R27 – Art Punk Glam Goth Band from Los Angeles made up of outcasts and misfits. . Songs about the darker side of life and how to get out alive
Interview on September 19, 2020
By Dan Locke
Rx27 is an up and coming goth punk band from los Angeles with 2 lead singers Their music is for people who feel that this world is not enough. With true to life lyrics and catchy hooks Rx27 paint an honest picture of life in these troubling times.
What is your upbringing?
Joie x Blaney: It was pretty strict. Very family orientated. I was more or less the black sheep or the weird one.
How did you discover music?
My family had some records that I would listen to. The 2 main records I loved was Johnny Cash live from Folsom and Johnathan Livingston seagull. I played them whenever I could. Also, Barry Manilow and other weird records.
How did you start to write music?
I wrote poetry when I was younger. I kept them hidden from the world. It was my way of rebelling from everything. Freedom is in the creative imagination. I helped writing songs in previous bands as a bass player. That was my main instrument. Until I met this guy cranford nix who was a punk rock legend who wrote fantastic songs. I wrote some with him and he said joie you write great songs you should write some. There is a song floating around that I wrote and sang with him playing guitar. He has since passed away. But he was the first person that actually said to me. I should write songs. I respected him as a writer and a musician. We had some wild and crazy times. Wrote some great songs over the years playing music together. Everyone should check him out.
What was your first performance at like?
it was in a parking lot with a really bad band. It was mostly covering nobody in my high school really thought of me as a musician so I would travel to other high schools and play music with them. I was a loner misfit that never fit in in school or in life. It’s that way everywhere I go. I don’t want to not fit in but I don’t have the same feelings about life as most. I have a curiosity for life. Never cared what others thought for real and always wanted to play music. I live and breathe songwriting. I need to do it. It’s like eating but better. All the songs that I have written are about how I look at life or what I have experienced. Hopes dreams and fears always go into the song. Relationships love and the breakup always make up a song. Not everything I have written is great but it’s honest. I just like to write. And with a writing partner like Thad Coleman it makes it so much more fun. He is a great writer he has a style and a way of writing that is very complimentary to mine. Plus, we are dead honest with each other. We tell each other the truth about what we think of each other’s idea. Because it’s about the each other’s song not the writer.
What makes a good songwriter?
Honesty is the key to great songwriting. Lyrically and musically. They need to fit and be sharpened. We write songs on acoustic guitars. And we rewrite and rewrite and work on them until the song tells us it’s done. Delaying gratification and writing what feels good. I don’t understand these pop stars that have 15 writers. The narrative gets lost and it is more like fast food songwriting. I like writers like Dylan, Cohen Kristofferson. They are mostly acoustic folk writers. But they know the craft. stiv Bators was a great writer. Thunders was a great writer. Steve Jones from the pistols was a great writer. Working with Rikk Agnew from Christian Death was awesome. To write smart punk or emotional goth isn’t done that often or that well. I don’t like labels but that’s what they call us. We got called cool scuzzy death rock I will take that. All I know we are writing what we see and how we feel. I don’t wanna follow trends or jump on a bandwagon. Or write a cool vibe song. I want to write songs that have a universal appeal that speak to an audience that gets it. So far, a handful of critics like it and that’s cool. We are just writing for us and what we like.
How did you get the band together?
A mutual friend introduced me with to bass player thad Coleman. He had an acoustic guitar and we played songs the whole afternoon. I went to see him play bass in another band and just hang out. Found out we had a lot in common and our values of songwriting were similar. He knew 2 guys and we got together and wrote and demoed some songs. Fired a drummer got a new one played a couple shows got rid of a guitar player. Had our friend the dust warrior come in to play on the recordings. Found maxine through a friend of a friend and loved her voice. Went through a lot of people to find who we have right now. The core of the band has always been thad and myself. We write a lot of stuff and trust each other. We both are really committed to what we are doing. It doesn’t really matter if there is a pandemic or earthquake. We are always writing and rewriting. Right now, we are working on 8 songs to record in the winter of 2020. That will be scaled down to 4 to be recorded with an un named producer right now. We have a new guitar player that has been with us since June and he is fantastic. As well as a new drummer. So, we are ready to go.
