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upcoming jewws shows 2002 this is the complete unedited version of the Jewws interview
that was published in the October 2002 issue of MaximumRocknRoll.

============================================

C’mon everybody and climb inside my GTO.
We’re gonna blow this town and head for another show.
We’re goin’ to Space City so you better get ready to go!
The members of Houston’s garage punk band The Jewws,
Rebecca (bass), Omari (guitar,vox), Matt (drums), and long time
behind the scenes mystery man Brandon, mingle via satellite
video conferencing with Mr. Andy Wright and Mrs. Stephanie
Paige Friedman about heavy metal and making it big.

MRR: Alright uh, is this your first band?
Rebecca: Yeah.
Omari: Well no not really.
Matt: Nope...but it’s the best band I’ve been in!
Rebecca: It’s the first one we started.
Omari: For Rebecca it’s her first band.
MRR: Well what other band you been in Omari?
Omari: I played drums in The Wild Possum Jug Band with my brother [Guy].
MRR: How did you two meet?
Rebecca: On the bus, in highschool.
Omari: Yeah we went to the same highschool.
MRR: Why’d you start playing bass? How’d you learn or what made you wanna learn?
Rebecca: ’Cause Omari was already playing the guitar so i had to pick something else.
Omari: No, bass was easier.
Rebecca: Uh, whatever! Edit that out.
Omari: [jokingly] She was a little slow on the guitar.
MRR: What happened to Guy [the jewws drummer], why did he leave the band?
Rebecca: For his acting career [all laugh].
MRR: Ok, well how did Matt change the sound of The Jewws, or did he even change the sound?
Rebecca: He made it more peppy [laughs].
Omari: Um...he plays louder.
MRR: Whats brandon’s role as the fourth Jeww?
Omari: To carry heavy stuff.
Rebecca: It’s a mystery.
Brandon: Loitering mostly.
Omari: He’s got a better computer than i do.
Matt: I've recently started to use him as my "Drum Sound Tech". He's also a nice
little insurance policy for my smart ass mouth. Let's just say Brandon knows how
to handle certain situations.
MRR: What was the first live band you ever saw? Live band [long silence] do you remember?
Rebecca: Uh like one that wasn’t on a tv show?
MRR: In person. The first show you ever went to, or first concert, or first mall opening
with Tiffany playing... y’know something like that. [silence] It’s been that long?
Omari: Yeah i have a bad time remembering.
Rebecca: I saw Type O Negative.
Brandon: Slayer.
Rebecca: Type O Negative and Life Of Agony.
Matt: KISS in 1977. I was one of those annoying little kids that was into KISS.
The first punk band I saw was Dresden 45.
Omari: I’m sure for me it was some local band. those were the only shows i could get
rides to because it was my friends playing.
MRR: What was the first record you ever bought using your own money?
Brandon: Same...Slayer.
Matt: KISS “Alive”....man, It sounds like I'm some sorta KISS fReAk! I'm not.
Omari: Y’know someone asked me that same question before for an interview and i
told them it was NWA “straight outta compton” and they edited it out.
MRR: They didn’t believe you-“you’re frontin’!”
Omari: Well he was like “no, rock &roll record.” and i don’t know, i didn’t really even
buy rock & roll records when i first started buying music.
MRR: Okay what about you Rebecca?
Rebecca: I bought En Vogue when i was little.
MRR: Okay cool, you guys have a day job?
Omari: No.
Rebecca: Um, yeah.
Matt: Registered nurse.
MRR: You have any hobbies?
Rebecca: No.
Matt: Surfing, sidewalk surfing, records...
Omari: I just started skating again.
MRR: Alright, skateboarding.
Rebecca: I like to do my hair.
MRR: What kind of music would you play if punk rock didn’t exist?
Matt: I'd be in some sorta Rolling Stones type band. I love that stuff.
Omari: If punk rock didn’t exist? ...I don’t know.
MRR: ...or would you even be playing music?
Omari: Yeah see I don’t know if I would even actually be playing but...
MRR: Why not?
Omari: Because punk rock is really simple.
