Eddie Smith, lead vocalist for Mad Margritt
Interviewer: Tawny Khat
Interview date: January 18, 2009
Mad Margritt Photographer: Gerri Smith
Used with permission.
Courtesy: Mad Margritt
Thanks so much Eddie for taking time out of your very busy schedule to do this interview. I'm very happy to be featuring Mad Margritt this week here on our webzine. We've also reviewed Mad Margritt's most recent CD, "Animal", in addition to doing this interview and the article about Mad Margritt on our home page. The CD is great, so I encourage readers to get a copy. You can buy their CDs from their MySpace page, their web site, or from retailers such as Target, fye, Best Buy, Virgin stores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Circuit City, Sam Goody, Wherehouse.com, and Borders.
Ok, now on with our interview with Eddie:
Eddie Smith, vocals
Photagrapher: Gerri Smith
Used with permission.
Courtesy: Mad Margritt
1. Your latest CD, "Animal", is awesome! I like the harder sound. You've said in a previous interview that the band did not plan it that way, that it just happened. I would imagine you're working on new songs for your next release. Do they have that harder sound, too?We are going to start writing songs for our next CD sometime next month. Our guitar player (Scott Banks) has played me a few things that he's been working on and it is really heavy, even heavier than the stuff on our last CD. We really like to mix things up, so we'll probably have some heavy songs, some melodic stuff and some straight ahead, in your face rockers.
Hopefully we'll have it out before the end of the year. Our schedule is pretty full, but we're gonna try and get everything recorded over the summer in between shows.
We're gonna stick with the southeast until the summer. At that point we're gonna be doing a lot of the festivals. We're gonna try and not go too crazy this year, because we want to get the new CD finished. Last summer we toured up in the northeast, hit the south pretty heavy with shows in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, then shot out to Texas to do the South Texas Rock Fest.
Scott Banks, guitars
Photographer: Gerri Smith
Used with permission.
Courtesy: Mad Margritt
4. Speaking of the South Texas Rock Festival, congratulations on being invited back to play again this year! What was it like last year when you guys performed there?
We were fortunate enough to play on the main stage, and I have to say it was one of the best shows we've ever done. It was so cool to play on such a massive stage, and the crowd was absolutely insane!! Another thing that was real cool was watching all the bands that played over the weekend. We got to see Queensryche, Dokken, Skid Row, Tesla and a bunch of other kick ass bands.
It seems like every year things are getting better and better. People are getting really sick of all the crappy, modern rock bullshit. They want to have fun again and rock their asses off.
I'm a big fan of glam and sleaze rock and I keep up on all the new bands. It's really refreshing to see all the new bands out there; hopefully the scene will keep building.
Skip Mullis, bass
Photographer: Gerri Smith
Used with permission
Courtesy: Mad Margritt
7. There are a number of them that I really like a lot. If you've heard any of them, are there any of those new bands you like in particular?I really like Loud N Nasty from Sweden. They've got some kickass songs. Another band that I really love is Crashdiet; those guys are fucking killer! There are a lot of great bands out there that I like. The whole scene is really taking off.
I think it's gonna eventually explode and take over. People are bored to death with all the crap they play on the radio. The best time in history for music was the 80s, and I think we're gonna see that style of music back on top again real soon.
We do shows where we play only our original songs, and then we play some clubs where they want us to do a lot of cover stuff. I really don't mind much because we do a bunch of 80s songs and just have a blast. We play all the stuff we grew up with and make a big party out of it. As far as the shows where we play only our own music, we've been really lucky because we open up for a lot of big acts so we get to perform our original music in front of huge crowds. We also do a lot of showcase sets in big markets like New York City so we really make original shows count. It's not just us playing our songs in front of our friends at some neighborhood bar, we get out there and play the festivals and open up for bigger acts so we're hitting thousands of people every show.
Danny Belli, drums
Photographer: Gerri Smith
Used with permission.
Courtesy: Mad Margritt
Rocknation has been playing our video, "LOADED GUN", for almost a year now. I did some promo stuff for them a few months ago and the producer called me up and said he liked the way I came across on camera. He asked me if I would be interested in being a VJ and doing some interviews. I thought it would be a lot of fun, so I took the job and did my first interview a few weeks ago with Buck Cherry. I stay pretty busy with the band so I don't know how much time I can devote to it, but they have been working around my schedule so I think it's gonna be a pretty cool gig.
