On April 2nd, Cincinnati rockers Foxy Shazam debuted their fifth album entitled, GONZO. The album was released completely, and I mean entirely FREE. Recorded live in studio with Audio Engineer, Steve Albini, GONZO possesses an amazingly raw quality that unmistakably sets the album apart from their previous works. Recently SwitchBitch Noise was given the opportunity to catch up with Foxy member Daisy and pick his brain about the album, arcade games, real estate, and more.
Jacob: Daisy, thank you for taking the time to correspond with us here at Noise. I personally appreciate what the band collectively has brought to the table, setting a new standard in what it means to be entertainers. You’ll be departing for the GONZO Tour in the next few days, any special preparations underway or surprises in store for your fans?
Daisy: Hey, thanks for having me! We’ve been busy designing a new stage setup, including welded risers and a full light show… We are bringing the Foxy Shazam experience to a new level, so to speak.
J: On your previous releases you were the bassist, but for this latest album, guitarist Loren and yourself swapped instruments. How was this transition for the both of you, and did playing guitar come naturally? Do you personally value a challenge over what is comfortable?
D: Although the roles in any group artistic situation may seem fixed from the outside, inside the internal process they are often more fluid. Sometimes drummers write lyrics, sometimes singers write guitar riffs, sometimes bass players draw album art. That’s not to say it wasn’t hard or there wasn’t stress or weirdness; but to answer the actual question at hand, we like to challenge ourselves in ways that we think make better art.
J: After the release and supporting tour for The Church of Rock and Roll, the band took a year off in your hometown of Cincinnati to write and rehearse what would become GONZO. In a recent interview with The Lotuscast, Eric stated that all of you “literally played everyday from 11 to 3…” What was it like to be in a room day after day with everyone, and did it help to strengthen the brotherhood between the group?
D: It was actually more like 9 or 10 am to 3 pm. We get up early. It was pretty great to practice that much, it was by far the most we have ever practiced as a band with a stable lineup. I feel like we all grew as musicians together.
J: Was there ever a time where the process began to feel stale or was there always a constant flow of new ideas to keep everyone excited and motivated?
D: Not once we got in the room. Once we decided to do it live in this configuration, the ideas came and just kept flowing. Outside stuff distracted occasionally, but nothing internal got stale.
J: In regards to your previous albums, some people have defined your sound as glam rock however, with GONZO, the sound has transformed into something much grittier, looser, and not squashed into a grid. Was part of this writing process a conscious decision to not get pigeonholed into any certain category, communicating to your fans the desire to grow as musicians?
D: It was a conscious decision in that we wanted to pursue a different direction, but not really in that we wanted to communicate anything to anybody else about our desires as musicians… We did it because we collectively wanted to do it.
J: During this past year off the road you’ve probably had a bit more time to get out and wander about your hometown. How has Foxy Shazam been received by the city of Cincinnati, do you feel they embrace the music?
D: Yeah, Cincinnati is the best place on earth for us to play shows. We live in a city that supports us, and we do our best to support back.
J: Do you notice yourself getting recognized more often when out in public?
D: Every once in a while it happens, but not frequently. I always think they’re about to ask me for spare change or accuse me of shoplifting, and then they’re like, “can you sign this for my girlfriend?”
J: For the recording of GONZO, the band chose to record in a live setting with legendary Audio Engineer, Steve Albini (Nirvana – In Utero, Pixies, The Stooges…). Was there any one particular album that made you want to work with Steve?
D: Not one particular one, no, but that’s kind of the point. He’s made records for everyone from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to The Jesus Lizard and all of them sound amazing. He’s obviously very good at extracting a band’s natural talents thru capturing a performance.
J: Recording live had to be a very different experience when compared to recording track by track. Did you find this process to be more rewarding than previous sessions and did it remove the pressure to be what some would define as “perfect?”
D: Well, sort of. It was more tedious because there was no going back and fixing something later… If one person messed up, we did the whole thing again. The pressure to be “perfect” as measured by quantization or autotune was gone. However, the pressure to find a more human perfection within the songs was often more strenuous, albeit more rewarding.
J: I believe that GONZO is an album that audiophiles will find particularly enticing. Was the album recorded via analog or through a digital workstation? Was there any unusual or innovative microphone techniques utilized on your amps, vocals, etc. in this process?
D: Yeah, Steve only works on tape machines. He’s pretty famous for that. The record only became digital when it was converted to mp3 to be uploaded to the internet. Everything else from recording to mastering to the LP is analog. Nothing super crazy mic-wise, except that all of Steve’s gear is pretty wild. He has tons of cool stuff I’ve never heard of.
J: In my opinion, there is not one bad song on this album, every track packed with hooks. The bass line on “Shoe Box” is particularly buttery. One song that really stood out from the rest of the album is “Have the Fun.” It really has a bit of a darker sound. When listening to it I always seem to get visuals of early arcade games such as Space Invaders, or going up against the final boss in Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis. Was there any particular idea that permeated the instrumentals behind that song?
