On January 21, 2009 alt-metal band Plowing Mud Forever played their first gig of the year at Trash Bar in
Brooklyn, NY. It was a good atmosphere with open bar that had mixed drinks and PBR (hey, I know PBR sucks, but don’t bitch, it was fucking FREE!!). Anyway, the band sounded tight and rocked the house hard. They played some fun, heavy tunes and kicked a lot of ass. It was a lively show that saw the band in presidential masks. It was after all the day after the inauguration of President Obama. This may have been their best show, yet.
On February 6, 2009 I had the pleasure of interviewing the whole band: Kirk Howle- bass and vocals, Wally Chung- guitar and vocals, Rollie Hatch- guitar and vocals, and Ryan Stevens- drums and vocals, at Duffs Bar in Brooklyn, NY. It was the first time for the guys to be at the new location of the Metal Mecca, and they loved it.
When we first got to the bar one TV was playing Henti, while the other one was playing Joe D’Amato’s craptacular mix of hardcore porn and horror, Porno Holocaust. Anyway, I soon got down and sat with them for this interview:
Gio: Could you tell me how this band was first formed?
Rollie: No, but Kirk and Wally can!
Kirk: Well, Wally and I used to be in a band in high school called the Human Parade. We did that band, and then we did another band in college that didn’t last very long. Then for a few years we didn’t do anything. And, one day Wally calls me asks me if I still wanted to do music. And, I was like why not. So, we started a little project, just two of us. We came up with the name Plowing Mud Forever, I don’t know how or why. But, we just started doing that.
Gio: You said you didn’t know how you came up with the name for the band at all?
Kirk: Oh no, I remember. Me and Wally were just standing in his room, in this tiny little apartment that he used to live in. And, we were throwing out ideas for band names, and they all sucked. But, then, out nowhere, he just said, “Plowing Mud Forever?” And, I just started cracking up. And, we decided to keep it, cause it just made us laugh. And, it sounded like weirdest, stupidest thing we can imagine.
Wally: That was in Guttenberg, New Jersey.
Rollie: Why did you not keep the question mark?
Kirk: Cause, we wanted seem more certain, more sure of ourselves.
Gio: It could be like Therapy?
Ryan: Well, I was gonna say there already is a band called, Therapy? (saying it with an accent on the question mark)
Gio: How would you describe Plowing Mud Forever?
Ryan: Awesome rock! We are like a raucous sleep over party with street drugs.
Wally: And, there is an ounce of love in every single place.
Gio: What are your musical influences?
Kirk: So my top ones, I got Faith No More, Devo and any other generic metal band like Metallica.
Ryan: I would say it started with Living Color, and then I got some sense. And, I am more into Mastodon, Slayer, and Baroness. The influences early on were really like Helmet and Faith No More, though.
Rollie: I think it started with Weird Al, and then it moved on the Batman soundtrack, both the Prince version and the Danny Elfman score. And, then from there, later on, Faith No More, Tool, and System of a Down, that kind of thing.
Wally: For me it would be Jeff Pearce, Gustav Holst, and Life of Agony.
Gio: Lyrically what inspires you?
Wally: Sex.
Ryan: Things that no one else would dare write about.
Rollie: I tend to be inspired by fictional characters, like Iron Man. I think I prefer writing that kind of style about fictional characters that I have no emotional tie to that I can embody as a character. And, imagine what they go through.
Gio: Take me through the song writing process.
Kirk: I think each one of writes the core of a song. Then we bring it to show the other guys, so we can each claim to have written a song that we recorded. And, the others bring in their own ideas. Like Ryan will help with the drum parts, Rollie comes in with his guitar, Wally comes in with his guitar, and I write the bass lines. It’s a very democratic process, which works well.
Wally: (to me) Would you ever fuck a stripper without a condom?
Gio: I wouldn’t fuck any chick without a condom, stripper or otherwise.
Kirk: Let me rephrase the question, will you please fuck a stripper without a condom?
Wally: What if we paid you twenty dollars?
Gio: No, bro, that won’t cure the sores.
Rollie: Knowing that Wally is the stripper…
Ryan: What if Wally pops the sores for you?
Gio: Eww!!! No!! Anyway, back to this interview. What do you think of the current music scene and newer music you guys like?
