The Hook with Johni & Jess
Hosted by Jess and Johni, The Hook features candid conversations with musicians, artists, entertainers, and creatives of all kinds. We go beyond the surface to explore the real stories behind the art — the first spark, the turning point, the doubt, the obsession, and the moments that changed everything.
Just like a hook in a song stays with you, every creative has something that grabbed hold and shaped who they became.
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It’s about why they couldn’t stop.
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The Hook with Johni & Jess
A Coruscating Conversation with The Lonely Teardrops
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The Lonely Teardrops bring their signature blend of mod garage, surf rock, soul, punk attitude, and country heart to The Hook with Johni & Jess for a conversation that’s as colorful and energetic as their music.
Joining us in the studio are founder, lead vocalist, and guitarist Katie Teardrop, bassist Simon Hall, drummer Ricky Tubb, and saxophonist Bryan Condra. Together, they share the story behind the band’s name, the evolution of their sound since forming in 2005, and how a group of musicians with diverse backgrounds came together to create something uniquely their own.
From international adventures and punk rock roots to spontaneous stage moments and the magic of live performance, this episode dives into the personalities, friendships, and creative chemistry that fuel The Lonely Teardrops.
The band opens up about their songwriting process, the role of visual storytelling in music, the happy accidents that become fan-favorite moments, and why getting audiences up and dancing is always the goal. Plus, hear hilarious stories from the road, behind-the-scenes insights into their band dynamic, and why they believe the best music happens when you embrace the unexpected.
If you love garage rock, surf-inspired sounds, soulful melodies, and bands that know how to turn every show into a stop-and-shake dance party, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
Follow The Lonely Teardrops for upcoming shows, new music, and more unforgettable dance parties.
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Thank you for listening to The Hook with Johni & Jess.
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The Hook with Johni & Jess — where passion begins with a moment.
All right, here we go. Yes, the lonely teardrops are here. Welcome. Thank you. All right, we're gonna kind of nerd out a little bit on the name before we go anywhere else. So wondering if the name has anything to do with the old Jackie Wilson song.
SPEAKER_08The lonely teardrops definitely has a lot of meaning. Okay, so when I first started The Lonely Teardrops, I was breaking up with somebody obviously for 10 years, you know. And so I started off with the like kind of like a slow country vibe. The lonely teardrops really fit that vibe. There's also from the New York dolls, Sylvain Sylvain used to play in a band called The Teardrops. And then, of course, the Jackie Wilson song, you know, lonely teardrops. I love that.
SPEAKER_07So it all kind of tied together. Yeah. Yeah. And you have little sparkly teardrops. So cute. So cute.
SPEAKER_06Especially with our little kitty cat ears. Like this whole scene, we got to get a picture. You have kitty cat ears. I do, but I don't have sparkly. I'm so jealous.
SPEAKER_08You can have mine.
SPEAKER_06That was so good. All right. So your sound pulls from like mod garage, surf, soul, and even country, which you mentioned. Somehow it still feels kind of cohesive instead of all over the place. Were those influences intentional from the beginning, or did the sound just naturally evolve from everyone's tastes colliding?
SPEAKER_08I definitely think it was natural. When I was growing up, my my mom used to sing with her f her sister's girl group stuff, like the Shangri-Las and stuff like that. So I did like a deep dive into like garage girls from that era. That really struck a note with me and punk rock music. So yeah.
SPEAKER_07So well, I have the best compliment in the world for you guys. Oh. I have a 15-year-old. And you know how mean 15-year-olds can be. Yeah. So nothing I do is cool. Nothing. You guys are here. This is cool. She doesn't give a shit. So every time we have an artist, I play the music for her. I know at some point it will mean something, but she still doesn't give a shit. So I played some songs from you guys the other day, last weekend we were driving to Carrytown, and she goes, Go back to that song. She goes, Will you send that to me so I can add it to my playlist? Oh my God. I swear to God. Wow. Like with the approval of a 15-year-old. I'm telling you, it was it was a lot. It was more than you could ever know. Thank you. What's her name? Uh Tegan. Tegan, thank you. She's a sweetheart. She's a little artist. Okay. She's an artist. She's starting to like me a little bit. She is. A little bit. So I want to hear an answer from all of you on this. For people hearing you, perhaps for the first time tonight. How would each of you describe the band's sound?
SPEAKER_08Well, I would definitely say Maud Garage with a little surf and soul and a big country heart. Wow.
SPEAKER_06That's yeah. Well, does anyone want to try and top that? What did you leave out? That's killing.
SPEAKER_07He's gonna know. Go in there.
SPEAKER_03Red hot sizzle.
SPEAKER_07Nice. With some red hot sizzle and a little drizzle.
SPEAKER_03We'll got that fixed.
SPEAKER_07It's good because you're bringing it to Europe tomorrow.
SPEAKER_11He did a little drizzle.
SPEAKER_07He did. He just drizzled. I dropped my whole entire glass of wine. So you're good.
SPEAKER_01I like to describe us as punk rock and roll. 60s garage flavor and a splash of surf.
SPEAKER_07And by the way, that is a real accent. Yes. Johnny clarified that earlier. It is not part of his band persona.
SPEAKER_11We are.
SPEAKER_03Simon's from Kentucky.
SPEAKER_06It's just a real strong draw. Oh my God.
SPEAKER_04I'm going to say the same thing Simon says, except not the accent. But I need to answer it. I've known Caden for almost 30 years. Yes. And I've known her when she was in punk rock bands. And I, you know, this is way back in Norfolk when we'd hang out and knew that whole scene. So I know all these characters. Everybody, everybody in the band tells stories because you know all these people. But having hearing the sound over all these years, it's like it's come to a point which I think is really what the sound she wanted to get for all these years, as far as a tighter, like a louder band. Because she records a lot, but I'm like, I think this is a good band to sort of get across what you're trying to do. So it's pretty good. It's nice to be playing with you.
SPEAKER_08I love you. Well, I've been begging you to play sacks with us forever.
unknownWell, you know how it is.
SPEAKER_03Have you not played with Kitty before?
SPEAKER_08I mean, we've played, like, you know, fiddled around. We've never played. A lot, actually. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So do you guys know each other? No.
SPEAKER_03Not only do we not know each other, we don't like each other.
SPEAKER_11I just walked in his room and people are.
SPEAKER_07Oh my gosh. Well, you guys did a sound check earlier and it was still. I mean, it just an immediate, like, I want to play in this. It made me kind of feel, I don't, this doesn't really fit anything you guys said, but it gave me a little bit of a I maybe it was you, but the a little New Orleans, like, I don't know. Yeah. It really gave me that sense of like I'm on the street in New Orleans and I want to just dance and get one of those crazy hurricanes and a big straw.
SPEAKER_06You all have been doing this since 2005, which honestly is impressive, definitely, because keeping any band together creatively that long is kind of a miracle. But what do you think has actually kept this thing alive for all these years?
SPEAKER_08Me. Hammering it like come play sacks.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_08Well, the band's been through a bunch of you know changes since 2005 for sure. But you have still been I mean, rocking it. But that, yeah. I think if you pick a name, you could stick with it, you know. Like, you know, like because I mean, especially like if it builds something into something, then you don't want to go change in your name for this. Why why make people work so hard? Just keep with the lonely teardrops, even though it's gone through stages of like it may not sound like the lonely teardrops right now, but maybe it will in the future.
SPEAKER_04Well, I think Katie's voice is a lot to the sound, you know. I think her that's a consistency that is attractive where the where the band is the band. And the songwriting. The songwriting. Exactly, the songwriting. And so I think that's that's one of the main things that just trying to transcend all these years and whatever the band might be, or whatever Katie's thoughts. I mean, everything, everybody changes, and so I think it's as far as I'm concerned. That's just a huge that's a huge part of all these groups you think about in Richmond or wherever else. Like, I know what Katie sounds like and be.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, that's nice. Brian. So, how did this collection of people come to be?
SPEAKER_08Okay. Well, that I love that you asked that because this is kind of my favorite. Oh, that's great. These are my favorite people ever. This is my favorite marriage. Yeah. So I guess being in a band is exactly like being in a marriage, yeah. Sort of, but yeah. Uh without the sex, but you know. Hey, we got all that.
SPEAKER_06It said all the Leo that says, oh man, it's off the table. That was him who said something.
SPEAKER_05I didn't say it was off the table. You didn't say who I didn't say it was off the table.
SPEAKER_01Over the table. Over the table. I know.
