The first time I heard of Suedehead, it was from an editor asking me if I wanted to write about the band. I Googled them and this is what I saw, the video for the song "Can't Stop":
Without knowing anything else about the band, I said YES. I have now written three articles about Suedehead. I got to see them play live recently, and here is a video from that show at Alex's Bar on March 23:
Suedehead's Secret to Success
How a modern soul band from OC scored a tour with Social Distortion
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| Photo by Derek Bahn |
OC Weekly
By Arrissia Owen
April 4, 2013
When the members of Suedehead considered covers to add to
their repertoire of original, modern soul send-ups, they searched for a
meticulous representation of their band through borrowed song. The OC outfit,
which boasts former members of Beat Union, the Distraction, TSOL, Hepcat and theAggrolites,
sought a perfect synthesis of the band's strong punk rock, DIY background with
the weighty beats and fast tempo of traditional soul leanings.
"We were joking around and said, 'We're the Fugazi of
soul,'" says guitarist Chris Bradley,
whose role in the 2-year-old band also includes graphics, stage design and
overall aesthetic. With that joke in mind, the B-side for the band's newest
7-inch "Lying In Bed" clicked.
With a thumbs up from Fugazi's Ian MacKaye, the band put
the Suedehead stamp on the post-hardcore stalwarts' "Waiting Room,"
complete with horns, chord switch-ups, soulful singing and Hammond-style organ.
They'll play that and more Saturday during a daytime show at Slidebar in Fullerton.
Their second cover choice is more straightforward, Spencer Davis
Group's "Gimme Some Lovin' ." Taking on the 1960s B-3
foot-stomper is a nod to Davis and Suedehead co-founder Davey Warsop's
shared hometown,Birmingham, England. "It's like
if you put those two songs in a blender, it sort of sums up Suedehead,
philosophically and musically," Bradley says. "It's everything we're
about."
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| Scooters at Northern Soul night |
By day, Warsop works as a recording engineer for local
surf-apparel giant Hurley, which mixes music into the lifestyle brand equation.
It was there that Warsop met Bradley, who was then senior environmental
designer for the brand, but now works at Skullcandy.
The friends started creating music together reminiscent of Get
Happy-era Elvis
Costellomixed with Sharon Jones
and the Dap Kings. While recording some demos for Social
Distortion at Hurley, Warsop shared rough versions of the songs
he, Bradley and drummer Korey "Kingston" Horn were
working on.
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| Suedehead at Alex's Bar March 23, 2013 |
Social D frontman Mike Ness breezily
suggested that when Warsop's new band finalized its lineup they should book
shows together. Warsop took this as polite banter and refrained from packing
his bags. A couple of months later, Warsop got the call to join Social D on
tour despite the lack of an actual band.
Warsop and Bradley scrambled. Within days they named the
project, created their International
Soul Rebel Society label, brought in Greg Kuehnon keys and Nic Rodriguez on
bass (eventually replaced by Mike Bisch), and added a
horn section. Before the tour, they rehearsed four times, played a show and
mentally prepared to perform in front of thousands.
Social D fans, not particularly known for patience during
opening acts, were the most intimidating aspect. "We were prepared to be
spit on," Warsop says with a humble laugh. Instead, Suedehead posed for
pictures and signed autographs after shows. Riding in the van after the second
gig, the guys talked future plans. "We all had the magic in our
eyes," Bradley says about their onstage chemistry.
They decided that, yes, they were going to continue on and
maintain control of the band's business to keep it fun, even if that meant
staying up with bloodshot eyes stuffing boxes for mail orders, which they do.
Saying yes to taking risks is sort of their thing.
"We're more into talking ourselves into things than out
of them," Bradley says. Within months they were touring with Flogging
Molly, playing Coachella and enjoying airtime on KROQ. In March,
Suedehead took home the OC Music Award for Best Pop Band.
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| Photo also by Derek Bahn |
"Things happen for a reason," Warsop says about
the band's serendipitous yet short history together. "We are a little bit
older, more mature, more focused. As long as you are working hard, saying yes
and giving 100 percent, everything else unfolds."
For now, the guys from Suedehead enjoy every second of their
topward trajectory.
"We never want to look at it like, 'This sucks right
now, but we can't wait until we're here,'" Bradley says, raising his hand
high in the air as a symbol of perceived success, before lowering it back down
to eye level to make his point. "No, this fucking rules right now."
Here is a link to the story in OC Weekly, where it originally ran:
And here is another story I wrote about the band:
And another from last year:
And here's another video:
Seriously. I love this band. They're great.
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