Blog Entry 5 of 85
A Lady's Lair
Welcome to one of the only blogs dedicated to local ladies
kicking a$$. I'm a former YourHub.com staffer who loves to give coverage to people doing great things, because, well, it's contagious.
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Q & A with Adrian 'Angus' Conner of Hell's Belle
Contributed by:
Brit Horvat/YourHub.com
on 4/22/2007
"It's a bit unfair to call
Hell's Belles an AC/DC cover band. These ladies grab that hokey cover band image by the balls and squeeze until the only air left in the room is hot, loud and sticky with sweat. Plain and simple ... these ladies know HOW to ROCK ...
... Representing for a whole new generation of women that won't be intimidated, Hell's Belles actively support women-populated bands by making sure to include them in shows and interviews whenever possible. Not some down-your-throat feminism, but a proactive support and action towards the continued balancing of the gender scales."
I recently got the chance to interview
Adrian Conner, who plays the role of
Angus Young in the all-girl AC/DC cover band internationally known as Hell's Belles. If you've never seen her tear up the stage and rock your face off, that's going to have to change. Until then, enjoy this honest, hilarious interview.
Brit: You're coming to Denver at the end of this month with your other band,
Adrian and the Sickness. Where and when will this female-dominated rock band tear up the stage?
Adrian: We are playing
Bender's April 29th!
Brit: I've read that during your live show with The Sickness, you run around in the crowd dodging drinks and fans without missing a note. WHAT?!!?? Have you EVER had a "klutz" moment?
Adrian: Yes. Hells Belles had played NY the night before and I took a plane a couple hours after the show. I didn't get much sleep and I had to play in Austin the same night. So I jumped off the stage at my AATS show and as I was trying to get back up on the stage I tripped and fell face forward. I broke my wireless transmitter and the sound it made during the song was "guunkkk" and I got a big bruise! Expensive mistake!
Brit: Clue us in on some other up-and-coming female-dominated rock bands that write their own material. There aren't enough.
Adrian: OK! Awesome! I really like
Girl in a Coma. They are on
Joan Jett's label
Blackheart records. We just played with
Go Betty Go last night. They were pretty good. Sings kind of like No Doubt. Good thing we are playing again with them tonight because that was my drunken impression.
Brit: What do you think about
Lez Zeppelin, the all-female Led Zeppelin cover band??
Adrian: CAN I SIT IN ON A SONG???
Brit:My friend saw Lez Zeppelin's last show in Denver and told me the lead singer was from Australia and was smoking hot. It reminded me of
Om Johari, your old Hell's Belles lead singer from "down under." What is she doing these days?
Adrian: She is doing music in Germany. I hear she is having some success over there! She's so talented.
Brit: Speaking of Led Zeppelin, that was the first band to get you revved up to play the guitar at age 16, right? What's your favorite LZ song? (My all-time fave album is Houses of the Holy.)
Adrian: I can play that for you if you want. Yes, LZ is how I learned to play guitar. Fave song? That's hard! To play along to the CD -
Song Remains the Same. Live - probably
Communication Breakdown cause I can sing and play it!
Brit: What's the best rock album to play while making "sexy time?"
Adrian: Bongo Land! It's a compilation. No just kidding. But it is a great compilation. Ummmm I've done it to
Stevie Ray Vaughn's
The Sky is Crying. That was a bit weird. BEST EVER was
Bjork's
Homogeneous. But really anything w/o words works the best.
Brit: How was it when
Jamie Nova first joined Hell's Belles? Did you have to break her in? Or was she ready to rock?
Adrian: She had big shoes to fill. You know OM and all! She took a lot of criticism from us. But she had a GREAT attitude and worked very hard to get to the level of performance she reaches today. She never stops practicing and I really think she is doing a good job.
Brit: When did you first start playing on-stage in your bra and "Angus" school-girl skirt? You've done it at every
Fox Theatre show I've seen. Is it always the same exact skirt and same exact bra?