MRR: [something inaudible to the taperecorder]
Omari: Well I could do any kind of... I like lots of different kinds of music so I plan on,
before I die, being in every type of band that could possibly be.
MRR: Fusion?
Omari: No, fusion is crap.
MRR: What about you Rebecca?
Rebecca: I might go for uh, probably metal.
Omari: Yeah Rebecca would’ve been in a heavy metal band for sure.
Rebecca: We would’ve kicked ass man!
MRR: What do you think about the mainstream success of garage music lately?
Do you have any thoughts about that? Do you like it or does it kinda bum you out?
Omari: ehhh...I don’t really...y’know, there’s always gotta be something.
Rebecca: I’m happy for them.
Omari: Our favorite band’s made it...The Hives made it...I guess kinda.
Matt: I'm stoked for The Hives because they are a pretty great band...but I'm not
convinced the trend will last. It will turn out to be like surf music in the 90's.
It will pass and then all the people and bands that were into it before will be
left and things will get back to normal (i.e. no one really caring and bands living in oblivion).
MRR: You guy’s hope to make it big?
Omari: Not really.
Matt: Not at all. I have a life. Punk is a giant part of it...i just think making it big would
involve more compromise than this band is willing to take.
MRR: Why do you think The Hives made it and other garage bands haven’t?
What are they doing differently?
Omari: They came along at the right time.
MRR:What do you mean?
Omari: Well i mean c’mon there’s not gonna be a band of old guys, Sugar Shack ain’t
gonna make it big nowadays.
MRR: WHAT!? [all laugh] you guys have been around for a while, there’s been tons of
garage bands around forever...
Omari: It’s gonna be a young band that maybe kinda has a gimmick and has a good record
and...people needed rock & roll.
MRR: Would you be willing to move out of Houston to achieve success?
Brandon: Oh hell yeah!
Rebecca: Yeah.
Omari: We’re probably moving tomorrow.
Rebecca: I’d move just to play with people i didn’t hate [all laugh]...not you.
Brandon: Ah, the humidity.
MRR: What’s keeping you from moving now?
Rebecca: Because Andy and Stephanie live here.
MRR: and Baxter.
Rebecca: and Baxter.
MRR: Okay what do you guys do to get ready for a show?
Matt: We all get in a circle and Omari leads us in a prayer then we all snort a line of coke
the size of your arm, put our hands in a circle and shout "1, 2, 3 jeeeeeEEEEEwwwwwwws!!!".
Actually, I usually like to have a couple of beers.
Rebecca: I put on my make-up, say a little prayer.
Omari: [sings the tune] say a little prayer for you.
Rebecca: for me.
MRR: Any music you listen to to get hyped up?
Rebecca: I listen to Donny Denim.
MRR: What do you guys do after the show usually?
Rebecca: Make-out.
Omari: If it’s in Houston we just go home. [all laugh]
MRR: and if it’s in Dallas you make-out. When was the last time you puked?
Matt: Food poisoning a few years back. I'm like a horse...if I puke, I'm most likely gonna die.
MRR: Okay, what’s the best show you’ve ever played? The most fun you’ve ever had?
Rebecca: With the Australians and us.
Omari: The Onyas?
Rebecca: Yeah.
Omari: Really!?
Rebecca: ‘Cause [Andy] got hurt!
MRR: that was the crusaders, yeah that was fun. that was the not-most-fun show i’ve ever played.
Omari: It’s fun watching andy get hurt!
Rebecca: Well there was drama.
Matt: I'd have to say one of the Austin shows. Maybe the one during Garage Shock.
We've played some pretty fun small town Texas shows like Victoria,
Beaumont and Galveston.
Omari: ... we tend to make fun for ourselves.
MRR: So all your shows are fun.
Rebecca: Pretty much.
MRR: What’s the worst show you’ve ever played, the one that just sucked the most?
Omari: Probably something at Fitzgerald’s.
Rebecca: Oh that one with that crappy soundguy that used to work at Fitzgerald’s.
Brandon: oh Instant Karma.
Rebecca: Insant Karma!
Omari: oh that was bad.
MRR: What made it so bad?
Brandon: Deathmetal soundguy.
