You
are releasing your new EP, God’s Dream, does the title reflect that Ringo
Deathstarr are indeed God’s Dream?
No, it was the title of a demo
that Alex made. We had other working titles like "Tump" and "Kim
Deal,” when it came time to name the whole thing, we just thought God's Dream
was good, we didn't have to think too much.
What
made you go with an EP and not another full length? Is a new album in the
works?
Well, in the interest of
getting some new music out quicker, the EP was the best option...we had enough
songs for a full length, but not enough time to finish. There are more songs waiting
to have vocals on them, who knows if they will be a part of a full record or
another EP. Currently I am in the mood to just pump out EPs for a year or
so.
What
did you do differently on God’s Dream that you had not done before?
Daniel sings on two songs,
"See You" and "Bong Load." We send some songs to Adam
Franklin (Swervedriver) and Jeff Schroeder (Smashing Pumpkins) to see if they
could just add some strange twist to the guitar parts...which was fun because
they gave the songs some more atmosphere. I did a couple of guitars one
string at a time, Def Leopard style, and it sounded pretty crazy. We
used more synths this time around. I played a Les Paul on one song and a
Neil Schon prototype.
The
band hails from Austin, the city has seemed to be cranking out bands a
dime-a-dozen over the last few years, how do you stand out about the rest of
the pack?
I don't know...currently there
is a garage rock thing going on here, and also "psych" rock or
"psych garage." We try to write pop songs.
Who
are some other Austin bands we should keep an eye out for?
Gal Pals, BLXPLTN, ...And You
Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
The
bands sound is so unique and diverse, how would you explain it to someone who
has never heard of you before?
I often wonder myself... there
are so many ridiculous words people use to describe a sound. Perhaps a
cross between Nirvana and Pink Floyd
Like
most bands today, you spend a majority of your life on the road, what is one
thing you have to have on tour with you at all times?
A Sleepin' Rig. It includes
a blindfold and ear buds or ear plugs, and a pillow. All too often the
van is where you catch some Z's.
Your
shows are known for their thumping decibel sounds that split many ear drums,
has playing at this volume affected your hearing?
It's hard to say...before this
band, in another life, I was a drummer for 13 years. I worked in a dry
cleaners for a while with all that loud steam. My ears were already kind
of messed up.
This
year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles landing in
America, does Ringo Deathstarr plan to celebrate this occasion?
We celebrate it every day.
This band seems to be
having more fun than anyone out there today, how much fun is it being a member
of Ringo Deathstarr?
Haha...We do have a lot of
fun. That is the whole point of this, and you gotta laugh at the whole
thing all the time. But its not all fun...as we speak, the day before
tour, Alex's car has broken down, so she has to think about how to deal with
that once we return. So, we need to get rich quickly! can you help?
What is next for
Ringo Deathstarr?
Some time in April we
should finish those other songs and get right back on the road promoting God's
Dream while figuring out when to release the next thing and tour some more.
