Johnny Foreigner

Alexei (Singer & Guitar), Kelly (Bass Guitar) and Junior (Drums)

Interview

- Can you tell us about the history of your band? How you formed etc.

A: Well, we are all from Birmingham and to be honest, it’s a tragically boring story, just like most other bands. We all played in other bands before this one which weren’t very good. Eventually joined up together and got better.
J: We met Kelly because Alexei and I were in a band, called funnily enough, Johnny Foreigner and we had a bit of an emergency. We needed a replacement bass player and Kelly joined us.

K: But we have all known each other since we were around 16 years old but have been in the same band for only 20 months.

- What is the origin of your name, “Johnny Foreigner”?

A: Well, I inherited this old house from my Grandfather and on this road live loads of old people. They are always using the term Johnny Foreigner to describe immigrants in the area. They would blame Johnny Foreigner for taking all the available jobs, for keeping their shops open for longer hours and for working harder. We thought it would be a cool name. There is nothing intellectual behind the name at all really.

- Can you describe your music for us please?

A: We are a shouty, yelpy, noisy pop-band. A young couple having a blazing row is one that has stuck in my mind.

7 digital

Also, I just want to make clear that we sound nothing like Bloc Party and Blink182!

- What are some of your influences, in terms of bands you admire or listen to?

A: Kinsella Family, The Pixies and although the other two don’t agree, I have been influenced by Suede. To be honest, not many English bands except Liverpool bands.
K: Yeah, we listen to a lot of Chicago and Canadian bands.

-What’s the Brimingham band scene like?

J: Not sure really, we haven’t actually found it yet. There’s a few good bands but most of them aren’t very good at all.

A: In Liverpool, everything seems to be about the music and everyone spinning off the same idea but in Birmingham, it seems like it’s more important to have the right kind of hair and being in a band but not actually writing any decent music or songs. So it seems to be more about being in a gang and the whole thing just gets a bit arrogant and no-one really takes it seriously.

K: There are some little people, like promoters, putting money in and knowing that they won’t make the money back on the bands but they really give a shit and that makes all the difference. Kids walking around, sticking up posters and being pro-active and that’s happening more and more in Birmingham now.

- So what do you guys do for promotion? Any internet sites?

J: Yeah we have a Myspace account and to be honest, I don’t think we’d be here talking to you if it wasn’t for Myspace. We met both our manager and label through it as well.

A: Myspace allows everyone from a tiny band to bands like Jimmy Eats World to have an equal platform of exposure. So you can’t really use it to stand out that much. So we actually just treat it like a personal Myspace account and not as an Artist account. The vibe is more like, if people like our band, they probably like good music and therefore, we probably want to be friends with them.

- What’s the creative process when you are making new songs?

J: Usually, Alexei will come to the practice with a basic song, play it and I will try and think of a suitable drum beat to go along with it. Kelly will pick up the rudimentary notes and create her own version of the bass-line to play. It’s the best way to work, I think.

- Have you recorded in a studio at all yet?

J: We just recently came out of it actually. We just finished recording an EP “Arcs Across the City” and it should be out in November on Best Before Records. We also previously released two singles, “Sunset Cinema Club” & “Sometimes in the Bullring” on 7-inch which are available from Launderette Recordings.

Youtube : Johnny Foreigner - Camp Kelly Calm

A: The cool thing about the 7-inch releases is that a lot of people seem to buy them, not to listen to, but more as a token of appreciation of your band, which is great. Most of our mates who have bought them don’t even own record players, they become more of a piece of art that gets put on the mantelpiece as an ornament. It almost feels like they have become a collector’s item more than anything else.

K: There so many shit albums on CD and the fact that so many people download songs from the internet that we have to give people the incentive to want to buy our products and one of the ways is to make the artwork really stand out.

- What are your feelings on the current UK rock scene? Is it on the rise?

A: A few years ago, I was working in a record shop and Bloc Party and Futureheads were just starting to become popular and it was during this time that I was listening to a lot more UK stuff. Nowadays, I don’t know if it’s because I’m in a band or not, but I’m not inspired or listening to much UK music at the moment.

- I noticed when I heard your gig that you like to use the Quiet/Loud Formula in a lot of your songs, a bit like The Pixies, what do you think?
A: Yeah, when we first started writing the songs, we didn’t even mean to sound like them. When we put our first record out, the man who released it was in the car with his wife one day and she said to him, “Oh, is this The Pixies?” Because of the boy/girl singers and the quiet/loud thing and that’s when we realised who we sounded like.

- If you could tour with any of your dream bands, who would it be?

A, J & K: Broken Social Scene, The Pixies, Los Campesinos

- Any other future plans apart from the EP release in November?

J: Well, we really want to sort out a Japan trip because I think the sound will be well received out there and I have always wanted to go there.
A: I read a lot of rock biographies and the single most depressing thing everyone says is taking the flight from Japan back to England after the tour.
K: After Japan, the plan is to have gold-plated guitar shaped swimming pools!

myspace : myspace.com/johnnyforeigner
Best Before Records : www.bestbeforerecords.com

Photos by Toshimi Takaishi
Written by Selph