Dead Moon’s tunes were like the soundtrack to my 20s. They didn’t just shape my taste in music; they were the embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll culture for me. Dead Moon wasn’t just a band; they were the real deal, both on and off the stage. They lived and breathed rock ‘n’ roll, setting the bar for what it means to be authentic in this scene.
And here’s the scoop on an interview that’s as legendary as the band itself. Originally featured in Rumble Skunk, this up-close-and-personal chat with Dead Moon was all thanks to Spiros Pelekis, who caught them just before they rocked out in Patras in April 2004. For the first time outside Greece, we’re flipping the script into English, bringing this epic dialogue to a worldwide audience through Get That Beat webzine. Hats off to Spiros for this killer opportunity.
“I don’t think Dead Moon requires any special introduction, as their love for rock’n’roll over the years, combined with their simplicity, has remained steady and unchanged. My acquaintance with them has left me with the best impressions of their ‘philosophy’ and the attitude of an authentic rock’n’roll band—amazing guys. Their new album ‘Dead Ahead’ was released on the Music Maniac label and Tombstone, which prompted their tour in Europe, and naturally, they made sure to include Greece. One pleasant afternoon before the live show, I met Andrew at the Stage Club in Patras. Later on, Fred and Toody arrived, along with a New Zealander roadie named Poodle. We drank some beers, smoked countless cigarettes, and had a great chat.”
“I’m aware that Dead Moon has performed several live shows at various clubs in the USA over the last month. What are your thoughts on these performances, and which bands have you shared the stage with?”
Toody: “We haven’t started our tour in the USA yet, but we plan to kick off in September or October, following our European tour. However, over the past month, we have performed some concerts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and in Washington (in a small college town called Olympia). In these cities, we mainly played with local bands such as Starlight Desperation from San Francisco, November Witch, and the Nightmares from Oregon.”
Regarding your new album, are you satisfied?
Fred: “Yes! I really like the new album; we worked hard on the songs and the lyrics… Some problems did arise along the way, but ultimately, we are satisfied with the outcome. Overall, the record resembles Dead Moon’s older material, only the songs are new!!! (laughs)
Are there any covers at all?”
Toody: “Toody: No… this time, all eleven tracks on the album are our own. We plan to perform three to four, or even five, of the new songs tonight. So, you’ll have the opportunity to hear them.”
What about the older song ‘Black September,’ is there any symbolism behind it, or does it reflect a challenging time in your life, Fred?
Fred: “Usually… August is black for me because my birthday falls on the 28th of August, and it’s not a particularly pleasant event. (laughs) ‘Black September’ emotionally refers to a difficult, ‘dark’ period in my life—not specifically to the month of September.”
Toody: “Nevertheless, it’s an amazing song!”
“I believe it’s only available as a single and also on the Music Maniac compilation ‘Dead Moon Night’?”
Toody: “That’s what I think!”
Fred: “We haven’t played it in a while, so you’ll probably hear it tonight!”
What is your opinion of the Greek music scene? Are there any bands you like?
Fred: The Last Drive!
Toody: Honeydive, Sound Explosion…
Fred: I’ve always believed that Greeks have a rock’n’roll spirit… there are bands that are dynamic, ‘noisy,’ and have quite a lot to say!!!”
Favorite bands from the 60s?
Fred: The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Them, Love, The Seeds… Quicksilver Messenger Service…
Toody: Big Brother & The Holding Company, Moby Grape…
Fred: The Sparrow, before they became Steppenwolf… I actually liked them more as Sparrow, even though they later gained fame and success as Steppenwolf!
Toody: The 13th Floor Elevators are also a fantastic band… Roky!!!”
Are there any songs you’d like to cover during rehearsals or live performances, or perhaps include on a future album?
Fred: ‘Mr. Soul’ by Buffalo Springfield comes to mind. Either I’ll sing it, or Toody will. Experimenting with a cover is essential… Additionally, I’d love to play ‘Love Is Strange,’ a 60s song. However, I envision a punk version of it. We’ll see… Typically, when you infuse your personal touch or deviate from the standard, the outcome can be either remarkable or unacceptable!!!”
