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    Music

    Tune to Lou: Graffiti Talks Local Music and Early Influences
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    Louisville.com: What would you say has been the weirdest show you’ve played? Or a horror story, those are good too.

    Billy: Well, this one time Nick brought these like weird energy, alcohol mixture shots. I don’t know if those had anything to do with it or not. There was a lot of fog and Benny’s guitar broke. 
    Tobias: That was Rock 'n’ Roll Circus at New Vintage. Basically, everyone assumed Benny was wasted or something, but there was just so much fog. 
    Benny: There was a fog machine. 
    Louisville.com: Oh, like literal fog. Not metaphorical fog. 
    Billy: [laughs] No, not metaphorical. Like, real fog. Normally, when they put the fog machine on, it is set to go in increments, and it was set to where it was constantly flowing the whole show. 
    Benny: I probably had a concussion. 
    Billy: Probably. Your guitar had a concussion. 
    Tobias: Never diagnosed. It was like miscalculating the end of the stage dive. Benny’s guitar neck broke, but some of my friends were like “dude that was the best show we’ve seen you all do." People were into it. 

    Louisville.com: Do you guys have a favorite local venue?

    Billy: New Vintage. 
    Tobias: I really like playing Headliners. Headliners lends a good crowd. I really like the sound on stage too. 
    Benny: I like house parties. I think those are cool. They always sound good to me. 
    Billy: Really, some of our best sounding shows were when we weren’t going through a PA. 
    Benny: It’s more intimate. I’d play a place like in this room [referencing Against the Grain’s barrel room]. 

    Louisville.com: What kinds of music did you guys listen to as kids?

    Tobias: Mine’s all mostly embarrassing. 
    Billy: Yeah, me too. When I was a kid I was the biggest Aerosmith fan ever. 
    Benny: The first single I remember hearing was “Sherry” [recorded by The Four Seasons]. My neighbor’s name was Sherry and she had two older girls. They were sisters. They would play this 45 [“Sherry”] over and over and over. They would try to kiss me and they would kiss me. I was like four or five years old. 
    Billy: Benny, you’re having a breakthrough!
    Benny: Yeah, really. Every time I played that record I got a kiss. So it was awesome. 
    Tobias: Positive reinforcement right? 
    Benny: Yeah, positive reinforcement—My grandma had Hank Williams and Elvis Presley 8-tracks. Then there was this Halloween soundtrack. If you go to any thrift store and look at their used records you’ll see it. Scary, spooky sound shit. I use to love that. 
    Tobias: Wait, what was it literally? Like door creaking?
    Benny: [ominous table banging]
    Billy: [howls]
    Tobias: This has to be a first that somebody’s influence was a Halloween soundtrack. 
    Benny: It’s a very famous record. 
    Billy: I think one of my first memories was watching the record spin when I was four years old on my parents turntable, and my mom had this John Denver record. For whatever reason I loved “Take Me Home Country Roads." I f*cking loved that song. 
    Tobias: You guys are talking about like really young childhood. What about teenage years?
    Billy: My teenage years were all right. The standard stuff, like Zeppelin. 
    Benny: I listened to a lot of local bands. All the '90s bands. 
    Tobias: Like Slint
    Benny: Slint came probably like my junior year, but mostly hardcore stuff. Endpoint, Kinghorse, Undermine. You know, all those bands. 
    Billy: The band Out. 
    Benny: Well yeah, those guys were my roommates. 
    Tobias: What was your first cassette or CD you remember buying?
    Benny: I was part of a cassette club from Columbia House. I got a “Who Made Who” cassette tape and my friend and I head banged to the B-Side, which is all the Bon Scott songs. 
    Billy: “Ride On” was on that. 
    Benny: Yeah, yeah. There was a bunch of instrumental songs. 
    Billy: “D.T.” and “Chase the Ace”. 
    Benny: Yeah! They were the two instrumentals and that blew my mind. These rock songs that were instrumental. God, cause you could sing along and make your words up like, “This is my song”. Every time I did it I was the singer in the band. 
    Billy: That was the first I heard “Ride On”. I still love that song. 
    Benny: “Jailbreak” came out in the U.S. around the same time. Those were the two releases for [AC/DC] that year. 
    Tobias: The second you said [“Jailbreak”] the riff went right into my head. 
    Benny: I also remember buying an Iron Maiden cassette tape, “Live After Death," at this like value mart thing. It was on Terry Road. I just bought it for the cover. I thought the cover was so damn cool. I still buy records now because of the cover. If you have a cool cover, I’m buying it. If you’re my favorite band and you have a shitty cover, I’m not buying it. I don’t give a f*ck. 

    Louisville.com: What are you guys listening to right now?

    Tobias: I’m actually going to Chicago, not for this reason, but I’m seeing a band called Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.
    Billy: I listened to The Beatles first album today when I got ready for work—I’ve also been listening to a lot of Harry Nilsson lately. I love Harry Nilsson. He’s awesome.
    Benny: I like the “Nilsson Sings Newman” record. 
    Billy: I haven’t heard that record.
    Benny: That’s the best one, Billy! You gotta’ get it dude! Randy Newman is such a great songwriter.
    Billy: He’s one of the best white male vocalists ever. People say that a lot, and I think I could agree. I want to see that Brian Wilson movie. It looks good.
    Benny: Yeah, me too. So I guess I have been listening to the Beach Boys. 


    You can find Graffiti's EP, "Evil," locally at Guest Room Records, Better Days Records, Matt Anthony's Record Shop, Astro Black Records and Underground Sounds or download it via iTunes or Bandcamp

    Follow Graffiti here and catch them at these upcoming shows:
    Louisville Psych Fest-July 24

    RYE Back Porch Session-August 20

    Seven Sense Festival-August 22 

    Kentucky Kick Down-September 19



    Photos courtesy of Graffiti 

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    Loretta Lynn is the best country music singer of all time and if you don't like pickled foods, you can leave.

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