Death Valley Girls’ sweat-soaked, pure rock n’ roll debut album, Street Venom, hasn’t left my tape deck since its cassette-only release on Burger Records earlier this year. But the LA group isn’t wasting any time waiting for the tape to get tangled—they’re back with a new EP and video that pick up right where Venom left off—somewhere between Detroit and New York in 1973. We caught up with the group to learn all about the Electric High EP and ask them the tough questions, like choosing their favorite fabric.
Your new video, “Electric High,” includes a lot of film and concert footage from what I can only assume are some of your artistic influences. Can tell us about the making of the video and how you decided on which clips to include?
Larry: The video is all clips from exploitation/horror/underground films and some concert footage all taken from VHS tapes and edited between two VCRs for optimum sleaze purity. The clips were either scenes we thought would go well with the song or memorable personalities and musicians we admire.
Iggy Pop sneaks a little cameo in there, which is fitting because the track sounds to me like it would be right at home on Fun House. Were The Stooges a big influence on your group?
Bonnie: That’s too cool of a statement. Let’s leave it at “right home on funhouse” and god bless!
How does the Electric High EP differ from or build upon your fantastic debut, Street Venom, from earlier this year?
Bonnie: Street Venom was a brief collection of the songs we all had been writing for a thousand years. It was first take, best take/written in studio/ two days done… Electric High single is two songs that turned us on so bad we couldn’t wait to get back in the studio so y’all could hear them. We write too much to stay away from studio. It makes me crazy to not get new stuff down while it’s pure of heart.
What do you think about the recent explosion of women in garage rock groups? Do you have close relationships with a lot of your female labelmates?
Bonnie: Yeah! The girls are tearing the place apart these days! We are all friends, and we have too much fun…
What are your musical backgrounds? Were you all fans of each other’s previous projects?
Bonnie: I went to school for jazz and got kicked out ‘cause I got turned on to rock n’ roll. Never looked back.
Larry: I’d never had a guitar lesson, I just listened and played along to all my favorite records.
The Kid: I grew up playing music with my brother off and on. I was mostly just singing, and then started playing drums a few years ago after I moved to LA.
How did Death Valley Girls form?
Magic.
You’ve obviously had an incredibly busy 2014. What does 2015 hold for you?
New releases, touring, more new releases, more touring…
What do you think was the all-time greatest five-year period for music?
Bonnie: This question is unfair! I’m too in love with the music I love to not be as in love with their influences. I gotta say the best are blues dogs Robert Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell influencing Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, America influencing the British kids like the Stones, the Stones inspiring Detroit, Iggy, MC5, then girl groups and Stones being interpreted through NY to create punk– CBGBs and such. That’s around five years, right?!
Larry: Tough question, I’m with Bonnie on this one.
The Kid: I also think Bonnie summed it up pretty well. I would add in all the early to mid/late sixties soul and gospel – Stax, Goldwax, Motown/Detroit…
And finally, denim or leather?
Bonnie: Leather jacket, leather boots, the rest don’t matter.
Larry: Denim and leather. You can’t have one without the other.
The Kid: Larry’s got the right idea. I think I like my denims and my leathers together.
Death Valley Girls play this Monday, November 10th at Los Globos!
