Fueling The Whiskey Dragster With PISTON READY
By Tracey Shug
It was decided that Volume IV’s feature was to be an up and coming band that we felt had rising star status. Seattle’s music scene has been flourishing recently with musicians, music venues, press and fans who are supporting the scene in droves. One of the bands packing quite a buzz is Piston Ready.
Blackhole Music Magazine NW’s Tracey Shug sat in The Lounge at El Corazon with Piston Ready to discuss their upcoming full length album, songwriting schemes and life’s small pleasures, including Fireball whisky. If you’ve ever partied with Piston Ready, you’re sure to remember them the next day due to your massive hangover. Lauren loves to appreciate her friends and fans with “just another shot at the bar…just one more!!!”
Enjoy a go round with this emerging dragster fueled gang whose members consist of vocal vocalist Lauren, guitarist Seawolf Dee, bassist Ocean, guitarist Mike O’Clock and drummer Danny Von Dirtbag.
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| Lauren & Seawolf Dee |
Tracey: The last time we spoke, you were working on material for a full length album. How is that progressing?
Dee: Well, we’re still in the process of writing. We have some songs we’re writing now and we’re continuing to write until we have enough songs to ready to decide which ones we are going to record.
Lauren: We’re actually planning to record in April, if possible.
Dee: It’s not gonna happen! (entire band laughs!)
Lauren: We’re recording in April! (more laughter erupts)
Tracey: Where are you recording the album?
Dee: 48th Avenue in Everett. It’s actually not even on 48th Avenue! I don’t even know why. Ha ha.
Lauren: It’s Bill from Graceland Five’s studio. He recorded our EP.
Tracey: When you write new songs, what drives your inspiration?
Ocean: Well, about half the time when we write new songs Dee, Lauren and I get together and kind of have an acoustic jam and come up with different stuff. The other half of the songs we write with all of us. We come up with it in the practice space and just start playing stuff that that feels good.
Lauren: I don’t actually write lyrics until we’ve played it three or four times. I just usually go bla bla bla until I figure out what I want to talk about. The inspiration kinda comes after.
Dee: Well, we’re still in the process of writing. We have some songs we’re writing now and we’re continuing to write until we have enough songs to ready to decide which ones we are going to record.
Lauren: We’re actually planning to record in April, if possible.
Dee: It’s not gonna happen! (entire band laughs!)
Lauren: We’re recording in April! (more laughter erupts)
Tracey: Where are you recording the album?
Dee: 48th Avenue in Everett. It’s actually not even on 48th Avenue! I don’t even know why. Ha ha.
Lauren: It’s Bill from Graceland Five’s studio. He recorded our EP.
Tracey: When you write new songs, what drives your inspiration?
Ocean: Well, about half the time when we write new songs Dee, Lauren and I get together and kind of have an acoustic jam and come up with different stuff. The other half of the songs we write with all of us. We come up with it in the practice space and just start playing stuff that that feels good.
Lauren: I don’t actually write lyrics until we’ve played it three or four times. I just usually go bla bla bla until I figure out what I want to talk about. The inspiration kinda comes after.
Tracey: So do the songs drive the lyrics?
Lauren: Pretty much. Usually they start playing the songs and if I like it, I start humming out a melody in my head. I eventually write the lyrics after I decide what I should talk about. If the song is fast paced, I usually write something angry. We just wrote this one that reminded me of the Cult, so I just started singing about a Native American warrior. (laughs) That’s not anything I thought I would sing about but it became a song and I like it!
Tracey: Lauren, being a female vocalist in a male dominated rock n roll world, who were your influences when you decided to become a singer?
Ocean: Pick the guys with the longest hair! Ha ha
Lauren: Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. I love Sebastian Bach! A lot of my influences are actually male. I love Ian Astbury. I’m a big Janis Joplin fan, Joan Jett, Exene Cervenka from X. All of these people are ones I admire for different reasons. I guess I love Glen Danzig because I apparently sound like him. (band laughs) I listened to Danzig a lot when I was younger. I think that all of us did. I guess it rubbed off a little bit.
Tracey: Name five bands you all collectively enjoy listening to.
