You went from being in the band Pearl Harbor and now doing Puro Instinct, how did the change come about?
We're still the same guys,
man. Still puffing them leafz, still not loving police..
Being
from LA does the city have an influence on your sound and style?
I think it might. I got back from a tour of Europe and Japan and I didn't really realize how much
of a Bev Hillbilly I was until I left. I would say that if there's an era of
L.A. that sort of infiltrates our vibe, it's probably like 1987-1993.. lots of
dayglo goths, pastel punks and G'N'R cronies cruisin Hollywood, where we grew
up. I was living in the thick of it, and I think all the people and music I
encountered influenced me a lot at that age..
Since you
are both sisters, does sibling rivalry get in the way of working sometimes?
Nope.. I'm pretty sure I'm
too old to trifle with that sort of thing.
We have
seen many bands work with their siblings then fall apart – Oasis, Black Crows,
Spacehog. Does this ever worry you that maybe the statistics are pretty high
for you to fall apart? Or does it not even matter and you just keep plugging
along?
The statistics are pretty much always in favor of
us falling apart. That's part of the thrill of being in this band! Who's
Spacehog?
You were
one of the break out bands from SXSW last year, what was that experience like?
I imagine that it's similar
to what it'd be like to play your first show over and over again (crappy sound,
weird venue), sometimes up to 20 times a day, except in Austin, and with more
drunks and journo's in the audience.
There is
something very special and unique about your sound, who are some of your
influences?
Thanks! We love China
Crisis, Rah Band, Al Diamond, Kino.. buncha stuff..
Your
debut, Headbangers in Ecstasy has gotten much praise and has people talking
about you. The album serves up all your passion and love, what is it like to
have all of this be respected and honored after working so hard on it?
Really? I don't know that
it's happened quite like that, but I appreciate the possibility of playing
these songs to whoever wants to hear them, you know? It's a special thing to be
able to tour and share your ideas with people from around the world, and I
really hope to be lucky enough to keep visiting these places and people with
new stuff.
What was
it like working on your debut?
It was a blast. Kenny's a
dream to work with. He's got a great ear and he's a wiz in the studio, which
made my job pretty much as easy as it gets. Got to putz around with a lot of
Kenny's gear which I'm looking forward to doing again sometime soon..
How did
the title of the album come about?
I probably had an epiphany
watching Total Recall or something
The album is out on
Mexican Summer, how did you link up with them?
My friend Matty tipped 'em off about
Pearl Harbor and Keith from Mexican Summer hit me up to see if we'd like to
release an EP with 'em. We were stoked.
You worked with Ariel Pink, what was that experience
like?
It was great. He's like a brother to
me, so it's pretty casual you know? Just plug in some keyboards and hammer away
Were do you you see
this band in a year, especially after the 2011 you had?
Who knows? We're working on
another record, and beyond that it's anybody's game.
What has been the best
thing about being in this band thus far?
Playing Tokyo! If we ever go to Moscow,
it'll probably be a tie...