FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. THE PONY INTERVIEW WITH GREG STUKEY OF RAQ
2. PRIVATE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 'DEVILS & DUST' LISTENING EVENT
3. THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE STONE PONY: LADIES NIGHT
4. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This Week at The Stone Pony: Dierks Bentley (Friday), Raq (Saturday), The Break '05 Ultimate Band Competition (Sunday), The Wonder Stuff (Tuesday), The Dresden Dolls (Wednesday)
Saturday, April 16, Jersey Shore Blues Legend Billy Hector returns for the first time in over two years. Get ready for two sets of smokin' blues with a horn section.
New on the Stone Pony Calendar: The Dresden Dolls (April 6), The Jazz Mandolin Project (April 8), Project Object (April 9), Collective Soul (April 15), Billy Hector Band (April 16), Saul Williams (April 18), Lifehouse (April 19), Hippie Army 420 Bash (April 20), Bobby Bandiera Band (April 22), The Bennett Brothers Band (May 7), They Might Be Giants (May 13), Lisa Marie Presley (May 15), Boccigalupe and the Bad Boys (May 20), Particle (May 21), Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (June 4), Hot Tuna (July 26)
RAQ BRINGS THEIR AGGRESSIVE IMPROVISATIONAL ROCK ON A COLLECTIVE JOURNEY ACROSS THE PONY STAGE
Word-of-mouth buzz can be one of the most powerful, and elusive, means of promotion that any band can generate. Some of the music world's biggest success stories start off with bands who were selling out shows with loyal fans who could sing along with the music long before it was played on radio or Mtv. While the Internet has made it much easier for bands to get their music to the masses without the benefit of plastic and aluminum, standing out among a hundred-thousand other bands trying to be heard is a major challenge.
In just a few years since their debut, Raq has filled rooms around the country and performed at some of the highest-profile festivals, gaining attention as one of the rising stars of the jamband scene while simultaneously redefining the genre. Based in Burlington, Vermont, the four members of Raq, Todd Stoops (Keyboards/Vocals), Greg Stukey (Drums), Jay Burwick (Bass/Vocals) and Chris Michetti (Guitar/Vocals) released their second album, Carbohydrates, in 2003, which solidified their "aggressive improvisational rock" sound. Tracks from the CD, "Carbohydrates Are The Enemy" and "Shirley Be a Drooler" have received radio airplay in markets around the country, as well as nationally on XM Satellite Radio.
Currently on a tour of the Northeast, Raq headlines at The Stone Pony on Saturday, April 2, as part of the Surfrider Foundation Benefit. Also appearing that evening will be New Blood Revival, The Youth Ahead and Outside The Box.
The Pony Newsletter conducted the following interview with Greg Stukey, who spoke about the band's affinity for touring and performing for their fans, as well as touring, touring and touring some more.
The Stone Pony: Your show at The Stone Pony is the second night of a major Northeast tour that the band is conducting in April. Are you excited to be on the road again and do you generally enjoy the traveling and performing in a different city every day, or is that just the price you have to pay to be able to get your music heard?
Greg Stukey: Not at all a "price to pay," which has such a negative connotation. I think we would all say that it's an honor and a pleasure to play all the places we play and meet all the people we meet. It's a blessing and we're thankful every day that we get to do this. But, we are definitely excited to be on the East Coast. Compared to the tours we're used to and the frequency that we are away from home its almost like: "Damn! It's good to be home!" But, we're musicians. We'd be playing what we play if no one ever heard it because of the love for the art. So, it's a gift that there are people out there in all of these places that appreciate what we do and allow us to travel and play for them.
The Stone Pony: Different parts of the country are known for developing styles of music. Asbury Park has a very distinctive sound, as have other scenes such as Seattle and Los Angeles. Why do you think Vermont has produced so many great jam bands? It is a product of Phish's success, or is there some other influence at work?