Ryan: I don’t even know what new music is. I am so out of touch with music really like I know bands from friend’s recommendations. But, they’re years old, or they’re bands no one has ever heard of. I find myself hating the radio, even satellite. Satellite is gay, too. I mean stupid not gay.
Kirk: Some satellite is gay. I am listening to a gay band called Imperial Gene. I know at least one or two of them are gay. I don’t know, I like them, but they are not really current. I’m an old geezer, and I don’t know anything about music.
Rollie: I listen to the radio and know what is new. I don’t like it, necessarily, but I like to at least hang in a conversation about new music. Like, Ryan said, I get new recommendations all the time, but then it turns out to be four or five years old. And, that’s considered new to me.
Wally: You know what? My problem is that I do listen to the radio, but its college radio or some classical shit that no one really listens to. Classical music is really just a bunch of covers, cause all those composers died along time ago. So, I like those covers.
Gio: Who is the wildest member in the band?
Rollie: Kirk always takes his shirt off.
Wally: Rollie is always talking about taking his pants off.
Rollie: Wally is always thinking about me taking my pants off.
Ryan: It depends on what you deem crazy. Is it actions taken? For stupid shit done, I think I probably win, for the amount of stupid crap that I have done. But, for twisted thoughts, I think Wally takes that pretty easily.
Rollie: Mentally, yes, Wally takes it. On stage, I think when you played keyboards (referring to Ryan), back at the last Trash Bar show. That was pretty wild. You were pretty wild.
Ryan: I think it depends on which one of us is the most drunk.
Wally: But, I think Otto’s was really good.
Ryan: Yeah, it was, but I wasn’t all that wild. Now, I have to sit down all the time. So, I guess I am like a wild paraplegic. Expect I can play play drums.
Gio: Kind of like Larry Flynt.
Ryan: I can’t close that briefcase!
Gio: Do you have any great groupie stories?
Kirk: All my groupie stories end in stupidity. Wally and I one time…
Wally: (interrupting) No!
Kirk: It’s gonna be the only story! I only have two stories, but Wally told me I can’t talk about that one. So, I am only gonna tell you about this…
Rollie: (interrupting) Oh man, I gotta hear about this!
Kirk: one show where I took my shirt off, this really, really young girl came up and started talking to me. But, all she was doing was telling about all the hardcore bands she used to think were cool. And, then she said, “I thought you guys sounded like a hardcore band, but I didn’t know if I liked you or not.” And, I couldn’t tell what the fuck she wanted from me, and I just stopped talking to her.
Rollie: Wait was that the six year old girl that came up to you at North Street Fest?
Wally: She just wanted cock.
Gio: The six year old?!
Ryan: When, they’re like can we go for a walk or can we go to the zoo, it’s really, yeah, I want some cock! It’s really all they’re saying. Six doesn’t rhyme with sex for no reason.
Rollie: Well, I think no girls ever come to our show that’s the thing. I think once two girls did come to our show, expressly because we invited them, earlier, without them hearing our music. And, they came to our show and watched us play. And, then we never saw them again. They didn’t even stick around to say we hated your band.
Ryan: I had a stalker once, but that was unrelated to the band. Doesn’t really count. So, being in Plowing Mud Forever won’t get you laid, by girls, unless you were already getting laid on the side.
Wally: (to the rest of the band) Yeah, I’m sure you guys have some pretty good stories.
Ryan: That have nothing to do with Plowing Mud Forever.
Wally: Yeah.
Gio: What’s the best and worst venue you guys ever played in?
Ryan: I think the worst is probably our living room.
Rollie: No. That wasn’t bad. It was pretty cool.
Ryan: Alright, Niagara, then. The first show we played.
Rollie: The first show? The place was really small and everyone was right up our asses.
Kirk: What about Pussycat Lounge? That kind of sucks.
Wally: No, way! That had some strippers.
Rollie: The fact is it’s not about the venues, it’s about the show. We’ve had a lot of bad shows.
Ryan: What’s the place that got robbed?
Rollie: Thirteen Devils. We played one show at Thirteen Little Devils, then we were supposed to play there two months later, but then they cancelled the show. And, we found out it was because they got robbed.
Ryan: I guess they win worst venue, just because they were a terrible venue. It wasn’t necessarily the worst place to play at, but they’re a shitty venue because they got robbed.
Gio: So, what was your best gig?