Rebecca: The soundguy was rude and he like...
Omari: That’s probably one of our things, it’s like...we really hate really bad soundguys.
Matt: The soundguy at the Continental Club in Houston can hug a nut as far as I'm concerned.
I really don't care about sound very much...this guy was just a dick and made some pretty
rude remarks about having "a chick" in the band. Sexist hippie....go figure.
MRR: You are sound snobs.
Omari: Especially me and I think Rebecca learned it from me.
MRR: Do you think it effects your performance if the sound’s bad? Do you rock out or do you
complain before every song?
Omari: Well it doesn’t effect the performance. I think it effects the audience’s reaction but it doesn’t effect us.
MRR: Would you sell one of your songs to a commercial for a product you don’t believe in?
Omari: Yeah. Well I kinda took the Iggy Pop thing where it was like if the song was already recorded
and someone wants to play it that’s cool because it wasn’t created to be in a commercial. If somebody
wants to pay me lots of money to put it in a commercial that’s fine.
MRR: With these next questions you can either answer one of these two or you can answer something else.
Omari: Or we can take the dare.
MRR: Beatles or the Stones? ...or niether.
Rebecca: Uh...the Kinks.
Omari: Yeah that’s a good answer.
Matt: Without a doubt....the STONES!!!!
MRR: I have a question for Omari, do you still not like the who?
Omari: I never did not like The Who.
MRR: I remember one time being at Mary Jane’s with you and they were playing The Who
and you said “Oh they suck!”.
Omari: No, when I was a little kid they were my favorite band, this was when I was really young. I don’t even
remember how old I was but I remember thinking they were really awesome.
MRR: Squeezebox era? [laughs]
Rebecca: Juicebox era.
Omari: ...but they have a lot of really bad stuff. So it might’ve just been that song.
MRR: What about The Pistols or The Ramones?
Matt: C'mon....would ANYONE answer "Pistols"?? RAMONES!
MRR: Yeah that was obvious. fender or gibson...or mosrite?
Brandon: Whatever you can afford.
MRR:What’s your favorite metal band?
Matt: I'm a big fan of 80's crossover. I love DRI, Corrosion Of Conformity, Sacrilige B.C.,
Crumbsuckers...as for modern bands I like High On Fire and Blood Duster.
Rebecca:Motorhead or Slayer.
Omari:Yeah, or Black Sabbath.
MRR:How did you guys find out about cool music? You came out of the suburbs,
your influences seem a lot cooler than your average suburban kid.
Omari:Y’know the radio used to be a lot cooler than it is now.
Matt: I think I bought a Reagan Youth reacord for no other reason than curiosity. I was immediately hooked.
A friend of mine at school named Jody began getting into stuff to and we would always trade records
and hip each other to cool stuff. I should also mention The Funhouse Show with Chuck Roast and Austin
Caustic back before Pacifica Radio became TOTAL yuppie fodder. Rad Rich did the calender. I still have
tapes of that show that I made in my bedroom before I could even drive.
Omari:I remember my brother listening to that show.
MRR:Yeah but you guys weren’t hearing The Makers and The Headcoats.
Omari: A long time ago you could get your punk rock from [college radio] and your good
old garage rock from the oldies radio which they don’t play anymore.
MRR:Why do you have more fans in Austin and Dallas than in your own home town?
Matt: I'm not really sure but I feel it's better to be popular in OTHER towns other than your own.
Being popular in your hometown is a curse.
MRR:So what do you think about The Crack Pipes being on MTV?
Rebecca: They were on MTV?
Omari: It’s pretty awesome, [to Andy] you’re the only one who’s seen it!
MRR:Yeah i saw it, I thought it was pretty cool.
Rebecca: What did they do.
MRR: They have a video.
Rebecca: Sweet, I think it’s great.
Omari: They’ll probably never show it again.
MRR: Do you get jealous of other bands success?
Omari: No.
Rebecca: If they really suck.
MRR: Do you ever think “that should be us.”
Omari: Rebecca says, “that should be me.” there’s no us.
MRR: Do you guys agree that skaterock is going to be the next biggest thing?
Rebecca: What is that?
