What past projects have you been involved in?
During the mid-late 90?s I played bass & a little vocals for a female fronted punk band called ?The Fondled?. We released 2 singles and disbanded right before the release of our first full album. The label released the album even though we had broken up which came as a surprise to all of us. I guess nobody in the band told the label that we had split.
What became of those projects?
The break up of the Fondled was a little disappointing for me as we where being well received by the indie radio & press community. Most of all it was just fun. We got some air play on Rodney on the ROQ, a John Peel tribute to the Replacements, lots college & community radio etc and where drawing well at our gigs. Just when it seemed that things where finally going our way it was over. There probably where warnings signs although we where to wasted to see them at the time.
Different members of the Fondled ended up doing different things.
Antonia (Harley) moved to Oregon and played drums for Sleater Kinney for a while. It was funny cause a month after The Fondled where finished we see her picture in Rolling Stone magazine. I remember thinking how weird it seemed because at the time something like that seemed so far out of reach. Sleather Kinney where on their up I guess. She later left and switched backs to guitars & vocals and formed Harum Scarum. They are an all girl angry punk riot grrl type band. Very feminist in your face stuff. I haven?t spoke to her in some time and am not sure exactly what she is up to now. The last I heard she moved to Germany to live.
Todd our drummer was also the singer & guitarist for F.Y.P a Southern California punk band. They have reformed under the name Toys That Kill and are still releasing recording and touring all over the US & Europe. Doing quite well from what I understand. They also operate their own punk label with other punk bands on board called Recess Records.
Jason our Guitarist was working his own small label at the time called J-sin records. He first produced a small band of hi-school kids called ?The Kankasores? who where a sort of ska/punk band. The Kankasores later changed their name (and their sound) to The Icarus Line who have become quite a popular band on V2 records. I read recently that Kankasore/Icarus Line guitarist Aaron North is also playing guitar for Nine Inch Nails.
After the Fondled I haven?t really been involved in any music of note. I?ve held jobs and have been drunk a lot but doing nothing artistic wise. I recall many a time swearing I would never get involved again, I hated it and sometimes still do. I guess I was wrong about that. It was really due to encouragement from some friends that I have got back into music. It?s when people say that you are talented but are just wasting your talent. The Fleiss is something that I have become very excited about though it is very different to The Fondled. It is really just indie pop.
The real encouraging part is that although we have not had a real chance to expose our music to many we are getting great feedback from those who have found us. It gives me heart to continue. I have not real expectations though.
I hear you're in the studio for an EP. How is recording going?
We are in the very early stages at the moment.
We actually ended up buying our own ?mobile studio? instead of going to a typical professional studio. It?s basically a laptop computer with professional recording software and a sound card that can record up to eight tracks at once. The recording is taking place in the rehearsal studio of Huntington Beach band ?The Attraction?. We went this way so we didn?t have to worry about being rushed or timing or cost etc. On the downside we are learning as we go so it can be slow. On the plus we can use it as often as we want. I guess we won?t know if we have done the right thing until we are finished.
Now that we have the mobile recording studio we might look to help other indie bands and punk bands record for a much lower cost to produce some tracks that they might not otherwise be able to afford. This is all in the air and certainly into the future.
Do you have any thoughts on the pre-recording/song writing process?
All I can say is what is happening now and the pre-recording process would vary depending from project to project. In this case the release is over a year delayed and the songs are already written. We just need to lay down the guitars, bass, drums etc and hope that is comes out as it is supposed to. It never does though, so plan b is to hope it comes out well. The lyrics and music are already complete.
What are your major influences in The Fleiss?
Well I was born in New Zealand and spent much of my life in the U.K before moving to the USA so much of what I grew up listening to was British music.
I guess I have many of the standard alternative influences like The Smiths, Sex Pistols, Nick Cave, Echo & The Bunneymen, Buzzcocks, Cure, Joy Division, New Order, Bauhaus, The Stranglers, Velvet Underground, Nirvana, Stone Roses, The Cult etc plus the all the bands that flow down from there. I?m also a big David Bowie fan.
Wire, Gang of 4, The Waterboys, The Chameleons, The Wedding Present, James, and Husker Du are some more bands I just remembered.
I also like a lot of older hardcore punk like The Subhumans, Conflict, Crass, Peter & The Test Tube babies etc so there is a wide variety of influence. I actually have an indie pop version of ?Religious Wars? by Subhumans. A mellow & subdued version, I am pretty sure they would hate it.
How what I grew up listening to affects the music I write I don?t know. It must somehow though but I don?t really think about it. I?ve just listed a bunch of bands I like but I don?t think we sound like any of them really. I have a wide taste in music. I even like some classical music and jazz.
Have you heard Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin?
Yeah I think they are very good. I have not heard the full album but I have heard ?House fire?. It is the type of music that I would listen to. Good stuff.
What considerations went into the songwriting for this EP?
We are very aware that this out debut so are being cautious and taking our time to make sure it is right. We want both the lyrics and music to be great. We did not opt for an album because I am certain at this point we can produce a great e.p but not certain that we can produce a great album. I question how good a song is too much and don?t want to put out rubbish just for the sake of putting something out.
We are also trying to play down any visual image of our band at the moment so we can get a true feedback and appreciation for the music itself. We get asked a lot for photos of the band but are staying away from the lime light visually. We have a few images we have in mind but they are unrelated to the band itself.
How long until the EP comes out?
Most likely another 30-60 Days.
The pre-release single ?A Whore Called Renee? is available as a free download from TheFleiss.com
If you want updates on the release you can join our e-mail list at www.TheFleiss.com or join our friends at myspace.com/thefleiss