L
et’s start off at the beginning. How did you guys meet and get
together as a band? Were you all making music separately before you met? We met at parties and through mutual friends but a few us grew up together also, so it was more like a couple crews hanging out.
Where did your intriguing band name originate? We were eating pizza in the subway stations at 14th and 6th Ave in NYC. A friend dropped a slice on the tracks and retrieved it. We dubbed it Ballzy.
Who are your musical heroes? Our musical heroes range through so many different genres and time periods I'm definitely going to forget a lot - Lou Reed is definitely a hero. He had such a unique way of writing songs. He was able to create characters that you feel like you've known all your life. He brought people and situations to a reality sometimes in a less than three minute song that are as poignant today as they were when he wrote them. Not to mention his experimentation was an inspiration to everyone to try something different. It definitely felt like a light was extinguished in NYC when he passed last year.
Who have you guys been listening to recently? Everybody's always listening to different music. If somebody compiled all of the songs we listen to in the van it would probably be both the best and worst mix tape ever ha ha! It’s basically lots of good songs making absolutely nosense. We go from Te Germs to Miles Davis to Te Kinks to Toxic Holocaust then Te Supremes. It's a huge strange
hodgepodge but a lot of fun.
Mason, your guitar player recently left the band. Have you recruited a replacement yet? Mason left the band to pursue other interests- he's still our brother and we wish him the best of luck with everything he does. As a band we decided to continue as a four piece. I think everyone was really turned off in general by the notion of adding a replacement. We're not the sort of guys to go Craig’s List shoppingfor a new member or whatever. We made some tweaks to songs, we altered and played with guitar tones and it all turned out great. If we didn't think it sounded good and true we
ever hard pressed to find a good skate spot it seems like there is a park in every major city anywhere.
You’re from NYC. What effect does this most influential of cities have on your music do you think? New York City has a direct influence on our music that I believe is really clear on the new album. NYC can kick your ass, make you smile ear to ear, get you involved in crime, fall in love or just appreciate a beautiful night. Tere's always curveballs and hard falls but the point is to get up with a vengeance and do better than you ever did before. Te new record has these sentiments of angst, anger, love, fun and overcoming any and all bullshit thrown your way.
Was it easy for you to get started, living in NYC, or was it more difficult due to so much competition? NYC definitely had disadvantages and perks for us starting out. One of the best things was just having so many different venues to be able to play, especially all the random warehouses and loft venues that sometimes didn't last more than one
wouldn't have stuck with the four of us. Tis was the most honest progression for us. Cerebral Ballzy is a band that is constantly evolving and changing and this has been another step in that process.
You’re really big into skateboarding, aren’t you? Where are the best places to skate that you’ve found whilst travelling and touring? Hell ya, we love skateboarding. We're usually in a van or a venue but we skate whenever we get a chance. Spots are everywhere!!! We've found rad placesin Moscow, Berlin, London- everywhere. Also, there are so many more skateparks then when we were growing up; if you're
show. On the other hand, just getting around NYC with instruments etc. is really difficult, there are tons of shady promoters that will fuck you over and obviously there's just so much shit going on it's hard to make a name for yourself with so much saturation. But I think most of the negatives make you a smarter and better band if you can make it through it.
What do you like about the UK? How do your audiences differ from the US? Te UK has a lot of Ballzy fans. I think they really appreciate us coming so far out to play for them
outlineonline.co.uk /August 2014/ 13
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