The Fox Sisters: It's Alright, Have A Good Time

I know there's a lot of evil and injustice that goes on in the world, but to constantly dwell in that cynicism will in fact consume you.  You get pessimism fed to you every time you turn on the television, social media, film, and music. I'm not saying to ignore it all together mind you, but there has to be an escape, a momentary parting of the swirling storm clouds. That's where Rochester, New York's The Fox Sisters come in.  They play soul shaking, body quaking, late 50's/early 60's style Soul/R&B music. The same kind of terrific sounds that radiated from people like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson decades ago and they do it with every bit of the same passion and fire that those guys did back then.  But what The Fox Sisters really do is provide a life raft for a society sinking in it's own skepticism,  As important as it is to follow current events and involve yourself in causes you believe in, it's just as important to loosen your collar, put on your dancing shoes and just have a good time.

Interview by J Castro

Who is currently in the band and what does everyone do in it?

Mark Bradley - saxophone

Darren DeWispelaere - trumpet

Jimmy Filingeri - bass

Patrick McNally - vocals

David Snyder - guitar

Brian Shafer - drums

Will Veeder - piano

How did you all meet and decide to play music together?

PATRICK: We all sort of "grew up" in the Rochester music scene and have had a lot of fun watching each other’s bands over the years. Some of us have been in bands together from time to time. We have a lot of respect for each other and have a shared musical sensibility. When the idea for this band came up, it seemed natural for us all to work together.

JIMMY: We have all known each other for years from playing in different bands around town. Patrick and I were in a band called the Thunder Gods that had runs its course. After a few years off we decided to try something different. We wanted to use rhythm & blues music as a foundation but we weren’t interested in trying to recreate the vintage sound. What we had in mind was aesthetic or a mood. We wanted to put on a show made people feel the same way we felt when we saw some of our favorite bands or listened to our favorite records. We wanted to make people dance and hoot and holler and scream for more.

What band or musician first inspired you to want to pick up an instrument and learn to play and/or write music?

PATRICK: A lot of bands have inspired me, but it was a Rochester band called The Fugitives that sort of cemented my resolve. I remember seeing them play in

a local shithole bar under a single bare light bulb, and the music was so raw and great and they looked so cool, I decided that I was going to stop thinking about it and actually try it.

JIMMY: I suppose it was bands like KISS, Cheap Trick and The Stones that first gave me the bug when I was a kid. That was the beginning of my life long obsession with music and records. As far as actually picking up an instrument though. Patrick and I were roommates and he wanted to start a band. He told me I was going to be the bass player. That was it.

Under the Stairs LP released September 14th 2015

 How would you describe you band to your grandparents?

PATRICK: With the help of a medium. They are dead, dead, dead

JIMMY: Once their spirits were conjured I would tell them that we sound like a band that would play dances and frat parties in the 60’s. Some up-tempo numbers to fill the dance floor. A few slow numbers for close dancing and kissing. Then finish them of with some wild rockers to make people go crazy and break stuff. 

What sorts of things do you typically enjoy writing songs about?  

PATRICK: Love. Dance parties. Enjoying life. Good clean fun.

JIMMY: Fun songs.  Honest songs. Songs you can dance to. Songs that make people move and shout. Songs that let you forget about the news of the world for a few minutes.

I’ve heard people say that playing and writing music is therapeutic to them.  Have you ever found this to be true?

PATRICK: Definitely. The voices stop when I write. The voices of past presidents. A break from Franklin Pierce is always particularly welcome. Great hair. Total jackass.

JIMMY: Working on new songs with the band is more therapeutic for me than writing them. As a bass player my songs are usually just a skeleton with some lyrics. It’s not until all the band members add their own parts that it becomes a song. It’s exciting because I never know what the final product is going to sound like until they add their magic. Playing is definitely therapeutic, my ego craves applause. It’s nourishing.

Does it annoy you or distract you at all to see some of your audience members fondling their phones while you’re up on stage performing?

PATRICK: We’ve been lucky in that we don't see a lot of that. What we see is mostly smiles, which is really nice. Every once in a while somebody takes a picture, but that's nice too. Somebody thinks enough of you to want to take your picture. What's not to like about that?

JIMMY: Not a problem at our shows. Most people are dancing or jumping around. Cameras are fine. I like to see pictures of us.

After one of your shows, what sort of feeling or sentiment do you hope your audience walks away with?  

