The Gravetones

I had a chance to send some questions to the band The Gravetones. They're a local rock/punk band here in Chicago. You can check them out at their Myspace page or at their website www.TheGravetones.com.

1. How long have you guys been together?

The Gravetones were started by Larry in 1997. Joe joined in 2001. I (Brad) joined in late 2003, and Jimmy joined in May 2004. Jimmy and I used to go see the band all the time before we were in it.

2. Are all you guys from Chicago?

Larry is from the South Side and Jimmy, Joe and I are from the Northwest Suburbs. Elk Grove and Schaumburg to be exact.

3. I noticed on your site it says you guys have gone through a few lineup changes, what's changed and which of you guys have been around since the start?

This is the line-up that has been the strongest and done the most as a band.

4. What are some of you influences?

We have a ton of influences. We all listen to a lot of different stuff and try to bring our own unique spin on things to our own songs. We share a lot of common influences too. We all like the Cramps, the Damned and Motorhead. Danzig, Misfits, Black Sabbath, Ramones, Ghastly Ones. But I like a lot of punk like 88 Fingers Louie, Strung Out and NOFX. Jimmy likes a lot of street punk like Cocksparrer and he loves (really we all do) the Adicts, whom we're opened for. Joe likes a lot of classic rock like Alice Cooper and Kiss, and so does Larry. Really we all like all the bands I just mentioned, but to different degrees. We all lately have gotten heavily into old blues stuff like Muddy Waters and Otis Rush.

5. Do you consider yourselves part of the horror punk/horror rock scene?

I think we are a part of the scene but I don't feel exclusive about it. We'll play with almost anybody. We've played with ska bands like Skapone (which were great shows by the way). We play with a lot of psychobilly bands and that's cool, but I don't think we think of ourselves as part of any one scene because we want anyone that likes us to come see us. We don't care who you are or what scene you're from, if you like what you hear that's all we need to know. At the same time, we love the horror rock crowd.

6. What is it about the scene that you guys like?

I like it when people get the references that we make. When we allude to something in the horror world and other horror rock people get it, it's like we understand each other and that's cool. Also I really love the imagery. Larry does all the artwork for the band and he comes up with some of the coolest and sickest stuff I've eer seen. He's brilliant.

7. I got a copy of your debut CD "Dig It!" and it's great. What's your creative process like and how do you write your songs?

That's a great question. Songwriting in the Gravetones works like this: Joe, Larry or I will come to practice with a few riffs. As a band we'll jam on the riffs trying to figure out how they are going to work together. And Jimmy is really great at arranging the pieces. He always has these ideas for starts and stops and builds in the song. Then Larry will start singing something over the pieces that are coming together. He comes up with words and vocal melodies so effortlessly that I can't believe it. I can't write words to save my live and I've tried! So it really is a group process.

8. Do you guys write all your own music and lyrics?

We have done a few covers, but everything on "Dig It!" is original work. Larry writes all the lyrics.
Here's some covers we have done: Human Fly- Cramps, Little Sister- Elvis, Sinister Urge-Fuzztones, Blood and Roses- Smithereens, Strychnine- Sonics, and the Timewarp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. These covers have been available on free cds that we have handed out at gigs. And we have one cover in mind coming up, but I'll leave that as a surprise. You'll have to come see us to find out what it is; and I promise no one will see it coming.

9. You guys have toured with some amazing bands, who are some of your favorite bands you've toured with?

Some of our favorite bands from out of town are the Koffin Kats, 7 Shot Screamers and the Midnight Creeps. Koffin Kats are from Detroit and are always amazing. The Midnight Creeps are from Rhode Island and have a singer and a sound that is so unique. I encourage everyone to check out those bands. There are some great local bands from Chicago too that need to be mentioned. My favorite locals are The Wanderers, The Scissors, The Massacres, Ryan's Hope and Zero To Sixty (featuring Dan Precision and Denis from 88 Fingers Louie)

10. Who would you like to tour with in the future?

I would like to tour with all three of the bands I mentioned above. I think our sounds would complement each other perfectly. And Danzig. And I love A.F.I. and would love to tour with them, even if the 14 year old girls that now make up their fan base wouldn't like us.

11. Being a big horror fan myself, what are some of your guys' favorite horror movies?

My favorite horror movies are, The Shining, Silence of The Lambs, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th Part 8, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Flatliners, Night of the Creeps. And I really like the bad ones like, Prom Night 1 and 2, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Plan 9 From Outer Space, anything from the Silent Night Series. I have boxes of VHS tapes I used to buy from video stores when they were selling off their horror collections.

12. If you could sum the band up into one of your songs, what song would it be?

That's a great question too. For my money the quintessential Gravetones song would be "Burn Baby Burn". It's got catchy riffs, dark imagery about burning people and things, a singalong chorus and tight musicianship. What would you pick?

13. Any upcoming projects or events that you'd like to tell us about?

We have a show March 14th at the Penny Road Pub with Zero To Sixty and One Day Criminal. We are also going on a spring break tour to St Louis, Memphis, Dallas, Austin and possibly San Antonio on March 24th-28th.

14. Anything else you want to say to the fans out there reading this?

If you can't make it to a show and still want to get our album, it's available on cdbaby.com and on itunes. Just search for the Gravetones. And thanks for reading and listening!

---Interview by Shaun May