Omari: Who skates and rocks? Where’d you get that from?
Matt: The next big thing will be late 90's retro!! I'm fully expecting a HUGE rap-metal resurgence at any time.
MRR: What annoys you the most about your band mates?
Matt: The "I have them but only use them when I want to" interpersonal skills.
We can also all be pretty stubborn at times. What are you trying to do? Break up the band?
MRR: Do you plan on sticking around until everyone is sick of you or do you plan on
breaking up while you’re on top?
Rebecca: When we get on top we’ll let you know.
Omari: I don’t know if this band’s always gonna be around but yeah we’ll be around for a while i’m sure.
MRR: ‘Til everyone hates your guts.
Omari: Until we are no longer cool...
Rebecca: Well that’s already happened.
Omari: ...Yeah, that was last year .
MRR: Recently you guys opened for the Butthole Surfers, how did that happen?
Omari: Apparently King Coffee heard our first record and they demanded that we play.
MRR: At the expense of other locals bands i hear.
Omari: Yeah..well no. What happened is (and this is all second hand info) they booked the show
and he said okay well we want The Jewws and as far as I know Fitzgerald’s went ahead and booked
someone else and never contacted us. We kinda heard through the grapevine that we were supposed
to play and we contacted [the club] and apparently The Butthole Surfers just really wanted us to play.
It was wierd because we never met them before or anything; and one day I went to go practice with
another band I’m in and one of the guys says to me, “I heard The Butthole Surfers asked The Jewws to
open for them at their next show.” I was just like, “What!? Somebody made that up. We don’t even know
anyone in The Butthole Surfers.”
MRR: So King Coffee is a fan of yours, any other famous people that are fans of The Jewws that you know of?
Omari: Is he famous?
MRR: Yeah he’s famous.
Brandon: He was on the Gary Shandling show.
MRR: Yeah he’s famous.
Omari: He was on CB4 ...and what’s funny is that came on the very next day after the Butthole Surfers show.
Rebecca: Johnny Depp’s a fan.
MRR: [surprised] Johnny Depp’s a fan? cool.
Rebecca: Yep, he sure is!
Brandon: He knows the Buttholes. [all laugh]
MRR: You’re about to go on tour, where are you headed?
Omari: West coast.
MRR: Where would you not want to go on tour?
Rebecca: We won’t be playing in Bosnia.
Omari: We won’t be playing Siberia.
Rebecca: I don’t wanna play anywhere I could get shot more than I can get shot here.
Omari: South Africa.
Brandon: Detroit.
Rebecca: Yeah Detroit’s the same thing, it’s a jungle. [all laugh]
Omari: Total craziness!
MRR: You think if you guys were from Detroit right now people would like you better?
If you’re from Detroit that’s just the ticket right now.
Omari: Yeah Detroit’s sorta the hotspot. Y’know we were actually going to record
the new album with Jim Diamond but it was too far for us to drive.
MRR: So you could of been on that band wagon right now.
Omari: Well I don’t know.
Brandon: It woulda sounded good.
Rebecca: Detroit’s just as crappy as Houston.
MRR: Well i was talkin to The Detroit Cobras and they said that you go to shows now
and nobody’s there because everyone’s all off on tour being famous. So you go to the
shows and the usual people aren’t there because they’re all off...
Omari: Well I guess I wouldn’t have a problem with that if that was the case
here because at least somebody’s doing something.
Brandon: But y’know, they have more than just a few good bands.
MRR: if you could have any slogan on your t-shirt what would it be?
Matt: I'm With Dummy.
Omari: Young People Unite!
MRR: So what do you want to be when you grow up?
Rebecca: I don’t want to look old.
Omari: She wants to be young and pretty when she grows up.
MRR: I didn’t say what do you not want to be when you grow up!
Rebecca: I want to be a doctor or the president. I really want to be the president.
Matt: I wanna be Mick "Shakey" Wallace.
Omari: I’m still doing my independent studies in audio engineering.
MRR: Okay, so you’d like to record bands and produce records and all the stuff, own a recording studio.
Omari: Yeah, I’d rather do that than try to play in a band for a living.