Backstage Pass Radio
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Backstage Pass Radio
S2: E19: David Roach (Junkyard) - A Simple Man Living a Simple Life
Date: June 15,, 2022
Name of podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
Episode title and number: S2: E19: David Roach (Junkyard) - A Simple Man Living a Simple Life
Artist Short Bio - A gritty, streetwise rock band with a bluesy undercurrent, Junkyard’s music is steeped in Hard & Southern Rock, but their roots are in punk, and most, if not all members got their start in punk & hardcore acts of the ’80s.
Junkyard shared their passion for unpretentious riffage drawn from the influences of ’70s hard rock with a swagger that made their good times seem more than just a little dangerous. At the same time, their blues influences were closer to the surface, and if the music was a far cry from punk, the raw edges of their early influences were there in case you were looking for them.
Social Media Handles:
Facebook - @backstagepassradiopodcast @randyhulseymusic
Instagram - @Backstagepassradio @randyhulseymusic
Twitter - @backstagepassPC @rhulseymusic
Website - backstagepassradio.com and randyhulsey.com
Artist Media Handles:
Website - www.junkyardblooze.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/david.roach.3720
Instagram - @david.roach.3720
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Randy Hulsey
David Roach Mixdown Master
Sat, 5/21 10:21AM • 49:10
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
band, played, junkyard, song, called, backstage pass, hear, brian baker, music, listeners, david, punk rock, la, rock, roll, drummer, wrote, soundcheck, bit, moved, Best Podcast, Best Interview, Best Music Interview, Best Music Podcast, David Roach, Junkyard, Lifer, Simple Man, Rod Stewart, Maggie May, Austin Texas, Bon Scott, Robert Plant, Guns & Roses, Backstage Pass Radio, Backstage Pass Radio Podcast, Podcast, Randy, Hulsey, Randy Hulsey, Randy Hulsey Music, Randy Hulsey Podcast
SPEAKERS
Randy Hulsey, David Roach, Adam Gordon
Randy Hulsey 00:00
Hey guys, it's Randy Hulsey. With backstage pass radio, it's going to be a rock and roll show today. My guest this evening is a Southern California bass lead vocalist for the long running band junkyard. They have been paying their dues and entertaining their fan base worldwide since the mid 80s. I will visit with David Roach of the band junkyard when we return. This is backstage pass radio, the podcast that's designed for the music junkie with a thirst for musical knowledge. Hi, this is Adam Gordon. And I want to thank you all for joining us today. Make sure you like subscribe and turn the alerts on for this and all upcoming podcast. And now here's your host of backstage pass radio. Randy Halsey. David, welcome to the show, brother. How you doing Happy New Year to you? Um, well, happy birthday. New Year to us. Well, it's funny. It's funny. It's funny that you say happy birthday yesterday was actually my birthday. So you didn't miss that? Oh, by the way. You're you have the crystal ball that you didn't even know about smart guy.
David Roach 01:08
I know. All
Randy Hulsey 01:10
the All Knowing the All Knowing now I think. Right? I think that Samantha may have exchanged a couple of emails with you. And was it my understanding that you may be moving to Tennessee or talk to me a little bit about that. Are you and you're in Southern California now? Correct.
David Roach 01:30
I'm on the mid Central Coast. I'm in the mountains above venture. Okay. Okay. Near Ojai. I don't know if you're familiar. Yep. Living in a shed with a beautiful view and love in life.
Randy Hulsey 01:46
They say sometimes that's about all you can afford to live out in California is just to live in a shack somewhere, right? Or a shed?
David Roach 01:53
Yeah, I literally live in a shed I actually work live on the property where the guy that worked for he has some property here. And we just do some handyman stuff for him. Yeah.
Randy Hulsey 02:01
Got a little deal worked out. Right. Yeah, it's
David Roach 02:05
it's affordable. Yep. My hair. Yeah. Now you've probably ever the only affordable place in California. The only affordable place and you and you're in it. Yeah. There's no plumbing or anything. I got an extension cord and a hot plate. But you know, I'm a simple man. That's right. That's right. You wrote the song about it. You've been in the rock'n'roll life for a long time. How have you seen the music business and the music scene? Change over the past 30 years? Can you speak to that a little bit. I don't know a damn thing about the music business anymore. I guess there's the bands that are still doing it. But um, you know, it's changed a lot. And I really have no grip on it. You know, we're on a small label. And I don't know how you get your music heard anymore. You know, we're lucky. I mean, you know, we get on YouTube. And we're able to do it that way and try to reach out to as many people as we can. But it's a it's a, I mean, the music business is fucked up 35 years ago, so I really have no understanding of how things work anymore.
