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December 14, 2006
Irony served on tap
Local music mainstay has a hit with his eclectic group.
By Jessica Halverson
jessica.halverson@intakeweekly.com
With a line-up of tap shoes, tuba and guitar, Born Again Floozies front man Joey Welch, 39, professes a love of "earthy" percussion. The band recently released the EP "Novelties, Addenda and Ephemera," recorded with respected musician and recording engineer Steve Albini. So far, they've received positive feedback and a spot on the December Paste magazine sampler CD.
Here Welch, with a musical history that includes Johnny Socko and Mr. Sparkle, talks about his obsession with music and his unique style of playing guitar mostly on the fretboard.
When did you start playing music?
I've been obsessed with music ever since I can remember. I have a picture of me, (I was) two years old playing my mom's ukulele. Eventually she started hiding it, but I would find it. When I got a little bit older my brother got an electric guitar and he would try to hide that from me. I played it more than he did.
When you first started the Floozies in 2004, did you know the band would be as successful as it is?
I never do. It always seems to me that we're just doing what we do and I don't have any plans for it. I learned a long time ago that it's much better to let a path unfold as it will than to force something. Even in bands that have been successful that I've had, the minute you try to cram it into something it's not, you can immediately see it start falling apart. The best thing to do is to get people together and there's some sort of energy between you, and then you just play to those strengths.
You seem to have a good sense of having fun with the music. What do you find appealing about that?
I employ humor a lot and a lot of irony. And usually the best humor is the awful truths about human nature and putting them in a light that is like, Wow, look at this contradiction, it's really horrific. And our reaction is to laugh at it. . . . That deeper thing is what I usually try to get into the music. I sincerely feel that if there's not something that's really worthwhile saying, there's no point in doing it or saying it.
How did you develop your style of playing guitar?
It kind of started with raising kids. The only time that I would have to play would be while I was tending the kids. So I would have my guitar, playing guitar with one hand and getting dinner together or helping the kids with the other. So it kind of developed slowly over the past maybe 10 years or maybe even 15 years of playing. But then when my older kids, when they got a little bit older and they could start taking care of themselves I had this free hand, so I started doing stuff with the other hand. I never really even considered myself a guitar player; I always considered myself a drummer but I just happened to be holding a guitar.
(photo)
Successful sounds: The Floozies boast an unusual collection of instruments, including tap shoes and tuba. -- Submitted photo by Rob Elliot
Get the record:
Pick up the new Born Again Floozies EP, "Novelties, Addenda and Ephemera" at Luna Music, 1315 W. 86th St., 431 Massachusetts Ave. or 5202 College Ave., or at Indy CD and Vinyl, 808 Broad Ripple Ave. You can also hear the Floozies on the December Paste Magazine CD sampler, available inside the current issue of the magazine.