Music > Interviews
Cerebral Ballzy
04/08/14
CEREBRAL BALLZY
Punk is alive and well in 2014 and kickin’ it in Brooklyn. Cerebral Ballzy, a gang of young New York punk dudes headed up by the most awesomely named Honor Titus, have just released their second album, Jaded & Faded, and will be creating a ruckus at Epic on 5th August. Quite what they’ll make of Norwich’s leafy avenues and craft stalls one can only imagine; I’ve got the urge to sit them down and play them The Archers. Generally they’re more into 80’s punk, drinking, girls and skateboarding, and for those reasons alone they qualify to be squarely in the SUPERCOOL category of humans. However, their latest album is apparently more mature and considered, so maybe these guys are settling down into their music career like sensible bosses. I spoke to various members of the crew about their journey so far. No sleep from Brooklyn ‘til Norwich!
Let’s start off at the beginning. How did you guys meet and get together as a band? Were you all making music separately before you met?
We met at parties and through mutual friends but a few us grew up together also, so it was more like a couple crews hanging out.
Where did your intriguing band name originate?
We were eating pizza in the subway stations at 14th and 6th Ave in NYC. A friend dropped a slice on the tracks and retrieved it. We dubbed it Ballzy.
Who are your musical heroes?
Our musical heroes range through so many different genres and time periods I'm definitely going to forget a lot - Lou Reed is definitely a hero. He had such a unique way of writing songs. He was able to create characters that you feel like you've known all your life. He brought people and situations to a reality sometimes in a less than three minute song that are as poignant today as they were when he wrote them. Not to mention his experimentation was an inspiration to everyone to try something different. It definitely felt like a light was extinguished in NYC when he passed last year.
Who have you guys been listening to recently?
Everybody's always listening to different music. If somebody compiled all of the songs we listen to in the van it would probably be both the best and worst mix tape ever ha ha! It’s basically lots of good songs making absolutely no sense. We go from The Germs to Miles Davis to The Kinks to Toxic Holocaust then The Supremes. It's a huge strange hodgepodge but a lot of fun.
Mason, your guitar player recently left the band. Have you recruited a replacement yet?
Mason left the band to pursue other interests- he's still our brother and we wish him the best of luck with everything he does. As a band we decided to continue as a four piece. I think everyone was really turned off in general by the notion of adding a replacement. We're not the sort of guys to go Craig’s List shopping for a new member or whatever. We made some tweaks to songs, we altered and played with guitar tones and it all turned out great. If we didn't think it sounded good and true we wouldn't have stuck with the four of us. This was the most honest progression for us. Cerebral Ballzy is a band that is constantly evolving and changing and this has been another step in that process.
You’re really big into skateboarding, aren’t you? Where are the best places to skate that you’ve found whilst travelling and touring?
Hell ya, we love skateboarding. We're usually in a van or a venue but we skate whenever we get a chance. Spots are everywhere!!! We've found rad places in Moscow, Berlin, London- everywhere. Also, there are so many more skateparks then when we were growing up; if you're ever hard pressed to find a good skate spot it seems like there is a park in every major city anywhere.
You’re from NYC. What effect does this most influential of cities have on your music do you think?
New York City has a direct influence on our music that I believe is really clear on the new album. NYC can kick your ass, make you smile ear to ear, get you involved in crime, fall in love or just appreciate a beautiful night. There's always curveballs and hard falls but the point is to get up with a vengeance and do better than you ever did before. The new record has these sentiments of angst, anger, love, fun and overcoming any and all bullshit thrown your way.
Was it easy for you to get started, living in NYC, or was it more difficult due to so much competition?
NYC definitely had disadvantages and perks for us starting out. One of the best things was just having so many different venues to be able to play, especially all the random warehouses and loft venues that sometimes didn't last more than one show. On the other hand, just getting around NYC with instruments etc. is really difficult, there are tons of shady promoters that will fuck you over and obviously there's just so much shit going on it's hard to make a name for yourself with so much saturation. But I think most of the negatives make you a smarter and better band if you can make it through it.
What do you like about the UK? How do your audiences differ from the US?
The UK has a lot of Ballzy fans. I think they really appreciate us coming so far out to play for them and they make the most of it. Also, London has this little mom-and-pop spot in Shoreditch that has the best salt beef bagel I’ve ever had. I would visit the UK just for that bagel.
You’ve been touring pretty much non stop for a good few months, in Canada, the UK and the States. Do you like being on tour? What have you learnt about each other’s living habits?
We love performing and we're pretty good at not pushing each other's limits.
Punk gigs are notoriously physical. Does it ever feel like it’s getting out of control?
Being the drummer I have a sort of back seat to the action. I also take my glasses off so it’s hard to see what’s going on sometimes. We have had some small shows where kids have literally gone flying into my drum set and knocked stuff over. Sometimes I find myself dodging flying cans of beer, other times Honor will come flying out from somewhere and I’ll have to deal with that. For example one time we were playing in Texas somewhere and he climbed up the lighting rig that was above me and slipped and fell from like ten feet right on top of me. It hurt ‘cos he basically drop kicked me in the face but I didn’t miss a beat. Another time we played a small show in the basement of some gallery in London and Honor told the kids to tear the place up and they did; I think they ripped out the air conditioning unit from the ceiling. It was great; I think some kid split his head open at that show too. Overall I don’t think things have gotten out of control yet.
What did Carson Daly make of you when you performed on his show in May?
Carson is now a believer.
How does your new album Faded & Jaded differ from your debut LP? The new single Lonely in America suggests a rather thoughtful collection of tunes?
With Jaded & Faded, we simply took our time. Our debut congealed as a result of the party getting serious. So to us it's fun, loose and sort of haphazard - it captured our beginning. J&F is a more deliberate attempt at a fun and melodic record that to us, pushes our boundaries.
You signed to Julian Casablanca’s label Cult Records last year after he described you as ‘probably the coolest band in the world at the moment”. Does it feel different being signed to a musician’s label rather than a more traditional industry label?
He's a pal as well as an artist that we vibe with, so it's a great situation.
Would you say you’re a party band, or are you angrier than that?
I don’t think we're that angry. We like to party but we're not trying to fuck shit up.
How do you keep your sound fresh going forward?
We all listen to different kinds of music, I think that keeps us fresh. Also I joined the band a little over two years ago, so having a different musician to write with was a change for the Ballzy boys, and working with Dave Sitek opened our eyes to a bunch of cool ideas we didn’t know we could pull off. It was a real rewarding experience and I think it made us all better musicians. The writing and recording experiences we’ve been through in the past two years has given us some fresh ideas and directions for future songs.
What’s next for Cerebral Ballzy? What do you think you’ll be doing in 5 years time?
Next for Cerebral Ballzy is to:
1. Obviously become known as one of the best acts to come out of New York in all those places that haven’t heard of us yet.
2. Tour in any of the countries we haven’t played yet and win over all the cool kids in those places.
3. Write and record another amazing record.
4. Tour some more.
5. Get married and start families
Things change so quickly nowadays, especially New York City. We'll probably all be doing something really great in five years time. BUT whatever it is were doing I’m positive it’s going to keep making tons of people jealous and pissed off.
Cerebral Ballzy play Epic Studios on 5th August .