Adrian: I need a new skirt so bad. The first strip I ever did was at the Lion's Lair. I was so nervous. It happens at almost every show. I change the bra ... I wish I had the balls to take off the skirt for the song!!
Brit: I read in another interview that one of your favorite Hell's Belles moments included boys who wore g-strings and turkey necks in your hotel rooms? You should elaborate on that.
Adrian: That was the night of my first strip at the Lion's Lair. I made out with one of the boys who really wanted to make out with Om or Lisa. He was a bad kisser. So I saved them. I love turkey necks!
Brit: Tell us about the time you hung out with
Mike Moen and
Hazel Devitt. Who are these people?
Adrian: We hang with them all the time. They are
Mandy Reed's best friends. They live in Bremmerton. Hazel is really direct and well, she's really good at making you feel uncomfortable. Mike Moen sings in
Neutral Boy. That's Mandy's original band. He's quick-witted with the insults. They both are. Be prepared if you are in the same room with them.
Brit: For those of us who've never been to your hometown in Federal Way, Washington, what places do you recommend visiting and why?
Adrian: SEATTLE! FED WAY S*CKS!
Brit: Are you still living in Austin, Texas? Did you go to
SXSW this year?? Name your top 3 favorites and worst 3 picks.
Adrian: Yes, I still live in Austin. It's the best place in the world for a chick like me! I did hang at SXSW. I didn't get a wristband because you really don't need them to have fun. I think they are a waste of money. I would never pay for a wristband. My top faves that I saw: 1.
Valient Thor 2.
Amplified Heat (local to Austin) 3.
The Spunks. The worst?? There were a lot of bad bands I saw. I can't remember any of the names cause they s*cked. It's amazing how many s*cky bands get a showcase too. That's where politics ruins music and SXSW. That's why people are turning away from radio I think. The music s*cks on there; and the only reason the bands are on the radio is because of $$ and politics.I really can't remember any names of any real@#$% bands. Turn on your radio and there's tons of@#$ bands ... Ok wait! I do remember the s***tiest band I saw. And they were the worst because they had a famous member. It was
Les Claypool and the orange peach something or other ...@#$%, it was terrible. He plays drums in the band and sings. He's an OK drummer. But not good enough to hear a whole@#$% set of it. The lyrics were terrible..."let's go to burning?man" ????over and over ... It was lame hippie @#$% almost like the guitars were all noodley.
Ihate noodley guitars. In fact so much that I'm shy about jamming. Because that's what I do when I don't know what I'm doing. It was the most half a**ed thing I ever saw. That is really frustrating as a musician and a songwriter; to see a band get up there and present something half a**ed. And you know they got paid a ton to play that. There was a bunch of jocks there. He had a good response. I left after the second song. Les, you've disappointed me, man. You are an awesome musician.
Brit: You say one of your favorite things about performing live is a big stage so you can run around and get crazy. Does that mean you loathe playing on the small stage at the Fox?
Adrian: The Fox is one of the bigger stages we play. It's a good size. The only time we play stages bigger than that one is usually at an outdoor event. But yes, I hate small stages to play Angus. Half of the fun is the athletic part of the job. It's like me and the guitar are dancing or something. I am the worst dancer in the world. I'm a private dancer. Dancer for money. Do what you want me to do!??
Brit: About Seattle ... Ever been to the
Showbox? Who did you see?
Adrian: Oh lots of people:
Sky Cries Mary, The Distillers,
Critter's Buggin,
Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. I've played there with the Belles. I don't like the sound on the stage.
Brit: Do you agree that Dick's Drive-Thruis better than In-N-Out Burger?
Adrian: I don't eat meat so they both p*ss me off to eat at.
Brit: Last time I was in Seattle, I saw the parade where everyone paints their naked bodies and rides bikes down the main streets while almost EVERYONE in town gathers to watch it. Would you ever participate in that parade? How would you paint your body?
