Interview: Mad Marge & the Stonecutters

This is my first contributed item, and it comes from Mainy of El Diablo Fanzine. I want to thank him and welcome others to submit their work. I'm not saying everything will make it up, but I'll judiciously add content as often as possible.

Mad Marge and the Stonecutters

You’re causing a bit of a splash in punk and psychobilly circles. Are you deserving of it, what separates you from the rest of the pack?
Well, any band who writes music and decides to get up in front of a crowd of people and play their guts out deserves whatever outcome begets them. I don't think it really matters what "circle" they may spawn from, they are deserving. As far as the Stonecutters go, I don't think we're any different. We might set ourselves apart from the rest because there aren't many girl fronted bands out there making a splash in any scene, but we've only been able to do what we do and be where we are because we work hard. Other than that we're just like everyone else...

Opinions are polarised. Some think you ain't punk enough, others not psycho enough. Are they all missing the point? Do you think they should all just chill out?
We all pour our hearts into this group and if some people don't think we are enough of a certain genre than they are certainly missing the point. We are not trying to be a punk band, or a psychobilly band or a fucking hillbilly band... we are trying to take aspects of every sound that we love and make music. The problem is that everyone wants you to classify yourself and then they want to ridicule you for not having a strong enough sound of that specific classification. People are going to tell us we are not enough of whatever kind of music it is that they are "scenesters" of, but the bottom line is we are not about the scene. We are about the music, as cliché as that may seem, it is really what were about. If people did chill out and take a minute to listen to the music we might not be such a hard pill to swallow.

Why do you think people get all hot under the collar when a band want to extend their sound into other areas. Do you sometimes think there was an eleventh commandment that you missed “Thou shalt not mix genres and experiment with your own bands sound” type of thing?
That is a pretty clever anecdote you've got there and accurate at that. As musicians you either evolve or you die, there is no midpoint. You can't expect groups to play the same things over and over and expect it to sound fresh and original. Most of the biggest and renowned groups in any scene have expanded their sounds and influences to create new ones, that is how new genres of music transpire. People don't just one day decide to invent new styles, it happens as a process of evolution.

What’s the roots of the band? Musically where are you all coming from?
We all have our own personal roots and yet a shared admiration for punk, psychobilly, and rock and roll. All of us have come from pretty different musical backgrounds and I think it has really helped the song writing and the structure of our band. It is a pretty special thing for a band to come from such multi-faceted backgrounds and yet still come together on the same page.

And how did you all get together?
We have all known each other for quite sometime, playing in different bands together. It took us a while to get together to try and write some songs, but after that it was like riding a bike. We all knew it was right and everything had a pretty natural flow to it. It wasn't too long before everything just fell into place.

You have all played in bands before, but Mad Marge and the Stonecutters rise in popularity has been pretty rapid. What’s the secret, or is it just a case of right place, right time?
It's a matter of working your ass off...We all want this to work so bad and we feel like if we just get out there and play and let the audiences see and feel our conviction than it will all just get easier. It has worked out pretty good so far but we're still working really hard and it certainly hasn't gotten any easier!! There definitely is no secret...

The sound of the band is very accessible. Is mainstream success something that you would be ultimately aiming for? Let’s be honest, everyone would like to make a living and be successful doing what they love?
I think that is what most musicians aim for, your absolutely right, honestly everyone who is in a band, whether if they say it is for success or not, would love to do this for a living. We think it is important for our sound to be accessible and to expose the world to this different sound. Most people are so caught up it the trash that is so extremely popular on airwaves today, they forget what it is like to hear something new and exciting. Hopefully we can bring that sound and that feeling into the mainstream.

How has the reaction been to the release of your debut album? Is it garnering any airplay stateside?
It hasn't been widely released, so at this point we are still struggling to get the record out there, but to those who have been able to get their hands on it, the reaction has been pretty strong. It's a trip when we play shows and the kinds know the lyrics to the songs... I still get a kick outta that. We've had some airplay on some local and college radio stations in southern and northern California as well as online broadcasts all over the country.

You are obviously going to maximise on the work you have done so far to get to where you are. So what’s next?
We are planning a tour with the Rocketz in June to the North West (Hopefully all of that works out) and we are working out coming back to Europe in the fall.

Did the Warped tour give you more prominence?
I think anyone who plays on a pink U-Haul van gains more prominence, even if it is for those brief 30 minutes! We felt a little out of our element at first but once we realized that the people we had brought over to our hot pink van weren't going anywhere, we felt a little more comfortable. We got a very good response and got to get our music out to a crowd we hadn't had the opportunity to play for before. I think any band will tell you that warped tour is one of the best promotional tools out there.

As you become more prominent do you think that you will get any hassle about the name? What are you going to do if Matt Groening/Fox take a hissy fit and demands a name change?
We're hoping we'll never have to face that demon... but if it were to come about I suppose we'll just have to hire him a bunch of hookers or something...

You recently played London with some friends of mine (The Termites). How was it playing the UK? The response seems very positive. Especially with the younger audience?
The response in London was outstanding, from our perspective the crowd young and old seemed to really enjoy it. The entire show was really phenomenal, it was exciting to see the Termites back together and the Nekromantix were outstanding as well. It was just a really great vibe that night, (it was sold out, so packed as well) a lot of great bands and a great audience that really got into the show.

How important is getting out there, and playing in front of people to the band?
I would say it is priority, playing different venues and audiences is number one right now to us. What kind of impact can we make if no one knows who we are?

Have you any plans for heading back this way?
We are certainly keeping things open because we would love to come back to Europe. Nothing is absolute yet but we are hoping things will work out and we will be back by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

So far what has the highlights been?
Traveling has certainly been a huge bonus, but I would have to say that the people have been a big highlight since day one. We play with a lot of great bands and meet a lot of interesting and wonderful people that we probably wouldn't have the chance to meet living in such a small town. When we talk to the people who come to our shows or musicians in other bands, we realize that the whole music scene in general is full of a lot of good people that have amazing character and just want to listen to music and have a good time. Those people are hard to come by in this corporate congested world. We live in these days.

And the downside?
Shitty sound systems, monitors that don't work and being a non-smoker playing in a bar filled with smoke and maybe one or two oxygen molecules!

You want to finish with a message to any European fans?
I hope everyone who got to make it out any one of the Hollywood Monsters shows will come and support us and show us as much love the second time around, because you guys really made us feel welcome! For those of you in places we missed or if you couldn't make it out to a show but wanted to...
Make sure you come, introduce yourself and have a beer with us!

Order the debut full-length CD from Mad Marge & The Stonecutters