Happy Friday my friends! I’m excited to close the week out by sharing some more music with you, this time coming at you via Phoenix, Arizona by way of Los Angeles, California, by way of both of our hometowns of good ole northeast Ohio. The duo, comprised of Donny Taylor (Donny grew up in the same area as Ady and I, and has been a close friend of Ady’s from early on in life—our “brotha from another mother” as we all like to say) and Teddy Semaan, from Lebanon, have concocted a totally groovy, funky vibe that comes together in the music of Dame un Beso.
In another in the string of interviews I have been conducting (which has quickly become one of my favorite parts of doing this blog) I bring to you the sights and sounds of Dame Un Beso, and so, heeeere’s Donny!
Before you start reading, I’m going to start you off with a few new songs, so click play and read the interview to a Dame un Beso soundtrack! So put on your dancing shoes, have a listen and a read, and when you’re done leave some feedback for the guys either here on the blog, or on their website, Dame un Beso.
in it & of it:
lovesoul:
TT: Take it away Donny! Tell us a little about who Dame un Beso is.
Right now we are in Phoenix having our “desert sessions” writing, arranging and putting the set together. Teddy is from Lebanon and I’m from Northeast Ohio, we met in Akron.
TT: Tell us about the name, “Dame un Beso”
DT: “Give me a Kiss” I was trying to figure out a name for a few months and living in San Diego at the time enriched in the latino culture. For some reason I wanted a translation name and then one day my latina girlfriend said what she would always say…”dame un beso” and I said, “THAT’S IT!”
TT: In what way did our hometown (northeast Ohio) have an influence on your sound, if any, and has it changed with your location changes?
DT: I’m not one to blame environment but truthfully it seemed to come out more depressing there, I think I was younger and it stemmed from ego and the “feel sorry for me” vibe. I do believe environment is extremely important to artist it is directly representational. Now I’m a lil older and I live in the sun……now I write for the collective!
TT: What music has influenced your style?
DT: I was very lucky to have brothers ten years older. I got introduced to tons at a very early age. Early on it was my brothers classic rock stuff, Rush, Queen, ELO etc… while my other brother was turning me on to The Gap Band and more funky stuff. I then made some of my own choices leading into The Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash & Whodini. The next year it went straight to the punk rock scene out on the west and east coast, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat and then I found Fugazi, life changing for me. Now it’s anything sincere, Fela Kuti, Antibalas, old jazz, old funk etc. I really appreciated open minded artist that cross genres like Johnny Cash, Ray Charles & Les Paul
TT: What is at the root of Dame un Beso?
DT: These days politics don’t even come close to being part of the message, it’s more about the collective and bringing people together in the moment. We are not really trying to judge anyone or anything, leave that shit at the door and “Let’s Dance”!
TT: What other creative outlets do you have besides music?
DT: For me music has inspired me to become a painter, I also LOVE to cook and drink wine with the cool kids. Teddy is in another band with his girl “Desert Figues” and wait, wait…..I see him working in his garden as I type! I would say communication is a huge outlet for both of us.
TT: Guess what’s coming next? The super hero question! What would your super hero name, costume and power be (you know you want one!)?
DT: Love it!…I would be DJ D and my head would be a turntable and my power would be putting people in a trance and making them dance!………ahhhh world peace.
On Tuesdays from 6-8pm GMT listeners in the Exeter, England area have the distinct privilege of being able to tune their radio dials directly to 106.8. Elsewhere in the world they can point their iPhone or browser to Phonic.fm at the corresponding time (1pm EST in my corner of the world). Those of us that do this are rewarded with a treasure box filled with two hours of diverse music presented as Trash City Radio Show with host Joe Rebel. Joe, a long time music-o-phile, takes us on a genre hopping ride underscored with his encyclopedic-like knowledge of music he includes in his show, including anecdotes, factoids, and in some instances first hand accounts from a man who has been on the UK punk scene from it’s earliest years.