One of my favorite tracks from the album ‘Stranded In The Mystery Zone’ is ‘Down The Road.’ Can you tell me something about this particular song and the ‘Mystery Zone’? What is it, after all?
Fred: It was written for our first European tour in collaboration with Music Maniac.
Toody: It’s everything, your very life… Sometimes you feel like you’re ahead of things, and other times you feel ‘stuck’ somewhere!!!
Fred: Basically, you never know what’s going to happen… everything is a surprise!
Toody: It’s like an unknown road, where you never know what will follow.”
Which bands do you dig from the 70’s punk rock & power pop scene?
Fred: I’m a big fan of The Ramones. I had the chance to open for them with King Bee! Their energy and lightning-fast performances amazed me!
Toody: After attending some of The Ramones’ live shows, The Rats were ‘born’… The Dead Boys were incredible too. In the 70s, there were many bands with potential, but…
Fred: The Sex Pistols (initially!), and The New York Dolls had a glam vibe that I liked!
Toody: And towards the late 70s, The Wipers emerged! They were an amazing band!
If memory serves me right, their debut album ‘Is This Real’ was released in 1979.
Toody: Yes! It was perfect timing!”
Tombstone Records, which bands are the most ‘popular’?
Toody: Dead Moon!!! (laughs) That was easy! As for the other groups on Tombstone, most have disbanded or changed their name… Dead Beat Hearts became Riffs, and something similar happened with Spider Babies. Most bands didn’t last, so they didn’t manage to show anything more!”
From what I know, Tombstone, apart from the Dead Moon albums, has only released one LP, the Flapjacks’ debut “Say What You Mean.”
Toody: They have also released a second album, but on a different label. They are a thing of the past now… they had a significant following on the West Coast… Seattle, California, indeed a great band!
Will we finally be expecting an official reissue of the Lollipop Shoppe album “Just Colour” from Tombstone?
Fred: We are planning to officially reissue this LP, albeit with some variations. We intend to release it as Weeds a.k.a. Lollipop Shoppe and it will certainly include the Weeds’ 45s!
Andrew: Are we playing with Sky Saxon tomorrow!?
One of the darkest and most melancholic songs is “Dead In The Saddle.” What does it refer to, Fred?
Fred: It refers to the soldiers in Vietnam and some friends who had gone there, like Rod Rat, who was the first drummer for the Rats… that’s the “military” part the song mentions. My sister died at 24 from a kind of toxic poisoning while waiting for a plane from Alaska… she waited in the car with the engine running and died from inhaling a gas… various people I’ve met in my life are no longer here…
Toody: Fred is a melancholic personality.
What are your favorite bands & albums from the ’80s, ’90s to today?
Fred: They are mainly obscure groups, like Bone Cellar, Nightmares. I don’t want to mention bands like Nirvana and other mainstream groups, but there are bands that should have been more recognized… Oh man! I need to “dig” deep into my mind…
Toody: Wipers!
Fred: Napalm Beach, Sado-Nation…
Sado-Nation… this band is from the Portland area & the late ’70s, Greg Sage has released a compilation of ’70s punk rock material from Portland…
Toody: Exactly!
There’s an incredible track on this compilation by Bop Zombies called “Bop Street,” which is just 1:30 long!!!
Fred: A very good band!
Andrew: A member of Bop Zombies used to play with King Bee!
What about the Australian scene… Radio Birdman, Saints…?
Toody: Andrew is a big fan!
Fred: We’ve played several times with the Cosmic Psychos…
Andrew: Beasts Of Bourbon… we’ve also played with Last Gap & Spencer P. Jones’s group, which is a trio with a female presence on bass… meaning a lineup similar to ours!
Have you performed live with the Philisteins?
Toody: No, but we met them on an earlier tour in Australia.
