John: Hello?
Rob: John?
John: Hey man, how are you?
Rob: How you doing?
John: Pretty good, just working around the house with my other half...my better half I should say. How are you doing?
Rob: I`m doing alright...You know I have actually talked to everyone in every form of Kyuss except for you now...and you are the hardest person to nail down...hahahaha...
John: hahaha...well, I`m pretty much home these days you know? It`s a...been one long hard road, and it`s not getting any easier...the older I get I find myself being more of a homebody...you know what I mean?
Rob: yeah totally...
John: Rachel and I just bought a house in Morongo Valley- it`s in the high desert so we don`t live in the low desert anymore...but it`s only 25 minutes away from my job and still in the desert...it`s much cooler up here...just not as hot.
Rob: How long ago did you buy the house?
John: We just pretty much moved in...we bought 2 and a half acres...it`s real nice, you know it`s just a small one horse town pretty much...I live out in the sticks...it`s real nice...my nearest neighbor to the left of me is like 5 acres away...I don`t have real close neighbors...
Rob: Why don`t we just start with the begining of you...what first interested you in music and playing and singing. Like what was your earliest memories...
John: Probably my earliest memory was listening to what my brother listened to...and that was Earth Wind and Fire...so he used to sit...we shared a bedroom...and he used to sit back and listen to Earth Wind and Fire, all the records...when it got too late he would put on his headphones...and when he fell asleep I used to take his headphones off and put them on and I used to listen to Earth Wind and Fire...and that was my very first. You know the melodies that Maurice White and Phillip Bailey have are unbelievable...it`s sick and um...and then a lot of Johnny Taylor I listened to...alot of Commadores...everything that when you`re growing up as a kid...you can`t help but listen to what your older brother or sister...`cause whether you like it or not their going to be playing it in the house...my older sister listened to a lot of Tom Petty and Pink Floyd...I grew up around that stuff...and then only when I got to 8th grade, my freshman year...I got turned on to, of course...Punk Rock...one of the first bands that I...they weren`t really punk- but they were something that I really grasped on to, and that was The Cult`s - `Love`... I was in my photography class in Indio and a guy by the name of Greg Grendall (sp?), he said you want to hear a song?...and I said, sure yeah...and he said `this song`s going to blow your mind...so he handed the headphones over to me - and I said `what`s the song called?` and he said She Sells Sanctuary- and he put it on for me...that song changed my life...there goes the short hair...no more short hair, died it black...
Rob: How old were you around that time?
John: around 15-16 years old...
Rob: how old are you?
John: I`m 31...I`ll be 32 in December...
Rob: Excellent...you listened to Electric when that came out...
John: Oh yeah...that was my Sophmore year...and this girl by the name of Maggie Martin...I was waiting for it to come out, she goes `guess what I got` and I said `what` and she said `I got the new Cult`... I was like wow...and I was expecting a `Love` part II- and instead I got this fucking Rock and Roll record...I was like what the fuck? Who is this guy Rick Rubin and what did he do to my band? I had no choice but to fall in love with it...it`s one of my all time favorites...and of course the Misfits and Bad Brains...when I switched High School`s from Indio to Palm Desert High School...I met these guys I played football with...Brant, Josh and Chris Cockrell..he was saying...you know come up and watch my band practice, come up and watch my band practice...he was the original bass player in Captain Jammer...then Captain Jammer turned into Sons of Kyuss and Sons of Kyuss went into Kyuss and so forth and whatever...so I went out up there and was like fuck man! My earliest recollection is Josh started playing Wildflower...and I was like where`s fuckin` the mike you know...I just wanted to sing a little bit you know...and I sucked, big time...but I said what the fuck, let`s just do it anyway...and then you know...it just kind of happened from...that`s my earliest recollection of the music that I played.
Rob: So you were jamming with Josh early on...
