The Great Unwashed are a New York band. Get it out of your head that this is the same New Zealand act that featured David Kilgour. They are not that band! Instead they are creating some pummeling, fast paced, rock music for the kids of today. I got a chance to chat with Great Unwashed front man Sean Kuhl about the band's name, origins, and what they have going on right now, check it out...
PTST: How did The Great Unwashed originally get together?
TGU: I was in a sorta hardcore group with ex-member Chris Colton at SUNY Oneonta called Lumbergh (after Bill Lumbergh). Chris and Scott (drums) had been in bands together as well. When their latest one called Highlights for Children started fizzling out. I started going to their apartment in Montclair, NJ to jam with them in their tiny spare room, where it was evident that the sewage pipes in the house were a little backed up. They lived across the street from a school, next door was a parking lot for the school buses and their landlord's doctor's office was downstairs. He was gone by 5. We could be as loud as we wanted - and we were. We revamped some of the Highlights tunes, and started writing new stuff too. I've known Anthony since kindergarten, and he was already friends with Chris. He came with me to record us in that room and was into what he heard. We needed a bass player. He had never played bass before, but is skilled in music theory and a fast learner . He got the job. Chris and Scott separately moved to Queens and we eventually got a practice space at Snug Harbor in Staten Island. We shrunk down to a trio in the fall of 2007, drastically changed our sound and pretty much wiped the slate clean again.
PTST: How did you guys come up with the name, The Great Unwashed? Are you big fans of David Kilgour?
TGU: Anthony is into zombie flicks. He was reading a book that opened up with the line "Zombies Are The Great Unwashed In American Cinema". At the time, I'd heard of the influential Flying Nun band The Clean but had never heard their music - let alone their band after called The Great Unwashed. When we found out about them, we decided to keep the name because it wasn't under copyright in the States. Since then I have become a fan, and that's kind of a tough one to deal with. I even went to see The Clean reunite and play in Manhattan with
Unblinking Ear podcaster Paul Bruno.
PTST: Do you ever foresee having to change your name because of the band from New Zealand?
TGU: We've already gotten some mild guff for having the name. If it ends up becoming a big problem where it prevents our music from being taken seriously by some people, sure I could foresee that happening. We've tried a few renaming sessions in the past and they have not gone too great. To keep our (my) heads from exploding, we've stuck with the name. If we do need a new name, I hope it will just appear, like how Dirk Diggler's did.
PTST: Do you guys ever feel you'd be a more popular band already if you were from Brooklyn instead of from Staten Island?
TGU: It's possible, but to be fair, one of us lives in Park Slope! Another lives in Astoria, Queens. I'm the only member who lives in Staten Island, but since we practice here and interact with all the bands here we are considered a Staten Island band, which is cool. I live less than a half hour from where most of all these places to play are. What it really comes down to is how good your music is and how good you are at interacting with people, finding people who want to be a part of what you're doing and promoting yourself. I'll admit that a lot of times I feel like we should deserve more than what we're getting. "How come this band gets to do this? They suck, they're overrated blah blah. If they can make it work, then why can't I". Then I think "are you doing everything you possibly can?". We're getting hungrier.. it's definitely a good thing.
PTST: What's the best thing about being a part of the Staten Island scene right now?
TGU: The pussy! Honestly, the bands! It's so awesome to like so many bands that are playing where you live. No two bands sound alike either, yet there is rarely a show lineup that feels awkward and out of place. Sometimes it's hard to fathom how many there are. Here are a few: THE RABBITS, HEAVENLY TENANTS, BUDOS BAND, BROWNWATER, KILGORE TROUT IS DEAD, VESSELS, PARAGRAPH, THE HEADLOCKS, THE DELAY, CAPTAIN AHAB AND THE SEA CRACKENS. Give a good listen to all these guys and then tell me we're nothing but the dump, the mall, insane bridge tolls and Guidos (who are Brooklyn natives, by the way). What's also very special to me is how no one moved here to help allow their music or art to flourish. Most of us grew up here, and want to make our arts community better and more noticeable. SICOLAB is a non- for profit that has taken a big step in the right direction in helping achieve this. That raises the question, is it more beneficial to sort of have everything cook in its own juices and be noticed that way, or do a better job branching out into the rest of the boroughs (Or is it special because it's not that noticed, and that it's sort of all for us?? I dunno, jeez.).. There are some beautiful spots on Staten Island that not even Staten Islanders know about! Well, you asked me what the best things are not the things that need to improve, and I'm glad you didn't ask that one. I don't take what we have for granted. Imagine being in some town where there is NO place to play and nobody who gives a shit. It's so funny, we have such a small town feel to us, yet our borough, though the fewest in population, is bigger than some major US cities! I am extremely proud of all the music and art coming out here, and all the cool people I have met over the past few years alone. No shitty sounding PA is going to prevent me from supporting and being a part of what's going on, and believe me there are plenty of those around.
