Eddie Angel – An Xperience Interview

Eddie Angel – An Xperience Interview – by Neoptolemus.

They wear Mexican wrestling masks, a tradition which began with their first gig. Their songs are guitar instrumentals, in the tradition of the Shadows and the Ventures. Their name comes from their fondness for the word for a device used to restrain crazy people. They are all road warriors, with grinding touring schedules for the band.

Who are those masked men? They are Los Straitjackets, a band that has been together for 37 years. And they’re HERE, at various venues, including Tarrytown, NY (July 31st, Tarrytown Music Hall), Norwalk, CT (August 1st, District Music Hall), Woodstock, NY (August 8th and 9th, Levon Helm Studios), various places in October, and in November, Troy, NY (November 2, The Hangar on the Hudson; doors at 8:00 PM).

The Xperience Monthly chatted with co-founder Eddie Angel about life (on the road), the universe (of music), and everything (guitar).

RRX: What was your first instrument? First guitar (and do you still have it)? Are you self-taught, or did you take lessons?

EA: My first instrument was clarinet. I was in fifth grade. The music teacher at Fort Crailo School in Rensselaer gave a music aptitude test to weed out the kids with no musical talent — and I failed! But I wanted to be in the band so badly, I had my mother buy me a clarinet, and I took lessons. So I got into band. I got my first guitar when I was 12. It was marketed as a “Beatles” guitar. It came with an amp and a 45 of the Beatles’ record of “My Bonnie” on MGM Records. It was an Airline from Montgomery Ward. I still have it hanging on my wall.

I’m self-taught. I took a few lessons when I started. My teacher was a teenager; he taught me “Walk Don’t Run,” but then he moved to California, so from then on I learned by listening to records. I’m a primitive musician — I can’t read music, and I could never be a studio musician. I had to find my own way and come up with my own style. I think my strong point was being able to write songs. I don’t consider myself a super picker. I persevered and I got lucky at the 11th hour!

RRX: Your roots are in rockabilly, and one of your bands is the Neanderthals, whose members include local music legend, Johnny Rabb. Was Johnny an influence on you while you were a youth in the area? Do you have any Johnny Rabb stories you can relate (remember: this is a family publication)?

EA: I met Rabb in 1974. He was in college at Brockport and was in a band with a friend of mine. I was at loose ends and decided to visit my friend. It was January and freezing cold. I took a bus to Brockport and then hitchhiked to the band house they all lived in, in Holley, NY. It looked like the tundra. I got to the band house and we all started jamming. I probably did “Blue Suede Shoes,” because I remember Rabb taking me into his room to show me his collection of Elvis records. He had all of them, even the crappy movie soundtracks!

Remember, it wasn’t cool to be an Elvis fan when you were a college student, even in 1974, so it was like we had this secret society. I didn’t play in a band with Rabb until 1981, when we formed the Rockin’ Dakotas.  We just did all the ‘50s and ‘60s songs we knew, and people loved it! We were, overnight, the most popular band in town. The Neanderthals came much later, in 1995, when I wrote a bunch of songs. Rabb, Cheese Blotto, and I went to London to record them at the legendary Toe Rag Studios. I’m very proud of that record. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve been a part of.

RRX: It may amuse you to learn that Graham Tichy, while playing a gig at Ganser-Smith Park in Menands, dubbed that town’s residents as “Menanderthals.”

EA: I’m from Rensselaer … I can’t throw stones.

RRX: The most recent Straitjacket album is “Indoor Safari” (LP/CD) with Nick Lowe, which dropped last September. Your new album, “Somos Los Straitjackets” (LP only; pre-order available from Yep Roc Records) drops this September 19th. It was recently announced that “Polaris” from that album, a song you wrote, has just been released as a single. What inspired “Polaris“?

EA: “Polaris” started as a song I was noodling on guitar for a while. I didn’t know if it would be right for Los Straitjackets. But then I thought, maybe give it a treatment like “Telstar,” one of my all-time favorite instrumentals. Greg Townson, the other LSJ guitarist, came up with a really cool approach to playing it and tweaked the melody. It came out really good, I think.

