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A Stone Fox Talks!
Q & A with
Yvette Douglass
(affectionately known here as YY)
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So what's up with San Francisco?! I hear it's got a hard freak goin' on...
YY: They should change the city's name to SAN FRANCISCO DOT COM. I think it's obvious for those of us still living in SF that the music scene has suffered because of the surge of Silicon Valley migration to SF. I have had a lot of friends move because it is just too costly here. I'm lucky because my rent happens to be cheap still.
So the SF music scene is kinda sucky?
YY: ...Well, Janis' (side project) band Unholy Cadaver rocks. I saw a band called Amber Asylum that was really great. A band that I saw here from New York called The Magnetic Fields were absolutely astonishing, beautiful music. Blood Roses (from SF), of course, rocks. And my friend Ommawin is fantastic also. |
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You're one of the guitarist in Stone Fox. Would the title 'Yvette Douglass, lead guitarist' be apt?
YY: Well, 'lead guitarist' is so '80s, really. I would say 'guitar sounds and second rhythm guitarist'...
Do you have a favorite studio performance of your work?
YY: My guitar stuff on this song called "Misery", which was from the same sessions of our 2nd (self-titled) CD but wasn't on it...This was a really cool song, very melancholic. And to get in the mood we all drank off this big bottle of JD, except for Kim. She drank from her Jolt Cola bottle. So, I did this Neil Young/Janis Joplin inspired 'crying guitar' stuff on it. It turned out nicely. We were gonna release that song as a single, but never did...I also like "Sandwich King" "Lawnmower" "Something To Brag About". I like the quirky slide stuff on "Jarvina". Everyone sounds perfect on that one.
So what exactly is the status of Stone Fox?
YY: I think we all still want to work together, but at the moment we are all into other projects. It's sort of like with lesbians - they never really break up. You have that transition time where you don't see eachother, (then) you have 'break-up sex'. And you still hang out with each other, and are friends.
I wanna talk about the celebrity friends and fans Stone Fox has picked up along the way. I remember getting a long distance phone call from Janis when y'all were on the road touring with Joan Jett. She was totally psyched to be touring with the rock and roll legend that JJ is...
YY: It was such a high playing with her. I think it was in '94...I felt like we were part of some kind of rock and roll mafia being around Joan and Kenny Laguna, her manager. I think it was becuz of their big New York accents!...(and) JJ's fans were really cool to us. They ate us up with a lovin' spoonful. We were wearing cowboy hats, jeans, slip dresses...but they just DUG us! We got that gig, the tour with JJ when we were on Linda Perry's label. Linda told Joan, well, a lie, which was that we had sold out The Warfield! (A large, well-known club venue in S.F.) I think it's okay to say that now, at this point!
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| Photo by Maria Johannson |
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Stone Fox opened for Metallica. THAT was weird...
YY: That's not weird, Danise! When we started out we used to cover their song "Seek and Destroy", but we changed the lyrics to a cat-fight between two women called "She Can Destroy"...We became friends with (guitarist) Kirk Hammet via our friend Sarah Flicker, his old flame. We ended up opening for them at one of their exclusive, wooo!, fan club shows at Slim's (San Francisco club) in '97, I believe. Also, Kirk used to come to a lot of our shows. At one of our CD release partys I traded 'licks' with him - that doesn't sound right!- on "She Can Destroy". We also covered "Damage, Inc."
The QUEEN of the California punk rock scene, Exene, took Stone Fox on tour with her band Auntie Christ...
YY: Exene is one of the most inspiring, brilliant, down to earth people I know. I am very lucky to know her. We met her through Janis' friend, John Roecker. They used to work together at Joe Boxer here in S.F. John Roecker is an old friend of Exene's, and he really loved Stone Fox, so he, I think, booked a show with the two of us at this 'gym by day, theatre by night' place. We did an acoustic set and Exene did a reading. The entire band agrees that the Auntie Christ/Stone Fox tour was the best. We had a blast! She is a phenomenal woman!
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And, Stone Fox played with The First Lady of Honky Tonk, the late-great Tammy Wynette, at House of Blues in Hollywood. Did Miss Wynette have anything to say to you Big City Hussies about your own special blend of country-flavored rock and roll?
YY: When we played with Tammy Wynette (June'97) she was already sort of ill, so unfortunately, she stayed in her trailer...I mean, tour bus! But she seemed really cool, and onstage she already looked like an angel...