Randy Hulsey 03:15
Some things you get some things or roll or whatever. Right. And and probably some things are probably better left. Not knowing right. I haven't been even though I'm a professional musician here in Houston, Texas. I don't do music for a living. So I can't say that I've ever been in the industry. So I don't know what the industry is like. I didn't know what your take on. It was but I think the Indie labels are the smaller labels, there's probably a little less stress with those guys than there is the major labels, I would think right?
David Roach 03:50
Much less stress. Yeah, and much less success. But um, you know, everybody in the band has their job and I'm blessed to have my, my drummer and my guitar player. Take care of that. And I have no zero interest in the business end of things, right. I just I just they just sucks the soul right out
Randy Hulsey 04:12
of me. Yep. Yep. Just give you the microphone. That's all you need. Right. That's all
David Roach 04:16
I can do. I hear you. I hear you. What I want to do. Yep. At what age?
Randy Hulsey 04:23
Do you think you realize that you would be a rock and roll lifer? Did that come at a at an early age or did you not kind of discover that to your teen years. Talk to me a little bit about
David Roach 04:33
that. Um, I decided I wanted to be a singer when I was six. He's listening to Rod Stewart, Maggie Mae. And there was a couple of girls that I had a crush on and first grade. And I would imagine that I would be singing in front of them. And like half the audience was like replicas of one girl. And the other half was replicas of the other girl. Okay. And it was a full room. same two girls. And I sit on my swing in the back portion seeing Maggie make
Randy Hulsey 05:06
Well, I can think of four songs to sing. I've always been a Rod Stewart and a faces fan. So a good a good choice there by you for sure. Love Rod Stewart. What kind of kid were you growing up David?
David Roach 05:21
Just like everybody else, you know, played in the creek and had BB gun fights and made trouble and got into Yeah, I was lucky. You know, I grew up right down the street from a place in Austin called the armadillo world headquarters. And across the street from that was the Austin Coliseum and I got to see everybody I mean, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Taj, Mahal, devo, women, just everything. So, you know, as a music town, so I was, you know, it was like, you know, I the full gamut.
Randy Hulsey 06:02
Yeah. Were those the bands that you were coming up with? I mean, what what was, in your teen years? What was influencing you? What were you? What were you really into them? Was it? Was it more rock and roll? Or was it was it punk base then, but talk to me a little bit about that. What was shaping you, musician.
David Roach 06:22
You know, as a kid, I was. You know, I grew up on the radio, I was really into 50s music, like doowop stuff, okay, platters, drifters, that kind of thing. And then I got into the stones and The Beatles, and then Led Zeppelin. And then by junior high, I was listening to AC DC and Judas Priest, and that stuff. And then punk rock came along. And you know, because when you're, when you're a kid, and you're going to these concerts, and you see these big bands, you know, they look like it looks like unattainable, you know, they're on this pedestal that can't be reached. Absolutely. But punk rock. You know, I was getting into shows and seeing guys my age are a little older. Doing it, you know, and we weren't good. You know, nobody could play their instruments and anything, but it gave you that access to say, Well, shit, man, if they can do it, I can do it. Absolutely. And so I just started doing it. I started my first band when I was 15. And, you know, I had a couple garage bands at six. Me and my drummer, decided to move to LA because he told me there was a big metal scene going on there. And I said, Oh, yeah, let's go. So we moved out there and started getting known. So
Randy Hulsey 07:46
that move was directly from Austin, Texas to LA. Is that correct? Yeah. And were you a native Texan up until that time? Yes. Okay. I had heard that you were from or some of the band was from Texas, but I didn't know exactly where in Texas you are from?
David Roach 08:03
Well, me and Chris gates, started the band found the band. Chris actually moved to LA I kind of dug in there and we hooked up with him. And we didn't have a place to live. So we stayed it. Well, Chris had a job this, like, punk rock, like, kind of record, music or clothing store. Okay. And we spent the night with him one night. And the owners came in and fired him for having us there. And we lived in our cars for a few weeks. And then we found our place. And then actually, the place that we were the place where we parked our cars was a place called the soundcheck in they had a jam night, every Sunday. And that's where we first started playing. Okay. And we just started there, doing you know, covers like Mississippi quick, you know, got the band together and started playing shows where we could get find them for, you know, 20 bucks or a 12 pack of beer, whatever.
Randy Hulsey 09:18
Whatever, wherever you can barter right? Yep, I hear you. I hear you. You got to get the name and the and the band out there for sure. And you do that any way you can. Who would you say like just from a pure vocalist perspective, who was influencing you during those times from a vocal perspective?