John: yeah, he was the very first guitar player I was ever in a band with...when I walked into Brant`s bedroom and I saw all the amps and stuff I was like...wow these guys are fucking serious about this music shit...whoa...that`s kind of cool...and I don`t know...Josh has a different story than what I remember...Brant came up to me and it was real cold and put his arm around me and said- hey- I want you to try out for the band...I want you to sing for the band...and I said, I`d love to...and he played me a song after football practice a couple of times and then I had the chance to go up there and it was called Community Youth and I said, well OK, let me try to sing it with my melody...and he gave me the lyrics, and I said OK I`ll try to sing your lyrics...so I started singing like punk roc style...real fast and hard, and mean as I could...and he was like...nononono...I`m into punk rock, but try to sing it this way...and he went- la la la la...and he started singing this melody...and I was like oh, you want melody! oh OK that`s good! melody`s good!...and it turned into melody for me you know and that`s how I pretty much started singing...Captain Jammer continued on through High School playing...
Rob: The Hermano record finally just came out...
John: finally...
Rob: when was that recorded, 99?
John: yeah, I think so...and it took a long long long time...
Rob: How did that whole thing come about?
John: This guy Steve Brown...he uh...I don`t what happened or how he got my name and number...
Rob: You guys are all scattered...
John: Well he called me and said he had this idea of putting all these musicians together, Dave Angstrom who you know used to be label mates with Kyuss, our first deal with Chameleon Records had Kyuss and Black Cat Bone...Dave Angstrom was the singer and guitar player in...our A&R guy at the time he goes man, John...he looked at me and put on this song...I was like wow, who is that...he said it`s Black Cat Bone, I just signed them...I said- excellent- love them...So I`ve had a long relationship with Dave, so...this guy our A&R guy went back to Dave Angstrom and said, `you know this other band that we have Kyuss, the singer really likes you guys...so we just became friends right off the bat, he knew I liked his band and at that point I didn`t know if he liked Kyuss...and later on down the line I found out he did like the stuff that we were doing and we just stayed friends ever since. So years on down the line, it`s funny how Steve Brown was producing Supafuzz which was Dave Angstroms new band was producing one of his records and blablabla and this and that, and next thing I know I start getting these tapes and CD`s in the mail from, from Steve Brown going you know- can you put lyrics and melodies to it, I was like ahhahhaahhh...and was like whatever...and they kept on coming, kept on coming, kept on coming, and I`d give them a little, you know listen to from time to time and listen to them and fit things here and there to them...and next thing I know it was time to go out there...he was `I`m going to fly you out` and I said OK, and he said `are you all finished with all the material?` and I said- Yeah~ you know, lying to him...then after that I flew out there and the stuff was done real quick you know...we just bought a shit load of beer...
Rob: ...and banged it out...
John: I pretty much was drunk throughout the entire time of recording that whole entire record...
Rob: really?
John: Yeah...I was pretty hammered the entire time starting from about you know 10-11 o` clock in the morning sometimes till...1 o` clock in the morning sometimes...so it was just 4 days of just binging alcoholism...and just coming up with shit right off the back off...I don`t know what I`m going to do...I don`t know what the lyrics are- I`m just going to go in and bust it out and whatever comes out comes out...and that`s what happened...and little did I know that, it was going to be something like this something that I actually like to listen to from time to time...I`ll go wow that`s kind of cool you some of the things...a lot of people say- what`s the lyrics...I and I`ll...you know- it`s just kind of what I felt at the time...a lot of improv...just a lot of real quick you know - `hey John, you ready?` and I said yep and boom- we`d throw it out...there was a probably a little more structure than that but, in other words that`s my recollection of doing it, just getting up and cracking a cold beer or a 24 and then going in and doing it.
Rob: It sounds real fresh, you wouldn`t guess it`s been sitting around for a couple...two, three years...
John: yeah, I was like if it ever comes out, I would be grateful, and I am grateful...it didn`t come out because no one was interested at first, and then they were interested, I had already signed the Unida deal...and I had to put a stipulation in the contract saying, hey, you klnow...if I`m going to put this Hermano stipulation in the contract, then American came back and said OK...it`s gotta come back 8-9 months post of the Unida release...well since we`ve been off, we said fuck it OK- now it come out...boom, boom, boom...you know...
Rob: Scott told me a little about the Unida stuff...it sounds like...a big mess...