SPEAKER_08Oh my goodness. But I should probably like start with like, okay, I had like a girl drummer, her name was Kim, and Nate, who played bass when we first started. Oh, it's a person. Yeah, okay. Yeah. Oh, at Carrie Street. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Blee and and Dave. And then I got involved with this guy, Crash LaResh, who played with Dexter Rom Weber, and he was a great drummer, played standing up, and we started dating and played for a good four or five years together, and we toured a lot. We broke up and then it's a blur. Oh, I had some people from Norfolk, Kenny and Jamie and Dickie. Yeah. And then COVID hit, and everything, you know, came to a stop, really. And so I moved out to the mountains, and then I was like, I want to move back to Richmond because I was in the mountains going crazy. I was playing music a lot and actually recorded an album and everything while I was there. I wanted to get the band back together. But I was like not living in Richmond. So I think I put what where did I put that? Craigslist or Facebook? Facebook, yeah. Hey, who wants to join the Lonely Teardrops? You know? And Simon goes, I love this. This is perfect. Oh, we had Jamie playing drums. That's right. Jamie Lay. Yeah. And oh, and I knew Jamie from playing in a previous band. I don't know if I can say it, the strap-ons. Yeah. Oh yeah. No, this isn't Jamie here. That's my old punk band. Okay. Strap-on.
SPEAKER_01Strap on a guitar.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, strap on my boots. I know. I love it. So we can say chicks with dicks.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, no, yeah, you can say chicks with dicks. It's okay. Okay. That's the next one.
SPEAKER_01I hate when I run into that. I mean, that's not my thing. I saw an advert, Katie, was looking for a bass player, and they had a gig. And I was like, man, I love your stuff. I really want to play with you. I think I can handle it, no problem. Except on Friday I'm gonna buffalo for a couple of weeks. And so we had a practice, and I recorded it and took a lot of notes. And then I went away with my recording and a bass guitar, and I was up in upstate New York just like practicing by myself, working it out what I should be playing. And then I came back and came back and killed it. I had one practice and then it's all like boom. Uh so yeah, you know, white knuckling a little bit, like what can you get you for the changes, and uh and it was and it was super fun. Uh current lineup is the most fun. Yeah. I don't know, there's a vibe in the band. I think there's more potentially more humor in the band now. I love it.
SPEAKER_06When I was watching you guys play, I was watching each one of you as a character in this band, and it really is great gel. It's massive. Yeah, we can't wait for everyone to hear the music. But can we introduce, because we do have four people plus us in the studio.
SPEAKER_07We've already done it in the intro, just so you know.
SPEAKER_06Oh.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. Okay. Because I want to make sure so everybody knows who's who. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, so that's but we can do it again. We wouldn't. That's why remember how I normally say that, like it's gonna seem premature. We're gonna cut that all out. But it's gonna seem premature because we've already Okay, yeah, yeah. Very good. So what was the movie with all the drummers that just kept being replaced? Spinal tap.
SPEAKER_06Yes, that's what you guys are like Spinal Tap. Okay. I haven't seen that in so you need to stick. You need to stick.
SPEAKER_03At a certain point, I'll I will explain. I expect it.
SPEAKER_07So, what how did you come to be in the band? Not in life.
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_07Well, I mean that too. Well, when a man loves a woman. Hold on the tender.
SPEAKER_03When uh you know, when a man loves a woman, they lay together and they waggle around and then eventually the drummer has to be. I'm not sure how to treat this one because uh you know, I I will say that I saw Katie playing around town. I always love Katie's energy and her music. I like to play rock and roll. I'm in several bands, but this one is supercharged. Yeah, I have to put extra octane into it. And so that's uh awesome. What were you doing?
SPEAKER_05Putting your foot in your mouth.
SPEAKER_03Wait, I thought that sounded great.
SPEAKER_05I think it sounded great. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Ricky was pleasant.
SPEAKER_03Oh, because I dissed my other no, I'm not sure. Save us Simon, save a Simon. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Ricky was at a gig of ours, and it was the last gig of our drummer.
SPEAKER_08Previous drummer, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01We're like, well, that's his last gig. Ricky was there, we got chatting, and we're like, hey, I know you're really busy with all of your other bands, but Ricky came up to me and was like I'm playing your next show.
SPEAKER_03Nice. Okay, so I didn't want to tell that story. Well, yeah, but no need to be. But I but but what I did is I flew in off a cloud and I said, I'm gonna save your band.
SPEAKER_05It was an angel. Because I'm amazing.
SPEAKER_03Um, I knew that I could help out, and I and I and I could I could see that the potential of what a tight rhythm section and and and band could be. Uh and he did.
SPEAKER_06Lovely. Yeah. Well, I liked watching you play the drums because and when you started singing, it was just so good. Oh yeah. That was fun. I know I brought it up again.
SPEAKER_07Drumming and singing. He was? Right? Yeah. I mean, uh for the I knew somebody else was a singer.
SPEAKER_03Kind of drumming and yelling.
SPEAKER_04Besides, I can't play sacrificing at the same time, so I gotta sacrifice for the same.
SPEAKER_06I'd like to see that happen though.
SPEAKER_04He does. But he does.
SPEAKER_08Okay, yeah. You do cowball.
SPEAKER_07Rob Lowe could do it. I guarantee you that. Remember? Rob Low. Rob Lowe.
SPEAKER_01Although on a cramped stage, you've shared the mic with me a couple of times. It's all for look on. It looks great. It does look great, I think it's good. We're like Mick and Keith, you know.
SPEAKER_04That's a shot. Katie called me about a year and a half ago and said, There's a song I want you to play on. And like, I can't do it. It came down to me not being able to play the song. So that went. So a year later, she goes, Oh, there's a song that I want you to play on. I'm like, here's the song, here's the song. I'm like, okay. I learned it. Gotta have a rehearsal on a Sunday. Oh, there's another song, too. Oh. So that night we went through 14 songs. I just made it all up and win it, as we do as a musician. And then we had a Wednesday practice, and then Friday was the gig. Sorry, Simon. I had two. You only had one, so but I think it it's it's always fun to be able to get musicians because you can really you know how to play and go in and out of what people they've already been playing for a while. I'm just there to sort of like color it and sort of fill it up a little bit. I love playing with them also. It's a great opportunity. And these guys are fantastic.
SPEAKER_08Wow. I love how you said color it. I know I love that. That's really good.
SPEAKER_07It's a second book. So were you enticing him knowing you wanted him full time? Sure.
SPEAKER_08I've been wanting him for years. Yeah. Sure. Of course. It's all manipulation. But they all do. No. But he was actually, I did say, you, you know, there are about three songs that you could play. And thinking that he would only play those three songs, but he started playing along to all of them. And then I was like, well, I think he likes this, you know. So else am I gonna do? Yeah. So I will say, I I had just joined.
SPEAKER_03I had just joined the band. And uh how long was I in before Frank came in? A month, maybe. Yeah, not long. And no, I was brand new, and and and I walked in the door and kind of looked you look familiar a little bit, but I wasn't sure. And I've learned I've learned to to not to ask someone like or introduce myself to someone I'm not sure about because I might have met them before. So I was just like, hey man. And he just gave me this stone cold looks like, hey, but hey. And I was like, all right, well, there we are.
SPEAKER_05But uh and here we are.
SPEAKER_03Uh to to uh basically reiterate or go over what we we've already said, it the energy, the energy of of uh of the four of us uh is is really good.
SPEAKER_08The funny thing is, is those two uh Simon and Ricky, they didn't even really know that I was bringing a sax player.
SPEAKER_04No stopping.
SPEAKER_08I know, I'm sorry. Table no one knows I played.
SPEAKER_05No one knows I play sax player. Well, they didn't know that you were coming.
SPEAKER_08I was like, oh yeah, by the way. Yeah. I know that's why we had to bring you out of your show, you know. Okay, yeah, I do that. I was like, Brian's gotta play some sacks. Yeah, but I really didn't tell them really that I was like, oh yeah, by the way, I had Brian come over, he's gonna play some sacks. I know.
SPEAKER_03So just sit in for a couple songs.
SPEAKER_08I know. And when was that? 1970, like forever ago. We've been through a lot since then, actually. We've been on the road a couple times and yeah. Five gigs. Which that was so fun. Like we just played Baltimore a cut twice, you know, and we all drove together, which was super fun as a band. I haven't done that in a long time. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04No, but back to Ricky. I mean, Ricky, we knew each other when we met we first met. And so, you know, having played a lot of bands, you know a lot of people. And so it's kind of fun to navigate through singing and playing and playing gigs. It's like, you know, it's like your friends. You play with probably half the people you see.
SPEAKER_03Well, I saw you when I saw you walking up to to Rob and Mary's party the other day, I was like, Oh, yeah, you know, you know.
SPEAKER_08And then they start texting me, and I'm like, are you guys together right now?
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_06So it's good. That's how you know it works. Yeah. You know? Each one of you guys have very strong personalities. You're all funny, and you all play off of each other, but is there something that each of you bring to the table?
SPEAKER_08I don't know.
SPEAKER_03I I bring the essence of the eel.
SPEAKER_08I bring, I bring interplanetary from planet Zork. That's good.
SPEAKER_07I like being sexy. Brings the spark.
