Spazzys survive Los Angeles

Tue 2nd Jan, 2007 in Features

The Spazzys feel like they’ve gone to hell and back to record their follow up album to their hugely successful debut, Aloha! Go Bananas (2004).

However, they only went as far as the cruisy city of Los Angeles to work in the hometown of acclaimed producer Charles Fisher (Radio Birdman, Hoodoo Gurus). The same one where Beverly Hills 90210 was shot and the huge Hollywood sign is located.

But according to frontwoman Kat Spazzy, LA can suck the life out of you.

“I hated it. It’s insane,” Kat said. “It would be fun if we were there for 10 days. Last time, I think we were there for 10 days and that just got ridiculous by the end. You’re like alright, its cool, its fun, see you later LA. But six weeks.”

The tension and long hours in the studio took its toll on the band and Kat isn’t ashamed to talk about the odd catfight that took place. “The actual recording is always going to be stressful and hard, and you are going to hate each other and have punch ons and stuff,” she said. “Whether you do it in Melbourne or LA of course it’s going to happen.

“We’re pretty tough man. We are professionals. We can go away together, but LA. Of all the places we could set up, I’d rather go to Cambodia or something to record. That place is a shit hole. I can’t fucking go back there.”

The Spazzys are yet to finish mixing the new album, which is yet to be titled and is due for release early next year. But it is not all bad news for the Melbournians, with a happy ending forecasted.

Instead of making the three high school friends – Kat (guitar), Lucy (bass) and Ally (drums) – face up to the fiery dungeons of hell, they are going to bring Fisher out to Australia and slog it out the Aussie-way. “He (Fisher) is ace,” Kat said. “He’s a fan of ours and there wasn’t any pressure. We were making a record together. We weren’t out to impress him and he wasn’t out to impress us, we were totally just making a record.

“We are working on remixing the album and hopefully we’ll do that in January. We are not in a rush really. We finished recording it a couple of months ago and we did a mix that we weren’t really happy with, so we’ve decided to remix it. I want it to sound unbelievable because I really think it can. I want to make a great record.

“This record didn’t take that long to record. A lot of it was just fucking around in LA, trying to get gear. We played shows while we were there as well. We had about two weeks in the actual studio and the rest of the time we just did bits and pieces in his (Fisher’s) garage. The actual recording didn’t cost much more and didn’t take much longer than the first record, but it is way better.

“This shits all over the first album. I mean I love Aloha! Go Bananas, but I am just really proud we didn’t re-write that because that is going to be there forever. No one is going to smash that away from history. It was us to a T, but for me personally I think this is so much better.

“I think all of us have gotten much better, especially me with my guitar playing. In the last two years, I have learnt so much. I’d write a song with every chord I know in it so far.”

Aloha! Go Bananas was recorded in Melbourne at Salt Studios in less than 10 days before it debuted at number one on the AIR Charts. It featured the top 20 chart hit ‘My Boyfriends Back’, which was a remake of the Angels classic, and their best known single ‘Paco Doesn’t Love Me’. The new 14-track album has no cover song planned and features the online single, ‘I Want A Divorce’.

The Spazzys will take their new material on the road with them, with their first stop the Big Day Out. They recently did a test run with veteran rockers You Am I and Kat said it went well.

“They are just great songs, of course they were received well,” she said matter of factly. “We played about half and half (old and new).”

The three Ramones fans will have to fill the main stage at the BDO for the first time this year and they have their concerns about it despite it being Lucy Spazzy’s dream come true.

Kat said she will need to hit the BDO up for a longer guitar lead if they are to fill all the space on the orange or blue stage.

“It is going to cost like $70 for one of those super-dooper sized ones. I’m going to like hit the BDO up for it,” she joked. “It (the main stage) will be interesting. I’ll feel really far away from everyone.”

The Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast BDO’s are already sold out, with Perth and Adelaide selling fast.

For full coverage of the Big Day Out click here