Grumpy Jack

Kate interviews drummer Dan from Grumpy Jack. 

Firstly how are you today? 

Fantastic thank you. Slightly bored with sitting around not doing a lot but I’m having a happy day, which is always good! Daytime TV can only entertain me so far. 

Ha ha! Awesome - Would you like to introduce yourself to the people out there? 

Yeah would probably be the best thing. Right, I'm Dan the drummer in Brighton based Funk-rock-metal band Grumpy Jack. I love flowers and long walks by the seaside. Oh yeah and playing loud funked up heavy music! 

OH YES!!! Ha ha - What was the last show you played? 

Ha ha. I can barely remember yesterday let alone our last show - which wasn't yesterday funnily enough. Nah, I believe our last show was at Brighton Freebutt; we were supporting Best UK Unsigned Band Kingskin. We saw them in Kerrang when they won this award and checked them out and ended up supporting them on a few shows. It was also part of their UK tour, which we supported a few dates for. Hey! It's all good!!! 

Sounds great - So it went well then? 

Ooh yes! It was an excellent night. We loved playing with Kingskin and it was just a really fun atmosphere with lots of people packed in through the doors. Playing the Freebutt in Brighton always gives you a sense of closeness with the music scene. It's a smallish venue but when its packed there’s so much energy in the place it's unreal. Small crowds are often the best... 

Awesome - Always important when the band enjoys it as much as the fans! 

Yeah totally it’s the way it’s meant to be. 

Of course! Who or what influenced you to be in a band? 

To be honest my passion for music started pretty young when I listened to The Beatles a lot. I used to play in a Beatles cover band when I was like 11 years old and I was inspired by their music so much when I was younger. But I do think my Dad played a big part in me becoming a musician. He played bass is 60's band The Kult and I have grown up hearing stories of when he was "on the road" with bands like The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones and I wanted to be part of that when I was older. 

So, how long have you been together as a band? 

Technically we formed in early 2000 when Mez (our original guitarist) and I formed a Grunge style band. Over the years between ‘00 and ‘02 it developed through stages of sound from grunge to metal to blues rock and finally hitting funk rock in late 2002. We have only actually been with our current guitarist Rez since January of this year but the music has developed over the last four years to become what it is now. 

Awesome - Who are some of your all time favourite bands? 

For me it started out as bands like The Beatles and my Dads band (The Kult) but over the years bands from various genres have encouraged me to create the style of playing I have today. Guns 'n' Roses and Metallica have always been a big part of my listening and playing but I listen to anything that I consider to be something special. Recently I have been listening to more experimental and progressive music from bands like SikTh, Dream Theater and Mars Volta, which implement more irregular drum patterns and try out things no one else does. As far as OUR music is concerned my drum parts are influenced and bought together mainly by the playing styles of Matt Sorum (Guns 'n' Roses), Lars Ulrich (Metallica) and the prog styling of Dan Foord (SikTh). But that’s just me, the rest of the band have their influences too. So we mix a lot of shit together to make what we do! 

You really are detailing these answers aren’t you!! Thank you...ok onto the next one 

He he I have to 

Good good!! Where did you get your name? How did you come up with it? 

We have been through a multitude of names over the years. The original grunge incarnation was called 'The Other People' which I never really liked as a name but having gone through a load of shite ideas such as "Sheep" and "Junky" it seemed to fit us the best. As the genre we were playing changed, as did the name. When the funk-rock style was generated we were called “Charlie Brown”. After a bit of thought we decided this might cause copyright problems because of the obvious connection with the Snoopy cartoons! After being somewhat nameless or between names for a couple of gigs we became "Nine Lives" in 2002-2003. This stuck for a while until we became aware of an American signed band of the same name. Once again we were nameless and heading towards a crowd at a gig. We were sitting in the dressing room of Brighton Pressure point drinking "Scrumpy Jack" cider when we came up with it. We played the show that night and announced the new name to the crowd and tested it out by getting people to chant it. It worked for us and has stuck ever since… 

Wow!! Ok so how were you first noticed as a band? 

I think the first time we really got ourselves onto our feet properly was early this year when our current guitarist joined us. He bought a whole new sound and influence to the band, which is a major part of our sound now. When we reformed with him in January we played the Pressure Point in Brighton as our first gig with him and then headlined Brighton Freebutt as a comeback gig. This was a very important gig for us as not only was it one of the first gigs with our new guitarist it was our first ever headlining show. We were asked to do it as a comeback, which I think was the coolest thing! It packed out and we gained a lot of following from this gig that are loyal to us now. It was also our first opportunity to air new material we had written over the past few weeks with Rez. We had a great reaction to the new stuff and from there it went on... 

Awesome – OK next one – How can people get hold of your amazing music? 

We are in the process of recording newer stuff with Rez. We have a two track single type thing that we have with us at shows, it’s two versions of the first song we wrote with Rez on guitar. It’s called “Jack Is Back” and is the only properly recorded song we have so far. We are working on two more tracks to make it an E.P Which should be done over the upcoming months. You can download the tune off our site at www.grumpy-jack.co.uk or you can come see us live and hear it for yourself! 

