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First off, I have to give a little insight into how I got this story. I
have been sick for the last week - so sick that I'm now taking vampire
antibiotics (as in, stay out of prolonged sunlight while taking these
pills). This, in turn, put a lot of pressure on my husband to take care of
the family. To relieve some of that pressure, he wanted to go out and
spend some time with his friend, and leader of The Schmoejoes, Jon Lucca.
So, in order to have something interesting for my blog, I sent some
questions with my husband so he could interview Lucca, which he did, and
recorded with his amazing iPhone. He brought me back approximately two
hours of conversation.
So what you're reading today is an incredibly stripped down, weeded
out version of that conversation, with the expletives either changed or
deleted. I wish I could sell copies of this on CD or something, because it
was a lot of fun to listen to. I actually have so much material, that I've
decided to cut this blog into two parts. So this is part one of the Jon
Lucca/Schmoejoes interview.
My initial area of interest was in the creation of the band name.
"I did not come up with the band name," Lucca clarified. "My friend
kind of has this weird dyslexia thing where he mixes up two different
phrases, and, he was like, "Why don‚t we call ourselves Joe Schmoe and the
Schmoejoes?‚ and we were like, That‚s it!‚ That was eighteen years ago.
Years later I moved down here and was like 'What should I call my band
now?' I always liked Joe Schmoe and the Schmoejoes, except that was way
too long, so, it was The Schmoejoes."
Next I asked him what he likes about playing shows in Waseca.
"I love playing Waseca. I do. It's odd, because I don't think I'd feel
as comfortable playing some random bar in some random town, but because I
live here I can feel the ownership of it. This is my town. Driving home
five blocks from here, that just rocks," Lucca illuminated.
I asked Jon where he liked to play in Waseca, and why.
"Barden's is the bar that reminds me of Northeast Minneapolis where I
spent my normative years. Barden's is so low key compared to other places
in town. You come here to drink, or you come here to talk. Everybody here
knows everybody else, but if you're the new guy, it doesn't matter. It's
totally loose." declared Lucca admiringly.
When asked to describe their sound, he replied, "I used to describe us
as getting drunk with Tiny Tim at Jimmy Page's neighbor's house. We're
sort of tongue-in-cheek pop. We're kind of like a cover band that plays
originals. If you appeal to someone's sense of familiarity, that's half
the battle right there. If you can give them something familiar, but
something new, that's the best of both worlds."
As a wife of a local band member, I know that bands like to network
and check out other local musicians. I asked him to name a few local acts
that he likes or dislikes.
"There is of course Paraphasia, which I love," he began, partially as
a shout out to my husband's band, since he was the one presenting the
questions. "There's the Arrows at Dawn guys, they're almost like Green
Day, or Foo Fighters meets Green Day. There was a band from Owatonna that
I dug called The Movies. I really liked the Gin Daddy's when they were
still together. Jason Madson did a few songs live with us at Lakefest.
Marcus Penny's band - I love them! Marcus is a good, down to earth guy. I
think he's phenomenally talented." And as for bands he doesn't like, he
continued, "I actually heard one song by the White Iron Band, which is a
terrible band name. It's kind of like a Toby Keith song, but it's about
Minnesota. It sounds like somebody singing about Tennessee, but it was
about Minnesota." He also described the song as "red-necky."
I should note (and Luca does in the interview) that all of the bands
he mentioned are mainly original artists. Stop by next week to see what
Jon Lucca of the Schmoejoes had to say about cover bands, other local
venues, and the lack of promotional opportunities. I may have to do a part
3, just to showcase the really bittersweet story behind their song
"Firefly."
With that, I'll continue on to the weekend. PJs Tavern is taking it
easy with a DJ both Friday, November 6th and Saturday, November 7th.
At Club 57, The Mason Dixons will be playing Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. The
Mason Dixons describe themselves as "country-rock that shakes the rafters
and then lets the dust settle with moving dancehall numbers." They play
"high energy country favorites and amazing originals."
Then at Katie O' Leary's, they're having 70's night on Friday. I'm told this is a fun theme
night, and since your only other option is a DJ, this looks like the event
to participate in. On Saturday they'll host The Murphy Brothers Band who will provide high energy rock. They're influenced by classic rock artists like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and if their videos are an indicator, they put on an awesome live show.
Thanks for reading, and look in next week as I continue with more
input from Jon Lucca of the Schmoejoes!
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