HotWingsJones
“ JUST THE FACTS MA’AM “
Written by Gina Tutko-Usalis / April 2009
PA Music Scene Interviewer: HI – My name is Friday, Oh wait today is Friday. My name is Gina!
HotWingJones: “Just the Facts Ma’am – Just the facts!
********************************************
RB = Rocco Beckenhelm ** Drums/BVs
AS = Andy Shemeta ** Lead Vox/Bass
CW = Corey “Woody” Woodcock ** Pedal Steel
TF = Talbert Ford ** Rhythm Guitar
JC = Jerry “Tyrannosaurus Pep” Carbone ** Lead Guitar
G: Introducing ~ HOTWINGJONES:
G: How did the Band’s name “HOTWINGJONES” originate?
TF: It’s actually a politically-correct version of a name that we always
really wanted to use but couldn’t, and that was HotWingJesus.
RB: We were over at Carnahan’s and this guy comes out with a plate of wings
and he goes, ‘Uh, medium? Medium? Medium?” and we’re all like ‘no’ and he
turns away with his back towards us and turns around and says, “Hot? Hot?”
We were like; this guy just waved his hand over that plate of hot wings and
turned it from medium-hot wings into hot-hot wings; that man is
HotWingJesus.
TF: We thought, what a great name for a band, but we all decided instantly
that we could never use that because it would offend too many people, but
that was the only one that we all agreed would be a really cool band name.
So we sort of altered it and used it anyway.
G: When and how did all of you first become interested in music?
AS: I took some piano and sax lessons as a kid, but it took a KISS concert in 1976 to make me want to go buy a bass and start playing.
CW: I had musical parents and a few older musical role models.
TF: When I was very young, my Mom used to play piano and sing to me. I loved it.
RB: I listened to Sgt. Pepper on my Mickey Mouse record player when I was six.
JC: I started playing guitar when I was in junior high school and got together with some friends a few years later in high school and put together a garage band. We played the popular music of the time, which is not considered classic rock. Some of the covers we played were by The Who, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and Pink Floyd. We even wrote a handful of original songs, one of which was basically the same chord progression as Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Sheppard, though he probably wasn’t even born then.
G: How long have you been playing music?
CW: About 15 years.
TF: About 12 – 31 years depending upon what you consider “playing.”
RB: About 25 years, including breaks and splits with bands over creative differences.
JC: About 25 years.
G: Out of all the songs you play which one is the most FUN to perform?
CW: Mustang Sally, or Folsom Prison Blues.
TF: Out of our originals, Be My World. From our covers, Sympathy for the Devil.
JC: I just love to play Killing Floor. Maybe it is because of the way we play it with some 7th chords and a more funk feel as to straight up blues. Born under a Bad Sign is another blues favorite I like to play out, because it has a great grove. Out of our originals I probably like to play Jambalaya Stew, again because of the funky blues feel. Do you notice a pattern here?
AS: It’s most fun for me to play and perform our originals because we’re not trying to copy something else.
G: Do you consider yourselves a particular genre? Which one?
CW: I’m not gonna touch this one.
JC: It seems we are all over the map when it comes to style and genre. We basically have 5 different people with 5 different musical tastes.
AS: I describe our sound as American rock & roll. It’s a very diverse mix that we pull together.
TF: We play Rock and Row-hole!
G: What are your musical influences?
AS: I grew up on classic rock, hard rock and the blues.
CW: Buddy Cage, Dave Nelson, Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt
RB: Right now, probably Tom Petty, Wilco, Jack White and John Lennon.
JC: Brian May of Queen, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Neil Geraldo of Pat Benatar. Basically everyone on the Windham Hill label.
TF: Rock and Row-hole!
G: Is anyone in your family musically inclined?
CW: My Dad plays banjo, and my Mom plays upright bass.
TF: My mom plays piano, my wife plays violin & piano, and my son plays piano.
AS: My Mom was a music teacher – piano is her main instrument.
RB: That’s a lot of pianists. My daughter plays violin.
JC: Many of my cousins, uncles and other relatives have played a variety of instruments over the past 50 plus years and have in someway influenced me. My uncle Neil, who is no longer alive, played trumpet with the Dorsey Brothers band during World War II.
G: Why do you want to record and release your own original music?