GS: I think that because of Phish's success and putting Vermont on the map that there is a certain amount of attraction to the state. I think Vermont, at one point, attracted a certain type of music-loving fan who might be easily convinced to put a band together, thus modeling it around the more "open" forms of music whether it be rock, jazz, bluegrass, etc. Eventually you'll have a cross-pollination of those forms which might catch the "phish-stigma," for lack of a better term.
The Stone Pony: Can you describe what the music scene is like in Vermont? Are there clubs or other plans for bands to play? Are there bands performing in basements or garages and what's it like for musicians who are starting out in that area and want to try and make a career out of it?
GS: Burlington can be tough. Only recently have we started to gain some successes in our home state, which seems a little backward. To be honest, we spend so much time away from home that I don't really have a grasp of what the music scene is like in Vermont. Unfortunately, I feel that there is little patience for "jam bands" here in Vermont and anything outside of the jazz and post-rock forms get little attention. But that would also depend on what you are trying to do as a musician. If you're just trying to play and make ends meet, then Vermont is a wonderful place. If you're trying for more than that, then it's only a matter of time before you realize that you need to travel.
The Stone Pony: What was your own introduction to music? Did you know right away that you wanted to make this your full-time pursuit?
GS: Absolutely. When I first sat at a kit it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew it right then that my life would be completely insane. The feeling that came through the pedals that just swallowed me up was to much to just ignore. Little time went by to where I was exposed to Led Zeppelin and it was already history at that point. I was in - music was it.
The Stone Pony: Both of your studio albums where recorded in very short timeframes. Would you like to have the opportunity to spend months in the studio producing an album for as long as it takes to get it right, or you think there is some advantage to keeping the process moving along?
GS: I think I would give anything to be able to spend us much time as we saw fit to work on an album. But, that could also have its drawbacks. I think considering how little time was spent on the others that we owe it to ourselves to see what we can create with no time restrictions. I think that the end result would be nothing but impressive. I'm fully confident in that. We have a lot to say as a band and as musicians and having no time barriers would really allow us to explore ourselves in the studio.
The Stone Pony: Speaking of recording, are there any plans to produce a follow-up CD to 2003's "Carbohydrates"? For a band that builds so much of its reputation through touring and gaining fans through your live show, are studio recordings not as important in building the band's success?
GS: I'm not really thinking tactically when it comes to releasing an album. Although I feel that an album a year is generally a good policy to have but you just don't want the timing to be off. You want to go into the studio when you feel it's absolutely the right time. The marriage of "live-act" and "studio band" I feel is what is crucial to the success of a band. If you have a great studio album with a few hits but your live show sucks, [your] chances for success in terms of longevity are limited. Same goes for being a great live band and not having great studio recordings. You can obviously do very well in any scenario but for what I feel we are trying to do one without the other is unacceptable.
The Stone Pony: Jams bands have generally been the leaders in the encouragement of recording live shows, tape trading and digital file sharing, something that Raq also does for your fans. Why do you think artists in other genres of music are generally less accepting of their fans recording and trading shows and do you find that fans in new cities you visit already know your music from digital downloads?
GS: I'm not really sure to be honest. I don't see why a public performance couldn't be recorded by the very public that came to see the show. It's also part of the whole deal. Fans come to the shows and they get to re-live some of those experiences through the tapes. Why would you as an artist ever want to take that from them? Our fans knowing our music can be directly related to downloading and we only have to gain fans by the participation of those involved. To me, it's another form of promotion. A valuable form.
The Stone Pony: When you're on a hectic tour like you're undertaking in April, do you have much of an opportunity to meet fans at the different venues? Do you enjoy talking to people at the shows, and have you gotten used to people knowing you more and more and treating you as more of a celebrity?
