The Mooney Suzuki |
OK, hotshot here's a pop quiz: What's dressed in black, clad in shades, and covered in sweat? Johnny Cash during a heat wave, you say? Not even close. Actually, the answer we're looking for is New York City's The Mooney Suzuki, a band drawing comparisons to legendary high-energy '60s bands such as the MC5.
The buzz on this band is growing to a dull roar for a reason -- their live shows, during which they play it loud, play it hard, and make people dance. The East Village band first came together when front man Sammy James, Jr. and lead guitarist Graham Tyler met as NYC art students. Now, after several rhythm section changes, the pair have met their match in bassist Michael Bangs and drummer Augie Wilson. With a show that was quickly became infamous in the city, The Mooney Suzuki was asked to spread their ass-kicking meld of mod-garage rock and R&B to equally deserving music lovers around the country in the form a tour with The Donnas and Bratmobile.
The release of 2000's People Get Ready wet fans' appetite for even more Mooney. Never ones to disappoint the kids, The Mooney Suzuki shot back this spring with the critically acclaimed Electric Sweat and a sizzling tour with music-mag darlings, The Hives. This month, the gang braved hot stages in black turtlenecks to play for their hometown supporters, which included a stop at the Village Voice's Siren Music Festival on a steamy day on Coney Island. It was here that StarPolish editorial assistant Alee Hoffman was able to chat with Tyler, a man with obvious musical skills and an unbelievable live presence, and the equally talented Wilson, whose hobbies include standing on his drum kit while playing and trying to get a rise out of interviewers.
Getting the Deal
STARPOLISH: So, how did your signing work out for you? What did you want from a record deal?
TYLER: As cheesy as it may sound, the vibe factor is a big deal.
WILSON: For your first label to be Estrus, something where there's a lifestyle or a larger scene involved, [is a good thing].
TYLER: Right, [its nice] if you can see the people behind the label are into other things that you may be into, whether it be music or otherwise. It's always nice to be on the same page artistically with people who are pushing your wares.
WILSON: [It's helpful] when you can see what a label has done for other bands in the past. Estrus has a very respected history, so you know you're going to get the same thing. [It's great if there are] bands that you like, [and] hopefully people running the label that you like. For us, this was all the case.
STARPOLISH: Most of you were art students before this. Did you have any experience playing in bands?
WILSON: Yeah. Well, Graham didn't have much experience...
TYLER: Yeah, I didn't, at all.
WILSON: But Sam and I had, I guess, a typical past. You know, around middle school, high school, you start playing...
TYLER: Actually, I hated all the bands in my school! I hated all the kids who played music.
STARPOLISH: Wow, that's surprising.
TYLER: Yeah, but one day I was at school and I was just like, I think I'd like to be in a band. I think I'd be good at it.
WILSON: Whereas with Sam and I, it was like we had been doing it basically our whole lives. It was something you built up, and improved upon.
STARPOLISH: But this is your most successful venture, right?
WILSON: Oh, by all means!
Learning From Experience
STARPOLISH: Did those other experiences help you?
WILSON: I think what helped me was knowing what a bad show was, [and] knowing what to expect and how to deal with [things like] sound check, or touring. There's a difference with what you want to happen on tour, and what you know and expect will happen. Having done what I was doing for four or five years before I met [the rest of the band] made me have a very humble approach to what I think will happen. Being in a band for a year... I mean, Mooney has been around so long, it's taken like five years to get here. Someone may have just heard of the band a week ago, but [The Mooney Suzuki] has toured the country four or five times.
STARPOLISH: Which helps you develop a following, so people hear of you in other places outside New York?
WILSON: Yeah. It's just that this is the reality, and that very, very few bands that get around that.
TYLER: I think that's a big mistake that a lot of young, starting bands make -- they feel, "Well go out, play a couple shows, and the next thing you know, it's gonna be great!" But that's never the case.
WILSON: Yeah, even for the best bands.
TYLER: And for a band where that does happen, five minutes later, it'll be in the toilet again. They'll have to pull themselves back out. It takes perseverance.
WILSON: And that's a very stinky toilet.
Choosing a Producer
STARPOLISH: Nice imagery! So, how about the production of your album? What did you look for in your producers?
TYLER: It's similar to a record label -- it's about their resume or their portfolio...