CW: Why not?
TF: What could be more fun that creating a piece of music that will exist forever?
RB: Playing covers is fun and all, but the real reward is in writing a piece of original music.
AS: I like making music, not spending my time trying to copy someone else’s. And if we’re going to make our own, why not record it so we can share?
JC: Putting the time into making an original tune and not letting it get out there for people to hear is like making a gourmet meal and eating by yourself.
G: Does everyone contribute to the writing of original music or is there one particular person prominent in one area over another?
TF: Everyone contributes in some way. It depends on the song as to who wrote the music and lyrics. That said, Andy writes more lyrics than the rest of us.
JC: It varies from song to song. You never know how things will turn out. I would say all of us contribute to our original music, like ingredients in a good bowl of stew. We throw out ideas and opinions and try others suggestions. Andy tends to write a good bit of our lyrics. Rocco also has a flare for lyrics as well as a very musical ear when it comes to suggesting things like tempo and arrangement. Talbert fleshes out a lot of our progressions and now with Woody on board we have a multi-talented guy who can do it all.
AS: In HWJ, everyone contributes.
G: What image do you think your music conveys?
CW: Devil worship and sacrifice.
TF: Is people having fun an image? If so, that’s what our music conveys.
RB: For some people, those two answers are not mutually exclusive.
AS: I hope we convey an image of a band that someone would have a good time going out and listening to if they were in the mood for something just a little bit different
JC: A specific image would be difficult to pinpoint, because we are all over the map. The music ranges from dead serious to downright comical.
G: What do you think your listeners will get out of your music?
CW: Hopefully that they jammed out with us for a little while.
TF: Hopefully, they’ll like what they hear, find the lyrics interesting or funny, and maybe be compelled to clap along or tap their foot.
JC: Well I am not really sure, but I would hope they would sit back and really listen and maybe realize there is some really creative thinking and playing going on in our music in terms of both lyrics and music.
AS: Hopefully they hear a bunch of guys making music and having a good time doing it.
G: What is the best and worst thing about playing clubs?
AS: The best thing is when everyone is dancing and having a good time, you really do feed off the energy – The worst is having no roadies to haul gear.
TF: The worst thing is load-in and load-out, for sure!
JC: Loading the gear out after the gig is over is a big downer after a good night of rockin’. Also the lack of a guaranteed crowd at the club that will stay there most of the night because they like your vibe.
G: If you could open for any BIG NAME National Artist who would it be and why?
CW: I think I would just like to play at a festival or something.
TF: Wilco, U2, Springsteen, and The Rolling Stones
JC: Ani Defranco. I am just fascinated by her in so many ways- she does some really cool things with the guitar in different alternate tunings, but she is not really a BIG National Artist. I would have to say opening for B.B. King would be really cool. I just get the sense you could sit and talk with him and jam with him before and after the show.
AS: The Rolling Stones – they typically draw a pretty good crowd.
G: Why did you write/decide to play “ Just Your Friend?”
TF: The progression is something I have been playing around with for a couple years. Andy started making up lyrics. It all came together at practice, it sounded good, and so we’re playing it.
AS: Talbert had a cool riff and basic arrangement that came together pretty easily.
JC: Our songs just kinda come together over a period of weeks. There could be a progression or set of lyrics somebody has kept in the wings and then one day busts it out at a practice session and we collectively riff on it and sometimes it turns out cool and sometimes it sucks, not a lot of planning going on in the HWJ camp.
G: What is special about “Just Your Friend?”
CW: It’s just a nice country-rocker.
AS: The lyrics are a true story. RB: Andy was walking through the desert when he came upon a swamp. And in that swamp was a juke joint. And everything else you need to know is in the song .
JC: For me it is the first song that is a departure from the old HotWingJones and “The BlueZers” We are a new band, nothing like we were when we worked on Saturated. This is all new stuff, really original HWJ fare.
G: Why did you release the new single “Just Your Friend” before the new CD was complete?
RB: We haven’t posted any new material on our Myspace page for awhile, and we are really excited and proud of our new work. We are working really hard on the new CD, and there are a lot of new sounds, so we wanted to give our supporters a little appetizer.
TF: Yeah, to give our fans a little taste of what’s coming.
