Spit Like This
Profound Torture
Spit Like This
Q:What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Have you changed the band’s name before?
SPiT LiKE THiS. It all started the night I met Vikki. We had a spitting competition outside the club we met and, to help her stop dribbling down her chin, I showed her how to "spit like this". When we put the band together, we were trying to think of a cool name that summed up our attitude when that memory came back. It seems to have different connotations to different people, which is interesting. This band has never released anything under any different name, although one of the names on our possible list was "Viper Room 69". I am soooooo glad we didn't go with that!
Q:Please list the name, age and respective instrument of each band member. Lord Zion (founding member, vocals) / Vikki Spit (founding member, vocals) / Vile Gilez (drums) / Cyndi Rott (guitars). Gilez has been with us since 2003, Cyndi since 2006. An early incarnation of SLT had keyboards as well, but we are much happier being a 4-piece.
Q:What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences? Ahh, the question we can never answer! The conclusion we have kind of come to is Glam Punk Rock. Different people see different things in us though. I am influenced by Adam Ant, Queen, 80's rock, pop and metal. Vikki is a '77 punk gal. Cyndi is a bunch of people who are dead (Frank Zappa, Marc Bolan) and Gilez is all things with a ryhthm. It's quite an odd collection, really. Gilez is essentially a metal drummer, so add that to a band with a vocalist who goes from punk to glam to classic rock, a bassist who keeps things simple laying it in the pocket and a bluesy, inspired guitarist and you get the SLT sound. It would be a hard one to fake.
Q:How long have you all known each other? How did you meet? Vikki and I met in 2000. We didn't form the band for a while, we just hung out, becoming friends. It was at the same time we got together that the notion of doing something musically together first reared it's head. More on that later though. Gilez we met through an online ad. He came and auditioned when another prospetive drummer cancelled last minute. Cyndi was another met online. The internet is good for that!
Q:When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together? Well, Vikki played bass and I was bored in the band I was in. It was too safe and predictable so I had to get out. She was like a boy version of me so we figured we might have something if we started a band. It took a long time to get it together and move it forward as we had no money and, frankly, were two pissheads! We didn't perform live until 2003 and didn't really become what I call a "proper" band until 2006, when the line-up got really good.
Q:Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations? We've had a few deals. We started our own label, Megabucks Music, to license our music. We first did this with a small Brighton-based indie called "But Records". They released our 4th EP, 3rd EP (retrospectively) and a compilation CD called "Scary Tales" (essentially everything we had done up to 2006). We recorded our debut album in 2007 and, in 2008, we signed to a UK indie who released it in November of 2008. It was right at the time when the big distribution companies were closing (the thing that caused Woolies to shut) so it didn't work out as well as it should. We left that label in 2009 and signed with a Swedish label, GMR. They have just re-released our album in the UK (with bonus track and video) and will be releasing it across Europe in 2010. We aim to record album number 2 in 2010 also.
Q:What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference? Originally, we only played BC Rich Warlock guitars, which is why they are incorporated in our logo. That changed in 2005 though, as it was quite limiting! Vikki has an endorsement with Peavey guitars and amps, so plays exclusively them. Cyndi has several endorsements including Matamp amplifiers and Ibanez guitars. Gilez uses Spaun drums and we also have a Shure endorsement so I have a wireless mic and Vikki is also wireless. Everyone is quite fussy about what they use!
Q:Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows? Up and down the country in every conceivable venue, from arenas like the NEC to holiday camps like Butlins to small pubs and clubs to large music venues. We have supported some amazing bands too: The Misfits, Twisted Sister, The Damned, LA Guns, Tigertailz and way too many more to list. The venues we like best are those that are tailor-made to support bands, ie they have great sound systems, engineers that know what they are doing and a decent stage. We're not too keen on pubs as our production is quite large and we are quite energetic on stage. We have quite a few shows coming up including the Hard Rock Hell festival (3rd year running!) and the SFX Weekender. Check out our www.spitlikethis.com website for details!
Q:Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list? The song that has probably been performed the most is one called "Obscene (But Not Heard)". We literally played that one every set until about 3 or 4 gigs ago. I do kind of miss it! It was a high energy number. Maybe we'll bring it back. We are always experimenting with the set list to find ways to improve it. Something that may work on paper, live, may suck! We do one cover tune, "Sweet Transvestite" from the Rocky Horror Show. It also appears on the new version of our album.
Q:Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time? Up until the album we are currently writing, I was the main songwriter. I needed to prove to myself that I could do it and, now I have done that, I am more than happy for it to be much more collaborative again. I've written some tunes that have become people's favourite songs, so that is very nice. But, we are a band and, for a song to be truly representative of us, that is how we need to write. I am really excited about the new stuff we are doing. The themes are sex, freedom and death. Which, when you think about it, covers just about anything you can think of. We don't particularly like to limit ourselves.