Everyone: Fu Manchu! Helicopter, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nashville Pussy, Hammerlock, Turbonegro, the Hookers, Electric Frankenstein
Lauren: Wait! That wasn’t five bands! Well, we’ll just go with that.
Tracey: That’s quite alright! Why count anyway?
Lauren: Pretty much. Usually they start playing the songs and if I like it, I start humming out a melody in my head. I eventually write the lyrics after I decide what I should talk about. If the song is fast paced, I usually write something angry. We just wrote this one that reminded me of the Cult, so I just started singing about a Native American warrior. (laughs) That’s not anything I thought I would sing about but it became a song and I like it!
Tracey: Lauren, being a female vocalist in a male dominated rock n roll world, who were your influences when you decided to become a singer?
Ocean: Pick the guys with the longest hair! Ha ha
Lauren: Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. I love Sebastian Bach! A lot of my influences are actually male. I love Ian Astbury. I’m a big Janis Joplin fan, Joan Jett, Exene Cervenka from X. All of these people are ones I admire for different reasons. I guess I love Glen Danzig because I apparently sound like him. (band laughs) I listened to Danzig a lot when I was younger. I think that all of us did. I guess it rubbed off a little bit.
Tracey: Name five bands you all collectively enjoy listening to.
Everyone: Fu Manchu! Helicopter, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nashville Pussy, Hammerlock, Turbonegro, the Hookers, Electric Frankenstein
Lauren: Wait! That wasn’t five bands! Well, we’ll just go with that.
Tracey: That’s quite alright! Why count anyway?
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| Ocean |
Tracey: Do you have any shows or touring plans coming up?
Lauren: Actually, since we’re writing the album we’re kind of taking it easy as far as booking in April and May but on June 1st we’re doing a show at El Corazon with the Hookers and Zeke and then we have three or four dates with Electric Frankenstein, here and Portland and Tacoma. It’s not really a big tour because some of us can’t go into Canada.
Danny: I’ve heard that from so many bands. They can’t go to Europe or they can’t go to Canada because of having a DUI.
Lauren: Yeah, you have to wait a few years to go into Canada. We won’t name the members of our band who have that but yeah, we’ll have to wait!
Mike: We could tour Mexico! (laughter from everyone)
Lauren: I’m sure we’re gonna pick up some shows in the meantime but we’re trying to focus on making the album. We have enough material now, but we probably want to write two more songs but that’s just because we want a longer album. We’re getting a lot of air time and we really need merch and new cds so we can get signed. Right? Ha ha. And so we can get paid! (lots of laughter from band) So we can get paid $20 each a show! Sweet! Ha ha!
Danny: Because we’re professionals! Ha ha
Lauren: That’s right!
Tracey: How did you come up with your band name Piston Ready?
Lauren: We argued about band names for two weeks. One suggestion was like, “The Midnight Cowboys” or some shit like that.
Dee: Noooo! It’s even gayer. It was “Midnight Rodeo!”
Lauren: Was it “Night Train?”
Dee: No! There’s another band in town called that.
Lauren: I don’t know where it came from but I was reading a zombie book and then I’m was just like “Piston Ready!” It came out of nowhere. I had no idea why I thought of it.
There was nothing useful in that book. It just came out of a weird place in my mind. All of us like cars and motorcycle and it’s a play on words, “pissed and ready to go!” It works!
Tracey: So, clearly you all really love cars. What would be your dream car if you could have any?
Lauren: I would do a ’66 Dodge Super Bee, either a 383 or a 440. I’ve had a 440 before, so I kinda want the 383.
Ocean: I’d do a 1936 Ford Roadster.
Danny: 67 Mopar.
Dee: I’m the token Chevy guy.
Mike: I’m a slut. I already have my dream car. It’s a motorcycle.
Tracey: What is the band’s liquor of choice?
Band: (in unison) WHISKEY!
Lauren: I think we’d all do shots of Fireball. It makes you smell like cinnamon in the morning. I mean, your breath smells good!
Mike: I think we’re all kind of a PBR band too.
Ocean: Oh yeah!
Tracey: Lauren, you book a local club in town. Have you seen any bands lately that have peaked your interest that we should be watching out for?
