October 2004
Band
Name: The Come Arounds
Genre:
Surf Vocal Pop
Geographical
Area: New England / New York
Interview
with Jimmy by e-mail on September 30, 2004
1. What is the current line-up of your band?
The
Current line up is Stu on bass/vocals, Tommy on guitar/vocals, and Jimmy on
percussion/vocals - and on our CD, Yori and Robin as well. (Will there ever be a
permanent 4th member... ?)
2. How and when did you get started with your band?
The
band started about a year or two ago. Chuck Edwards of The
Undertows and I were playing a little before Tommy and Stu came along.
3. What bands or music have influenced you most?
I
have to speak for myself here: The Beach Boys, Ramones, The Monkees, The
Turtles, The Barracudas, many pop punk bands, many instro surf bands. If there
was one song that was most influential I would have to say "Beach Baby"
by First Class. When I heard it at the time (1974), Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple,
and J. Geils, were what everyone was listening to. Then - blast! - here it came
bouncing out of the speakers on 68 WRKO and I thought to myself "this is it".
Ever since then it has been a pop existence for me.
4. What is the break down of cover vs. original material in your live shows
and/or recordings?
We
play 100% originals, although we have toyed with "I’m Not Trying to Hurt
You" by The Outsiders, "Let Him Run Wild" by The Beach Boys,
"Waimea" by The Travoltas, and "How Can I Be Sure" by The
Young Rascals. After we play them for a week, though, it’s on to another
original, which feels much more satisfying to the band.
5. What recording have you done?
We
have one solid album under our belts, "What Goes Around" (email thecomearounds@yahoo.com
for ordering information). We also use a Korg 1600 to record demos on. It’s a
great thing to practice with, to get you ready for the real deal.
6. What is your band’s favorite food/beverage?
Favorite
food/beverage? Hmmm. Stu likes Hot Wings, Tommy would order a seafood dish, and
I like Nachos. We always have great beer around - Sam, Blue Moon w/lemon,
Guiness.
7. How do you get gigs?
We
call 9th Wave or The
Clams to see what’s up (only kidding!) We go in to clubs and ask them if
they would like to do a surf night. Most are really receptive at first, but then
it always comes down to "how many people can you bring?" I say it
might take a few months of having one night each month devoted to a surf night,
and then I assure them it will take off. Some people are so short-sighted though...
8. What are the difficulties you find playing your kind of music in your area?
Boston
is a great city, and being the creative sorts we are, we will find places to
play. Oh, and yes, I can bring 75 people out on a Tuesday night in January if
you just give us a chance!
9. What positive attributes does your band have that sets you apart from other
bands (of any genre)?
The
most positive thing we have is that we enjoy each others' company and we enjoy
getting better as musicians.
10. What have you found to be the single most effective promotional tool
you’ve used to further your band’s musical path?
Sending
people to our web site, www.comearounds.com,
is really our biggest tool, although maybe I should poster up Newbury St. like
the old days.
11. What’s the most interesting performance experience you’ve had?
It
would have to be our first show, the Libertarian Convention in Framingham (MA).
I remember giving Stu a look like "what did Tommy book here?" We get
in and there are laptops everywhere - in come The Come Arounds, ready to
liberate your minds. They do believe in many great things, those Libertarians.
12. What do you hope to get out of being a NESMA member?
NESMA
is a great source for everything related to surf music and having fun. Even
though we sing and thus are a little different from most NESMA bands, we still
get tremendous satisfaction from feeling the camaraderie involved, and no matter
if we're different or not we still love a great song that can move you from
within. If you listen to our CD, alot of it has moments when we sing about surf
related themes such as walking on the dunes, meeting a blonde from Cali Forn
i a, or being in your car and just watching the coast get pounded by a
stormy sea. We are definitely influenced by the Atlantic coast.
See more information and photos of the band
here.
