M: This is DJ Morgan doing my first interview ever for the New York Waste.
P: Woo!
M: I’m interviewing Grounded, my Sisters in Metal.
P: We broke your cherry!
M: Say hi Pam.
P: Hi.
M: Say hi Allegra.
A: Yo.
M: So first of all tell me about how Grounded got together?
P: We have been friends for many, many years, we have never played in the same band, but our bands always played together, so we just decided one day, fuck, we should be playing together, you’re my sister anyway. We wrote a few songs and it sounded good, it worked out. We got Amanda after your wedding party, jamming, we jammed with her and we were like that’s our girl.
M: Is that really how it happened?
A: Kind of, we saw her play and we were like, she definitely could play with us and then, she definitely fits, and then we also felt that the moment that the band became a band occurred around September 11th, cause it was after the 11th that we really felt a need to have a band, that artists need to be in music and they need to be expressing what's going on around them.
M: That was the same for us pretty much, yeah.
A: Yep, not enough people are singing about what is real and if ever there was a time for them to start getting together it was around that time.
P: It was right after that.
M: Cool, so what does the name Grounded mean? Is it meant to have a double-entendre?
A: It’s actually a triple-entendre, primary meaning is electricity, especially large masses of electricity that are uncontrollable, second would be being rooted to earth, third and our least favorite would be you’ve been bad.
M: You’re in trouble after school...
P: ...Or your mom and dad saying, “you’ve got to get up to your room.”
M: So who came up with the name?
P: Allegra.
M: What would you say is like the main message of the band? What are you trying to say or what are you trying to represent yourselves as?
A: Because we’re women, although we never want gender to be an issue in being like what we’re about, but at the same time because we are predominantly women we do hope to be able to inspire and encourage other women to be strong and to be into Metal.
P: And to kick ass!!! To have some balls yaw know!
A: The whole thing is, there is not enough women in heavy Rock, so if we can do anything to inspire heavy Rocking women to get low and dirty that would be great.
P: That would be the ultimate goal for us.
M: Since we are on the topic of Metal, what would you say were the main influences on the band?
P: Black Sabbath
A: Kyuss
M: You guys get called Stoner Rock a lot, would you consider yourselves that?
P: Yeah we are.
A: No, I consider us Low Riding Riff Rock and if you wanna call us Stoner Rock that’s fine.
M: Well that’s kind of a term that young people came up with for that shit anyway. I guess the next thing is what do you think about what’s going on in the scene In New York City nowadays, especially when it comes to Metal?
P: There is no scene.
A: There hasn’t been a scene in a long time, I don’t know if it’s about a scene.
M: One of the reasons why I started writing this column for the waste was that I felt they weren’t covering Heavy Metal at all.
A: I think it’s more about a way of life, like how many people are left that are living the life, if you’re living the life then you get to be part of the scene, fortunately you have those people but they’re not all into the same type of music, although we all like similar types of music, so it’s kind of a complicated question to ask about a scene. Metal scene? Nowadays I think Metal is so wide, I’ve never seen more categories of Metal, Metal used to mean hair and makeup and falsetto vocals, now ...
P: You could go to a Stoner Rock show and see Metal dudes there, Nu Metal, Black Metal, all kinds of Metal.
M: Death Metal.
P: Speed Metal.
M: Power Metal, Thrash Metal.
P: There’s not a lot of people in New York that listen to it, I went to see a band called Earthrise on Saturday at Trash, there were like 30 people there. They’re, you know, Stoner Rock, but really heavy, they’re tuned down. They’re all playing out of Orange amps, it’s like a gigantic wall of sound, but there just aren’t enough people who listen to the heavy, whatever kind of heavy. So that’s why we all have to stick together.
M: So you mentioned 9/11 before, how do you feel about the role of the band and how you relate to New York City?
A: Well we are a New York City band. We are New Yorkers. Every one of us is from this neighborhood or from this area which is actually pretty rare. It was very powerful and we all, including you, we lost a friend and that was very cohesive and really helped inspire a better way of life.
P: And sing about it and probably heal ourselves from that loss. It hurt a great deal. Writing songs is part of the healing process, the fact that I can do it with my best friend I’m pretty lucky, I think.
M: Yeah it’s fucking cool, so I guess part of what the Waste is about is getting wasted, so...
P: Well, we get wasted.
M: Well, we know that, we have done it together many times.
A: We have no problem getting wasted, we have a problem with people who don’t know how to control their drugs, drugs are great, but you have to know when and where and you have to know that it’s always in moderation.
M: You got that kiddies?
P: Yeah, in moderation
M: So what’s your favorite ways to get fucked up?
P: Absinthe.
A: Pills, pot and booze, but not in that order.
P &A: Pot, pills and booze.
M: Right on, so you guys just got a new drummer, how’s that working out?
A: Ku is good.
P: Raku!!!
A: Kuster!
M: He’s got a funky style right, plays his drums all weird?
A: He is left handed and barefoot.
P: Like a Stoner Hippie.
M: So what’s up for the future, what’s the next move?
P: Take over the world, play some more shows and then hopefully ...
M: Any recording coming up?
A: By the summer of 2005 we are going to have a 13-song album.
M: Cool. That’s about it except, Pam you’re getting married in about two weeks?
P: I’m getting married in twelve days in Vegas by Elvis, Viva Las Vegas baby!!!
M: How’s that feel?
P: Um, a little nervous, but very happy and anxious and um yeah I’m taking the plunge, woo, hail Satan!
M: I only have one more question; do you have a cigarette I can bum?
P: She does not – me, Pam the Metal queen, does not smoke Cigarettes.
M: Is there anything else you wanna address?
P: No, we just want to thank you for your time and for being our friend and having New York Waste finally recognizing Heavy Metal.
M: Just one other thing, what did you think about the experience of the whole New York City Rock and Roll compilation?
P: I think it was nice that we actually got a single out on a record label that’s known.
M: Where did you record the last single?
P: That was with Anthony Esposito, Schoolhouse studios.
A: I think that Steve Blush went into it with a really good and positive approach, he was trying to bring the scene together.
P: And we got some people who would never have heard us before checking it out; since we were on that c.d. maybe we have broadened our Fan base because of that, that’s great.
M: Sweet. So fucking Rock and Roll, you guys, fucking Rock and I love you both!
P &A: all right!!!