SPEAKER_01We I'm um Brian and myself, I feel like we're quite similar in that we are kind of like very uh practical and we can and we can kind of fix everything. So like on the blog.
SPEAKER_08So me and Ricky mess everything up.
SPEAKER_01So like one of the yeah, one of the things that I feel like I I'm helping the band with is the like a little bit of technology here and there and making sure all the instruments work and you know stuff like that.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, it's huge. Because Simon does instrument work.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I repair instruments for a living. Yeah. You what?
SPEAKER_04I repair instruments for electronics. Right on something musical. Yeah, he's my go-to. My job. I'm like the side guy. I'm like the you know, you're the sexy side guy. I know how to get around Katie. So Katie's doing what she does. And I'm there as a texture. Yeah. You know, but I'm not sleeping on her heels. I'm going in and out of what Simon plays underneath or on top of what Ricky plays. And so I think it all we're all we know how to make it so no one's getting crammed up. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. But mostly you have the most favorable touring car.
SPEAKER_04Big vans. It's the way it's been for 30 years, man.
SPEAKER_07Is that the ladders out there in the parking lot? Like the problem.
SPEAKER_05That's the least favorable.
SPEAKER_06I know he came up to the doors and I was letting him in. And I thought he was a guy working in the place.
SPEAKER_07Like, there's a contractor at the front door.
SPEAKER_03Not a contractor, just a genius.
SPEAKER_06He's got cans coming out and they're rolling underneath the van when he's pulling his instruments out. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_08Fast food rolling again. Okay, but I did want to say that Brian actually is so good at playing off the vocals. That's one thing that I've noticed with him is like I'll sing something. Not only does he play with the bass and the drums really well and the rhythm, he also and the guitar. Because Brian is multi-instrumental too, you know, and so is Ricky and Simon too. You know, he knows how to like when the vocals drop out, he picks up uh sort of like a Billy Holiday-ish. I mean, that's not a great example, but you know, she did learn from singing from horns, you know, that's why her vocals are so hornish, you know. Her vocals are horny. You know, that's a whole new term that just got developed right here. But it's true, he does. I've noticed that where he comes and picks up with the vocals.
SPEAKER_06Well, what other instruments do you play?
SPEAKER_04When I knew Katie and Norfolk, I played bass for a while. And so I mean, I played music for a long time.
SPEAKER_08Bass, piano, guitar.
SPEAKER_04I was a bass major for a while, so yeah, I mean, you know, but I had to go to wait for a long time. And I didn't play fax until about a year ago when we played at a band in Norfolk. Got paid some good money to get back together, so we can't do a course. And then so it's been a pleasure to play it with Katie and these guys because I hadn't played Fax in a Very a band that was very fluid. The band that was in North, it was a good band, and we did a certain thing. We did well, but it's nice to have this energy in this band. So I'm really glad where I am right now, which is fantastic.
SPEAKER_06Very cool.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_07You remind me a little bit of when we did have the interview with Stanley Jordan, who's a genius, and he was talking about he was talking about with the guitar following the flow in a way that you sort of just described what you do, but he's doing it in surgeries where he's actually following the flow of the surgeons and the whole medical team while they're in the middle of a surgery. He's doing massages where he's in there following the the physical therapist doing the massage and all of that. But it sounds like you're doing the same thing where you're able to kind of sit back. He did a movie where he was following the flow of the actor's dialogue. Like it's just interesting hearing you describe it because it sounds very similar to what he does.
SPEAKER_08But with Katie. Always always about I mean, all art and design and music, every everything is about following the flow of it, I think. You know, it's like, what are what are you gonna do next? What is your next step? You know? Well, if it should naturally flow into the next step, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Well, you can hear it when you guys play, that's for sure. You can hear all of it. So, okay, Simon, I have a question for you. So bass players are said to kind of be the secret glue of any band. Do you see yourself that way? Everybody's nodding, by the way.
SPEAKER_01Everybody's nodding, but actually I don't.
SPEAKER_07Except for Simon.
SPEAKER_08You're just kind of the tacky tape? Or what?
SPEAKER_01I'm usually the one that's dancing around.
SPEAKER_06I always feel like bassists have the most personality. They really do. A lot of bassists have a lot of personality because they're based on the level of hype men.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. I yeah, I'm definitely feel like I do a fair amount of like hyping of the band.
SPEAKER_03And you also like on a fun a fun onesie everyone's.
SPEAKER_01I think if given the opportunity to put on a costume, I will be in a costume. Oh boy, the Leo pops out. I've already planned like three different outfits for Halloween. Oh my goodness. I know. I love it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07That 15-year-old I told you guys about is also a Leo, and also probably planning her Halloween costume already. We should be friends. Yeah, you should be here. We should be. She'd love it.
SPEAKER_06And the whole accent with the Simon name is so cute. I can't even stand it. It's killing me.
SPEAKER_03Every time she goes Simon and then you talk, I'm like Yeah, he's from that small town in Kentucky that that sounds a lot like uh the UK.
SPEAKER_06Well, what part of the UK are you from, by the way?
SPEAKER_01I was born in London. Okay. I left there in about 2009. Um traveled the world living on beaches for a while, working as a scuba instructor and an underwater photographer.
SPEAKER_07That's a lie.
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_05I was gonna say it's overall.
SPEAKER_06I wouldn't have guessed that.
SPEAKER_05Oh cool.
SPEAKER_07I have a lot of stories. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_07We might need to interview you just a whole nother time about all of that. Sure. Like, wow.
SPEAKER_08We all have pretty colorful histories, so I mean, my family was, you know, I grew up out of the country for a long time. I lived in Manila in the Philippines. I lived in Nairobi, Kenya, and I lived in Alice Springs, Australia. Wow. And then moved to the US, you know. So, and then how many God knows how many countries you've lived in, and Brian as well.
SPEAKER_04I'm going to place facts in Hawaii.
SPEAKER_08Lived in Thailand for a while. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So do you guys think having exposure to so many different geographies and cultures has helped your sound develop? I mean, oh yeah.
SPEAKER_08I I think that it I for for me in particular. I mean, not that like I like cultural appropriating any of those sounds, but but but definitely, you know, like I think that just knowing the world helps you open up to different sounds. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_03As well as a it's indeluable. It's an indelible uh story.
SPEAKER_08Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I learned I learned that Hawaii was Wolfman Jack, and I learned jazz in high school, and then I then I was punk rock. And how all that came into my sax plan. And then it's like, I'm gonna play that kind of band, and how's it sax written that? And that's like a crazy way to think about it. But uh it worked and I I'm happy doing it that way.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04A lot of fun as far as my journey.
SPEAKER_03I moved to Los Angeles for a decade. And again, I'll just overuse invaluable, but I would consider that a multicultural place. And in a lot in a large city, I'm forever grateful for having been able to do that.
SPEAKER_07Big music scene too, yeah. And you're going to Europe tomorrow.
SPEAKER_03And so we're gonna get another dose of the world.
SPEAKER_01Right. Ricky, uh I'm not sure if the world is ready for another dose of Ricky. But Ricky has also worked as a sound guy for touring bands. Like he's very well traveled. Yeah, roadie, really. Okay.
SPEAKER_08No.
SPEAKER_03I mean sorry, test. Roadie's uh the modern the modern term is tech. I wish I had done sound for big for big bands, but it's just a lackey. Parliament. Yeah. Funkadelic.
SPEAKER_06Parliament? Yeah. No, that's a one-off.
SPEAKER_03I was a one-off, you know.
SPEAKER_06It was the same. Yeah, that's that's killing.
SPEAKER_02Love that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I did monitors for two separate days in DC for Parliament Funkadelic. And uh shows what for like, I don't know, three, four hours. There were five guys. I was a monitor engineer. Five guys who can't hear that good, crossing their mics up, and and um, I don't know any of them, but I I've got a I've got a label on my monitor console that says peanut. And I'm like, I think that's that guy.
SPEAKER_07God, I was obsessed with them. When was that? I mean, I couldn't stop listening to them. It's like a two-year chime.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that was sometime in the 90s, and it was the Capitol Ballroom.
SPEAKER_07And uh I loved Capitol Ballroom.
SPEAKER_03Bootsy Collins was the thing. And he had a U-Haul truck just for his bass rig. And and so he had this crazy bass rig, and he would come out. You know, I guess they played four hours plus. He would come out like at the top of every hour and play for 15 minutes and then split. And so I don't know what was going on.
SPEAKER_07No, I'm gonna tell y'all, in my 20s, we would go to Capitol Ballroom. We would I grew up in DC. Yeah. Yeah. I'm from California, but I grew up in DC. And so we would take like whatever cabs, I guess. It was pre-Uber. We would go down there, we'd all be dressed up, but it would be a 20-minute adventure. We'd go down there, we'd all split up, walk around, then we'd meet at the front door to go back to the cab, and everybody would have collected their own ecstasy. And then we would go back to the place where we would all take it. Capital City Ballroom was where I mean, all you had to do was kind of just dance up to somebody and boom, you had a tablet.