WILSON: Yeah... I mean you can listen to the 20 albums they put out. There's a much broader spectrum of the aesthetic of a label -- [if] you know the bands, you know the label. Everything, from the design of the album to the production of the album, [will have a certain feel]. A very successful label will create something that more or less encompasses something... it's like with Estrus Records, or K Records, or Kill Rock Stars.
STARPOLISH:There's really a specific image connected with all of those.
TYLER: It's the same thing with producers to a lesser degree. If you hear a record that you like, or even just a bass sound that you like, it might make you go, "I want to work with this producer."
STARPOLISH: As far as that goes, do you feel like you are all on the same wavelength?
WILSON: Yeah. It was like in the early '90s, like, every Beat Happening album sounded like this. You knew that you might want to work with [those people]. Esthetically, producers and engineers work the same way.
TYLER: In the beginning, I listened to The Makers records. Tim Kerr produced every single one. So it was it like, Okay, I want to work with Tim Kerr, and be on Estrus Records . I wanted to do my version of what I liked about The Makers records.
The Festival Circuit
STARPOLISH: You're playing this really cool festival today. Have you done any others?
TYLER: Yeah, we did a Snapple Festival or something with The White Stripes about a year ago. It was a great show.
STARPOLISH: It must have been!
TYLER: It was like the same kind of set-up as today, the same kind of vibe.
STARPOLISH: Yeah, this is so much fun -- a relaxed summery thing. Are there pros and cons for you guys, playing a festival as opposed to just a straight Mooney Suzuki show?
WILSON: Well, the pro and the con of playing a festival is that probably the majority of the people have never heard you before. It's a good thing and a bad thing, but really more of a good thing. Having been on tour with The Hives [this past year], we found it to be a good thing, and every show went over well.
TYLER: The good thing about playing your own shows is that pulling up to the place; you know you are going to have a good time with the audience. They're your crowd; they're there to see you. It makes things much easier.
WILSON: At this point right now, we're in a good place where we get both.
TYLER: We know we are going to have some of our own crowd there, to encourage the rest of the non-believers.
STARPOLISH: That must have been such a fun tour, being with The Hives.
TYLER: Oh, yeah.
STARPOLISH: I tried really hard, but I couldn't get tickets!
WILSON: No one got tickets. Every show was sold out, but no one was there--no one got tickets!
STARPOLISH: (Laughing) Yeah, but who did get them?
WILSON: No one! Actually, I bought 150 tickets every night (everyone laughs). I mean -- it was incredible. I don't think there was one hour of one day that went wrong. Every aspect of that tour was all you could have asked for: The Hives were the nicest guys you could ever meet, the audience was great, every show was sold out, great venues...
STARPOLISH: In your opinion, what makes for a great venue?
WILSON: The height of the stage...
TYLER: We're definitely big on stage construction.
WILSON : Graham and Sam both like to stand on the speakers. If there is a four-foot speaker that they can climb on top of, if the stage is low enough so we can get in to the audience, if the ceiling is high enough so that I can stand on top of my drums... It's things like that [that are important to us].
TYLER: (laughs) We're very particular about the architecture of the venue, a lot more so than any other band.
WILSON: Basically, every venue on The Hives tour was a large venue, so I always had enough headroom to really stand up and flail.
TYLER: And even basic sound system issues -- it's always nice to play [in a place] where you can hear yourself, where the crowd can hear you perfectly.
WILSON: But I honestly don't think there was one bad instance the entire tour. We had an ideal [situation].
TYLER: And you would think that a good sound system would just be a given, but it's a very rare venue that actually sounds great.
Choosing Touring Partners
STARPOLISH: So you obviously had a great experience touring with The Hives. I've also seen you guys play with other great bands, like The Donnas and Bratmobile. How do you find good people to tour alongside?
TYLER : For me, more than anything, when we do tours where we aren't headlining it's about playing for people who normally wouldn't be exposed to you. The Hives were an exception in that they were in the "garage" genre or whatever, a similar genre as us. But I prefer playing with The Donnas, or playing with these more eclectic bands. It's like you're exposing yourself to these people who might have just written you off or never had any reason to check you out, or just have never heard of you. So it's great to take this fresh crowd and just force it down their throats, and then have them being like, I never knew I loved your band.
WILSON: As you can imagine, the 15- to 18-year-old crowd is much more genuine, and certainly more enthusiastic, than the 30-year-old crowd.
