Dead Boy Productions

 

11/26/06
Dan-Zig

Dead Boy Productions with Paul Roman of The Quakes

 

The Quakes started in Buffalo, New York in 1986.  While they were still in their teens they sold all their things and moved to London to try to “make it”. Twenty years later, guitarist and vocalist Paul Roman is still leading the Quakes. They are one of the earliest and most influential psychobilly bands from the United States.  Paul was nice enough to let me ask him some questions about his twenty years with the Quakes.  This is quite a long interview, but one that is very, very interesting. Thanks again, Paul!

This year is the twentieth anniversary of the Quakes.  When you started the band, did you think it would last this long?

Yes. I thought we would be famous rock stars by now;-) Even though we couldn't play our instruments etc. we had hopes and dreams of becoming big.

There have been numerous lineup changes over the years (some of the same band members coming in and out of the band), so with all the lineup changes why do you keep doing the Quakes?

As you get older people have more responsibilities such as a wife and kids or a house a "job" which makes it impossible to pursue your "hobbies" (ie; the Quakes) with as much enthusiasm as you once did. If The Quakes made money it would be a lot easier for guys to take time off of work to go on tour etc. Lastly I’m very demanding- I demand that the guys I’m playing with know the songs (imagine that!) and that they give 100%. When I see that the guys are making the same mistakes over and over and do nothing to change, I get pissed off and start yelling.) I want to play with guys who are good and take this serious not guys who are just looking to go on a "rock n roll adventure" trip to Europe. The Quakes means a lot to me and I want to do it right.

Psychobilly has definitely changed over the years. Do you still consider the Quakes to be Psycho?

Absolutely! What other category would we fit? We are definitely not a rockabilly band! Psychobilly has always been a  "big tent" with lots of varying styles- I would hate to see it defined as only "one" thing. There are a lot of great bands that are very different yet all fit into the psychobilly scene. I think the psychobilly scene has always been a place for free thinkers and open-minded people unlike the rockabilly scene that has strict rules about what is and what is not rockabilly.

Each album the Quakes have made has been different from the last. I don’t think Psyops is an exception.  Is this just personal taste or from a musician’s standpoint would you consider it to be a natural musical progression?

It’s very much personal taste and musical progression. It also depends on who is in the band at the time and what their talents are. I did Psyops almost entirely by myself with the exception of a few session drummers. I didn't plan that but it just worked out that way. I would love to have a band where all the guys live in the same place and make an album that way.

For a while you were doing the Paul Roman 3 is this something you are still doing?  How different is it from the Quakes?  Do you consider them to be two separate entities completely?

That was just a project I did while living in Finland. We played mostly all Quakes songs and some new ones that ended up on Psyops. That project was over when the guys in the band got arrested in Germany for throwing a TV set out the window of the hotel and trashing the room. It sounds like great RnR legend stuff but the guys were total assholes and I was very embarrassed for the trouble it caused for the promoter who put us in a really nice hotel and treated very well.

Where are Paul Roman and the Quakes based these days?

Well right now I’m in Finland- Ill be in Buffalo at Christmas and then home to Phoenix where I am most of the year.

There have been numerous comparisons to the Stray Cats over the years from “packing your bags and going” to the cover of the first album.  How influential are or were the Stray Cats to the Quakes?

The Stray Cats were a big influence as were the Polecats and Rockats. The trouble was we could not play our instruments and we could never sound like them, which forced us to do our own thing. I still watch old Stray Cats concerts from the early 80's for 
inspiration- There's a great one from 1981 on YouTube of  "Rumble in Brighton" They were so TOUGH back then.

This year the Quakes accomplished something a long time in coming, a United States tour?  Did you ever think that it would happen?

No. I have to thank Hellcat records for making that possible. Who knows if people in America would have EVER discovered psychobilly without them. Having said that, the tour was a bit disappointing. I totally over estimated the popularity of The Quakes in the USA and we were ripped off several times by promoters. Our tour of Europe went very well and I think that we will stick with tours of Europe where we have always had a good audience throughout the years. That’s not to say that the people who DID come to see us in USA were not good fans, just there wasn't enough of them.

Was it what you expected after all these years?

