Stylish Rockers Embrace Los Angeles, Bowie and the Darkness Within

The jaded rock ‘n roll purist might argue that Sweethead have an unfair advantage over the many other Los Angeles rock bands struggling to make names for themselves. After all, guitarist/songwriter Troy Van Leeuwen is also a permanent member of the mega-successful, mega-respectable rock band Queens of the Stone Age. Recipe for instant success, right? Not quite. While the association certainly hasn’t hurt Sweethead’s marketing angle (and neither has the white-hot smolder of vocalist Serrina Sims), their good fortune and visual pizzazz are but two small parts of what makes this band special. To the aforementioned jaded purist, Sweethead submit their self-titled debut. It’s a killer set of strutting, attitudinal clank-rock, all muscle and electricity and smeared-makeup glamour. Playback sat down with Van Leeuwen and Sims to find out what makes the band tick.

Your North American debut album came out on May 11th. How’s the response been so far?

Serrina Sims: It’s been good! It’s a tough industry, but our label’s been pretty happy, and I think we’re going to do some vinyl now. We’re very excited. And we’ll have two new videos coming out. They haven’t even come out in the US yet, so we’re excited about that, too.

So the album was released earlier in Europe?

SS: Yes, and we’re very happy with our European sales, actually. I think we sold out of our first pressing. That was through a different label. In the States, our label is The End, which is through Sony. They’re the ones that put out our record on May 11th.

Historically, The End has been a really strong metal label. How’d you hook up with those guys?

SS: We used to work with a management company called Gentle Management and they first took our record there. I think it was many months ago they wanted to sign us. And then we changed management to Black Sheep Fellowship, and the label called and said “We still want to do this.” They wanted to work with us. It’s been a great relationship so far.

So you’re satisfied with how they’re promoting the album and your career in general?

SS: Satisfied? You’re never satisfied. But I do think Andreas (Katsambas), who’s the head of the label, has so much passion for music that he inspires me. He’s really a fan. In America it’s really tough. There’s not the enthusiasm about the music industry that there is in Europe. But against all odds, he’s really putting his heart into it. We’re just getting started.

Tell me about the creation of the album, starting with the songwriting process. Does everybody participate in it?

SS: Somewhat. I’d definitely say that Troy and I start it, just because we’re in closer proximity. We are so used to writing with each other that we just start that way. We have a great band, and we do get into a rehearsal room and write some songs. But we only bring them in after we’ve started the nugget. Although there have been times, in the rehearsal space, when we just come up with something on the fly. All of us, as a band. When we go record, the guys will definitely add in their two cents, so to speak. We’re always writing.

I think “Starting the Nugget” should be the title of this article.

Troy Van Leeuwen: That’s good!

Troy, you’re best known for your membership in bands led by other folks. What have you taken away from your time with Failure, A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age that you’ve been able to apply to Sweethead?

TVL: I guess I’m what they call the “band leader,” corralling the musicians. Not necessarily the leader in the sense that I’m the man in the band. There’re lots of things I’ve learned over the years, and it’s funny because a lot of that stuff isn’t valid in this day and age. Things are changing so much in the music industry that everything is new now. Musically, I’ve just learned to take things and not force them, let them happen naturally, and figure out when the time is to capture that moment. Basically when you’re talking about writing and recording the music, you’ve got to learn when to let it go. That’s what I’ve learned over the years.

SS: Troy’s taught us a lot in the band, and me specifically. He’s been doing this for so long, and dealt with media for so long. He’s influencing me as we go along, with his great knowledge.

Troy do you feel like writing and co-leading this band with Serrina feels different than your partnerships with other bands in the past?

TVL: Every situation is different because of the characters involved. Another thing that I’ve learned over the years is to figure out what my role is. In each situation it’s different. Being adaptable is the key for me.

This isn’t the first time you’ve struck out on your own – you had the band Enemy a few years ago. How do your plans for Sweethead differ from the ones you had for Enemy?

TVL: I just take things as they come, you know? As far as Sweethead, it really came together rather quickly. I was really pleased with that. Enemy took a long time. It was in between so many different projects that by the time the record came out, I was so done with those songs already. But with Sweethead, we were writing songs all the way up until right before we handed in the record. So it’s really, really fresh.

SS: And you have a partner this time. In Enemy, you had to juggle between A Perfect Circle and doing this other band. With me, you at least have somebody who’s trying to keep it going when you get distracted.

TVL: That was another key thing. I had a pretty substantial break from Queens of the Stone Age to do (Sweethead). That really helped with the focus.

Are you still a full time member of Queens of the Stone Age?

TVL: Oh yeah.

So they’re just in between recording projects?

TVL: Everyone took off and did some things on this break. Of course Josh (Homme, Queens of the Stone Age frontman) did Them Crooked Vultures, and Joey (Castillo, QOTSA drummer) did Eagles of Death Metal; our keyboard player Dean (Fertita) was playing with The Dead Weather, and our bass player (Michael Shuman) has a band Mini Mansions. So everyone did something pretty substantial. This is what I decided to do.

