The MCB Interview: Randy Michael of The Booze

The cover for their latest album keeps that 60's vibe.

Preparing for a gig in Denver by kicking back watching television, The Booze were just getting some down time before their opening gig for OK Go. The Atlanta based band has released their new album Rebirth of The Cool on their own, as they have done since their inception. Influenced by the sound of early day of rock and roll, The Booze give their fans a taste of how energetic those days sounded and give the sound a bit of a modern sheen.

Before the show in Denver, I had a chance to interview guitarist Randy Michael about the advantages of releasing an album on your own and just why the band moved in the direction that they did. Here’s my interview with Randy from The Booze:

MCB: Did the new album come together more quickly than your past material?
RM: Well, in between the last album and this one – I moved to London for something different, so it might have taken a bit longer than in the past. But when we finally got together and started recording the songs, it came together quickly. I wrote most of the songs while I was in London and then when I came back, we wrote the music in 3 different sessions on Saturday nights, doing 3 songs a session and that’s how it came together.

MCB: What was the mission of the music on this album, as well as any new lyrical content?
RM: I think it was important to develop sorta overall defined sound that really captured the feel of a rhythm & blues/ real rock & roll sounding record. In the past, we had done a lot of different styles. Being in London helped me develop the focus and vision that I wanted to show on this album. As far as lyrics are concerned, while I was away, I had a few people close to me that died – they seemed to be dropping like flies while I was gone – and the lyrics reflect that. Also, a falling out with a certain group we’ve worked with also inspired some of the lyrics.

MCB: Do you find it easier to put out your own albums versus looking for a label to release it?
RM: That’s how we do it, we don’t know anything different. We’d rather put out our own material instead of waiting around and seeing if some label is gonna pick up on it. It’s all we’ve known and we’re quite comfortable with it.

MCB: How did the band find solace in the rock music of the 50’s & 60’s?
RM: Well, I’ve known Chaz (Tolliver- vocals & harmonica) since I was about 12 years old. We really started to find it while we were in high school. In high school, the most popular band at that time was Limp Bizkit and we wanted no part of that. We started to get into Rolling Stones records and then it progressed to people like Muddy Waters and found more music from that era that we ending up loving.

MCB: What are the band’s plans after the tour with OK Go?
RM: Our plan is to tour cities that seem to already know our music, so we don’t waste any time. Cities like Chicago, New York and other bigger cities. We’ll see how the OK Go tour goes to see where else we’re gonna play. We plan on touring with the Biters later in the year and looking forward to see what happens.

The Booze opens for OK Go at the Magic Stick on Thursday, April 22^nd. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/thebooze.