RRX: Are there any plans for new Neanderthals or Planet Rockers music?

EA: The Neanderthals and the Planet Rockers both have a cult following, especially in Europe, so I think we will continue playing festivals there and in the U.S. We play rockabilly, garage, and tiki festivals, and lately started playing cruises like the Underground Garage Cruise. No immediate plans to record, but it’s always on my mind.

RRX: Los Straitjackets also have a surf-guitar side. Did you ever get to meet or play with surf guitar founder Dick Dale?

EA: Yes, I met Dick Dale. I was friends with his bass player, Sam Bolle. When they played Nashville, Sam asked me if I wanted to come by soundcheck and play Dick Dale’s rig, which of course, I did. It was loud! The next day, my wife Melanie and I went to say goodbye to Sam at their hotel, and Dick and his wife were waiting out front in their RV. We spent about an hour talking with them. They loved Melanie because she has some Native American heritage. They were way into that!

Dick Dale was a fascinating character, and Sam told me some amazing stories that I can’t repeat, but I hope someone writes a book about him!

RRX: You played with Link Wray, the godfather of the power chord, which became the basis for a lot of later rock music. You’ve said elsewhere that you are not a fan of rock music. Is it because of the power chord, or are there other reasons?

EA: Let’s be clear: I love rock ‘n’ roll, but I make a distinction between rock ‘n’ roll and rock music. To me, rock music is humorless and doesn’t swing. Having said that, I like the Ramones because they have a sense of humor. I love Link Wray — I mean, he’s in my pantheon of guitar greats, and I probably relate more to him than any other guitarist.

RRX: Do you have any Link Wray stories you’d like to share?

EA: When I was 19, I moved to LA to be a songwriter with a piano player named Dave Bloom. We were both sharing an apartment in Venice Beach and working at restaurants. One day, he said he had gotten a gig with Link Wray. I had never heard of Link Wray, but I thought, what a cool name, sounds like a futuristic guy with a ray gun in a Lincoln spaceship. I said, “Get me in the band. I’ll play rhythm!” Next thing, I was meeting Link Wray at his apartment and talking about Elvis and music. We got together once and jammed in a garage in North Hollywood. I just remember he was playing a cheap Japanese guitar, and what we played was a noisy racket, maybe you could call it proto-punk. He was putting together a band to promote his new record “Be What You Want To.” I moved back home before a tour materialized, but my friend Dave played a few gigs with him. Fast forward to 1980, and I’m playing with Tex Rubinowitz and the Bad Boys in Washington, DC. Tex’s favorite guitarists were Link Wray and Ivy Rorschach. He used to play a tape of Link Wray for our pre-show, and one day he said, “Eddie, I think we should do some instrumentals in the set.” I thought it was a terrible idea! But I took to it like a duck to water and started writing instrumentals. I wrote “Rampage” and “Lynxtail,” both tributes to Link, and they were on my first 45 record in 1981. I still play them.

In 1997, I was touring with Los Straitjackets, and we did a bunch of dates with Link Wray. It was a real thrill, and I got to know him. He played in Albany and invited my mother on stage with him and dedicated a song to her!

RRX: You’re a true road warrior, having played continuously for three years on the road at one point in your career. You have previously said it was a blast, but was it also a blur? When you finally got off the road that time, was adjusting to domestic life hard?

EA: I’ve been touring with Los Straitjackets since 1995 and spent the first three years in the van. I would be gone three to six weeks at a time. It was a blast, and it is a blur. I used to say if I won the lottery, I would still continue touring. I felt like I was on a mission; I would’ve done it for free, I think. Now it feels like work. The playing is still fun, but the travel can be grueling. As I write this, I’m on an eight-hour flight from Brussels to NYC. Not fun. I was lucky I married someone who wanted me to be a musician and was totally supportive.

 

 

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