MM - Introduce the band to us and where do you call
home?
Greg Reinel - guitar hero, shouting, amplifiers.
Jeff Wood - drum kit, backing vocals, blistered hands.
We both live in Florida. Jeff in Tampa and myself in Orlando. I don't
think either city would want to lay claim to us.
MM - When was the band formed and how did you
meet?
Nutrajet was an accident in early 1998. I had just left my previous power
pop band - The Nicoteens, and I wasn't really looking to start another
band.
I'd seen Suzy Dozier (1st Nutrajet drummer) playing in a few Orlando-based
groups and thought she was a real solid drummer. We had been friends for a
long time, and she was also pretty fed up with the bullshit in her current
band. We both wanted something different and we both hated musicians -
hehehehe. A promising start!
We were more interested in ideas and finding ways to annoy audiences. We
had no intention of trying to make people like us at all. We rehearsed
with several bass players - all of whom we hated.
We couldn't find anyone who shared our ideas or our sense of humor so we
just started playing gigs as a duo. The two-piece arrangement really
clicked for us and it really irritated the hell out of other musicians.
Our early gigs were a real kick because other bands would be so hostile
towards us, you know - "Why don't you want a bass player?!" or "Nobody
will take your music seriously", that sort of stupidity, which, of course,
we thought hilarious.
MM -Where does the name Nutrajet come from?
We had loads of names that we'd thought of - we'd literally filled a
notebook. One of them was 'Sugarjet'.
There were a lot of 'sugar' type names around at the time. We just
replaced the 'sugar' tag with the artificial sweetener 'Nutrasweet' -
Nutrajet.
It sounded like futuristic dishwashing liquid to us. It had a nice ring to
it, like 'Buzzcocks'.
We liked it because it didn't really mean anything. It just sounded good.
MM -Tell us a bit about your self titled
debut album and why does it feature Pamela Suzanne Dozier on the drums?
The album was a bit complicated to make because we were several different
bands while recording it.
We'd started recording as a trio. Then our bass player left in the middle
of recording and we started playing as a duo - which changed our sound and
attitude towards recording. We wanted to capture our noisy two-piece live
sound, so we recorded all the basic tracks the same way that we play live,
in one room.
When the record was finished, Suzy immediately got married and left.
Hehehehe. We had the UK tour put together and I had no drummer.
Jeff called two days later and volunteered to be the new Nutrajerk. I'd
known Jeff for almost fifteen years. I also knew he was a fantastic
drummer. I didn't take long for us to work as a team. We're recording a
new record right now.
MM - How would you best describe your music
and who do you think it would appeal to?
Loud, snotty pop, which can appeal to almost anyone really, although I
wouldn't say we're a 'good-time' band. We're not associated with any
politics or hip, trendy music scene. We're just doing what we love. I
wouldn't say we're a punk band - there's really no such thing anymore,
although our attitude is punk.
The punk movement was about coming up with your own thing, being
individual. That's what made us pursue the two-piece arrangement. Most of
the 'punk' bands that I hear today sound the same, follow strict rules,
and just copy each other.
MM - Which bands/artists have influenced you
the most over the years?
That's a very long list. A few would be the Saints, Sex Pistols, Cheap
Trick, or the Flamin' Groovies.
I love John Barry. We both like the Small Faces, the Who, the Jam. A lot
of Mod stuff. Mostly though, you'll catch us listening to Mowtown, or Stax/Volt
soul and R&B all the time. We love the Yo-Yo's!!!
MM - For all the musicians out there, what
instruments/equipment do you use?
I've got a few Gretsch guitars - a Silver Jet and a Duo Jet. The racket
gets pumped out of several large Music Man and Ampeg tube amplifiers.
Jeff has a four-piece Tama drum kit, although I think he's using Ludwig
snares.
MM - I have to ask .... what is 'Celebrity
Fist' all about?
Hehehehe. It's just about all the music biz back-stabbing and bullshit
that we deal with, especially on a local level. I find it really amusing
that people will do or say almost anything to try and make themselves a
big fish in a very small pond.
