Jana Peri and her band are one of the best things I´ve heard
come out of America this year and I´m proud to interview her for Punk
Globe. Here´s what Jana has to say.
Punk
Globe: First off, Jana, tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Jana Peri: I am a singer/songwriter/guitarist from New York City who
fronts my own power pop/rock band. Last year, “Dating Sucks,” from my
debut, self-titled, EP was chosen for the lead track on ROCKRGRL
Magazine’s Discoveries 2004 CD. I recently finished recording a new
full-length CD with producer Daniel Rey (The Ramones, The Misfits,
Ronnie Spector) that will be coming out later this year. That’s just a
bit of what’s been happening.
Punk Globe: You´re inspired by Brit rock bands from the 60s and
Punk bands like The Ramones and this certainly shows in your music,
but what attracted you to these types of bands?
Jana Peri: I grew up listening to a lot of different stuff, but my
first love was The Beatles. Their influence on me is immeasurable. I
was attracted by both their brilliant music and compelling
personalities. It’s all about melodies for me and you just can’t get
any better than The Beatles. I also love The Who and you can
definitely hear those two bands’ impressions on everything from our
vocal harmony arrangements to drum fills to melodic bass lines to my
guitar playing.
I found that most of my friends learned about cool bands from their
older brothers and sisters. I was an only child and fortunately, I had
friends with really good taste. My next-door neighbor played Blondie’s
Parallel Lines for me and I absolutely fell in love with them. Through
Blondie, I discovered other New York bands from the 70s like The
Ramones. My friends also turned me onto punk bands like The Sex
Pistols and The Clash. Of course without American bands like The
Ramones and The New York Dolls, there would be no Sex Pistols or
Clash. What I love about punk rock is that it grabs you by the ear,
the heart and the crotch. There’s nothing intellectual about it. Even
if it’s got a political message, like all good rock ‘n’ roll it’s
about rebellion and expressing yourself in the most primal way. It’s
pure emotion.
Punk Globe: So how long have you been going as an artist and what
inspires the lyrics/music that you write?
Jana
Peri: It seems like I’ve been doing this forever. I’ve been playing
guitar and writing music since I was seven years old. I was in my
first band when I was 15, but that was short-lived. I didn’t have my
own band until 1999 when my EP was about to come out and I knew I had
to put a real gigging band together quickly.
I am inspired to write by all kinds of things, but truthfully, most of
the time it’s because something is bothering me and I need to work it
out in song. Bad relationships have provided me with a lot of great
song material. Fortunately, I also have a very good sense of humor,
which is reflected in my music as well.
Punk Globe: You´ve a new album coming out. Can you tell our readers
about it?
Jana Peri: My band and I just finished recording a new full-length CD
with NYC producer Daniel Rey who is best known for his work with The
Ramones. He produced several of their later albums, as well as Joey
Ramone’s solo CD. Daniel also plays quite a bit of guitar on the new
CD.
Style-wise, the new CD is a conglomeration of all my musical
influences. It’s got elements of pop, country, new wave, rockabilly,
punk, surf, garage rock and even jazz. I think it’s more sophisticated
sounding than my last release and the production quality is better.
I’m really excited about the way the songs have turned out. One of the
new tracks, “Go Ahead” already came out last year on a compilation
called International Pop Overthrow – Volume 7 on American power pop
and melodic rock label, Not Lame Recordings. I’m not exactly sure when
the new album will be released as we still have mastering, design and
manufacturing to do, but it will definitely be out before we go on
tour in the fall.
Punk Globe: For a relatively unknown artist, you´ve toured outside
the USA. Your band is going on tour in the UK at the end of September
and last year you did a solo UK tour with just a guitar. How did the
tours come about and what is the link between you and your tour
manager from The Convulsions?
Jana Peri: You don’t need to be enormously famous to be a successful
touring artist. Anybody can go on tour. The trick is getting someone
else to pay for it. If you’re not backed by a record label, you’re
going to have to pay for everything yourself – travel, accommodations,
etc. The idea is to book gigs where you will actually make some money
so that hopefully, you will profit from the tour and at worst, break
even. One thing that’s really great about the UK pub circuit is that
most of the clubs actually pay a guarantee. Also, from what I
understand, the locals tend to go out to see live music even if they
don’t know who the band is. That is exactly the opposite of what
happens in big cities like New York and London. In those cities,
people generally do not go to see a band unless they know someone in
the band or have read about them in a magazine. No hype equals no
audience.
The reason I went to the UK last year was because I was invited to
play a music festival called International Pop Overthrow at The Cavern
Club in Liverpool, so I decided to book a mini-tour around it. My band
wasn’t able to go with me, so I played solo electric and it was great.
