Dead Boy Productions

 

09/29/07
Hell Cesar

Dead Boy Productions with The Van Orsdels

 

The Van Orsdels, please introduce yourselves to the people.

A brief introduction of the band, I'm George Van Orsdel, singer for the band, on drums we have original drummer David "Ichabod" Van Orsdel, on guitar we have Butch Van Orsdel and on upright bass we have Eric "the French fry" Van Orsdel.

So tell us about the music you play?

Well, we are a psychobilly band, but we bring a lot to our music. Seeing as we come from very diverse musical backgrounds, there tends to be a lot thrown into the mix of our songwriting; psychobilly, rockabilly, punk, surf, metal, there's a little of everything in there, and that's one of the things I really love about being in this band.

Name a few of your big influences?

We do have influences, but I wouldn't say that they influence us in our songwriting. We're all fans of Mad Sin, Godless Wicked Creeps, Nekromantix, Koffin Kats, Dick Dale, Ghastly Ones, Social Distortion... I guess the list is endless when it comes to bands we actually like and have influenced us over the years.

Tell us some history of how the band got together?

The band actually came about as an afterthought. Back in 2002, some friends and I decided to do a Misfits tribute show, just for fun, one show. But we had so much fun doing it, and we all got along so well, that we decided to start a real band. So David, original guitarist Todd, and I agreed to continue playing. I was trying to start a psychobilly band for a while anyways, so we all decided that would be the road we would take. We found an upright bassist and we were off and running from there. We've had our share of band members come and go through the years, but I think every band has gone thru that at some point or another. I think it's only made us stronger.

So George coming from a long list of bands to this one; do you feel like your finally in the right one?

I honestly do believe I've finally found the right band. For years I'd been wanting to start a psychobilly band, but being in Miami, a city that virtually has no psychobilly scene, it was difficult. I've always been a fan of the music, as well as the horror aspect of it. I've been into monsters and horror ever since I was a little kid, so this band is the perfect vehicle for me. The genre lends itself to the perfect mixture, and I find myself very much at home in this band. Also, I have never worked as hard on any band I've been in before the way I do with The Van Orsdels, so I tend to favor this band above any other I've ever been in.

So how is it for you guys being Psychobilly band from Miami?

It's been hard at times, as I mentioned, Miami really has no psychobilly "scene". Yes, there are fans of the genre, but not the types of crowds you'd find in say, California or Europe. Most of the fans we have here are just people who truly appreciate music, no matter what genre, a lot of the punk crowd as well. We get a strange mixture of people at our Miami shows, but that's the good thing about it. They really get into the music, into the shows, and to me that means a lot. There's no "scene", just a bunch of kids having a great fucking time...punks, psychos, horrorpunks, etc.

Is there a big fan base where you guys are from?

I'd like to think so. We do have a decent following in Miami, we get pretty good turnouts at our shows, and that's one of the reasons I am still doing this. I get a thrill out of playing a crowded show; it's my drug, my rush. We've been around for almost five years now, so we've managed to build up a pretty good fan base which I am very proud of.

Tell us about you getting sign to Crazy Love Records and how have they helped?

The whole Crazy Love situation was weird. I remember just taking a shot in the dark and contacting them about being on a compilation. Then somehow we got to talking about recording a full length album. I sent them a copy of our first CD, "Ain't Life A Drag?", and they liked it. The next thing you know, we're signing a contract for Crazy Love. It was cool because they basically took care of everything; recording, pressing the disc, distributing, etc. It was great because the label got our CD out to a lot of people, distribution-wise. As far as advertising though, there wasn't much they really did. Most of the promotion has been from our end, the bands’. I am thankful for Crazy Love, because they did help get our name and our music out to a lot of people who probably would've never heard of us.

How do you know Gris Grimly and how you get him to do cover for Miami Morgue Riot!?

I met Gris Grimly a few years ago at Screamfest 2004, Florida's only horror convention. I was already a fan of his work, and meeting him was an honor. I bought a couple of his books and we started talking about this and that, and I gave him a copy of our first CD. A few weeks later I e-mailed him just to say hi and ask how he liked the CD. He told me he liked it very much, and so I took another shot in the dark, I do that a lot (laughs), since we were in the process of recording our CD for Crazy Love, and I asked him if he would be interested in doing our album cover. He said he had never done one, and wasn't really interested in ever doing one, but he liked the band so he said yes. It was an honor and a pleasure working with him and I am happy to say that as a result we've become friends and he is one of the greatest guys I've ever met.

Tell us about the comp he asked you to be apart of for the movie Cannibal Flesh Riot?

Well, as a result of our previous work together, Gris contacted me to ask if we'd be interested in submitting a song for the upcoming DVD release of his film "Cannibal Flesh Riot!” He explained the DVD release would include a bonus CD, which would include songs inspired by the movie, performed by several bands. Of course I said yes! Unfortunately at the time, the band was going thru a line-up change, which made it difficult for The Van Orsdels to actually record a song for the CD. I explained this to Gris, and he suggested I record a song on my own, a solo project. He thought it was a great idea, and I agreed. I then proceeded to write and record "The Ballad of Stash and Hub" for the "Cannibal Flesh Riot!" DVD release.

What is the best horror flick in your eyes?

Now that's the hardest question you've asked! I can never pick just one. I am a huge fan of the classic monster movies, you know, the old B&W Universal Monsters, but I also love contemporary horror. I don't mind gore, but I think nowadays movies are relying too much on the shock factor instead of good old fashioned frights and chills. I appreciate a good gorefest, don't get me wrong, but I love thrill, the suspense, of a well-made horror movie. I would have to say that some of my all-time favorites are Frankenstein, with Karloff, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Dracula, with Lugosi. I am also a huge fan of the Hammer films, the Dracula and Frankenstein series they did. Lee and Cushing were always so amazing together.

Do you guys party on the road?

Not really. I personally don't drink or do drugs, I never have. I don't label myself "straight-edge" because I've never felt the need to classify myself as such. The rest of the guys like to drink, but nothing too crazy. We've had problems in the past where band members partied too hard, too much drinking, drugs, etc and it took its toll on our performances. Thankfully we don't have those problems anymore. I personally think that if you are in a band, especially playing shows on the road, you have an obligation to the fans to put on a good show. I would be pissed if I paid good money to see my favorite bands, and they were piss-drunk, falling all over themselves onstage. I have always been one to say "if you wanna party, please do it after the show, where it won't affect the rest of the band". I don't have a problem with that sort of stuff, only when it starts to affect my life personally, that's when it becomes a problem.

What is in the future for The Van Orsdels?

Well, we are currently in the process of writing new material for our next CD. Hopefully we can be ready to record by the end of the year; we're all keeping our fingers crossed. We're scheduled to play Screamfest 2007, which has now become a tradition for us. We have been a part of Screamfest since its inception back in 2003, and we are proud to be a part of something so amazing. The band is also being featured on the soundtrack for an upcoming independent horror movie titled "Shadow Grove" which is currently in post production. Aside from that, we just plan to continue playing shows, and hopefully start doing some out of state shows, and maybe finally work our way out to California for some shows. But all we really wanna do is to continue playing and having fun.

Thanks a lot guys any last words?

I just wanna say that this band has been through it's ups and downs, but we still love what we do and will keep doing it. I want to thank everyone who has helped us, and stood by us in the darkest of times, without our friends and fans we could've never made it. We've still got alot of music to make and we hope that people keep us around to hear it!