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How long has the band been together? sCare-oline and I have been involved in this madness since 2001. I wrote and recorded the first album (Flamethrower) before she joined - she was just in time to get her picture on the cover. But I really think it all began when she and the Dollz joined me ... the first show was New Year's 2000/2001. What gave you (John) the idea to combine rock and roll and burlesque? I wanted to have a real live show, which is difficult with a three-piece as I am both playing and singing. And I didn't want to give either up or involve additional musicians. Burlesque was just being re-invented and Vancouver was a hotbed of it but no one had ever done rock'n'roll burlesque, hell, I didn't even know if it was going to be legal in some places. Now I also see bands like Gogol Bordello with a similar theme to us, combining a wild show and great music - or the Road Dogs Show - it was something that needed to be done. We have a reputation for bringing a great time and a sexy show - I love a sexy show - especially when it's mixed with humour. Our show has it's dark twists and so do our lyrics - I like walking the tightrope between light and dark, between traditional and the unexpected ... plus half of the show focuses on the band which means we have to go pretty far with our playing and interaction to balance everything else. I want to take it even farther in the future, making the entire tours thematic with a story-line running through the show. The band started out being more psychobilly... what do you think your sound is like now? These days we have incorporated a lot of our other influences into our music: sCare-oline's addiction to Southern Goth, my love for old blues, some dark jazz; these sounds and JT's beats of the 30's and 40's find their way into our themes. But we still balance the music between old-school blues-rock and the original psychobilly sounds; it's minor-key, high-energy music and I make sure the shows have a great flow with songs from all of our albums. What are some of your musical influences? Personally I have been influenced variously by the Cramps, Slim Harpo, White Stripes, Howlin' Wolf, Reverend Horton Heat, Cab Colloway, 16 Horsepower, Guana Batz; what I listen to is always changing as I devour more styles of music. That input keeps my writing style continually growing as well - which means I'm never bored. When did you meet sCare-oline? We originally met through an ex-girlfriend of mine who knew sCare-oline through mutual interests. She came out to one of my early BJB shows and really liked it. I'd decided I wanted to change the dynamic and have a woman in the band but lost her number so I put an ad in the local paper specifically trying to find her. You can hear a voice mail of one response to the ad on our first album - it's pretty funny. But she responded and here we are. How has having a female musician shaped the band, versus just having female dancers? I enjoy the dynamic sCare-oline brings to the group as a person, visually and as a musician. She has an alternative sense of melody and a great deal of talent - although she can be very stubborn and I can be pretty obstinate - all of which has lead us some interesting and unexpected bass lines ... and to developing a new style of communication. sCare-oline didn't really play slap upright until I gave her one and she just taught herself everything. Fast. Of course she had been playing bass since she was eleven. But sCare-oline is the kind of person that is always learning, these days she is taking vocal lessons and practicing banjo when she has the time. And she keeps us all on our toes and her sense of direction gets us to the shows even when the rest of us get lost. When is the next Big John Bates album due out? The next album will be titled "Bangtown" after our hometown of Vancouver and the bed-tracks are already completed. My job this summer is to get on the overdubs and finish the vocals - we hope to have it out for October 2008. We're not sure which label yet but I am leaning towards another European release. You are touring quite often, are you going to europe (germany) every tour ? Yes we have been touring in Europe every year since our first visit in 2002 - 105 shows there so far I think. Although we release our albums on our own label in North America (Devil Sauce Recordings) we have also been releasing them on European labels. It's our favorite place to tour and I wouldn't be surprised if we wound up living there at some point. Is there a difference to touring the US ? Canada is a great place for us to tour as we have a terrific audience there. We are getting more popular in the USA but it is so large that it takes quite a while. But we keep playing there and have our fans so it is still an exciting challenge. Just tell me something interesting ... BJB & the Dollz' have been touring (over 500 shows in 13 countries around the world ) as "The Lowbrow Road Show". We chose this name because the music is based on 50's and 60's styles (augmented by our experiences and tastes), our album covers (by Vancouver's "I, Braineater") reflect the comic book / graphic novel style, and our lyrics (although born from true stories) are all written in a pulp fiction (i.e. Mickey Spillane, Dashielle Hammett) style. |