SPEAKER_03Are we talking about like like let's see, 1995-ish or yeah. That was happening in Richmond too. I I spent every weekend for two years going out of my mind on the good stuff. And it was a great two years.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, it was so great. Princess Diana died during that window. I remember that. Yeah. Because I woke up to one after one of those nights to that news. That's why I remember that.
SPEAKER_03I did a lot of sound gigs for sound companies and DC. I felt like DC had this like the people that worked in the bars in the door, people were all just like thinking they were super tough guys. No, I was always like DC.
SPEAKER_07DC Fluffy.
SPEAKER_03DC meh.
SPEAKER_07We just released a podcast with Fluffy and an artist named Mary, but Fluffy was legendary 930 club front door for 25 years. Everybody knows Fluffy. He's a roadie. He roadies for Tim Reynolds. Sweetest thing in the whole world. All right.
SPEAKER_03Well, I probably read across him at some point.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, oh, I'm sure. He's hard to miss. All right, we gotta jump back to Simon. Did Princess Diana trigger a question or was it separate?
SPEAKER_01It was it was not really a question. It was just I used to share a house with my sister, and she went on a work trip to Jamaica, and when she came back, her goldfish was dead. And also Princess Diana.
SPEAKER_05Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_01He was like, what the fuck have you been doing? Killing the monarchy and my goldfish.
SPEAKER_07So you have a moment too. It's like the people, I guess, one generation above all of us with their Kennedy moment. Like, where was I when Kennedy got like it's Princess Diana and Michael Jackson and Prince for me. Okay. All right.
SPEAKER_06So we're gonna go first. And the towers.
SPEAKER_01I was running eleven. Yeah, a thing at Glastonbury Festival when Michael Jackson died, and like by three o'clock in the afternoon, people were like, I was at Glastonbury Festival, but Michael Jackson died. He was the best comploating around.
SPEAKER_05I'm like, bro, that was quick screen ready. They were on it, yeah. They were ready for that screen. Why aren't we that quick with our t-shirts?
SPEAKER_06Okay, gonna go back to you, Simon. What's harder? Locking into the rhythm or balancing the vocals? I want to know what you are thinking.
SPEAKER_01Balancing the vocals, I ride all over the vocal. It's all about me, you know, this time. It's interesting. So, you know, Ricky's new to the band, newish to the band, and I feel like we gel really well. I played with bands where I'm like, the drummer feels time differently from the way that I feel time. And it's really interesting.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, that sounds problematic. I had a basic.
SPEAKER_01And I haven't stuck with those bands. Okay.
SPEAKER_05I was like, has that ever been with our own?
SPEAKER_01I've had some I've had some wild and interesting. Wild and interesting and some other bands, Russian classically trained pianists who used wild timed signatures. I'm a I'm like a 4-4. So I'm I'm in my early 50s and I grew up with my parents' record collection, which was a lot of, you know, basically it started with the Beatles.
SPEAKER_06No kidding.
SPEAKER_01When I was, I don't know, pretty tender age, I was about 13, 14, and I remember my father, I was record shopping with my father, and he bought a double CD of like it was supposed to be 50s rock and roll, but actually there was like James Brown on there and Twin's Flames and and all of that stuff. And it was really, really interesting. I feel like it spoke to me in a way which a lot of music that was out at the time didn't. And that was like deep diving into my parents' collection and all that stuff. How I feel about music. Um music to me is a kind of life in the I'm feeling sad. I don't want to feel sad, I put on a happy record. You know, it's just like it's it's instrumental to how I feel emotionally.
SPEAKER_08If you want to feel sad, put on something sad.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_06I can feel you on that. Like I'm I'm totally it depends how I'm feeling that I'll go to Alexa when I'm in the kitchen, which is my favorite place to be.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. I have a special relationship with Alexa. I have one in my workshop, and I'm like, good morning, Alexa. Playing music. Good morning, Simon. I've got a mix for you. And she play is like rock and roll and Motown and Soul, and it's just like it's just a good thing.
SPEAKER_03But do you ever have to curse at Alexa?
SPEAKER_08I do.
SPEAKER_03Because I curse at uh what's the what's the other one? Siri. Siri. Siri. Well they won't listen. I'm like, you motherfucker. I said, I don't like the tone of your voice. So you don't have a special relationship.
SPEAKER_06Love hate really.
SPEAKER_03Okay, thank you.
SPEAKER_06So you need to talk nice to her. And then you can have a special relationship.
SPEAKER_03I got that.
SPEAKER_07All right, Ricky. They say that every drummer has a philosophy. And I asked my husband about this earlier. I was like, is that true for you? And either sort of technical or emotional when you play.
SPEAKER_03Can you rephrase it in a different format?
SPEAKER_07Do you have a philosophy w about your drumming that is either on the technical side or the emotional side as far as how you play?
SPEAKER_03Hmm. Wow.
SPEAKER_06Good one, honey.
SPEAKER_03That's so so far over my head, I don't think I can. I will say that that I'm tempo challenged, and as the timekeeper in most bands, uh that's an enduring struggle. So I guess I just try to do my best, think about tempo, have a good time all the time. That was my wrote answer when you said that. Like that was the first thing popped in my head. Have a good time all the time.
SPEAKER_01I think Ricky is an emotional drummer. I do I cry a lot. I see him. Yeah. I weep tears into the floor.
SPEAKER_03I weep I weep, I weep from joy when it's going well. I weep from sadness when when my tempo is all fucked up.
SPEAKER_11Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, I know I see myself on video. I need to know I need to shut my mouth and stop making stupid faces. Is that am I answering your question?
SPEAKER_07It doesn't matter. It doesn't even matter.
SPEAKER_04So I think it's a little bit.
SPEAKER_03And then that's when I'm crying again, weeping. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01There was a lot of hugs.
SPEAKER_03Thank you. Wait, so there's two types of tears. There's there's happy tears and then sad tears.
SPEAKER_09I still do just what I choose. I'm not the promise many nothing but monster.
SPEAKER_04When when Katie asked me to play a couple songs, maybe for her to think, oh, this this texture could add something to a particular one gig or a couple gigs or whatever, and then it worked out to where it was something that I could try to texture on every on every track. It wasn't like, oh, play on five tracks and then all three just kind of sit out. But it was like, okay, it was enough to sort of make it work on all of them. And maybe there are parts that you know, like Simon mentioned, maybe there are parts that could be there that I could fill in. And you know, if it doesn't work, I won't do it. I won't do that. But the whole thing is sort of getting around what Katie's songs are in her singing. And if that helps that message and helps raise up the sound, that's great. You know, I think that's um what I'll do.
SPEAKER_06So I keep hearing, is it normal for a saxophonist to refer to playing with a band as color and texture? Because I'm hearing that a lot and I love it. It's really cool.
SPEAKER_04I mean, you know, I played. Yeah, fact is like if you're playing in a jazz band, you gotta like a first tenor and you gotta leave this and leave that. And so a lot of times you'll have a soloist who plays on certain songs, or that's that highlights what that sounds like a song is about. And I think in a rock and roll and a jazz band, you always got every instrument's a different voice that brings something to it. It might be different, like Simon. He's the bottom, he works at the rhythm section, or it's a soloist, or it's the vocal, which is Katie. And so I think there's enough space on the four piece where that kind of there's room to make it work and know when not to come back respecting what Katie does, or maybe what you know Simon does, or make sure that the rhythm that doesn't some songs come out from the first stuff. And we always come back and let that part shine. And I think yeah, but I think it's acts as a solo instrument for four pieces, definitely.
SPEAKER_08Brian and I have a really, really historic, similar style. He knows a lot of the same music, like very deeply, you know. And so we have like a really like rich knowledge of that music that he in particular, not any saxophone player could come into this band, you know. But him knowing that style is so important. It just flows right in. Yeah, it's really important that he knows that style. Well, you heard well, yeah. You heard it, you won it.
SPEAKER_06And that's why I yeah, you went after him. You knew. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, O'Brien.
SPEAKER_04But uh that was the like um that was a rock and roll kind of blues explosion band. So that was the same kind of thing. It was playing with a bunch of guitars and bass. And garagey. They were garage, too. So uh, you know, so that's that's how I played. I was I'm a jazz guy, but I'm rock and roll, dude.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, he uses rock and roll.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, jumping spider.
SPEAKER_06Jumping spider. Jumping spider.
SPEAKER_11I haven't fired you at some point.
SPEAKER_06We've named him spider today. I like that. We're gonna have to use it. So cute.
SPEAKER_08They're all cute.
SPEAKER_06I know, they're all cute. So cute. I've I've had my own little things about like you and your haircut. It's so cute. And Simon and we really, right? She cuts all their hair. I mean, it's all in one, my hair.