JC: I would say we were pretty happy with the way it turned out and wanted to get it out there for people to hear because we think it is a great tune especially with the pedal steel on it. We are also taking a much longer time with our second cd so it is good that people see we are still working on originals.
G: How many songs will be on this CD compared to the freshman CD “Saturated?”
RB: We haven’t made up our minds yet, but anywhere from 10 to 12. Maybe even a bonus track. And I guarantee it will be more sophomoric.
G: What does it take to play an original song vs. doing cover songs?
TF: It only takes the creativity, desire and confidence to do so.
JC: Original songs take dedication. You need a tough skin. I mean it is easy to play cover songs and please the masses, but to come up with something original that people like and want to listen to is very difficult.
G: What is your favorite HWJ song thus far and why?
TF: Be My World and Atlantic City. I think they’re both just fun to play live, but in totally different ways. They both always get a good reaction from folks too.
AS: Right now, I lean toward Smile because it has a little bit of everything.
G: What’s new in the recording of your music?
JC: Lots – you may be pleasantly surprised.
CW: Me.
AS: Me playing bass, Woody on steel, and more variety in our music.
TF: The band dynamic has really changed over the years and opened us up to new possibilities. The creativity, open-mindedness and willingness to try new things have really changed how we approach songwriting, and everything else, really. Things are a lot easier.
RB: We are taking our time with this one, trying to make it a little more polished and professional, and making sure everything is finished. We are doing a lot of different things on this one, experimenting with different sounds, instruments and voices. It’s going to be more eclectic, like a CD with a multiple personality disorder. But in a good way. Though Bret has taken to calling it, “Hot Wing Democracy.”
G: When will the new CD be released and have you decided on a title?
TF: Hopefully in the fall of 2010 or early 2011. We have a working title that may become the final title. Can’t say just yet.
G: Is your stage name trademarked?
CW: No.
TF: Who would want to steal it anyway?
RB: Maybe Milkshake Jones. Or Groove Jones.
TF: Or the HotWingJonas Brothers.
G: Do you register your songs for copyright protection?
TF: Not yet.
RB: We figure the only way we’ll ever make money off of one of our songs is if it gets picked up for an ad or if someone famous steals it, so we aren’t all that uptight about it. But eventually we’ll get there. It would accelerate the process if we found out that someone out there is misappropriating our stuff.
G: What advice would you give to fellow bands or newcomers?
RB: In order to build a scene, you need to view the other bands around you as colleagues, not adversaries. So reach out, make friends, swap gigs, and build your network.
TF: Have fun.
RB: That too.
AS: Perseverance holds the key.
G: Do you have a demo or press kit or any other promotional materials?
RB: Yes.
TF: We’ll show you ours if you show us yours
G: How does one go about booking your band?
AS: Be nice to Talbert.
RB: One can call our de facto manager, Marc Levin. Or check our Myspace site for contact information.
G: Do you have websites you want to share with fans?
TF: www. myspace.com/hotwingjones is our official presence on the web.
G: Is there anything I didn’t touch on that you wish to give information about?
TF: Volcanoes have 10 different ways they can kill you. Pretty impressive.
CW: Alla människor är födda fria och lika i värde och rättigheter. De är utrustade med förnuft och samvete och bör handla gentemot varandra i en anda av broderskap.
AS: The secret room below the stage where lots of fun things happen during those long extended solos.
TF: www. myspace.com/hotwingjones is our official presence on the web.
Within HOTWINGJONES you will find charisma, wit and humor which totally adds to their shows and listening to their music.
HOTWINGJONES ~ so HOT you need to sign a waiver!! 
Although they insist they are only a “hobby band”, they demonstrate the utmost dedication to their music both lyrically and instrumentally. Recording their debut EP Saturated in 2006 – HotWingJones will be venturing away from the Atomic Farm to work with acclaimed Producer Bret Alexanderof Saturations Acres Recording Studio– Dupont, PA. to create their sophomore CD slated to be released in late Fall of 2009. For more information on HotWingJones and other affiliates venture to the sites listed below:
http://www.myspace.com/hotwingjones
http://www.myspace.com/saturationacresrecording
http://www.veoh.com/collection/NBC-Dragnet#
Just the facts -
Tell me your NAME ….
[POPUP=IMG1]