We would love to play Arizona! We've played in Las Vegas a few times, but that's probably the closest we've been to you. We are in the process of booking our summer shows, so keep checking our web site (www.madmargritt.com) and we will post our tour dates as soon as all the shows have been confirmed.
We just want to thank everyone for all their support; it is definitely appreciated. Keep spreading the work about us and be sure to request us on your local radio station. If you haven't picked up a copy of our latest CD, "ANIMAL", you can order a copy at our web site. We also have new merchandise coming out the end of January, including a limited edition windbreaker jacket. Visit our merch page at:
http://www.madmargritt.com/shopping/merchandise.htm
We're looking forward to a great year and we hope to see everyone out at the shows rockin' with us!!
Thanks again Eddie for doing this interview. I couldn't agree more with you about the rising tide of glam and sleaze. That's why we're doing what we're doing here at Electric Pussycat. And, you guys are riding high on that wave of glam and sleaze that's rising up like a tsunami. It's so great to once again have music that allows you to have fun and escape your cares and troubles for awhile, instead of music that's depressing and just reminds you of the problems of the the world. We all need that escape to refresh us and keep us sane. I mean, right at the beginning of rock 'n' roll back in the 50s it was all about fun, dancing and partying, so the people who put down rock music that they claim "has no substance" just don't get it. I'm thankful for Mad Margritt (and other great bands) for giving all of us the gift of your music, music we can have fun and party to. Thank you!!!!
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Interview with:
Freekshow of
Middle Finger Mob
Interviewer: Tawny Khat
Interview date: May 2, 2009
Photos by Morgan Hagar, provided courtesy of Middle Finger Mob
This interview was conducted via email. Thank you Freekshow for taking the time to complete this interview. I wish you and Middle Finger Mob all the best!
EP: Okay, so Middle Finger Mob just formed earlier this year. How did you guys (and gal) come together to form MFM?
Freekshow: Well, we formed out of the ashes of Hollywood 77, a band that most of the members were involved in. We were a tribute to '77 era punk rock. The band had been playing all over Los Angeles and Hollywood for the last few years, and after a few line-up changes we finally settled on the line-up you now see as "MIDDLE FINGER MOB", with the addition of Danny "Boy" Virus, who has played with Shawn Smash in both Total Chaos and Smash 77. Danny also played with the BulletBoys.
EP: What's the story behind the band name of Middle Finger Mob?
Freekshow: This is a question I am constantly being asked and also made to explain. So, here it goes. A "MIDDLE FINGER MOB" was a loose term used for a group of vigilante soldiers in the One Hundred Year War, better know as The Battle of Agincort in the 1400s between the French and the British.
Legend has it that this vigilante group kidnapped British soldiers and cut off their middle fingers [so they couldn't draw back a bow] in an effort to win the war, but.... if you know your history, you'd know that the British won that war.
The British (those that still had their fingers intact), in defiance towards the French, waved their middle fingers at the French saying, "Pluck yew".
The bows used by the soldiers were made from wood from the English yew tree.
Also, the arrows used were made by a woman who was known as "Mother Plucker".
Anyway... So, I figured any incarnation of the word fuck, fuck you, mother fucker or anything involving the word fuck, had to be a good name for a band, right.
Need I say more?
EP: It's pretty impressive that you guys are already releasing your first CD, "Songs of Life, Sex & Death". Can you tell readers a little about the new CD, like how many songs will be on it and such?
Freekshow: The title of the CD speaks for itself. This CD is a collection of stories that at one time or another any one of us has lived through, and has the battle wounds to prove it.
If you knew any of us personally, you'd know this music is coming straight from our guts. It's honest, It's real and it's rock 'n fuckin' roll!!
EP: Okay, tell us about the CD release party scheduled for May 21st at the Whiskey A Go-Go?
Freekshow: Going back to our previous band, Hollywood 77,we wanted to make the connection with our fan base that we had, in fact, moved on and started doing original music. We felt that the only way to properly separate ourselves from that project, was to launch the new band with a new CD of all original music and to have a CD release party to kick off this new band. Also on the bill with us is Zancoma, Spektra and Bad Bones.