The Orlando music scene is full of these kind of people. A lot of crummy
bands chasing their own heads. I was trying to write a Gary
Glitter/glam/Cheap Trick kind of thing to go with the lyrics that I had in
my head. Of course, it just came out sounding like sick glam!
MM -Who writes the songs that you perform,
is it one particular person or more of a joint effort?
Well, I write them, but we both work and arrange them. We get together at
our rehearsal warehouse and argue over them and after much fighting we
somehow end up with songs!
I always share song writing credits. We're a team.
MM - You have just finished your first UK
tour supporting Bubble, how has it gone and what has the fans response
been over here?
Excellent. Great response - much more than I expected. I miss England
already. We got on great with Bubble. Excellent band. We really had a
blast with 'em.
MM - Do you have any more tour dates planned
now that you have returned home from the UK?
Yeah, we're always playing somewhere and we're gonna' tour the east coast
after we finish recording. Then get back over to the UK as soon as
possible.
MM - How do the UK fans compare to those in
the USA?
I think the UK fans are more dedicated. Really cool and friendly. They
think for themselves. there's less 'sheep' mentality in the UK.
We've met a load of excellent people in a very short amount of time.
They've helped us move gear, bought us drinks, fed us, put us up, and
treated us with a respect that I've never experienced in the states. I
can't thank 'em enough.
MM - What bands do you like to listen to in
your spare time?
Well, for the last several days, the Yo-Yo's!!!!
MM - Who designs the logo/merchandise
artwork for the band?
I do, all by my beautiful self....
MM - When you're not living the high life of
Rock n' Roll stars, what do you do for a living?
Pretend that we're drunk millionaires.
MM - Have either of you been in any other
bands before Nutrajet?
Few that I care to mention - other than the Nicoteens and the Jaded
Bovines.
I was also in an early Florida punk band called Disorderly Conduct with
Casey Chaos, who's now in the very successful Amen. We're still good
friends.
Jeff served time in the legendary Tampa group Joe Popp. Excellent stuff if
you can find it.
MM - How has the music media responded in
general to the band?
Really well, actually. We're kind of hard to categorize. I've never been
too concerned about that end of things, though.
MM - Who is your ultimate rock icon?
I don't have one. I admire everyday people who put their lives on the line
and are usually taken for granted. Firemen, for instance, or rescue
workers.
People who do great, heroic things without ever having their faces
splashed across magazines.
I've never idolised rock stars or musicians.
MM - Why is Jeff known as 'the sensitive beatle?'
He's the 'cuddly Beatle', actually. I'm always takin' the piss, giving
people stupid nicknames. Jeff is as far from a Beatle as you can possibly
get. He looks like a criminal. I don't know how it stuck. It's just me
fucking around. Paul was the cute Beatle, Ringo the funny Beatle etc....
MM - Do you have any other nicknames you can repeat?
Jeff also has been known as 'The Cleaner' or 'Bad Guy'.
Suzy was known as 'The Specialist'.
Some people call me 'Stainboy'. I don't think you'd want to know how that
came about....ahem.
MM - What's the most memorable thing that's
happened to you in the year 2000?
Touring England.
MM - What short phrase would best describe the bands mood right now?
Extremely restless, irritable, and hopeful.
MM - How can people obtain a copy of your excellent debut album?
If your record shop doesn't stock it, then it can be easily ordered.
It's on the Twenty Stone Blatt label, and Cargo is distributing it. You
can go to our website at:
www.nutrajet.com
.
We'll also have a mail order service up at the site in a few weeks.
MM - What are your plans for the immediate
future?
We really have no clue. Everything about Nutrajet has been sort of
stumbled upon. I hope it continues that way. Far more exciting. If you try
too hard to plan things they usually turn to shit immediately.
MM - Lastly, do you have anything you would like to say to your fans?
Thanks for giving us a great run in the UK! We'll have a page dedicated to
all the people we met up at our website in the next few weeks.
Can't wait to come back and destroy your eardrums again, soon!