PATRICK: I hope people walk away feeling like they've made a new bunch of friends that they love to dance with.

JIMMY: Leave them wanting more. Elated. Spent. Hopefully telling their friends about us the next day. We want to be on their “guaranteed good time” list.

What is your favorite album to listen to from start to finish?

PATRICK: Sam Cooke - One Night Stand: Live at the Harlem Square Club. The world's greatest record.

JIMMY: Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star Club. Pure Rock & Roll from start to finish.  It’s tough to pick albums because most of my very favorite music came out on 45’s. At the time albums had a lot of filler on them. Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, country & soul from the late 40’s until the early 70’s is my favorite kind of music.  I like to listen to Dave the Spazz from start to finish every week on WFMU.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you that you still follow to this day?

PATRICK: If you can see them from behind, marry her.

JIMMY: Don’t overplay.

What is the best way people can hear and get a hold of your music?

Our music can be found on:  Bandcamp: thefoxsisters.bandcamp.com

Our activities can be found on:  Facebook: facebook.com/TheFoxSisters/

We can be contacted via email: foxsistersband@gmail.com

What lies ahead for the band in 2016?

PATRICK: More good times. We plan to put out our second album soon, and will be appearing live regularly.

JIMMY: We will be playing several shows with the Rochester R&R/R&B Revue. That is The Fox Sisters along with our friends The Televisionaries and The Temptators. All powerhouse bands who aim to entertain. Hopefully some shows will be recorded to come out as a live record.  We have a lot of new songs that will be recorded for our second record. Until then, just playing and trying to show people a good time.

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Macho Boys: Portland Punks Positioned For Domination

I don't listen to a lot of new hardcore punk bands.  The new stuff I do like has to have at least a toe hold in the early 80's like Berlin's Dysnea Boys, the Bay Area's Neighborhood Brats or Seattle's Sick Ward.  Most of it to me either sounds contrived or just pandering to a bunch of sweaty, ignorant tough guys.  I didn't get any of that from Portland's Macho Boys.  They're a fairly new band that consists of members of Low Culture and Piss Test. They're so new in fact that they only have a six song Demo out but those six songs was all it took to win me over.  These songs are a lit powder keg of snake venom and extreme vexation with the fuse burning nearly to it's end. The music is stripped down to it's bare essentials to reduce air resistance and maximize the blunt force in which it hits your guts with.  Their songs sound well rooted, the band seems focused, driven and impassioned by their music. To me, those are the key ingredients to a good hardcore band, or any band for that matter.  Sure it sounds simple, but it's far easier said than done.

Interview by J Castro

Please introduce yourselves and tell me what everyone does in the band: 

TEKIAH: I'm Tekiah, I sing.

CHRIS: I’m Chris. I guitar.

SAMANTHA: I play bass.

SAM: Drums

How did you all meet and decide to play music together?

TEKIAH: I ran into Samantha at a show and mentioned I wanted to sing in a hardcore band and she was like "oh my friend Chris wants to play music like that let me find him!" I met Chris, then Samantha made a date for us to have our first practice. While we were talking I found out Sam was going to drum, which was funny because we work together. I was really nervous at first because I've never been in a band before but the first practice went really well.

CHRIS: Yeah, Samantha asked something like “Hey Chris, when are you going to start a hardcore band now that you live in Portland?” And I said “Whenever someone asks me.” So she introduced me to Tekiah and said “we’re all in a band now.” Then we took shots.

SAMANTHA: Tequila.

SAM: Chris said, “Come jam!”  I said “OK!”

Tell me about what it’s like playing shows in your town.  Is there a community that you feel gets what your band is doing musically?

TEKIAH: For the most part playing shows in Portland is awesome. There are so many rad bands that come through and that are from here. The only thing I don't like is how little people move. It's really weird to play a full show and look at the crowd and everyone's just staring at you. I think the community here gets us and wants us to play and that's a really good feeling.

CHRIS: I agree that Portland is a great place to be in a band. It is also true that not a lot of people move when bands play, but I’m usually in the back with my arms crossed (totally enjoying myself!) so I’d feel a bit hypocritical complaining about that.

SAM: Yeah; what they said.

Can you remember what band or musician first inspired you to want to pick up an instrument and learn to play and/or write music?

TEKIAH: The Ramones without a doubt. I remember the first time I heard them and was like oh shit I want to do this!!

