Scorpion vs Tarantula Interview

This is not your timid 20 something’s on stage staring at their sweat beads on the ground. SVT bunch play earsplitting, express train punk Rock ‘N’ Roll the likes of which The Valley of the Sun has never seen before. A singer that prowls around the stage in Blade Runner Replicant makeup programmed with Bon Scott venom and Joan Jett strut and a guitar player that was in one of the best garage punk bands of the mid 90’s, The Chinese Millionaires. What more can a fanboy ask? Grab on to something load bearing, I hear the air raid sirens, and the house is beginning to rumble. Behold, the Scorpion vs. Tarantula Rock ‘N’ Roll hurricane is about to plug in.

This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on October 22nd, 2013

Interview by Jay Castro

Shock Treatment: Who’s answering the questions?
Jay Bennett, guitar


ST: Who is in Scorpion vs. Tarantula and what instrument do they play?
JB: L. Hotshot, vocals. Tana Satana, bass, Michael “Cappy” Renfroe, drums.


ST: I noticed you have had quite an assortment of drummers. Do you think your busy schedule has something to do with this? You seem to play quite a bit.
JB: Drummers are the most difficult band members to find and they are the most difficult to retain. Ours have come and gone for numerous reasons, but we're happy with the one we've got right now. He's been with us since September 2012.


ST: Band members seem to be from different places around the country, how did you end up in AZ?
JB: L. and I moved here from Chicago in summer of 2005, and we originally are from Michigan, also the home state of Tana. L. and I had been in a band together during our Chicago years. It wasn't until summer of 2008 that we got the notion to get another project going.


ST: What is the origin story of Scorpion vs. Tarantula?
JB: L. and I put the band together in June 2008 with a drummer called Notah in his house in Glendale. We played our first shows that December. We recorded our first album in the summer 2009 with a friend of Michigan playing bass. Tana joined the band in November 2009. Notah split the band in May 2011 to pursue outside interests. For a while, we had five people. It's been the four of us since February 2012. We made our second album in March 2012. We just recorded our third record a few weeks ago.


ST: Like I said before, you play around the Phoenix Metropolitan area quite a bit, have you taken the Scorpion vs. Tarantula show on the road much?
JB: Two trips to California is all that we've done. But there will be more, if people will have us.


ST: What are some of the earliest musical influences in your life, when first discovering music as a child that set you on a path to want to start/join a band?
JB: I decided I wanted to play music in the early 1990’s after hearing the early singles and first LP by New Bomb Turks, the early LPs of the Devil Dogs, and the many, many records made by Billy Childish. L. is into much of the same kind of music as I am. Tana likes some of that stuff, in addition to bands like the Muffs, Distillers, and Urge Overkill. I don't know about the drummer. I barely talk to him. He does wear a Descendents T-shirt a lot.


ST: With some of you guys being from the Midwest, I think it definitely shows in the songs, they have that Motor City toughness to it. A sound that is pretty indigenous to that part of the country. Phoenix/Tempe seems to have a large horde of metal fans and the “punk” that is out there, seems to lean toward the hardcore variety. Although it does seem to be getting better, has it been difficult for you guys to carve out your niche here?
JB: I just really like music from Michigan and the Midwest, and I listened to it most of my life. Just like people from here are real proud of the musicians that preceded them in Phoenix and Southern California.

As far as carving out a niche, I don't know that we have carved out anything. We've played a lot of shows, seen some good bands, and met some really nice people along the way. I'm not sure what else you can ask for at our level.

ST: People used to buy music and get their water free; now people pay for water and get their music free. How do you think this affects the industry and especially musicians?
JB: I haven't figured out, and probably never will figure out, the best way to apapt to the changes in the music industry. I was in a band in the late 90’s that was lucky enough to have three different national and international labels want to put out various singles and an LP. The LP sold over 3,000 copies, and I even received a royalty check. Three-thousand doesn't sound like a lot, but the idea of selling 3,000 copies now is inconceivable. In a lot of ways, it was all luck and we happened to meet the right people and have them say nice things about us. I don't know how to capture lightning in a bottle again, unfortunately.

As far as getting music for free, that's the way it has evolved, probably to a point of no return. Our music is on Spotify, which for a band at our level, is an excellent service. On one hand, it's frustrating to see that we're getting paid fractions of pennies for the work we've done. On the other, I'm thrilled that a surprising number of human beings are listening to the music I helped create. It's surprisingly given that we have no label, no publicist, no radio exposure. All we have is a Facebook presence and maybe some local word of mouth.