David Roach 09:40
Shit, everything from Bon Scott. Definitely for sure. Robert Plant, Otis reading? You know, Hank Williams, anything, you know, anything with integrity, anything where I could hear they were singing from the heart, right. I was feeling To me,
Randy Hulsey 10:00
now you said you and Chris gates were in Austin and you moved out to LA. And so Chris was with you when you formed, of course junkyard correct in the what was that the mid at some time?
David Roach 10:15
No, that was, as I said, Chris had moved out a year earlier. He was already in LA and me and my drummer from my, my old band. Like I said, back then it was the 86. And Austin was a great music town, but it was all like, kind of college rock jangly guitar, Rem type stuff. And we wanted to play rock and roll. So my judge said, LA's got a big rock scene growing right now let's go there. And I said, Okay,
Randy Hulsey 10:47
did you hear of a big rock scene in New York as well, like Long Island was was there that choice to go to the Long Island area, like I had some guests on my show a band called Zebra, who was from New Orleans. And they said, you know, well, we have the option to kind of go to Nashville, or to LA or New York, and they wound up knowing some people up in New York. Did you hear about that scene up in New York at the time? And you just for went that and went out to LA? Or did you not know anything about it?
David Roach 11:20
Well, I'm kind of a Southwest guy. So New York was never really an option, or not something I ever thought about. But you know, when, you know, Chris had a great concept for the band, because, you know, there was so much glam there going on, and we knew we weren't pretty boys, and we weren't going to be able to pull it off that way. So he kind of created that, you know, vest in, you know, tattoos and sleazy image and, and so, but there was that thing going on to in New York with bands like surface power and raging slab, you know, sort of a, you know, Southern but sleazy rock and roll but not glam thing. Yeah. We were just trying to get our foot in that door. Now. I
Randy Hulsey 12:08
think Chris was a heavily punk rock influence musician. Is that? Am I correct there?
David Roach 12:14
He was in a band that was kind of iconic. In Austin called the big boys. Yeah. Okay. And once we got to LA, we ran into Brian Baker, who was in Minor Threat, who's also an iconic punk band from DC. So and my drummer and bass player, Pat and Todd are from bands called decry, and Shanghai and they were pretty well known in Southern California. So we all have punk rock backgrounds. Yeah.
Randy Hulsey 12:44
Well, it was interesting. When you say punk rock, it was interesting to find out that I think Tony Alva was in junkyard, like before you guys even kind of started recording is Is that valid? Like?
David Roach 12:59
Yeah, okay. Yeah, Tony was in the band for not very long, you know, three or four months. I think one day he said you guys are gonna be nothing but a bar band. And he was right.
Randy Hulsey 13:10
He had your number, didn't they? Yeah, right.
David Roach 13:16
That Hey, man, I had Tony owl in my band. That's something
Randy Hulsey 13:19
that's pretty cool. Well, yeah. So for the listeners out there. This is the same Tony Alva that was of the famed what Zephyr skateboard team also known as the Z boys, right that were that were huge in the Santa Monica area. And I guess the show came out later on the dog town show. I don't remember the exact name of it or whatever. TMZ boys Yeah, exactly. Now are you still in any kind of communication with Tony these days?
David Roach 13:47
No, I haven't. I haven't heard from Tony in years. Okay. I think he was pretty not not not out of you know any animosity or any absolute
Randy Hulsey 13:56
no life life Hammonds change. Yeah, yeah. I think he was a pretty heavily influenced punk guy, too. Wasn't he a bass player?
David Roach 14:07
Yeah, he played bass with us. Okay, and I don't know what he does now. But yeah, he had some bands. I don't know if he still does it.
Randy Hulsey 14:15
Sure. Sure. Yeah. Talk to me a little bit. Yeah. It's a good dude. So talk to me a little bit about your bandmates. Who are they? Where are they from? So the listeners kind of have an understanding of who's in junkyard these days.
David Roach 14:30
Okay, well, Pat and Todd, my bass player and drummer have been in Southern California their whole lives they've been playing together forever. Which is really great. For rhythm section they have absolutely you guys played together for so long. They really lock in. Sidenote they they take claim for teaching is the straddle and how to dress when he first moved to LA.
Randy Hulsey 14:56
Okay. Have Guns and Roses right now Yeah, yep.
David Roach 15:01
So, and then. Now Jimmy James has been our guitar player for about five years now I think. Okay, and he moved from Florida with The Rock City angels. Okay. And then he played another band called a coma tones, you know, like for a long time. And he plays with the Hanged Man as well as us. And He's great. He's He's, uh, I love the way he plays guitar. Yeah. And then Tim Moser is my new. not new. He's been with us since 91. Songwriting wise. Well, we've been together for a long time. Yeah, for sure. I call us the Lennon McCartney of hair metal. Well, he's got, you know, I can write lyrics, but I can't make any sense of it. And he, he's great at constructing songs, making melodies and making it makes sense. So I've been blessed. That way between Chris gates and Tim Moser. Yeah.
