beatlanta.com
Interview with ‘the Joy Kills’ (playing the Bummer Summer festival this Saturday)
BeAtlanta – Who are the members of the Joykills and what do you play?
Chris $u$u Sheetz – Drummer
Daniel Eskridge – Bass Guitar, Vocals
Eric Hau?? – Lead Vocals
Michael Westberg – Guitar, Vocals
B: What does the name ‘the Joykills’ mean?
Eric – Great question, we’re still not sure what it means to us. I guess the best meaning I’ve been told so far is that Life is sheer joy to be a part of even though it will kill – it will kill everyone. Our band name could have been Turd Sandwich and the Genital Fist Puppets and as much as it would inspire me it wouldn’t all fit on a t-shirt.
B: What kind of music would you describe the JoyKills as playing?
$uSu – Hipster-core!!
Michael – Diatribes!!?
Eric – Originally we had ideas and inspiration that from varying musicians. I like how we’re spilling the work onto records more frequently without concern of who we personally enjoy. It’s truly evolved into something raw and ominous; we’re all thoroughly excited. We’ve devolved the guitars into something trashy in a way that only a sister could love, a thud-happy bass that hasn’t lost any groove or harmony. Personally, I dunno, I’m very shy about how I think about my lyrics but I would say that I’ve grown from the structure that defines me.
Michael – Grunge-revival in so many words.
Eric – This man is a goddamned genius!!! You’re gonna be a general someday Michael!
Michael – Don’t interrupt me!
Dan – I’m Kenny Rogers, and this is Jackass!
B: What bands influenced you to write?
Eric – Punk rock – and Planet Rawk!! I like crap and David Bowie.
Michael – The planet rock café. I love guitarist who are bad at playing
guitar. It makes me feel better than them. Suck it Trebeck!
Dan – MC5, The Who, Kinks, King Crimson.
$u$u – Nirvana! Nirvana… and there’s that band Nirvana!! And that’s it… that’s three right there!
B: What other bands have you been in?
Michael -This is my first Atlanta band. I live for this shit! Now, let me go cut myself.
Eric – Dan and myself are occasionally supporting good friend and label-mate Ben Baldwin from Amateur Night at Club Stupid. But that’s the unreleased Behind The Music story that ends up with Eric and Leif Garret making out.
$u$u – Three bands. The Sideburners, Jenna’s Side, yellow 5.
Dan – Satellite District!!
B: If you could play anywhere(not a venue), where would you really want to play?
Buckingham Palace or Sam Quinton.
Michael – Are those our only options or examples?
Eric – I’ma gonna lick you.
Dan – My Anus is bleeding!
$u$u – San Quinton. But only because I have an uncle there who I haven’t seen in a while and owes me money.
Michael – I’d love to play in Mt Vesuvius. Because I saw that Pompeii movie recently and it was f to the a!
B: Where have you played recently, where do you like to play in Atlanta?
Eric – Over the last year and half we’ve been from New York to Chicago. Atlanta is a city with a lot of cool haunts that are haunted. Well of course our favorite venue to play is the Clermont. We always have a packed crowd and when we play it’s expected that we’ll…
B: Do you have any CD’s or records out?
Michael – We just released our second album last month called The Joy Kills Everyone. It’s our first with Blood Drunk Records and the record is currently available online on our BandCamp page as well as in stores at the local record shops in Atlanta. All vinyl records come with a digital download so they can sell it on piratebay.org for those illegal downloads of Game of Thrones. It’s worth it.
B: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Eric – I like to light a stick of sage incense on stage. Sage is supposed to ward off evil spirits and change the vibrations of those who breathe it in. Kind of like…
Michael – That’s pretty dumb, Eric. Personally I have no preshow ritual. I drink to take in evil spirits. My power is above 9000!!!
$u$u – Well whiskey and cigarettes.
Dan – Pornhub, and sipping on Scheetz’s drinks when he’s not looking.
Eric – Everyone likes to drink. That helps.
B: What inspires the lyrics?
Michael – Well as the primary lyricist: I say ballsack. Lots of bouncing ball sacks. In my balls! In my ball sacks!
Eric – What he said.
Dan – You have big balls. I like balls.
$u$u – I’m the drummer.
B: What kind of equipment do you use?
Eric – Rusted out hulks of our inner childs!!!!
B: What is the Joykills next step in the Atlanta music scene?
Everyone together – Killing everyone!!!!!!!
Enter Stage Right
Dan is holding a whiskey sour in his hand, sipping it gingerly as he caresses the iguana.
Michael – What doth thou your mighty spoon finger?
Dan – It doth!
Eric enters from below stage secret passage, carrying a wounded stepchild.
Eric – Eat the fetus of thy Discontent!
End scene
B: Anything you want to say to the fans?
Eric – Fans? Please don’t take us too seriously. I have a jean jacket to rape.
$u$u – Thanks for the comment. Thanks for leaving.
Michael – We’re going to fire him too that was our 9th drummer.
Dan – This time we mean it.
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For more on the Joy Kills, check out their record label Blood Drunk Records HERE or their FaceBook page HERE..
You can see the Joy Kills at an awesome local music festival this Saturday…
RSVP and Details HERE
https://www.facebook.com/events/1418879405029709/?ref=br_tf