SPEAKER_08And she keeps it in the moon. She keeps it. Simon Simon's got an appointment next week. He said she keeps the hair.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_05It's by my bedside. That's how she keeps y'all in. I'm gonna clone them when they quit. I'm gonna clone them.
SPEAKER_07No, you guys have to stay together forever. Yes, forever. And I do want to dive into this the band dynamics. We've got a bunch of questions. We've been able to see firsthand a lot of how you guys interact, but we have specific questions about this. So, first one is if there is one, who would be the perfectionist in the group?
SPEAKER_06Maybe all fingers pointed to Katie. Is there anyone that totally derails derails the whole rehearsal?
SPEAKER_01I did today.
SPEAKER_03I can take partial. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_08Oh, yeah, probably Ricky is the main yeah, my main call for it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm a big thing.
SPEAKER_08No offense, but maybe now I mean he's the drummer, he's the backbone. If it if he messes up, then we're kind of like all kind of derailed, right? Right. So it's more apparent, I would say, if he does. Then it's a hard job. If even if if I do, you know, it's more apparent if he does. Yeah. I derail all the time, but maybe when he does it, it's just a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's why I prefer to play guitar in bands. The hot seat.
SPEAKER_01When Ricky forgets the beat and Katie forgets the words as well.
SPEAKER_06It's a ruling at the same time. What's the funniest argument you guys have ever had as a band? Somebody knows something here.
SPEAKER_04There's the rule that we all adhere to is you don't wear long pants on stage when you're a guy musician.
SPEAKER_08Well, you don't wear short pants. I'm sorry, short pants.
SPEAKER_07I was about to say what if it's called an ACDC vibe here.
SPEAKER_03We're going against the grain. No long pants. Always no shorts on stage.
SPEAKER_04So there is something. Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_03The great Bob Roop once said men wear pants, boys wear shorts. I've heard that. I live by that creed off.
SPEAKER_08Okay, so no, but we're shorts. Well, basically, like I kind of dictate the color that we and so I'm like, I'm wearing red. So the guys will do a splash of red.
SPEAKER_00Very cool.
SPEAKER_08Or blue, or you know, yeah. And that's all I expect these days is a sp a splash of, you know, and in our advanced age, we have a collection of shirts we can wear because we've been playing around for a while.
SPEAKER_03But there's never been a drug get along too well. Just it's really just a bit hug fest.
SPEAKER_08I mean driving directions, maybe. Yeah, I can say I'm sure there's been some. Simon, what's on your phone? Are we getting there at 22 or 223?
SPEAKER_01What does it matter? I feel like you two have bickered over some things in the back seat, but it's probably, you know, late-night wine and juice. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_11Um, wine and juice. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And then, you know, I have selective hearing and I'm able to tune it out. So the subject of those I'd have no idea.
SPEAKER_08I've never bickered with Ricky. The two berries. Yeah. You know what? That's because you're not going to be able to do that. I don't think Ricky ever thinks that we've have we ever bickered with me.
SPEAKER_03I defer, I defer to you because I'm I'm terrified of you. Whoa.
SPEAKER_11That's great.
SPEAKER_03So I've stopped the I've stopped this one for 57 years. I've learned a thing or two. Oh. I mean 37.
SPEAKER_08Did I say you're 37, you're 37.
SPEAKER_03It's all that long pants one of the seven, right?
SPEAKER_07All right, let's talk about the songwriting. Because I think you've kind of eluded, but how does that go down?
SPEAKER_03I write most of the songs. And I do most of the music.
SPEAKER_00He's such the pot stirrer.
SPEAKER_08I can tell.
SPEAKER_01Instigative.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. Songwriting. Where the fuck is this all coming from, Katie? Me.
SPEAKER_07So tell us about that. Tell us about your process. Like we've talked to so many musicians now, and never, I think, have would we have ever thought this until we started this podcast? But everybody universally is saying essentially that that as songwriters, they are just souls that have these antennas that are up receiving.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. I mean it happens in dreams a lot, you know, when you're sleeping. And it just comes to you sometimes. Like I used to keep a notebook by my bed, you know, because I would be writing a song in my dreams, you know, and I'm like, this is the best song in the world. And then, like, of course, when you wake up, you forget. But sometimes you don't. Yeah, that it that does happen.
SPEAKER_07Are you writing lyrics based on things that have happened to you in life or situations you've encountered, or where does it come from when it's conscious?
SPEAKER_08I think that there's sort of like a flow of like subconsciousness, actually. I mean, when I was a little girl, I would write songs, you know, and like I didn't know what I was doing at all. But but now be doing it sort of consciously, you don't necessarily set out to write something. Something just kind of hits you, and you have that inspiration to do something and write it down, you know, immediately before it goes. And then of course it's accompanied by music. Sometimes it's music that you are like singing in your head, a little melody that you're singing in your head, and then you're like, Oh, well, let me put some words to this, you know, or just even subconsciously just kind of singing with the flow, and then the words just kind of come to you. Yeah. That soda is kind of like an antenna. An antenna. Yeah. It is. It is a little bit more like it is, but then there's a conscious effort to writing well, I think. It's like, how are these words going to flow together? How are these, you know, how is it gonna sound poetic? And how is it going to come across? And where am I gonna enunciate? Where am I gonna accent? And what message is gonna come through? And how are people gonna feel about it? All of that's at play. And it's just all a big jumble in your mind about like it you just do it intuitively, you don't consciously like I'm going to do this, you know. I'm going to write. Right. Yeah. It's just like never have I like sat down and be like, I'm gonna write a song. No, it's like, oh, I have an idea, you know. So you do have the antenna. Yeah, yeah. Because that doesn't happen to me. That does not happen to me either.
SPEAKER_06I don't have the antennas.
SPEAKER_08I got ear at the end of the day.
SPEAKER_03Sometimes they come quick and sometimes they take work.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, I know. Some songs were just like flow right out of you, and then sometimes, yeah. It's like, yeah, years later, you're like, wait, what about those words that I wrote? I've got books and stacks of papers of old lyrics and songs that haven't been written. But hey, I can always tap into those. And parts of that might fit with what I'm thinking right now, which is beautiful because we were talking about the evolution of of just your life and how things that happened to you when you were younger or things that are going on in you when you were younger might actually pertain to what's happening right now. Let's go back and look at that and see how it pertains to right now, you know. And yeah, a lot of times it works very well because you are the same person.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, there's an advantage to years on this in writing.
SPEAKER_08And you bring a new perspective to it after so many years. Yeah. Does anybody else write any of the songs?
SPEAKER_03Well, no. Not really in a balance.
SPEAKER_05I'm like, well, they all live each other. I encourage, not really.
SPEAKER_03I encourage you new. Maybe Simon has.
SPEAKER_08They all write their parts. Let's not say that they don't, you know, write because they all write their parents. I never dictate what they write as far as their parts.
SPEAKER_01But if we get it wrong, she beats us.
SPEAKER_08And cuts them out. Yeah. And then gives them a hug.
SPEAKER_03And makes them dinner.
SPEAKER_08So cut it wrong. They make me out.
SPEAKER_01Ricky and I were just Ricky and I were just talking about songwriting. And I feel like um for me, I don't know.
SPEAKER_08But you were gonna write a song a week, remember?
SPEAKER_01So we have been doing a thing, a Christmas performance where we're not allowed to write use um copyrighted material. So we have been writing Christmas songs.
SPEAKER_08Oh yeah. You did.
SPEAKER_01And so I I threw one of those into the into the pot one year.
SPEAKER_05Santa Claus is coming, is what it I was like, can we change the title?
SPEAKER_03Once again, completely.
SPEAKER_05It went dark immediately. We may want to this is a kid friendly.
SPEAKER_07Wait, hold on, pause. Simon, Simon. Did it really not occur to you until it was pointed out that that was a big thing?
SPEAKER_01Oh no, it's completely intentional.
SPEAKER_07It was just not surprised.
SPEAKER_08But he didn't present it as it was intentional.
SPEAKER_05I was just like, but Santa Claus is coming.
SPEAKER_01How would you spell coming as a good? And that song I sat down with a guitar to write, right, right. And I was like, right, let's write it, let's write it, let's write a Christmas song. So here's some chords, here's some words that fit, boom, boom, boom. Yeah. And then Katie, and then Katie was like, let me, that's kind of good.
SPEAKER_05That's rubbish. I didn't see it was rubbish. No, you did. You were very you're very kind.
SPEAKER_01Fanatic this a bit. You heard rubbish. Yeah.
unknownOf course.
SPEAKER_01And so I feel like if I if I write a song, I can do that with a guitar and a notepad and just like make it under pressure, go make a song.
SPEAKER_11Boom.
