I’ve received an interesting e-mail from Manager of Rx27 – art punk rock band from Los Angeles which felt determined to share with me their music ideas. I listen to punk rock really seldom so honestly I don’t feel confident enough to assess this music. Instead, I decided to give Rx27 few questions to understand better their point of view. Check out their newest video clip and read what Thad, Maxine and Joie have to say about Rx27 🙂
Official Rx27 website: http://www.therx27.com/
source: BlankTV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soyl2hCL6rw
How did you create Rx27?
Thad: Rx27 has evolved from a need to express our point of view and desire to craft songs that have the ability to penetrate the veil of mediocrity that permeates what is considered popular music.
Maxine: I actually just met Joie and Thad in these last couple months, and had the honor of joining them while we worked on music at Paul Roessler’s Kitten Robot Studio.
Joie: A friend introduced me to Thad and we had a mutual passion for great songs with to die for lyrics. Music that makes you feel something that you’ve never felt before. I found a kindred spirit in Thad. We had the same desire for writing songs. So we just wrote a bunch of songs, got some guys together and really made some beautiful art. Then finding Maxine was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I always heard a female voice in my head that would sing along with me and when she walked into our lives I knew I found that voice! I haven’t had these caliber level musicians in a long time! I’ve been writing songs ever since but now to have a unified band that has the same belief is like heaven on earth, not to be over dramatic.
What are your biggest music inspirations?
Maxine: The artists and bands that never back down from telling it like it is, straight up, direct, in your face. I have also fallen in love with those gifted in using their poetry and spoken word, and inspire me to use that in their music..using powerful imagery to transport me to them instantly.
Thad: Anyone or anything that speaks truth and can somehow manage to make it stick in your head.
Joie: I guess it would be my feeling. They kind of dictate how I see the world and if I’m in a good mood I see the world is a great place if I see the world as a shitty place then I’m having shitty feelings. Feeling lyric is better than thinking about a lyric and if I can get my mind in my heart on the same page then I know I can get a good lyric going. I try not to have musical influences but I do like the sounds of 77 punk rock like the clash the damned the dead boys and the new wave bands or goth bands of the 80s. I really like Stiv Bators. He was pretty iconic but got overshadowed by Joey Ramone and Johnny rotten.
What are your lyrics about?
Thad: Mostly pain and loss…but also sex.
Maxine: Reality, my truth, the darkness, the light, my experiences (good and bad), people in my life, relationships.
Joie: The world around me. The seen and unseen. The believed and unbelievable. Love sex death and what happens when you truly don’t give a damn what anyone says. Songs with purpose and the greater good. And knowing we live in a world of opinions that come at you like facts. Just be smart and don’t let anyone get you down.
What are your dreams and plans regarding concerts?
Maxine: Performing in huge arenas and stadiums!!! Huge dream! I see it happening, can’t say when, but it will.
Joie: Everywhere anywhere that’s will have us. Europe is fun. Places where I have never been. And to play like it’s the last time ever on stage. And incorporate the audience. Be it a club, theatre or stadium. Reach everyone and make them feel something different.
Thad: We would truly love leave our respective lives behind and be able to share our music with a different audience every night for as long as possible. We are moving everything in that direction.
You have recorded fantastic EP. Really ass kicking. What about full album?
Maxine: That will probably be happening in the future sometime. Right now I think we as a band want to give everyone a taste of Rx27 and give them more gradually… as opposed to dumping everything all at once. People get bored very easily and want to look for the next big thing 24/7.
Thad: To be honest I feel that the attention span of both artists and listeners has shortened to the point where asking someone to actually listen to 12 or more songs is self indulgent. At least for now we intend to release singles and small collections. This keeps fresh material emerging all the time.
Joie: We have a lot of songs written, probably two records full of really great songs. We are always writing . That’s what writers do. but in this day a full record would be useless. people don’t digest them or take time to discover what is really going on underneath the song. It is nice to see people really focusing on the lyrics. We can thank the rap game for that. But still with all the music at our fingertips it’s about playlists. It’s a singles world now so we’re going to release a single every month or two with a video.
How is it to live in Los Angeles?
Joie: It’s across between the 7th layer of hell and paradise. It’s pretty hard. But the challenge is to be your own person. Sick city explains it all. I could leave and give you all the reasons but I still stay. The women and music sometimes are great. Opportunity and the weather is amazing. If you are a loner like me you can disappear for weeks. I have done that. It’s also sad seeing wealth and poverty 2 feet away and people are numb to it. I like the way the eagles and Guns N’ Roses and the dead Kennedy’s talk about California. That what I wanted to do with the lyrics of sick city. I did most of my life in the east village. That was a womderful place but like everything else in this world it dies. LA is to big and wierd to die. It may burn to the ground but it will never die. It will always be a mystical place where dreams live or die.
Thad: It’s brutal. It’s survival by will. Here it feels like everything is designed to destroy you. The only things that keep me from sinking are the connections to a few true souls, music, and the belief that we can create a better reality.
Maxine: Nearly impossible, rough, rushed, congested, dirty, dreamy, pretty, intriguing, classic, historic… mind boggling.
Thank you for this interview. Would you like to add something to your fans?
Thad: I’ll leave that to my esteemed friends.
Maxine: A sincere thank you for supporting what we do and joining the ride.
Joie: Thank you for having us and for your readers. Fans is a strange word. The people who like what we do probably have a lot in common with us as people. There’s no difference there’s no line dividing what is a fan and what is an artist. In my opinion life is a work of art. Treat it as such. But I do wanna say to musicians or artist just who find some interesting riff to play and then put some half assed lyrics down and call it a song. Please stop. Music and Lyrics need to be felt like a an old friend or like a destructive enemy. I’m a slave to the song. It’s a process not an assembly line. Even though people make a living assembling songs. Doesn’t make it right. There are so many bands so many songs so many ways to reach people. Give them your best. Give the song time to mature. If you are a writer find your voice. Don’t copy or mimic. Be a slave to song then be a master.
written by: Sam O’Black, Thad, Maxine, Joie