>SAGE GUYTON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TS: How do you compare the two Lucky Stars CDs?
SG: Well, for starters, it was five years between the two recordings and with the exception of J.W. and myself, a different line-up of musicians on our first CD. The band you hear playing on our new CD is by no means a new band though, as we've been playing together, with the current line-up, for over four years.  I hope that in those years we've been able to hone our playing, writing and performing skills, but that's for the listeners to decide.  I think that on "Hollywood & Western" we were leaning a bit more towards an early '50s honkytonk sound, and that the "Stay Out Late..." CD has an earlier, Western Swing influence.  With the additon of different instruments (trumpet, vibes, and clarinet) on some songs, we were trying to present a wider range of moods.
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TS: Being from Louisiana I am surrounded by country music.  I'm always pushing you guys on big country music fans and you pass the test everytime. Have you ever thought about taking Nashville by storm?
SG: Nashwhere?
TS: What do you think of today's country music?
SG: Mainstream music is the same in every style, isn't it?  Of course there are a lot of extremely talented artisits working in that field, but most of the so-called country music that makes it to the radio is virtually unlistenable for me.  I'm not interested in bland, jingoistic power-pop and soft rock ballads with fiddles thrown in for "authenticity." Hopefully that will change, but considering the big money running the machine, I'm not holding my breath. In my opinion, "Hot New Country" is none of the above.  But I'm not jaded.
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By the time we finish our set, we have pierced kids with full tat sleeves asking for autographs!  Plus, I think most Ipecac fans are going to be more open minded and experimental when it comes to music they havn't been exposed to.  In most cases that challenge comes in the form of loud, angular, hard-edged music, but in our case it comes with fiddle and steel guitar.
TS: How is the new label compared to Ipecac?
SG: Well, the new label is really just us.  The Fate Records warehouse looks suspiciously like my bedroom.  It's me pawning furniture to get enough money to press a few thousand CDs, and JW doing all the artwork.  Our distribution is really just word of mouth, the internet (cdbaby.com!!),

TS: What's it like being a Western Swing band in Los Angles?
SG: We do feel appreciated here, and of course the history of this town, as far as Western Swing music is concerned, is pretty inspiring.  In it's heyday, it really was the center of action for many of the great bands.  At that time you could go out to any of a dozen nightclubs and hear amazing bands play this type of music until four in the morning.  And each of those clubs would be packed to the rafters with dancers.  It's not quite like that now, but we're working on it.
TS: How would you describe your fans?
SG: I'm happy to say that we have a really wide variety of fans; all ages, all types.  It's gratifying to look out from the bandstand and see someone who looks like my grandfather (wearing a sweater vest and polyester
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TS: What are some of the bands influences?
SG: Smokey Wood, Hank Penny, Tex Williams, Milton Brown, Moon Mullican, Pee Wee King, Cliff Bruner, Zeb Turner, Adolf Hofner, Ocie Stockard, Devo, Roy Hogsed, and of course, Bob Wills.  The usual list of suspects.
TS: How were you signed by Ipecac Records?
I was record shopping at a flea market when I ran into Buzz from Melvins.  I'd seen him at a few of our shows and was a fan of his band, so we started talking.  I told him that we had finished recording a CD and were looking for a label to put it out. He acted surprised, and told me that the label he was on (Ipecac) was looking for a country-type act.  Damn!  Good timing. I met Mike Patton, we hit it off, and he agreed to put out "Hollywood & Western."  It's an amazing label, and so incredibly diverse.  It felt great to be in that kind of company.
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a few record stores here and there and my parents making their friends buy CDs.
TS: What would you guys be doing if you weren't musicians?
SG: Dishes, or hard time.  Maybe both.

stretch slacks), and that everybody's enjoying it.  Even though we don't play rockabilly music, the rockabilly crowd has always been very supportive, and we owe a lot to them.  Since we were on the Ipecac label we've been able to make some converts there, as well.  Let's just call it a nice cross section of drinkers, dancers and general ne'er-do-wells.
TS: How well do you guys do in the South?
SG: We've never really played there, so I'm not sure.  Sadly, we don't get to travel much.  We've never even played in Texas!  I don't know whether to laugh or cry. We do get some airplay on smaller radio stations in the South, and we get CD orders, so I guess that's a start.  If anyone from "the South" is reading this interview, please book us.


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TS: What was it like playing shows with other Ipecac bands?
SG: We loved opening for Fantomas and Melvins!  Those were some of the greatest shows we ever played.  You have to picture, we come out in our cowboy hats and matching western shirts in front of a crowd of progressive-metal enthusiasts and disgruntled teens, and start playing upbeat, 1940's era dance music.  They look stunned.  They may be asking themselves, "Why is this band on Ipecac? Does Mike Patton really like this stuff?"  Then some drunk guy in the back starts heckling us.  To me, that's like a dream come true.  He says, "Hey asshole, where's your horse?"  To which I reply, "Tied to the gate in front of your Mom's house."  If the audience laughs, then they're on your side.

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