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Interview w/ 48VOLT
First off lemme warn you brave reader-this interview may get confusing, and at times odd, but never fear because I myself, the supposed “guru” of Augusta music was at times a little off-keel as well. But you will find, if you muscle your way through this informative discussion with vocalist Brian Panowich and drummer Brian “Stak” Allen, who along with bassist Dave Newhall and guitarists Chris Livingston and Brian Reynolds make up the “newly” formed 48VOLT, you just may find yourself more in tune with with this new band than you ever thought possible.
LL – When I first requested an interview I was told, and I quote, “no fluff”. So my first question is: What kind of crazy scheme are you guys trying to pull by calling yourselves 48VOLT? Isn’t this just the return of American Skin?
BA- Nothing crazy about it at all….when Newhall joined AMERICAN SKIN, it became apparent very quickly that the new music we were writing was a brand new animal…..and the whole persona previously developed just no longer fit…..hence the name change……
BP- The transition of Chris Livingston from Bass to his rightful place as Guitarist and principle songwriter really changed the dynamic. The songs outgrew the name.
LL – OK OK. So you got a “new” name. You got a “new” sound. Why would any successful band in their right mind just up and dump a couple of years of hard work and effort just to “shift gears”?
BA- Successful is a bit of an overstatement……..it became very clear to us in conversations with people that we trusted, that people had pre-conceived notions about AMSKIN before we rung the first live note……we were discounted from jump street…our intention with the big change is to give this new music a fighting chance within a scene that is so fickle and tends to maybe rely a bit too much on advance cred……..right or wrong, it is what it is……
BP- We achieved I think about as much as we could under the circumstances. The chemistry was wrong in a lot of ways and needed to be sorted out. So it’s not so much us “shifting gears” as much as a natural evolution towards the things we wanted for this band to be in the first place.
LL – Fair enough but tell me this. If you guys are indeed dumping the American Skin moniker, why are the show dates listed on the 48VOLT myspace ALSO listed on the American Skin myspace?
BA- AMERICAN SKIN is dead………
BP- No sense in leaving out anyone who hasn’t made the connection yet but as of right now the
AM-Skin page is a memorial
LL – So will you be totally dumping all the choice American Skin material or will 48VOLT be playing any old AMSKIN tunes like “Hotels and Angels”?
BA- I think we spared one AMSKIN song…..”Hotels and Angels” didn’t make the cut……
BP- We aren’t playing anything that wasn’t written by the current members of 48VOLT. The one tune that survived was penned in it’s entirety by Chris and Myself.
LL – Are you guys concerned at all that you just might confuse fans of your “previous” band? You could possibly ended up losing a few of them.
BA- Not a chance……..the folks who matter already know…….
BP – And the ones that don’t I think will be pleasantly surprised at what we’ve been up to.
LL – Don’t get me wrong, I am surely excited about hearing this “new” band but why not just do both?
BA- The phrase of the day is “Make a clean break”……those jagged edges end up biting you in the ass…….
BP- No need. Once your driving a Fire truck, the old Ford Pick up just ain’t the same.
LL – OK I guess I harped on the band change enough… 48VOLT will be making its debut May 22nd at the Soul Bar. What’s gonna bring people out on a Thursday night to see a “new” band?
BP- The same thing that would bring Me out to see us….We have the rhythm section from SMILE! (Stak and Newhall) and with Chris, people have the chance to see one of this towns most underrated talents in his element. Watching these guys play is the reason I show up.
BA- Maybe nothing………it’s not the point really…….if you happen to be there, we’ll let the music do the talking……if nothing else, you’ll get to see a fine set by GIFT HORSE……..they contain members with Augusta connections………namely, a strong relationship to DEAD CONFEDERATE……..
LL – Aside from the name and the music, can we expect any other changes to be unveiled that night?
BA- As Bpops put it, the band has graduated to very mature songwriting……..
BP- I finally get to channel my Dads country influence in this band. Those aspects have always been a huge part of my personality but never got through the large amounts of distortion. I feel like the “singer” is taking precedence over the “front Man”
LL – So what exactly is a “48VOLT”?
BA- This one belongs to Pano…….
BP- Phantom Power….It’s written on the back of my Fender Bassman. Chris suggested it at practice and the rest of us just kinda said…”…yeahhhh…..” it just made sense
LL – Man I’m sorry but I just gotta check this ONE more time. 48VOLT is not just a one-off thing?
BA- It is the name of our current musical project going forward…..
BP- It’s the project I plan on being a part of for a long, long time.
LL – I mentioned the 48VOLT myspace before…what’s the address?
BP- www.myspace.com/48volt and www.fortyeightvolt.com is currently being constructed to coincide with the first 48VOLT record.
LL – And do you have any parting words for Amer…um 48VOLT fans that might read this?
BP- Expect the unexpected and try to keep Stak sober for at least the first half of the set.
LL – Well thanks and we look forward to checking out 48VOLT at the Soul Bar on May 22nd.
BP- word.
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