The 50thirdand3rd Interview With - Boss Hog

1. Speaking for all of us here at 50thirdand3rd, I have to say it’s a honor to be asking you a few questions. We have been super fans for years and back when we were playing DJ’s on BlipFm all of us played Boss Hog. That being said , you have been together for a few years , how did you meet , and once you got going as a band what were those early gigs at CBGB’s like from your perspective?

answers are from Cristina Martinez.
Hello Fitty-thirders!
Thanks for your continuing support.
We’ve been laying low for quite a while so it’s nice to be welcomed back to the community so warmly.

Jon and I met in DC when he and Julie Cafritz dropped out of Brown to live the glamorous life of punk rockers. We were drifters all, so we headed to the center of the world to find fame and fortune like so many lost souls before us. New York City!
We drove up in Julie’s Rabbit late one night to get the Voice as it hit the streets early in the AM. (That’s the way you found an apartment back then, before the internet.) On our way to look at a listing on Mott off Bleeker we pulled over to ask directions and 3 noisy kids our age offered to show us the way. It turned out to be the Beastie Boys. We had found our home.
If that wasn’t enough of an omen we soon discovered CBGB’s was right around the corner! I spent many hours on that sidewalk. Slipped through the loose fence in the back to sneak in the club when we couldn’t talk our way in the front.
It seemed like I knew all the bands that played then.
Louise offered us a spot one night and we took it as Boss Hog. Snap decision. Other wise we might have been called “The Undateables”

2. I could name a dozen great bands that have been influenced by Boss Hog. Who are some of the bands that have influenced you.

When I met Jon it was over a discussion about a newly released Foetus record. We both liked Swans, too. So NYC called.
The Birthday Party. The Fall. The Stooges of course.
My Cuban father was enamored of early rock n roll so I grew up listening to Bill Haley and Elvis.
On the radio in DC I had a steady stream of funk and go-go. I loved Prince.
I think if you put all that together in a blender and whip it real good you get Boss Hog.

3. What are some of the projects that you all have been working on besides Jon’s bands during these years in between recording and touring as Boss Hog?

Gave birth to a boy. I raised a pretty kick ass kid I think. (You’re welcome world!)

4. When you set out to record Brood Star did you have ideas in the works for the new songs or were the new tracks spontaneous?

Brood Star emerged from the deep within the fertile soil of our psyches. Nature always wins.

5. The energy level on the new EP is off the charts, when will the album be finished and is the album an extension of the EP?

The plan is to release the album in early 2017. The EP was the a “pre-mix” record. The arrangements on the LP will be a little more true to the live experience.

6. Where was the craziest gig you ever played and what made it the one performance that you will never forget ?

We played a show in Montana once behind chicken wire. We were the only live entertainment for hundreds of miles and probably as many days. That was a hungry crowd.

7. what was it like to appear in the movie “Joe’s Apartment ” and how did that come about ?

Ha! One of the doormen in my building used to call me out on this all the time.
John Payson, the Joe’s Apartment writer & director, was from the same New Hampshire town as Jon, he asked, and we had never done a movie so, Bob’s your uncle.
Salt n Pepa, Moby and Boss Hog all up in da club. Naturally.

8. You just finished a tour, what were the audiences like compared to your last time on the road ?

Fans seem to be digging it. I think the more noticeable change is in our relationship with the audience. We are older, wiser, more seasoned performers. More relaxed as people and as a band so the entire experience is more exuberant and loose.
I used “more” 3 times, so I guess that’s the answer.

9. How much fun are you having as a band being able to turn new kids on to the sounds of Boss Hog?

I am not really aware of that so much. But I like the idea.

10. If you had the chance to do it all over again is there anything you would want to to a little different?

I would choose a different band name.

11. will there be more touring ?

Absolutely.

12. Thanks for talking to us here at 50thirdand3rd, we totally dig the shit out of Brood Star , any last words for your fans?

Thank you.
Never Give Up! Never Surrender! (OK. I stole that from Galaxy Quest, but I think it’s appropriate.)