Interview with Billy the Kid

I think this song is really pretty. So I asked Billy a few questions.

My sister's name is Billie, and I don't think she always loved it. Hahha, so what drew you to the pseudonym Billy?

Sometimes people choose their nicknames. I did not. After years of always being the youngest, I acquired the nickname "Kid." I skipped a grade in elementary school and soon after, started playing in bands with people 10 years my senior. Eventually the people in my band began to call me "The Kid." One day I got in my 1965 Valiant at the ripe old age of 16, and my bass player turned to me and said: "You're Billy the Kid."

I'm an expressive arts therapist, so I've always been interested in how people utilize the arts to cope with adversity. I'm not sure how accurate your Wikipedia page is, but it says you were in foster care and group homes as a kid. Can you talk about how the arts have influenced your life overall?

Art saved my life. Any form of expression that can be used as an outlet, I am an avid supporter of. I have books upon books filled with scribbles, sketches and syllables, and although they look like the psychotic banter of about 20 different people, funneling my aggression in to those pages kept me alive back then. Looking back, I see how important the music lessons from Youth Workers were, and how much they altered my existence. Now that I'm a bit older and not struggling in the same ways, I'm committed to giving back to this world, having lived a life changed by art.

Do you live in LA or Vancouver? What are the scenes like there?

I've been splitting my time between Vancouver, where I'm from, and L.A. for the past year and a half. Vancouver will always be my home since it's where I grew up and I'm still good friends with a lot of the people I played with in my first bands. In that sense, it's more...uh...friendly. L.A. sometimes lives up to it's reputation but more often that not, I find it to be filled with some of the nicest people I've yet to meet. There's is a LOT less ego than people believe there to be. Musically there is just a ton more "work" for musicians so most session players or hired guns end up in L.A.

How has it been for you to be a female musician/producer etc.?

I know there are positives, and I know there are negative, but I try not to think about either. My hope is that if I don't care about it, others will soon follow suit. As any human being, I just want to be treated the same way as anyone else, fairly, justly and equally.

What drew you to do the softer, Billy the Kid stuff?

Unbeknownst to some, I've always written and played this type of music. My first guitar was a nylon string classical guitar, which is traditionally used for "Classical" music. Sure I pounded out my fair share of Nirvana and Green Day on that thing but I also wrote hundreds of softer sounding songs. When I started playing with a band, I would still play coffee shops, with just me and a guitar. Sometimes if the band got asked to do a show and one of the guys couldn't make it, I'd just play by myself, even if it was a bunch of metal bands on the bill. I've always been of the mindset you never say no to a show, no matter what.

It seems like you have a strong DIY ethic. Tell me more about Lost records.

Lost Records started because no one would put out my records. If you're in band, you know what this feels like. So I quit my job, started this company and before I knew it, it was more of a collection of friends helping one another than anything else. I started booking tours for people and helping friends get their CDs to radio stations and newspapers and before I knew it, I was surrounded by 3 desks, 4 computers and 2 friends (or more) helping. Some of the happiest times of my life have been working for 18 hours a day on 3 different tours and marketing campaigns. I guess that's just the way I am.

Tell me more about the Ramores (Billy was in Vancouver's Ramones cover band)

Hahaha! Well, for awhile it was the longest running band I was ever in! They're still together too. I played drums and really had to learn to play fast. To this day that's about all I can do behind a kit haha.

Who are some of your favorite female musicians?

I grew up listening to Babes In Toyland, Bikini Kill and Hole. These days (now that I'm old) I'm more of a Kathleen Edwards, Serena Ryder, Brooke Fraser, Kaia, KT Tunstall kinda girl.

Billy the Kid Online
Billy the Kid Blog
Billy the Kid on Myspace

Billy and the Lost Boys on Myspace
Billy and the Lost Boys

Lost Records


      

Interview with Maya from Death Cigarettes

Can you tell me a little about the history of Death Cigarettes?

Death Cigarettes landed in London about two years ago. After the initial shock of moving form quiet Yorkshire to the city we settled down and got on with making the noise that brought us here.


Your Myspace page says you sound like "none of your influences." Who are some of your influences?

Patti Smith had a big impact on me from the first time I heard her. But as a band we all have quite different influences so I don't even know how relevant my answer would be to this one. I am more influenced by an outlook or an energy than bands or songs I think. So much influences what goes into a song, the light, the noise of the city, the great bands we see play live, a photograph, everything.


Mya, what is your experience like of being a woman in a band?

I suppose my experience of being in a band is much like the lads' experiences of being in a band, except I sing and they play. I love being in Death Cigarettes, I have a voice and a vote (as it were) but obviously things are slightly different for all of us. I used to feel underestimated by people when they were surprised by my voice or by the way I like to move around a lot, I used to think 'guys get to do this shit all the time why does it shock you that I want to do it too?' I mean, we all want to sing and dance and shout and laugh don't we? It never felt like a big deal to me, I was just responding to the music. More recently in the UK it feels like women are being hailed into the music scene but as you know (from seeing your blog), we were always there, we are just as strong and loud as we always were, maybe we are just easier to find these days? If so, that can only be a good thing.


I see that we can download the single, what are your plans for future releases?

The first single 'Bleed You Dry' is out on iTunes and Amazon etc. And there is a video that goes with the B-side 'If You Take Me Apart' which you can view on our myspace: www.myspace.com/deathcigarettes

70SIX Music put out a limited edition physical run which are available through our website (below). They are rather beautiful, they look like records- even have the grooves and are just what we wanted.

The second single 'Break my Bones' was recorded with Max Dingle (White Lies /Glasvegas ) and is due out in the near future, also on 70SIX Music.

We just spent this weekend shooting the video for it. It was very tiring but great fun.

We are lucky enough to have people around us who enjoy making music and have a DIY ethic so we have already recorded a new set of demo's in a friend's studio which sound great. Hopefully these will be used in the future. And another friend of ours helped design our t-shirts which (along with our cd's) are available from http://www.deathcigarettes.co.uk/


Any plans to play in the states?

We'd love to play the US, the single sold fairly well over there but we haven't been offered any shows - offer us some shows!!



Thanks Maya! For more information on Death Cigarettes check out:

www.myspace.com/deathcigarettes
http://www.deathcigarettes.co.uk/
http://www.deathcigarettes.blogspot.com/