TYLER: They're not set in stone in what they like already...
WILSON: They want us to tell them what they should like!
TYLER: They just want a good show, you know? I've had, like, hip-hop guys or whatever come up to me after a show and say (taking on a gruff, hip-hop guy voice), "Oh, you know, my girlfriend made me come, and I don't really like the music, but you guys are great." They love the show.
STARPOLISH: They love the energy .
WILSON: Our younger [fans] are very frank and open with us, and they'll hug you and they'll kiss you. Whereas, you know, a 25-year-old is a little more jaded. They like you, but [when we were in] London, it was a very subdued, jaded crowd, [compared to] playing in San Diego to 15-year-olds who are literally kissing you on your face...
TYLER: It's just very different.
The NYC Music Scene
STARPOLISH: New York City is now being considered the place to be as far as finding new rock bands, particularly in your vein. Do you mind being roped in with the new New York bands such as The Strokes and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs?
TYLER: I think, obviously, we've been part of the hot scene for six years. It's like, where were these people six years ago? And they are now saying that this is like this new thing, but we were going to [NYC club] Shout and playing mod garage nights...
STARPOLISH: Or when you guys used to play Don Hills...
TYLER: Yeah, and that was five years ago. I mean, in that way its like you're always the kid at school that's wearing the coolest thing first, then everyone else wears it, and [then] it's not so cool anymore.
STARPOLISH: (laughing) Suddenly it's on sale at Hot Topic...
WILSON: But we like to think that this [commotion about NYC bands] can only help us. It would be worse if there were hatred.
STARPOLISH: Or a backlash.
WILSON: Yeah, or for there to be no scene at all. Like, for the first four years of the band, no one could care less about what was happening in New York, and we were doing the exact same thing as we are now -- the same energy level, the same songs, the same everything! Now it's cool.
STARPOLISH: Why is that? What's making it cool?
TYLER: I think a big part is the community of it. People love a scene -- people love a scene, it's what they want... [like] the old CBGB's '70s scene, or even the electronica scene. There's a community of people doing the same thing. I don't know whether people feel secure enough to admit to liking it because of that, or they're less self-doubtful as to whether it's cool enough [because of that]. I think there's definitely strength in numbers in the music thing.
STARPOLISH: I think that completely applies to the fan community. For instance, I'll be at a show at the Bowery Ballroom, and I'll see the same kids over and over. We won't actually know each other, but I always recognize the same people.
TYLER: Oh, yeah.
WILSON: It's like, we go play a show and then see our friends play, and I'll say, I know I've seen that guy somewhere... which is good -- [and] which probably hasn't happened in a very long time. And even though the New York bands aren't very similar, I think we can all only benefit. I mean, at this point, The Strokes are like Radiohead -- they've gone beyond [the New York scene]. But, you know, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs...we only help each other. It's like, I don't think Television was competing with The Talking Heads. They're two completely different bands. They were late '70s, CBGB bands, but I wouldn't by any means compare them to each other. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a totally different thing than we are. Aesthetically, though, we probably have very similar goals. Everyone does what they do, and it's cool, its fun...
STARPOLISH: But you probably get the same types of people -- the same fan base, I would think.
WILSON: Oh, well, sure.
STARPOLISH: I mean, a kid who knows about The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and who goes to see them, is probably going to know about The Mooney Suzuki, and go to your show.
WILSON: In the early '90s, Beat Happening fans were also Fugazi fans -- they couldn't be further from each other, sound-wise. But aesthetically -- and viscerally -- they are very similar. They have the same approach to why they play shows, how much they charge, [and that] they make their own T-shirts. So the other New York bands may not sound like us, but I can see someone liking all of us for a similar reason.
TYLER: I don't think you need to be exact genre mates for it to work, as far as an artistic community goes. Look at any great art movement, whether it's Impressionism or whatever...
WILSON: It reminds me of what was going on 10 years ago. You would go see Ulysses play with The Pastels. They don't sound like each other, but there was this same kind of mood [or] feeling that went along with those bands.
Playing Live vs. Recording
STARPOLISH: A lot of people enjoy the energy that comes from your record -- but when they see your live show, it's like, "Wow!"
TYLER: Oh, there is a ton more energy live!
