Dead Boy Productions

 

05/20/07
Dan-Zig & Dead Boy

Dead Boy Productions with Coffin Draggers

 

The Coffin Draggers are a three piece self described death-rockabilly band based out of the Los Angeles area. They have been around for a while and we have seen them a number of times. Deadboy and I got a chance to see the Coffin Draggers play at the Rumble Bar and asked them if we could get an interview with them. They had already promised us one previously but since they took a vacation and their MySpace account got deleted, it didn’t happen. Once we explained to the guys what had happened they were more than happy to take some time to answer our questions. Thanks to the Rich and Black Cat Entertainment for the show.

So what happened to your MySpace account? That’s how we originally tried to get a hold of you.

Gator: We don’t know. MySpace wouldn’t tell us. They said that they have no record that it happened it just disappeared. They finally gave us back the same URL because that’s on our CD and everything. For a while we couldn’t even use www.myspace.com/coffindraggers, so they finally gave us that back but they couldn’t tell us why it got deleted or anything.

That was right around the time you guys took a little vacation or break, right?

Gator: He got married

Robert: Me and Jose.

Jose: (grabbing Robert) Yeah we just had to tie the knot.

When are you going to start playing together again?

Gator: We’ve only done like what, two practices in the last three months?

That was the excuse we got the last time we tried to interview you.

Jose: But that’s the truth when it comes to us.

Gator: No seriously, because one of us can never seem to make it to practice.

Jose: Shut up! I’m always there.

Has it been because he got married?

Gator: No he’s the one that got married (pointing to Robert)

Oh sorry!

Robert: No I’m ten minutes from Gator so it’s no big deal for me.

Gator: He’s a ten minute man.

Robert: Yeah

Gator: Yeah me and him live really close. This guy (pointing to Jose) lives in Watts.

So the first time we saw you was with Demented Are Go at the Showcase in Corona, California.

Gator: Oh yeah! That was fun.

We saw you then and have been waiting on the CD, which we just picked up, but do you play out that way often at all, like at the Showcase?

Gator: Actually we are playing the Showcase in May. I forget the exact date. Is that with Frenzy?

Robert: That’s with Frenzy, yeah.

Do you play around mostly just Hollywood?

Gator: Yeah it seems that way.

Jose: All around Southern California but mainly L.A.

This is really cool (referring to their CD packaging) The packaging is different.

Robert: That’s what we were aiming for

What I told him (pointing to Deadboy) is that I figured that this wont fit with the rest of my CDs I’m going to have to leave it out and I’m going to see it all the time so Im going to want to listen to it.

Gator: Exactly! It’s like some stores you go to it doesn’t fit in the CD bin so it’s on the shelf above the CDs

Like at Amoeba.

Gator: Yeah like at Amoeba. The only problem is that a lot of people do think it is a DVD. They don’t buy it or something because they think it’s a DVD.

I had to ask if they had your CD (at the merch table) and she handed me this so I just figured I would take one.

Gator: Maybe we will have to put little stickers on them that say this is a CD

This is cool. How long has it been out?

Gator: It came out October 20th. Is that the date?

Robert and Frank: Yeah that’s the date.

How long has it been in the works?

(Band Laughs)

Gator: I knew I was going to get a laugh out of that.

Robert: It was the recording process that took so long.

Gator: the thing is me and Bob have recording studios so it should be easy just to get in there and record, but it’s not.

Jose: They’re very anal, which I’m glad they are.

Robert: We started in February of last year and it took until October.

Gator: What made it happen was Ruben from Grease Demon (Entertainment) set a date and said this is your record release show, your CD release show.

Robert: And of course we had to get it done, we were sweating it man.

Was it just because of the practice thing or just perfection?

Gator: We recorded all the songs like three or four times before we kind of sort of liked them we just kept recording.

Do you have anything recorded live?

Gator: We don’t have any live recordings.

Live, it’s a lot of fun!

Jose: That’s something we should do though (live recording)

Robert: The energy is so different

We have seen you guys a few times and listened to the recordings on myspace, but live we were laughing almost the whole time. That’s cool from bands where sometimes the lyrical content can be so serious all the time.

Jose: We try to keep it light and comical.

Gator: I love it when people take shots of the crowd when we are playing and everyone is like laughing or smiling. Most bands they get up there and they are cussing the crowd out and the crowd is like arrggh.

It’s different I guess for a band that labels themselves death rockabilly.

Jose: Even when we play goth clubs in front of goth people we crack them up too.

Robert: We have got that whole fun vibe.

Jose: You can really have fun and open up.

Robert: People say “I had so much fun at your show.”

Jose: When was the last time you saw a band that could take five minutes between songs and mess around and actually enjoy it?

You can tell the crowd is enjoying it, but that you guys are also.

Gator: Sometimes I can't tell if they crowd is enjoying it or not. I get kind of worried and I think are we going too far. Are they laughing? You know, because it’s hard to see.

Jose: Enjoy us, have fun, tell us dumb shit.

Robert: We all just feed off of each other when it comes to that retarded stuff. You need that.

What’s next?

Jose: Video

Gator: Video yeah we are doing a video to “Love Song” .

How’s that coming along is that going to be just as rushed as the album? (laughs)

Gator: We have got some professional people, but they are really cool and mellow.

Robert: They are helping us.

Gator: They are going to come over to my place and scout out my house because all of the photos in the CD are of my house and my recording studio because its all gothy, kind of spooky looking and of course the video has to be all gothy and spooky looking. So they are going to come check out my place and see if it will work for them. So right now is just in those stages where they are doing location scouting. What did they say they want it done in like three months?

Robert and Jose: Yeah

Gator: At least the song is done. The song is recorded and on the CD its just a matter of

Robert: They are taking some live footage of us at the Key Club on May 19th with the crowd and a lot of people.

Great. What about playing more shows and tours, anything like that?

Gator: We don’t have anything going on in April. We are going to start rolling along with shows. We are going on tour with Frenzy. We cant do the entire Frenzy tour because Jose’s got a prior engagement the first few days. We are going to do like the last two thirds of the Frenzy tour.

Robert: Yeah because someone has a regular job in the band.

Jose: Im the one with a job.

Gator: Get your shit together and quit that

Your recording studio. Who have you recorded?

Gator: I actually recorded 45 Grave the new incarnation. I recorded Penis Flytrap. As far as psychobilly bands, I actually recorded the Dragstrip Demons a long time ago. Recently the Curs, they have actually done three or four sessions, Psycho Demons have been in there twice. A couple of other bands that aren’t as well known, the Nightmares, the Vagrant Dead, bands like that. Im recording a rockabilly band right now called Tony James and the Jamesons.

Jose: The band with the girl singer on the drums.

Gator: Are you talking about Trophy Girl

Jose: The band with the good looking singer.

Gator: The Southerners

They are from Riverside, California.

Gator: I recorded another band called Trophy Girl, its kind of jazzy rockabilly kind of like Tom Waits meets rockabilly. Its really really cool stuff. I cant think of all the names of all the bands Ive recorded right now.

You said you have a recording studio at home too (to Robert)

Robert: You know, I don’t, but I did. It was actually in my parents garage. There was a recroding studio in there and they moved. That sucks because I lost my studio but I do mobile recordings.

Gator: If bands want to record at a decent price contact Funeral Home studios.