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How did Linda Perry end up producing your self-titled CD?
YY: Well, she and Stone Fox would oft play gigs together at the Nightbreak...Then, her and I got together just before she got heavily involved with Stone Fox. But you have to know that she was the 'executive' producer of that CD, and that it was co-produced between her and Stone Fox. It ended up being one of our best sounding releases. I have to log off right now. I'll come back to this later....
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The beauty of publishing in the 21st Century. Okay, so now you know. Yvette is in San Francisco while I'm here in a sweaty trailer in the middle of the desert conducting this interview. So sue me, fuck face. While YY is offline I'm gonna take this opportunity to talk shit about her!
I saw Stone Fox for the very first time during the summer of 1994, and I've been a rock hard groupie, uh, I mean fan of Stone Fox ever since. I hid behind my bangs for almost a whole year before I got drunk enough one night to introduce myself. But I'd known Janis the bass player for almost ten years at that point, so that made the meeting a little easier. I hung out with foxes of Stone Fox and we talked about the Brady Bunch Hawaiian vacation episode and about crank-calling radio stations. For being in the raddest band in San Francisco these chicks were totally cool offstage too. Not at all stuck up like me.
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| Left to right: Yvette, Jorjee, Janis, Kim and Brent Hoover |
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Meet the band:
JORJEE - vocalist, lyricist, percussionist. I've never seen anyone play a tambourine with one hand and hold two maracas in the other hand and successfully keep perfect time while producing two different rhythms all at once...not until I met Miss Jorjee, that is. Not only does her shimmy-shake, go-go dancing tickle my pelvis but Jorjee's ability to alternate between a tormented whisper to a huge, LOUD voice pronouncing her interpretations and contemplations of lust and fascination always keeps me happily mesmerized. And just get the HELL outta the way when she starts doing her Robot-dance moves, dammit.
JANIS TANAKA - bassist, vocalist, percussionist, busy babe of many band projects. I once punched someone in the face who was carrying Janis' bass, because I wanted to carry it for her. Her lovable personality and sweetheart charm can do that to an ordinarily shy person like myself. As a musician, her timing is superb despite her casual stance onstage, meaning she's talking to the fans standing at her platform shoes; she's turning somersaults; she's wildly whipping her long hair to and fro...ALL while playing and never missing a note.
KIM PRYOR - guitarist, occasional background screaming and pretty harmonizing, serial musical composer. She's the guitarist with her back to the world, hunched over her amp conjuring up poetic noise. Her end-of-the-show antics have not only had her clinging to wall pipes and balconies along the stage WHILE still playing guitar at full volume but also shows her dedication to both rock AND roll by playing until her guitar literally becomes disassembled. Then, while her band mates are long gone Kim scurries across the stage collecting every screw, spring, and knob that popped off of her guitar during her performance so she can reconstruct her git. Rock and roll!
YVETTE 'YY' DOUGLASS - guitarist with the well-managed feedback. I can not tell you how very impressed I am every time I witness Yvette begin a song with her guitar shoved in the face of her amp, then pulling it back with perfect timing and leaving just the right amount of wailing feedback hovering behind. Flawless noise. Her chops are not only thick and meaty but her melody manipulation is sensitive and eerily precise. And at this one Fashion Show/AIDS Benefit/Rock and Roll Extravaganza Yvette threw off her guitar, ran out onto the Cat Walk and did some break dancing moves, like The Worm, to the delight of many a drag queen. And, yes, beauty runs in the Douglass Family as Yvette and Jorjee are indeed sisters.
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Okay, so what the hell is it that is so fucking cool about this band called Stone Fox? Well, if I had my own fucking website I'd be glad to babble on and on about...oh, wait...this IS my own fucking website! Okay, here we go. Being a writer I hear words before anything else. Jorjee's lyrical whirlwind keeps you guessing at her meaning. And then there's that intriguing, powerful, sexy, versatile vocal work-out Jorjee unleashes upon us. Underneath that voice is Kim's and Yvette's unique guitar structuring and timing which, combined with Janis' manic but flawless bass guitar work, is what rock and roll is all about, man - pushing the limits of ingenuity with absolutely no regrets. But, I think what I love
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best about Stone Fox is the sense of fun mixed with pure rock star talent. A Stone Fox composition ranges from quiet, delicate songs to rowdy punk-inspired songs and even some fabulous wash-board strummin' and violin accented treats. And can I just point out that the harmonizing between Janis and Jorjee is rivaled by no other duo. I shit you not.