No- the weirdest thing is playing out in California to 16-year-old kids! We have always played to audiences that were older than us. Even before we could drink, we were playing in bars. The hardest thing now is just keeping it going and finding guys who really want to play and have the time. There are plenty of younger guys but I want to find people nearer to my age.

How are shows here in the U.S. different than shows in Europe or even Japan?

Well as I said in Europe we always have great crowds and I think there will always be a place for The Quakes there. Japan has died down a lot since we went there in the early 90's. It was crazy back then. The USA will get better over time I think. Playing in LA 
is always great. Texas was good-Chicago, Buffalo!

You had never played on the west coast of the United States until American Nightmare in May 2003 in Pomona, CA (I was there, it was a great set).  Did you have any preconceived notions about what the west coast fans would be like?

No It totally blew me away! I remember that day I was talking to Nick 13 about the show and he asked if we were going to play "stick to your guns" and I said no we are not planning to. He said "you gotta do that one!" so that day we rehearsed it in LA and did it at the show and the whole audience was singing it! I was totally blown away!  It was great.

You have been back to the west coast several times since and it seems like each time it has been at bigger venues.  Are you still seeing an increase in the number of fans that are coming out to see you on the west coast?

Last time at the Showplace wasn't so good- The Knitting factory was sold out. They didn't want to give us the "big" room. I don't want to deal with the local promoters there in LA so its hard to book shows on my own but still possible. The last time we played the Key club in Hollywood, we only got to play 8 songs because the promoter did not manage the clock and the fans got ripped off and we were really pissed off so I prefer to book my own shows in LA.

Do you plan to ever tour the entire United States again or will you wait a while and only play one-off shows in cities that you know you can draw people in? 
 
I don’t think I could afford to tour the states again! We had a lot of problems with promoters who signed contracts but then did not pay us the full amount. I could sue these idiots and easily win but how much of my time and effort plane tickets etc. to go after these guys? Not worth it- the word of mouth will spread about these characters. I lost a lot of money on the east coast tour. I think for the future we will stick to California/west coast. If the scene continues to grow then maybe we could attempt it again. The European tour was such a success that I will be concentrating most of my efforts there in the future.

Let’s talk about the newest album. What exactly is “Psyops”?

Here is the definition: 
PSYOPS- induces or reinforces foreign attitudes and behaviors favorable to the originator's objectives by conducting planned operations to convey selected information to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.

The new album has some great songs among them “USA Psychos” Really did you ever think you would see so many United States Psychos?

No. I only wish that we (the Quakes) had the opportunity to be on a bigger record label back in the day but there was nothing in the USA at that time.

Rockabilly vs. Psychobilly seems to be a topic in “Nothing to Say” Do you really find that both genres really have nothing to say or has it become to the point where since you can buy certain bands or CDs at Hot Topic that certain parts of the scene have become watered down?

There are many points in that song. I think that in both genres there are too many "cookie cutter" bands that just take all the most obvious clichés and run with them. (Psychobilly-monsters, graveyards, horror- Rockabilly-Cadillac- jukebox-flames-dice etc.) Not many bands actually have something to say both lyrically and fashion wise- I don't believe that you HAVE to have something to "say" in your lyrics but at least TRY to be original. The song also attacks my old idols for doing lame shit now like putting out Xmas albums and cover songs.

A.M.P. put out a compilation CD with you on the cover and it is sold at Hot Topic as well as other places.  Was this something you knew about in advance?

Yes- The Quakes are on that CD and I was happy to be on it because I knew that it would be sold at Hot Topic! I didn't know that I would be on the cover. I have nothing against Hot Topic- I go in there and look around occasionally to see what  "not" to wear. It’s the concept of it all. When we were into punk and New Wave and Rockabilly in the 80's, we used to shop at thrift stores and make or alter our own clothes thereby no one looked the same exactly. Going to the mall and buying a pair of bondage pants off the rack and a zipper shirt is so lame- ten other people have the same one. The stuff they sell there is all the "dumbed down" cliché imagery from all of the "sub" culture scenes. Be original- be different or at least TRY. Make no mistake the "alternative" scene is big business.

The Quakes logo has changed as well. I remember reading on www.thequakes.com that you had decided to change the logo because skulls had just become so commercialized. What prompted you to finally say enough is enough and change the logo?

