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MM - Introduce the
band members to us.
Me (Venus) - Lead singing and guitar
Pandora - Bass and harmonies
Jendeen - Drums
Emily - go-go dancing and harmonies.
MM - When was the
band formed and how did you all meet?
The Band All The Pretty
Horses. was formed in 1995 and we put our our first CD: A.T.P.H. that
year. the band was myself, my first drummer: Bill Bailey, and my
original Bass player: Ed Ford.
My original Drummer left the band after the CD's release, and I went
through a few before we took in Matt Batchelor who did our second CD
with us: "Queens & Angels" we also had added a harmony
singer for that CD her name was Jonnycakes.
After the release of "Queens And Angels" I found that the Band
needed to tour, we had an opportunity to tour Europe from a German
record label who was interested in picking us up for the 3rd CD. the
contract couldn't be negotiated well enough for us to feel comfortable,
so that fell through, but it was a catalyst for us to talk about how
serious we were for touring, at which time our drummer Matt, and our
Bass player Ed. found that they wouldn't be able to do the kind of
touring we needed to do.
I formed a "Touring Band" which consisted of Jendeen on Drums,
who I had met years ago while doing the Trans-Club scene here in Mpls.
She was also a Jazz drummer, quite respected here in Mpls. for a Big
Band called "The Wolverines." (still is in fact.) Anyway I had
asked her to do back up at that time, and was wanting her to do it as
"Jendeen" who is her trans-self name. She liked the
opportunity and accepted.
When I needed to form the Touring Band, I of course asked her to do
that, and she also accepted.
I asked Pandora to do Bass for the Touring band. I had met her years ago
as well though my day-job in the screenprint industry. I had asked her
to do occasional fill in bass jobs when my original bass player Ed
couldn't make a gig already, so she know the sets.
She accepted the Touring position. and even though she isn't
"trans," she liked the company and the Glam aspect of it all.
(her previous band didn't like "Glam-Attitude." after about 6
months, it became obvious to us that my attempting to keep two bands
together under the same name was CRAZY! so I let the original band go,
and concentrated on the touring band as the only band.
Together we put out the 3rd CD: "RUIN" and concentrated on
touring to promote it. As of 2 months ago. Jonnycakes found that she
couldn't afford the time and energy anymore to continue doing the
touring, and left the band.
We've been using go-go dancers for 3 years as part of our line-up, and
Emily has been to almost every one. I asked her if she would be willing
to learn some of the harmonies and expand her position in the band, and
she accepted. Pandora was also interested in taking over some harmonies
as well.
(Long answer...but you asked).
MM - Where in the world do the
band call home?
Minneapolis, US
MM - Describe your music to
us and who would it most appeal to?
We call it "Dark-Glam."
So if you think of Glam music...like Early Bowie that's kind of like our
musical style mostly...it's often melodic, not screamy ... very often
anyway, and it's all live music, no pre recorded rhythms or synth
tracks. Musically it's the drums/guitar/bass sound.
Now for the Dark part of it all. that comes in with the Metal edge of
our sound. our music is intense ... it gets really loud, and Guitar
heavy. Our vocals are intense: from very quiet to very impassioned. and
the costumes which we wear are on the S & M Dark side ... but with
the Glamour dusted all over them ... often with feathers, or fake fur
... lots of glitter. and shimmering skin. (it becomes obvious that I am
trans depending on the amount of costume material start the set with
& end the set with.)
"Dark-Glam" ... our audience covers the Goth scene to the old
Bowie fans from the Ziggy Stardust days, to the Metal Head-bangers, to
the Young Glamster-Revisionists. (and plenty in-betweens who love hard
punky-rock and a band with fearless, intense stage presence.) (cute
huh?)
MM - You were recently
interviewed in Playboy Magazine, how did that feel to get such
recognition from world famous establishment?
Was really interesting to see what the offices looked like. It's all
kind of '60s style glass & wood structured. There's little
knick-knack playboy stuff all around from the 50's and 60's weird.
