Sammy James Jr. sends out a message of rock-and-roll salvation.

The RED Interview

lthough the weather was hot, the members of the Mooney Suzuki maintained an image of cool during last Thursday’s Lollapalooza music festival.

According to lead singer Sammy James Jr., the members of the Mooney Suzuki sport all-black clothing during shows because it is like “palate cleansing” and “wipes your aura squeaky-clean.” No, the Mooney Suzuki does not consist of gothic singers, dripping makeup from sweat-stained faces. Instead, the members of Mooney Suzuki are self-described rock ’n’ roll artists, whom many categorize into the garage-rock genre of music. The black shirts and ties reveal an air of elegance, while the dark sunglasses shielding their eyes scream confidence.

The band brought its fashionable rock ’n’ roll to the Lollapalooza tour in late August. Since joining the tour in Dallas, the band has headlined the second stage at every show. James said that the opportunity to play at Lollapalooza has been simply “amazing” and that they would “tour it again in a second.”

Seeing the Mooney Suzuki perform at Lollapalooza proved to be both an entertaining and awe inspiring experience. The quartet took the stage with confidence, caring little about the rain. Mooney Suzuki jumped all over the stage, showing genuine elements of excitement.

James admitted that the most exciting experience of the performance was discovering the band's “number one fan is in Salt Lake City.” He professed that it was fun to see the happy fan go wild over the performance, proving to the band that the city has a “potential for energy exchange.”

Musically, the show was amazing. The energy exerted throughout the performance was enough to reveal the joy that the band members have in playing music, as James said that they are willing to “pass out and vomit due to sweat exhume.”

Lead guitarist Graham Tyler played riffs and chords like there was no tomorrow, standing in spotlight at the center of the stage and jamming on his electric guitar.

James and Tyler were not the only ones raving with excitement on-stage. Bassist Michael Miles possessed an air of Jimi Hendrix cool, while jumping on speakers and smiling down at the crowd. All watching it could feel the surge that rushed from the stage into the crowd.

Mooney Suzuki’s dynamic music began when the band formed in late 1997. First asked to tour with the Donnas, the band has been busy touring ever since, claiming that, in the past year and a half, they have “toured every city five times.” Getting ready to take a break from the road, the Mooney Suzuki is now preparing to work on its third full-length record.

James excitedly revealed that the upcoming album is being produced by Columbia Records. That is a major achievement for the band and one that James made sure was understood. Following the release of the band’s new record, expected early in 2004, the band will begin to tour in Japan. After their overseas tour, the Mooney Suzuki will be back and ready to once again cause a rock ’n’ roll riot across the United States. Hopefully, it won't take too long to bring them back to Salt Lake City, which the James called “the least rock ’n’ roll town ever.” Maybe when they return, they will discover that the energy exchange at Lollapalooza was enough to turn even the most ignorant rock ’n’ roll individual into a hard-core fan.
autumn@red-mag.com