Rollie: Probably the last one we did at Trash Bar.
Wally: Both Trash shows we had were good. But, the most recent one, I would say is the best.
Ryan: Yeah, I agree with that.
Kirk: Trash show it is!
Gio: If you could play anywhere, what place or places would you guys choose?
Rollie: Fortress of Solitude, North Pole.
Ryan: It’s kind of a pipedream but Starland Ballroom. That building is an awesome venue. I would love to be there, but that’s a just a dream. I would also like to play at a high school cafeteria. Because, that would be fucking amazing! Halfway through the show you can bring the dividers and crush people and suddenly half the audience would no longer be attending the show.
Alan: (my photographer) You should play our high school reunion. And, it’s in the cafeteria, so…
Gio: And, then your dream would come true!
Wally: I got one! I wanna play Halloween, in that fucking giant Halloween party in Ohio, I forgot where it is, but…
Ryan: Oh, yeah, yeah
Rollie: Where?
Ryan: In Athens.
Rollie: In Ohio? There’s an Athens, Ohio?
Ryan: Actually, surrounding Athens, Ohio there are five cemeteries that are in the form of a pentagram, and Athens is in the center of that pentagram.
Gio: Then you guys should play, there!
Ryan: It’s the thirteenth most haunted place in the world.
Gio: Then you guys have to play there, you have to!
Wally: We could play a haunted house party, there.
Kirk: Go for it!
Rollie: I wanna play in hot, sweaty places!
Kirk: I wanna play a Bar Mitzvah or a funeral. I wanna play a funeral! You know where I am really dying to play at? Like one of those old Broadway theatres, the sound quality would not be good. But, I don’t care.
Gio: (to Ryan) You’re the newest member of the band, how did you end up being in the band?
Rollie: (also, to Ryan) Ha ha! Loser!
Ryan: Well, I think technically Rollie, and I joined at the same time.
Rollie: Yeah, I think so. Technically.
Ryan: I mean, I walked in the door first… Nice! Sorry, ELO just came on. Wally came into the Guitar Center, and I was working at. He just came in, and we started talking about music. And, then he mentioned how they needed a keyboard player.
Gio: So, how did you end up being the drummer?
Wally: No, we were talking about the Red Sox.
Ryan: The Red Sox and the Cubs, that’s right. I ended up being the drummer after keyboards, because our first drummer left. Our second drummer we had to ask to leave for various reasons. And, then it came down to having no band, or somebody learning drummers, so I learned to play drums.
Kirk: You hit it real quick.
Ryan: Yeah, I played drums in eighth grade, and then let it go to play bass. I played drums a couple of other times just fucking around at a friend’s house, but I had a sense of rhythm, whatever. But, that’s about it. I never really played seriously.
Gio: The new sound is definitely heavier than your previous one. What lead you to go in that direction?
Rollie: No, the original album, that Ryan and I are not on, is heavy. It’s dense, dark, and heavy. I was gonna say the live drums changed that, but I don’t know.
Ryan: Well, also adding two guitars.
Wally: Having dry skin.
Rollie: Well, I think we yell, a lot, now. The other guys sang a lot.
Ryan: I think that just being live helps the songs be heavier, because when, we’re playing live, we put a lot more energy into it. And, then it just ends up being heavier, then when we take it back to practice. They inherently are just heavier, being that we put so much energy into them that we master them a little bit louder. So, when we take it back to practice, you know, it carries over.
Wally: When I play, I sometimes like to imagine the way a pussy looks up close, and it’s weird. That’s why I make some of the faces I do.
Gio: That’s the quote of the day!
Rollie: Just for the record, the music is not lighter because Wally has lost a lot of weight this year. I think he would like me to mention that, at least when the pictures come out. And, I am gonna stop talking, now.
Gio: When can we expect a new CD?
Kirk: Within a year. I don’t know. If we are recording on our own; it might be a year or two. Hopefully it’s a year.
Ryan: One year. By the time, what is this February? By March of next year, by March of 2010, we’ll have it put out.
Rollie: Yeah? You don’t think we’re gonna be faster than that?
Ryan: No, I’m saying that’s the latest that it’d be out.
Rollie: Are we talking a full album or just any type?
Gio: Any type.
Rollie: We’re gonna have 3,000 songs on it! We took a long time last time. I hope we do it faster this time.
