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Dial-7 is: Shauny B - Yo! What's up! (that thing rollin'?) Yo! Get wicked up in here, man! AMZ - Do you like to do interviews? Shauny B - Yea...interviews, man...let's do that thing they call an interview. AMZ - Start you off heavy - Want to get political? How would "Dial-7" handle the problems in the Middle East? Shauny B - To be honest with you, I don't know enough about it. I've been on tour ... and it takes you away...its a way of life...So everything, basically, its kinda like raising the kids. You gotta speak on everything...you can't tell ’em everything's all good...you also can't tell ’em everything's all bad...you gotta balance everything out -- the war, though, for your question to the war - To be honest with you...this (touring) is all new to me. I haven't really had the opportunity to watch TV and keep up. I used to really keep up on news and know exactly what was goin’ on - Just the other day I was at a friend's house and he got a phone call and was like ‘Hey man, we just went to war!’ -- and I was like ‘What? I thought they squashed that!’ - so it was all new to me. I'm lost...I'm like in a whole ‘nother world. AMZ - Even if you do watch TV, its like a special on CNN. Shauny B - Not only that, you gotta get to the root. Y’see, TV sometimes gonna have a tendency to deliver what they want to deliver to you -- y’know what I mean? So it's like right now, they could tell you “Saddam Hussein is just crazy and all out there” -- but if you turn around and go to the black community and you get a final call off the corner from some Muslim brother -- then you may hear a different side. Farrakhan just came from the country and he's speaking a different issue. So whose to judge? How do you decide which is right? You gotta really follow that - I used to really follow that back in the day - and I used to watch before it would get to the war part and watch and see what was happening and what was going on - before everybody called him crazy and America was ‘doing the right thing’ - So at this point in time...I can't even speak on that whole issue - I'm all about Love, man - I just know one thing...there's too much killin’ in my neighborhood goin’ on and every time I come back -- homie getting shot or going to jail..... AMZ - What bands should people be listening to (but probably aren't)? Dial-7 - "Los Amigos,""Invisibles," "Weapon of Choice." AMZ - What were "Dial-7" like as kids? Lord - I was always in the middle Shauny B - Childhood? I can remember my fascination with breasts, y’know..natural mother..resources of the earth... (the subject lingers on breasts for awhile with Mike Lord chiming in to the ladies: Ladies...we love the natural. Love you all the way you are.) AMZ - Quick band history? Mike Lord - I met Clamz (drummer) at this party. It was one of those that like every head turned because a brother had come to the party. So just sort of walked around up stairs and was out on this balcony and I met Clamerz. He asked me if I was in a band and it was funny because like the day before, I had more or less decided I wanted to be in a band and do music. I knew Shauny B from being a DJ/rapper at parties. Shauny B - Yea, I come from a whole different scene than this here. I was doing like DJ work playing at these backyard type parties -- mostly spinning records and doing a more straight up gansta-style rap. Too much violence though -- you needed a dress code! See this here (referring to Mike Lord's primarily red garb) -- this would cause some problems in my hood. I got tired of people getting shot. I actually remember the first rock show these guys took me too. I went in one of them moshe-pits and some guy knocked me to the side and I was like ready to start some shit. It's just like in the neighborhood -- people trip on you with clothing -- you gotta realize real quick Wait a minute - I'm in somebody's territory. AMZ - The fledgling band played anywhere and everywhere they could plug in and, when the gigs weren't available, they staged their own clandestine concerts in a rented warehouse space in Santa Ana. What's the story on this? Mike Lord - Yea, nobody would book us so we put on our own shows. Shauny B - Yea, this aint no Church for Free - people need to buy stuff cause some of us here have children. You gotta respect it cause when your spending 90% of your life at it -- it's a business. It goes back to loyalty -- your work -- and in turn your fans will be loyal to you. AMZ - How did you guys get signed to Warner Bros.? How has working with Warner Bros. been? Clamz - Act of God. Lord - Actually, our manager John Boyle was down with us from back when, and when he moved to Warner Bros. one of the conditions was that he got to bring us with him. Shauny B - Yknow it's a great opportunity and we appreciate it and now we are working hard to live up to our end -- yknow what I'm saying? You went out of your way to help us, now we will go out of our way to deliver. AMZ - How would do you react to critics who might dismiss "Dial-7" as just a mishmash of other bands? Dial-7 - Whoa! Hiss! (other moans and one outstretched middle finger from Mike Lord). Shauny B - Check the book baby -- you got no soul -- check the book. Mike Lord - The ones who love us already have love -- the ones who are lost and can't feel this - They got no soul, and they are the ones who need it most. Maybe when the radio picks it up, we might be able to reach out to people that are lost. Music equals the answers -- god spoke to me through music.