Stone Fox has four official CDs that are available to you in a couple of different ways. And, there is at least one official/unofficial bootleg out there. They kinda don't care about the bootleg, so if you're lucky enough to score a copy they won't totally hate you.
'Burnt' is their first release, 1995. This early offering has an eloquent ode to a friend called "Mia". And, this might be the only band in the world capable of putting a heavy metal song ("H.E.L.L.") right along side a folk song ("Embalm Me") on the same CD without it turning into a bad idea. The band received radio-play with the track "Crush Yer Head". And, if you're patient you'll find a hidden gem buried deep in this CD.
'Stone Fox' is their second release, 1996. What a great record - sorry, CD.
A perfect example of this band's diversity can be found on "Coke Whore" cuz it begins with a cool jazzy intro and eventually explodes into an evil, heavy pounding raucous display of LOUD anger. And Janis' beautiful voice is showcased on this here CD on "Innerds" and also on the somber song called "HIV+ ". And if you need it fun and funky, "Poach" will get ya wiggling. My fave performance by Jorjee? The pretty pretty ballad "Shakey Egg".
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'Dirty Pillows' is more or less the band's last studio work, 1997. The girls' fabulous friend, John Roecker, had a store in the Silverlake District in L.A. called You've Got Bad Taste and subsequently put this CD out for Stone Fox on a label named after his store. It's a short but sweet collection of music from a band that has matured right on time. I love a band that is brave enough to combine beautiful harmonies with someone screaming at the top of her lungs in the background, as is the case on "Loose Composure". And, dammit, I gotta give Jorjee extra points for singing the chorus of "Judy" in Spanish. A special treat on this CD is hearing Exene Cervenkova (formerly of the band X) duet with
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Jorjee on the Tammy Wynette/George Jones classic "Something To Brag About". Quick story: before this CD came out Jorjee showed me the video for "Something To Brag About". She sits me down on the couch and pushes the play button. Now, I see Jorjee on screen singing but still I naively ask, "Who's singing?" With my peripheral vision I can see Jorjee sitting beside me and looking at me like I'm the biggest asshole in the world. But her sugary voice is devoid of hostility when she says, "That's me..." I'm taken aback only cuz she's singing her part of the duet in a voice deeper than I'd ever heard her sing before. She be sounding like Elvis and shit. In the video Jorjee is playing 'butch daddy' to Exene's 'femme trailer trash mama'. Kim and Yvette and Janis are also drag kings in this video. It's a cute promo for a cool song. But watching Jorjee saunter around in a wife-beater and sweat pants makes me feel like I wanna have her love child!
'Totally Burnt' is a reissue of 'Burnt', but this time around the additional tracks include live recordings, and previously unreleased studio tracks, cool covers of Shonen Knife and Iggy Pop songs.
The last Stone Fox performance was in San Francisco in June of '99. They closed the show with "Embalm Me", a quiet song that wonders aloud whether or not death will preserve a memory of someone who needs an answer so badly she cuts her own throat. (Okay, I'm kinda lying cuz I don't really know the exact meaning behind the song, but that's what I think it is.) Though only accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar, Jorjee and Janis could barely be heard because the entire audience sang every fucking word through out the entire song. It was totally awesome. Don't believe me? Then ask Joan Jett. She was there.
And that's Stone Fox. So now ya know. OH! Also, this one time Yvette was so...
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YY: Ok, girlie! I'm back! I was at one of those Internet Cafes and I couldn't stay on as long as I needed to...
So, Yvette, whatta ya been up to lately?
YY: Well, I have been paying attention to life. It was a good break for me to not play music at all for a while. Sorta 'clean house' and take care of other things. Y'know, lots of inner work. In October of last year I went on this retreat that was phenomenal. I couldn't help but pretend that I was Edina (of the Absolutely Fabulous sitcom) on her spiritual retreat! Nah, it wasn't New Age-y. Jorjee thought I had joined a cult. This was when she had very little info about the retreat. She thought I should spend the money on clothing instead!!! Isn't that hilarious? ...I've been taking singing lessons for about two months now. It's so fun. My teacher is a crazed Canadian. I love her! She has said some really positive things about my voice too. I've recently purchased a 4-track recorder, and a mic. I'm buying this really cool hollow body guitar soon. The first song that I've written with vocals and lyrics - not just the music - is called "San Francisco's Bleeding Heart", and it's about my friends, and Jorjee too, moving out of San Francisco. You heard it here first! I should try to put it on the 'Net, huh? (And) If her offer still stands, I am probably going to join Exene's new band The Original Sinners. I'm going to continue writing, and eventually piece together a band with me on guitar and vocals. It ain't gonna be no Kelly Deal 2000 thing - not that there's anything wrong with that....
