A mocker.
The best mixtape I ever received was so good that I still keep a Walkman around in order to listen to it from time to time. It was a 21st-birthday gift from Colin Brooks, a friend since high school and a drummer so talented that he was receiving press plaudits before he received his diploma (as I recall, one review in the Little Rock Spectrum appreciatively noted that he “pounds the drums as if they owe him money”). The mixtape, which includes treats such as Frank Black’s “Abstract Plain,” Elvis Costello’s “Welcome to the Working Week,” and the Stones’ “Tumblin’ Dice,” was not only a kind-hearted effort to ease my oppressive anxiety over misguided romances and looming wage-slavin’ but also an eclectic demonstration of Colin’s appreciation of smart pop tunesmithery wrapped in driving rock ‘n’ roll.
At the time he gifted me with the tape, Colin had already provided the backbeat for at least 10 Little Rock punk bands, including the Numbskulz and Substance; in the 10 years since, he has also served time with Skeleton Key, Sea Ray, The Stills, and now Dan Zanes & Friends. That’s right: Dan Zanes, formerly of the Del Fuegos and now the free world’s best hope for all-access music that doesn’t make you want to break the CD player after your child has listened to it 50 times. The group has won leagues of devoted fans and industry respect (including a Grammy Award); guests on their records include Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Aimee Mann, and John Doe. Still, I never quite foresaw the day when my grizzled friend would be surrounded by any bottles that didn’t contain beer, so I used the excuse of the band’s upcoming February show at BAM to pester Colin about exactly how it came to this.
Find out how Colin navigates the underbelly of rock stardom — y’know, the soft one that involves pajama parties and plenty of coffee — while staying true to his indie rock roots after the jump.
Bright lights. Loud music. A mass of screaming young girls. A mass of body-rockin’ little boys. The whole crowd literally crying for more. Is being Ringo Starr to the toddler set everything you thought it would be?
The lights are bright and the screaming is sometimes louder than the music. The crying comes with the territory for performing in front of a large young audience, but it is everything I thought it would be and a whole lot more. We’re lucky in the sense that the audience is there because they are interested in music and community. After the shows we hang around in the lobby and meet everyone we can. I often find myself signing autographs and encouraging girls and boys to take up an instrument of some sort. It’s very rewarding when a kid tells me they want to play the drums because I play the drums, or because it looks like fun. I see myself in those kids, because I was initially inspired, like many other drummers, by Ringo.
How did you join Dan Zanes’ band?
I’ve been playing with lots different people in the city and around Brooklyn since I moved here in 1998. I was playing with a singer-songwriter named Serena Jost, who is friends with the lovely Barbara Brousal from Dan’s band. I guess Barbara recommended me to Dan. He came to a performance of an off-Broadway show I was also drumming in at the time and phoned me a week or so later. I knew of his band the Del Fuegos, but I had no idea why he was getting in touch with me. He invited me to his house and the two of us played through a few songs. He asked me if I could smile and play at the same time, and I told him, “If I’m playing music, I’m smiling.” I guess that was good enough for him because the following weekend, I was on stage in Minneapolis in front of 1,500 kids wondering how I got there, and I’ve been playing with him ever since…
Which is better: backstage, after-show with Dan Zanes or backstage, after-show with, say, Skeleton Key?
I suppose the difference is day and night. Dan’s shows often start at 11am and 2pm. Occasionally, we’ll have a pajama party on a Friday night that will start at 7pm, but we’re usually on stage sound checking by 8:30 in the morning. Instead of booze backstage, there’s a lot of coffee. After the shows, we’re in search of a good restaurant or a thrift store instead of the nearest party.
You have been touring pretty steadily for some time now — are there songs that you have to grit your teeth through, or others that you love playing every single time?
Our touring has increased significantly over the past few years, which is fine by me. I still get a kick out of travelling, playing, and meeting people. I really like all of the songs we do in concert. There are times when Dan will have us work out a song in soundcheck that we might not know so well, so I might grit my teeth a little if I’m not entirely comfortable with playing something.
Any crazy rabid kid fan experiences to relate?
Actually, the kids are less rabid than the parents. We often get recognized in airports, Dan more so, but I was with my girlfriend at Target over the summer, and while I was browsing socks a dad asked if I would go over and say hello to his daughter, who was a big fan.
Is the Zanes gig the only thing you’re doing now? I ask because you usually seem to be in about 10 bands at once. What else have you got going on?
Playing with Dan is the main thing these days because he’s staying pretty busy with touring and recording, but schedule permitting, I’ll play out with people when asked to. The first couple of years I was playing with Dan, I also played with Sea Ray, and I made that record with The Stills up in Montreal. I record by myself or with friends in my apartment.
So I hear fellow Little Rock punk scene wunderkind John Pugh is on the loose in Brooklyn when he’s not pummeling towards world domination with !!!. Do you guys have the chance to catch up with each other these days?
I have seen John recently. He left !!! over the summer to concentrate on his new band called Free Blood. I saw them play back in December and offered to drum with them. I’m just waiting for a call….
I saw that you participated in some interviews for Towncraft, a documentary about the Little Rock scene. Are you still playing with The Big Cats?
Towncraft was a great film to be a part of because my heart is still in Little Rock. The majority of the people in the documentary I’ve known for half or more than half my life. We grew up together and still maintain close friendships to this day. The Big Cats have been a project of love and brotherhood since 1994. We played over the holidays in Little Rock and are planning a show at the Little Rock Zoo in March. We’ll also be doing some recording for a new album this year.
Dan Zanes & Friends will play BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House on Sunday, February 24 at 11am and 2pm; tickets are $15 to $20. Buy tickets (if they’re still available when you read this) here.
And if you’re wondering about the title of this post, you’re overdue for a viewing of A Hard Day’s Night.