Headshake: October 1995

Headshake has been playing for two and a half years now, and their first CD, entitled Inside, has been out for nearly a year. I bought the disc last winter after reading a review of it in none other than SLUG, and really liked the dark, lyrical songs it contains. I’ve seen them play two or three times since then, and all I can say is that they don’t do the “Salt Lake Sound” thing shithead Dave at the Private Eye sites The Obvious as being the “blacksmiths” of. Uh, Dave – listen to a few bands out of Seattle. Doesn’t it piss you off that they stole the “Salt Lake Sound” and then went back in time with it? 

I caught up with Dale Garrard, guitarist and sometimes vocalist for Headshake, outside of Saltair just after the band had finished opening for the Ramones and asked him a few questions. To be honest, he’s the last one in the band I wanted to talk to, because he seems like such an arrogant asshole when he’s up on stage. Never says much, just plays his part and shoots dirty looks right through you, you know? I hate that shit. Turns out though, that he’s a real nice, decent guy. Now don’t I feel just like a little breathing penis? 

SLUG: So how’s it feel opening for the Ramones? 

DG: Kind of like opening for God or something. I mean, I was in high school in the 70’s. In Idaho, no less. Everybody was listening to Jerry Rafferty, or if you were really with it you might have had a Zep or an April Wine album. I remember the big football stud having a battery powered 8-track in his locker. Between classes he would open it up and dance to the Saturday Night Fever sound track with any girls walking by. I’m sure he probably scored a lot, you know, being the big football guy and all that and— 

SLUG: —So what kind of stuff were you listening to?

DG: Blue Oyster Cult man. I still think those guys rule. I wanted to cover “Cities on Flame” but I couldn’t talk my fellow Headshakers into it. Next thing I know I’m hearing that Mike Watts dude covering “The Red and the Black.” Shit! Now if we do it we’re copy cats. Oh god—we’ll be covering “Brick House” for an encore until 2001. 

SLUG: I’ve heard your “Brick House.” It doesn’t suck or anything.

DG: Oh, golly, how nice. Anyway, I was saying—I was into music and had learned my AC/DC guitar riffs and stuff, and I read Hit Parader a lot. It talked about this new band that was in a movie that Cheap Trick had turned down called Rock and Roll High School and when the movie came to town I went and saw it and shit exactly 3 bricks—no more, no less. I mean, the Ramones were so incredibly cool. They wore ripped out knee jeans, like me (I didn’t do it because I was trying to be cool, I did it because we were poor—punk rockers weren’t invented in Idaho, yet. Hell, I don’t think we even had any skinheads yet), they were ugly, like me, and, like, I already knew all the guitar chords they used! 

SLUG: So what you’re saying is that you like the Ramones.

DG: Uh, yeah—they’re like the ultim— 

SLUG: Ok, ok, I get the picture. So when will you guys have a new album out? 

DG: We have 3 songs in the can for it, new ones. But I think we’re just going to do an EP. We’ll stick some live cuts on, one or two, and sell it cheaper than a whole album.

SLUG: Why? 

DG: Why not?

SLUG: The last album was really diverse. Will this EP be as well? 

DG: Oh, shit—not you, too. To answer your question, no, not so much. We had fights over that whole thing. I like the diversity, myself, but we had a few record companies say it wasn’t so good so we’re selling out—no, that’s not altogether true, because the diversity bugs some of the guys in the band and they genuinely want to do a more homogenous record. I guess I’m just the one who is pussing out. On the other hand, I’m not going to puss out on the darkness factor. Some of the guys want to lighten up the content—but that darkness thing is what I do, I can’t change that. I’m not ready to do a Ministry “Work For Love” thing. We’re sticking to god old time-tested themes like suicide, abuse, and drugs. Call us lyrically conservative. 

SLUG: So, what record companies? 

DG: Yeah, you know, nibbles, but no bites. Mercury, Atlantic, we even had a Sony rep hot and bothered when we opened for Oasis a while back and all those guys were in town—but like I say, nibbles only. And, yes, before you ask—we’re in this to make a lot of records. This project isn’t for pussing around. If it works, it works. If it don’t, I’ll see if Broken Hearts still needs a rhythm guitarist.

SLUG: Parting words? 

DG: Yeah. Please buy our record, and every other local thing you can find. It’s mostly very good, and we all (the bands) need support to keep doing this for whatever reasons. Also, if anybody finds an old Audrey Smiley album (Dale’s old band) let me know—I don’t have a copy and I may need it to audition for the Broken Hearts.

Read more from the SLUG Archives:
The Joykiller: The Real Shit
The Best Day of My Whole Life