Interview: Gary Jeffries & Julius Ulrich, Asphalt Ballet

Gary Jeffries

MAKING THEIR MOVE...

It's 1am, I've just returned from a walk to the beach and I'm sipping a cappuccino, trying to collect my thoughts about ASPHALT BALLET.

I've been listening to music for many years, and it's difficult sometimes to put into words that sensational feeling you get when you've just heard a melody, a beat, a bass sound or some lyrics that stimulate all your senses. QUEENSRYCHE did it for me with Operation Mindcrime, GUNS N' ROSES did it for me with "Welcome to the Jungle." And now Asphalt Ballet are doing it for me with their self-titled debut album out on Virgin Records.

I first met the band six months ago at an intimate dinner set up by their record company. Before dinner, I quickly listened to the demo tape. "Where are these guys from?" was my first thought. Every song had a different feel to it, and it possessed a raw energy that I couldn't quite put my finger on. With no time to give the tape a second pass, I dashed off to the restaurant.

Seated between Louisiana-born-and-bred singer Gary Jeffries and guitarist Danny Clarke, I experienced that raw energy first hand. After many pitchers of margueritas, some great Mexican food and small talk, the band entertained us with an acoustic sampling of the songs from the album.

I think I may have stopped breathing for about ten seconds when Gary let out the first few notes. This was a voice made up of heart, soul, brimstone and fire. I was hooked.

However, never trusting myself to judge music after many margueritas, I went to check the band out (sober this time) at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. Guess what..? Hooked again. There it was, that voice. This time with a microphone. Wow! I don't think I moved for about 30 seconds this time. And it wasn't just the singer. Guitarists, native Californians Danny Clark and Julius (Jay) Ulrich (who share most of the song-writing responsibilities), amazed me with their blazing guitar work. Canadian-born bassist Terry Phillips blew me away with his high energy, IRON MAIDENish style of performing and native Californian drummer, Mikki Kiner (the youngest member) with his solid playing. Everything about them; the arrangements, the words, the music, had something to say.



I wanted to know more. It was time to find out what Asphalt Ballet were all about. So one evening, with Monday night football blaring in the background, I met Gary and Julius at the back booth of the Rainbow. With Jay nursing a thrashed throat with hot tea, we relaxed with a few coronas and set to discussing everything from the band to world peace.

How did you manage to hook up with a singer from Louisiana?I firstly inquire of Jay.

"We all came from bands where there was one tyrant in the band, or everyone thinks they're God," he replies. "And we were auditioning many singers that seemed to have that same type of attitude. In walks Gary one day with his straw hat, asks for the mic and starts singing 'Unlucky Mr. Lucky.' No ego, nothing."

"You don't go ego singing in honky tonks," comes Gary's riposte.

Jay:

"We wanted a singer who could sing and not be an asshole. Gary's a godsend. He makes our songs sound great. This band's really lucky, it has great karma. We're all great friends and we have a great manager (RJ Adams). We're going to ride it as long as we can."

But even though they're on the way up, Gary's still a country boy at heart.

"L.A. drives me crazy. I just bought a farm in Louisiana; seventeen acres, chickens, two dogs, three porches, and two barns. One of the barns will be a studio."

Julius Ulrich

Jay joins in.

"We're going to do pre-production on the next album out there. No distractions, we'll unplug the phones."

Gary:

"What phones?"

Jay:

"Last week, Gary took the bus from Louisiana to L.A. (roughly a three-day trip). As soon as he gets to my house, he's saying, 'Hey, dude, I want to sing on your four-track, man, I wrote some songs.' And before the guy goes to sleep, he puts out two songs!"

Tell me about the music and why the album has so many different styles on it.

Jay:

"We didn't know what the fuck we were doing when we started. Some of our stuff was like way out there. Now, I listen to our album and I'm proud of it. I just want to reach as many people as I can with my music."

"Individual style is encouraged in this band," adds Gary.

Jay:

"Everyone has their own trip, and different influences. Gary likes the down-home stuff and Dan will turn us on to this spy music riff. He's the one who plays those riffs from hell."  

Gary:

"Lyrically, what's been weird, it's all things I can totally relate to."

"Yeah, the lyrical content of our songs are about the way we feel," qualifies Jay. "I get pissed a lot in this town. Times are rough right now, not a lot of jobs. People are broke and struggling, kids are selling crack - you see a lot of that living in North Hollywood. It kind of sticks to you. I write a lot of lyrics. ('Tuesday's Rain' and 'End of My Rope'), that reflects that."

How do you go about developing songs?

Jay:

"Dan will get a guitar riff ('Soul Survive' is a great example), Gary starts humming along and I'll work on some lyrics. I do the rough sketch and Gary paints it in." 

Have you got much prepared for the next album?

"Oh yeah!" enthuses Jay. "I've been writing all along. We all want to do different stuff - other styles. Eventually we'll get together and do a Blues album. Real dark..."

Gary:

"The dark depths of Louisiana."

Jay:

"Then I'll spend a week writing a speed metal album. We want to do that too."

Since the album's release, what's been the biggest rush for you?

Gary:

"I was reading Music Connection magazine, you know, those ads for musicians wanted. And this one ad says, Influences, BLACK CROWES, Asphalt Ballet...Wow! To be grouped in with a cool band, that's a milestone."

Jay:

"People singing our lyrics? For someone to take the time to get into your song and learn the lyrics, now that's a kick in the pants. You can't buy that anywhere."

Barbara Shaughnessy
Riff Raff
January 1992

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