John: ...yeah, you know- I`m used to it, you know the thing is though too Rob, sometimes it takes maybe a year obviously...and sometimes up to three years...to release something, and I think that even though were not signed- this record will come out, and it`s going to take a while, and I`m in no hurry...I have the rest of my life...and that`s the way I think about it...and it`s not like I have the attitude of, oh I can`t wait to become a rock star...I`m never going to become super, super huge- like millions of records selling 3 million records selling...500,000 records selling band...the bands that I play in, these are not the bands that become huge...these are rock and roll bands that I play in that have a certain amount of gain to them, they can only gain so much yardage or play and then it hits the plataeu and it will stay there. And I realize that, earlier on in my days I didn`t realize that...but, now I do realize that it`s not going to be that way anymore and I`m OK with it~ I don`t want to write fucking pop songs to become...lalalalallalaa...oooohh...I`m on the fuckin` radio...that doesn`t interest me- what interests me is putting out some heavy fucking rock that people can listen to that`s not on the radio...and that is my forte...that is my schtick...I mean, if it happens- great, but if it doesn`t- hey, I`m going to be doing it anyway...if I was waiting to become a millionaire, I would have quit a long time ago you know? It`s more of that attitude I have these days...I`m completely happy doing my projects here, and like doing little projects with the boys in Monster Magnet...and this Hermano- of course my main thing, my main band, my main love is Unida. So that`s one project I`m going to hold together with all of my might. And these other side things you know...I like singing.
Rob: You gotta play music man...
John: you gotta do it!
Rob: ...you gotta do it...hahaha...you guys recorded that record for American...you are just sitting on it- waiting for it to be put out...or re-record...a year from march or something?
John: We had a meeting with our manager the other day and um...we do get to re-record the material if we need to...do I want to? no. Absolutely not.
Rob: You like what it sounds like...
John: yeah, I like what it sounds like and I don`t want to re-record the fucking thing because I like it, just how it is...it an amazing recording process and it was an amazing experience being in the studio with George...
Rob: And you guys got a decent budget I imagine...
John: Yeah, I mean this is a 350,000 dollar record that I don`t want to lose, and I don`t want to re-record for 25,000 dollars...it just will not turn out the same- the performance and what George Drakoulias did to everybody in the band including myself...was a religious experience for me you know...I want to keep this I want to have this record come out so...what were going to do is what we did is- shopped the record...we released the CD`s to just about every single major label in the world that would sign a band like Unida...so what happened was none of them came back and said, nope- don`t like it, don`t want the fucking record. Doesn`t surpise me...was I surprised? Was I bummed? no...I could give a fat rat`s ass...so what we are going to do- is that there is one label who wants it...and that`s Sony over in Europe...so Sony...the immediate plan is that Sony Europe is going to take the record and have it for Europe, and I think the rest of the world...so what we`re going to do here in the States is hopefully find a smaller label, an Indie if you will...that has a little bit of money...and that will take it just for North America and we`re going to do it that way...but, the thing is that we have to...we spent just about, the ballpark of about 350,000 on the record...so American came back to us and said OK we`ll give you the record back for 150,000...what a price- wow...we spent 350 and their going to sell it to us for 150? Fantastic. So what we need to do is that we need to find a way to do this right and management`s on the case and the ball is already rolling- will it happen? Who knows...will some independent company go...yeah, I`ll have it for the states but I`ll fuck off the rest of the world...and the majority of the people who know Unida know that our businessmen know that a majority of our sales happen over in Europe...so it going to be a little...we`re still on a rocky road...very, very rocky but-we`re going to prevail and things will be OK. It might take a while, it could take a year from now, it could take 2 years, it could take even 3 years...do I want it to take 3 years? no...but as far as new material goes, what we want to do is...the last time I talked to Arthur the immediate plan was doing a 4-song EP, doing something EP- to let people know that we`re still alive- throwing something out there on a small independent such as Small Stone, Tee Pee, MeteorCity...somehwere in and around that area...a label of that genre that will say - hey, let`s release this thing...just to let people know we`re alive. We`re in the process of booking a West Coast tour and we`re just going to let people know that we`re still alive and we`re not dead yet...not unless one of us dies...then we will continue on the same route that we`ve been on since day one.
Rob: When do you plan doing the tour?
John: August...late August, begining of September...We also have, I can`t mention the names...but if it happens right and we can do this...there`s been a couple of bigger acts that we can maybe open up for, and if that happens plans will change obviously...we`ll be on the road a little longer than a week and a half and I`m sure it will be more than just the West coast...the Unida website, I`d just like to mention...that`s going to be re-done in the next couple of months, and we`ll have somewhat of a more informative site on what`s been going on and where the band`s at right now.
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