Yes! People catch this band while you can – they are going to be HUGE! Moving on, have you had any crazy fan experiences or do you have any current crazy fans? 

We have had a few odd fan experiences. After our first large event, which was in Brighton, we got recognised in the street a couple of times which was rather odd. I was asked for a CD in Co-Op and asked when our next gigs were and stuff by someone shopping for onions! It was all really surreal. Then there’s you! Who I guess is our ultimate crazy fan! I don’t know really, it’s all good. I don’t really think we have fans as such, more a dedicated following of people who are enjoying what we are doing! 

OK – If you could star in the remake of any film – what would it be and who would you play? 

Ha ha! That’s an interesting question! Well as it happens we were asked to be part of a low budget “28 Days Later” style film a little while back and also asked to write a song for the soundtrack. I think if I were to star in a remake it would be “The Shining”. I can just imagine all the cinema go-ers faces as I burst through the door screaming, “Here’s Johnny!” I think that would be a very interesting prospect. But I don’t know if remaking a legendary film like “The Shining” would be a good idea. But if they did, I would be in it! 

OH YES! II was thinking something along the lines of that…or maybe the shark from “Jaws”… 

That could be interesting. Although I think the shark in “Jaws” is more of a Rez (guitar) kind of thing. I can just imagine him swimming around with a plastic fin on! That’s the kind of odd thing he would do. 

Ha ha ha – Crazy! So, in your opinion what are the highlights / bonuses of being in a band? 

There are loads of highlights of being in a band! The best thing I think is being able to get your creativeness out to a lot of people and hear what they have to say about it. You also get to meet a lot of people on your travels and everyone’s interested to hear what you have got to say when you say “I’m in a band!!” I suppose when bands get more well known and involved in endorsements and record companies, there’s free shit you get but I just enjoy playing the music! That’s what it’s all about after all! 

Oh yes! OK, do you have any traditions for before, during or after a show? Other than loading etc… 

Every show we play is wicked from start to finish! I love playing! Before the show we always check out the other bands, out of respect and spend a bit of time talking to people who have come to see us or are involved in the show. During the show there’s usually some sort of competition usually involving eating something. At our first Freebutt show with Rez we bought 3 huge swiss rolls and made people eat a whole one as quickly as possible to win a CD and some signed photos! Pretty crap prize, but it’s funny as hell to watch! We are also now well known for giving out sweets to the crowd during our tune “Lollipop.” We spend half the song showering the crowd in lollypops and it always goes down well. Sometimes I think maybe they have just come for the free food! 

Do you think bands are categorized too much by music critics and fans? 

There is a lot of categorization around in the music industry and it often causes more harm than good. There is now a social divide in rock music due to people lumping things into groups. Grungers, Crusties, Goths – All this bollocks. I just think music is music!! Our music wouldn’t appeal to fans of bands like Cradle Of Filth but we are trying to do the same thing as them. I think a lot of fans don’t really understand this. There’s a lot of hatred caused by this grouping it shouldn’t be this way. As I said, music is music! 

Exactly, well said Dan! 

He he! Why Thank You! 

Anytime! OK so how would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before? 

The best way to describe our music would be – Funk influenced, heavy guitar based shredding prog-rock-metal with extra funk! I think the funk rock aspect of our music is most dominant but the shredding guitar parts and prog melodies in some stuff is extremely important to our sound and would not be Grumpy Jack without those little additions. I think people should listen to it and decide how to describe it themselves but I think that about covers it! 

WOW! That sounds like there’s a lot going on there! 

There are so many influences coming together so it’s always going to have a long description! 

Ha ha! So, who would you most like to tour with and why? 

If you asked me this question a few years ago I would have said Red Hot Chili Peppers. I had a lot of respect for them all the way up until “Californication”. After that I lost interest. I think they have gone down the path that a lot of the greatest bands do – going “over-commercial”. I would still be amazingly psyched to pay with them but there would be something missing. Incubus would be good; I think they have a sound that would work well on a tour with us. There are a lot of bands I would love to play with but the whole genre divide thing would cause problems. I would love to play with SikTh, but I don’t feel their crowd would appreciate our sound as much as a Chili’s or Incubus crowd! I suppose because there is so much going in to our music from all over the place that it does appeal to a lot of groups. Except maybe R ‘n’ B! 

Who are some of your heroes/idols? 

There are loads of people I look up to. As I said before, my dad bought me up on music and he has always been an important figure in my life! SikTh guitarist Dan Weller is someone I have a ton of respect for. He’s always there to help you out and has a lot of advice to give, and is generally an amazing bloke. I guess SikTh as a whole are my idols, just because they are doing something different and have so much passion for what they do! 

Oh yes! I like the way you think! 

He he! I thought you would! 

Nothing to do with Dan Weller I assure you… 

I’m sure it’s not (cough) Obsessed fan alert (cough) Ha ha! 

I am a Grumpy Jack obsessed fan too!! So, come on, dish the dirt, which member of the band has the worst habit? 