Lauren: Stone Axe is a really great band. I don’t think they are new, but everyone should hear them. Ancient Warlocks are really great.
Ocean: I’ve really enjoyed Kids on Fire.
Lauren: Yeah. They are great. Whisky Radio is really good and also Dark Horse High. There is a great Italian band coming to town called Gonzalez. It’s a Mexican name but they are Italian!
Dee: They are really good.
Tracey: Dee, (who is actually FROM Italy) are you bringing them here?
Dee: They are trying to come here. They played in Italy with the TurbonegrA, the Turbonegro cover band from San Francisco. The bands fell in love, so TurbonegrA is trying to bring them here to tour. They are really really good!
Tracey: I love it when bands fall in love! Thanks ya all!
Check out Piston Ready on Facebook for all their links and music at http://www.facebook.com/PistonReady
Photo's By Megan Cookies
Lauren: Actually, since we’re writing the album we’re kind of taking it easy as far as booking in April and May but on June 1st we’re doing a show at El Corazon with the Hookers and Zeke and then we have three or four dates with Electric Frankenstein, here and Portland and Tacoma. It’s not really a big tour because some of us can’t go into Canada.
Danny: I’ve heard that from so many bands. They can’t go to Europe or they can’t go to Canada because of having a DUI.
Lauren: Yeah, you have to wait a few years to go into Canada. We won’t name the members of our band who have that but yeah, we’ll have to wait!
Mike: We could tour Mexico! (laughter from everyone)
Lauren: I’m sure we’re gonna pick up some shows in the meantime but we’re trying to focus on making the album. We have enough material now, but we probably want to write two more songs but that’s just because we want a longer album. We’re getting a lot of air time and we really need merch and new cds so we can get signed. Right? Ha ha. And so we can get paid! (lots of laughter from band) So we can get paid $20 each a show! Sweet! Ha ha!
Danny: Because we’re professionals! Ha ha
Lauren: That’s right!
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| Danny Von Dirtbag |
Lauren: We argued about band names for two weeks. One suggestion was like, “The Midnight Cowboys” or some shit like that.
Dee: Noooo! It’s even gayer. It was “Midnight Rodeo!”
Lauren: Was it “Night Train?”
Dee: No! There’s another band in town called that.
Lauren: I don’t know where it came from but I was reading a zombie book and then I’m was just like “Piston Ready!” It came out of nowhere. I had no idea why I thought of it.
There was nothing useful in that book. It just came out of a weird place in my mind. All of us like cars and motorcycle and it’s a play on words, “pissed and ready to go!” It works!
Tracey: So, clearly you all really love cars. What would be your dream car if you could have any?
Lauren: I would do a ’66 Dodge Super Bee, either a 383 or a 440. I’ve had a 440 before, so I kinda want the 383.
Ocean: I’d do a 1936 Ford Roadster.
Danny: 67 Mopar.
Dee: I’m the token Chevy guy.
Mike: I’m a slut. I already have my dream car. It’s a motorcycle.
Tracey: What is the band’s liquor of choice?
Band: (in unison) WHISKEY!
Lauren: I think we’d all do shots of Fireball. It makes you smell like cinnamon in the morning. I mean, your breath smells good!
Mike: I think we’re all kind of a PBR band too.
Ocean: Oh yeah!
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| Mike O'Clock |
Lauren: Stone Axe is a really great band. I don’t think they are new, but everyone should hear them. Ancient Warlocks are really great.
Ocean: I’ve really enjoyed Kids on Fire.
Lauren: Yeah. They are great. Whisky Radio is really good and also Dark Horse High. There is a great Italian band coming to town called Gonzalez. It’s a Mexican name but they are Italian!
Dee: They are really good.
Tracey: Dee, (who is actually FROM Italy) are you bringing them here?
Dee: They are trying to come here. They played in Italy with the TurbonegrA, the Turbonegro cover band from San Francisco. The bands fell in love, so TurbonegrA is trying to bring them here to tour. They are really really good!
Tracey: I love it when bands fall in love! Thanks ya all!
Check out Piston Ready on Facebook for all their links and music at http://www.facebook.com/PistonReady
Photo's By Megan Cookies
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