Friday, November 11, 2011

Pheaturing Alumni The Whiskey Saints

Hello, and welcome to the Peverett Phile on 11/11/11. And yeah, I get "Skyrim" comes out today. Also Immortals comes out in theatres, but guess what. It's also Veteran's Day. Please don't let your excitement of video games overshadow the more important things. Yeah, it's 11/11/11, or as they say in England: 11/11/11. FEMA will run a 30-second test of the emergency alert system. It’s designed to inform people who may not be aware of an emergency. You know, like FEMA. A man here in Florida was busted for stealing a cardboard cutout of Justin Bieber from a record store. Yeah, he’s facing a pretty severe punishment: His friends finding that out. Actually, I am more worried my wife will find out. I gotta do something as my wife is recovering. LOL. A man in Connecticut claims that he won last week’s $254 million Powerball, but lost the ticket. I know how he feels. The other day I lost a comic book... so annoying! That’s right, a man says he lost his winning Powerball ticket. Or as that guy’s dry cleaner put it, “I didn't find it anywhere. And I checked my new beach house, my new private jet, and my hovercraft.” People are still talking about that asteroid that almost hit Earth. They say that if this asteroid had hit New York City, it would have caused a crater, but it still would not be the largest pothole in Manhattan. Herman Cain says he will not quit. He is going to stay in the race. You know what that means? He'll be gone in a week. Microsoft is teaming up with and AOL to sell Internet ads. I was so excited when I heard that, I immediately call my friend who lives in the '90s. This week a deer jumped through the window of a taco restaurant in Georgia. Or as Taco Bell put it, “Hey, sometimes the ingredients just deliver themselves.” Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were spotted arriving in Japan with all six of their children. And today, they were spotted leaving Japan with all 12 of their children. I was thinking, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and AOL. That sounds like the tech version of a “Celebrity Rehab” cast. So, did you hear about ad with child actress Dakota Fanning has been banned? I have it here on the Phile if you haven't seen it. This is 100% real. 

Well, there's this guy living somewhere who would love this picture. This is 100% real as well.

That's gonna be me in ten years with Kelly Clarkson pictures. Well, as I said it's Veteran's Day, and I am glad there is a Veteran's Day inspirational poster.

So, I am wearing my UK t-shirt and I was thinking, I love the UK cheerleaders. Look at this.

Go Cats! Well, as I mentioned the movie Immortals comes out today, and I was confused by the ad for the movie.

And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is another...

Top Ten Signs The Earth's Population Is Getting Too Large
10. Took a number at the deli -- it was 10,596.
9. New York City's rat-to-human ratio drops to a record low 100-to-1. 
8. The fastest form of transportation is crowd surfing. 
7. Omaha is now a suburb of Chicago.
6. Just rolled out of bed and landed on a family from Bangladesh. 
5. You think you've finally found that one in a million girl only to discover that there are 3.5 million more just like her.
4. A company that makes blankets with arms has enough clients to continue to advertise blankets with arms. 
3. Herman Cain had to add an extra 9 to the 9-9-9 plan. 
2. The sewers are flooded with fleeing dictators. 
And the number one sign the Earth's population is getting too large...
1. Finally enough people to see a Magic game. 



This is cool, kids. Today's guests were last on the Phile June 6th this year, and before that April 24th, 2009. They have a new video and single out from their latest album "24 Hours" called "Green Light". Please welcome back to my Phile my good friends Jeff Bell, David Bloomfield, Rob Hughes and David Sparrow from one of my favorite bands... The Whiskey Saints.

Me: Hello, Saints, welcome back to the Phile. How have you been?


Jeff: Hot and wet, thanks for asking.

David S: We’ve been good. It’s nice to chat with you again.

Me: You know, this is the third time you've been here. You are tied with Tish Meeks from 3 Kisses. Anyway, I wanted you to be back to talk about your new video endeavor. Your latest video is from the band's latest album "24 Hours" called "Green Light". Who came up with the concept for the video?

