Tampa Calling

The Pack A.D. (yes, the A.D. is for After Death) is not a blues band. Sure, they probably listen to blues music (don’t a lot of people?), and they met at a gas station, but they are not a blues band. How do I know? Because I hear them rocking out my iPod right now. I think I am supposed to call them garage rock. I wish I had a garage and some money because they are coming to Tropical Heatwave and I would pay whatever for them to show up the day before, plug their equipment into my washer/dryer outlet, and play a while.

They are a duo, just guitar and drums, which I know is becoming more common now. It seems like a good idea, good band mates are hard to find. Plus reduce the number of people in the band and you can reduce some of the drama, and split the gig money in two instead of three or four. So why don’t more bands do it? Because it’s freakin’ hard! Do it wrong and you’ll just sound like you are overplaying and trying to fill empty space. Do it like The Pack A.D. and you sound like you don’t need no stinkin’ bass player. (Video and interview after the jump)

Did I mention that they are women? No? Why? Because who really cares anymore. It’s a whole new century folks — girl bands with women who bang on drums and shred on guitar are no longer a novelty. These two play with passion and write dynamic powerful songs that make you feel like you can kick somebody’s ass. Not that you would, or should. But maybe you could put them into the CD player in the car on the way to your next job interview, or to demand more money from your boss, or to tell your mother in law to butt out, or, um excuse me I have to go get into my car now.

I’m back and I’m going to kick this blog’s ass!

The latest CD, the one that’s got me all crazy, is called Funeral Mixtape. That is a great name and makes me feel like I should make a funeral mix tape every few months just in case. Read the answers to The Pack’s 9 questions (same as the last 9) below, have a laugh, and then go download (legally please) that album. Trust me, you need it. Start with the song “Making Gestures.”

Van: What was the first full-length album that you bought with your own money?

Maya – A scratched up used copy of Led Zeppelin 1

Becky – Aretha Franklin – Who’s Zoomin’ Who

Van: Which comes first, the music or the lyrics? Please describe your songwriting habits.

Maya: I tend to write lyrics away from practice and then just bring in a whole bunch of dif. almost poem like songs, then we put them into a book. We jam out the music together and when a song reaches a stage where it needs words, Becky flips through until she finds the lyrics that fit. If Becky comes up with lyrics, they’re usually more on the spot improv that either stick or don’t and then sometimes the pre-written lyrics and the improv moosh together and voila…song.

Van: Has any fan ever just knocked you over with a story about how your music affected his or her life in some way? Or have you had an odd experience with any fans? Like, do you have a stalker yet?

The Pack: In the interest of not naming names or describing situations lest the aforementioned “fans” read this…err yes to all those questions. It has already gotten a bit creepy.

Van: What is the best live show you have ever seen?

The Pack: Monotonix. They slay all bands ever in the history of time and space with their live show.  All bands should bow down and stay down.

Van: What band do you think you could totally be best friends with, if only you could meet them?

Maya: Well, see I have this belief: anyone that I want to meet or I think would be really cool to know, I’m sure they’ll disappoint me by in fact being a douche bag. I’d prefer to live in my bubble and not know the truth.

Van: Besides your own, what other band name do you wish you had chosen? It can be taken already.

Maya: Chaka Demus & Pliers or Dude, You Have a Mangina…wait, that’s the movie I want to make.

Van:  Say you have a favorite little sister, just about to make her first album, not signed to a label yet. What will you share with her that you wish you’d known?

The Pack: Just how completely sexist the music industry is and that you can work your ass off just as much and sometimes even more than most of your male counterparts and still get pigeonholed and treated like a girl before a musician. Wow, is that too depressing? How about this: if you get your full rider, stuff the things you don’t eat or drink into your bags for later.

Van: What is the dumbest or most annoying question you’re asked by journalists or fans? Please answer it for us.

Maya: Oh, there is def. a couple…

1. What are your influences?  My inner voice answer:  Why should I answer that – you’ve already decided in your mind what we sound like.

2. How did you meet? My inner voice answer: Take 5 minutes to google our band and you can read 50 million interviews where we’ve already answered that question. Better yet, go to our website where we took the liberty of writing it out for you.

Van:  Imagine your band were a child, who would be your band parents? Like, maybe your mom is Led Zeppelin & your dad is The Beatles. But, don’t choose those two, they’re probably taken & clearly unrealistic.

The Pack: Our mom is Patty Smith and our dad is Iggy Pop…but they were very busy so we were mostly raised by our Aunt Laurie Anderson and our Uncle Lou Reed.

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