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The Peel Interview....
MAD DADDY-How long
have Peel been together?
PEEL-Almost three years now.
MAD DADDY-Were you all
in other bands prior to forming?
PEEL-Nope. Dakota did some solo work
before, but other than that, Peel is our first project.
MAD DADDY-Your debut
album is a triumph. Since I brought it back to the UK after SXSW
this year, I can say with total honesty that every single person
that I’ve played it to has been completely knocked out by its
quality. You could be staggeringly popular you know, given the right
breaks!
PEEL-Thanks! Being staggeringly popular
would be pretty dope, if it happens. |
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MAD DADDY-Does just one
of you handle the song writing duties or is it a team effort?
PEEL-Its totally a team effort. No Peel
song would have been completed without everyone's input and
participation.
MAD DADDY-Musically,
Allison is Brian Eno to Dakota’s Robert Fripp. The interplay between
the two is uncannily similar to those doyens of the avant garde. Are
you fans or is it purely coincidental?
PEEL-Wow that is quite a compliment! I
can definitely say it is not coincidental-- everyone in Peel are Eno/Fripp
fans. We've often thought about covering a song from one of Eno's
pop albums. We were very careful about weaving the keyboard and
guitar hooks together during recording, especially during Oxford and
Navy Waves.
MAD DADDY-You have a
very fresh new sound. Tell us something of your individual
influences.
PEEL-We usually give a
generic response like "Pavement, Eno, Velvet Underground, and the
Modern Lovers," but individually, our responses are pretty varied:
PEEL(JOSH)- I've
been listening to a lot of Phil Spector recently, and Fred Neil. And
Steely Dan. More and more I'm getting into a really slick sound.
Also, Cluster can do no harm in my mind.
PEEL(DAKOTA)-
Personally, I didn't even listen to Pavement until I joined. Though
I love rock n roll, guitar-driven music, my writing influences will
always be more country than rock: Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson,
Loretta Lynn, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, and Bob Wills.
Allison: Just "Rock and Roll"-- like the Animals or the Kinks. I
also love real piano-y pop like Harry Nilsson. I'm kind of a sucker
for quirky individuals like Fred Neil or Lee Hazelwood, and noisy
stuff like Sonic Youth or Simply Saucer, too.
MAD DADDY-The
four of you compliment each other so perfectly. Is it fair to say
that you, more than most bands, would find it very difficult to
replace any member were they to leave?
PEEL-Actually- when we recorded the
album we were a 5 piece: Derrick (drums), Christie (bass), Josh
(guitar), Dakota (guitar) and Allison (keys). After the album,
Christie left the band, and Mikey took her place. Earlier this year,
Derrick left the band as well, and we've been playing with all sorts
of drummers. It was definitely hard to get over them leaving, and
even harder to find an awesome bassist (but we found him!). In the
transitional periods, we learned how to play with a lot fewer people
and a lot fewer instruments. It actually forced Josh and Dakota and
I to listen to each other and play more carefully. The revolving
band member thing has actually helped us redirect our sound (in a
good way). If Josh or Dakota left Peel though, I'm not sure that I'd
still want to be in the band.
MAD DADDY-Austin is
touted as 'the music capital of the USA', is this a help or a
hindrance when trying to get recognised nationally?
PEEL-Neither. But it's
convenient for us during SXSW.
MAD DADDY-There are more
truly fantastic 'unknown' bands in your city than i could ever
explain to someone who has not been there.
PEEL-You bet.
MAD DADDY- My
favourites?...iKiLLCaRS, Shapes Have Fangs, Faceless Werewolves,
White Denim, Manikin and so many others…who am i missing out on?
PEEL-Horse Plus Donkey
and Brazos.
MAD DADDY-I suppose the
biggest recent success has been Voxtrot although i did notice that
when i was over that Ghostland Observatory get a lot of press and
your label mates The Octopus Project seem to be on the verge of
possibly breaking big.
PEEL-Okkervil River,
Explosions in the Sky, and Spoon, are a few Austin bands that
"broke", although not recently. I think the Octopus Project are
pretty big in Taiwan these days.
MAD DADDY-Your label
Peek-A-Boo have a superb roster!
PEEL-Indeed.
MAD DADDY-During this
years SXSW you were noticeably absent from a lot of the related
shenanigans because you were appearing as yourselves in the play I
Am Not Tartuffe. I read the synopsis at the time but unfortunately
couldn't make it to a performance. Can you explain the rather
bizarre plotline!
PEEL (DAKOTA)- It was
great, well acted, and everyone was attractive.
PEEL (ALLISON)-
Captain Jesus called on Peel to save America from an evil French god
and some wicked mimes.
MAD DADDY-So Peels music
saved America! There can't be a much bigger ego boost than that?
PEEL-I suppose we could
have saved America and Canada.
MAD DADDY-Was the play a
success?
PEEL-Yes.
MAD DADDY-You presumably
aren't full time musicians. What are your day jobs?
PEEL-Dakota- Web
designer.
Allison- Math.
Josh- Stunt man.
Mikey- Librarian.
MAD DADDY-You've just
completed a series of dates. How did it go?
PEEL (ALLISON)- We were
all pretty drunk, so... well, I'd say.
PEEL (DAKOTA)- Yingling!
MAD DADDY-Have your
label/management any plans for a push on the UK market? Your sound
has most definite transatlantic edge to it, its an area that you
should think about trying to exploit.
PEEL-We're negotiating
with a UK label as we speak, although I don't think we can say which
one.
MAD DADDY-'Tightrope
walking next to freeways, this blue collar won't fall easily', my
favourite opening line of recent times. You write a mean lyric!
PEEL (ALLISON)-Thank
you!
MAD DADDY-Dakota has
cultivated one of the great rock 'n' roll fringes. It truly is a
prince amongst fringes! Does he intend to grow it any longer or has
it reached its maximum length?
……The interview now descends into a rather surreal bout of messaging
between Allison and Dakota, alcohol may or may not have played a
part!……
DAKOTA- I'm trying to answer some of
these questions, I think, and then I have to go to work
ALLISON- If you do the play one, and
the one about your hair... I can handle the rest.
DAKOTA- Is the fringe question about my
hair or my beard?
ALLISON- Oh?
ALLISON- I didn't think about that.
ALLISON- I'm not sure what "fringe" is.
DAKOTA- Yeah
DAKOTA- I thought it was bangs?
ALLISON-Might be about your pubes,
ALLISON-That's what I thought fringe
meant before.
DAKOTA- Why don't pubes grow longer and
longer
DAKOTA- ?
DAKOTA- Not that I want them too, I
just want to know what tells them to stop
ALLISON- Your underwear.
DAKOTA- Ah.
…………Thank you Peel, a great band who plainly like a drink and I love
them all the more for that!
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