Fred: They covered “You Must Be A Witch.” I think Guy was working at a radio station, great guy…
Toody: We’ve also played with the Freeloaders!
Fred: And the Powder Monkeys are an amazing band… Tim also passed away…
Toody: About a year ago…
How are things now in the local rock’n’roll scene of Portland?
Fred: There are quite a few clubs compared to other cities with almost the same population as Portland, and many bands play live frequently.
Toody: Things are not as they were a few years ago!
Andrew: People don’t have the money to go out often!
Many acquaintances and friends of mine say: Dead Moon has been playing almost the same things all these years, without any substantial changes! Are there any thoughts of recording an album that is completely different from what we are used to, for example, adding a twelve-string guitar, tambourine, organ, harmonica, etc.? Are you more interested in live performances?
Toody: We are too lazy to do it!
Fred: We haven’t learned to play the harmonica & organ yet!!! (laughs!!!)
Andrew: We’re thinking of having Fred’s daughter and granddaughter do vocals on a record… a little tremolo or distortion, that’s it!!!
Fred: We want the albums we record… not differ from what we play live!
Toody: The last time we used keyboards was with the Rats.
Andrew: That’s how I feel too… after all, who would then come to see us live! (laughs!!!)
Toody: We’re not the band that likes the studio and spending a lot of time on recordings is torturous!
Fred: We record quickly and leave whatever mistakes… anyone who pays attention to our records will understand, we have never done anything perfect since we started!
Toody: Having some changes in the sound for some groups is good, but for us, it doesn’t apply… we like what we do and we do what we know!!!
The Belgian Lombego Surfers covered “Running Out Of Time,” did you like their version?
Toody: We’ve played together several times, indeed they did a great cover!
A favorite, strange story involving Dead Moon?
Toody: What’s your favorite story, Andrew?
Andrew: There are various rumors concerning the band and that everyone ultimately has some relationship with each other… some think I’m the son of Fred and Toody or that Toody and I were married for 20 years… complete vegetarians and only drank milk!!! At one live show, I went backstage (after a damn day of continuous driving and wanting to drink a cold beer), I open the fridge and what do I see!!! Milk, milk, milk, vegetables, vegetables, carrots, carrots (rabbit food!)… fuckin’ papers! (laughs!!!)
Toody: Someone asked me: How’s your son doing? Our son was with us on tour! And I say: Here he is!!! No, No… how’s your son? (meaning Andrew, of course).
Fred: I’m old, but not that much!!!
Do you have a day job?
Toody: Andrew??? Andrew: We don’t work, I don’t wake up in the morning! (laughs!!!)
Favorite movies?
Andrew: “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Midnight Run”…
Toody: There are so many… Fred and I are video freaks, we have over 400 movies and watch 3-4 every night. I also forgot to tell you that we have a shop with guitars, amplifiers… and a greengrocer’s.
Today, The Seeds and The Fleshtones are playing in Athens. What do you think about this ’60s & ’80s meeting?
Toody: I imagine… it will be fantastic! I don’t think I’ve seen both bands live on the same night… it’s important for someone to make a “comeback” and present an amazing live show! A friend gave us Arthur Lee’s new CD before we started the tour… it was very good! However, it’s sad when someone “comes back”… the audience remembers them as they were, and if the image doesn’t match, it’s better for some not to tarnish their legend and to leave things as they are!
A final message to the readers of Rumble SKUNK?
Toody: We Love This Country!!!
Rumble Skunk kicked off as a fanzine over two decades ago, but only a couple of issues ever saw daylight. Spiros didn’t mince words; he laid it all out. No PR fluff, no corporate spin. Just the unfiltered truth about music. I’m telling you, we need more of that raw energy today. I’m itching for more issues, ’cause let’s face it, today’s music mags just don’t cut it. They’ve lost that edge, that truth. But hey, maybe Spiros and Ellisavet will hit us with a surprise comeback of Rumble Skunk’s zine glory days, even as they keep the flame burning with their record label Rumble Skunk Records
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