D: Video game music is hard to talk about in a serious way, both because of the cheesiness and the (hopefully finally dead) trend of bands covering them… That said there’s some people who have composed amazing, beautiful music for games that get overlooked as artists for the above-mentioned reasons.
I love some video game music, but Have The Fun never really made me think of it… I can’t speak lyrically, but instrumentally Have The Fun is more influenced by our un-ironic love of the Insane Clown Posse. The bridge part reminds me of this band Midday Veil that I like a lot.
J: Were there any video games or consoles that were a staple in your childhood or that you still find yourself playing today?
D: I was really into a lot of PC games when I was a kid, like the Commander Keen series and Wolfenstein 3D. I still play those games more than I’d probably like to admit.
J: What is your favorite song off of GONZO when listening, and which are you most looking forward to performing on tour?
D: Don’t Give In is my favorite song on the record, and, coincidentally, my favorite song we’ve ever written. I’m stoked to play all of it live, I think this record comes to life onstage.
J: There is currently a limited vinyl pressing of GONZO in production set to release in the next couple weeks. Are you personally a fan and collector of vinyl, and what does it mean to you to have this album put down on wax?
D: Some of us are collectors, I’m personally more casual but I definitely buy vinyl regularly. It always feels awesome and magical to hold a record with our music on it.
J: The album art for GONZO certainly has a different look to it, though described in your Merch store as, “Clouds,” myself and others have noticed a striking testicular resemblance. Perhaps this represents that the album is full on, balls to wall, Foxy Shazam, completely gone GONZO?
D: They’re actually clouds made of butts, they’re from a dream I had, although I like your interpretation too.
J: “Tragic Thrill” is the first video to be released off of GONZO. The theme to the video comes across as being a bit simplistic, often taking part on a sound stage with a wide view of the entire band. Was this an effort to say,” we are Foxy Shazam, this is who we are, now listen to what we have to say?” Also, can you please explain the squeezing of the pickle?
D: You either understand the pickle, or you don’t. There is no explanation with words that can lead to pickle Enlightenment.
J: And lastly, on a lighter note, in the past, Foxy Shazam has claimed to be the Michael Jordan of rock n’ roll. Recently Michael Jordan put his 56,000 square foot Chicago estate on the market for the low price of $29 million, though he will now be selling it at auction. Any hope of the band raising enough dough on Kickstarter to snag the property for the purpose of writing and recording your sixth album? #23: 2 x 3=6 Coincidence? I think not.
D: See, we live in Cincinnati, you could get a mansion like that for the price of couple years rent in any major city. It’s cool that it’s Michael Jordan’s, but you could probably buy 100 LaRosa mansions for that price. As I said, we’re not moving.
J: Thank you again Daisy for taking the time to get back to us. We here at Switchbitch Noise fully support what you guys are doing and can’t wait to see what you have in store for the world.
D: No problem, thanks for having me and thanks for the support! See ya in the funny pages.
Well there you have it folks, signed, sealed and delivered. The one and only Daisy of Foxy Shazam set the story straight on what all went into GONZO, now take the opportunity to stream or download the album entirely FREE, exclusively at FoxyShazam.com. If you are not currently a collector of, or are unfamiliar with vinyl, this is the perfect album to begin your collection and new addiction.
Be sure to catch Foxy Shazam on the GONZO Tour this summer with special guest Larry and His Flask coming to a city near you:
May
27 – Fed Live, Harrisburg, Pa.
29 – The Sinclair, Boston
30 – The Bowery Ballroom, New York
31 – Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia
June
2 – Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore
3 – Canal Club, Richmond
5 – Exit/In, Nashville
6 – New Brookland Tavern, Columbia, S.C.
7 – Amos Southend, Charlotte
9 – Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale
10 – Orpheum, Tampa
12 – The Social, Orlando
13 – Freebird, Jacksonville, Fla.
14 – Terminal West, Atlanta
17 St – Freebird, St. Louis
18 – The Waiting Room, Omaha
20 – Mill City Nights, Minneapolis
21 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago
22 – Magic Stick, Detroit
24 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto
25 – Town Ballroom, Buffalo
27 – Grog Shop, Cleveland
28 – Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio
July
12 – Bunbury Music Festival, Cincinnati
26 – Summit Music Hall, Denver
28 – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix
29 – Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, Calif.
31 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
August
1 – Slim’s, San Francisco
2 – The Assembly, Sacramento
5 – The Hop, Spokane, Wash.
7 – Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Ore.
8 – Neumos, Seattle
9 – Venue, Vancouver
11 – Neurolux, Boise
12 – In The Venue, Salt Lake City
14 – Orpheum Theater, Sioux Falls, S.D.
15 – Granada Theater, Lawrence, Kan.
16 – River Roots Live Festival @ LeClaire Park, Davenport, Iowa
