Interview: Steve DePace

When you think of San Francisco bands, you think of The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Journey,… and Flipper? Well, some people do at least.

Flipper formed 40 years ago was part of the fertile San Francisco punk rock scene. A major influence on bands like Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction, Flipper embraced noise, chaos, and unpredictability both in their studio recordings and live shows. Their first album, Album – Generic Flipper, is often hailed as a punk rock classic, and their signature song “Sex Bomb” has been covered by countless fledgling bands just learning their chops.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Flipper’s concert on 7/26/19 at the Majestic Ventura Theater. It was done by phone on 7/2/19. (Nick Sternberg photo)

Interview: Dale Crover

The Melvins have been dishing out their sludgy heavier-than-Black-Sabbath sounds for three and a half decades, and show no signs of compromising or slowing down. Their latest album is Pinkus Abortion Technician, which has the Melvins core – singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover – joined by Redd Kross bassist Steve McDonald and Butthole Surfers bassist Jeff Pinkus.

The Melvins are assured at least a footnote in rock ‘n’ roll history because of their strong connections to Kurt Cobain, who counted them amongst his favorites. Crover even played with Cobain before Nirvana existed, and on Nirvana’s 1988 10-song demo. Cobain co-produced The Melvins’ 1993 major-label debut Houdini.

Or, alternatively, Kurt Cobain is a footnote to The Melvins’ story. Although never really rising above cult band status, The Melvins have now released over 20 albums, and continue to wow audiences with their powerful music and quirky choices of cover songs.

This interview with Melvins drummer Dale Crover was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for the Melvins concert at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara on 1/17/19. It was done by phone on 12/21/18. (Photo credit: O)

Interview: Buzz Osborne

The Melvins have been dishing out their sludgy heavier-than-Black-Sabbath sounds for over three decades, and show no signs of compromising or slowing down. Their latest album is Hold It In, an awesome, diverse set of songs which feature founder/singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne, drummer Dale Crover who has been with the band through almost its entire existence, and guest guitarist Paul Leary and bassist Jeff Pinkus from fellow cult rockers The Butthole Surfers.

This interview was for a preview article for the Melvins concert at SLO Brew in San Luis Obispo, California on 10/22/14. It was done by phone on 10/16/14.

Interview: Steve Diggle

Steve Diggle plays guitar, writes songs, and sometimes sings for The Buzzcocks, the hugely influential band from Manchester which produced the blueprint for pop punk. The Buzzcocks also jump-started the punk do-it-yourself ethos with their 1977 self-released Spiral Scratch EP, on which Diggle played bass guitar. The Buzzcocks’ notable songs include “Orgasm Addict”, “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”, “I Don’t Mind”, “Promises”, and “Harmony In The Head”. Their compilation Singles Going Steady is regularly ranked as one of the best punk rock albums of all time.

The Buzzcocks broke up in 1981, but re-united in the late 80’s and have been going strong ever since. Between performances at this year’s Coachella festival, they will be playing a few smaller gigs in California, including one in San Luis Obispo for which this interview served as the material for a preview article. I reached Diggle, who also released a solo album called Air Conditioning last year, at his home in London. The interview took place on 3/23/12. (Ian Rook photo)