Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr14/lolla_95.zip/BOSSTONE.TXT

Text File | 1995-04-24 | 6KB | 85 lines

                        THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES
(A Biography)

     Following the success of their Mercury debut, Don't Know How To Party,
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have completed their fourth album, Question The
Answers. Expanding on their unrestrained sound, a mix of soulful ska
rhythms and heavy punk melodies, this album hones their barbed wire cry
into songs that are meaningful as well as manic.

     Recorded over a three month period, the Bosstones enlisted the
services of three different producers. Philadelphia's Butcher Brothers, who
list among their credits Urge Overkill, Cypress Hill and Aerosmith, worked
with the band on several tracks, as did Boston's Paul Kolderie. Aside from
his work with The Pixies, Hole and Radiohead, Kolderie produced the first
two Mighty Mighty Bosstones albums for Boston's Taang Records. Ross
Humphrey produced the band's remake of their own song, "Dogs and
Chaplains." In addition to studio work, Ross was supervisor of live
broadcasts with the Westwood One Radio Network, and is currently The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones live sound man.

     Born of the hardcore/punk rock scene in Boston, The Mighty Mighty
Bosstones played their first out of town gig on the eve of the Persian Gulf
War. Known for the intensity and spontaneity of their live shows, the band
has been on a relentless tour of North America and Europe. Aside from a
string of sold out club and theater dates, they spent part of last year as
support act on tours with Fishbone and Stone Temple Pilots. The year
culminated when they opened for their home town heroes, Aerosmith, on New
Years Eve at the Boston Garden. They also took time out briefly to record
"Detroit Rock City" for the KISS tribute album, Kiss My Ass.

     In keeping with the theme of Question The Answers, The Bosstones were
put on the spot to answer some questions themselves. Timothy Burton
(saxophone) Q. How did the band record the new album? A. We tried a lot of
techniques that were new to us. It was really Paul's (Kolderie) idea.
Usually you take this militaristic approach where you hunker down in a
studio and knock out an album in one session. No matter what you do, you
are going to be at your most creative, energetic and spontaneous early in
the session. On this album we broke it up. We recorded a few songs at a
time, in different studios, working with different producers. It was an
attempt to give the album texture. Q. How would you describe The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones? A. Ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things with
a limited budget and questionable talent. Nate Albert (guitar) Q. Who are
your favorite musicians? A. Motorhead, Madness, Marley and Metallica. And
that's just the M's. Q. What's the biggest problem facing the world? A.
Probably the nuclear stockpiles in Eastern Europe. No one is watching that
stuff. I swear to God, that is going to be a disaster. There's all these
underpaid scientists and fragmented military factions who can supply
counties and groups that in the past had no access to nuclear capability.
That and the rise of nationalist and fascist ideals everywhere. Joe
Gittleman (bass) Q. How do you write songs? A. Reluctantly. I play around
with my guitar during commercial breaks. Q. What kind of person do you
respect? A. People who are true to themselves and maintain their integrity
through adversity. Either that or snappy dressers. Dennis Brockenborough
(trombone) Q. Do The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have a message? A. I think we
have a message of harmony, tolerance and compassion among all people. There
should be no boundaries between people. We try to reflect that attitude by
breaking down musical barriers. We like to mix all types of music together,
like mixing older ska sounds with newer rock sounds. We basically play
whatever we want. At our live shows, we try to break down the wall between
us and the audience. Q. What city has the best food? A. New Orleans is
definitely one of my favorites. Joe Sirois (drums) Q. What music
publications do you like? A. I like Thrasher, though it's not really music.
I like Bikini too, but that's really not music either. They've both got all
the hip fashion and girls with mad flavor. Q. What do you scream in the
middle of the night as you wake up in a colds sweat, half drunk, being
flipped out of your bunk as the driver nods off at the wheel? A. I scream,
"What the fuck...what the fuck?!" Kevin Linear (saxophone) Q. Who is your
biggest non-musical influence? A. The inspiration for all that we do is the
people we meet. All the people we meet from tour to tour, album to album
definitely influence what we write. Q. What's your daily routine to keep in
shape? A. A light breakfast, a sensible dinner, and a twelve pack of beer.
Ben Carr (Bosstone) Q. What's your favorite kind of venue to play? A. A big
nightclub or ballroom with a decent stage so the audience can participate
and everyone can do their thing. We try to create an atmosphere where
everyone feels welcome. At its best, you get a cool mix of people that kind
of looks like the apocalypse prom. Q. What's the worst thing about touring?
A. Never being in a town long enough to get to know it and the people.
Dicky Barrett (vocals) Q. How do you write songs? A. There's no formula to
Bosstones songwriting. There is no blue print to how I write lyrics. We've
always had an everything-including-the-kitchen-sink attitude. Good ideas
and good songs come from taking a million different approaches. That's how
we wrote Question The Answers. Q. What does the album title mean to you? A.
It means you should probably question the answers, including the ones we're
giving to you now.