Riding Shotgun With The Adored
Searching for the perfect summer band, one that blends straight up pop-punk with the edgier ghosts of Brit bands past? You need look no further than the Adored. These four likely lads from L.A. are irresistible with their bouncy guitar hooks and their catchy, cheeky tunes. Check out the Buzzcock-approved Adored as they bring their sun-drenched SoCal sound to the Black Cat, along with the Rakes and Every Move a Picture (Friday, $12). But first, read to see how Ryan and Drew (vocals and guitar, respectively) feel about the poetry of Takagi Kan and De La Soul, the possibility of touring with 50 Cent, and what every first-time visitor to L.A. needs.
Fill in the blanks:
Touring is: My favorite. -Ryan
Our first gig was: Terrible. -Ryan
Our favorite venue to play is: Your basement! -Drew
Hygiene on a tour is: What you make of it. -Ryan
Our favorite thing about touring is:
Hygiene! -Ryan
Or lack thereof. -Drew
And the least favorite thing: Ryan. -Ryan
City with the best audiences:
Our audiences are always amazing. -Ryan
But we love coming home to LA. -Drew
The band member most likely to disappear after a show is: Ryan. -Ryan
The tour bus/van smells like: Ryan. -Ryan
Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot: Nat and me = a, Ryan = b, Max = c. -Drew
What's the most unusual item on your rider? What rider? -Ryan
Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And what are you listening to at the moment?
Whoever is driving controls the music. On
our last trip we listened to The Best of Curtis Mayfield a few times.
-Ryan
This past tour, Nat has played Rufus Wainwright and The Harder They
Come soundtrack over and over, and I just play The Raspberries' song "Go All the Way" on repeat forever. -Drew
Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour? And/or the best place to get greasy, hangover-curing food?
Backstage is our favorite because the beer is free... Any vegan place is good for us. -Ryan
Except me -- I always leave and find the local pizza. -Drew
What bands, past or present, would you love to tour with? Slayer and 50 Cent! -Ryan
Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour?
There were a lot... calling the fire department on a burning
flowerpot in Chicago, drunkenly scaling the gates at a stadium in
Atlanta, stopping for a deer in New Jersey and thinking we were
hallucinating. Being mistaken for Fall Out Boy at an Olive Garden in
Boise will always be a cherished memory, though. -Drew
Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again? Or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl? Any empty venue is a bad one! -Ryan
Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for?
A pink t-shirt we sell with Adored badges and suspenders (braces)
printed on front of the shirt. -Ryan
Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument?
No. -Ryan
Can't wait though... as long as someone from Big Yawn can carry my amp up with me. An intern, maybe? -Drew
What would you most recommend to first-time visitors to L.A.?
A Metro pass -- it gets you on the bus and the subway! -Drew
I love that you have song lyrics on the official Adored site. Does this
pay off live with crowd sing-alongs?
We're hoping it does as soon as we can win over some fans of a
literate age and disposition! -Drew
You've done some shows with the Buzzcocks. What was the best thing about playing with them?
The stories! The usual drunk, British, "What the f--- are you saying?" stories... -Ryan
What was the Adored's all-time greatest gig (that you've played)?
Koko in London was pretty amazing. -Ryan
Yeah, it was like this huge opera house type old theatre -- filled with
Londoners -- it went really well and then Pete Shelley from Buzzcocks
sang onstage with us for the first time. -Drew
What would you like people to be saying about the Adored in 50 years?"They had the BEST private jet!" -Ryan
Favorite brand of eyeliner? We'd ask Max, but he's out shopping for some right now. -Ryan and Drew
Please recite a line of poetry:
"Suttarakankan kankankankan Takagi Kan
beat ni noseta kashi kore ichiban
so toshi gin-yu shijin groove
meguri megutte konomachi de furu
TOYOTA ni HONDA nippon mo iroiro
SONY *chiba chiba* sonota moromoro
dashicha irukedo rap no rokuon
marena koto daga ima rock on" by Takagi Kan and De La Soul
-Ryan and Drew
And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison?
Mercury, straight up on the rocks!! -Ryan
Not sated? Direct your attention to www.theadored.com, or www.myspace.com/theadored.