The Aggrolites
Interviews | Jul 5th, 2007
What are you more excited about – your new album or this interview?
This interview of course! If it weren’t for people like you guys I couldn’t talk about how excited I am about the album.
How would you compare Reggae Hit LA to your other albums?
I believe album is a lot more soul influenced than the last two.
We’ve matured a lot on this album. And the sound quality is a lot different. The last album was dirty and sounded like an old Jamaican recording, and mostly recorded in mono. This album sounds more like a professional recording from the 60’s. Both albums are still raw and live with energy, but the new one was made to sound a little more high quality.
What is the most “aggro” thing you’ve ever done?
I have to give the credit to Brian, our guitar player. We played a gig one time and an annoying drunk guy kept getting on the stage.
After I tried to escort him off a few times and a few pushes from Brian, he fell. He then charged at Brian! With no security there to help out, Brian decided to defend himself by smashing the dude over the head with his guitar. The guy was to thick headed to actually get injured, but it looked cool as ever, and we got banned from the venue… which is a pretty popular place in L.A. I’m not one to promote violence on the stage, but if you are getting attacked, do what you must! And Brian “BOOM BOOM” Dixon did what he had to do.
Do groupies prefer the reggae hotness or the bootyshaking soul?
What are you talking about? Reggae hotness is bootyshaking soul!
Come on now!! But that’s only if the girls are doing it. I don’t want to see any dudes up front in hot pants.
You recently played on Tim Armstrong’s solo album A Poet’s Life. Who are some other people or bands you’d like to collaborate with?
We would like to work with a lot of old school reggae artists. We’ve worked with Prince Buster in the past along with Derrick Morgan. I know I would have the bands full support by saying The Pioneers, or URoy. Something cool and crazy would be working with a band like The Who, or The Stones. Man, I’d love that to happen.
Who do you think would win in a battle royale: The Aggrolites, The Slackers or Westbound Train? Why?
Has Westbound Train or The Slackers ever hit anyone over the head with a guitar on stage? I’ll tell you the truth, we’d all probably show up ready for battle and then just put together a giant ass Hellcat reggae party!!!! Those bands are on our team, it’s the women’s jeans wearing/ Edward Scissorhand hairdo, cry baby daddy didn’t love me bands we want to musically battle! Not The Slackers or Westbound. We want to battle band’s with names like “Forever’s Yesterday’s Tomorrow Death in the Futures Wings of Eternity”. Dirty reggae is the new musical revolution! These bands need to stop crying and get tuff!!
Tell me a scary road story.
We were stuck driving across country in a horrible snow storm. It took us 7 days of non stop driving to get to Boston. No hotels, ruffing it in the van. We were literally driving 15mph the entire time. Two gig’s were canceled because the storm was so bad. One night around 10pm Korey, our drummer, was driving on a road that had been covered in ice. He lost control of the wheel and the van went sliding like a Hollywood film! The van, trailer, and all spun out in a 360 right into the center divider. We all saw our lives flash before our eyes. The van landed perfectly straight with the trailer directly behind it. Being the Southern Californians we are, we all jumped out of the van in two feet of snow all wearing canvas shoes.
We looked like the 5 stooges trying to put chains on the tires with no snow gloves on. We then parked for the night on the side of the road along with 50 big rigs and calmed down. It took forever for us to dry off. We all agreed that that was the closest we all ever came to death.
Which celebrity would you love to endorse your band?
Who are you with these questions? James Lipton from Inside the Actors Studio? Hell, I don’t know. DeNiro? Maybe Oprah…. Trump, Bill Gates, don’t they have all the money? They could spend billions of dollars on promoting us, and Bill Gates could invent some computerized chip that will brain wash everyone to buy our albums while they go on the net.
What is one song you absolutely hate playing or never want to play again?
Pop The “friggen” Trunk!!!!!!
Your sound is described as “dirty reggae.” Who is the dirtiest person in the band?
Well, when your crammed in a van for 7 weeks at a time, I’d have to say it hard to determine where the funk comes from. We probably created a creature that lurks under the seats of the van made from mildew, sweat, B.O. and farts. I’ll let you know when I see his toxic ass and I’ll invite him on stage and make him sing Pop The Trunk.
Rant about something random.
I was walking through target the other day and looking in the camping section at tents. Above the tents they have little models of the real tents. That would be funny if they had little models of everything in the target store. One day I’m going to steal the model tent and bring it home for my dogs.
And another thing, why the hell do people still to this day say the Aggrolites play ska? How many times do we need to title and album with the word “REGGAE” or sing the damn word “REGGAE” in our songs for people to get that we play REGGAE!!!!!! Also, dirty reggae was never called dirty reggae in the late 60’s. It was called REGGAE or SKINHEAD REGGAE if you were in the UK at the time!!! We named our bands sound “Dirty Reggae” cause we knew we are starting a REVOFRIKENLUTION!!! The closest thing to the actual word dirty reggae back in the day was “Slack Reggae” which was songs like Rough Rider, and Wet Dream. The only thing is they both mean two different things, but sound like they could both be about the same thing! I hope big music magazines could understand this someday. By the way, I wish more people would do more interviews like you rather than the same old boring questions that they could just find the answers out on their own. PFR bitches!! Punk F-ing Reggae!!!