There’s a really nasty, seamy, discordant undercurrent to your songs. Where does that come from?

SS: We’re rotten souls! It’s funny, I think it’s just living in L.A. People talk about being from New York and how that shapes their songwriting. And I think in L.A. there’s a similar thing. You get frustrated with living here…I write a lot of the lyrics, and it just sort of antagonizes me. L.A. can be a seedy place, especially some of the places I’ve been to. So it helps you underscore the writing process.

TVL: We’re all fans of pop music. To try and write a song in a pop format, and to capture something that has a little bit of darkness in it as well – that’s an art form that I think is important. To try and capture those two ideas, and still land the idea and make it sound like a pop song. So maybe that’s where it all comes from.

Failure and Queens of the Stone Age were both excellent at doing that, too.

TVL: It’s part of my history, I guess. I can’t hide who I am!

Serrina, how’d you develop your singing voice? Who are some of your vocal idols?

SS: It takes whiskey, generally – that’s how it’s developed! I hate to say this, but a lot of my idols are men. I love David Bowie, I love Iggy Pop, I love Robert Plant. Sometimes people accuse me of sounding almost masculine, especially live. It’s not lost on me, because those tend to be the people that I look up to vocally. I just sing. It’s that rotten soul again, coming out.

You mentioned Bowie. Sweethead was named after a Bowie B-side. Tell me what Bowie means to the both of you.

SS: For me, he was a consummate rock star. He kept people excited, and guessing. You weren’t sure about him, and you weren’t sure if he was crazy, or if he was just an astute businessman – you didn’t know. He kept people intrigued. And he kept me intrigued, even after all these years, and I love him to death.

TVL: I think that’s a great era, too, that Ziggy Stardust era. “Sweethead” is a B-side off that record. The whole idea of Ziggy Stardust, and “the kids had killed the man,” it’s still true to this day. And right after that, Bowie broke up the band. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. And then the journey he took after that was so interesting – going to Berlin and doing a trilogy of art rock records with Iggy and Eno and Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew. That sound ended up being a big influence on me. I’ve always enjoyed following his “trip.”

Radiohead took their name from a Talking Heads song of the same name, and I think that was from the same era that they were working with Eno, too. Weird little coincidence there!

TVL: Eno’s a big influence on us as well. It’s definitely that era of music that was really special for me. That mid to late ‘70s Berlin stuff was very cool.

How important is image to what you’re doing with Sweethead?

SS: I don’t think it’s anything that we consciously think about. Troy’s always been known as – I’m sorry to say this – the best-dressed man in rock ‘n roll. That’s what people like to call him in the press. It inspires the rest of the guys in my band. We have a brand new member named Eden Galindo, and we didn’t even tell him what to wear. The first show he showed up for, he was fully decked out to the nines in his suit. For me, once again, it’s being inspired by people that looked well. It helps complement the music if you get on stage and you don’t look like everyone in the audience. You should try to give them something to look at.

So you don’t just think that it’s an easy point for marketing. It’s a real part of what you do as a band?

SS: I think it can both help and hinder, but to be honest, I don’t think we think about it. We just get dressed, get on stage, and try and do our thing. I don’t think I’ve thought for one moment about what we all look like. That hasn’t even come into play yet. But hell, maybe in the near future.

TVL: As long as the music isn’t corrupted by it, that’s all I really care about. To me, you’re getting on stage, you’re using lights, you’re using sound, in some instances you’re using props. You should use wardrobe, too.

Troy, you mentioned earlier that there are a lot of things you had to deal with in your earlier bands that aren’t valid anymore. In terms of what you’re doing to get the Sweethead name out there, are there any innovative things that you’re doing now that you wouldn’t have done before?

TVL: Of course the internet, one of the main marketing tools that we have. We have MySpace, and Facebook, all that kind of stuff. And we’ve been toying with our own video editing. We had a video for a song called “The Great Disruptors,” and I got a bunch of behind-the-scenes footage from it and I did a “video remix,” if you will. We put it up on YouTube, and people comment on it. “We put it up on YouTube:”

SS: In the past, when Troy was with Interscope for his other band, or for Virgin, you relied on your record company to tell you when you’re going to make your video, how much it’s going to cost. They did all the marketing. And these days, even if you’re on a major label, it’s still up to the artist to be very present, and proactive, and actually lead the charge these days. And that’s at every level. We know bands that are huge, and their labels are no longer doing anything for them. The new thing is that it’s artist-driven. And that includes not only the music, like it used to, but all aspects.

TVL: You’re creating the opportunity, the marketing event.

To me, that’s one of the unforeseen wonderful parts of the slow demise of the record industry. That there is this increased transparency, this connection between the band and their fans. And it means more work for you, certainly, but nobody should be working harder than the band itself anyway.

SS: Right, instead of sleeping in your bunk before the show, and getting up right before you have to play and trying to rest, it means going out. These days if you don’t sign a CD while everyone’s waiting, your fans will go on the internet and say what a jerk you are for not doing it. So it’s definitely not someone with no energy’s game. I’ve watched Troy’s career, and I definitely noticed a sea change. Before it was so guided, so structured by the label. And now, you’re out there, face to face with your fans. They can talk to you over the internet, they can talk to you via Twitter, and talk to you face to face. You’ve got to do all of it. It’s hard work.