Ryan: It’s gonna be faster, and I think it is gonna be less of a hassle. I think it’s gonna be more fun this time. There are elements that we don’t have to worry about anymore.
Kirk: Also, with new technology we can actually play the songs faster live, and then slow them down later, so they last longer. So, that we have a full album.
Gio: We are Duffs bar, so what is each of your favorite alcoholic beverages?
Kirk: I like that drink that tastes like old man tea. What the hell did I have on New Year’s? Fuck! Gin and tonic! And beer.
Ryan: My drink of choice is ¾ pints of Guinness, a shot of espresso, and shot of whiskey mixed together. That’ll do it.
Wally: Depends on what mood I am in. Like right now, I would have to say, if I didn’t have to work tomorrow, I’d do 4 vodka sodas and a can of Fosters, when I get home, with water.
Rollie: I like Jagger shots. You?
Gio: I like Vodka Sprite and beer.
Kirk: Do you do all three together?
Gio: Not all three together, but in the same night, I have done, that.
Rollie: I’ll do one bourbon, one shot, and one beer. Not really, but I heard that song when I was over there.
Ryan: It’s also called a virgin.
Gio: They’re hard to find these days!
Kirk: What was that drink? The Blood of Raven or something?
Ryan: Oh, it was the Blood of Odin’s Raven. The Blood of Odin’s Raven is quite good, as well.
Kirk: What was in that?
Ryan: It’s like mandarin, vodka, Gatorade, and power juice, whatever Monster, or…
Rollie: Yeah, power sauce.
Gio: What does the future hold for the band?
Ryan: Arguments.
Kirk: What’s in our future? I don’t know. Well, we’re off to write a bunch of our songs. And, they’re gonna be weirder and better.
Wally: We’re also revamping the website.
Ryan: And, I think a rededication. We’ve built a lot of confidence in the past year. And, I think we’re gonna stop being, uh, plowing mud forever, and we’re gonna being PLOWING MUD FOREVER, instead!!!!!!!!!
Wally: That actually sounds a little better, too.
Rollie: More male nudity.
Ryan: Rollie’s gonna wear less clothes.
Rollie: We’re all gonna wear less clothes.
Ryan: Actually, Wally is gonna fewer clothes, not less clothes.
Rollie: I was only going to because Wally said so. I knew that you were going to bring that up.
Wally: Hey!
Rollie: I’m gonna wear a lot less cloth.
Ryan: There you go! That’s the correct use.
Rollie: We’re also gonna have some heavier songs, some longer songs, and at the same time, we’re gonna have some shorter songs. And, I think we talked about having some pussy ballads, occasionally, too.
Ryan: I would also like to see some video footage come out, too. A compilation going back to older members, through the years, whatever. Just to have a compilation of visual bullshit that we’ve created.
Rollie: Kirk and Wally have been talking about videos for a long time. But, I notice they’re not talking about it right, now!
Kirk: Well, the problem is the last album recorded was with a different drummer and with Ryan on keyboards. If we recorded a video we would have to put Ryan on drums, and it would just look stupid.
Gio: And, finally do you have any closing words for your fans?
Ryan: I wouldn’t ask our fans to keep listening; I would ask our fans to start listening.
Rollie: I think I would like to know what the fans wanna hear, so that cannot do that at all!
Kirk: I would like to thank our friends who keep coming out to see us, cause they’re keeping us going. What we need them is to do the work that we don’t wanna do.
Ryan: What would be nice is if someone interviewed us for a website that a lot of people are gonna read. I think that would benefit us greatly!
Rollie: Also, we need more slutty girls at shows.
Gio: I agree with that one!
Wally: I’m single, I’m a Scorpio, and I’m 5’6”. I got a giant drink in my hand. I think we should do music for pornos.
Gio: Hmm, I’ll see what I can do. Would you like that?
Wally: I would love to see some double penetrations with Plowing Mud Forever. It would go hand in hand. No pun intended or ass. I don’t know.
Rollie: We’ll score any anal scene.
Website: http://www.plowingmudforever.com/
Myspace: www.myspace.com/plowingmudforever
Blog Site: http://plowingmudforever.blogspot.com/
Concert Pics by Me (Giovanni Deldio) and Alan Camuto
Interview Pics by Alan Camuto
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Now playing: Chthonic - Relentless Recurrence
via FoxyTunes
