In real life, the Suede Dudes are some cool cucumbers. But on stage, they bring the sludgiest, surfiest, fuzziest psych, and a weird, dark energy, strong enough to lure any sweet-faced pigeon-toed teen or delightfully stoned sonic junkie.
They're backing up Radio-Active Records on Record Store Day, playing their after-party stage at the massive blowout festival Block x Blog. Taste-makers Subculture and 3J Hospitality plan to batter South Florida's eardrums on 4/20 by packing Revolution Live, Green Room, and America's Backyard with 30 popular local acts and DFA's Holy Ghost!
The Dudes' front men Bryan Adams (yes, that's his real name) and Raphael Alvarez - also known for his solo noise project Chrome Dick - spoke with us recently about why Henry Rollins is their first-pick teammate should the zombie apocalypse go down tomorrow. Here's what happens when two Suede Dudes get to talking.
See also
- Five Things a Record Can Do That An MP3 Cannot
- SLIDESHOW: Record Store Day 2012 at Radio-Active Records
- Five Things We're Most Looking Forward to at Radio-Active Records' 2013 Record Store Day
- Jacuzzi Boys Audio Tour of Record Collection Favorites for Record Store Day 2013
New Times: So, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, one needs to hunker down with a group in order to survive. In doing so, you want to choose these people carefully. Are there any musicians you think would be solid assets to your survival team once you're underground, waiting for things to clear up?
Bryan Adams: Henry Rollins - wait, are we talking about like sheer brute force, or like in our downtime, people we would want to be hanging around with? He's buff. He'd be good defense.
Raphael Alvarez: Plus he can talk so, so much. Either way, Henry Rollins would be ridiculous.
Adams: Thurston Moore would be awesome. Just because, when musicians get bored, they're going to make music. That's something we wouldn't get bored of.
Are you recording with Jonathan Nunez from Torche?
Alvarez: Yes! He approached us one night while we were playing at the Poorhouse, and he seemed to really understand our sound. Both he and Suede Dudes have just been so busy, we haven't had the chance to take him up on the offer to record us until recently. We are putting out a 7", and in the process of getting that together right now. We really love the music he makes and before he approached us we saw him standing there at the edge of the stage. Made us kind of nervous.
Adams: But we've always wanted to produce a proper recording and there was no question about doing a vinyl.
Why is vinyl so important to you guys?
Adams: There's something different about the sound. It's a tangible thing - you can hold it and see it.
Alvarez: There are rules when recording analogue. It's a classic representation of music. We have digital music, cassette tapes, CDs...
Adams: CDs just aren't cool.
Alvarez: The thing about vinyl is it holds some sort of tradition. It's a total package. We have our own personal record collections and we enjoy listening to vinyl.
Adams: You can't be a passive listener when it comes to vinyl. The most logical step in us producing a record is to record it for vinyl. (Moment of pause.)
Alvarez: Wait! What about Nick Cave? For the zombie thing? Let's put Nick Cave in there. And P.J. Harvey! Man, you think you have a hard time digging up information on us, she is a dead end.
What was your favorite part about playing Record Store Day last year at Radio-Active Records?
Adams: It was definitely an honor to play on Record Store Day at our local store last year, especially with bands like Beach Day and Lil' Daggers. We are really excited about everyone we are playing with this year, too. Jacuzzi Boys? That's going to be fun!
Alvarez: It's just a really cool thing to be able to come together and celebrate music with other musicians. The whole Record Store Day thing is totally right up our alley. It's going to be a pretty good time this year over at Green Room.
What releases are you looking forward to this year on the big day?
Adams: Braid's Frames and Canvas.
Alvarez: Loren Connors and Thurston Moore. Isn't that supposed to be a noise album? That's crazy. It's a really long list. We could be here a while.
Block x Blog. With Holy Ghost!, Jacuzzi Boys, Afrobeta, Bleubird, and others. 10 p.m., Saturday, April 20, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $25 plus fees. Show is 18 and older. Call 954-449-1025, or visit jointherevolution.net.
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