So how did some girl in the middle of America learn of a local radio show all the way across the Atlantic? Much like other discoveries, I first learned of Trash City via the string of serendipitous events surrounding the Mick Jones Rock n Roll Public Library, which has been chronicled here on the blog in earlier posts (see side panel to the right on this blog for all the info you need on that!) Long story short, I recognized the “Trash City” reference along the way (I being a fellow Clash/Strummer affectionado, and Joe likewise, as well as he being a friend of the late great Joe Strummer), and so it was a given that I should tune in. My first passing thought was a “hmm, this could potentially be a good one, I should check it out.” (more…)
Drunken Balordi, “666 (Drink Up)” live at the Forum, Kentish Town
Interview by Shan
This interview first appeared on Mental Beans on May 21, 2010
Despite many odds—broken computers, hangovers, flu viruses and the like from both sides of the conversation, which caused a slight delay getting this together—I’m happy to finally be sitting here about to make this post.
Speaking as a musical head, one who is chronically listening to and seeking out great music that is, I made another jaunt through the mighty Strummerville Foundation for New Music’s DIY section a little while back, and this time around Drunken Balordi caught my attention. I gave a listen to the song posted there and immediately sought out more by them. I came across a great video clip that I wanted to use as Song of the Day, but not knowing the title, I got in touch with lead singer/guitarist Billy King, thanks to some loose connections, to inquire about the name of the song. That lead to an all out interview that I’m pleased to share with you now. So as promised . . . here’s Billy.
Drunken Balordi Vocals & guitar – Billy King (myself)
Bass & backing vocals – Justin Thomson
Accordion & party mojo – David Vegni
Drums -Dave ‘Topper’ Harris
Violin – this position is open to anyone, male or female
Brass – session musician on album again looking for more permanent
It says on your bio that Drunken Balordi are from London. What area, and are all members from there originally?
Yeah well we are Brixton based, we are quite an eclectic mix. I am originally from Ireland & lived in Italy for 7 years before moving to Brixton, Justin is from South Africa, David is from Italy, and Topper is from New Zealand.
How did the band come together initially, and who came up with the name?
The band came together when I saw the film ‘Everything is Illuminated’ and I liked the soundtrack so much, I decided to form a band based on that eastern European music and mix it with punk. I put an advertisement on Gumtree and a guy from Germany replied to it, came over for an audition, I played him some of my songs and he liked them and that was the start of Drunken Balordi. That was about two years ago now…and we have gone through a few band members who could not commit etc…or got burnt out from all the party’s we play! (Laughs)When I lived in Italy in 2000 for 7 years I played in various punk bands and basically partying my ass off, there used to be a great punk scene in Bologna and I played in a band called Thee Boozers, made many friends and fans. The name ‘Drunken Balordi ‘ came to be basically … one summers night myself and some Italian punks were sitting in a street drinking and talking about music, politics and what not, when along came another friend and he shouted out ‘Hey, I soliti drunken balordi!’, which means ‘hey, it’s the usual drunken fools’! ha ha ha. So at that moment I thought ‘mmm, that would make a great name for a band’. I forgot about it until one day while walking down Brixton hill when I remembered the name and said ok I’ll use it for this new music project that I was cooking up.
Gogol Bordello, The Clash, gypsy punk, Balkan, klezmir and folk were some names/descriptions I came across several times while reading about the band, and I can hear the influences for sure. But besides that, there’s so much more that makes Druken Balordi, Drunken Balordi. If I were an alien from another planet (and I’m not, I’m just pretending, just so you know), what would you say to describe the essence of Drunken Balordi, outside a stylistic description or references to other bands?
What makes Drunken Balordi, Drunken Balordi is that when people come to our shows most people cannot help but get involved in the ruckus and madness of the music, it really pulls them in and makes them happy and dance and go a little crazy! And after the show, we really like to party off stage just as much as when we are on stage. There are no big egos here in this band just four normal people, who have a passion for music and have ferocious appetites for partying.
What is the creative dynamic within the group like? Is there a principal songwriter or do you work as a unit on each song? How do you approach building a song? (I’m always interested in this as it relates or doesn’t relate to how a canvas is approached).
I am the principle song writer 90%, I come up with a song or story and put down with a rough draft of music, bring it down to the boys and they put their musical expertise over it and smooth it out in the studio etc. As I am the singer too, it’s 99% my lyrics, I am very critical of myself and generally only write about my experiences or how I see things through my eyes so its convincing when I sing our songs ..I think that is a very strong point to our music,..is that its not bullshit, its real!
What do you tend to do if you hit a creative road block?