David B: The concept was actually a joint effort between the entire band. We were throwing the idea around of making a weird, silly short film based on the work of our favorite cult director a few years ago, and the idea kept getting thrown around and developed by various band members, but it never really happened. Recently, we decided after a night of drinking beer and hanging out that we were going to take a shot at making our own music video, and the two random ideas sort of merged together to create "Green Light."

David S: Like David B. said we all had a hand in creating the concept. I think it really all started around the line “Get in the car Jeffrey.” That and the fact that David B. and Rob and I had a movie night and watched the movie Mulholland Drive that led to some inspiration.

Rob: The rare Peverett Phile hat trick! Shit, we're honored! Thanks for having us back.

Me: I watched it on Youtube and I have to admit the pig mask scared me, David. Who got to wear it?

Jeff: In a way, all of us wear the Pigman mask. He is in effect an extension of us.

David S: I had the honor of wearing the Pigman mask. I think I was made for the role.

David B: I tried out for the part of Pigman, but didn't have the acting chops, so I ended up as "Cocoon Man," that strange fellow hanging out in the trunk of the car.

Me: Did you see the comment on Youtube that said, "You should have a warning at the beginning of the video that reads: Before watching this video, please make sure you're high on crack." I laughed at that comment, what did you think?

Jeff: It's funny because it's mostly true.

David B: It may appear that we were high on something when we wrote up the concept for this video, but completely untrue, unless we had a gas leak in the house or something. I would imagine this video to be quite a ride on drugs though.

David S: It definitely has that surreal element to it. All the desert footage kind of throws out that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas vibe and you know Hunter S. Thompson was a fan of indulging in mind altering substances.

Me: Where was the video filmed? I am guessing just outside Los Angeles. You're still based there, right?

Jeff: Yes, 2 hours outside of Los Angeles in a very desolate area. In the six hours we shot there, only ONE car passed by us!

Rob: Yeah, and that car had some pretty questionable characters in it. It's unnerving to shoot a concept video and have the folks from The Hills Have Eyes pass you in their pick-up.

David B: As a warning to all aspiring filmmakers who want to shoot in the Mojave Desert, don't be a turkey, bring cold water. May seem like common sense, but when you're focused solely on your project, basic survival can sometimes be an afterthought.

David S: We shot the majority of the footage in Palmdale, CA. I like to refer to it as “purgatory.”

Me: For new readers tell them who is in the band, David, and what you guys play. Are you guys working on your third album yet?

David B: David Sparrow aka "Pigman" is our frontman, I play the guitar, Jeff Bell aka "Jeffrey" is the guy who bangs on the drums, and Mr. Robert Hughes aka "The Chauffeur" is our bassist.

Jeff: Even though we released "24 Hours" in June, we are looking ahead to get into the studio and record new material.

David S: We definitely have enough tunes for an EP at this point. I imagine there will be some new stuff to listen to early next year if all goes according to plan.

Me: Great. Anyway, back to the video, how did Jeff get to be the star of the video?

Jeff: There are a few references to David Lynch in there. If you've seen some of his movies, you may be able to figure out why "Jeffrey" is the main character...

David B: When else is the drummer in a band the star of a music video, except for maybe Phil Collins? Plus, Jeff totally nailed the role.

David S: We’ve always referred to Jeff as “the voice of reason” within the band. It was funny to have him be the star of a video that totally goes against that image.

Rob: Honestly, he just bitched and moaned about how little face time he's been getting recently. We caved.

Q: At least he's not doing anything illegal driving like the last video. Are you guys gonna be making your own videos from now on?

Jeff: That is the plan. Also, don't be surprised if you see more of Death and Pigman in other videos. They have more stories to be told.

David S: Yes, and we’re already developing concepts for some of the other songs on “24 Hours.” It’s really rewarding to write and direct your own video. We didn’t have to rely on anyone else to get the job done (with the exception of some underwater GoPro camera work by Dan Mercaldi, who directed our “Before My Time” video). It really doesn’t hurt that you don’t need a huge budget if you’re doing it yourself either.

