The band of 4 dudes and a chick, took the time to answer a few questions.
Hey guys, so how are things looking up for Dirty Vibes now you have your fully fledged, 6 track EP?
Perry Lee Angel: It’s awesome, I feel like we are almost professional. But yeah, things are looking up and I hope that this is just the first of many EPs/albums.
Kt-Jo Webb: It’s gonna be a hell of a lot easier to get a following now that we have some material to give them. I don’t think we’ve had a negative comment from anyone either!
Ash Sams: We have more gigs and more festivals, now we have recorded material it gains us more fans without asking constantly.
Sean Caney: It’s a lot easier to be heard and get our material out there. Before the EP it was a nightmare trying to build up a fan base when people kept asking us for CD’s, I was upset to leave people empty handed. Things are smoother now and slowly but surely more people are able to listen to our stuff.
Bill Williams: I just see it as an opportunity to get better gigs and get in touch with minor record labels and make some useful contacts, the key to success is shock value.
So how long have you guys been together, and how did it all begin?
Perry: Well me and Ash have been playing with each other for 4years, as a full band? Probably about a year and a half. We found Kt-Jo on a website, and a damn good find it was too, a great front act and singer.
Kt-Jo: It’s coming up to a year and a half now and I think it took us a good eight months to come up with the name! I was the rhythm/backing vocals to a band previously called “Silent Approach” but I was kicked out/quite because of “musical differences”. [Eventually] I got in contact with Bill via www.joinmyband.co.uk as he placed an ad looking for a singer with AC/DC and Guns ‘N’ Roses influences. I got them to record and send me a rough (which it was!) version of Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady”, which I then recorded a vocal over using my iPod. I really thought they’d think it was hilariously bad, but I met with them about a month later for a physical audition and all was good apparently.
Ash: When we came to finding KT, we recorded the track “Dude Looks Like a Lady” by Aerosmith for her to record over; she liked what she heard and we liked what we heard so we invited her over. We played three other songs and we liked each other’s attitude so it was really a perfect match”.
Bill: Everyones got their take on the story, in short I saw Iggy Pop live and heard Appetite for Destruction in the same week, so I got a bass and set about forming the most coolest, entertaining rock n roll band of all time.
[To the guys] How did it feel welcoming somebody you made contact with over the internet into the group?
Sean: To be honest I was scared of her the first few weeks [laughs]. She had that sort of attitude and voice that can bring down a castle.
Bill: I didn’t want to have to go online because my views on a band were that you should be friends first and band mates second; but since none of our friends could sing there wasn’t really much choice. I was interested in seeing how far [we] could push this little unnamed band. I loved her voice and I generally liked her as a person; we’ll always disagree over major band issues, such as whether to play covers, or if big asses are sexy, but equally we’ve got each other’s back.
Kt-Jo: I know this question wasn’t aimed at me but finding the courage to contact somebody you don’t know to join their “band” means there is always that chance that people aren’t who they say they are. Let’s just say a young [perhaps 18] vulnerable female guitarist/singer “looking for like-minded MALE musicians of the same age”. That brought a lot of surprises. So I urge young women especially to be careful when posting online ads and for Gods’ sake request band pages and photos. On the other hand I met a lot of super-talented musicians that didn’t have what I was looking for but I still keep in touch with.
What would you say the main influences for you as a band are? There’s inevitably going to be some common ground.
Perry: As a band I would say Guns ‘N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold, Manic Street Preachers; perhaps Nirvana, Slipknot and Pantera, but they don’t really show too much. I am slightly more into metal than the others, but I enjoy all rock and metal.
Kt-Jo: Guns ‘N’ Roses were out main collective influence and certainly on me. Then AC/DC, Stones, Aerosmith and all old skool rock really. Ash and Perry are more into metal than the rest of us, but I’d say the two genre’s gel together in our music.
Ash: Our influences are like any other band, to get our music heard and out there.
Sean: Anything that rocks!
Bill: All the fucking shit bands I have to tolerate when I flick through music channels or go to a local gig; all the emo crap, poor pop punk impersonators, local music is saturated with that shit. The human being experiences such a wide range of emotions and you’re singing to crowd about how you love some girl you’ve been with for 3months? Get fucked. I’d rather go to dinner with Charles Manson, atleast the conversation wouldn’t be futile. I have the utmost respect for bands like Indianna, The Flowing, Orphan Gears, and Wires Faulty. They all have an air of legitimacy and realness that gives them appeal and makes me want to stick around and watch them play or gig with them. But we’re really just part of a silver lining of legitimate bands stretching around a great big motherfucking cloud of piss!
Some strong feelings coming out there, do you think the local music is one to watch out for?
Sean: [laughs] no. But in all seriousness Medway isn’t really the right kind of scene for music, it’s all gay ass indie bands.
Kt-Jo: Always keep an eye on the local scene, whether you like it or not. What you like isn’t gonna play outside of the local pub if you don’t support them by going to a show or two. In almost every show we’ve played there’s been atleast one screamo/metal-core band. A lot of people don’t know what I’m saying but at least it’s in arpeggio! But people out there must like ‘em otherwise they wouldn’t keep showing up. Anyway, what I mean is, go to your local band night and once in a while you’ll find a diamond in the rough!
Do you have any plans for the rest of the year?
Perry: I want to get a bigger and better drum kit [laughs]
Kt-Jo: We were in talks with a manager to start work with us in April, unfortunately we’ve had to delay that for personal reasons but we should be on the bill for a couple of festivals this year.
Ash: Make more songs, play more gigs and to hopefully record fresh tracks around summertime.
Sean: I’m hoping we pack all our stuff with a load of booze and go on a tour. It’s come to the point that we know we’re all ready.
Bill: Keep getting people to listen, we’re moving up line ups, getting interest from festivals, selling EPs and getting radio play. People are offering to help us out which is great because they obviously get it. We will breathe some life into this dying industry.
Tell me [and the readers] about this “radio play”?
Ash: That’s something Bill or Kt can describe best.
Kt-Jo: We’re getting radio play?
Perry: I have been told to say “what radio play?”
Sean: It’s exciting ya know? Listening to your tracks playing on the radio; really makes you feel like you must be doing something right.
Bill: Well I’ve been going through the university radio’s and got us played in Norwich and Preston, we’re going to Cambridge in the next few months to do a session and interview, we’ve already been played on that one. University radio is more powerful that people think.
Lastly, and wise words you would like to share with our readers?
Ash: Rock ‘n’ Roooooollll!!!
Sean: If you’re travelling in a car at the speed of light, what happens when you turn the headlights on?
Perry: Wise words... [Thinks]... Buy our album?! Haha seriously do it. So get in touch for an EP, and get yourself to some of our gigs, Cheers.
Kt-Jo: My hypothesis is, those that do drugs don’t get enough sex, or don’t get what they want from sex. As cliché as it sounds, sex is [currently] my drug. And what’s the harm in that?!
Bill: Naaa take drugs, they don’t whine, bitch or demand breakfast in the morning... That doesn’t count as my wise words! If you can’t describe the feeling it’s probably a feeling worth having. Such as sex, love, going to a Manics gig, or the opening chords to “Paradise City”. I can’t describe the feelings but they always end with me shouting “FUCKING YES!!!” Those experiences are what life is about.
Dirty Vibes’ EP “Black Habit” is available on iTunes. Or to contact the band, follow one of these links:
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