EP: Another show you have coming up is the 1st Anniversary Memorial Show for Traci Michaelz. For those who don't know who Traci was, can you tell readers a little about him, and include a favorite memory you have of him?
Freekshow: Ya know what.. Traci Michaelz was and is an amazing person and I could go on and on to the point of writing a book on the cool and amazing person Traci was.
But, I also know that if Traci was here right now, He'd want your readers to know about what MIDDLE FINGER MOB was about.. 'Cause Traci was about the music 'cause he was the music!!!
EP: After you release your CD, you'll be going to New York in June to do a couple of shows. Can you tell us about those shows?
Freekshow: Nick "Nightmare" Fuoco is a good friend of mine and he's been doing Nikstock in New York for years. We decided that after the release of this CD, it would be good exposure to do the shows in New York. There are about 40+ bands on the bill this year and it will be headlined by Belladonna (feat: Joey Belladonna, vocalist for Anthrax).
EP: Does MFM have any plans to do any other shows in any other states this year?
Freekshow: We're thinking about hitting a few places before the year is done, most likely in November. Places like Arizona, Nevada and Texas are on the list. We are also looking into a few festivals.. But, that probably won't be happening until the new year.
EP: What bands have most influenced the members of MFM?
Freekshow: Hmm.. Who fucking knows, LOL...I like all kinds of music, as does everyone else in this band, that's what makes it so interesting, I guess. We like 80s rock, '77 glam and punk rock, hardcore, metal.. you name it, as long as it's good we like it!
EP: We have readers from all over the world, and although Hollywood is nowhere near the haven for great rock 'n' roll that it was in the past, many of our readers have expressed a great desire to relocate to Hollywood or L.A., or at the very least to visit there and, if they're in a band, to perform there. What is the scene there like these days and do you see it starting to improve, with better and better music being booked into the clubs there?
Freekshow: I've noticed a kind of brotherhood amongst a few bands here in Hollywood. We all go out to each others shows at The Cat Club, The Whiskey, The Viper, Etc... it's really cool. We also seem to end up at the same after parties, LOL
EP: Besides MFM, who are some of the best bands in recent years that you've heard?
Freekshow: This is an interesting question, because I like a lot of music, so it's hard to pinpoint any bands as being the best, but for me, I've kinda been checking out some of the bands here in Hollywood!
As for bands that I currently like, I'd have to say: Velvet Revolver, Buckcherry, The Last Vegas, Charm City Devils.. and of course fuckin' Motley Crue, the best band ever!
EP: And, who are the worst or most overrated bands of the past few years?
Freekshow: That would be the half a million fuckin' carbon copy emo bands!!.... Gimme a break, if life sucks so bad.... please, do us a favor and kill yourself. We need the space!
EP: Please tell readers a little about the backgrounds of each of MFM's members?
Freekshow: I don't know shit about these guys!.....All I really know is we have a kick ass time every time we get together to play, rehearse or party, and we play good fuckin' rock 'n roll, but beyond that who knows.... and you fuckin' cares, HAHAHA.
EP: Who would you most like to give the middle finger to, you know, right up in their face?
Freekshow: Everyone! Fuck it, it's fun as hell.... I love pissing people off!!! It's right up there with God, sex and Jack 'n Coke!!
EP: Who is the coolest person in the music industry (musician or anyone else in the music biz) that you've ever met or worked with, and why?
Freekshow: Besides the guys (and gal) in MIDDLE FINGER MOB... I guess I'd have to say Lemmy and Slim Jim Phantom, those guys are fuckin' cool as hell. I've chatted with 'em many times at The Rainbow and The Cat Club.
EP: And, who's the biggest asshole in the music industry you've ever met or worked with, and why?
Freekshow: I got better shit to do than talk shit on anyone. I'm not really paying attention to assholes these days....
EP: Lastly, is there anything else you want to let readers know?
Freekshow: We have our debut CD "Songs of Life, Sex & Death" coming out May 21st..... Support us and buy a copy! Also, check WWW.MYSPACE.COM/MIDDLEFINGERMOBBAND frequently for updates and show info, because we will be coming to a shithole near you!!!
That says it all. Please visit their MySpace page, check out their music, and get their CD. This band rocks!
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