Me: What about videos from other bands?

David B: I think if other bands are looking for some fine actors for their next music video, they should definitely give us a call, if Martin Scorsese doesn't hire us first.

Rob: We've been kicking around some ideas for video collaborations. Details to come.

Me: Who directed the video, David?

David B: I got to sit in the director's chair this time around, but already passed the torch to someone else for the next one. The chair wasn't that comfy anyway, and I didn't even get a complimentary deli tray during the shoot, lame.

Me: You wrote "Green Light" when you were on a balcony, about to jump off or something, right? LOL. What was the story again?

David B: It probably crossed my mind once or twice while working at my prior office job, hah. But yeah, I used to stare at this oddly placed green light visible from the balcony at my old apartment, and I imagined that it somehow called to me to get going, somewhere, anywhere but where I was at that point in my life. I think we've all been victims of inactivity, self-loathing, circumstantial depression, but it's all about just snapping out of it and moving forward where life might take you, letting go of the bullshit in your past and greeting whatever comes your way. The song sort of hints at that.

Me: What's the next video gonna be?

Jeff: We're a bit tight lipped on that one, but rest assured... the next one is in the works as we speak!

Me: I didn't ask you about some songs on "24 Hours" the last time you were here, so I will ask you now. There's one song called "Karianne", who is that song about? It's an unusual name.

David B: I refuse to mention anyone by name, but as I've explained to my bandmates, the name "Karianne" is actually a combination of several very different but amazing girls that I've known in my life as a friend or more than a friend. Hmm, hopefully that doesn't give too much away, not sure if they'd be flattered or insulted by the connection. It's definitely a bittersweet tune. I will say that the words were heavily inspired by one in particular after spending a crazy, substance-induced evening where she definitely lacked "control." Still, it was a fun night.

Me: And "Flight 1277", there has to be a good reason behind that song title. Am I right?

David B: I went to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. It's sort of an odd place for the holidays, but I had family living there and I'm also a bit of a lush. The thing about Vegas is that no matter how messed up and broke you are by the end of the weekend, there are people who are worse off than you. The airport is a great place to witness this phenomenon. I was waiting for my flight and watched this girl try to board a plane to San Francisco. She was a cute hipster chick but openly wasted drunk, and they had to inform her several times that her pass was for flight 1277, which was my flight heading back to LA. I ended up running into her at the airport bar later on because of a delay and we had a drink, chatted it up. Man, I was into her but she kept going on and on about how awful her weekend was. She was a mess. I haven't talked to her since.

Me: Thanks again for being back on the Phile, and I am looking forward to the next album and a live album. What do you think? I think a live album would be amazing from you guys.

David B: Thanks, we like to think that we step it up a tad for our live performances to the point of risking injury. That's just part of the job though, right? We have some great shows like The Casbah in San Diego coming up soon, so maybe we'll get lucky and capture a quality recording from one of them.

David S: We are looking forward to getting some new tunes out there as well. It would be great to get a live album out there too. I think it’s just a matter of finding the right venue in which to record it.

Me: Go ahead and plug your website and where can readers see the video?

David S: We’ve just updated thewhiskeysaints.com so you can listen to all of the songs from “24 Hours” on the discography page. “Green Light” can be viewed here: youtube.com/watch?v=axY3XkllPP4.

Me: Thanks again, and tell the other guys I said hello. Come back again soon, you guys are one of my all time favorite bands. We'll talk about other bands the next time you are here. All the best.

David B: Sounds great, it's always a pleasure to be here!

David S: Thanks for having us again!




There you go, kids. Thanks to the guys from The Whiskey Saints once again. Well, the Phile will be back tomorrow with Alumni Charlotte Sometimes. There won't be an entry on Sunday as I will be at the music festival Orlando Calling. But on Monday it's Scott H. Biram. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.





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