STARPOLISH: When you're recording an album, are you interested in trying to transfer the energy of your live shows to the album? When I was talking to The Liars, they said that they don't want that, because playing live and recording are two separate entities.
TYLER: It totally is. It used to be, when I was starting out, [that] the idea was to capture that live thing on a record. But if you take a live show up to such a degree, it's sonically and physically impossible to recreate [in the studio]. They are two completely different things. [A recording] is a document in time; [a live show] is a fleeting glimpse of an explosion.
WILSON: And how do you capture [on a record] standing on drums and on PA systems?
TYLER: It's the intangible vibe, the energy exchange that goes on between a band and a crowd -- you just can't do it on a record. A record, to me, is two-dimensional.
STARPOLISH: And a show is 3-D?
TYLER: Or even four-dimensional!
WILSON: When drums tip over, and amps tip over, things are wet, and sparks are flying, guitars are sparking because of sweat, you cant really capture that. Even the best live album, whether it be Exit... Stage Left by Rush, or Live At The Budokan by Cheap Trick...
WILSON: Even the best AC/DC live record...
STARPOLISH: You seem so passionate about your live performance. Is that really what you prefer, as opposed to actually recording the songs?
TYLER: The reason I ever got interested in being in a band was because I saw so many bands [put on a great live show]. I heard so many great things about bands I liked. Whether it was MC5, or the Who, [or] Zeppelin, it was like, "I wish you could have seen them back in the day, that's when it was great..."
STARPOLISH: That's what my parents always say.
TYLER: Mine, too -- it's the same thing.
WILSON: And we want you to be able to tell your kids about seeing us! (Everyone laughs)
TYLER: My mother will just be like, "Yeah, I saw Sly and The Family Stone at this skating rink down the street from our house," and I'm just like, Jesus Christ, why isn't this type of thing happening anymore?
STARPOLISH: My parents got to see Bob Marley at this tiny place on Long Island when he first came out!
TYLER: Exactly! My dad saw the Stones play with James Brown in Newark, New Jersey!
WILSON: I feel like the least I can do is stand up on the drums, and fall and make them tip over.
TYLER: Even around four years ago, going to see shows in Manhattan, with the exception of bands like The Makeup it was just totally boring and depressing. Even if I liked the band and I liked the record, I would go to their show and be completely disappointed and upset. It would be like, "Why did I even come?"
STARPOLISH: There's nothing worse than being in love with an album, and then seeing the band live and being disappointed.
TYLER: Exactly. It's like, Well, I came all the way here, I want something I want more! As much as I love the record, I want a little bit more. Even if it's not as good as the record, if it's just different! [I remember] it being exciting even if someone just broke something on stage, if their guitar broke...
WILSON: To me, one of the most fulfilling things about playing shows is seeing people in the front, [almost] fearing us...
TYLER: In an exciting, fun type of way...
WILSON: As if any moment something is gonna hit them in the head.
STARPOLISH: I always hear people saying that about And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead shows.
TYLER: Oh, I love Trail of Dead!
WILSON: They break their drum set every night!
STARPOLISH: I heard they've been banned from certain venues, actually.
TYLER: (laughs) Yeah, we have too. We've ripped entire lighting rigs out of ceilings.
Keeping Good People Around
STARPOLISH: You guys are now reaching a certain level of success, and there are so many people involved in the process of making a band known to the public. What types of folks do you think are important to surround yourselves with, business-wise? And even in your personal life, are there are certain people you want close to you in your career?
TYLER: Obviously, smart people -- people that you wouldn't want working against you (laughs).
WILSON: Now that we are at the point where [The Mooney Suzuki] is moving on to higher levels, whether it's managers or record labels or lawyers, [we want] people who honestly know and enjoy the type of music that we like and we [perform]. It's meeting someone from a major label that owns every piece of memorabilia from a '60s Detroit band -- that's very comforting.
STARPOLISH: Is that something you've been experiencing?
WILSON: Yeah, we have. [Its nice] not to have to worry that a label is just saying, Oh, we just want the next New York band, and its all we care about. When you meet label people who honestly know a lot about '60s and '70s Detroit/New York music...
STARPOLISH: I didn't even think of the fact that labels would be searching for their next Strokes...
WILSON: Oh, they are!
TYLER: There are a lot [of labels doing that].
WILSON: And there are people who definitely know what they are talking about. [To them], it's not just the thing .