GS: Well, we can stop referring to the tour in April as "hectic" or "extensive." We've been on tour since, shit... friggin' October of '04. So this tour is small in comparison. On this one we get to go home at the end of every week so we don't even really consider it "touring." I mean, I guess it is if you're thinking going around from city to city playing music, but to us "touring" is going out and not coming back for a while. So, it's just a little funny when people are like "Wow... well, you guys are on TOUR! and whoa... how do you deal? I mean that must be tough, you know?" So, considering we get to come home at the end of every week our potential to meet more people will be greater as opposed to a long tour when you start to get tired... mentally.
The celebrity thing? We're not celebrities in the literal sense. We entertainers for people who want to be entertained and we take pride in being so. So, I guess in that sense we're celebrities but I don't think any of us would admit to that!
The Stone Pony: Is the band planning to perform any new material at your Stone Pony gig? Are there new songs that you've introduced to the set since "Carbohydrates" was released that have become particular fan favorites, or that the band especially enjoys performing?
GS: Oh, Jesus, so much. So many new tunes since Carbs. It's funny because a lot of our fans will scoff at the tunes that we might consider new because they already know them like the back of their hands, maybe even better than we do! But, to tally up the new songs since Crabs, there's maybe, like, 20 new ones or so. Definitely two batches of between eight and ten songs. "Bootch Magoo" is a fun one, "Japan," "Massive" have become favs. There's just too many to list.
The Stone Pony: What are the band's touring plans after the completion of the Northeast tour? Are there any announcements that you can make yet about any big summer festivals that you'll be playing?
GS: Well, I think we're gonna do some touring. Then maybe a little touring. After that it's hard to say, but we'll probably do some touring.
Album-tour-tour-tour-album? We love playing live. It's something that,
when the day is over, we never really complain about having to do. There's
no substitute for the feeling that is exchanged between the audience and us
when we're playing live. We have moe.'s Summercamp the weekend of May 27th -
30th, Goodvibes on April 23rd, The Big-Wu family reunion, with the
potential for a couple really big festivals to look forward to in the next
few months. A two-night stand at Higher Ground in Burlington on April 8th
and 9th will be a lot of fun and not to be missed.
Raq's official website can be found at www.raqmusic.com.
Now at AsburyPark.net:
Painting raffle helps food bank: Bruce
Springsteen is among many who helped create a painting which will be raffled
off to benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. The painting was
created under the guidance of artist Kelly Sullivan with the help of
hundreds of Springsteen fans.
On Tuesday, April 5th, you have four chances to get passes to attend a special PRIVATE Bruce Springsteen 'Devils & Dust' listening event at 7:00 pm that night at The Stone Pony. The Sony Music van will be visiting the following locations throughout the day on Tuesday, playing just a few songs from the new album and giving away passes to our event. Catch up with the van in any of these four locations and the Sony team will hook you up with a pass. Get there early because passes are very limited. And if you can't make it to any of these locations, you have one more shot at hearing the album and seeing clips from the DVD side of this DualDisc release: At 9:00 pm, we'll be opening the doors to the public for the Wonder Stuff show. Before the band goes on, we will do another listening and viewing session so that nobody's left out.
Here are the details:
Tuesday, April 5th
Best Buy in The Garden State Plaza: 10:30 am -
11:30 am
Garden State Plaza; Rte 17, Paramus, NJ 07652
Tower Paramus: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
809 Route 17, Paramus, NJ 07652
Vintage Vinyl: 3 pm-4 pm
51 Lafayette Rd., Fords, NJ 08863
Jack's: 5 pm-6 pm
35 Broad St., Red Bank, NJ 07701
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE STONE PONY: LADIES NIGHT
The hottest Thursday night continues with LADIES NIGHT at The Stone Pony.
The best in house, hip hop, reggae and trance with DJ John Farruggio. 18 for girls, 21 for guys. ID a must! Doors open at 9 pm. Dress to impress. $1 Miller Lite & MGD drafts all night. Beat the Clock Heineken bottles starting at $1.
Come see for yourself why Thursday nights are the hottest with Ladies Night at the Pony!