CHRIS: When I was a kid I totally used to strap my dad’s guitar around my neck and pretend I was in the Beach Boys. Then in my early adolescence, there were plenty of DIY punk bands that helped me realize that writing songs, playing in bands, releasing records, and touring wasn’t just a pipe dream.

SAMANTHA: Portland band The Stops inspired me to make the jump from fan to band. You’ve got to get their LP on Dirt Cult Records, or Sabotage Records if you’re in Europe. They are amazing.

SAM: Music has been a part of my life since middle school band (I played the Clarinet); I've always wanted to be in a 'Cool' band.  Although, given how much I was into church and god at that time 'Cool' was probably a Christian ska band.

In your experience, what have been some of the best and worst parts about being in a band?  Is it totally different than what you imagined as a kid?

TEKIAH: The best part about being in a band is having fun. As long as you're having fun being in a band is great. I don't think we've been a band long enough for me to feel like there's any worst part to it. Since this is my first band everything is great.

CHRIS: I’d say the best part of playing in bands is that it’s allowed me to see all sorts of places and meet all sorts of people that I might not have otherwise. The worst part is loading equipment up and down stairs constantly. 

SAMANTHA: I like working toward shared goals with bandmates, getting new people into playing, and playing in other cities. I get bummed when I play a show and the majority of the bands on the bill are all guys, or if someone asks if I’m the merch girl, or assumes that a guy helping me load my gear is in the band and I’m there to help, etc.

SAM: Exactly.

What other bands do you feel people need to hear in order to better understand your music? 

TEKIAH: Other femme hardcore bands for sure like G.L.O.S.S., I.C.E., Heavy Hands, and Firewalker.

SAMANTHA: Minor Threat.

What’s your favorite part of making music: the writing process, the recording, or performing in front of a crowd? 

TEKIAH: I love writing new songs. It's so cool to hear the finished product and think, wow we made this together.

What music do you own or listen to frequently that you feel a typical fan of yours may be surprised you enjoy?

TEKIAH: I listed to a lot of do wop like the Shirelles, the Chantels and the Supremes.

CHRIS: I listen to a ton of music that isn’t punk and certainly isn’t “hardcore” - Hip hop (like Run the Jewels, A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde), soul (like Wilson Picket, Otis Redding, Nina Simone), classic rock (like Neil Young, Big Star), indie rock (like Belle & Sebastian, Elliot Smith, Guided by Voices), etc.

SAM: Country/Bluegrass (Clifton Hicks, The Stanley Brothers, Stringbean, Dwight Yoakam); anything that Buddy Rich has been a part of.

Never mind the critics, what in your opinion has been your band’s most shining moment so far?

TEKIAH: Definitely our benefit for the Network for Reproductive Options. Samantha and I booked that show together and it had a really good turnout. All the bands were rad.

SAMANTHA: The show made over $500 for abortion access. We were fundraising as part of a nationwide event to raise funds for organizations that help people pay for abortion when they don’t have enough money or health insurance. There was a punk team called Pick Your Kingpin.

Do you ever feel like underground culture meant more to past generations that had to actually invest time and money into going to shows and record stores to discover new music as opposed to just using Google and Youtube on their phones?

TEKIAH: I think it still means just as much. Having the internet just means you can actually listen to a record before buying it instead of thinking the cover looks cool and buying it.

CHRIS: People spend too much time pining for “the good old days” I think nostalgia can be a destructive force that keeps people from living in the moment and/or moving forward. In regards to how people consume music, I mean sure, I look back fondly on the days that I had to pick up a record based solely on a recommendation, review, and whether or not the cover looked “cool.” But I also ended up with a stack of shitty fucking records as a result.

SAMANTHA: No. It’s great that people can access music really quickly. Maximum RocknRoll is undertaking the project of digitalizing their massive vinyl archive and creating a searchable database of the collection and music reviews. Having music online helps it be accessible. Not everyone can afford to buy an obscure, old, out of print $300 7”, and not everyone wants to. You can donate to the MRR archive project here: http://bit.ly/1VSIHzN.

SAM: Ditto.

What is the best way people can hear and get a hold of your music?

TEKIAH: Machoboys.bandcamp.com, you can buy our demo tape through there.

What lies ahead for the band in 2016?

TEKIAH: We're going on a short tour to California at the end of August and trying to record another demo tape. I've never been on tour so I can't wait!!!


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