Down and Outlaws

INTERVIEW: Down and Outlaws | New Album “Above Snakes” Due July 8, 2016

by • June 30, 2016

“When did Rock’n’Roll become so wholesome?” My Father drips with disappointment. He wasn’t much of a rocker himself from the purple velour prom suit and shoulder length perm I’ve seen in faded pictures. Nevertheless, his statement stands on the laurels of growing up in an era where rock’n’roll had no laurels. ACDC, Led Zeppelin, Alice in Chains were all lauded for their brash rock noise and couldn’t-give-a-fuck attitude. Guitars were picked by tipsy splintered fingers from last night’s broken hotel furniture. They didn’t have to be bad boys, but they were. They were an embodiment of their mantra: Are you ready to rock?! Down and Outlaws answers with a resounding, yes. And be forewarned; it’s likely to get a little loud.

Peter Danzig, Kyle Luck, Chris Danzig, and Jon Carr make up this raw, energetic foursome. We got the chance to catch up with the Bay Area rockstars on the cusp of their second album, Above Snakes, due out July 8th. Have they earned that title? You decide.

Down and Outlaws Interview:

Shows I Go To, Sarah “Sweaty Septum” Schumaker (SIGT): One of our staffers called your sound, “new rock’n’roll that’s believable,” which I wholeheartedly agree with. The genre has become almost clean cut over the years. It’s clear you’re not afraid of bringing back a genuine grit, edge, and grime. How do you stay authentic in the music industry and to your sound?

Chris Danzig: Honestly, it’s the music we love, and listen to, and know the best. It would be rad if it were a matter of bravery, but, mostly, we try to write music that we think sounds good! At the end of the day, if we don’t like it, than we’d rather not play it.

SIGT: San Francisco has always had a regional identity for a community of counterculture, especially in music, has being from this area imprinted on your creative process at all? And how do you feel the state of the scene stands now?

Jon Carr: Growing up listening to Bay Area bands like AFI, Metallica and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, we feel like we are trying to contribute to the story of Bay Area music. There is a solid community of truly supportive musicians here. We’re all playing music because we love it. Which we feel is the same today as it was in the Summer of ‘69.

SIGT: Did you come in with a different mindset while making Above Snakes that was different from 2014’s Backwards From The Dead?

Chris Danzig: Oh yeah. With Backwards, we really didn’t’ know what we were doing. With Above Snakes, we wrote and demoed 25 songs over about six months, and whittled it down to the ten that made the record. We’re really proud of the cohesiveness of the record. In a lot of ways, Backwards feels like the product of a different band. We also recorded Above Snakes in a week, which was a really great boot camp-type experience.

SIGT: Was there anything in particular going on in your lives that helped inspire the new album?

Chris Danzig: From the beginning, this band has been about playing because it makes us happy … helps us stay alive, so to speak. That’s where Backwards from the Dead came from, and Above Snakes, which means still alive, is an extension of that. There’s always something happening in our lives that our music helps free us from.

SIGT: Your video for “I Don’t Care” is so great and fitting! How did that concept come to life — big fans of the film Ted?

Chris Danzig: Ha! Actually, the idea came about during a long van ride. We were really bored, as it happens, listening to a demo of the song, and someone just started singing, “I’m a bear” over the chorus because it sounded funny, and the idea evolved from there.

SIGT: Your album release show is at the legendary Great American Music Hall. How do you prepare for a show of that scale and what are your favorite aspects of performing live? We’re really excited.

Chris Danzig: We’re trying to step up our lighting game, and we’re working to sonically fill the space. There’s more ground to cover than in smaller rooms. So that’s always a fun challenge.

Generally speaking, it’s all about the live show. The best part is just going crazy. The best shows are the ones where it feels as if a train is on the edge of totally crashing… One time Kyle almost fell off the subs, and another time our flood lights almost burned down a venue… That’s the shit. We’re always well rehearsed but we like our shows to feel a little dangerous, on the verge of being out of control.

SIGT: You’ve cited influences such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jack White, and more, but are there any artists our readers might be surprised you jam out to?

Chris Danzig: We’re big fans of Iggy Pop, Mazzy Starr, Wolf Alice, just to name a few.

SIGT: Can we look forward to a tour any time soon?

Chris Danzig: We are planning on playing as much as possible when the record is out. Keep an eye out.

SIGT: You’ve recently tweeted from your band account, “ZZ Top plays the best driving music. I could listen to Sharp Dressed Man for 12 hours and not get tired of it.” If you add 30 more hours to this trip you’d be in Florida. How does “Sharp Dressed Man” for 42 hours sound, eh? ;).


Kyle Luck: The result is obvious: We step out of the van in Florida dressed to the 9’s sporting overgrown beards. We look good … real good. You see, once you get to the 30 hour mark, you start realizing that there really is nothing better than looking good … like ridiculously good looking. By the time you hit 42 hours.. Well… you and the song are one. Simple as that.

Down and Outlaws Interview by Sarah “Sweaty Septum” Schumaker.

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