SPEAKER_01But I think that the songs that I've written, which I am most proud of, are usually the ones that always come with heartache. And they're usually written while I'm horizontal in bed and right about to fall asleep.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. The dream state. Yeah. That's what the dream state is.
SPEAKER_01You're in that little floaty place and I'm like, boom. And and when I was a little kid, like almost every night in my head.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_04I think music can come that way too, because like uh we have songs where we do, I think you can almost think about being somewhere else. Like we do a song where I'm like, I imagine myself playing this music on the beach at a party from the 50s. And all of a sudden that's what kind of drives the sound I'm gonna play. That's what kind of makes how I'm gonna make this work. There's wicky stuff too. The visuals are always helpful. Thanks for here or but I mean uh that helps too is to think about bringing back memory before AI or whatever you want to think about. You think about these places you want to be where you would play. Kind of a dream thing. And that kind of drives your sound. It comes from an analog sense. Like we're all analog types, and so we're like, hey man, that's how we're gonna do that. And so I think it's a cool way to sort of color the music over lyrics to a song, and that's kind of how you get the push for how it's gonna sound.
SPEAKER_08The imagery of a song is really important. You I think you're describing that a little bit. Is that like I mean, you know, you think of vampire cowboy or something, and you you can really picture this guy who's like coming in your room, but he's kind of a quirky looking, you know, cre character in broken jukebox. So you imagine some somebody who's got a trashy house with a broken jukebox and the sink's too small. I'm a visual person anyway, you know. So I think that imagery in words is really important to tell a story. So you can tell a really good story if you can imagine it and see it.
SPEAKER_06When I took creative writing, that is the one thing I had the best teacher that he said that I wrote with heart. I had to learn to write with visuals. Yeah. Yeah. So that people can see it because they can't feel necessarily how you feel. So you need to paint it with a visual to make them feel. That's exactly what you're saying. It is visual.
SPEAKER_04I I'm a visual designer too, and so we see it in a weird way.
SPEAKER_06The way you talk.
SPEAKER_08I think it definitely helps being a visual person to pull that into music. I think that really I think it elevates the music a lot instead of like whining, wham wham, about my heart, you know, or whatever.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_08No, not yeah. But you know what I mean. Like, you know, whiner. I wasn't it's I was I mean, try a metaphor or metaphyd.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, or simile.
SPEAKER_06Okay. I'm gonna pull it together here. I want to shift into your live shows because that seems to be a huge part of the identity of this band. What song best represents the lonely teardrops live right now?
SPEAKER_04Oh not Bumblebee.
SPEAKER_08I love Bumblebee.
SPEAKER_04It's becoming its own.
SPEAKER_08It is. It is so good. It's so good.
SPEAKER_04That's crazy.
SPEAKER_08We play a variety of originals and covers, but we play such obscure covers that people don't realize that they're actually covers. They think there actually are songs. Some people in the know will definitely know that they're covers and they enjoy it. What song do you guys think? Bumblebee is so fun. So Bumblebee is so fun.
SPEAKER_01Bumblebee is a new one, which we have. Slaverne Baker. Which we have started doing. And the first time we played it out, we we hit upon a formula that we couldn't have imagined for our shop. Essentially, we messed up. Yeah. But we messed up in the most beautiful way. Katie had a blank for the words. And we all just like cut out, just like that. And Katie was lost in thought.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, and I forgot.
SPEAKER_01Because the song is called Bumblebee. I was like, And it was like, and it was like, you could have counted one, two, three, four, one, one, two, three. And then Katie was like, I've got it. And the way that the song The timing was the way that the timing works, it starts off with a lyric, and then we all come in. And so Katie was lost in thought. I was being a bee into the microphone. And there, and then she's like, whatever the lyric is. And then we all pick up.
SPEAKER_08That's how I sing. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01And it was it was a beautiful moment. We've now incorporated that into the song. We have a pause in the song. So we we we like to like entertain and bring in a little bit of comedy.
SPEAKER_08And then you just, you know, say, hey, you know what's going on? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And and lost in thought is a it's a really nice way of saying couldn't remember the words. But but that provided us this pregnant pause. Now is intentional. Yeah. And and so we're encouraging to like call out somebody she sees in the audience or or say something live, you know, like, hey, you with the stupid haircut, or whatever.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Well, my strategy is Katie's body language. If she steps away from the microphone, that means you stop singing. Something's gonna stop real soon. I look at her body language, I'm like, I think I'm gonna stop from there. So don't play again. So I if I can see her. Obviously, if on stage, it's a different dynamic. You know, you're not a little tight in room. It's like she's on stage the other part of the front. I gotta look at her and see what she's gonna do before we learn the song all the way.
SPEAKER_03I too rely on her body language to keep my my uh cell phone tempo right now.
SPEAKER_08We we all have a lot of body language on stage, I would say.
SPEAKER_06I was gonna say, does that bleed into your personal life? I mean I keep hearing how each one of you watch her or you watch him or you watch her. Does that bleed into your personal life?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Simon's watching me too much, you know.
SPEAKER_08Yes, I've been driving past their houses every night.
SPEAKER_03It's kind of weird.
SPEAKER_11I I introduced Casey as my buck and roll wife.
SPEAKER_07Love it. Simon, that you're so tuned in that you were able to improvise in that moment. Yeah, I mean, that's that's beautiful. That's gotta give you so much security.
SPEAKER_08When Brian needs cashews in the backseat, I'm just go like this.
SPEAKER_04Katie is the best cashews. I've only done it and eat it without even thinking about it.
SPEAKER_08He was like, Yes, I did, I did want those.
SPEAKER_03I've only been on two, I think two road shows with you guys, but it's not that many. Katie is the best road mom ever and takes care of us very well.
SPEAKER_08I don't do anything, I just change in the car. Snacks.
SPEAKER_04We all know when Katie's like snacks. Clover, I got a pee. She's gonna get snacked at the same time. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_08And then I share the snacks. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03She does change when she's in the car. I do intolerable.
SPEAKER_08I mean, you know, intolerable.
SPEAKER_04Gotta show up ready to go.
SPEAKER_07Okay. Online, online, over and over and over and over. You guys are described as having stop and shake dance parties. Was that energy always the goal, or did audiences kind of go there?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, that was based on experience, live shows, yeah.
SPEAKER_07It just happened.
SPEAKER_08That term came from actual experience, yeah.
SPEAKER_07How did you feel as an artist when you started to see that happening?
SPEAKER_08Oh, fun as shit, man. It's so much fun when people dance. I love it. That's what the goal is. Yeah, it's always the goal to make people have fun, you know.
SPEAKER_04Well, there's always you always go to a shit and go, All right, everybody, we're not playing until everybody gets it close to the stage. Well, you'd be able to deliver. You need to be able to make sure that you when they get up there, first of all, they come to the show when you say, I want to get you guys up to dance, and they don't know they want to dance, but they do want to dance, and you deliver, that's when the magic starts.
SPEAKER_08We start dancing, so it makes them dance a little bit.
SPEAKER_01You know, you can take a leaf out of James Brown's book and just tell everybody to get up for six minutes.
SPEAKER_06Get up, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01That's true.
SPEAKER_06Have you ever had a total disaster moment on stage that you're okay talking about now?
SPEAKER_08There have been many disasters with me personally.
SPEAKER_01I don't feel like there's been any big disasters with the current lineup.
SPEAKER_07We're a little too soon. I think for total disasters. I like that.
SPEAKER_08Back in the day, I probably wasn't as wise as I am now.
SPEAKER_06That's not that I'm as wise. But it's true.
SPEAKER_03And marinated. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08Marinated. Ready to get on the grill.
SPEAKER_04The longer you play, the more you can wing it. You can see it.
SPEAKER_08Yeah.
SPEAKER_04But you know, you know, if there's a mistake, you can get over it and no one notices it because you know how to cover it up. Because you've done it for so much. I mean, there can be blatant problems, but like no one cares. No one can see it. But if you if you're able to be creative out of that, that's what makes you build a rock rock and roll through the night. Golden rule, don't make a face when you fucking.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Don't apologize. Never apologize. Never apologize. When I used to make mistakes on stage, I would take it personally and it would affect me for the next couple of songs. And now I'm just like, you have to power through. I'm over it. Moment it's happened.
SPEAKER_08A lot of people say, Aren't you gonna trip over those chords and stuff? And I'm like, nah, I got it. Like, you know, there's cords all over carpets and stuff, and go-go boots at play. Oh, yeah. You know, so Katie's gotten really good with the takedown. Nah, I'm good.
SPEAKER_07So you guys have all really collectively been in the music scene, not together necessarily, but in the music scene long enough to see a big evolution over the last, let's say, 20, 25 years. Can you speak to kind of how you've seen things change?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, there's a huge change. When I first started, it was like in the 90s, and there was a lot of different music going on there. But then I kind of dove into the deep end of punk rock. So that's kind of a whole different direction. And then coming out of that, you kind of realize that there's like all this whole other world of music. And now there's just so many good bands out there. There's just so many people making music more than I remember. When we were younger, it was just a handful of really good people, I feel like. Now there's like a lot. I I don't know what it is, technology, or whether it's people have access to social media or whatever to, you know, connect and be really good. But man, I know Richmond alone has just tons of good bands in different genres and different people. It's very diverse, and I love that about it. I love it.