AMZ - What was the first concert you ever went to? Clamz - "Jan & Dean" Chris Robosan - "Judas Priest" (rumors of Chris dating Rob Halford then are discussed) Mike Lord - My first concert was probably my daddy singing in church (that's kinda like a concert). Or else I guess it was "Keith Sweat," "Boys II Men" and "New Edition." Shauny B - Never really been to a concert unless I was in it. Never really saw the point. But the first one, I guess, was opening for Curtis Blow (that was an experience of a lifetime). Actually, I did go to an "INXS" concert. They had that one song, yknow Don't -- don't -- don't..........da da da da da da da don't (Devil Inside) My girl won tickets on a radio station or something and I went backstage and met him and I was like a straight brother from the straight street at that time. I was like Yo! What's up dog! and Yea man, I rap! and the dude was all confused and like (in his best English accent) Oh yea, that's really great, thanks for coming and at that time -- times have changed, but back then..it was like two different worlds. Here was this straight hoodlum comin in like Yo! Wassup! I'm here cause my girl won tickets -- she's really into it - Yknow I like that one song, but...... No, it was cool though. It's neat to see flashbacks of then compared to how it is now. AMZ - Given the power, what laws would "Dial-7" pass? (At this point Shauny B becomes so overwrought by the concept of actually having the power to pass laws - he didn't even know where to start) Mike Lord - Everybody's gotta have the same. Everybody's got to work -- no more/no less. We should get rid of all this concrete too. Return more to nature. (somebody chimes with the legalize marijuana chant) Clamz - No smoking in bars! Mike Lord - We've played shows with like 14 year kids standing there with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths. Do what you want -- but when you're jumping around on stage and trying to get some air -- and all you get is cigarette smoke.... Clamz - Didn't we ask the audience to stop smoking once? Shauny B - One show I stated "Hey man, for the next 15 to 20 minutes, could everyone put out their cigarettes so we can perform...we need to breathe up here and whatnot... Ill tell you one thing, they sure blazed up when we were done. AMZ - What's the best thing about... Shauny B - Oh yea! We'd love to tour with "No Doubt," "Sugar-Ray" and "Everclear!" (Unanimous laughter is heard from the band) (?) AMZ - OK...What's the best thing about being in "Dial-7?" Shauny B - Sometimes you can take things for granted, but we really dig playing live. We can play with almost any band. We can play with a hip-hop band, a rock band, a punk rock band -- "Suicidal Tendencies," "De La Soul," "Run DMC" .... AMZ - What would be any of your Dream-Bills to either gig with or just plain witness? (This question turned into a bill that would span a couple of days...) Dial-7 - "Prince!" (on New Year's Eve - 1999)! Need some old school -- "Al Green" with "Lauryn Hill" (a little mix of old and new). "Weapon of Choice" would open the whole thing. Mike Lord - "DAngelo" would set me off nicely. Barret (mostly silent in a bunk in the RV suffering from the flu until now) - "Foo Fighters" and some more rock shit! C-Lo - "System of a Down" would definitely be there... AMZ - You guys like System? C-Lo - They're my new favorite band. The end of the world is coming....System's coming after everyone! AMZ - I checked the Internet - Found a bunch of pics. How do you feel the Internet has affected "Dial-7?" Barret - It's the promotional tool of the future. Ten thousand people in 10 seconds. AMZ - Who's most likely to end up in jail tonight? Shauny B - Shit! Don't be talking about jail! Man.... I try and stay as far away from them as I can! (Actually, it was pretty funny watching the whole band flinch hard at this question and quickly shuffle me on to the next one to avoid bad karma - one gets the feeling members of Dial-7 have had previous and undesirable police altercations.) AMZ - Speaking of jail...any police encounters on the road you care to mention? Shauny B - Hell no...I just want them to stay away from me. Clamz - I just rented Police Academy....
AMZ - Tour story in general? Clamz - There was that time when C-Lo (Chris Robosan) was driving on their first tour and tried to get gas at this closed gas station and drove the 11 foot tall RV into the 10 foot tall overhang and tore the roof all open. We had to drive home with a flat tire, busted exhaust manifold and freezing because of this huge hole in the ceiling. AMZ - Messages to fans/potential fans? Shauny - Do what you believe.... Mike Lord: Get our album - buy it today. And "Thank You" to all the people who are behind us already. Much love especially to our fans - without them....theres no us.
Thus concluded the interview as Dial-7 needed to prep for their set. They went on to perform a truly impressive show worthy of the cover price even if your not a fan of their music. For those that don't know - Dial-7 play a kind of spiritually vibed, very soulful and groove orientated rock/rap mix. Think Downset (or a less edgy RageAgainstTheMachine) meets Sublime. Singers Shauny B and Mike Lord make a dynamic duo of frontside vocals and harmonies that should impress most. Shauny B should be in movies. He's straight outta the Inland Empire of South LA and wears this on his sleeve. Very outspoken and dramatic, but very personable and fun to talk to. Mike Lord is more the spiritual and thoughtful connection to Dial-7. Between them and their competent band, (and maybe a little push from Warner Bros.) "Dial-7" should be showing up on a radio near you soon. Witness the power of 7 |
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