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One Saturday afternoon you and I were sitting on a sea cliff looking out at the Golden Gate Bridge, sharing our ideas about writing. It surprised me to hear your prose ability becuz I'd only ever thought of you as a guitarist. We made a promise to write together someday. Are you still finding time to put pen to paper?
YY: Yes, I am definitely still writing what I guess you could call 'prose'. And, I'm also doing lyrics. I picked up this really cool book called Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg. It rocks. It has some really good writing exercises. And, I would love to do some writing for you or with you sometime.
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You all play a variety of instruments and styles of music. Jorjee learned to play guitar (and wash-board!) and I know Kim plays the banjo. Watching you play live when Stone Fox did acoustic sets, on at least one country/bluegrass flavored song you laid your guitar on your lap and used a bottle neck to play slide guitar...
YY: A soda can works pretty well as a slide, and so do vibrators. I love experimenting.
...and what about that cello I saw hanging out at your apartment?
YY: Yeah, I fake a little cello, and I fake a little piano, and I fake a little trumpet and bass too. Drums are hard but I love 'em. Oh yeah, and I play a hot little triangle.
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Hey, what do you think of the Lilith Fair thing?
YY: Well, I think the Lilith Fair is a good idea except it's so specific to acoustical, softy soft music. Although, at least they booked Erika Badu at the last one, and the Pretenders. But they should absolutely diversify a bit. A revolution is never made by exclusion...
Is the world of rockin' chicks still a confining and restricting place like, say, in the 1980s?
YY: I think it's pretty fair game with the whole Internet thing, which makes putting your own music on the web easier.
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What bands are you listening to these days?
YY: I have been listening obsessively to the last PJ Harvey album - I'm sorry, CD - "Is This Desire". She's crazy, which is also known as being honest and brilliant and probably pretty intuitive. I wanna marry her. Also, Magnetic Fields - "69 Love Songs". Lucinda Williams' first release. The Tindersticks. Cat Power. Heart. Black Sabbath. Classic rock radio. Mary J. Blige's latest. Bob Dylan too. Nick Cave. Patti Smith. X. Tom Waits.
Guitarists that rock your world?
YY: I don't know. Nancy Wilson. PJ Harvey. Django Reinhardt. The Stooges' guitarist. Mick Ronson. And, actually, Keith Richards. Blues, old Country...
Where were you during the last big earthquake?
YY: I was at a titty bar. Nah, made that up. But it sounds good, huh?
If you move out of San Francisco, where would you go?
YY: I had thought about Austin, Texas. Brooklyn would be cool. Yeah, and believe it or else, I have considered LA LA land - L.A. Maybe New Mexico...
Are you a top or bottom...when sleeping on bunk beds?
YY: Both. I like the thrill of being on top and the security of being on the bottom.
Favorite scene in "This Is Spinal Tap"?
YY: Just the fact that Paul Shaffer is in it...
Favorite Beatle?
YY: Ringo Starr because he didn't take himself too seriously yet played really well, and did the 'less is more' thang.
Favorite Ramone?
YY: Dee Dee cuz he has a girl's name.
Favorite Donna?
YY: 'Downtown Donna' (San Fran club DJ) cuz she's nice.
When you hear 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell on the radio do you sing along?
YY: Yes.
Will you do me a favor?
YY: Yes.
Go to the fag bar Twin Peaks on Castro at 17th, put a dime in the jukebox and play some Patti Page songs, and then have a dry martini for me!
YY: okely dokely
Thanks, Y, talk to ya later!
YY: Thanks babe, you rock. This was really fun. I MISS YOU!
NOTE:
Buy 'Dirty Pillows' and 'Totally Burnt' at www.amazon.com or at www.mansruinrecords.com
The 'Stone Fox' CD MIGHT be available thru Linda Perry...ask her yourself!
Also, SAY "HEY" TO THE GIRLS ON THE STONE FOX MESSAGE BOARD AT: www.imusic.com |
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