What Dickie has to say...
(like we care a pig's rear end)
by David Bias
Not enough can be said for mystique. It's that ephemeral
quality that both intrigues and frightens, and it often
mutates into a creature on its own. Jack Nicholson's got
it. Michael Stipe's got it. Lots of supermodels have it.
And Karma to Burn has got it in large measure.
Karma to Burn is to rock what Jennyanykind is to country;
a Civil War gothic novel written by a New York street junky
from 2013 A.D. They're from Morgantown, in the rolling hills
of Wild, Wonderful West "By God" Virginia (and proud of it),
but their sound is cosmopolitan and angular. Their mystique
is the product of subtle contradictions. Sassy-boy good looks
and bad manners, populist and obscure, full-of-attitude and
self-effacing; these are the qualities that make Karma to Burn
one of THE bands to watch in '97.
Being a WV native myself, I was fortunate enough to be present
at the first recording session with Karma to Burn. At that time,
they were an all-instrumental three-piece, and I watched in awe
as they exorcised their "it" and put it down tape. Now, after
gaining a singer, major exposure on the Warp Tour and a couple
of surf videos, and a record deal with Roadrunner, Karma to Burn
are bringing their particular brand of mystique to the masses.
After leaving WV, I fell out of touch with Rich (bass), Will (guitar)
and Chuck (the new drummer and former member of Chum & Black Cat Bone).
But upon receiving an advance of their new self-titled release, I got
right on the horn to line up the following interview.
Juice: So, you guys have landed yourself a new singer, eh?
Rich: Yeah, Jason Jarosz (aka Baka). He's a friend of ours.
J: But he doesn't sound 'added on' at all. He really sounds like he's
been there from the start. He really brings out the redneck in the band.
R: Really?! That's exactly what we were shooting for with him.
J: When I play the record for people, they're saying, "Oh, he sounds
like Rob Zombie", or Ian from Joy Division (they do a cover of "Twenty
Four Hours" that is dead-on), or even Tom Waits. Which I thought
was pretty funny since you guys used to play "Frank's Wild Years" to
open each set.
R: Yeah, that's it. We thought Tom Waits the minute we heard Jason.
We loved him instantly.
J: I mean, I must have told you guys a hundred times NOT to worry
with a vocalist because I thought that the instrumental thing was
your hook, your in, your unique "it" that some bands just have.
R: Well, thanks a lot, man, but they would not put out the
instrumental record. We tried for two years. But we were trapped
in that contract, and we couldn't just say 'fuck it' and go with
another label.
J: So what have you guys been doing with those two years, since
you recorded the basic tracks?
R: Come on, you know us... The SAME things.
J: Touring? Playing Sega? Drinkin'?
R: Yeah, yeah... All that.
J: You had to do more than that. Did you guys have to snag dayjobs?
R: No. That's the great part. Roadrunner gave us enough money to stay
alive and look for a singer. And we just got back from a press tour
in Europe. We had a great time and everybody really had their shit
together. The response we got was amazing.
J: Did you play any shows on your European junket?
R: No, not this time. We're going back in, like, March and staying
through the end of May.
J: You've also managed to snag a new manager and Chuck on drums. How
did all of that come down?
R: Well... It was like this. When Nathan (Limbaugh, former drummer)
was still in the band, we went to San Francisco to record some stuff
with John Garcia (vocalist for Kyuss). But that didn't really work out.
We thought we sounded really "metal", and we got together and decided
that wasn't the best idea. So we came back to WV. We had all just made
this really big decision, and when we get back, Nathan announces that
he doesn't want to go out on the road with us anymore. It seems that
while we were in SF, he kept calling this girl he was with, over and
over, and she was never home, so when we got back, he tells us he
wants to quit because he doesn't want to have to leave again. And
just recently, that girl moved out on him, so... The Rock-N-Roll
Love Triangle has come to a close!
J: And now you've got Chuck!
R: Who is incredible. Everything is just... better with Chuck. And
he's so much easier to talk to about stuff.
J: Yeah, Chuck's a really great guy. (We rambled on for a minute or
two about Chuck, but we don't want him getting the big-head, so I
changed the subject) You know what? I just got a Nintendo 64
with that Mario game.
R: OH MY GOD! Chuck just got one, too.
J: It rocks. Agree?
R: Oh yeah, I'm totally addicted to the hockey game. When we go
back to Europe, we're getting a tour bus, and I'm gonna make sure
we can hook it up.
J: You get a BUS in Europe? What do you get here?
R: Well, we've got a little bit of a road crew now, so probably, a
couple of really nice vans.