Was there ever a question of signing with a label versus going the DIY route?

TVL: Yeah, there always was. Really you have to have the right amount of capital to really make it happen. And that’s the reason you sign with a label. They’re supposed to help out with the finances. It just depends. We went with The End because they’re really excited about the band.

SS: And they would help us where we have multiple labels, all over the world. We’re going to start doing Australia next year – it starts all over for this record in Australia. So you need help. When you’re trying to do something global, it’s hard to manage every territory by yourself.

Are you looking for a publishing deal?

SS: Why, how much you got?

Let’s see, I just found a stick of gum, 75 cents…

TVL: Well, my breath has to be fresh in the morning, so…

SS: I think we’re just trying to do our thing. Our manager tells us what’s going on with that kind of thing.

TVL: It really just depends if the price is right.

SS: In other words, two sticks of gum.

It should be that way. There’s no reason to sign away part of your publishing rights for absolutely no money.

SS: Getting placements and things continues to be a main source of income. It helps some people I know that are doing well, who can pay for their busses and all their luxury items on tour with placements and video games and so forth. It’s a key thing these days for artists, to get those placements.

Is that a particular ambition for Sweethead?

SS: I think so. We’ve been approached for a few things. And so far we’ve only done a little bit, like a beer commercial in Denmark. We’ve been taking it easy, because our record just came out. But those options are there, and it’s something that I’m gonna get ambitious about, for sure.

It sounds like the trajectory for this record is pretty well planned if you’re not just taking every single opportunity that comes your way.

SS: We’ve been so focused in Europe – we were just in Europe, two weeks ago. Now it’s time to focus on the States and start doing stuff here. That’s going to be our focus for the rest of the year.

You had a residency in Los Angeles recently, yeah?

SS: Yeah, it was at Spaceland. It was great. I didn’t think that I’d like to be playing the same place four times in a month. It actually made me embrace L.A. a little bit more. We got a great response, and there is some energy here. It takes more than one show sometimes to find out. Doing a residency made me like my city more. I might be softening towards my hometown.

There seems to be this non-existent battle between the eastside of Los Angeles and Hollywood, in terms of venues. I’ve always found that eastside venues like The Echo and Spaceland and Silverlake Lounge are so relaxed when it comes to industry presence and attitude. They may be stuffed with hipsters, but at the same time, it’s so comfortable to go to a show out there.

SS: Having options when we were doing our residency, with the Viper Room and so forth – not to slag anything, but it was definitely more attractive that our choice was going to be, ultimately, the Bootleg or Spaceland. I liked it, because it is more about the music, and you’re not concerned whatever a-hole industry person is going to be there. It’s more about having a good time, having a good show, having an experience.

You’ve toured with Them Crooked Vultures, Snow Patrol and Puscifer. What’s been your favorite live experience so far?

TVL: It’s funny, the one you didn’t mention was our favorite one. We played with Eagles of Death Metal in Europe for like a month. It’s really not just because of the music. All of those bands, we like all their music.

SS: Eagles of Death Metal are just fun guys. It’s like a brotherhood. To be honest, I loved the entire experience of Them Crooked Vultures. That’s such a mega-band, especially the markets that we played in overseas. The love that they got from the audience was transferred to us. I got to stand in front of 5500 people that were completely turned on in two sold-out nights at the Hammersmith Apollo, and got to do a lot of fun stuff. It was an amazing experience. And meeting John Paul Jones, hanging out with him at dinner every night, and Dave Grohl of course, and Josh (Homme), who’s our boy, and Alain Johannes – that was family, too. That involved bigger venues, and was a little bit more serious than (the tour with) Eagles of Death Metal. And Snow Patrol, great, great friends of ours, the most fun tour. Puscifer as well, great friends. I hate to say this, but it’s been a blast on all of them.

TVL: That goes to show that we’re really lucky because of the relationships I’ve built over the years. They’ve taken us on the road, and that’s been really helpful for us. That’s another reason why we’ve appreciated every single moment we were out there.

SS: It’s nice, I just played Download Festival. It’s in England, and there are tons of bands that play. We found that our dressing room was in the private area for Them Crooked Vultures, and Josh (Homme) escorted me arm in arm to the stage. It’s just a great thing to have fun like that in the industry. It makes it so much fun.

What does the rest of the year hold in store for Sweethead?

SS: By the time this comes out we will have already done our Pacific NW tour, but I think we’re doing some shows in September. So we’re just going to be enjoying focusing on the States, and wanting to conquer our own country for once.

TVL: Plus we’re always writing and trying to record…

SS: So another record is in the works for early next year.

Fast workers! Well, that’s all I got. I really wish I could be at your Troubadour gig in July. I’ll be out of town.

SS: You know what then? We’re done talking.

TVL: The interview’s over!

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