Rockabilly + Living in an RV + Occasional Body Paint + Love = The Living Deads
Don't know 'em? Check 'em out here.
For tour dates, go here.
And you can find 'em on Facebook, right here!
When did The Living Deads start playing shows?
2010 We started off in Denver Colorado. How’d you two meet?
I met Symphony at a show in Florida when I was touring with the Hillbilly Hellcats in 2008. It seems like y’all are constantly on tour. How many dates do you play in a year? How many states, and countries, do you think you’ve been to now?
Yes we have been living full time on the road since 2010. We play roughly 150-200 shows a year. We have played in 47 states and 16 countries. Do you have any favorite truck stops or roadside restaurants? When I was still driving over-the-road, one of my go-tos was The Fernwood Truck Stop in McComb, Mississippi. I’m pretty sure they tore it down and put up a Pilot or some shit, but man did they have some tasty fried pork chops, and what was probably the scariest bathroom I had ever stepped in to.
We love old school all-night diners. The kind you see in New Jersey and Philly.
Just curious: Have y’all ever stepped into a bathroom so gnarly, that you just did an about-face and took care of business outside for fear of contracting some sort of supposedly-extinct disease? I did that once at a joint in Arkansas... No regrets.
Yeah there are some pretty nasty bathrooms out there.....Let's just say we are extremely happy that we have our own in the rv. Y’all print your own t-shirts, and fix your own RV; is that out of necessity — simply a way to save money? Some greater DIY-thing, or just a case of “if you want it done right, you ...”?
All of the above!! Since we live in the rv, we can't warehouse merchandise so we have to print as needed. As far as fixing the rv, we can't afford a good mechanic. What are some of your biggest influences? Not just musically, but artistically?
Randee: Akron, Ohio. Lux Interior of The Cramps grew up there. Devo, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, The Rubber City Rebels, The Waitresses, and the intoxicating scent of rubber in the air.
Symphony: I have a visual art background and am highly influenced by performance artists; Marina Abramovic being at the top of the list. David Cerny, Wendy O Williams, Cindy Sherman to name a few. How do you pass the time between shows/whilst traveling?
Printing t shirts, fixing the rv, writing new material.
For those who don’t know, you two are a couple — does being in a band together help your relationship, or can it be weird sometimes?
It's great being in a band with your significant other. We get to create together and see the world together. Wouldn't have it any other way. How does your on-the-road diet compare to your off-the-road diet? When I was over-the-road, my diet consisted of entirely too much Mtn. Dew and snacky cakes, which is probably why I’m obese as fuck.
What does it mean to be off the road?? We don't have a house aside from the rv, which luckily has a kitchen and a fridge and freezer so we can have home cooked meals OR truck stop snacks whenever we want. Do either of you enjoy cooking? If so, do you have a signature dish?
Symphony: I love to cook! Randee's not allowed in the kitchen because not more than one person can fit in the kitchen at once! Randee loves my huevos rancheros with hatch green chili sauce (from New Mexico). Hüsker Foöd is based out of Cincinnati, so I have to ask: have you ever had our “famous chili,” and if so, did you enjoy it? You can tell the truth.
We have never had the famous Cincinnati chili, although we will have an opportunity to try it very soon. Although we did just suck on some chili dogs outside a Twistee Treat down here in Florida only because that Mellancamp guy ruined it for everyone at the Tastee Freeze.... Where to next?
We are in Mobile Alabama next. Thanks for the fun questions - see you in Cincy!