I should point out that I did the whole thing on my own dime. I sold
some CDs, but I didn’t make any money playing the shows. I did the
tour just to have the experience. I had a fabulous time and met a lot
of wonderful people. Also, going over last year helped me to lay some
groundwork for this year. I knew eventually I would go back with my
band after the new CD was out.
This year’s tour came about because I entered a competition to be
selected for something called Chicago Music Explosion, which is
service that puts American bands on tour in the UK. They do one big
tour every year featuring a few US bands, that not only play in clubs,
but they
participate in school music programs. The founder of CME, Ben Ruth,
liked my music so much that he contacted me directly. We hit it off
and he agreed to book a UK tour for just my band and accompany us as
our tour manager and roadie. Ben is originally from Lancaster, England
and fronts a UK-based blues/punk band called The Convulsions
www.convulsions.com He
has been living in Chicago for the past few years and has established
himself quite nicely as a vocalist and blues harp player on the music
scene there, as well as on the UK circuit. Most of the clubs where my
band will be playing are places that The Convulsions have played. I am
really glad that Ben is going on tour with us because I feel safer
having an ale-fueled Englishman driving us around than a sober
American who’s never driven on that side of the road before!
Punk Globe: So what kinds of things do you like about touring?
Jana Peri: I love getting out of NYC. It’s the best city in the world,
but I feel much more appreciated as a musician elsewhere. English
audiences in particular just seem to get what I’m about and the
affection is very mutual. I love to travel, meet people and immerse
myself in other cultures and touring is the perfect excuse. Most of
the shows I’ve done outside of NYC (Chicago, Virginia Beach, etc.)
have been kind of random one-offs. I’ve never been on such a long tour
before, so you will have to ask me this question again after I come
back from the UK. I may not like touring so much if I get bronchitis
again this year. I love England, but the damp weather is a bitch.
Punk Globe: You´ve got some amazing feedback from various
magazines/webzines so does it piss you off at times that despite the
good things people write about you, you´re still struggling to make a
name?
Jana Peri: Absolutely, but that’s just the way things are. Everybody
knows the music business is all about the bottom line and it’s really
hard to be successful in an environment that’s so unsupportive of
artists. I know that I’m talented and that people enjoy what I do.
More importantly, I enjoy what I do. If you really believe in yourself
and your music, you just have to stay true to your vision. I’ve never
compromised myself by doing something that wasn’t me, or done
something that’s gone against my values just to make a buck. My
integrity is intact, so I can be proud of myself. To quote a lyric
from the song “I Wanna Rock” that’s coming out on my new CD: “I don’t
care what’s on the charts/I only know what’s in my heart/And all I
really wanna do is rock.” It’s that simple.
Punk Globe: I notice you like your leather - so have you a leather
fetish we should know about?
Jana Peri: I definitely have a thing for leather. I think it’s a
rather healthy appreciation, so I wouldn’t exactly call it a fetish.
Leather is sexy and sensual. Black leather is actually quite practical
for touring because it breathes, you don’t have to wash it and it
tends to repel any scary liquids that may come in contact with it. An
occasional trip to the cleaners is a good idea though if you get
soaked in beer a lot. I once got chocolate syrup all over a leather
mini skirt (don’t ask) and that certainly had to be professionally
cleaned.
Punk Globe: If you had only one wish what would it be?
Jana Peri: To make a living from my music. Period.
Punk Globe: Your music is obviously very important to you and from
our chats you´ve made a fair few sacrifices, so is it all worth it in
the name of rock ‘n’ roll?
Jana Peri: The only real sacrifice I’ve had to make for my music is
financial. Doing this has cost me a fortune and it’s been really
difficult at times. Is it worth it? Hell, yeah! I get a lot of
satisfaction from what I do. The path I’ve chosen is not for everyone
though. I’m happy to say that I’ve got my priorities straight, which
is more than some people can say. I make time for everything and
everybody that is important to me. Music is crucial in my life and my
rock ‘n’ roll sensibility defines me, but it is not the whole of who I
am. I’m a pretty well rounded and grounded person.
Punk Globe: So does this magazine writer get an invite backstage at
the end of the show?
Jana Peri: Most of the places I’ve played don’t even have a backstage!
I prefer to be out in the house where the action is anyway. You’re
welcome to join me at the bar for a pint.
Punk Globe: Anything you´d like to add?
If you’re intrigued by what you’ve just read, please check out my
website www.janaperi.com There
you can read more about me and find links to buy CDs and download
music. If you drop me a line, I’ll add you to my mailing list, so you
can stay in the know. For your efforts, you will receive a free
lifetime supply of tasty spam.
Thanks to Jana for doing the interview and I hope you guys reading
this check out her out. You will really be missing out if you don´t!
