Photo by OlyKaz
I can’t recall how or
when exactly I first heard this tremendous L.A. duo, it was recently though,
that much I remember. Since then I’ve been fiendishly listening to their music
and watching their videos. I do remember as I pressed play for the first time on
their self-released debut EP Volume 1,
I felt like I was curiously peering inside a dark barrel, unable to see the
bottom and when the music started it felt as if something suddenly jumped up, grabbed
me by the face and pulled me in at reptilian speed. The first song I heard
called “Scene” is such a hook filled garage rock n’ roll monster of a tune and
I was all in it, completely submerged and basking in all of its thundering
glory!
Interview
by J Castro
Let’s start out by telling me
who’s currently in the band:
ADAM:
It’s just the two of us. Adam Bones and Rikky Styxx.
How did you two meet and
decide to play music together?
ADAM:
Rikki and I started performing in my previous solo project band. We played in
that band for about a year and when that just didn’t seem to be working out I
asked if she’d start a new project with me. Just the two of us. Luckily she
said yes!
What band or musician would
you say has had the biggest influence on your life? Tell me a bit about the first time you heard him or her and
how it made you feel:
ADAM:
I think the biggest musical influence on this band is the Ramones. When I was
first introduced to their music, I loved it, but wasn’t obsessed just yet. I
was fortunate enough to have actually gotten to see them live as a kid and that
changed my life. After that night, it was all Ramones all the time.
I was really surprised to
hear The Two Tens have only been around a year and you have already released 4
EP’s and your sound, as odd as this may seem, sounds to me very confident, not
a lot of shaky ground in your songs. Did you have this particular sound in mind
for the band when you two started playing together?
ADAM:
It’s because we kick ass, ha, ha. J
We actually had a good idea on how we wanted things to sound from the start.
Also, we’re both experienced enough to know how to make things sound good.
And speaking of your EP’s;
from what I understand you recorded them all together with some pretty heavy
hitters Bruce Duff producing, Paul Roessler engineering and Jim Diamond mixing.
What was it like to work with all these guys?
ADAM:
It’s great. They’re all really good at what they do. We’re pretty fortunate to
have worked with them. I’ve known Duff for years. We’ve turned each other onto
music for a long time. He understood what we were going for. Bruce brought us
to Paul’s studio to record. Paul was a pleasure to work with. His easy going
demeanor made the recording experience pretty great. And his musical input was
very helpful as well. Jim brought it all together and made it sound exactly
like how we wanted it to sound in the end.
Personally, I love music
videos. I grew up on MTV and I feel there is something really powerful about
coupling images with song. You’ve released a video for one of the songs from
each of your EP’s. Even though MTV is no longer what it once was, do you feel
music videos should still be a priority for rock n’ roll bands?
ADAM:
Living in a content driven world, having videos is important. It’s too bad that
there isn’t a good video platform for videos to thrive on television, like how
MTV was. But people discover new music on YouTube all the time. So having
videos is a good idea. Plus, nowadays, anyone can make a video with their
iPhones, so it can be done easy and cheap. Also, making our vids were just a
lot of fun.
Your band has received a lot
of positive press, everything from the Los
Angeles Times to The Huffington Post.
One thing I’ve noticed is how a lot of people comment about how great you sound
for being a two-piece band. Did you set out being a two piece band originally
and do you feel more exposed playing live on stage with it only being you two
up there?
ADAM:
The one thing that people almost always say to us after seeing us perform is
that we have a big sound for just two people. When I approached Rikki about
starting the band, I wanted it to just be the two of us. Mostly because I just
wanted to be in a band with someone that I liked hanging out with. The less band
members the better. And it’s great be because we have the same work ethic,
taste in music and humor. As far as the live show, we don’t feel more exposed.
We both know how to command the stage.
Even though you recorded all
the songs on your EP’s in the same session, Volume
4 for some reason to me seems darker. What sorts of things typically
inspire you song lyrics? Are there any subjects you purposely try to stay away
from?
ADAM:
I get inspiration for lyrics mostly from life experiences and how I’m feeling
about things. In this band I’m actually trying to not stray away from any
subjects. I’ve limited myself in the past and I don’t want to do that anymore.
You recently did a tour of
the Southwest U.S.. How do you feel it went and tell me about some of the highs
and lows you experienced when you were out?
ADAM:
We’ve done two tours now in the short time we’ve been a band. First was in
March making our way to SXSW. More recently we went on the road with our
friends, Turbulent Hearts, up to the Pacific Northwest and back. We’ve had a
lot of fun on the road. Plenty of stories. We also learn a lot when we’re on
the road. How to tour better next time around, we try to mix up our set lists,
play some new songs and get them down.
Where can people go to listen
to or get your music?
ADAM:
We’re on iTunes, Spotify and anywhere else. We have a Bandcamp page as well (https://thetwotens.bandcamp.com/). Or just go to our website www.thetwotens.com.
What lies in the near future
for The Two Tens?
ADAM:
We have a lot of really great shows on the horizon. We just got added to Echo
Park Rising, we’ll be playing Aug 15. Then we’re playing the Hi-Fi Rockfest in
Long Beach with Dead Kennedys, Street Dogs, The Sonics, Naked Raygun and a
bunch more bands. Then we’re opening for The Misfits on Nov 13 at the Glass
House in Pomona.
Try
to keep up with the Two Tens here:
www.thetwotens.com
https://www.facebook.com/thetwotens
https://thetwotens.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/thetwotens
www.twitter.com/thetwotens
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTwoTensBand
We’re
keeping busy!
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