ST: I have followed Scorpion vs. Tarantula on Facebook for a while. Whoever does the posting seems to have a formidable knowledge and love of pop culture. What, aside from music, influences you?
JB: Thanks for following us on Facebook. L., the singer, does the majority of the posting because she's really good at it. She has a great sense of humor and a knack for finding good stuff on the Internet. It's the best way to keep in touch with people who may have an interest in the band and what we do. The people in this band generally like all the usual stuff every other white, middle-class, suburban-raised, 1970s and 80s kid grew up with. So let's just say the baseline for everything we do is Kiss and Welcome Back Kotter.


ST: Where can people hear the band?
JB: Spotify, Bandcamp, iTunes, our Facebook page, CD Baby, Amazon. You can buy physical copies at The Record Room, Revolver Records, and Stinkweeds. You can see us at Yucca Tap Room, Chopper John's, Palo Verde, Hollywood Alley, the Ice House Tavern, the Lost Leaf, and numerous other venues.


ST: What’s next for the mighty SVT?

JB: We just recorded our third album. It will be available in the fall. We probably will wind up writing a bunch of new songs and shoot for making a fourth record next summer. We will continue to perform as demand dictates. Hopefully, we will be able to make some out-of-town trips and perhaps even do a weeklong tour or something.

An Interview With The Glass Heroes

Keith Jackson has driven his band through many a storm. There was the whole Gin Blossoms uproar, The Grunge years, the Pop Punk phase, the Indie Rock uprising and so on, you get the picture. Through all of this the Glass Heroes have remained the Gibraltar Rock of punk in Phoenix, Arizona. They have stayed on course through 22 years of proudly rocking tried and true, smashing through the little kiddies and their fleeting fashions like a Rock ‘N’ Roll Juggernaut. Don’t let the “Glass” in their name fool you folks, these heroes are constructed of concrete, stone and gravel.

This Interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on 

Interview by Jay Castro

Shock Treatment: Please introduce yourself (or selves) and how you contribute to the Glass Heroes pogo machine?
This is Keith Jackson of the Glass Heroes! Nice ta meet ya. I’m the vocalist/guitarist for the band.
Ad Adams=Drummer
Steve Shelton= Guitar
Stevie Davis= Bass

ST: Where are you all from originally?
KJ: We are all transplanted mid westerners...lol. I’m personally from Detroit. I moved to Phoenix in 1991.

ST: What is the Glass Heroes origin story? How did you meet and start playing music together?
KJ: I first came out to Phoenix in the winter of 1991. I really didn’t plan on staying. I was doing some work in Los Angeles, and touring in Europe with Shock Therapy (Industrial music… pioneering band out of Detroit) I had just returned from Europe and was spending some time with my folks out here. I was out on the town checking out local bands when I ran into Steve Davis. He was playing with a band called Hell Fire at the time. He looked cool. As in Leather jacket, jet black Johnny Thunders hair, and he was outside the club smoking. I walked up and said, “You’re the first ‘real’ punk I’ve seen out here.” I asked him if he wanted to start a band, and within a week, we had 10 songs completed. Shortly there after, I met Steve Shelton at the now infamous Sun Club. Same situation, he looked right and was a good guitar player. The Glass Heroes were formed that quick. It’s now been 22 years! I named the band “GLASS HEROES” because at that time many of my childhood heroes were dying. Thus all of our heroes can be shattered. Glass Heroes; I liked it.

ST: The new album Liars, Cheats and Thieves was produced by Rat Scabies (drummer for UK punk legends The Damned for you sheltered folk). How did he get involved in the project?
KJ: I called him in England...and told him I wanted him to produce the new CD. Rat was and is a great songwriter. He was instrumental in the early Damned recordings, and we loved much of the early stuff they did. I knew he had the talent and the ears to do something good with the band, and still keep our sound trite and true. I sent him a plane ticket, and he ended up staying with me for over 7 months! The lodger.

ST: How did you get involved with Fervor Records? They seem to have a pretty diverse group of artists on their roster and have an involvement in different types of media.
KJ: Fervor has been fantastic!! I’ve worked with many labels and they are amazingly communicative and open to many of the artists ideas. They have been instrumental in the band moving into a new and amazing realm of TV/Movie soundtrack work.
Jeff Fruendlich approached me on working with the Heroes, and we hit it off immediately. Great label and there’s not many left!

