MONSTER INTERVIEW : THE PEAWEES
On early july, Fernand reviewed the last Peawees singles, a band he really loves. He later got in touch with the band for an interview. Here it is, Hervé Peroncini, composer, producer, lead singer and guitarist of the Peawees kindly answered the questions.
Your new album, One Ride, has been released earlier this month. Where and when did you record it?
We started working on One Ride in 2019. We even recorded the title track then. We were riding the wave of Moving Target, touring, playing festivals, and had planned to have an album ready for 2022 at the latest. We thought we would record a few songs, go on tour, record a few more, and continue like that until we had a full-length album. Of course, everything got messed up when Covid hit so when we got back on track after it, our long-time guitar player Carlo Landini told us he would move to Berlin. So when Dario took his place, we thought it would be essential to play and tour as much as we could to break in the new lineup both musically and on a personal level, and when we realized everything was going smoothly, we finally entered the studio again in 2022 to finish the album in 2023.
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| ONE RIDE |
How long did it take to record it ?
It's hard to say because we started before Covid and then picked up again right after the end of the pandemic. All those stops and starts due to the restrictions stretched out the timeline so much that I couldn't even tell you how long it took!
You already knew the studio and the producer ?
Yes, Brown Barcella is a long time friend and both him and Alessio Lonati worked on our previous album Moving Target together with me. We have always worked well together; they know what I want and what I don't want, and each time everyone puts in maximum effort to achieve the result we desire. I feel very lucky for that.
When I listen to your music, I can easily hear Rhythm N'Blues and Soul music through Rock N'Roll. You cover Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Are these music ( Rn'B/Soul) your roots?
Absolutely, I constantly listen to soul and rhythm and blues. Everything we do comes from those roots.
Besides Soul and RnB, I listen to a lot of different music depending on my mood. I can go from 60s girl groups to Garage Rock, late 70s punk, 60s stuff that also includes stuff like rocksteady.. etc ... let's say that anything with a bluesy, soulful base catches my attention.
When did you meet and decided to form the band ?
The band was formed in 1995. I and the former members with whom I formed the group used to meet at concerts, play in different bands, and sometimes share the stage until we became friends and started playing together. Currently, I am the only original member.
Why did you name the band The Peawees ?
It happened that Livio and I were on the phone, and he was reading out endless lists of hypothetical names. When he said "Peawees," I told him, "Stop! That sounds good!" Although, to be precise, it was originally "Pee Wees," which I believe came from the actor Pee Wee Herman, until I then changed the second "e" to an "a" and combined the two words. I wish I could say there's a deep meaning behind it, but unfortunately, there isn't hahaha.
To be honest, there isn't a big rock 'n' roll/RnB/garage scene in Italy. There's a small niche of passionate people. We consider ourselves lucky because we have a good following, but culturally, the independent music scene is more geared towards other types of music.
Are you going to tour in France ?
France is perhaps the only European country where we've played the least, almost nothing except the Cosmic Trip Festival and a few other dates. We would really like to start playing there more often, especially because during the few times we've been, it was wonderful. We haven't found the right booking agency yet, but we're working on it!
What are your best memories on tour ?
There are so many great memories, especially after doing this for so many years. Without digging too far into the past, I can tell you that last Saturday we played in Barcelona, and seeing everyone singing the new songs was truly incredible! We're lucky because we get along well personally, so every time we're on tour, we have a blast and it's always a bit like meeting up with old friends. We hope to come and have fun in France as soon as possible!
Hervé being a french name from Britanny, are you french or are there french people in your family?
Well, actually I was born in France, in Vichy, because my father was working in a little village close to Vichy at the time. That's why they decided to give me a french name!
One last question: I love the song Christine (Moving target LP), what's the story behind this song?
Years ago, I was on vacation in Greece, and a waiter at a restaurant we frequented often told me that he was going to propose to a girl he had fallen in love with that night. She was the stripper at a strip club, and he was one of many customers. He had even tattooed "Christine" on his arm. My impression was that he was just another customer and that he had misunderstood the attention she was giving him.
Many thanks, Hervé Peroncini, for answering the questions. We hope to see the Peawees live in France very soon!
Dick Kent
One Ride LP (Wild Honey Records, Sept. 2024)
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