The Last Dance band Interview

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I N T E R V I E W
June 2004
The Last Dance

Band email (2) tld100@thelastdance.com
Band contact number: (714) 754-4488

RCN: Hello, we are here with Peter Gorritz from The Last Dance, a local band from Orange County and they're one of the coolest and most unique bands around, so we're going to find out a little more about what makes them tick. . .

1. RCN: What type of band are you?

Peter- That's a tough one. I hate this question. Depends who you ask... LOL! But I guess the description that seems to work the best is to say that we are a rock band that combines traditional rock instruments with computer generated sequencing and our sound is a blend of 80's goth/industrial, new wave and dark wave with modern alternative rock. I often tell people to imagine Nine Inch Nails combined with Depeche Mode, and add a dash of The Cult, U2 and David Bowie to the mix. That could be a starting point!

2. RCN: Tell us the brief history of your band.

Peter-The band started in the early 90's in Orange County as a musical outlet for our guitarist Rick and singer Jeff. I didn't actually join until around 1994. At the point I joined, the band had done some local shows, interviews in small 'zines and some cassette demos. Soon after I joined we did our first shows out of the country in Mexico City, and we signed a licensing deal for our first CD with a small label in Europe. Since those days, we have done several tours of Europe including the U.K, we've gone back and forth across the U.S. about 7 times, and we're gearing up for some more touring this year. Mostly small clubs, though we've done some fairly big festivals in Europe and also some convention type event like DragoCon which is a sci-fi/fantasy convention and also Atlantis which is a music business showcase type event similar to South By Southwest.

3. RCN: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?

Peter-There are a lot. Each of us has many different influences whether they be music, art and film or people that inspire us. Some of our more obvious formative influences would be the music of the 80's which is when we all grew up. Anything from New Wave to Hard Rock from that period, really. Bands like The Cult, The Cure, Depeche Mode, I could go on and on. Also things like Cirque Du' Soleil are an influence in some ways, we really admire their approach to combining music and performance art.

4. RCN: What are your dreams and goals?

Peter- Well, I can't really speak for the other guys, except to say that we all pretty much share the same or a similar dream and goals which is to make this band our sole livelihood and take the music pretty much everywhere in the world that people want to hear it. None of us is really all that interested in being mega superstars, in fact I think all of us tend to shy away from that kind of larger than life persona that seems to come with that level of success. I think our priorities have changed over the years and now that we've seen a bit more of how the world and the music business work, I think that more than anything, we just want to do as well with this as we can and live healthy fruitful lives that we can be proud of.

5. RCN: Who writes the songs, what are they about?

Peter-We all work on the music, sometimes apart and sometimes together, but ultimately we strive to make the final output sound like the band, as opposed to a this is this guys song, that's this ones song kind of thing. Jeff and Rick are pretty much the lyricists, and they mostly focus on personal subjects and the experience of being human. A lot of the songs are not always as obvious as they may seem and they are often very open to the individuals' interpretation which is why many of our fans seem to really latch on to them, because they can relate to them from their own perspective.
6. RCN: What's your opinion of George Bush?
Peter-Well, we are not a political band and I don't want to put words in my bandmates mouths..... For myself, I am generally suspicious about the motives and morals of the people who control our government, and I am particularly cynical about this particular president.

7. RCN: How do you promote your band and shows?

Peter-It's a bit of pounding the pavement, flyering and networking, that kind of thing, a lot of use of the internet, and now, more than ever before, word of mouth and an increasing good reputation, and some really great work done on our behalf by our label Dancing Ferret Discs, and a team of friends, family and hardcore fans that go out of their way to help us out, often on their own time and at their own expense. Our publicist Kim, our graphic designer Shawn, some wonderful promoters and friends around the world who really lay themselves out on the line for us. Too many to mention and there can never be enough gratitude on our part for these people. One day, maybe we can pay some of them! LOL

8. RCN: Describe your show, visual and musically

Peter-It's a very high energy show. The live show has sometimes been said to be very different from the recorded experience, much harder sounding and in your face. On our last CD, Whispers In Rage, we made a calculated choice to try to capture more of the live sound in a recording. We definitely succeeded to some degree, but there is still more of a rawness to the live show, but we like that and so do a lot of our fans. We're not a hard rock or metal band by any means, but we have actually gained some hard-core metalheads as fans just because they really liked the rawness and edge of our live show.

9. RCN: What do you think about downloading music online?

Peter-It's a double edged sword. It can help you get out to people, but there's no doubt that a lot of bands miss out on record sales because of it. It's a reality and you can choose to use it to your advantage or you can try to fight it, but I think it's pointless to fight it. Besides, who hasn't downloaded something at least once? No one I know can say they've never done it.... It's a consequence of the technological boom we are experiencing because of the internet, and the only way to really clamp on it would mean impinging on peoples right to privacy and no one except for maybe some real radical right wing types wants that to happen! It is a great promotional tool though, if you approach it the right way. I think that one thing that it has done that is positive is that it has brought the live performance back to the forefront which is what rock 'n roll is about anyway, at least to me. People hear an mp3, they like it, they come to a show, they get caught up in the energy and then they buy a CD. It becomes about bringing the music to life in a way that just listening to a file on your computer will never match. It means that you definitely have to tour to survive which of course will hurt some bands who don't like to tour, but that's the breaks. We like to tour and that is where we make the greatest impact.