ST: In an interview with Phoenix New Times you mentioned that one of your motivations to finish the new album was that some production companies wanted to use some of your music. You didn’t record your first full length album until The Glass Heroes was 13 years strong. Is recording music a low priority as compared to touring or playing out? Has it been challenging for you guys to get together to record?
KJ: I think the longevity of the Glass Heroes is due in fact that each one of the members does their own thing outside of the band. We don’t and never have put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We started this thing to enjoy playing unadulterated “Punk Rock ‘N’ Roll”. And we’ve kept doing just that; playing when we feel like it, and writing/recording when we feel like it. We could crank our 10 full lengths if need be, but we hand pick what we want to record and there’s 100’s of songs that have been lost and forgotten in the process. Seriously, it was just gone! We have music placed in some great films: “Dead in 5 Heartbeats” (Sonny Barger co founder of the Hells Angels & Director Jeff Santo’s new film) “Ridiculousness” on MTV and others. It’s rewarding and a gas being asked to do music for film and TV. We enjoy it immensely.

ST: The Glass Heroes recently released a pretty slick looking video for the song “Let Me Down”. The end result looked like it would have been fun to make. Do you enjoy the experience of making videos?
KJ: At first we were reluctant to do videos, feeling that it might be to trite to do what everyone expects you to do as a band. But, we fucking loved doing it. We actually did one of our own for the RUTS cover “Backbiter” and it showcases exactly what we are, so when asked to do the new one “Let Me Down” We really wanted the same control over the content. Matty at Sundawg did a great job on it. We will be shooting a video for each song on the album. We actually are shooting a concept video the first week of August for two more tunes on “Liars, Cheats n Thieves”

ST: The Glass Heroes have been playing around the Phoenix area as long as I can remember, playing the same kind of music since its conception 22 years ago. Was it tough playing your music in a place that wasn’t too hospitable to punk back in the early days.
KJ: Funny you should ask that, I was just discussing this same question with some old school valley musicians. Of course there was a long standing Hardcore scene here back in the day. By the time I stepped off the plane from Detroit here in 91, it was culture shock for me. I hated LA and all the poseur posturing that’s still part of its music scene or lack of a real one. And Phoenix had fizzled out as well. Coming from Detroit, where the local music scene has always been strong; to a very small clique of certain people was weird. I spent alot of drinking time at Long Wongs on Mill Avenue and the Sun Club. I became friends with the Gin Blossoms guys and a slew of other local musicians. More as drinking buddies, than cohorts in music. Great guys, but I didn’t really dig the jingle jangle thing going on. The Glass Heroes began playing and I began booking friends bands from the UK and back east. I had the Business here, GBH, UK Subs, Vice Squad and such. We enjoyed opening for most of the bands and did so for a long time. It was strange, but in a few years. The Nile Theater opened up, The Green Room, The Reptile Room, The Rogue Bar, and The Mason Jar started booking punk and like bands and phoenix became a bit more tolerable. And now it’s sliding back into the doldrums again. I’ve always said Phoenix has so many great musicians and bands but no solidarity. They either take their selves to seriously, and to think they are gonna be the next big rock star- it poisons attitudes and makes things weaker. We have outlasted them all. Who’s this years model? To stay at it and have longevity, it takes far more commitment than most “Look at Me” types have to go the long haul.

ST: The band has shared a bill with so many great punk bands. What has been the most memorable show you’ve played, good or bad? Where was it and what made it so unforgettable?
KJ: I suppose playing with the Sex Pistols at the Marquee Theater in early 2000. It was just us and the Pistols. They loved it and so did we. Steve Jones said it was one of the funnest shows they played. Thrown together fast- inside and packed! Their touring sound crew were actually friends of mine from Detroit! We sounded great and John Lydon said it was refreshing not to have to hear anymore Rev. Horton Heat, who had been opening for them. “Nice to hear some REAL music for a change” That was funny. But, it was coming full circle for us. It was surreal.

ST: What music have you unleashed on the world and where can people go to hear it or buy it?
KJ: The new CD is available through Fervor Records and iTunes. Check out our Facebook, and say hello.

ST: What does the band have in store for us in the near, or not so near, future?
KJ: We are going to record some of the “lost” songs I mentioned earlier and crank out some more videos. More sound track work and a possible tour in the fall..back east.