It looks like you always looking for new members. I see want ads on Facebook. Things like Female Rapper Wanted, 2nd guitarist wanted, Looking for a band?
We always want to expand the sound of rx27. If it was up to me, I would have 2 guitar players. Keyboard player plus the 5 of us. I just think. If you are gonna do something. You might as well over do it. The female rapper thing is for the remix of chasing crazy called fuck forever. To
Cross genres
Would be great. The track is insane. It
Really brings a dynamic to the song. We wind have mumble rappers. But real deal mc rapping over the track. The demo sounds great.
How the band did get its name?
I just came up with the name somehow. I liked the Rx part as the prescription from life and the 27 was for the Saturn return. Not really the 27club. The Saturn return is what happen when Saturn comes back into your birth sign 27 years later. You either make it to the next level spiritually or you end up in the 27 club.
Who designed your logo?
We have this person Valentine Xiao who runs all the social media and logo with a handful of minions under the name of fall originals. I help but it’s all them. Everyone should have a valentine
Why 2 lead singers?
Why not. Wutang clan had 6-7 people. X has two singers. It shows the male female dynamic of life and when I heard Maxine voice it’s the voice I heard in my head for years. Visually it’s stunning. We really want to make Rx27 a spectacle.
Can you tell me about your upcoming music this Fall?
We have about 65 songs demoed and the list keeps growing. We are grabbing 8 of them, to polish up and then share them with some very cutthroat honest fans friends and peers. They will help us pick 4 out of 8. Some of the titles are Chasing Light, Call of the void., once upon a time and a handful of others. We are always improving the songs. And editing to get the best possible lyrics and guitar lines. It’s a very old school process. I wish bands worked harder on their craft. Be it lyrics or music. Take the time to really sit with a song and make it great. I don’t know if they know how. We write in acoustic guitars. Independently and share GarageBand files. We labor over lyrics and melody line until it feels right. For me it’s more art than music. It’s like a painting. Just don’t slam some paint on canvas unless that’s what you want to do. I love lyrics and finding the poetry in the words. The right word to go with a feeling. We orchestrate guitar parts. They are pretty thought out beforehand. That’s why we need two guitar players. I only play guitar in the studio or in conception of a song. I leave it up to the real players to play it live.
Tell me about the creation of your video “Murder Ballard”?
It’s a fly on the wall perspective of a toxic relationship. It was conceived by me and Maxine shot by Deb Frazin. It’s a dark video. I have seen the rough edits. It’s kinda disturbing but a lot of it was taken by true stories we all have experienced sadly. The song is a true to life cautionary tale. When someone your loved tries to kill you, Frazil need to write a song about it. I didn’t die but the relationship did. Thank god. And for me the only way to get over something is to create art to process it. There is a lot of symbolism in the video. Once it comes out it will make more sense of the song. It’s a two-part video. Song of sorrow will continue the story and answer the cliffhanger.
Did you think that the single would be radio ready?
I don’t know what radio ready songs are. There is no radio. We get played in the radio all over the world by people we send the music to. We don’t have a label we work our ass off on making things happen. If I could clean up mouth maybe we could get on the radio. I just write what I see feel and experience.
What is your favorite track on the album?
That’s like saying what’s my favorite body part. We haven’t put all the songs on a traditional record. We are creating a sound or a body of work. We do a single release every few months. Promote it and then move on to the next. I look at rx27 as musical art. From the music to the video to the shirts buttons stickers and campaign of promotion. It’s all one big art installation.
How do you stay healthy while performing?