Randy Hulsey 16:04
Well, and there's nothing wrong. I mean, everybody has their place and everybody contributes. That's why they call it a band. Right. And I don't write that you have to be, you know, Mr. songwriter, and nobody else does it. It's just you know, you play off each other strengthen. That's, that's what makes the cohesive unit I believe. You spoke out. Yeah. You spoke of Izzy a little bit. That's kind of a segue into the whole Geffen Records thing. I know that you guys were signed to Geffen back. I think it was in the late 80s. And you were with them for several years. And this was I guess, Guns and Roses was, you know, one of your label mates at the time, correct? Yes.
David Roach 16:42
I mean, so when we first started getting junkyard together, Guns and Roses just released their first like demo where they're like that appetite. And when they took off, is not unlike the Seattle grunge scene. You know, they see something that makes money and everybody got signed. Yeah, I mean, 200 bands got signed? Yep. Within a few months, probably. And, you know, some of them panned out and some of them are shit. Yeah. So yeah, we were writing their tails. Yep. To extend and
Randy Hulsey 17:21
I think you guys had opened for him and out in Pasadena. Was that like a? Was that a one time thing opening for them? Or did you have multiple dates that you you were build with them? Or? The only
David Roach 17:33
time we played with them? There was a play three nights at a place called Perkins palace and we played one night and faster pussycat played one night and somebody maybe la guns? I'm not sure. But um, yeah, it was just a one night stand. Okay. And that was the only time we played with them. Gotcha. But if they would give us a call, we'd love to play with them again. Dammit.
Randy Hulsey 18:00
Call somebody right. Ring my phone. Well, you guys also. Exactly. You guys also toured a little bit with I think it was dangerous toys and the even the Black Crowes and it's my understanding that you went to school with Jason McMaster of dangerous toys. Is that a valid comment there?
David Roach 18:22
I went to school Jason and we worked at a steak house together. He he did dishes. I was a cook. And yeah, he'd be back there doing dishes and he had like a full gauntlet of metal like armor and would listen to Saxon on his cassette player right on. Yeah,
Randy Hulsey 18:44
it's a name I haven't heard in a while. Saxon, great band from the from the 80s. Right.
David Roach 18:49
Yeah. Jason turned me on to Motorhead man, I'll be forever grateful for that. Yeah. That was like 82 or something,
Randy Hulsey 18:57
for sure. Now, I think it was it was kind of interesting to hear that you guys are the Black Crowes had opened up for you guys at one time. And then I guess they they hit a springboard somewhere along the way and blew up. Do you still have any contact with with Chris and the boys there from the Black Crowes at all or is that kind of a thing of the past?
David Roach 19:20
No, there are another band that
Randy Hulsey 19:23
they need to call into right now.
David Roach 19:24
They their Springboard happened like right in the middle of our tour. We were playing San Francisco and James Hetfield was there. And I was still in Brian Baker. I was like, Oh man, James Hetfield is here so all these like Brian says he's not here to see us. I was like, Damn we're always on the short end of the stick. But
Randy Hulsey 19:50
what do they say always the bridesmaid never the bride is that the old saying? I've been that I've been that one before to myself. Don't Don't feel like the Lone Ranger there.
David Roach 20:03
No, most of us are Lone Ranger's?
Randy Hulsey 20:06
Well, you know, I think, in doing some study and review guys over the, the past the past month, I guess there's one thing that's been appealing to me about you, David. And it's, it's it's def, it's, you're not a sellout. You know, I think Geffen brought you guys in. And, you know, they probably it's probably what happens to every band where they say, you're unique, we want you we want to sign you and then they bring you in, and then they try to change us somehow. Correct? Is that sound kind of how the thing went with Geffen? And is that kind of what happens a lot of times in the business, they bring the band in, and then try to change them.
