Interview with Christophe Beirnaert (Drunkabilly Records)

Tell the history of Drunkabilly Records, please. When and how did it appear?

Drunkabilly started in the year 1988 as a couple of friends who wanted to promote R'n'R ( R'n'R I mean from garage, psychobilly, punkabilly to rockabilly, surf ,etc ...) trought concerts. After a few years I did the concerts alone, because most of my friends had no time /intresst. In 1990 I started to sell CD's and LP's by mailorder. After a few years, somebody from the Yancatooz (old psychobilly band from Belgium) asked me if I was intressted doing their 10" vinyl ( lim.ed 500 copies) So you can say that than in 1998-1999 Drunkabilly was born, as label -mailorder-concerts.

Did you have any musical experience?

Well, I have played drums when I was a young kid, and some guitar. Some people say that I have a nice voice on stage, but I'm really to bizzy with the label to play in a band.

You know, from the side it is well visible as FIFTY FOOT COMBO have gradually created an excellent, not similar to the majority of other RnR-labels, image for Drunkabilly Records. How have you met and how would you estimated their creativity since the earliest times and till todays?

I know the guys from FFC now for 15 years! I met them years ago on concerts, then they played surf classics and they where a trio! Their first album was out before I started my lablel. After my label was started I did one of their side projects: Thee Andrews Surfers (with 3 members from FFC) they where satisfied about the label, so they joined in with FFC. The FFC wasn't a trio anymore, bango's, second guitar and organ joined the band and this made the sound that we all know: The Monstrophonic sound! I can say that we work the most for FFC and they get the biggest studio, advertisment, budget also. If you have those budgets you can do more with producers and manegers. This contribute to more time and experiences, what results in a good production. I must say that they work everyday for their band and go on tour so much if they can!

As far as I know the musicians of FIFTY FOOT COMBO have many other musical projects. Why was nothing, except for Andrew's Surfers, released on Drunkabilly Records?

Not everything they did with their other projects we liked! That's the mean reason. We did almost the Ewings, sideproject from the guitar player from FFC Steven, lucky for us he did this production on a Dutch label, so that we had the money to do The Meteors, Psycho Down LP!!

What has happenned to SPEEDBALL JR.? Why nothing is heard about them?

Speedball Jr , is doing real fine! They played last year 230 shows in Belgium alone !!! Speedball Jr was an unknown band, so they had to play so much if they could in Belgium. Now everybody knows them over here! In sept- Oct 2004 the band is ready to go on tour in Spain, Germany and France. They also did a few gigs in Holland. Now it's more importent that they can play so much if they can in other countries. Recently they have another drummer, the drummer from the well known Metal band Aborted! (also the brother from FiftyFootC ombo drummer Bart!)

Tell us, please, about a forthcoming release of the Frenchmen the Astro Zombies. What can you tell about Nova Express label (recently I've opened set of names from their catalogue for myself...) and its chief Lucas Trouble?

Strange story for me also! We did the Astro Zombies vinyl LP, not the CD! Bob from the Astro Zombies told me that Nova Express, stopt a little bit because the chief had some familiar reasons. That's the only thing that I know!

Can you name some names (groups or labels) without which, at your sight, European garage-surf-scene would be incomplete?

Phhf, a lot to mention!! For West-Europe, certainly Voodoo Rythm Records! Larson records, Bananajuice records,Green Cookie, Big beat Rec,etc .... Bands: Fifty Foot Combo, The Monsters, The Apemen, Vice Barons, Dukes of Hamburg, The Sires, Cynics, The Vibes, etc ....

And what about your musical preferences?

I listen a lot to several styles, from speedrock to punk, oi, to rock'n'roll, Rockabilly, garage, Surf, expecially Psychobilly!! Soul, beat, some ska,...some hardrock and metal. You can say everything from R'n'R I really never listen to Techno or disco, and other comercial stuff.

What do you think about the constant division of the stage on "American" and "European"? As far as is it justified, at your sight? What are their strong and weak sides?