Ha ha ha ..I only hit creative block when I am not happy or have issues going on. I’m generally a very happy person and content with my lot…I do know what side my bread is buttered on. But what I usually do is go out and try and meet as many new and interesting people as possible and party and dance my demons away. It usually works too.
Do you play any other instruments besides guitar? What about the rest of the band?
The rest of the band …they are pretty talented…they can play quite a lot of instruments. Me, guitar and the Banjo which I actually play on our Debut album self titled ‘Drunken Balordi’ that we are about to have a physical launch party next week at Project Orange in Brixton, this is one of the first venues we played & we are going back for one huge party to thank all the fans that have been coming to our shows for the last 2 years.
What music are you listening to these days?
Oh god ..the list is endless, where do I start?
Well ok then, …right now I’m listening to Lee Scratch Perry! I love all genres of music, and as I live in Brixton which is the Jamaican part of London (the best) reggae is generally the soundtrack for this area here. It’s so laid back here that you cannot help put it on.
Who are some of your musical (or other) heroes/influences?
I have quiet a few, but main hero and influence is definitely Joe Strummer from The Clash. God the passion in his voice was just second to none. On stage he was like a dynamo …super charged! And yet off stage the same person, really passionate.
Via clips and photos I noticed there are many stickers that adorn your guitar and guitar case…what are a few of them? Do you have a special fondness for, or are any of them of particular significance to you worth mentioning?
Haaa haha yeah, they are all beer stickers from show I have played since starting this band, and a lot of them get scrapped off from my aggressive strumming style.
After every show I usually take a label off a bottle and stick it on my guitar. The Sailor Jerry’s sticker makes me laugh every time I think about it. Drunken Balordi were in Norway and it was after we played The Roots Festival and the crazy chef who was looking after all the artists came backstage with a bottle of this whiskey and a bucket of ice ..ranting on about how much he enjoyed our show and saying that if I didn’t drink the bottle with him immediately that he was going to urinate in the artists food the following night! So I had to oblige..what ya gonna do eh?
If you weren’t a musician, what creative outlet do you think you would gravitate toward for most of your output? (And on that note, are there any other creative endeavors you engage in?)
Honestly, I cannot imagine my life without performing music, and entertaining people, I think I would die? Probably be a painter or sculpture, I went to art college for a year but got pissed off been told hold to draw they way they thought I should draw etc ..so I left! Haha hah
In 20 single-word adjectives or less: who is Billy King?
Mmm,.. I’ll ask my good friend Tom Whitehead who is sitting right beside me to answer this one! Tom? Who is Billy King…..
1. Music
2. Guinness
3. Clash
4. Women
5. Ambitious
6. Brixton
7. Contemplative
8. Woosh
9. Travel
10. Women
11. Hungover
12. Bikes
13. Waistcoat
14. Women
15. Music
16. Colourful
17. Jiggery-pokery
18. Curry
19. Fair
20. Women
Ha ha ha ha .. I have to say, I could not have put it better myself!!! Thank you Tom
I know you’ve been busy, what are Drunken Balordi up to these days?
Drunken Balordi will be having their ‘official’ Debut album release party at the famous punk venue The 100 CLUB on Oxford Street in London this summer 2010. We are lookingat options for distribution deals for the album if anyone can help with that. We have quite a few festival shows lined up for this summer see www.drunkenbalordi.com
We will more than likely be back in NYC this year after recently meeting up with Gogol Bordello in London before their show at the Apollo Hammersmith, and they spoke about Drunken Balordi performing at the NYC world music Festival. So hopefully see you again this year! Opppppppppppaaaaaa. We have also a few European shows in the pipeline Prague/Amsterdam/Sweden and we would love to play Germany.
Drunken Balordi have also just been asked to play StrummerCamp festival this summer in Manchester. That’s a great honour for me!
Finally, I have to ask because this is (as of this writing) officially going to become the question I ask everyone: If you had a super power, what would it be? And, what would your super hero name be?
To make everyone happy with my music regardless of how serious their problems are, to make them feel that they are amongst friends & they can always come see us and forget everything else!
Super Hero name?
Ha haha, ‘Billy The Kid’ …the list is endless!