David Roach 20:53
I don't have to do this interview, you've got all the information already. The that's exactly what happened. I don't know how familiar you are. But we did this video called all the time in the world. And they gave us like 500 bucks each to buy a new wardrobe. Okay, that was a pretty elaborate video shoot. But I felt like that was the turning point where like, we're selling out right now. We're, we're not doing what we want to do. We're doing what they want to tell us because you're exactly right. They, they, they sign you because they say well, you guys are different than everybody else, and you're great. And then they try to mold you into something that you're not comfortable with. So yeah, record business sucks, man,
Randy Hulsey 21:46
I don't I don't get that. Like, I don't get that even just from a business perspective. In general, if you hire an employee, you're hiring them at face value, your height, you hire them for a personality or how they're going to fit into a culture, or the toolset in which they're gonna contribute to the business, right? You don't hire them and then try to change them into something else. Why wouldn't you just hire that person to begin with, so you don't have to remould somebody like I don't, I don't get that whole thought process. And I'm and I'm, I'm not probing you to speak to that. It's just, I don't, I can't wrap my head around it. And I don't want to go down a rabbit hole about it. But you know, if I'm an a&r guy for a record company, if I wanted a straight drive and rock and roll band, I think I'd just go out and find a straight drive and rock and roll band, instead of bringing a punk rock band and and trying to make a rock and roll band. Right. That doesn't make sense.
David Roach 22:43
Well, I don't want to delve into the minds of a&r people, because, like he says, Arapaho, I don't want to go down to you. But it's just the nature of the business. And I wish we, you know, been a little more strident in protecting our brand and not selling out like that. But I don't think we ever sold out too bad. Yeah, but I mean, the same thing happened in Seattle, you know, when when grunge took off, it was this exact same thing as LA in the 80s. You know, they hired or they, you know, got 200 bands. And some of them are great. I mean, God, we got Pearl Jam and Nirvana and a couple others I can't remember right now. But you know, it's just the same thing. You know, they, they see something that looks like it's gonna make money and they just sign it up. And so it pans out, but most of the don't.
Randy Hulsey 23:37
Exactly, exactly. I had heard you talking to somebody at some point in time, I don't remember what interview it was, but I think it was cool that you seem to be an accessible band, like you're accessible to the fans. And I know a lot of bands are not accessible. Like they they distance themselves, they don't want to mingle with their fans. Talk to me a little bit about your mindset or the band's mindset around being accessible to your fans and kind of creating the shows for them and not so much for yourselves. Well, I
David Roach 24:13
think that you're nothing without your fans. So if you don't if you it goes back to like what I said when you went when I went to shows when I was a kid and it seems so unattainable you know seeing these guys on stage, you know, how do I get there? But so we always had that. Give it back to a man because they're all you've got so talk to him deal with a man I'm at the bar you know, after soundcheck hanging out with people talking all the time because you know, they're they they're the only thing that makes it work. Yeah, why can't you give some time? Absolutely. It's not hard, you know, to hang out with the people that love your music to hang out with them and you and treat them. Like you'd want to treat any friend or fan. You know,
Randy Hulsey 25:05
I agree there are people. I agree. I mean, without them, who are you right at the end of the day? Yeah, exactly. It's good that you see that. And I wonder how many views I think I think the mindset has changed over the years, you know, you're probably about my age. And you know, if you think back to the 80s, when we were going to concerts as teenagers and stuff, it was like, no cameras, no video recorders. No, no, nothing. Of course, it's not the it wasn't the internet age then. But it was like it was it was kind of an us in them kind of thing. Whereas now it's more like, they encourage that they encourage the video, they encouraged to kind of have the fans part of the show. It just seemed different to me. Maybe it's not I don't know what your take on that is, but it seems like the bands will want to be more accessible now than they were 30 years ago.
David Roach 25:57
Well, I still play with a lot of bands who just some of the members have that attitude where they want to create like a mystique like, you know, we're on tour, you know, we're on another plane. Yeah, or something. Sure. And so they they do sequester themselves. And they're only seen on stage and they disappear slip out. But you know, we're Yeah, we're very, you know, for the show after the show, we're always in the mix. Yep. We love them.
Randy Hulsey 26:32
Well, and I think that that's the right approach, I think you're definitely taking the right a right approach there. I also find it interesting that, you know, a lot of singers want to say that their vocals or the sound that they've created with their vocals is unique. But But I think you you say and I think I've heard you say that. You take pieces from some of your favorite performers like the Elvis Presley's and the bond Scots and you kind of you kind of meld your sound around them. Is that Is that correct? Like you're proud to say that right? And I don't know if I phrased my question right or not, but
David Roach 27:13
no, you did. I'm just thinking about my answer. Okay. You know, the first caveman drawing was the first piece of art and it just expanded from there. I steal from everybody. Yeah, there's like some old punk rock bands from Austin that like, that I just still lose from and, you know, different like attitudes on the stage. You know? Yeah, I still anything, I can get my hands on anything that has some integrity, I will fucking take it and use it.
Randy Hulsey 27:45
Absolutely.
David Roach 27:46
And, you know, our art is shared, you know, and it's, nothing's original anymore. So you just got to, hopefully, you know,
Randy Hulsey 27:56
we're still playing the same. We're still playing the same chord progressions that we've played for hundreds of years right, the chord progressions have not changed over time.
