The Fooligans are just beginning their onslaught on the music scene, so what better way to welcome them than to make one of their own face down five furious questions. Lead guitarist and singer, Ian Leinbaugh, has gladly stepped up to speak for himself and his fool army, bassist John and drummer Neil Colvin. See what he’s got to say after the jump.
1. If your band were a soap opera, which (or what sort) would it be?
While none of us have ever watched a full episode of any soap opera, we assume our band would most likely be The Young and The Restless, particularly considering that’s the only soap that we are aware of. We are all fairly young–Neil is just recently 18–and all certainly restless. Also, given the amount of “drama” in our lives, and the lives of the former Fooligans, I would bet that our uncensored story would make a wonderful season for “daytime’s #1 drama.”
2. When did you decide to start this project?
Despite numerous attempts to sit down and start a “real” band, there was no specific moment when we decided to make ourselves into The Fooligans. William Taylor and I had been playing music for several years in various configurations but always intended to create something that was our own. When John Colvin began playing bass with us, we knew we had found the third piece of the puzzle, as his style and influences meshed wonderfully with our own. It wasn’t until Tom Dobrov began jamming with us several months later that we began to form our own original music and decided to call ourselves “The Fooligans.” Our band name, which was thought up by my girlfriend, defined our sound as much as anything else, though Tom’s extensive musical background certainly has directed us towards shorter, tighter, and more aggressive songwriting. By the winter of 2009 the four of us had written about eight songs and we have done our best to keep the wheels on the road since then!
3. Describe your feelings toward the local music scene.
Well, my feelings certainly have changed a lot over the ten years that I’ve been a musician! The three of us grew up listening to older music–stuff like Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Parliament Funkadelic, Tom Petty–and any good music on the radio, which at the time was, to us, a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime. Presently, John and Neil don’t pay too much attention to local music, while I started listening mostly as a result of feeling guilty for putting the blinders up as a result of discouraging encounters with local musicians in middle school and high school. Since crawling out of my cave, I have been absolutely floored by the variety and incredible talent in the Triangle, particularly the songwriting and definitive sound of bands like The Moaners, Love Language, Dynamite Brothers…the list goes on and on! After years of disinterest I must say that I LOVE LOCAL MUSIC!!
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?
The three of us have listened to just about anything we can get our hands on so there are bound to be a few unexpected items in our collection, but some of the more surprising influences would perhaps be stuff in the jazz, classical, or hip-hop realms. We all love Jurassic 5, Wu Tang, N.W.A., and we all believe Outkast to be one of the greatest groups of all time. Studying music at UNC has given both John and myself a real appreciation for classical composition. He and I both studied jazz improvisation under Stephen Anderson, which has left us with a dedication to discipline and musicianship. John has studied jazz bassists Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, and Charles Mingus, Neil is a big fan of Billy Cobham (we actually have a ride cymbal of his that was acquired at an auction in the early ’80s), and I am enamored with Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. Local virtuoso John Garris had a huge impact on my guitar playing; as of late, my songwriting has been profoundly influenced by the garage/indie sounds coming out of NYC and the Triangle, as well as the folksier sounds of groups like Dawes and Delta Spirit.
5. What did you want to be when you grew up? (How did that work out?)
Originally I wanted to be a surgeon like my grandfather, then an actor, then in middle school I dreamed of being a football player; John and I both wanted to be football players, though we both decided we weren’t cut out for it (conveniently, we both started really playing music once we came to terms with our lack of athletic skill). Neil would still be very happy being a professional golfer. We also reluctantly admit that we, like so many others, have always held on to the dream of being a “rock star.” Still got a ways to go for that one. We’ll let you know how things are going when we grow up!
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Follow your feet to The Nightlight tomorrow, Friday, April 8th to hear The Fooligans in action. And by all means, give Ian a high five when you see him!