Russ, our bassist! I wouldn’t say it’s a bad habit as such, but he NEVER stops talking about bass and music! He also has a habit of constantly playing bass while people are trying to talk. We will be trying to work out a part of a song and all we can hear is Slap! Pop! Funk! Doo Dah! coming from the other side of the room. But that’s just Russ in general. He wouldn’t be him without doing that. 

If you ruled the world, what’s the first law you’d pass? 

Mwahaha! Damn that would be good!! I’d make bad attitudes and arrogance illegal! I think people, who put down other people or cause conflict, don’t deserve to be treated well. I would have all those people who stand outside shops shouting “grunger, innit” arrested and put away. The majority of trouble caused on the streets is by this sort of person and it messes everything up for everyone else. Oh yeah, I would legalize weed as well! \m/ 

Ha ha! Why aren’t you the ruler of the world?!? It would be such a nicer place! 

Oh yeah, I’d also make you minister of music for that comment. He he. 

I would make it illegal to not own a Grumpy Jack release! I would arrest anyone who didn’t own anything by you guys! 

Totally, the world would be a better place. 

But carrying on, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you have with you excluding food, water and a phone? 

Hmmmmmm… The SikTh album – The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out Wait For Something Wild, a CD player and lots of weed. I could live without food on the condition that I had these things. 

Ha ha! Yes, I would just take SikTh, their instruments and a laptop with Internet access. That way I could order my food! 

Oh yeah! I’d have to have the ‘net! I couldn’t survive without that! 

Ok, so where would you like to be in a year’s time? 

I would like to have enough experience in playing to give my drumming wisdom to others. Ideally we would have some sort of record deal, either toured, be on tour or have a tour coming up and be spreading the love worldwide! That’s my ultimate dream really. One day I will be living the dream…one day!!! 

Do you have any particular favourite Grumpy Jack songs? 

I think all our songs our meaningful in some sort of way. Sean’s lyrics are always about something that’s going on at the time. We wrote a song based around the events of September 11th called “Take No More” which at the time meant a lot to us, as it was how we felt about the whole thing. I think personally my favourite song is “Monkey Nut's.” It was the first song we ever wrote but we re-worked it when Rez joined us and added a proggy breakdown in the middle but kept the chorus exactly the same as it was years ago! “Lollypop” is another favourite mainly because everyone knows it, it's our "hit" and we get the best response to it live. 

Do you think the music you grew up listening to has influenced the way you play? 

Definitely! Listening to bands like The Beatles when I was younger has definitely had an impact on my playing style. Although The Beatles drum work is way below standard it was a style that at the time was ground breaking. Simple steady controlled beats are used everywhere now, it's all come from this type of music. Over the recent years I think music has had more of an input into how I play simply because I think about the playing more. Stuff like Metallica has built up my hard solid rhythm and stuff like SikTh has added to my faster technical ability. 

Awesome!! Ok another random question here for you - Which celebrity would you most like to beat up and why? And be brutally honest… 

50 CENT! JA RULE! JAY Z! I would take them all on. Their music is just far beyond insulting. It doesn't deserve the recognition and awards it gets. It's just mindless pap! As you can see I have very strong opinions on this subject! 

Ok, if you was offered the chance to be a part of another band for a whole tour which band would it be and why? 

Would have to say SikTh. I've been trying ever since I heard their album to learn the songs on drums. I'm half way there and hopefully I'll figure out the rest soon. Also the whole band is full of decent guys and I would love to spend the time with them on tour meeting new people and playing loads. It would be utterly immense to be part of that! I could probably do it now, but they'd have to play only the songs I know! There was a rumour started around a large amount of places that I was playing for Metallica at this years Download festival. As some people who went may know, Lars Ulrich was hospitalised and Slipknot's Joey Jordison was bought in as a replacement for the gig. Someone put a post on our website saying that they saw me backstage and that the playing style was exactly like mine. So it must be me! It was pretty cool for a while, some people believed it. I even got asked if it was true after a gig once. Some kid came to see us because he thought I had played for Metallica. Was pretty mental!! Then some dude found a picture of Metallica playing and super-imposed my face onto Joey, which only fuelled the stories even more! 

HAHA!! That’s really quite funny!! Next one - Who are three of your favourite people at the moment? 

What famous or not? 

Like, general people. 

The first person has to be Stevie, my partner/girlfriend whatever you want to call her. She’s at everything I'm involved in and makes the effort to see me play every time I am doing anything like that. She fully supports me in everything and travels all over the place with me to do crazy things. Second, people who come to see us. I know this isn't one person but just people in general. Everyone who has come and seen us play or who has our CD and likes it! All our supporters and everyone who has been there when we needed the help. Thirdly, it's got to be you hasn't it. For doing this interview. Otherwise I'd be sitting on the sofa listening to music wasting my time. That’s tomorrow’s agenda... 

HA ha ha - thank you!! I'm always here to help! Ok well I only have one final question and that is, is there anything you would like to add or any last words you would like to say? 

Yeah! Check out the site at www.grumpyjack.co.uk. If you like the tune that’s on there sign up to our forum and chat to all the lovely people on there. If you don't, then erm don't! Smoke weed, have fun, funk it up and spread the love 

Thank you for that Dan! 

That’s all right any time. I enjoyed it!