David Roach 28:05
What I think is more attitude than anything else.
Randy Hulsey 28:08
I agree. I agree. I would like to feature a few clips of some junkyard recordings from over the years some some some years back and then some more recent the first clip that I'd like to share with the listeners is a song called simple man from the self titled debut album. Let's take a listen to that and David will come back and chat Okay, okay. Going to go you know, one of the reasons I started this show back in February was just to expose myself to to new music and somewhere I stumbled across you guys, David, I don't I can't even tell you where I had Adam Hamilton, who is a alias producer in Hollywood. He was did a he was the bass player did a stint with La guns for a while played in a band with a buddy of mine here and out of Dallas. was Texas. I think that might have been, you know where I found you by way ahem and Martin, I'd have bank tango. But I have to tell you, man, I love the song. I've spun this damn song probably 50 times since I heard it the first time and it is a hooky song. I love it. Tell the listeners a little bit about how you came up with it.
David Roach 30:27
Well, Chris wrote that song. I mean, he came up with the title, usually, I mean, all our songwriting process starts out, or it's it's always, you know, different. He came up with the title and the chorus, and I write the lyrics, the choruses or the verses around it. But that's a prime example of us ripping somebody else off, you know, obviously a linear skittered. Rip off shore to an extent. But um,
Randy Hulsey 31:00
it was interesting, because the firt when I saw the title for the first time, I'm like, Oh, they maybe they did a cover of it, right. And then I listened. I said, No, this was not a cover. Now, we just told the name. Would you say that this is one of the more popular songs over the years that junkyard has done from more of a commercial perspective, if you even I don't know if you'd even call this commercial or not. But
David Roach 31:23
I mean, it was definitely one of our I hesitate to say the word hits, but it was, you know, one of our biggest songs, it's something that the audience definitely almost a year. I mean, we we don't do a show without it. Sure. The only time we didn't play it was when we toured with Leonard Skinner.
Randy Hulsey 31:45
Do you remember where the where the video was shot for that song?
David Roach 31:50
It was a place in Valley. Like San Fernando Valley. They have the sole kind of western town they shot a million movies at we did it there. Okay, you know, it's built like a kind of a Western Ghost Town kind of vibe. Yep.
Randy Hulsey 32:09
I wanted to also take the listeners and let them listen to a song called faded off the 2017 release called high water. We'll chat about that when we come back as well. Following up I was gonna say that, you know, unlike the sound of the song simple, man, this sounds a little more punk rock influenced. Is that a correct statement around the song?
David Roach 33:27
Yeah, I mean, Brian Baker wrote that riff, okay, and you can't really sing with conviction, if you haven't actually experienced it. I feel like, yeah. And so when I wrote the lyrics to that, my engine had just blown up. And that was the first line of the song. And the rest of it is about kind of growing up in the punk scene in Austin. And where we did we call it wha hoo in beer. Or you go into the southern Lebanon, grab it back and run out and go.
Randy Hulsey 34:02
Without pay and of course, right.
David Roach 34:04
Not when you're running out the door. And you're, you're in you're not old enough to buy beer at
Randy Hulsey 34:09
first. Exactly. Yeah, I'm not gonna say that I ever did that. But maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. I don't know. It's another story. Maybe another, another interview. But what would you say that that song faded was a kind of an autobiographical song of sorts for you at all. All my
David Roach 34:30
songs are autobiographical. Okay. All
Randy Hulsey 34:32
right. Talk to the listener. I mean, like, again, you
David Roach 34:35
know, you can't sing with conviction. If you haven't experienced that if you haven't lived through if you haven't broken been there.
Randy Hulsey 34:42
Yep. I did an interview with an outlaw country guy out of New Braunfels, Texas not too long ago. And one of the songs I featured, you know, I asked him I said, Hey, you know, you talked about some things in the song and I was just curious. is how much of um, you've lived, you know, the go into jail part and, you know, like to smoke a bag of weed and this and that he's like all of them, you know, kind of like, yeah. And you sing those songs with conviction, because that's your life. That's that's how you live. That's how you've lived. So you're able to kind of pour your heart out into those songs. What what resonates better with the listeners, I mean, they take a more serious, I think, when they feel like you've lived those songs.
David Roach 35:26
Like I said, You could do this interview by yourself and you know exactly what I'm all about.