Well I remember that now and I realize that I DIDN'T change it! Like at Hot Topic it seems everything they sell there has a skull and crossbones on it. The Quakes are certainly not the first band to use them but our current logo goes back to the early 90’s.Now that you have reminded me of that, I will consider changing it again on the next record.

Speaking of your website, www.thequakes.com, I think it is unique in the fact that it really is the first place to get up to the minute Quakes information. Who runs and updates the website?

I do! I didn't want to have to rely on someone else to update my site so I went out and bought the software and "learned" how to use it. I’m not that good at it but its OK. It serves its purpose.

One thing that I thought was great on the Quakes website was the “tutorial” you had up about the benefits of putting out your own record.  Starting with “Last of the Human Beings” you began putting out your own.  How easy or difficult has it been to put out your own record?  Do you recommend it to every band and would you ever consider having someone else put out another one of your records?

Until you reach a level that a big record company such as Hellcat is going to put out your record, I recommend doing it yourself. You will be much better served doing it that way and its really not that hard. If you and your band can create enough of a stir, the bigger labels will come looking for you and at that point you will have more leverage in the negotiations. I wanted to post those things that we did wrong to try and help bands not to make those same mistakes we did.

There was some talk awhile back about re-releasing “Quiff Rock” What is the news on that?

That is the first order of biz when I get back to Phoenix in January- It will have digi pak packaging with extended liner notes and at least 5 extra songs from that time period- I would expect it to be out in March 07. I also will re-release New Generation on Orrexx records with the same sort of package. That one will be out later in 07 as well as the new Quakes DVD 20 years of psychobilly AND an brand new album- A busy year.

So many bands are using MySpace for their official page because it is just so easy.  Have you ever given any thought to this?

Fuck no! My space is so unreliable and is down all the time or doesn’t work etc. I was miffed when MySpace came along after I had got software to build my own site and here comes this new thing that anyone can do.

Do you feel MySpace has been beneficial to the band?

YES! Very much so. DEVIL DOLL finally convinced me to put up a MySpace page but it wasn't so easy. First I had to get the name www.myspace.com/thequakes back from someone who had already had a site up. It was causing a lot of confusion because people assumed that it was us and they would send messages and get no reply etc. I had to convince the people at MySpace that "I" was the Quakes and I wanted the name back. Finally last November I got it and it has really helped us, especially with setting up the tour of the USA.

What about downloading music, what are your thoughts?

When Napster was up, I was downloading things just as we all were. Now that I have my own record company I see the other side. I could argue both sides easily. My problem is with YouTube. I don't understand how people think that they can go to a concert and film it and then post it on the Internet! Explain the logic.... In the 80's they would search you for a tape recorder but a video camera is worse. On this years tour we had "no video taping allowed" signs up but people still did it and posted videos, which I had removed. The problem is that the sound and picture are terrible and the band has no control over it-no say. What if we had a bad night or someone looks stupid? I don't want that out on the Internet. Its crazy that people think they can do what ever they want and the artist has no rights at all! You will see a crack down on YouTube as you have seen on MySpace with copyrighted material. There are videos on YouTube from our DVD that was done in 1988- that is ok with us because that is an official release. I don't want to see 20-second clips of the Quakes that were recorded on someone's phone!

How about Podcasts (Internet radio shows) where hosts get permission to play band’s music?

Most bands don't have the authority to give permission unless they have their own record label. It’s a grey area because if you can download the podcast then you are downloading the song. I know people mean no harm downloading songs they like, but songs cost a lot of money to record and release.

Any plans for a new live Quakes album?  I know “Psyops” hasn’t been out that long, but have you started thinking about a new Quakes album?

Well not a live album but a studio one, next year hopefully with all the other releases- I already have a bunch of songs that Im working on for it and it will be different than Psyops in many ways but they are my songs so it will always sound like The Quakes.

What is next for the Quakes?

I’m trying to convince Rob Peltier to dust off his Orange suit and play some gigs. He was/is one of the best bass players and showmen there has been on this scene and he deserves to be seen. I’ve already spoken to Brian Doran from Voice of America about doing some shows as well.

Any last words to add or thank yous?

Thanks to YOU - You are the scene!