Q:Could you briefly describe the music-making process? Inspiration comes from anywhere so you can't really say I do XYZ for a song to appear. It might be half a lyric scribbled down in the middle of the night, a drum beat or a cool guitar riff. In the past, all of those things have spawned great songs. And some rubbish ones! Currently, we write in rehearsals. We will play around with an idea, submitted by anyone and, if it grows, we see how far it can go. It then either becomes a song or an idea that didn't quite work. All ideas get kept though, as often they will get used another time.
Q:What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous? We try and rehearse every week but this is not always possible. If we have several gigs, we tend not to rehearse. We've been rehearsing a lot lately to write. We just rent a hall and bung all our gear in. We have our own PA so it is quite easy. The whole rehearsal process is often pretty boring, but it is a necessary evil to improve. I've been enjoying it more since we started writing though.
Q:How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together? A lot. It is less chuggy and more musical now. We've always been strong on melody and rhythm but there is a free-er sound now, which Cyndi has brought with him. At first, I wasn't sure how it worked, being so used to hearing songs played a particular way, but it wasn't long before I preferred it. It's a struggle in the studio though, as he rarely plays the same way twice!
Q:What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? Everything is a challenge! Getting the right mix of people together is probably the biggest. Once you have that though, facing the other challenges together is easier. If you all want the same desires, it is easier to take the inevitable knockbacks. 2009 has been quite a tough year for us; going through the elation of having a deal then realising it isn't working out as you hoped. It can be quite a leap of faith sometimes. But, for us, there are no other options. We believe in what we do so take the knockbacks in our stride. It can be difficult sometimes though.
Q:What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune? Obviously, that is an awesome potential by-product of what we do. Fame is a weird one. There are so many degrees of fame. In some small ponds, we are big fish so, to some people, we are "famous". Of course, on the larger scale, we aren't. But we do get recognised by strangers and our autographs are asked for. All very nice. Fortune would be nice but, anyone that gets into music to make money is bonkers. We would be happy to just get to the point where we can make a living wage.
Q:What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands? Do it because you love it, not because you think it is the path to success. For most bands, it isn't. Statistically, we are already more successful than 99.99% of all bands that ever form! There are over 4 million bands on myspace. If you want to stand out, you have to offer something unique. Clever marketing is more important than ever. Your band is a brand - understand that and the rest will be a bit easier.
Q:How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD? Anyone's first port-of-call should be our website, www.spitlikethis.com. From here, you can follow links to find us on social network sites, view videos, hear MP3's and also find links of where to buy our music online. In advance, we thank you all!
Q:Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support? No. No-one other than the 4 members of SPiT LiKE THiS is responsible for financial or emotional support. Everything we have achieved, we have fought for. We have been handed nothing. And that is the way it should be.
Q:Any last words?
Get involved! If you love music, find out how you too can SPiT LiKE THiS!
EXTRAS: JUST FOR FUN :) (you dont have to do these if you dont want to)
Q:What are your songs about?
We did that already: Sex, Freedom & Death!
Q:What's your coolest band story?
Oddest is possibly when we played at an after-party for the London Fetish Fair. A well known woman on the fetish scene, Mouse, was also performing. She filled herself up with water and bum-squirted it over everyone. Thankfully, we could see what was coming and got out of the way!
Q:Which influence does each of you have that the rest of the band don't share and where's the common ground?
The common ground is that we want to Rock. In it's truest sense. That is the only common ground! I am partial to a bit of pop like Girls Aloud (I blame the songwriter in me - there are some cracking tunes!), but I am alone in that. Cyndi is a huge fan of Bob Dylan, which leaves the rest of us cold. Gilez likes drum & bass, which he should get shot for. I don't think there is anything Vikki likes exclusively.
Q: What comes first the lyrics or the music? Either/Or!
Q: Do you all have day time jobs? - if you could earn a living at your music would you do it full time or do you like the balance you have now?
Q:We would all prefer to be doing music 24/7. Absolutely. And that is what we are working toward. Vikki and I started, own and run www.smellyourmum.com. The sale of our in-house designed and printed T-shirts keeps our share of the SLT bills paid. It also helps promote the band. Every piece sold is a genuine bit of rock n' roll memorabilia and you buy knowing that you are helping to support a cool rock band. So go do that. Now!!
Lord ZiON xx
Godfather of the SPiT LiKE THiS Universe
http://spitlikethis.com >> Official Website
http://smellyourmum.com >> Proudly Offending The Moral Majority Since 2002!
Also at:
http://myspace.com/spitlikethisuniverse | http://myspace.com/spitlikezion
http://www.facebook.com/spitlikethis | http://www.facebook.com/lordzion
http://twitter.com/spitlikethis | http://twitter.com/lordzion