Randy Hulsey 35:32
Well, I think it's a part of it's a little bit of a common sense too. But let's share one more clip. This is a song called lifer. It was a song that came out I think late 2021 during the pandemic, we'll take a quick listen to that and then come back and chat David
Adam Gordon 35:54
shadow I do. Day, rock and roll
Randy Hulsey 36:58
you know, I'm definitely one of these guys that don't get in the middle of a song and get inside of a song and try to dissect the shit out of it. And I don't want to take the words out of your mouth. But but share share with the listeners the thoughts around the song, what What were you thinking when you guys wrote the song?
David Roach 37:15
Well, I can tell you the story about how we got the title. Okay, it was that was another riff that Brian Baker, Brian Baker hasn't been in the band for, you know, years. But he still contributes musically. And so, him and Tim, my other guitar player, we're working the song out. And Brian Baker asked. Somehow Jason McMaster came up and he and he asked him like, what's going on with Jason, how's he doing? And Tim said, Well, you know, Jason's a fucking rock and roll lifer. And it's like, bam, there's the title.
Randy Hulsey 37:56
So it's literally about living the life of a rock and roll guy, right? I mean, it's, it's that simple.
David Roach 38:02
It's about you know, that's all you know, it's it's, it's what you do. And then it's your life. You're either in or you're out. Yeah.
Randy Hulsey 38:13
If you were not singing and junkyard
David Roach 38:18
What do you think you'd be doing? For A Living what I'm doing now? Yeah, I mean, I don't see a junkyard nearly enough to make ends meet. So you know, I swing a hammer. I you know, I've done everything. Okay. Merchant warehouses been to cook cook for a long time, but I just do whatever it takes to make ends.
Randy Hulsey 38:44
Yeah, no, I get it. I totally get it. I didn't know if there was you know, a lot of people will you know, do music but they've got some kind of trade behind them. You know, like, I was a welder at one time or whatever that might be I didn't I didn't know if if you had one that you know, that's great to be handy because I'm not really a handy guy you know, when it comes to swinging a hammer. I've never just I've never ventured down that path before but I didn't know if you had this. This quote unquote, trade that you were trained in or whatever. Right? But it sounds like kind of general general type handiwork Correct?
David Roach 39:21
Yeah, no, I just learned as I go, and I do whatever I can to as I said, again, keep the lights on. You know, you find a path Absolutely. Learn as I go and I do what I have to do to keep a roof over my head even though it leaks.
Randy Hulsey 39:39
I wanted to ask you a little bit about your vocals in general, in your own opinion, how how has your voice held up? Over the years?
David Roach 39:50
I have no idea. I don't even know if it does but I'm lucky, I guess maybe. Yeah. Seems like I can hit the high notes better now than I could You know, maybe 10 years ago, interesting. So I'm just lucky. It's the only thing I can say. I don't know. Yeah, I'm good living, that's
Randy Hulsey 40:09
for sure. Well, I was going to ask you a few things in your own words, if you if you felt like it's gotten better, or, or worse, I know that the older we get being a vocalist myself, I know that sometimes we lose range, you know, the older we get, like, I tune my guitars down a half step, because I can't get half the high shit that I could you know, 30 years ago, so I have to cheat a little bit. And I didn't know if that was the same for you or not.
David Roach 40:35
Yeah, it's a pain in the ass sometimes. I mean, I actually think that I'm, I mean, maybe it's just years of doing it. I've gotten some kind of control over it or something. But um, I mean, like songs like Hollywood. Were a pain in the ass when I was 21. Okay, getting up there. And, but I'm still able to kind of pull it off now. So I'm just lucky.
Randy Hulsey 41:02
And you guys are still playing in the same key you record it in? Is that a fair statement? Yeah, okay. Well, good for you, man. I mean,
David Roach 41:10
I will. I can tell I'm not a guitar players, like they're doing.
Randy Hulsey 41:14
They just make noise and using do it right.
David Roach 41:18
best I can. Yep. Well, I
Randy Hulsey 41:19
think you guys might be close possibly to releasing some new material. I think we're you had you started working on some stuff last year during the pandemic? And what can you talk a little bit about where that is today? If that's still moving forward? Or if the train has left the station? Or what can you say about new stuff coming out from junkyard?
David Roach 41:42
We have about three quarters of an album, ready to go. And I'll send you some if you're interested. Absolutely. The demos, but um, when we got back from tour, we played a few weeks in December and came home and one of our band members has a family crisis that he's dealing with. Everything takes a backseat to absolutely. So that's on the back burner for now. But yeah, we got lots of material ready to go. And hopefully we'll get it out there this year. Yep.
Randy Hulsey 42:19
Well, sometimes, you know, families first, you know, you got to everything takes a backseat to the family. Yeah. And I know you've you've mentioned it before, you mentioned it before we kind of started rolling here we were having some quote unquote, technical difficulties. And I know you said that you're not a technology kind of a guy, but how can the listeners find you and the boys online?
