The Power of East Coast Surf

 

 

 

Name: Kill, Baby...Kill!

Genre: Dirty Surf

Geographical Area: Southeastern United States (Talladega AL)

Interview with: Brains by email on 8/23/11

1. What is the current line-up of your band?

Brains - Guitar

Loose Grooves - Keys

Rev - Guitar

Shades - Drums

Wolf - Bass

 

2. How and when did you get started with your band?

The band started originally in 2004/2005 but was short lived. It reformed in spring of 2010 under the guise of a bunch of 1950's alcohol bootleggers who also happened to be

in an instro band that was a bit 'ahead of its time'. Due to unforeseen events, all members were killed, only to be resurrected 50 years later to torment the world through their own brand of reverb-drenched mayhem.

 

3. What bands or music have influenced you most?

Originally this project was heavily influenced by groups like Man or Astro-man?, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and The Ghastly Ones. Just as much, the horror

and drive-in culture was a very large influence on the general aesthetic of the band.

Once the lineup was solidified and collaborative writing began, influences as wide as Black Sabbath, The Cramps and the Punk Rock that we all grew up with started rearing their heads. These days the 'rock' is as prominent as the  'surf' in the music coming out of Kill, Baby...Kill!

 

4. What is the break down of cover vs. original material in your live shows and/or recordings?

We are about 95% original material. We do enjoy throwing some covers into our sets but limit them to songs that we can really tear apart and play in a fashion more fit for KBK. Currently we have covers from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, The Ghastly Ones And Eddy and the Showmen in our live set.

 

5. What recording have you done?

We self-released our debut ep, 'Sometimes they Come Back' in May. It was a great experience for us, as we got to work with one of our long-time idols on production (Joe Queer).

 

We are currently working on releasing a pair of split 7" records early next year and will then start working on our debut full length for Deep Eddy Records.

 

 

6. What kind of gear do you use?

None of us are really 'gear hounds'. I currently play a Hallmark 59 Custom and an Eastwood Sidejack through a Peavey Blues Classic 1x15 amp. On my pedal board I have a TS9-DX Tube Screamer, BOSS FRV-1 Reverb Pedal, Danelectro Tremolo and Aqua Puss Analog Delay. 

7. What is your band’s favorite food/beverage?

Anything from fast-food dollar menus when we are on the road. Money doesn't come easy for a touring band these days.

 

 

8. How do you get gigs?

Most of our early shows were booked through other bands that we connected with. These days we have developed great working relationships with venues all over the Southeast, so we usually book directly through them.

 

9. What are the difficulties you find playing your kind of music in your area?

I wouldn't say that we have had many difficulties playing our kind of music in the area. Because instro/surf is not something that most people are familiar with, the novelty alone usually gets a crowds attention. Top that off with a fast and furious live performance and you have a nice recipe to maintain their attention for a full set.

 

 

10. What positive attributes does your band have that sets you apart from other bands (of any genre)?

I like to think that all bands are working together for the greater good. Of course we don't sound like anyone else out there at the moment. At the same time, we don't feel we are competing with other bands either. We just try to write memorable songs and provide a memorable performance every night. While it is still all fun and 'punk rock' to us, we approach everything in this band as professionals. If you pay to see us, we try our best to give you your money's worth.

11. What have you found to be the single most effective promotional tool you’ve used to further your band’s musical path?

Single is difficult. I can only narrow this down to two things. The first, and most important to helping us get started, was the internet and Surfguitar101.com in particular. Without the support, advice and help from the members of that site we could have never gotten things started as quickly as we did. This band holds a huge debt to that site.

Second is word-of-mouth. Nothing beats impressing a crowd and seeing it grow larger the next time you come through town.

 

12. What’s the most interesting performance experience you’ve had? 

The most interesting to date was taking part in the 2011 Instro Summit in Chapel Hill. We were so honored to be included among the amazing pedigree of artists involved in this event. We surely didn't think we would have been included only six months after our first performance. Even more, the idea of being the band to make the final impression for the year at the end of the festival was overwhelming.

 

 

13. What do you hope to get out of being a NESMA member?

We hope to build connections, help other bands and to contribute to creating a cohesive community of instro musicians here on the East Coast. With numbers and cooperation this genre can do nothing but grow. Our hope is that through this more bands will be encouraged to tour, bringing more attention to the genre. This can only lead to larger audiences and (forgive me for saying this) more financial reward for what we all do.

 

 

14. Anything else?

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of NESMA and the surf music community in general. This is a movement filled with some of the most amazing musicians and people in general. We are just honored to be considered a part of this great and underappreciated community.