The interview went well, though the interviewer kind of assumed that our
only audience was the trans-fetish one. we got it all taped on video for
Emily Goldberg's documentary on me and the band due to be released early
next year. Title is "Venus of Mars"
MM - The band
have just come back from quite a busy tour, how did it go and are you
ready to get back out on the road again?
Very well!, and yes we're doing it all again right now for the Fall. We
just can't get enough of NYC ... the whole Glam-Trans scene out there is
a perfect fit for us. And the in-between spots are a blast. It's
hard work ... but energizing.
MM - Where did the name 'All
The Pretty Horses' come from?
I had heard of the title of both the book, and the nursery rhyme
"All The Pretty [Little] Horses" and though I hadn't read the
book, I liked the "Horse" part because I've always had horses
in my dreams as kind of dream spirits, and I also liked the term
"Pretty" being used as part of a Rock and Roll name...kind of
challenging the "Tough-Guy" expectations, and calling
attention to the Trans-aspect of our band.
MM - Who designs your CD
covers, flyers, logo's etc.?
Mostly it's me. though Pandora is also an artist and she's done some as
well. She designed the Tattoo Logo.
MM - Do you find that a lot of
your fans are also transsexuals, or do you get a good mixture from
regular to quite flamboyant?
Actually the transgender crowd is still a bit shy about us...there's a
number of them, (Trans-people,)...but the bulk of our audience is all
over the place. Gender-wise and genre-wise.
MM - 'Ruin' came out earlier
this year and this is your third album so far, how has it been received
by your fans?
So far we've heard back that it's the best one we've done so far. They
really like the Live feel we captured with it. The energy we have
on-stage is reflected well.
MM - Apart from the CD's
that the band have out, what other merchandise is available for us to
add to our Xmas list for Santa?
It's all available on our merch page on our site...Hmmm, let's see,
we've been brainstorming on new stuff, but mostly for now, t-shirts,
video's of our live shows, some collectable videos of older shows &
line-ups of the band...Oh, you'll just have to drop in to www.prettyhorses.net
& see for yourself ;)
MM - If you could meet any one
person out of Rock History , alive or dead, who would it be?
Well I did meet some of my icons, one of our last tours to NYC ... Joan
Jett for one! ... I suppose I'd love to meet David Bowie ... (a friend
of mind who is a curator did meet him...but that's another story,) But
I'd like to meet him not as a fan, but you know, like at some dinner
party where he just happens to be, and so am I, and like someone
introduces us saying something like, "you two should meet ..."
You know ... (yeah Yeah ... I know ... it'll ... never happen!)
MM - What was the last
concert you went to?
Patty Smith as she was in town here in Mpls. promoting her CD at First
Ave. Cool show...Nice...but she wasn't too nice to her fans after the
show I'd heard from a friend...too bad. Another friend of mine knows the
band so I had a nice meeting of a few of them...but I don't like to do
the "Meet the Band" right after the gig kind of thing...so I
didn't stay around too long.
MM - Which bands do you like
to listen to at the present?
I like some of the industrial stuff even if that's not what we do. Nine
Inch Nails. I like Sisters of Mercy, Stardust Bowie, and some on his new
stuff too. Hmmm, Patty Smith, Sex Pistols...actually heard a cut someone
plugged...lemme see, oh yeah,..."...we're so pretty, Oh, So
Pretty...etc." at a juke box in NYC last weekend while I was out
there eating dinner at an Irish pub around the corner of the Hotel I
stay at while I'm in town there...was nice.
MM - Has the internet
influenced the way in which the band project their music and image?
It's made it easier to keep things posted w/out all the mailing
costs...and also helps us get our CD's out there for sale w/out all the
nasty stuff of Big record labels.
MM - Lastly, if you
could sum up the band in one short phrase what would it be?
You just haven't seen anything like us anywhere before.
Official All the Pretty Horses site: http://www.prettyhorses.net |