at least be as good as your
heroes, if not better. And if you
share a stage with them, go for the kill.
Do you think music can still be a vital
force in such a disposable age?
It can still be a vital force. The problem is with the time we live
in. I've discussed this very
subject many times with fellow musicians.
Most of them feel adrift, as if they are playing songs for nobody, as if
the music will have no effect on anything. Music, and art in general, has been devalued. It's used as
commerce and wallpaper. As a force, music is more important than ever. It's one
of the only ways to unite people and give them a sense of spirit. You won't get
that from your iPhone or your SUV.
But there's been a deliberate plan to steer people into a sort of
"worship" of consumer items and money in general and away from
tactile, emotional things like music, art and just standing up to
injustice.
The fragmenting of pop culture is to blame as well. It's hard for music
to have the impact it once did because the audience is so spread out. The Internet
has made music a much more democratic medium than in the past, but it has also
diluted the focus. You can be the greatest thing in the world to Communist
Latino bikers between the ages of 25 and 40 who speak no English and don't own
radios. That can be your target group and you can live for years off that. But
the guy across the street still doesn’t know your name. I
have faith in music. But I have no faith in the age we live in. But like a wise
man once said- this too shall pass.
The first LP, Arocknaphobia, was
released in 2000, but the new LP just came out. Why so long between releases?
The band had to take a hiatus, due to some members moving away and some
falling off the edge of the world.
It took a while to find great new Black
Widows, but we did. Recorded and
mixed an album, took it to the mastering plant, and the drummer fell off the
wagon and into a drug haze. We kicked him out and he said he didn't want his
tracks used on the album. So we scrapped the album, found a new drummer,
re-recorded the entire album, and that is what you have here. Took a while, but
I'd say we traded up. And this version of the album is 100 times better.
50 years ago people used to buy music and
get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for
free. How do you think this affects music in any way?
This is greed in action. They just shifted the money somewhere else. Someday
you'll get music and water for free but you'll have to pay to walk down the
street. Greed is going to kill this world. But there might be some good songs.
Where can people hear the band?
Theblackwidows.net is our website. Be sure to type "the" because
if you just type "black widows" or "black widow" you get
spider info or metal bands. You can also buy our albums and t-shirts there and
see some videos. And we're on iTunes and Amazon and various sites like that. Hopefully
you can come see us play, and also purchase our stuff and buy us a drink. It's
a package deal.
What’s next?
We already started the
next album. We're doing a split 7" with The Atomic Sherpas that may be out
this summer. We're on some compilation album on Scare America. Don't know when
that's coming out. And we're talking to somebody about doing the soundtrack to
a movie, which is a good job for us. We're dusting off the mantle in our
hideout for that Grammy or Oscar.
I mean, ya gotta be prepared!-->
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