David Roach 42:46
Well, you can go to junkyard blues. That's our, you know, fan, whatever, website website or you can just personal message me I get back to everybody. Okay. I mean, it's just like sitting at the bar at soundcheck. You know, I don't ignore anyone.
Randy Hulsey 43:04
Sure, sure. I'm big on Instagram. I know that all of you guys have IDs on Instagram. I don't think you're an active person on Instagram but but I will mention to the listeners that the guys in the band Todd can be found on Instagram at Big Muscat. Pat can be found at Patrick Mozingo David can be found at David dot Roach dot 3720 Tim Moser can be found at Tim Moser. And Jimmy James can be found at Jimmy James underscore USA. And the cool thing, David is that I had Samantha go out and add the guys in the band. And I've already chatted with with Jimmy and Tim. So they're looking forward to the show drop and I'll keep you guys posted and whatnot. But let me ask you a few quickfire questions. These are these are simple questions that just you know you can elaborate on them if you want but a single answer certainly fine. They're always kind of fun. And how about this first question is greatest vocalist. Through David roaches eyes.
44:16
Elvis Presley. Okay.
Randy Hulsey 44:20
If you didn't live in LA, or in right outside of Ventura, where would you live? Where would you call home or like to call home?
David Roach 44:31
Well, I always think of Washington as my home and I'm happy where I am now. And I don't really know where to go from here. If you had to pick a dream
Randy Hulsey 44:46
job. Would you say that you're living it now? Know. If you had a dream job, let me rephrase if you had a dream job. What would that be? Well, I'd
David Roach 44:59
like to be a welder. Like you
Randy Hulsey 45:02
don't, don't don't take any lessons from me on welding because I don't know how to weld.
David Roach 45:07
And tell you though the thing about my idea to move to Tennessee is I got a friend there's open up a gas station with a cafe and I always wanted to run my own little cafe. Sweet little breakfast. Lunch diner plays a really good cook. Not to hog my own horn, but I am. I make great biscuits. So, but like I said, they got pushed to the backburner, too. Okay. And that might not happen till later this year. But we'll see what happens. Yeah.
Randy Hulsey 45:47
Well, I've never been a cook your you want me there? It probably take me an hour to make minute rice. So I tried to. I tried to stay out of the I tried to stay out of the kids and leave. Leave that to the professionals. You know what I'm saying? Like I can I can make a bowl of cereal pretty well, but yeah, much past that you lose me. So I hope that that that pans out at some point in time, that would be a cool thing there. Are you an early bird or night owl?
David Roach 46:16
Both?
Randy Hulsey 46:17
I don't sleep much. And if you had a favorite song in the junkyard catalog to play live, what song would that be for? You guys are for you. Specifically? Shit. Is there one that does it for you on stage?
David Roach 46:33
Well, I always like playing blues because the crowd digs it and I dig it. And I like doing lost in the city too, because we don't do it very much. Yeah, like that. Yeah. And a lot of doing clean the dirt, which wasn't written by us, but a skill of singing
Randy Hulsey 46:51
on great songs there. David, I wanted to thank you for joining the show and sharing your stories with the listeners. One of the reasons that I started the show was to just expose the listener to things that maybe they haven't heard before, including myself, I've thoroughly enjoyed the music of junkyard I've shared that with friends since since I've kind of discovered you guys along the way. And hopefully that more will discover you guys and take a liking to the music that you have out there and the newer stuff that hopefully will come out here pretty soon. I asked the listeners to follow junkyard and the boys on all their social media platforms. I also ask that you support the man by purchasing the music and the merch online. And then certainly if they're in a city near you play and certainly get out and support them. I ask the listeners to like, share and subscribe to the podcast. You can always find the Show on Facebook at backstage pass radio podcast on Instagram at backstage pass radio, Twitter at backstage pass PC and on the website at backstage pass. radio.com David thank you again for being generous with your time and sharing your story with the listeners. I wish you success in the future. Hope you guys can make it through Houston sometime soon. And we can have a beer or a coffee or water or whatever your preference is there and I'd love to check out a live show you guys. Take care of yourselves and each other and thanks for tuning in to Backstage Pass radio. Thanks so much for joining us. We hope you enjoyed today's episode of backstage pass radio. Make sure to follow Randy on Facebook and Instagram at Randy Hulsey music and on Twitter at our Halsey music. Also make sure to like, subscribe and turn on alerts for upcoming podcasts. If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to share the link with a friend and tell them backstage pass radio is the best show on the web for everything music. We'll see you next time right here on backstage pass radio
