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They're indie! They're dads! The Grifters keep on climbing into vans like good old boys by JOHNSON CUMMINS
Firmly grasping the knowledge that they're getting on in years, Tripp also writes that he and the Grifters have made three promises to their fans: "1: Not to incorporate hip hop beats in order to reach a younger audience; 2: To keep touring until we have a strong following of drug-addled suburbanites; 3: To screw up our personal lives even more than we already have to continue keepin' on." Keeping the latter rule in mind, the boys have recently quit their secure day jobs for keeps. But they had to wait until guitarist Scott Taylor was able to finalize his divorce before they hit the road. No strangers to divorce, the Grifters severed a long relationship with local Memphis label Shangri-La in 1995 in favour of the financial ease of Sub Pop. "The main reason we signed with Sub Pop was because we really needed the money," explains Lamkins from his mother's home in North Carolina. "Our drummer Stan was expecting his second kid and he had obvious financial obligations. Also, three-quarters of the band were married so we went with a label where we could continue having creative control, but still see some cash." Erudite indie-ites that they are, the Grifter boys are doing quite well in adhering to their self-imposed rules. They haven't placed any drum & bass beats over their Delta-infested sound and still clock in the miles on their abused van. And they're not complaining. "The guys in the band who are married and have kids actually really look forward to climbing in the van, because for them it's like a vacation from the wife and kids," explains Tripp. "It's a miracle that we're even still together considering all the stuff we've been through, but I guess the music gets us through the ups and downs. The music and, uhh... scotch." The Grifters play the Jailhouse Rock Café on Wednesday, Sept. 24 with Fearless Freep. 9pm, $8 |
It's never easy trying to age gracefully in the indie circle. Aged bands who have shunned major-label security may find that crawling into Econoline vans with other guys in their late 30s and sleeping on some kid's floor has lost its romance. Or that their audiences seem younger and younger and mosh pits have become reminiscent of tykes splashing around wading pools. In the liner notes from the Grifters' new album, Full Blown Possession, bass player Tripp Lamkins writes, "We're not getting any younger or better looking, we don't dress very hip anymore; in fact, the other day a Riot Girl came up to me and called me Pops."