Duane Beer – Thanks for Asking!

By Sara Busone.

RRX: Who do you admire in the local music community and why?

Duane Beer: A couple of groups that first come to mind. I like Zombie Giuliani; their album “No State Solution” (currently cassette only) is one of my all-time favorite punk rock albums. It’s loose in all the right ways, and the lyrics carry legit weight to them …

The Zorbas Trio is pretty darn amazing. The tempo changes are aplenty.  The music is intricate and adventurous. I like the carnivalesque atmosphere they are able to create. It’s musically and vocally very comforting to the ears (in a spooky sort of way).  Kinda angelic – so many details to allow the listener to get lost in.  Really ambitious and enjoyable. 

RRX: Cover art is cool. If you had to give the public a visual image that you think they would see and just “get” your groove right away, what would it be?

DB: Our latest Blasé DeBris album, “The Expiration of Expectations” (album release party Saturday, May 30th at September’s Too in Albany, N.Y.; mail order via cacophone.com on June 5th) features a picture I took in our basement. It features – are you ready? A ’70s-style black-and-white television showing static, surrounded by roses; a Salada Tea house; a ceramic statue (bust) of a woman wearing a tiger mask; a red mini fridge covered in various stickers and magnets; two microphones; a partial view of a vintage Rocky Horror poster; a partial view of Wrathchild America and the Nogoodnix promo photos; a Warped Tour t-shirt; a classic Creep Cool shirt. And, you may (?) be able to spot a Sike-O-Shriner as well. The album cover looks like we sound. 

 

RRX: What was the very first reaction to your music, from the first person to ever hear so much as a practice jam or the demo of your first song?

DB: I’m going to have to reflect back to the first original band I was in, where I was the main songwriter.  That would be Plaid. We recorded a cassette demo and passed it around to friends. One of them was John Moore, who was with WCDB at the time and friends with Bill Ketzer. (drummer) He liked it. I also remember the band Terror Cake coming over to our rehearsals every now and then. They were into what we were doing. It was crossover punk metal. It was good. We were good. I think we expected people to like it. 

RRX: What is a memorable place you played? (And bonus points if it’s not a well-known place.)

DB: Headhunters in Austin, Texas. I played there twice. Both times with Blasé DeBris. It had a wild Tiki vibe to it. I just thought it was a really cool place. Not QE2 cool,  but cool nonetheless. Then one day while scrolling thru TV stations I saw it on Bar Rescue. The host of Bar Rescue called it “the worst they had ever seen.” According to staff, “everything was held together with duct tape and Super Glue. Cockroaches parade and the smell of cat piss hung heavy in the air.” 

All I can say is, we had a good time there. A really good time! Derby Girls, Drinks and Rock N Roll. Fun Fun Fun. 

RRX: Do you have a promotional mindset or philosophy?

DB: A promotional mindset comes at a cost. No, thank you. This “is” the expiration of expectations after all. 

A philosophy? Sure. In order to enjoy being in an original band and keep your sanity, write music that personally suits you and your style. Don’t think about whom or how many you may eventually appeal to. Play to your bandmates’ strengths, and be prepared to compromise. Take pleasure in your performance. Take nothing for granted. 

RRX: Tell us something special about what you play: your technique, your instrument.

DB: I’m a guitarist. I have a couple of guitars I “really” enjoy playing. A white Firebird with humbuckers. And, a natural Explorer with a slope cut out for your forearm. I want the guitar to feel as much a part of my body as any other appendage does. I write a lot of stuff on a cheap semi-hollow body that plays quite well. My ace-in-hand is dynamics. I play directly through single-channel amps. I love to play clean and quiet and loud and ruckus without touching the volume knob on the guitar, but by simply picking extremely lightly, to bashing with reckless abandon. Now this requires a really good amp and a really good pickup. The right tools for the right hands, I suppose. That would be my thing. 

RRX: One of the unspoken signs of adulthood is having a favorite burner on the stove.  We all have one; nobody talks about it.  What’s yours?

DB: I had never given it much thought. But, looking at our classic cream and black Gibson stovetop oven, I can easily tell I favor the little one in the back left corner. Tucked away neatly and quite comfortable. Happy. Just waiting to get turned on. That would be my go to burner. 🙂