1. In between your involvement with the Ultra 5 and the Bare Bones, you seemed to be playing with other bands as well, yet you still found time to record a personal album. So in how many projects are you involved and what are you up to these days? First, thanks Chris and Tolis for this interview, and being included with some greats on your webzine!!!
Well, I've been in the Ragged Bags,the Lone Wolves,the Ultra 5,Zero Child, the Bare Bones, plus some short lived stays, in the bands Sticky, Cream Colored Babys ,Bob-Tony-Orin. Right now, I'm working on the next Bare Bones album and just mixed 3 new ones called"the Carnival Cong". This song is dedicated to Conney Island USA, has a wild chaotic ending ala live rave up!
Also mixed are, "After The Sun Part ii" and a song called "Soda Pop", plus a bunch in the works!!
Also, compiling 13 rare unreleased Ultra 5 tracks, including a 7 minute "Sympathy For The Devil" and a long lost recording of ''Lil Red Riding Hood'', and a bunch of originals that got passed up along the way somehow. This record is to be titled "Ultra Psychotic Resurrection" !!!!
Speaking of the Ultra 5, I just unearthed a great recording live in Mexico, the year after our live LP on Psychodelic Vinyle was released on the great Moonking records in Mexico, and this is going to be called "Dead or Live Dos". Track list includes a lot of different songs than the LP like "Rock n Roll Part ii", ''Psycho", ''wild thing'' and at least 15 other tracks!!!
Zero Child also, has an unreleased 13 track release to be titled Play Loud n Fuzzy 2 !!!
2. Swamp O Delic is credited as a Bare Bones record, but you play everything in it, so what's the story with this record? Can you give us some details, on how did you write and record this album?
Yes, i played most all tracks on Hoodoo Garage as well, but that was recorded in NYC at the Funhouse on 8 or 16 track tape, with usually minimal backup and never a full band like on "Graveyard Shift" I was backed only with one person, and that's me on the other 15 tracks. So, I was already moving toward the solo recording. For me, Hoodoo Garage is very dark and some real long songs, so when I moved to New Orleans, I expected there to be a great analogue studio, since the Funhouse had moved there, and I was used to the place ...but when I got there, that studio was already closed. So, I purchased a state of the art mint vintage 8 track studio, with remote control and started recording my dream album called "swamp O Delic". The only thing I wanted to change from Hoodoo Garage, was shorter songs with more hooks and much more radio friendly vibe! Also, I decided to put zero seconds between songs, due to the worlds lack of patience. I wanted it to be powerful but intimate, and it's exactly the record I had in mind.
Iron City Blues is about NYC,Boom Boom A Zoom Zoom is about my dad,Black Black Widow I wrote in Miami, and I dedicated to Link Wray and Syd Barrett, Zombiefied is influenced by "Have Love Will Travel", Dark Punk Maya is actually supposed to be a dance craze song, and the title comes from a Mexican hair henna i saw there for sale! No Matter What, is the only political song on it, and I never write about that shit! The Bones Walk, I used an old WEM English tube echo from the 50's, I'm Sick is Zero Child song, as well as No Disguise!!! The Heart, was influenced by the Dylan LP, Desire!!!
3. Your latest releases are different to what we were used to from your earlier work with the Ultra 5. Are there more faces of Bob Urh, rather than the leather clad, raven haired fuzznik we knew?
Yes, I hope so, and I would not want to become a cartoon of myself, or be pigeonholed into one listening format, otherwise you show up for gigs and are expected to do the same lighting something on fire act you did 20 years ago-Zero Child is more of punk band from the 70,s with tons wha and big rubbery drum sound and hot throbbing bass ala Tara McMunn mixed with some psycho overtones!!
4. You have a history of releasing records in Greek labels, first with the Ultra 5 and Who Stole The Summer, and know with Swamp O Delic and Green Cookie. How come?
I believe this is great luck on my part, since those labels, and especially Green Cookie has done everything and more I could ever ask for, and because of them the Ultra 5, as well as other bands now have a very healthy following!!!(maybe not healthy? physically he he !)
PS. I tried to start a label and I know how hard it is..................... so it amazes me when one works perfectly as a company and friends for 20 years!!
5. At the beginning of this decade there was a great deal of interest in Garage, with mainstream bands like the White Stripes getting all the fame, but now things are settling down, and people are more interested in cheezy electropop music. Do you think that Garage music is still relevant in the 21st Century?
Yes, that was great for a change, to see something raw and primitive on MTV, but I don't consider the Stripes a garage band ,more of a 2 piece rockin' Zep cover band, using a red plastic guitar made famous by John Lee Hooker. I actually loved everything they did... but the last record-- Anyway perhaps this cheeeeezy techno electropop resurgence is just a faze?? and yes I do believe Garage Rock will continue because, thanks to Keith Richards and his use of fuzz during the making of Satisfaction, it is now forever embedded in the world's minds, as the ultimate guitar cool tone!! Buzz buzz buzz buzz!. You should check out the Zero Child song called 21st Century Punk, which is on this very subject, and features Tony Matura on lead guitar from the Optic Nerve/Beatrats/Bare Bones!!
6. What are you listening to these days? Is there any new band you like and are you still going to gigs?
Right now, I'm listening to:
Jerry Lee Lewis - Killer Country
The Shadows Of Knight
The Misunderstood - Amazing Lapsteel!
The Weeds - aka psych/lollipop
The Shocking Blue
D.L.Menard - Cajun
Clarence Gatemouth Brown
Professor Longhair
The Electric Prunes
Al Dexter - Pistol Packin Mamma !!
Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus Dig
Aaron Nevile - Tell It Like It Is
James Carr
Pebbles vol#22
The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
Irma Thomas
Ijust saw the Master Musicians of Jajouka (pipes of pan) perform, and they had about 200 people doing the whirling dervish! Wild, and something I thought I would never see!! Thanks Brian Jones!!! Also later this month, I'll check out the great SF CA band, Love Not Dead and the leader is also owner of the Parkside studios where I got the last 2 CDs mastered !! Great studio and great band!
7. Is there any fun stories from the past with the Ultra 5, you'd like to share?
Sure, we were asked by Miriam of A-Bones /Norton records, if we would or could backup Question Mark as the Mysterians!! Are you kidding???? Who do I need to take out? Since 96 tears has been my fave tune, since I was a baby and closely followed by Green Tambourine by the Lemon Pipers, I was on a cloud for at least mmmmmm... let see I'm still up there! Being given a villa in San Migual De Allende Mexixo to recover between show, and experiencing peyote at some wild parties there=thanks blood brothers Fernado n' Danny! And not to mention, playing at the world famous Tutti Frutti that the Ultra 5 wrote a song about!!! The birthplace of psycho in Mexico and beyond. ....
8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Yes, first buy green cookie records!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And check out the home of psycho sonic sounds galore www.ultraproductions.org
Also, I would like to dedicate this interview to Lux Interior and Ron Asheton, who is featured in the Zero Child song "Cheetah", may you nest in pieces!
Interview by Tolis Ap.
|