I don’t. I just try not to die.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
I don’t stream music. I don’t get it. I watch YouTube and download music. I try not to listen to Music in fear of ripping someone off. I listen to
Digital vs. vinyl?
Digital is the best. Nobody likes to lug music around on tour. Get it all and go.
What is kitten Robot Session?
The kitten robot sessions are named after the studio where we recorded. Paul Rossler who owns it and produced the tracks. It is an amazing studio or magic happens to in downtown LA. So instead of calling it by a record name because there is no record name of it yet we call it the sessions named after the studio. Paul is an amazing producer and man and his studio is great
What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?
I try not to comment on the chaos and disorder. I am just ducking. It is the apocalypse here in Southern California and probably most of the United States. But from my vantage point my opinion doesn’t really matter I just wanna make grade art. Kinda like Nero played his violin as Rome burned.
What is the mental health situation of the United State?
Instant gratification runs wild everybody’s opinion is taking as fact if America was a person it would be a stupid angry drunk person who thought they knew it all. And that never was the case. We use to be great. We will be great again. We will have safety for all man women and children again. I do believe that. I kinda live in my own world and visit the world outside. I am just passing through. I do my best to make the world better around me. Help with money time and a shoulder to lean on. I believe in live and let live. And don’t hurt anyone. We are all born innocent and created equal. It’s a shame that doesn’t stay that way for some. Life is not fair it’s life. Try to make it fair and people will suffer. But to hurt someone because of their race or belief or gender is crimina
How can the public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?
Wear a mask and take care of your body. Those on the front lines of healthcare our selfless caring people. That actually care more about people than people care about themselves.
Do you think kids should go back to school his fall?
They should not go to school at all until the school changes to nurture the spirit not just the mind.
What song from the past is in your mind right now?
All by myself by Eric Carmen
Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
It just popped into in my head and it is comforting. It’s honest. And it’s how I feel.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
A deeper appreciation for shows and a bunch of gratitude from performers that we can do it all again. Leave it all on the stage and not charge as much for shows. The reward for being a musician is being able to do it. A painter paints. Not to be hung in a gallery. Or have their art bought for millions of dollars. Being an Artist as a gift and you get to share that gift yes you do need to make a living but you don’t need to charge an astronomical amount of money to bring your music to the people even if they will pay it.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Writing hanging out with the band playing with my dog and a lot of online shopping.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Not really a hobby person just really living in the moment creating art day and day out
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
I like Youtube a lot I like to look back at bands I don’t have the attention span to watch full seasons of TV anymore but I will binge watch once in a while
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. What are you planning to do?
We will never do that stuff I don’t wanna yell into a laptop I want the audience to feel the music so we won’t be doing anything like that anytime soon
With no real live music (mostly virtual shows) expect for things like Drive-In Theater shows with crowds for the past 6 months, what do you think will be the future of music?
If I knew I would tell everybody but I don’t have a clue
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?
Bands need to just write the best music that they possibly can. And stop trying to make a buck at every turn just make music just make art just make people feel something
Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home? Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music, and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
I don’t know about that all I know is that concerts are hot sweaty and crowded and you want to feel the music not witness
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
Again, play music do you best play like your life depends on it and something will happen there are no guarantees in life hopefully the clubs that survived will treat the bands great and the bands will treat the clubs great
With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it maybe the end of the music fest for the next couple of years?
No, I think we will have music festivals and we will go back to a better world after all the chaos has calm down. I actually think music will be better for it because everybody is now starting at square one again
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
That’s super creepy sometimes you got a let the dead rest in peace
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully alive. And hopefully not looking five years older and sitting somewhere doing what I’m doing now I’m waiting to go on stage
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Thanks so much for all these great questions and thanks for interviewing me and finding out what goes on behind the scenes of RX 27 we put a lot of work a lot of blood sweat and tears into the music and the arts that we create and it’s really a great pleasure to do an interview like this with you so people can find out more about what goes into making this band from California tick
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