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Sunday, May 5, 2013

EXCLUSIVE! Guantanamo Baywatch INTV!

With a name like Guantanamo Baywatch it is hard to not want to laugh or simply become intrigued as to what this band would sound like. The Portland trio are a bunch of fun and frivolous musicians that present their humor and energy in their songs. Much like some of their contemporaries -- Reptar, Yawn, and Foxygen, Guantanamo Baywatch can still make serious music without taking themselves seriously. Take a look at our interview with guitarist Jason Powell and get an inside look as to how much fun this band really is.

Everything surrounding this band, from your music to image, even down to your website displays that you guys are having so much fun doing what you are doing. Are you? What has this been like?


Yeah, its super fun. It kinda costs too much time and money and effort to do if it wasn't fun. There's not enough people who like our band to make it worth doing for any other reason than fun either. We get to play music we actually like and travel around the country partying with weird kids. Its rad.

Who came up with the name?

I came up with it when he was drunk at Yurs. That’s how most crappy band names are made I guess. Probably could have thought of something not so retarded, but its too late now.

How did the band come together?

Chevy and I went to school together and i had these songs that I wrote in high school and collage, and I knew that she liked surf music too, so we started this band and I taught her how to play bass. There was another guitar player and drummer, and then after a few drummers we tricked Chris who was our bud from another pdx band called BOOM! into playing drums temporarily. Couple years later Chris is still ripping in GBW.

Who or what has influenced this band?

Musically, mostly honky tonk, surf, rock n roll, 50s-60s pop (in order of what jumped to mind first): Johnny Burnette, The Atlantics, George Jones, the Deadly Ones, Johnny Horton,  the Original Surfaris, Ricky Nelson, Lefty Frizzell, the Ventures, Man or Astro Man?, Hank Snow, Bo Diddley, the Trashwomen, Ray Price, Ghastly Ones, Los Straight Jackets, the Cormans, Shannon and the Clams, Nobunny, Elvis, Shadowy Men from a Shadowy Planet, the Mummies, the Chuckle Berries, Charlie Fethers, Dwight Yoakam, Hank Williams, Buck Owens, Annette, the Crew cCats,  Wanda Jackson, Conway Twiddy, Bobby Vee.....I mean, it just goes on. ive probably not even included my favorite bands or people

Forming in 2008, you are now gaining the most attention now, what took so long?

Actually, I think we started early 2009. I don’t know, 3 or 4 years seems pretty quick to me. I mean, the spits have been around for like 100 years. we're also not that well known.  I guess some bands might have like a hit song or a video or something, and people shit their pants about it. play two shows and are the best new band in Portland in the Willamte week or whatever. In the end it just doesn't even matter because we'd be doing the same stuff if we were getting recognition or not. 

Hailing from Portland, how has the city influenced you?

Makes me want to move.

What are your favorite things about Portland?

um....no tax?

This band seems to make its own rules and could care less about what anyone thinks. Do you take what you do seriously?

We get that question a lot. We got terrible jobs so we can get time off to tour whenever. I haven’t made a payment on my student loans in over two years and have dog the bounty hunter calling me a million times a day because of they're all defaulted, and then go spend all our cash on gas and shitty vans that we drive into the ground just to go play dumb music. I mean its retarded. Basically everything in our lives is set up so we can play in this crappy band. So yes, I guess we take it seriously.

If you were a Baywatch character, who would you be?

The one with the big tits.