Let’s get this weekend started with some gagrepunk coolness from The Thingz. I’m getting ready to write another post that feeds off of my history of 50thirdand3rd piece from last week. I’m going to explore and elaborate a little on what I see as our mission going forward. Key to that is bringing you the best of what’s going on right now , today in the music that we all love. Sure we could all put up more from The Dirtbombs, more from Billy Childish more from Holly Golighty and we probably will. What has to go along with that can be found in bands like The Thingz. Listen to this new album, this is good stuff. A bit of a punk edge , I dig the music , The Thingz are a tight band, with a distinctive sound , that’s not an easy thing to pull off. Give them a listen this weekend and discover another cool new band so the next time someone tells you there isn’t any cool new music , have them sit down and give a listen to The Thingz.
Let’s Get To Know – The Thingz
The Thingz – ‘Vault of Tomorrow’ LP
From out of the swamps of imagination and to the farthest reaches of their animated universe, the Thingz travel through space and time and return with eleven slabs of garage punk rock n roll trash infected and inflected with alien mold spores, silicon-based life, soul-less automatons, misunderstood TB victims, disaffected cyborgs, cksters and fog-shrouded charlatans, insect-human hybrids, ghosts of Stalingrad, poor fashion choices and nocturnal ramblings!
Recorded and mixed by Eric Big Arm at Big Arm Recordings in Los Angeles, CA.
Mastered by Steve Corrao at Sage Audio in Nashville,
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you can you give us a little of your back history?
· Kim said she wanted to start a garage band, so we wrote some songs and played them. That’s how it’s been ever since, solid line-up for over a decade; hale and hearty and travelling on.
Who would you list as your musical influence?
· Basic stuff: Rolling Stones, Bo Diddley, Sonics, the Drags, Billy Childish and other Hangman stuff; 70s punk and power pop; Rip Off Records; older blues and country; stuff you might not expect like Pink Floyd, Blue Oyster Cult and Iron Maiden; anyone who knows how perform live rather than simply rehearse for an audience.
What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you since you started up?
· Instead of a single incident, I would say that I’m pleasantly surprised when the unexpected happens; meeting people and making new friends and having fun make it worth doing.
What are your hopes and dreams as a musician for the next few years?
· Write and record more songs, release more records, play more shows. Make it out of town more often, make it out of the country again.
What are some of your favorite albums from the past few years?
· Gino and the Goons – ‘Shake It’; Baby Shakes – ‘Starry Eyes’; Gooch Palms – ‘Novos’; Giorgio Murderer – ‘Holographic Vietnam War’; DD Owens LP; Bloodshot Bill – ‘Shook Shake’; Bamboo Kids – ‘Safe City Blues’; Hey Lover – ‘Sinking Ships’; Holly Golightly – ‘Slowtown Now’; Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds – ‘Arana Es La Vida’; Back From the Grave vol. 9 and 10;
Do you see any real use for social media, or is it all just a pain in the ass to keep with?
· It’s necessary, but it’s not a substitute for getting the band out there in the real world. It makes it easy to put your music for the whole world to see and hear, but it cannot command attention in and of itself. There has to be a ‘There’ behind the digital façade.
Do you pay attention to reviews or comments from people about your music or do you just turn that noise off?
· I think we all appreciate it if somehow lets us know they like us. If someone doesn’t dig what we’re doing, that really doesn’t bother me personally. Lord knows there are a great many things I don’t dig, it’s all subjective anyway.
If you could tour anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?
· Anywhere any one wants us, buy us plane tickets and we’re there! France, Mexico, South America, Japan, UK . . .
Can music save the mortal soul or is just a good backbeat to your life?
· Music can save your life, or it can be aural wallpaper at work. And it can be anything in between. There’s an undefinable alchemy that happens when music and people are in the same room.
Any last thoughts for your fans?
· If you like someone’s music, support them and buy it if you can afford to do so. Then go start your own band.
