Interview with Jose Garcia, bass player of The Beets

Photo by Frederico Bolagno, stolen from the Hardly Art website.

The Beets are a great band from New York that has created something that I have some difficulty describing. The music is fairly ramshackle, with everything sounding as if it's just on the verge of falling apart, yet it still has a concise, laconic sound to it. All seemingly stemming from sixties summertime fun, the music makes you feel warm and youthful. I was able to interview Jose Garcia, bass player of the band, through e-mail and find out a few things about the new record and some information about the band. 


 Alrighty! First off I'd like to thank you for the interview.
JG: No problem, my pleasure.

How'd The Beets end up getting together?

JG: Me and Juan met at McDonalds.  We would go their every morning around 7AM and just sit there for hours nursing our addictions and ranting about this, that, and the other this.  I never really spoke to him though.  By the grace of god, one day he sat next to me and a mutual friend and he seemed cool, I wanted to start a band and I asked him if he played guitar, luckily he did and came over that weekend, we really hit it off and bam the rest is Beets history

Is there any correlation to the band from the 90s show Doug? If so, what are your feeling towards Doug and his posse?

JG: No correlation whatsoever, we were completely unaware of the Doug phenomenon, this was way before Myspace was such a hub for bands so no fake beets Doug page, we thought we were in the clear.

What are some of your guys' main influences?

JG: I've always said that one of my main influences is Juan himself, I've been playing with him for 7 years or so now and have evolved my bass playing to fit into his type of music, as for Juan see: Eduardo Mateo, The Rolling Stones, Chicos Electricos, The Ramones, Beach Boys.

The Beets just put out a new album, Let The Poison Out (I got the purple vinyl, which is beautiful by the way), what was the recording like (Where, songwriting process, producer people, etc.)?

JG: We recorded the record over two days @ Marlborough Farm with Gary Olsen on a gigantic reel to reel.  Juan Wauters produced the record and wrote the songs, we practice all the time so everything was pretty straight forward, got in there recorded the songs in one or two takes and that was that. Raw power, magic was brewed.

I heard some spanish on the new record, any native speakers in the band?

JG: For certain, Juan was born in Uruguay, as for me I am of Colombian and Bolivian decent, we both speak the Spanish tongue.

Do you prefer analog or digital recording?

JG: Analog all the way, I feel something gets lost in digital, it feels more thick on analog.  Like there's a hiss, or a soul to it that makes everything like a milkshake.  Delicious as hell.

Does the band have day jobs? If so, where?

JG: Juan is currently unemployed, he has a knack for making balloon animals, is great with pets and children, and he's charming as shit.  So if anyone out there is hiring - hook it up.  As for me, I work at a bowling alley shoveling shit.

Were there any bands before The Beets that you guys were in?

JG: Before the beets Juan and also has two bands called Pow Pow and Pink Noise, respectively.  Before that I was in a Band called the Nicfits, and as a kid Juan had a band in Uruguay that hung out and played Ramones covers.

What's one piece of music equipment that you've never had that you would love to own/try?

JG: A 70s Fender mustang Bass, also big bass amp, i want huge bass speakers. NOW.

Is there any advantage of being in New York? What's the scene like at the moment?

JG: New York is the greatest place on earth so that's a plus.  There is some sort of scene going on in Brooklyn that we somehow got scooped up in but we feel we are kind of the kids no one wants to play with.  Not in terms of friendliness but as being out of place musically and spiritually.  We're shamans in a world of day glo and blogs and we're trying to change souls one lick at a time. It's a hard nut to Fuck, you know what I'm saying?

What part of your music makes it so foxy?

JG: Have you seen us shaking our ass on stage?  Foxy as shit.  Not to mention when people hear the Beets it makes their pussy wet. 'nuff said.

Random zone:
1. Please make up the best way the band would've met (be as imaginative as necessary).

JG: It would have been great if we met on a space station in the 6th dimension.  Our life units would have had built in music automaters, as well as a built in life supplier and nose feed so we would never have to stop playing music.  Oh well.

2. When you were a kid, what was the worst/most fucked up thing you ever did?

JG: I jerked off into a sock at my grandmother's house and then put it back on to hide the evidence.

3. What's the one thing that the Fonz (Happy Days) has that you want?

JG: Magic.

4. Please explain your feelings toward Richard Simmons in five words.

JG: A great Howard Stern Guest.

5. Fill in the blanks: I want to stuff a _________into a ___________ only because ________ _________ ________.

JG: I want to stuff a banana  into a blender only because I need more potassium in my diet.


The Beets are a great band and, as you can see, Jose is imaginative and amazing too. Go out and pick up the new album from Hardly Art. The sounds will be foxy.


Hardly Art site: http://hardlyart.com/thebeets.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/losbeets
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thebeetsbeat