10. RCN: What's your outlook on the record industry today?

Peter-It's the same dirty, thieving animal it's always been but now it's in a position where it really has to make some changes and meet the demands of the fans if it is going to survive now that people can get their music on the internet and bands can record pretty good sounding records on a computer in their bedrooms! Record label types have always been about the bottom line and the almighty dollar, but now less and less of the major label guys are even into music or know anything about it! They're lawyers and businessmen first and often not even fans. At least some of the old time moguls actually liked music! But of course, just like what happened in the 80's, you're going to see a resurgence of indie labels like Dancing Ferret, run by people who want to make money but are also really into what they're promoting. You're going to see more of that and more bands just acting as their own label and doing everything themselves. That's pretty much what we were doing before DF came around, and we still do most of the stuff ourselves, but now we work together with them so that everyone can come out ahead.

11. RCN: What's your claim to fame? (What's unique about your band)

Peter-I think we are all most proud of our reputation as an excellent live band that's able to appeal to a pretty wide range of people even while mostly playing in small underground goth clubs. We're the goth band that people who like rock can listen to and we're the rock band that people who don't usually like rock bands can get into. That's maybe our most unique attribute. Since I'm patting myself and my mates on the back, I might as well also mention that a lot of our fans seem to feel that they can approach us and like us as people and not just as "rock stars"; we're pretty down to earth, and we have a very good and honest work ethic and a good attitude and people seem to really pick up on that aspect of the band as well. I am also quite proud of the fact that we make some pretty decent sounding records almost completely on our own with little in the way of budgets or help beyond our own knowledge and desire to create something we can be proud of.

12. RCN: Tell us a story about a day in your life.

Peter- Depends whether we are on tour or not. If we are on tour, we are usually traveling to and from gigs, playing gigs, hanging out with fans after gigs, or trying to get some rest in between gigs. When we're home, we all work on trying to promote the band and get more gigs, we do interviews, work on songs, and we do the everyday things people do to survive and live life. We work various other jobs to supplement our incomes, we hang out with our families and loved ones, that sort of thing. It's not the most exciting life if you think that being a musician is what you see on the E network or read about in tabloids, but it is closer to the reality of most musicians and it seems to suit us fairly well.

13. RCN: What inspires you to do what you do?

Peter-I'm still inspired by the excitement I always got from my seeing or hearing my favorite bands and imagining what it would be like to be on stage like them. In some ways, it's different than what I thought it would be, but it's still exciting and still fun. There's a rush to playing music and seeing people react to it in a positive way that just can't be described unless you experience it first hand. That's what keeps me doing it. I'm also inspired to continue by the people who really like us and by the people who believe in us and go out of their way to help us succeed. I imagine that Rick and Jeff would give you a similar answer.

14. RCN: What advice would you give to fellow bands?

Peter- Play music you love for no reason other than the fact that you love it. Work hard to be good at your craft and have your own style. Work hard to promote yourself and establish a fanbase and never ever take your fans for granted or be less than appreciative towards them. Learn about the business, learn about the technical side of a performance; don't fight the sound guy, work with them. And most importantly, don't be a dick! Treat other bands as allies, not enemies to vanquish. A scene starts because bands that have a similar style get together, help each other and make things happen for themselves and their fans. And scenes die when bands start trying to knock each other over scrambling to the top. In the end, the success of a band will be determined by their music, their work ethic, their fans, promotion and sheer luck. Trying to screw another band or steal opportunities from them usually will just explode back in your face.

15. RCN: What are some of your pet peeves?

Peter-Clubs that act as though they are doing the band a favor by letting them play there. Headlining bands that treat the bands that play before them like shit. Bookers and club promoters that still do the "pay to play" thing. People that think of musicians as losers and slackers that don't want to get a "real job". People that think that being a musician is not really work. People that think that because they are "famous" they are somehow better than you. People that go out of their way to be rude or unhelpful. People that cut me off in traffic! Man, I could go on and on.... LOL

16. RCN: How does music affect you and the world around you?

Peter-It gives me hope and a reason to want to live life to the fullest.

17. RCN: What's new in the recording of your music?

Peter- We are looking for people to do remixes for us. Our next release will be a remix album with remixes of songs from Whispers In Rage plus a couple of new songs.

18. RCN: What are the biggest obstacles for bands?

Peter-See question # 15! A lot of the things I mentioned before are obstacles for bands. That and the fact that there are so many people out there and it is hard to get yourself heard above the crowd. It's a very costly venture. It's hard to find the time and money to practice and buy gear and it's hard to make the personal sacrifices that you have to make to really succeed as a musician. Finding people who are truly supportive of your goals even when things arent' going so well. Finding a job that will let you take a month off every couple of months to go on tour! There are a lot of obstacles. The biggest is probably the constant battles with fear, insecurity, self-doubt, clashing egos and finding a good balance of talent, chemistry and personalities that will keep your band from imploding after a couple of months. And money. Did I mention already how much it costs to do this shit? LOL

19. RCN: What's the best and worst thing about playing clubs?

Peter- The best part is the intimacy of being close enough to your fans and close enough to your bandmates to have a really interactive experience where everyone becomes part of the show. The worst parts are being so close to your bandmates that you are always hitting each other even when you don't want to, the lousy sound systems and incompetent soundguys you often have to deal with, the clubs that treat bands like cattle, and my personal pet peeve, the dirty toilet stall that hasn't been cleaned in 15 years, has no toilet paper and no door!!

20. RCN: Tell us about your next shows and why we should be there.

Peter-June 18th at The Gig with Carbon 9 and then a U.S. tour. Go to http://thelastdance.com for details. Why should you be there? Because anybody who is even remotely cool or thinks they are will be there. There will hot looking people there and some of them might get naked... And the most important reason? Because we Rock! ;-)

RCN: Thank you for your insight and time. We'll look forward to hearing your music and seeing your next live show . . . Later gator.

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