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Interview with Hilda - Drugdealer Cheerleader
Drugdealer Cheerleader is a great and very unusual name. How did you come up with that name?
Ringo (drummer) chose the name -he had a bad knock on the head and woke up with the images of drugdealers chasing cheerleaders in a circle above his head (much like in a cartoon like when wily coyote gets hit by an anvil) ..
Tell us about the history of the band. More specifically, when was the band formed, how did you meet, and have there been any particular highlights or lowpoints in your career, any crucial events that have taken you where you
are today?
Well me and Ringo first met at University, formed a band and we tried real hard. Jimmy quit and Jody got married. I shoulda known that we'd never get far.. But seriously - we did ok but never made it to the release stage.after a couple of years in the wilderness moving from band to band when we realized.. fuck it, we belong together and we had the brainchild that is Drugdealercheerleader - music that wasn't popular to the masses at the time (suddenly it's now become the 'new thing' as people realize they need rock stars again) but music nonetheless that we wanted to play. We found a shit hot young guitarist called Neil (who played in a covers band at the time) and a succession of bass players varying from shit and useless to cool but unstable!! Finally we settled on Liam. a hard drinking sex pervert who plays solid rock n roll bass! I'd say the low points were when other musicians didn't work out and they left at the most inconvenient of times. We have played some big gigs (small festivals like Beautiful days and Crystal Palace bowl) which brought great reviews / interest and it just felt right. we know that big stage belongs to us and now there's a light at the end of that long tunnel.
RevelationZ Magazine recently did a studio report about you guys and reported about a new guy Richie Hudson, who recorded with you. What is the deal with Richie?
Well Richie is still kinda temporary. Kitty is his baby and he's really only having fun with us and helping us at the moment. If we broke big though . who knows!!?
Tell us about the up-coming Drugdealer Cheerleader single release.
It's out in July through Pebble Beach Records (distributed by Pinnacle). A song called I don't wanna go to school and a B-side of 'Try to be me'. The tunes sound amazing and I can't wait for people to hear them. You'll be able to buy them in Europe via download from itunes and lots of other sites but the actual CD is only on sale in the UK (so far!).
Drugdealer Cheerleader seems to have trouble with the bass player slot. What is the current situation on that?
Well when they made Liam they broke the mold.. this guy is perfect for Drugdealercheerleader - he's a monster.. Plays great bass too!
How is the writing process in the band?
Generally one or two of us will come up with an idea and we then jam through the basic song as a band. I write most of the lyrics and melodies these days but basically whoever comes up with the best line gets it. All our songs are credited to Drugdealercheerleader. Always have and always will be. We are a gang!
Can you share with us one or two of your favourite moments with the band?
mmmm tough question Michael. LoL I'd say one was when we played an encore and had stage invaders who lifted me off stage and was passed around the crowd while still singing the song - that felt great - loadsa love flowing through the entire room that night. Second was when we played The Beautiful Days festival supporting The Levellers - the crowd went nuts and we truly felt we'd made it that day. I did also pass out after drinking a bottle of JD tho.
Did you ever consider or try playing other styles of music than the one(s) you are playing now?
I've been in a pop type band and they told me I had to stand still.. That didn't last long! I was also in this heavy metal / Black Sabbath / Kyuss type band but the guys in that band weren't committed enough and although refreshing for me it just didn't feel right.
What brought you on the path to becoming a musician? Did you ever consider or take any other paths through life besides music?
Well I do have a degree in Medical Biochemistry. but that's not very rock n roll. Put it this way, if I failed with music I'm not dumb enough to be working in a burger bar!
Do you have any idols? If yes, who?
My personal idols are Freddie Mercury, Bruce Dickenson, Dave Lee Roth, Paul Draper (singer from Mansun) and Mick Jagger
Drugdealer Cheerleader has gone from being quite raw and punky to being a lot more polished. How would you describe the development/progress of your music?
I guess we just found our feet. The earlier stuff was less well written and just relient upon energy. The new stuff is energetic, catchy. People can get into it while at the same time we're not selling out. Our live shows are unrivalled!
Any songs you regret recording? If so, what made you regret it?
Not really, I think the path that we've trodden so far has been. erm. educational. Nothing we've done apart from Fireworks (Classic Rock mag free CD) has been distributed widely yet unless you count downloads. Releasing our single is like a clean slate.
Are there particular songs in your catalogue that the fans love but you've grown to hate over time?
We used to do a song called Secrets - windmill guitar parts et al. but to be honest we've now written better songs. it's tough but that had to go. we now have new fans favourites!
How important do you rate the lyrical side of your songs?
Well, put it this way, we're not out to save the world or anything but I do believe a set of lyrics should mean something to the listener, whether it be about going out partying to the stupidity of drug addiction. We've learnt a lot of lessons regarding lyrics over the past year too!
Can you describe a typical day in your life?
I do have a life outside the band at the moment which means I can pay the rent and do the stuff I need to do with the band. Hopefully that will change soon and I can do this full time. a typical day then would be to get up and go to work like any other poor sod out there, we rehearse in the evening (which is 1 hour drive away) for 3 hours and then I hit the sack. When I'm not rehearsing in the evening I can be found either practicing at home, working on our myspace or internet site, out partying or playing shows. Occasionally I have time to fart but not very often!
What's the craziest thing that has ever happened on a tour?
I wish I could defer that because I'm the one usually not involved in it. I'm either drinking or paying attention to a lovely lady at the time. Ringo has been known to shit in a piano though..
How is the London scene? Is it hard to get gigs?
London is the best place to live in the whole world (and I've traveled a bit) but that's because I know it so well. I know where to go and what's shit about it. The people who whine about London are the fuckers that go to the same bar or club every single week and won't try anything new. The 'scene' is a little stagnant since the scene people are set in their ways. Drugdealercheerleader have now broken away from that. We now play for real people who like us for our music and energy and not because we wear cool bandanas or shades.
It's not difficult to get gigs .. If you're good that is! You might have to do a couple of shitty shows to gain a reputation but it's not too bad after that..
What do you think is the best way to fight music piracy?
Why should we? There's certain levels of piracy. If someone is making money from your music by duplicating and selling your album then they need a hammer to their kneecaps but if it's someone sending an MOP3 or a link saying this band is cool - check out this cool song then I'm all up for it. If I really like the band I'm liable to buy the CD or download.
You're heading off to live on a deserted island for a couple of years with your portable entertainment system... Which albums, movies or books would you bring? (Max. 3 of each)
Music -
1. Attack of the Grey Lantern - Mansun
2. Rhandy Rhodes Tribute - Ozzy Osbourne
3. Live after Death - Iron Maiden
Movies -
An American Werewolf in London
Sin City
Spinal Tap
Books -
DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
Spanky - Christopher Fowler
Filth -Irvine Welsh
Can you tell us about any future plans for you and your band?
We'll be out on a month long tour of the UK to support the single in July then a couple of festival shows and who knows. maybe some European dates in the late Summer! After that we have a 2nd single coming out and hopefully an album.
Thanks for answering these questions. Hope to catch a Drugdealer Cheerleader gig very soon. Feel free to write a few lines to our readers if you wish.
All I'd really like to say to people reading this is make sure you join our mailing list / Myspace friends and buy the single in July - you can download it for 79p or something and then buy the CD. If 1000 people do this in the same week it will chart - now that would be interesting.. Drugdealercheerleader in the mainstream!!
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Written by Michael - 6/1/2006 |
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RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by bloodlust (Anonymous) - Monday, July 3, 2006 | bloodlust_gore@yahoo.com ......any muthafucker mail me...
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