Check out our Interview with Daisy of Foxy Shazam as we talk GONZO!

After the release of the new album Gonzo by Foxy Shazam have been quite busy touring the country as their tour kicked off on May 27th in Harrisburg, PA. They have also recently announced a string of additional tour dates which will take them into August. If you have never seen Foxy Shazam live, do yourself a favor and get yourself to a show. They are amazing and will leave you every bit as satisfied.

We had the opportunity to interview bassist, Daisy Caplan and are pleased to bring that interview to you here:

* * * * * * * * * *

Music Junkie Press: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. It was great to see the release of GONZO and even more so for you to offer it for FREE. With the music industry in it’s ups and downs right now, what made you want to give out your new album as a FREE download?

Daisy: The music industry itself makes it impossible for artists to make money on records, so we circumvented the whole procedure this time. The funny thing is, this is the first record we’ve made any money on in years and we gave it away for free. Weird, huh?

Music Junkie Press: That is quite ironic but I can completely believe it! With GONZO, once again we are treated to the addictive style of Foxy Shazam. This album truly delivers a very raw honest feel to it, it almost bleeds your passion through it. How was this album different from your previous releases? Did you use any different recording techniques or processes to convey that rich honesty in your music on this album?

Daisy: Yes, our process was very different. Rather than write in various combinations of people and with various demo and revision input loops from other people (management, record label), we all sat in the same room and wrote songs until we all felt they were the right songs, revised them until we felt they were perfect, and practiced them for months. Then we went to an analog studio and recorded them live.

Music Junkie Press: One of my favorites off GONZO is Shoe Box, can you tell me more about that song?

Daisy: That song is extremely personal to all of us as a band. I don’t want to comment on Eric’s lyrics because I don’t write them, but I think many of us went thru intense personal/family situations during the writing and recording of this record. It’s unnerving when something goes wrong, especially with your parents, and you’ve reached the mid-to-late 20s phase where you’re suddenly an adult in the family dealing with it on the level of an adult. It’s like the curtain gets pulled back and you realize that nobody really has any idea what they’re doing. While I don’t regret the experience, I sometimes get a weird nostalgia for ignorance, and that’s what “Shoebox” means to me.

“Shoebox” started with Alex’s beautiful Stax-esque horn riff. Loren and Eric then came up with the music and vocals, respectively, for the verses. We got stuck, but we knew it was a special idea, so we sat it aside until we came up with the chorus a few months later and finished the song.

Music Junkie Press: Do you have a particular songwriting process?

Daisy: Not really, we’ve done it many different ways. Everything from one or two people writing an entire song (“Forever Together”, “Dog in Love With A Kitty”) to true collaborations where literally every piece is from a different member (“Oh Lord”) to stuff that evolved from improvisation (“Freedom”, “Tragic Thrill”), and even stuff where we’ve collaborated writing with people who’ve produced our records (“Killing It”, “The Streets”). We’re very open people creatively. The only real constant I can think of is that Eric always writes the lyrics, which is fortunate because he’s a gifted lyricist.

Music Junkie Press: It is great to see Foxy Shazam out on tour. One thing is for sure, you truly bring the energy to the stage. I remember the first time I ever saw you guys live, I did everything possible and made it up front. You gave a show that I will never forget. Do you have any pre-show rituals to harness that energy you deliver?

Daisy: The ritual is that there is no ritual. Every show demands a reinvention.

Music Junkie Press: If we could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?

Daisy: That’s a hard question to answer because I don’t know what would surprise you. It all seems pretty normal to me, but Enya or Harry Pussy might freak you out if you’re a square.

Music Junkie Press: Don’t Give In is a stand out track, can you tell me the inspiration behind the track?

Daisy: Inspiration is a weird word, it wasn’t like we saw a cool painting or something and were like, let’s go write “Don’t Give In.” It’s one of those weird reverse-historical words where everything falls into place in hindsight to be nearly summarized as a past event. That said, that song became a kind of motto of sorts for the whole Gonzo experience, and it is my personal favorite Foxy Shazam song ever.

I feel like the vocal line in the chorus had been floating around for a while, and I remember the song as it exists came together in 15 minutes at the end of a long practice laboring on a song called “Corkscrew” that we didn’t end up using.

Music Junkie Press: How has it been being back out on the road and touring? What is your favorite part of it?

Daisy: I like the experience of travel, even when it sort of sucks. Nothing makes you aware of your own existence like being exhausted for all the right reasons.

Music Junkie Press: Foxy Shazam has always been successful at creating your own style, unique sound that we love. What advice can you give to young musicians who are trying to do their own thing but getting pressured into having their music or style fit a certain genre, etc?

Daisy: Do what you love, do it self-sufficiently and economically, don’t be a dick, and, uh, don’t give in, haha. The work will be it’s own reward.

Music Junkie Press: That is great advice that can apply to everyone, not just to music! Lastly, what would you like to share with our audience and your fans?

Daisy: I’d like to share a nice meal with them. All of them.

Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for your time and we look forward to catching you on the road!

Daisy: No problem! See you there!

* * * * * * * * * *

So, if you don’t have GONZO yet, make sure you head over to their website at www.foxyshazam.com and download your copy. Catch Foxy Shazam on tour and check out the dates below:

Jun 24 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
Jun 25 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
Jun 27 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Jun 28 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
July 12 Cincinnati, OH Bunbury Music Festival
Jul 26 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
Jul 28 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
Jul 29 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
Jul 31 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
Aug 1 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
Aug 2 Sacramento, CA The Assembly
Aug 5 Spokane, WA The Hop
Aug 7 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
Aug 8 Seattle, WA Neumos
Aug 9 Vancouver, BC Venue
Aug 11 Boise, ID Neurolux
Aug 12 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
Aug 14 Sioux Falls, SD Orpheum Theater
Aug 15 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
Aug 16 Davenport, IA River Roots Live Festival @ LeClaire Park

I love the album from start to finish. Once again Foxy Shazam brings the honesty back in to their music creating their own unique style. I love the bluesy and jazz feel that so many of the songs deliver and Brutal Truth is one bad ass raw song! Shoe Box is an emotionally driven song that has the perfect raw soulful edge to it and the passionate vocals on it bleed through. Don’t Give In is a catchy as shit song that has that “it” feel to it. I love the energy and stripped down bareness of it, the music; transferring a vulnerability into a state of empowerment. It is one of my favorite songs on the album. Head over to www.foxyshazam.com and pick up your free copy of Gonzo!

I am looking forward to their tour and glad to see a San Francisco date on there. We will make sure to bring you full show coverage so stay tuned. Visit their social media sites so you can stay up to date on their latest news.

~ Marisol

Information & Links: