Interview: The Cutthroat Brothers
“The Sweeney Todds of punk rock” are back with a new live album.
How did you guys get together?
Donny Paycheck (ex-Zeke drummer) and I were hanging out together on the Big Island of Hawaii where I live. We’re both barbers by trade and had zero interest in ever being in bands again, even after hanging out for 5 or 6 years. We would sit on the beach talking about how bands are a pain in the ass. Then I found this tuning from reading a book about The Gun Club and suddenly had a bunch of songs. I called Donny and asked if he wanted to play drums and he said yes. Looking back now that was an amazing phone conversation!
How did you guys connect with legendary grunge producer Jack Endino?
When I called Donny he said “do you want to record with Jack Endino?” He and Jack have done many records together and are really great friends. Now, the first vinyl I ever bought was Bleach by Nirvana which Jack Endino produced—which became a theme with the albums I bought. We did the first record in three days. We didn’t have a name and had never played a note together. Here we are a couple years later, the most fun I’ve ever had with music.
I would describe your sound as dark and rootsy garage punk. I hear everything from The Gun Club and The Cramps, to The Misfits and even early Mudhoney. Who would you say are your main influences?
That’s a really fair assessment and also thanks for the high praise! That’s great company to be in. I would have to put The Jesus & Mary Chain in there too. I’m a huge fan of early punk and rockabilly as well. I was messing around with this version of “Nervous Breakdown” by Eddie Cochran the other day. Man, he wrote some great songs. I’m a fan of METZ, I like that noisy pop stuff. When I’m writing I don’t listen to music so I guess the influences come from everything Donny and I have heard that made us feel good. We’re certainly not trying to do anything on purpose, that would be too organized for us!
“Out Of Control” (from your album, Taste For Evil) was one of my favorite songs of 2019 — so I was stoked to hear it on Live In Europe. What are some of your favorites from this latest collection?
I love the new live album! It was the last show of our tour in Europe so I think we put something extra on it. The whole vibe of that show and the way that Jack mixed it sounds really gritty and raw. We always put everything into every show, but knowing it’s the last one—and the last show for a while, which we didn’t know at the time—was intense. I really like “Kill 4 U” because Donny did a drum solo! That sounds antiquated, I know, but when you hear how he does it, it might change your mind. I like “Black Candle” too—I don’t know, the vibe on that one is just there. It’s a great show to have on tape.
You guys were supposed to be touring Europe again right now. What do you miss most about life on the road?
I miss Donny and his wife, Jana. I miss hanging out with our label guy, Oliver. I miss seeing our booking agent, Mutti. Doing this interview in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown has got me feeling very nostalgic, which isn’t normal for me. In the end, being with your best friends is the most important thing.
Speaking of the lockdown, any tips for people forced to cut their own hair at home right now?
Cut it! Have fun with it. Who are we all trying to impress anyways?! When lockdown is over come see us and we will fix it.
What was your favorite show from your last European tour?
So, Rotterdam was right in the middle of our tour. We got into an automobile accident there. The gentleman who we got in the accident with wasn’t very happy. He really wanted the cops to be there. So magically, some cops on horseback showed up. Those cops said they weren’t the right cops to handle the situation, but wait a moment and the real cops will be here soon. Pretty soon the actual cops showed up, these twenty-something underwear model type guys on mountain bikes. They finished all of the paperwork, ignoring our blood soaked barber shirts drying in the back of the van. We told them we couldn’t find a place to park our oversized vehicle so they stopped rush-hour traffic in a roundabout forcing all of the cars to the side and gave us a bicycle police escort the wrong way down the street to a parking garage where we fit and then apologized for the inconvenience. That in itself was intense.
That evening Donny got news that his mom, who had been very ill for a long time, was not doing well. She passed soon after that. Luckily we had a couple of days off to process and figure out what we were going to do. Donny and I were both raised playing music in family bands as young people. Faced with whether to go home or to continue the tour, Donny decided that this was what his mom would’ve wanted him to do—to finish the tour. I was just there to support him and back any decision he wanted to make. The next night was at a small club in Frankfurt. The promoter told us that it was sold out. We played one of the best shows of the entire tour. There was healing. It was a joyous event. The spirit of Donny’s mother was definitely in the room that night. That’s my favorite show of the tour.