TYLER: Then again, these people who are into the genuine [thing] probably wouldn't have had the go-ahead or the nod from the higher-ups if it hadn't had been for [the success of] The Strokes or the White Stripes. [These bands] have broken through and have shown [labels] that there is money to be made here.
WILSON: It's only helped us.
TYLER: Even if [label execs] are fans [of this music], they need to make money as well.
STARPOLISH: I would think people are perhaps thankful that this is what is becoming the next big thing. I can't really imagine a 40-year-old record label guy sitting in his office rocking out to Britney Spears.
TYLER: Yeah. They are honestly sick to their stomachs with nu-metal and all that stuff; they've had enough.
WILSON: If you saw some of the memorabilia that these guys own, you would know they are legitimate [rock 'n' roll] fans.
STARPOLISH: Even with my father, who's been playing in rock bands for more than 30 years, -- when it comes to listening to new music, he likes you guys, The Strokes, the White Stripes...
WILSON: He sounds like a good guy.
STARPOLISH: Yeah, he is. Growing up with music is why I do this kind of stuff...
TYLER: It's why I do this kind of stuff!
Parental Influences
STARPOLISH: Were your parents really involved in music, too?
WILSON: Yeah, my mom has very good taste in music. She got me into early Police stuff, which is my favorite even now.
STARPOLISH: Just based on your band's sound, did you grow up hearing The Meters, and Earth, Wind, and Fire? Those were big at my house.
TYLER: Oh, yeah -- I love The Meters.
WILSON: My favorites are like late '70s, early '80s [music], from the Police to Electric Light Orchestra... anything that has a lot of effort put into it.
STARPOLISH: Anyway, finish this sentence: This wouldn't work as well as it does if it weren't for...
WILSON: (Pointing to Tyler's wavy, chin-length mane) Non-receding hairlines!
TYLER: Lots and lots of bottled water!
WILSON : (Describing Tyler) Six-foot-two, 110-pound men who wear police officer sunglasses...
TYLER: Free electricity...
WILSON: Sex, teenagers, sweat...
STARPOLISH: Or electric sweat. Album plug!
WILSON : The ability to stand on a drum set, riding the shoulders of your guitarist into the audience... broken drums and blisters, hot girls who interview us, tents in 95-degree weather, double-ply drumheads and...
(Wilson gives a five-minute listing of his favorite malt liquor beverages, scotches, and French foods).
TYLER: Blow-up chairs and faking your age...
WILSON: [This wouldn't work as well as it does] if it weren't for women walking dogs that come into [New Jersey club] Maxwell's when we're playing a show. Then we get to snuggle with puppies.
STARPOLISH: That's heartwarming, Augie.
TYLER: Mannequins that get launched into the air from the stage -- this couldn't work as well as it does without those launches! (Everyone laughs)
STARPOLISH: That has brought you to where you are today!
(Five minutes of sophomoric, crude humor, courtesy of Wilson, follows, leaving the interviewer giggling uncontrollably).
TYLER: You're starting to regret [that] you asked this, aren't you?
The Ultimate Goal
STARPOLISH: Maybe its time for the last question. What's your ultimate goal with The Mooney Suzuki? What do you want to accomplish in the end?
WILSON: Oh, with The Mooney Suzuki? I want to be where The Hives were, on The Hives tour. I want to be in a situation where...
TYLER: I don't even want to be that specific. I've achieved more than I ever imagined was possible, ever. From this point on, it's just...
WILSON: If we could just support ourselves on what we do, we'll be happy. If we could just make enough money to live a normal lifestyle... [We want to be] playing at good venues to very enthusiastic crowds, which actually has been the reality for a while. [We] just want to get what we deserve.
TYLER: To just keep having fun.
WILSON: A lot of bands have problems; a lot of bands have confrontations. But we get along very well; there are no fights. We have a very good time together with a lot of inside jokes. The members of Mooney are my best friends. We share beds...
TYLER: We share underpants.
WILSON: People are very jealous that I share a bed with Graham every night on tour.
TYLER: (laughing) What are you gonna do?
WILSON: [As far as success], I would appreciate more -- but at this point, with everything we've done, I feel very fortunate. [It's amazing to] play for 300 people in Spain who have never heard of you -- people who don't speak English, but who still love [our music]. When I'm 50 years old I'm sure this is something I will appreciate even more. (Laughs) And making out.