Adrian: I WOULD LOVE TO! Hmmm I'd paint over all the cellulite. So basically my thighs would be painted ... only.
Brit: If someone told you that tomorrow you had to start an allnew all-girl cover band, which band would you cover?
Adrian: I'd probably tell them to F off! BUT just for fun I would love to play a Led Zeppelin set in Austin with
Patrice Pike, Nina Singh and
Heather WEBB. Just once. Remember Patrice Pike from
Rock Star Supernova ... Did you know that they couldn't call the band just Supernova? They had to call it Rock Star Supernova... ha ha ha ha ha hahahaha ...at least that's what I heard. She plays CO now and then. We had once practiced and it felt soooooo gooooood. We all want to do it but Patrice doesn't seem very interested in the idea. I just want one show man....??
Brit: I was reading an interview with your man, Angus Young, and he was asked, "What advice would you give to another player on keeping the show going when playing live?" He responded, "Once you're on the stage you can't go back, even when things go wrong, people expect you stay on there and entertain them. When all else fails, you've got to try tap dancing."
... Do you follow his philosophy? Have you ever tap-danced or changed up your routine to keep the show going?
Adrian: He's obviously a way better more experienced performer than me. I would take his advice on peeing standing up. I would just love to hear him yak all day long. If someone @#$% up at a Hells Belles show, it's usually me, so I have had to air guitar the lead for Dirty Deeds! That was silly.
Brit: There are many other AC/DC all-girl cover bands out there. Be honest and tell us which ones don't quite live up to it and which ones you'd like to have a stage battle with.
Adrian: Well to be honest and it makes for boring reading ... AC/DC isn't about competition in the sense of musicians competing with each other. Actually, I hate that musicians compete with each other. Music is not about competition to me. It's about art and performance. I know I'm lame!
Brit: Tell us one of your guilty, girly pleasures that would totally go against your "Angus" role.
Adrian: I don't think I have any ... I have pretty bad hygiene. I smell often.
Brit: Are you afraid of anything?
Adrian: The crowd at first. Dying. I don't want to be though. Turbulence. Being sick. Making Mandy or Lisa upset. Not doing a good job. @#$%, everything scares me! Except my dog and my cat!
Brit: What current poppy, mainstream song are you secretly digging???
Adrian: Lily Allen!!!
Amy Winehouse! Oh and some of those songs from
KT Tunstall... oh that's really poppy.
Brit: Back to Adrian and the Sickness. Give us some of your favorite lyrics.
Adrian: @#$%, I like a lot of my lyrics. I have to or I can't sing them to people. Not that I'm particularly talented at lyrics...
Everybody let's you down. AT least once your friends will make you frown. Sometimes I ain't got no friends. Sometimes I am better off dead.
Brit: What advice do you have for other DIY rock bands that may be on the verge of giving up???
Adrian: Give up! There are too many bands. No really, If you love music and you feel it's your calling ... then don't give up. If you are truly good at what you do, doors WILL open. Get in touch with your spirituality to stay grounded in terms of mental health. If you are half assing ... then give the @#$% up and make room for people who would die to play music for a living ... because that's what it takes if you weren't born into the entertainment business.
Brit: Do you see yourself staying with Hell's Belles for a long time???
Adrian: I love playing in Hell's Belles. I want success for my original band. But I don't want to ever quit Hell's Belles. I will always want to play it IF people still want to see it. It's a great feeling to play such great music that people love. It's true entertainment. It's amazing how we touch people playing AC/DC.
Brit: What's your newest non-music-related endeavor??
Adrian: I recently got back into swimming. And I love desperate housewives.
Brit: Thanks, Adrian. Best of luck to you in everything to come (if you even need it). You ROCK.
Adrian: Thank you for the opportunity. Please don't edit my statements to make me look like an a**hole. But please correct my spelling.
(For more of
Alan Birdsell's work - ahem, the man that took the awesome pics of the Belles - check out his
Web site.)
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