INTERVIEW with BRONTEZ PURNELL
The "White Boy Music EP" is #NP at TBONES - over and over and over and over again.
Brontez Purnell was born in Triana, Alabama, and lives in Oakland today where is a contributor to a very important art scene. A Whiting Award winner for his Fiction, his latest book "100 Boyfriends" is racking up rave reviews. Already a filmmaker, performance artist, and a longtime musician, his Post Present Medium cassette "White Boy Music E.P." might be the best 7 musical minutes of your week. In just three songs, Purnell hoping to poke fun at the angsty, whiny Rock has managed to drill down to its core and find the purity within it.
T-BONE'S RECORDS: How did you get from the Deep South to California? Was recording music always part of the dream?
BRONTEZ PURNELL: Basically a long story but the short of it is - I knew some people in California and my grandmother's brother was a Blues musician who came to California in the 60s and went on to become an Oakland Blues king. So, it was always a destination of sorts. I moved here when I was 20. Yes, the intention was always to be a rock star and I got closer than most (laughs.)
T-BONE'S: On "White Boy Music," I realize that you are tongue-in-cheek poking fun at the sort of angst-ridden rock that has been out there for years. However, you really tapped into not just the formula but YOUR OWN formula. Did you realize at some point in writing these that it was so fun because it really is your kind of throwing "romanticism" to the universe?
BRONTEZ: Well, it's both tongue-in-cheek and not. I just think things go in waves and in and out of vogue and I was sick of the oh-so-wannabe-elite White Punk crowd in Oakland pretending to be gutter punks and No-Wavers. So I said, "F*** it- what if I was a basic white boy and made an alternative record?" I mean, being an Alternative rock god was the original goal (or at least it was when I was 12.) No one else was really doing it (like, literally the garage rock scene here couldn't intellectually move past trying to sound like the Gabbers.) So, I went into my own bag and made "White Boy Music." Somewhere in the middle of making it- I was like "Actually, this might be what is really in my soul." LOL
T-BONE'S: What is your history of being in bands? You've clearly worked your way up to this release.
BRONTEZ: I was in this teenage all-Black Hardcore band in Alabama called "The Social Lies" (we are putting out a 20-year anniversary single of two songs we never released) and I played in some bands in Chattanooga when I lived there for a year. I was in the later version of Panty Raid and then this band Gravy Train. Finally, I started Younger Lovers around the same time.
T-BONE'S: When you gathered everyone together for these recordings, were you all contributing on a "wave of enthusiasm?" Did they hear your songs and just know that you were really bringing something new to the table?
BRONTEZ: Honestly, I just wanted to make some hook-heavy jammerz.
T-BONE'S: Are there more songs from "WBM" that perhaps didn't make it?
BRONTEZ: Yes indeed- like 5 or 6 more actually- STAY TUNED
T-BONE'S: What was recording like? Were you ever at a point where you thought "OK? We have enough on this track - but since we are having so much fun - let's push on anyway"
BRONTEZ: I recorded it with Jason Testateca who actually lived in the same town in Alabama I did at a certain point. It was super fun and honestly, I had only ever recorded with power trios so something about adding strings and horns felt like...a graduation of sorts? I felt like Aretha Franklin.
T-BONE'S: Where do your two originals come from? Were you crafting them for a little while? Perhaps you ran one by some bandmates for fun, even though it didn't stick?
BRONTEZ: I had been like playing them for a while and I did a version of "Forgive Me, Phillip" on a Younger Lovers record that I didn't really like at all. So I wanted to revamp it. The Beat Happening song is one of my faves by them lyrically.
T-BONE'S: What were your resources for WBM? You had some music in mind? I hear a lot of the Cure in the highly melodic/classically Romantic "Forgive Me, Philip"
BRONTEZ: I was mostly thinking about The Jam and Style Council but like in effect it ended up sounding like something closer to Weezer.
T-BONE'S: What are you listening to now. Are there some new bands/artists we should know about in your opinion?
BRONTEZ:I don't really listen to Punk music anymore because it's so there. I'm really into this Oakland house band called Brijean. The lead-in Brijean was the conga player at the Jazz night I used to go to in Oakland - and she's the COOLEST. I mainly listen to BBYMUTHA. She's this pagan indie rapper from Chattanooga. She is a friend of the punks I used to know there. I mainly like to listen to lots of Rock Steady, Ska, and Southern Gospel. I'm kind of a boring middle-aged man in that regard.
T-BONE'S: What are you working on now? Has there been a groundswell around you since dropping the EP?
BRONTEZ: No groundswell. I think I'm just gonna play music till I die and pray that one day I can play Glastonbury.
Big thanks to Brontez for taking the time to enlighten us and Post Present Medium. "White Boy Music EP" is available on cassette for a limited time at T-BONES!
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