Huge thanks go out to Billy for allowing himself to be interrogated. To hear more and to keep up with their goings on you can visit the Drunken Balordi site, and you can also stop by the Strummerville DIY Drunken Balordi page for a free download of “Brixton Sun.”
Good morning! I can’t believe it’s only 11 am and I’ve already drank my coffee, finished the mirror painting, and I have an interview of sorts I put together with Rob Galloway of The Yalla Yallas, a band I’ve been listening to for the past several months (another discovery made thanks to the Strummerville Foundation, click image at left to go to their website and you can hear their first album streaming in its entirety). I had intended to give a little information about them in a post, but that idea evolved into one better (kind of like one louder), and Rob was gracious enough to spend some time answering a few questions about the band. I did not address this in the interview, but worth mentioning now, the band’s name was carefully chosen to reflect a little bit about who they are, as it is also arguably one of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros finest songs).
Shan: First, for readers of this blog who are hearing about The Yalla Yallas for the first time, could you give some background about where you are from, and how you got together?
Rob: We’re The Yalla Yallas were from Leeds in Northern England. I formed the band in December 2007. I was a solo artist doing some electronica punk rock style thing which was influenced by artists such as Big Audio Dynamite, Beck, and Eels. I decided a change of direction and got my best friend Matthew Dempsey in to play bass. Will Grinder had just left his previous band 3 Mile High and joined us alongside on-loan drummer Kev Bellwood from 4 Letter Holiday. Kev was later replaced by Matt Delahunty who now completes the line up.
Shan: How did you become associated with/involved with Strummerville?
Rob: It was when I was a solo artist … Pockets who was one of Joe’s best friends and is a trustee for the charity contacted me. I had just released my solo single ‘Girls Are Meaner Than Boys’. He got in touch and said he could help us he wasn’t sure how as the charity was pretty much still in its infancy but he promised he would help. Time goes by and just by chance at a gig in London … I think it was MC5 and Primal Scream at the Royal Festival Hall … Anyway Pockets managed to recognise me … He had never met me properly and we had only ever spoken briefly on the phone … We had a good drink etc… We stayed in touch and when Trish took over as charity manager she basically allowed the funds to go through for us to record our debut album ‘Act Of Defiance’ … They have done alot for us and were so proud to be involved with them.
Shan: How would you describe the sound of The Yalla Yallas, and who are the influences that are most prominent (and how do they find their way into the music you make, be it sound or style or philosophy)?
Rob: The sound is very energetic … It’s positive … It’s raw … It’s honest … It has instinct … It just feels right … The lyrics are something I believe in … They have to be. As for influences … well thats everyday life … Love, Anger, Politics, War, Business, Money, Lust, Despair, Apathy, Hope, Humour. I’d like to think things are going to get better in this world … I think that’s why there’s an air of positivity about us. I think I take dark subjects and somehow inject some hope or humour into it. As for artists that influence us … We could be here all day … Myself and Will have the most diverse musical range and even then were so different from each other but also so the same … Will can listen to Hip Hop, Drone Metal, Blues, Reggae and Folk music all in the same hour. I can listen to Punk, Pop, Rockabilly, and Latin or World music. Dempsey will tend to listen to music that lacks any credibility,and Matt tends to listen to only music that has some weird tenuous link to The Wildhearts or Metallica. However I feel after all that we end up sounding like a mix of The Stooges, Guns n Roses, Rancid, and Social Distortion which is no bad thing. There’s no real thought about how we sound … we just sound like we do and we like what we do.
Shan: What is most important to you?
Rob: Honesty is important to me … I believe we are all equal … and I believe we should look out for one another … why should where you are from or the colour of your skin or anything else for that matter determine how well you get treat by another human being … We should have more respect for ourselves than to carry about prejudgemental fears about another human being. It’s not good for the soul. We are better than that.
Thanks so much to Rob Galloway for taking the time to answer my questions. As I see from one of their updates they’ll be playing a few shows in England in the near future, including one in Leeds on Wed 10th March at Brudenell Social, supporting Los Mondo Bongos (featuring Members of The Mescaleros, The Alarm, Simple Minds, and DJ Ray Gange), I shall as always, be cheering from afar!
TT: In what way did our hometown (northeast Ohio) have an influence on your sound, if any, and has it changed with your location changes?
Sisters Dissonance 