Interview: Jonny & The Black Frames
We've
been fans of Jonny & the Black Frames for years. They've been
super supportive of the zine as well. So it's kinda insane that we
haven't done a proper interview with the boys. TODAY WE FIX THIS!!
interview
by Harmless
GAD!:
Who
the hell are Jonny & the Black Frames and where do you come
from?
J&tBF:
Jonny
and Chad met in Vegas in ‘62 during a backroom poker game at the
Sands. Dean Martin introduced us right before Chad dropped a full
house on Sinatra and got us kicked out. The rest of the night was a
blur of booze and showgirls. J was hired muscle for the mob in those
days, but he made one too many enemies and somehow ended up in the
back of our Cadillac as we all skipped town. We’re laying low in
Huntsville, AL until the heat dies down…
Jonny plays guitar and sings, Chad plays bass and sings, and J beats the hell out of the drums, in addition to giving zero fucks. We consider ourselves a no-holds-barred, straight up, Rock ‘n’ Roll/Punk Rock band.
GAD!: Your previously releases have all been great, but the new album is something even more powerful and focused. Can you tell us something about the recording process for it?
J&tBF: Blood, Sweat, and Jonny's tears man! While our self-titled release featured Jonny's material, we consider "Revolver Junkies" as the first true representation of the band. We recorded the album ourselves at our friend Steven Bulman's place over a couple summer weekends – with scant clothing involved because the air conditioning was turned off to avoid the noise. We recorded the full band live then layered on vocals and lead guitar until the music kicking around in our craniums was documented. After the actual recording portion was finished, we shipped off all the tracks to the legendary William Michael Kilpatrick who not only mixed the songs but generally took these tunes from “good” to “fucking vicious.” Probably the COOLEST experience we had recording – other than Chad scarfing a Subway sandwich while simultaneously cutting vocals on an alternate rendition of “Shadows Fading” dedicated to J’s impressive anatomy (which we will never share as the public is not ready for this level of artistry) – would be when we invited several luminaries from the Huntsville music scene to provide gang vocals for "Keep the Fire Alive (We'll Fucking Sleep When We Die)." We call this coalition of chaos the Rocket City Wreckers: Michael & Donnie from the Go-Go Killers, Anson from Friendly Fingerman, Brad from the Dirty Swagger, Megan & Heather from Bad Susan & FIMM, Frank (Opener of Pits / He-Who-Rocks-Even-After-The-Band-Quits), Zero (She-Wolf of the Wasteland), and Seanshine (photographer, philosopher, and all around good dude). They made this rock ‘n’ roll track into a party.
GAD!: What is the number 1 goal of the band?
J&tBF: To make you question everything you think you know about life and the Holy Ghost... through Rock 'N' Roll.
GAD!: Anything you'd like to add?
J&tBF: Nothing else, just some shameless promotion...
Check out our music, videos, merchandise, and more at jonnyandtheblackframes.com
Hit us up on Instagram (@jonnyandtheblackframes), Facebook (facebook.com/jonnyandtheblackframes), Twitter (@JBFrocknroll), and come hang out with us when we come to a venue near you. We can’t do this without you…
Jonny plays guitar and sings, Chad plays bass and sings, and J beats the hell out of the drums, in addition to giving zero fucks. We consider ourselves a no-holds-barred, straight up, Rock ‘n’ Roll/Punk Rock band.
GAD!: Your previously releases have all been great, but the new album is something even more powerful and focused. Can you tell us something about the recording process for it?
J&tBF: Blood, Sweat, and Jonny's tears man! While our self-titled release featured Jonny's material, we consider "Revolver Junkies" as the first true representation of the band. We recorded the album ourselves at our friend Steven Bulman's place over a couple summer weekends – with scant clothing involved because the air conditioning was turned off to avoid the noise. We recorded the full band live then layered on vocals and lead guitar until the music kicking around in our craniums was documented. After the actual recording portion was finished, we shipped off all the tracks to the legendary William Michael Kilpatrick who not only mixed the songs but generally took these tunes from “good” to “fucking vicious.” Probably the COOLEST experience we had recording – other than Chad scarfing a Subway sandwich while simultaneously cutting vocals on an alternate rendition of “Shadows Fading” dedicated to J’s impressive anatomy (which we will never share as the public is not ready for this level of artistry) – would be when we invited several luminaries from the Huntsville music scene to provide gang vocals for "Keep the Fire Alive (We'll Fucking Sleep When We Die)." We call this coalition of chaos the Rocket City Wreckers: Michael & Donnie from the Go-Go Killers, Anson from Friendly Fingerman, Brad from the Dirty Swagger, Megan & Heather from Bad Susan & FIMM, Frank (Opener of Pits / He-Who-Rocks-Even-After-The-Band-Quits), Zero (She-Wolf of the Wasteland), and Seanshine (photographer, philosopher, and all around good dude). They made this rock ‘n’ roll track into a party.
GAD!: What is the number 1 goal of the band?
J&tBF: To make you question everything you think you know about life and the Holy Ghost... through Rock 'N' Roll.
GAD!: Anything you'd like to add?
J&tBF: Nothing else, just some shameless promotion...
Check out our music, videos, merchandise, and more at jonnyandtheblackframes.com
Hit us up on Instagram (@jonnyandtheblackframes), Facebook (facebook.com/jonnyandtheblackframes), Twitter (@JBFrocknroll), and come hang out with us when we come to a venue near you. We can’t do this without you…
GAD!: Beautiful, man!
Originally published in GAD! Zine Issue 21
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