J: People that hear the CD before seeing you live might think you're
all kind of sinister... But I know you guys, and you're some of the
nicest guys around.
R: Oh, you know, everything is just a front anyhow. We're the crying
on the inside kind of clowns.
J: Why does Jason look familiar to me.
R: You may have met him before, but he's never done this before,
fronting a band. We're his first time.
J: That's amazing luck. To find someone brand new that has such a
developed style.
R: Well, we just wanted to remind people that we're from West Virginia.
If you're ready for the next interview,
click here!
Being a WV native myself, I was fortunate enough to be present at the first recording session with Karma to Burn. At that time, they were an all-instrumental three-piece, and I watched in awe as they exorcised their "it" and put it down tape. Now, after gaining a singer, major exposure on the Warp Tour and a couple of surf videos, and a record deal with Roadrunner, Karma to Burn are bringing their particular brand of mystique to the masses.
After leaving WV, I fell out of touch with Rich (bass), Will (guitar) and Chuck (the new drummer and former member of Chum & Black Cat Bone). But upon receiving an advance of their new self-titled release, I got right on the horn to line up the following interview.
Juice: So, you guys have landed yourself a new singer, eh?
Rich: Yeah, Jason Jarosz (aka Baka). He's a friend of ours.
J: But he doesn't sound 'added on' at all. He really sounds like he's been there from the start. He really brings out the redneck in the band.
R: Really?! That's exactly what we were shooting for with him.
J: When I play the record for people, they're saying, "Oh, he sounds like Rob Zombie", or Ian from Joy Division (they do a cover of "Twenty Four Hours" that is dead-on), or even Tom Waits. Which I thought was pretty funny since you guys used to play "Frank's Wild Years" to open each set.
R: Yeah, that's it. We thought Tom Waits the minute we heard Jason. We loved him instantly.
J: I mean, I must have told you guys a hundred times NOT to worry with a vocalist because I thought that the instrumental thing was your hook, your in, your unique "it" that some bands just have.
R: Well, thanks a lot, man, but they would not put out the instrumental record. We tried for two years. But we were trapped in that contract, and we couldn't just say 'fuck it' and go with another label.
J: So what have you guys been doing with those two years, since you recorded the basic tracks?
R: Come on, you know us... The SAME things.
J: Touring? Playing Sega? Drinkin'?
R: Yeah, yeah... All that.
J: You had to do more than that. Did you guys have to snag dayjobs?
R: No. That's the great part. Roadrunner gave us enough money to stay alive and look for a singer. And we just got back from a press tour in Europe. We had a great time and everybody really had their shit together. The response we got was amazing.
J: Did you play any shows on your European junket?
R: No, not this time. We're going back in, like, March and staying through the end of May.
J: You've also managed to snag a new manager and Chuck on drums. How did all of that come down?
R: Well... It was like this. When Nathan (Limbaugh, former drummer) was still in the band, we went to San Francisco to record some stuff with John Garcia (vocalist for Kyuss). But that didn't really work out. We thought we sounded really "metal", and we got together and decided that wasn't the best idea. So we came back to WV. We had all just made this really big decision, and when we get back, Nathan announces that he doesn't want to go out on the road with us anymore. It seems that while we were in SF, he kept calling this girl he was with, over and over, and she was never home, so when we got back, he tells us he wants to quit because he doesn't want to have to leave again. And just recently, that girl moved out on him, so... The Rock-N-Roll Love Triangle has come to a close!
J: And now you've got Chuck!
R: Who is incredible. Everything is just... better with Chuck. And he's so much easier to talk to about stuff.
J: Yeah, Chuck's a really great guy. (We rambled on for a minute or two about Chuck, but we don't want him getting the big-head, so I changed the subject) You know what? I just got a Nintendo 64 with that Mario game.
R: OH MY GOD! Chuck just got one, too.
J: It rocks. Agree?
R: Oh yeah, I'm totally addicted to the hockey game. When we go back to Europe, we're getting a tour bus, and I'm gonna make sure we can hook it up.
J: You get a BUS in Europe? What do you get here?
R: Well, we've got a little bit of a road crew now, so probably, a couple of really nice vans.
J: People that hear the CD before seeing you live might think you're all kind of sinister... But I know you guys, and you're some of the nicest guys around.
R: Oh, you know, everything is just a front anyhow. We're the crying on the inside kind of clowns.
J: Why does Jason look familiar to me.
R: You may have met him before, but he's never done this before, fronting a band. We're his first time.
J: That's amazing luck. To find someone brand new that has such a developed style.
R: Well, we just wanted to remind people that we're from West Virginia.
If you're ready for the next interview, click here!
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