JOHN
Yuki: What was it that made you want to be part of Enuff Znuff?
John: Chip asked me cause they needed to replace their guitar player, if I could come in and play a few shows cause I had another band at the time. I played a couple shows with them, then we went on tour, then we decided just to keep going. That’s pretty much it, I’ve always liked the music too, I have all the records.

Yuki: Was it easy for you to learn the songs?
John: Yeah, I learned them mostly on my own. Chip showed me alot of parts. I knew how they went but I didn’t know the actual chords, so I just had to listen to them alot. I learned maybe 77-78 songs.

Yuki: Were you given alot of leeway?
John: I pretty much try to keep it as close to the record as possible, just because that is how I like to do it, but he lets me do whatever I want.

Yuki: What do you think of the other band members?
John: What do I think of them? I think they are all really good musicians, Ricky Parent...great drummer, couldn’t put a sentence together if he fucking tried for his life. No, he’s really good. Hits really hard, good showman. Chip Znuff...one of the best bass players around. Donnie Vie...terrific songwriter. He can sing his ass off and write good songs.

Yuki: What kind of music do you like?
John: I like the Beatles, Nirvana, Radiohead. I listen to all types of music..jazz, classical, everything but personally I don’t really listen to music alot, only when I write stuff. I like some new alternative stuff, but there is alot of stuff I hear that I don’t like that is alternative. As long as it’s good, it’s simple, you can remember the words and it has a hook to it I like it.

Yuki: What do you think about playing the Beatles and other cover songs?
John: I don’t really like doing alot of cover tunes, but if we have to do any I like doing the Beatle ones because there just great songs, their still good but doing cover songs is ok to do it if it’s something that’s kinda close to what your style is. So it’s ok for us to do Beatles cause we’re close.

Yuki: Can you talk about your own band?
John: The band is called Low-Tek. It’s a three piece, I play guitar and sing, there is a bass player and a drummer. I write the songs. We’ve been practicing and we are going to start playing out in January. It’s pretty much heavy pop, a little bit like Enuff Znuff but not quite as rock, a little more alternative I guess. I don’t like using that word, but it’s simpler. There’s not many solos. Its pretty much all three chord songs, simple. Some of the songs have loops in them, on tape I use sequencing.

Yuki: So you program it yourself?
John. Yeah, I do everything myself. I write all the songs and I put it on four tracks, I give it to the band and they learn it. Then we get together and rehearse, and were going to start playing some shows. I’m shopping it and I got a web page and I’m just trying to get a deal. I’ve got over 70 songs. We got about 20 or 30 that we focus on. I’ve been writing songs for about 10-12 years. I have another band called Sadie. It’s a Bealtes tribute band. We just do the Beatles and old songs. I use the same guys from Low-Tek, we just put it under a different name. We are going to start playing with that band in January too.

Yuki: Would you open for your own band?
John: I actually did that with Enuff Znuff, Low-Tek opened for EZN. I played twice.

Yuki: Will you be participating in the songwriting process (for Enuff Znuff) in the future?
John: I don’t know..maybe. They have so many songs already written, they have another two records ready to go, that was before I even joined the band. So if they want to, yeah I’ll do it. I think Donnie likes to write with Chip, I like to write by myself. I like to arrange it all myself, they like to do it together. They have a good team. Sometimes I add in parts, but for most of it they write it.

Yuki: On Seven there are two bonus tracks, do you play on those?
John: No. I’m not on anything that’s been recorded. I played a solo on some new stuff that’s not out yet.

Yuki: What is your average day like?
John: I get up at noon, I watch TV until about 8. Sometimes I watch Jerry Springer and the other talk shows, I watch the Simpsons, then I’ll eat. It depends on the day, when I play with EZN I warm up during the day. Three days a week I work out, Kung-Fu. Most of the time I watch TV or practice magic. I really don’t go out much. I work on writing and recording songs all the time.

Yuki: What do you plan on doing in the future?
John. I’m going to keep touring with Enuff Znuff. I’m going to put my band together and try to get a deal, put a record out and tour with that band. That’s the goal.

Yuki: Is it going to be hard?
John: Not if you plan it out right, it’s got to be timed right. Right now the hardest thing is getting a deal.

Jennifer: What do you feel about the band being called Bealte-esque?
John: I think it has some of the flavor of the Beatles. I think Oasis is alot more Bealte-esque then we are, but if people want to coin it that way because that’s what they hear and that’s what they compare it to, that’s ok. That’s a compliment.

Jennifer: How would you describe the music? John: I think its pop rock, strong songs, pretty simple layout..verse, chorus..verse chorus thing. I guess we are labeled as pop rock.

DONNIE

Q: What do you think of other bands covering your songs, such as the Wildhearts and Tuesdays Girls?
A: Very flattered, especially with Tuesdays Girls. When they covered the song that had so much respect for the song, the girl even sang it just like I sang it. I thought it was very good. The Wildhearts, I thought that was a really cool version of the song, I like that punk kind of stuff.

Q: Is there a producer you would like to produce your album?
A: Sure. George Martin.

Q: How do you write songs? What inspires you? Is there a special something you do in the songwriting mood? Do you write the lyrics or the melody first?
A: I can’t really explain how I write songs. What inspires me basically are the good and the bad things that happened in my life. There’s nothing special I do to get in the mood. There’s no specific formula for how I write anything. It comes in different little ways. Like you come up with a guitar part first, or a lyric first or who knows. There’s no specific formula. All I can say for me is what I do is very easy for me.