John: Gimmie the lowdown on the band - how you got started, who does what, and all that good stuff.
Durel: We got started in late `96. Danny and I have been playing in bands since we were like 16 years old and have always been looking for a killer drummer. We jammed with Andy one night just for fun and the rest is history. Andy was so young when we started; we had to sneak him into the clubs to play gigs. I play guitar and sing, Danny plays bas and sings, and Andy beats the shit out of the drums.
John: Last time we spoke with you guys, Powtin� on the Outside was just released. Fast forward several months and there�s an article on Blabbermouth announcing that it�s been released again. What happened?
Durel: Well, it really never got a proper release the first time around. There was no �release date� and no press announcing its release. The only press we had was me posting shit on the internet. Then a few months later, the label hired Fly P.R. to work press for it.
John: Of all the songs on Powtin`, I think �Cities of the Dead� is easily the best of the lot. How`d that song come about?
Durel: Most of the songs I write come from me screwing around on an acoustic guitar. I was playing the open E string steady with my thumb and playing those little licks at the same time. At practice I told Danny to keep a steady rhythm in E while I played the �southern� licks. Then we robbed an old song we used to play in the `90�s (fuck, I feel old) in the pretty, Firehose sounding part, and we all collaborated on the heavy middle part. Danny wrote the real slow heavy part. The old cemeteries in New Orleans are called �Cities of the Dead� so that�s where the title came from.
John: How�d the recording go with Pepper? And how did you hook up with him?
Durel: The owner of the label is good friends with Pepper and thought it would be a cool idea to get him to produce this one. We�ve been seeing his bands since the beginning of his career in New Orleans, so we were all familiar with his work and knew him from around town. He really got into it; he�d come to practices and take notes and go to our shows to get a feel for the music. I�d be lying to you if I were to say it was all fun and games in the studio. We butted heads a lot and the atmosphere got pretty intense at times, but he had some killer ideas. It was hard to let somebody else have their input on our songs. Some of my favorite shit on that record was his ideas, so in the end, we were all happy with it.
John: You gonna work with him again on the next Suplecs album?
Durel: I don�t know.
John: So how badly did Hurricane Katrina affect you guys?
Durel: It affected everyone in and around the Gulf Coast one way or another. Danny got like eight feet of water in his house. He�s living in a FEMA trailer outside of his gutted house. He lost everything except his bass and amp. My grandma lost everything. Each of us has dealt with really fucked up shit because of the storm.
John: Were you in Louisiana when the storm hit? And how soon after were you able to get back to your homes and practice space?
Durel: No, we were all smart and evacuated. I went to College Station, Texas for a few days, then Tucson. I went back a couple of weeks after the storm and took back roads into the city. It was like a different country. Right at the Parish line, dividing the two cities, you can smell this horrible stank coming from the New Orleans side. I couldn�t believe it was the same city. There were boats on the interstate and destruction for as far as you can see. My neighborhood didn�t look the same because most of the trees and big branches were all over the street. I had to get a saw to clear out my driveway. Danny�s neighborhood is still destroyed. It was underwater for weeks. I was able to get into our practice space and the door was kicked in by the army. They were looking for �thugs� or stranded people. Thank God nobody stole anything. We used to practice in a building where tons of Nola bands rehearse. On any given night you could hear the Neville Brothers to Soilent Green.
John: As a native of the area, what are your thoughts on the government�s response, both at a state and federal level?
Durel: Well, for me personally, the government did what it was suppose to do before the storm. The Governor and Mayor told us to get the fuck out, so we did! I guess you have to be from New Orleans to really know what goes on down here. A lot of those people had a chance to get out but chose to stay. There are tons of poor people in the city but you can�t rely on the government for everything. You gotta have some kind of survival instinct. Everyone that is from here wasn�t shocked at all at what went down after the storm. The looting, murders, rapes, and total fucking destruction of other people�s property were just disgusting. I saw first hand all of the cars and businesses that were vandalized for no reason. And I know many law enforcement and firemen that had to deal with these assholes. They even shit in cars for the hell of it and shot at firemen. I guess I�m not too sympathetic for some people who stayed but I understand why some did (old age, pets).
As far as the response, I don�t understand how news crews and Sean Penn could get into the city but FEMA couldn�t. How could Fox news send Geraldo, but FEMA couldn�t bring food and water?
John: What would you like to have seen done differently?
Durel: The National Guard and Special Forces should have been sent in immediately after the storm.
John: And what about the overall response? The music scene in LA seems to be very tight; I�m sure the bands and people involved in the music scene have stuck together throughout this.
Durel: Yeah, we�ve tried to. Some of us are still scattered around the country. Our first show after the hurricane was killer. Everyone was still evacuated and came back home for the show. It was a good feeling to see everyone again.
John: And how�s the recovery and rebuilding of the city going?
Durel: Parts of the city are moving along pretty well and other parts haven�t really been touched. The French Quarter is back to normal, but it didn�t flood. I was basing the recovery on how many street lights were back up. It�s definitely getting better but it�s hard for people to move back. Because of supply and demand, the rent prices for the city are close to California�s.
John: Let`s talk about this upcoming tour. Where you headed and for how long?
Durel: We start in Texas on Sept 8 and end in Little Rock on the 30th. We�re finally going back to the west coast. Playing throughout California and up the west coast and some Midwest. A bunch of bands did a benefit show for us in LA, and we really appreciated it. It kinda got us off our asses. We�ve been writing a lot of songs, and we plan on doing more touring in the future.
John: Ok, this was a somewhat depressing interview. Tell us something uplifting, or at least a good dirty joke.
Durel: A chick told me recently that she�s gonna �jam out with her clam out.� I thought that was funny.