Well you can discuss this for houres and houres! Let's make it short, the best music styles comes from Europe (underground styles), but beware! America started with R'n'R, Bleus, surf and they had real nice soul artists! European bands have more to struggle for their reputation what makes their music strong and solid, also it's always hard for a band for Europe to go on tour in USA, pitty enough!

Surf-music is apolitical in itself (he-he, try to imagine an instrumental band with a strongly declared political position!... Though, in fact, for example, the Shadows managed to combine concerts with religious propagation...), though sometimes it would be desirable to learn opinion of musicians on this or that events... Perhaps, I exaggerate, but on the releases from Drunkabilly Records I have not found anything connected to politics or problems of the modern world. Is it a conscious position or, as they say, "it has turned out so"?

Well we are a non-politic label, myself I don't care about politic, I think music has nothing to do with politics. That's my opinion, I have really no problems with people who has another idee, or are into politic, that's their choice. Most of the bands on our lablel are into their music and the things they are doing with their band, politic is for the most of our bands something for discussions at home or between friends, and not to spread their opinion around! I hope this opinion stays!

This question follows from the previous one: what is your estimation of a modern situation in the world?

It's really unbelievable what you see and hear in the news what is going on in the world. Everbody must have the freedom to speak for himself, and must have the freedom to have an own opinion. I really can't believe it if I see al that misery from War, hunger, misery, polution,etc ..on TV I hope that our generation and the generation that follows can make the world a better place.

What role do you think music play in the present? What about the idea to change the world? (or does the inveterate pragmatist rules on a surf-label?!!!)

Music brings people together, that's for sure! Music, and especially, underground music should have more attention in the media. The internet makes this happening for sure. Now these days everbody is copying or downloading music, I understand that some people have no money to buy CD/LP's, but it's getting worse and worse, so companies get less money to put in new, young bands and this makes me a little bit sad! Anyway we are not a pure surf label! We are a complete R'n'R label!

Tell, please, what from your point of view does modern Russia look?

Well, it's a little bit diffilcult question, because I was never in Russia, I hope I will do in the futur. What we hear and see in the media, is not always the reality. What is very positive, that I see a lot of bands from russia coming our way! Great! And I met some people from Russia and they told me that their country was changing in a positive way, great for you guys!

Do you know anything about our (russian) scene? (As far as I know you had some contact in St. Petersburg).

Pitty enough I have not so much contact with the russian scene, I know in St.Petersburg is a good scene for Psychobilly and related R'n'R. I hope one day to find some contacts in russia for our bands, so that they can go on tour in your country, and also a distrobution company, that can carry our products to the people from russia!

What do you prefer in literature? Movies? What would you say about the FIFTY FOOT COMBO video clip?

Pitty enough I don't have the time to read a lot, somethimes I see some movies, I like the old B-movies! Most I look to everything what is good, can go from Western to drama, horror, etc ...I'm very openminded about movies, but it has to be a cool production, not soap movies.

The Fifty foot Combo clip, was a try out from the band and some college students who started a company. As for me I would change a few things, but the band was feeling oke, with it. Personnaly I would show some live tapes! What really suprised me about the clip was that they showed it on TV!

What are the future plans for the label?

We go on with promoting concerts, that's for sure! I hope that we can do the some things as now, and hopefully we get some more good bands on the label. One thing is for sure: we will always be an underground label!! I hope our distribution gets better to especially East-Europe, like Russia, etc ...

If you want, add something from yourself.

I hope you all had a good time reading this, thanks for your attention! Hopefully I can come to Russia once, to meet some people! If somebody knows people who can help us with concerts in Russia, bookers for bands or distribution, please mail us info@drunkabilly.com Hope everbody is doing well, and keep listining to R'n'R!!! Cheers to the people from Real Art Magazine!! Lucky their are magazine's like this!! Keep up the good work ! Greetings Christophe Drunkabilly

Contact: www.drunkabilly.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up

Hot Stuff | News | Reviews | Interviews | Columns | Contact | Links | Adds | Real Art Records