There are those rare bands that hit hard from the moment they plug in. Thirty seconds later, the opening act's roadie is sitting on a 12-stack giving a beer salute, the folks who wandered in cold stand about slackjawed and even the Rolling Stone writers are headbanging. One of those bands is Dead Moon, a Northwest trio whose collective "life experience" totals 144 years, and are probably the heaviest, yet most original live act you'll see all year.
Recently we spoke to Toody Cole?bassist, small-business-owner and wife of Dead Moon frontman Fred Cole?on the phone from her home in Portland, OR. She discussed the band's roots, influences (which include the Stones and Johnny Cash), a record-making process that's still relatively DIY (they used to lay down tracks in their hallways at home) and how, as a brooding young guitarist once told us, you need more than all that in life, "because rock 'n' roll just isn't enough."
Lisa LeeKing: I just want to say you guys rock harder today than most people half your age.
Well thank you. I can't say that's the first time, but I never get tired of hearing it!
LL: What keeps Dead Moon going after all these years?
Pure stubbornness. A lot of it is that we?me, Fred and Andrew?still get off on it big time. The fact that the audience does too only adds to things. It's one of those sweet addictions you just can't get rid of.
Tanya Richardson: Talk to us about how the band evolved.
Fred and I were playing in a punk band called the Rats until '83. Then we did some country/punk stuff for about a year, got bored with that and decided to go back to the basics. Andrew joined on drums, we started doing covers and it took off from there. Our first record came out in 1988, but things really started happening in 1990. That's the first year we toured Europe.
TR: When you say basics, who are you talking about?
We do a lot of punk stuff, and some almost ballads. It's usually real hard for punk bands to tone down and show another side besides anger. But the older you get, I think you need to. And with the way Fred writes, our songs encompass it all. He sings 60 percent of the time, and I sing 40 percent, and that makes a difference?being able to have both a female and male concept with the vocals.
TR: Your energy is overwhelming for the audience. Where is that coming from, and what bands made you feel that way?
Fred and I still listen to the stuff we grew up with in the late 60s?the 13th Floor Elevators, early Stones, the Beatles, naturally, and everything along the way. Fred happened to be luckier than hell, because his band got to open for the Ramones when they first came to Portland. He was like, "Oh, I gotta do that."
With Andrew, he loves soul. We all love Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, a lot of old country...anything that's got some passion to it. We listen to newer bands, and it's like, okay, this is another take on the Kinks, or that's a different twist on the Stones. Andrew loves the Black Crowes, because he loved the Small Faces and the Stones before them. You tend to go back and like bands that remind you of something else.
LL: Dead Moon has been around for 14 years. What are some of your fondest memories from touring?
The first time we played with the Oblivians, they totally blew me away. I've got fond memories of playing with the original Wipers from way, way back. The Nomads are great. At this point we're getting exposed to more new bands, because when we play in the U.S., there'll be two or three bands on the bill, whereas when we play Europe, we're it.
LL: Tell us about your new record, Trash and Burn.
We're extremely happy with this one. It's as diverse as everything else, and it's recorded well, although our live shows are light-years ahead of anything we will ever record. For us it's a photo, a piece in time you go back and listen to. A reference point.
TR: Do you put out the records yourself?
Fred still cuts the masters in mono, then we have a guy who helps get the CD together, next we get all the art work and finally send the whole package to Music Maniac in Europe and Empty in Seattle to distribute. But we're still doing it exactly the way we used to.
LL: For a long time you guys were releasing not only your records but other people's as well. What made you go to Music Maniac and Empty?
We started working with Music Maniac because we had a good feeling about the company?it was small. And to go tour Europe, that's necessary, because an import product becomes so expensive. And of course you've got to have the record sales as proof you can fill the clubs. We're so surprised that after 11 years we are still asked back. It's kind of unprecedented.
TR: Would you consider signing with a bigger label?
I don't think so. The problem with bigger labels is that none of us care about having more fame and notoriety than we do, honestly. The second thing that's a drag about major labels is?and they are treating musicians way better than they used to?it's like being in the Army. You're basically stuck with someone putting so much money and so much advertising into you that it's your whole life. You have to tour. You have to go to photo shoots. Your life is taken out of your control. It's a payoff a lot of people are willing to accept. But we've been around on the planet now long enough that we've got a life way beyond that. We want things on our own terms, and you can't dictate to these people. So it's better not to even go there.
TR: What's it like working with your husband?
From day one, we've done everything together. I don't care if it's cleaning apartments, puttin' on roofs...any damn thing. We go crazy if we're separated more than one or two hours at this point. I know most people don't understand.
LL: Is Dead Moon a profession, or do you have to hold down day jobs?
Well, we don't have to, but we still do. It's part of our?myself and Fred's?work ethic. For Andrew, this is it. Dead Moon is his gig, it's his baby and that's all he does. Which is great. It's a good balance. But for Fred and I, we raised three kids. Plus we started this music store, God, in 1984. Now we could feasibly get rid of everything else and survive off the music, but it would get boring, and that's the worst thing in the world that could happen to you.
LL: Do your kids play music?
Nope. They did their thing off and on, our daughter played clarinet in school, and our boys became long-distance runners. But it's cool to have your kids be into something totally different. Fred and I laugh about how it skips a generation. I'm looking forward to seeing where my grandkids end up. They're gonna cause their parents grief for sure.
TR: You and Fred are in your 50s?
Both 52, and looking at 53 coming real quick down the road.
TR: What do you think of bands like the Stones, who are going to have this 40-year anniversary tour and charge like $300.
Everybody gets to the point where they hate embarrassing themselves. And I hope that never happens to them. A few years ago Fred and I were down in Reno and had the chance to see Johnny Cash, who's one of our heroes. It was probably one of the last chances we'll have to see him because of his illness. One of the guys who does our artwork just happened to see Merle Haggard here the other month, and was totally blown away. That's the way it should be. It's sad when you go and see somebody who you would expect to be blown away by, or you knew them in their prime and you hope to God they're the same way, and they're not. I talk to a lot of kids in the States and Europe who go see some big icon and are disappointed. You're better off remembering it the way it should be. You can't blame the artist that it's not what it was. People expect you to be totally timeless, and it doesn't happen.
TR: You guys are always great.
You hope that you'll know when to quit and walk away.
TR: Not yet. You're way too good.
I already know it ain't yet.
Dead Moon plays Sat., Sept. 22, at Maxwell's, 1039 Washington St. (11th St.), Hoboken, 201-653-1703, and Sun., Sept. 23, at Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston (betw. Ludlow & Essex Sts.), 260-4700.