SPEAKER_07That's a really good point. That's not something I've thought of because I'm not directly in it. But just from being a human out in the world in the 90s and in the early 2000s, I really didn't know that many people.
SPEAKER_08Yeah.
SPEAKER_07And now, I mean, you know, you're right.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, there was just a handful of people, and you had to really look for the gig, you know. Like you really had to like find out what's going on, you know. Hey, call somebody up. Hey, what's going on tonight? Now you can find out anywhere, right? So yeah, music has changed a lot.
SPEAKER_03Even though this sounds like a well-worn thing that's been said a million times, but the cyclical nature of music is interesting to me. And then how the kids are coming back around to listening to, you know, you see a 12-year-old with a lead zeppelin shirt on. It's pretty interesting. I don't know what how that affects the scene really, but in a cultural way, that's kind of interesting. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_04When we grew up, you know, it was mostly, you know, that was your social thing, was to go to a bar. And you know, older people say, ah, that's how it was back in the day. And that's what it was. So maybe you didn't sit and practice a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot in your room. Half the practice was on stage because you could get those gigs down the street. So you kind of grew up on stage and you developed your style. And so it's interesting where there is a lot of good music coming out. And you can find it faster on the internet. You can find it faster with any kind of new no social social way to do it. But it was different. That's all you can say. The whole message was still getting your sound out. It's just a different way, you know, I think. And I think younger kids have a lot more ways to access other sounds. And they can incorporate those and they can record something much quicker and faster. But you know, but yeah, getting gigs and getting clubs. It's not as easy as it used to be as far as spaces, but now there's house parties and there's all kinds of spaces just to make sound, just to make noise, you know.
SPEAKER_03There is this there's this product. I I I went out on on my Facebook about it. Well, there's this I keep seeing this commercial and this girl's like All you have to do is go bum bum bum bum bum bum bum and And it's a kick-ass thing. And I'm like, oh that sucks. Terrible. And I'm not trying to be get off my lawn, but that does suck.
SPEAKER_08Well, here's the thing about that is you gotta be bad before you're good. You got to you gotta make those mistakes. You have you have to, just like in anything in life, you've got to like suffer through it. You gotta learn for yourself. Okay. Learn in order for it to stick, you know.
SPEAKER_03Or conversely, if I am playing like if I'm the bad guy on this idea, it's just let people make music in any way they can. That would be the altruistic way. Right.
SPEAKER_08You know, you're not gonna get any unique voices that way. Look at Lou Reed, look at Billy Holiday, look at Jonathan Richmond from Modern Lovers. You wouldn't get those unique voices if you were depending on AI to fix it for you. Right. Yeah. And those voices are beautiful to me because they're human and people, you know.
SPEAKER_01Kids have access to more tools these days to make music. It's much more accessible. And they also have access that's ever been recorded. You know, when we grew up, we were buying records. We were making mix for our friends and that and listening to the radio. And that's how we discovered new music. You know, it's these days, you know, it's so easy to go on YouTube or any other streaming service and go down a rabbit hole, dive on it. Just do a deep dive on whatever you want, and it's all right there.
SPEAKER_04At the same time, though, if you really want to do what you want to do, you gotta stick with it. You gotta go see those people. You gotta play with those people, you gotta make those mistakes like Kate said. You gotta say, I'm gonna try this for a while, I'm gonna work as hard as I can give me a wrong one and see if it's gonna give me a wrong one to be. Especially if it's gonna be a good one. You gotta say flat for a while.
SPEAKER_11I think flat for a while.
SPEAKER_04There it is.
SPEAKER_08I know, I know.
SPEAKER_03Beautiful. I was in the wrong I was in the wrong register. That was good. Oh, there it is.
SPEAKER_05Nailed a helmet.
SPEAKER_08But be long. I still have a bit of money.
SPEAKER_07No, I literally want to be on that show, nailed it with the bad big. We don't have to wear that.
SPEAKER_06I want each one of you to respond to this. What keeps you motivated to keep creating and doing music? Is it the crowd or is it something inside of you?
SPEAKER_04Oh, that's a great question. Holy shit. I mean, uh you always want to do things to please other people in a certain especially if you're an artist, that return is what gives you confidence. It gives you like, oh my god, I can do it, I can do that. I'm gonna do something. And I can do better. It's just I love music. I mean, you know, there's always the oh, you know, rock and roll save my life. But once again, we've all traveled a lot, so you have all kinds of sounds and music. Like I said, jazz and blues and world music, anything else. Those always tap on different moods you have. And then it might be for right now, that mood is rock and roll, and that's RAM right now with that. And I've played jazz, I played blues and then when you have other like people you play with, that just boosts it up in a huge way. And that's just a huge punch right now for me, is to play the music we we're doing and to be able to play it. And 'cause every time you play it, it's different. It's always a challenge. You're in the groove, you're just doing a little bit differently. And every time you do that, it's exciting for you and also for other people you might play for. You know? That's pretty it's pretty cool to be able to do that.
SPEAKER_06That's a great answer.
SPEAKER_04Damn.
SPEAKER_06Simon.
SPEAKER_04I love you guys. I love you guys.
SPEAKER_06I don't know. What are you gonna say, Simon? Who motivates you? It's his accent, which is gonna kill it.
SPEAKER_05It doesn't matter what the great.
SPEAKER_01No, we gotta go after you. Good luck, Ricky. So you you mentioned being Leo's we're people pleasers. I mean, yeah, I I do it for the adoration of the crowd. It feeds my ego. It feeds my ego and it releases all of the wonderful brain chemicals. You know, I I lift the endorphins and serotonin and all the rest of it. It's cheaper than drugs.
SPEAKER_08And we actually get paid to do that.
SPEAKER_04He's a wild man alive then. I try cash.
SPEAKER_08One word answer? Okay. For me, it's fun. And it's about expression and people having fun. And uh like Simon said, getting getting off. Getting off for sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I never realized it at the time, but it's playing loud music is therapy.
SPEAKER_09Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It helps me with everything in life. I don't realize it at the time, but when we've had a couple of breaks, I had a surgery on my hand, like I'm like trumping at the bit just to go. Play loud music that I can feel. You know? It's like going to a concert. You just go even if you know if you're not performing, just being there with a loud music where you can feel your organs vibrating inside your body.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. That's uh like I think everybody that does this is a bit of an attention seeker, but hopefully we give something back for the uh for the energy that we we we suck out of you in the audience.
SPEAKER_07As someone that does not want to be anywhere near a stage doing anything, it is a hundred percent something that you're giving back. So it may be feeding something inside of you, but it's a gift that you're giving. And lead with it. Lead with that, truly. Because you are. You really are. So Ricky got us ready for the speed round with his really quick one answer. Oh speed round.
SPEAKER_08So we're gonna do the speed round. So I mean, tighten up my bridges first.
SPEAKER_07So get ready. First question Who is most likely to disappear at a truck stop and make everybody panic?
SPEAKER_04Blue.
SPEAKER_06Me. Katie. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_05Okay. I know who I'm gonna do. I'm a wanderer. I saw my god. I love that.
SPEAKER_06I'm a wanderer. Okay, who's most likely to accidentally join a cult?
SPEAKER_05Ricky, no, just kidding.
SPEAKER_03Why would you why would you say just kidding? Yes.
SPEAKER_01I feel like it's probably me. But I don't know. You in the middle. I don't get out a lot, this is true.
SPEAKER_08I mean, it could be actually any of us. Really.
SPEAKER_01Who's most gullible? And I received it.
SPEAKER_08Oh no, I almost went directly to Brian as the first one.
SPEAKER_05Yes.
SPEAKER_01The question is, who's got a cult that we can all join?
SPEAKER_05I know. I know. That was the question. Who's going to start a cult? Would be all of us again.
SPEAKER_07No, I haven't actually thought about that for years. I'm starting one. I wouldn't do harm watching all these cult documentaries. I'm like, this is so easy. Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_03If you're the leader, you can have sex with everybody. Yes, I am. Oh, right.
SPEAKER_08And you do like sex.
SPEAKER_07I never knew this about her for the rest. No, we were gonna get shirts made that said want to start a call. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Oh my god, with the podcast.
SPEAKER_07Oh. Okay. Who is most likely to be late for a rehearsal?
SPEAKER_04Me. Ricky. Ricky. But he does give us, he does text us and go, come on, I'm gonna be late. I'm this responsible late guy.