PTST: What's been your favorite place in the city to play so far?
TGU: As far as atmosphere and how we sound on stage; Arlene's, The Delancey and Southpaw have all been good experiences. By far, the most interesting place was an illegal show in a concrete square backyard in Bushwick in 90 degree weather. That $1 can of King Cobra they were selling really cooled you right off.
PTST: What current music is inspiring you or at least fueling your morning commutes?
TGU: I just bought the Screaming Females at Vintage Vinyl, but I can't listen to it in my car 'cuz it's a record (Imagine they tried making a record player for the car before they thought of the 8 track and cassette player? That would be awesome hitting a bump). I love the raw energy of Jay Reatard, The Dirtbombs and The Marked Men. Deerhunter and Animal Collective are a great listen, especially with headphones. Just clicking around on the Numero Group label's website is awesome. I also can't seem to get enough Sloan, those guys are a triple threat. I'm also flabbergasted at not knowing this highly acclaimed band Cymbals Eat Guitars, whom apparently is fronted by a Staten Islander.
PTST: What older music do you guys draw from?
TGU: Lots. Love the Beatles, Who, Byrds, Stooges, Velvet Underground, Big Star, The Ramones, Radio Birdman, Television, Wipers, Husker Du, Minutemen, Descendents, Black Flag, REM, Sonic Youth, Unrest, Mission Of Burma, Pixies, Breeders, Dinosaur Jr, Fugazi, Feelies, Nirvana, Superchunk, Archers Of Loaf, Boo Radleys, Albini bands, etc
PTST: Do you guys consider yourselves punk? What's it like to be a punk in 2009?
TGU: Well, we are loud and up-tempo (snappy as Tom Hanks would say). I think we are a well rounded mix of everything that influenced punk to happen, punk, and everything that punk influenced. Detroit, New York, LA, Manchester, Minneapolis, Athens, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, New York, again, it's all in there somewhere.
PTST: What's going on the world of The Great Unwashed right now? Are you guys writing or recording anything right now?
TGU: Just planning our summer out at the moment looking for places to play and bands to befriend and play with. We just recorded two new songs ourselves ("Pile Of Leaves"/ "Overslept") which we had available at our show at Martini Red last Saturday. They'll be up on our MySpace site soon enough. It is our 3rd volume of these 2 song CD's, and I personally think they are the best we've done thus far. The idea is to have a bunch of different demos floatin' around at one time until we've made enough to compile onto 1 sort of "singles" disc. (I wonder where we got that idea from!). Anthony records and mixes them for us in our practice space, and I'm sure we'll start another one up in a few months when he's off from school and work. As far as writing, there's always a constant 2 or 3 unfinished songs waiting to be worked on at practice.
PTST: Do you guys have plans to hit the road anytime soon?
TGU: Got two weeks off from work in late August going into September - just as kids start moving back into the dorms which is good. We're looking to get a game plan on what route would be best. We can go as west as Chicago, as North as Montreal, east as Boston, and south as Athens, GA. Unfortunately, two weeks isn't enough time to make that a square on the map. It will be more like a straight line or unfinished fucked up triangle. It would be cool to have another band as company. Let me know if you're interested, bands who read Pop Tarts Suck Toasted.
PTST: Where do you see The Great Unwashed going from this point?
TGU: Being instantly buzzworthy from being on this blog site! Truthfully, I'm looking to have the best, most confusingly fucked up next few years of my life playing music and turning people onto it. You can imagine my excitement!
Listen:
The Great Unwashed - "Winter Classic"The Great Unwashed - "All Night Breathing"Upcoming Shows:
Sunday May 3rd @ Goodbye Blue Monday 9pm
Listening to the Mighty Vin show on WSIA I was introduced to a new Staten Island band that I had not previously heard of. The song was catchy, the type of straight forward rock song that has bits of punk but errs more to the side of pop that will not leave your brain for ages! I asked Vin what the song was and was told it was by The Earaches and called "What's the Deal, Kim". It's a solid tune written as an ode to Pixies bassist Kim Deal. Clever. That was all it took for me to ask for a copy of the song and Vin one-upped me by giving me the band's latest album Playing It By Ear.