SPEAKER_01It was it's only Ricky because we practice at Katie's house, otherwise it would be Katie. Oh, really? Is that the thing? Oh, I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_05Calling a girl out.
SPEAKER_03Lady Kashmade.
SPEAKER_06Who secretly has the weirdest music taste?
SPEAKER_08Simon.
SPEAKER_01I go fairly psychedelic in a boy and unusual.
SPEAKER_08But I do too. I get pretty weird.
SPEAKER_10It's a tie.
SPEAKER_07Fingers were going in different directions.
SPEAKER_05You don't know.
SPEAKER_01You don't know me.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you would. I would.
SPEAKER_01I went to the dentist yesterday. And I had the dental hygienist was a attempt. Are you not trying to point fingers? No. She told me so much about her life, which she shouldn't have. She lives in between hotels in a car. Oh my god. She's a dental hygienist. She gets a good salary. She obviously had uh face tattoos which were covered with makeup.
SPEAKER_08Oh my god, she's definitely on drugs.
SPEAKER_01No, she used to be. She was she's been on her own since she was eight years old. Still about now style like in the streets or behind a mall. No, no, no, no. No, I get it's like a spa. It's like a beautiful spa. Like they give you aromatherapy, massage cushions, sunglasses. It's like it's like a really nice dentist. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So it's her.
SPEAKER_05Anyway, the quick the short the short answer is is dental hygienic. My dental hygienist.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I I I will I will I have no I have very little filter, especially at two in the morning. So it could be me.
SPEAKER_08All of it. A little of all of us.
SPEAKER_01I think we can all see it and everybody.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. A little of all of us. But probably especially me. We we say all of us.
SPEAKER_07It's a time by the hygienist really. Yeah, the hygienist wins.
SPEAKER_06All right. Well, if the band came with a warning label, what would it say?
SPEAKER_03Woo! Caution.
SPEAKER_04It's hot.
SPEAKER_08Yeah.
SPEAKER_04100%. Get closer, then step back while the band starts rocking at 500 feet damn straight.
SPEAKER_08I like it. May get hit by sparkles.
SPEAKER_00Oh, we love that. Yes, we love our sparkles.
SPEAKER_03Hope you like diseases.
SPEAKER_01May contain the phone.
SPEAKER_09Okay.
SPEAKER_06If you guys went on a nationwide tour, who would be the hardest to live with on the bus? Katie. And you wonder why I pointed at you.
SPEAKER_01Katie asleep the whole time. Are you kidding? The easiest one. I think we'd have a wonderful time. Oh, we had a wonderful time. I really enjoy our road trips. I enjoy our road trips, you know.
SPEAKER_07Katie, this is for you. If you had to describe each of them with one word.
SPEAKER_05One word or animal. Oh my god, I love that.
SPEAKER_06Like the Muppet. Yes, animal.
SPEAKER_08Who's the bass player? Simon, who's the bass player? Because you're you're so like No, it's how I treat other human beings.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Okay, wait, what was Simon?
SPEAKER_01It's just She's just describing us as Muppets. You fucking Muppet.
SPEAKER_08You fucking Muppets.
SPEAKER_01Unaccurate.
SPEAKER_08Oh my god. Sparky. Simon Sparky.
SPEAKER_04You've already had this conversation.
SPEAKER_08Spider.
SPEAKER_05I gotta say spider.
SPEAKER_04This podcast of monster.
SPEAKER_08He's a little sleek and sexy, you know.
SPEAKER_03Why did everybody drop jumping on the spider thing? Like jumping spiders.
SPEAKER_08Because of his hair. Because his hair is like a spirit.
SPEAKER_03I know, but he started saying spider instead of jumping spider.
SPEAKER_08Oh, jumping spider. I think it's a good idea. Because it's like spider.
SPEAKER_06They'll know it's a jumping spider.
SPEAKER_08He looks just like a jumping spider. I like one of you.
SPEAKER_11I like all of it together.
SPEAKER_08Oh my god. And Simon the Spark because he's sparky because he like repairs instruments and he's like getting shocked all the time.
SPEAKER_07It's like, you know, do you guys want to do one word to describe Katie?
SPEAKER_01Katie. Nice. That's safe.
SPEAKER_05That's extremely safe, Ricky.
SPEAKER_01Oh man. Well, it's because of your unique personality, and I was like Course you're kidding.
SPEAKER_03Course you kidding, course you kidding. Look it up. Course you're kidding. Look at it.
SPEAKER_06I have never heard that word in my entire life.
SPEAKER_03Simon's gonna look it up and then Brian will tell say his. And by the time Brian says that's it.
SPEAKER_08And Simon, read it really slow.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. I know.
SPEAKER_11Take your time. Hey, yeah, go.
SPEAKER_04My answer was always Katie Teardrop, because that's how I knew it for like the longest time. And so when it comes up with the sound of what the ban is, it's like, yeah, it's Katie Teardrop.
SPEAKER_07So we got Katie, Katie teardrop.
SPEAKER_01Course you cating. Course you're kidding. Which is to give off or reflect light in a bright in bright beams or flashes or sparkle.
SPEAKER_05No. Someone's keeping it to be Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01To be brilliant or showy in technique or style.
SPEAKER_06Animal. Where did you come from?
SPEAKER_05I called you an animal.
SPEAKER_03But Ricky ate a thesaurus. Sometimes Ricky, no word.
SPEAKER_05You got me so eloquent and beautiful. Coming from an animal. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03See, but the thing is that where did you get that word in the case? It's like an antenna. Usually I just talk about meat and then a hitting on drum things and uh eating things. Food, and then which is meat, you know. And then and then every once in a while, every once in a while, Blue Moon, I'll drop a course you kidding.
SPEAKER_02Blown away. I think this is the most blown away I've ever been on all of the podcasts.
SPEAKER_04Ricky's keeping his job.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. That drummer's not swapping out anything.
SPEAKER_03I looked that word up.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, I felt like he meant I heard a previous podcast.
SPEAKER_03I knew this was coming, so I found a fancy word. Nice, nice.
SPEAKER_07Alright, you guys. We wrap up, and I don't know if you've heard this or not, but it's called the reverse cowgirl.
SPEAKER_05I love that. I love it.
SPEAKER_07It's your wait a second here. It's your opportunity after being drilled for hours by us to turn the tables and fucking yeah.
SPEAKER_08So, Jess, when you lived in DC, what was the worst night you've ever had in DC?
SPEAKER_07Worst night. I don't know if you remember, there was 9:30 club in Fifth Call. So we did a lot of drugs. Definitely weed, and I believe we had done some shrooms. And then we were drinking, and we ended up at fifth column. And in the fifth column, I suddenly got really like distressed physically. And then all of a sudden the lights went out. Like I couldn't see anything.
SPEAKER_08Because that was like the scene, right? They just like shut the lights out.
SPEAKER_07It was just me. Oh, it was distinct. So I was led out of control by a friend to sit out on the curb in front of fifth column. I could hear everything. I knew what was going on, but I literally couldn't fucking see.
SPEAKER_08Is that a thing where you go blind from psychedelics? Because that's never happened to me. Oh I mean, I've done a lot of liquid. We certainly should have gone blind. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07It was a great night once my vision came back. That's crazy.
SPEAKER_03I I went to the K-hole once uh and and it wasn't that bad. I was at what was that hippie club over on Carey Street? Carrie Street Cafe. I miss it. I miss that place very much. It was a great place. And I'm sorry it's gone. Yeah. But it was like it was like open jam night or something. And and this guy gave me a you know fist like bump of what I thought was one thing and was quite another. And uh I was gonna sign up to to jam with somebody, and then I realized I realized that at a certain point I was like and I went and sat down in a booth, and then I couldn't move. I had paralysis.
SPEAKER_09Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03So I was just sitting there like this the whole time.
SPEAKER_09How long did that last?
SPEAKER_03Praying, praying that nobody I knew came by and to ask to like ask if I was how I was because I wasn't gonna be able to answer. I was just like, you know. And it was also like pretty good time. Pretty good time.
SPEAKER_00Is that an afro?
SPEAKER_01Uh no, it's an old lady's lamb's wool thing, which I just used to wear.
SPEAKER_02Can we have this for the podcast? You what? We need this for the podcast.
SPEAKER_06Please put that to us. You have to see this picture. We're gonna have this too. That is the best. We have to ask a question, Johnny. Touching the buttons. I'm not as exciting as her. Yeah, you are. I'm just a beach girl. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_08Right. I'm sure. I know. Have you ever had sex on the beach? Of course you have. Frequently, yeah, frequently.
SPEAKER_04Ever get busy under Oceanetties?
SPEAKER_06Oceanetties, no.
SPEAKER_04No.
SPEAKER_06But many lifeguard stations. Right.
SPEAKER_01Okay, you can have it your way. Oh, yeah. We used to be a garage band, and then we moved into a house.
SPEAKER_07I'm gonna really miss you guys. I know.