This Saturday (October 11) two fantastic Virginia bands will once again share the same stage as Charlottesville’s Sons of Bill team up with the Wrinkle Neck Mules in the Mules’ hometown of Richmond, Virginia for what promises to be a can’t miss show at Toad’s Place.  [ticket info]  These two bands have played together on numerous occasions in the past, but for fans of Sons of Bill and the Wrinkle Neck Mules it has been too damn long since we last saw them together.  Saturday’s show will mark the first appearance for the Mules here in the Old Dominion in over a year and given the friendships that exists between the two bands this should be a special night indeed.

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to interview the lead singers for both bands and today I’m giving you my interview with the Wrinkle Neck Mules’ Andy Stepanian, who currently resides in Houston, Texas.  [Andy is pictured second from the right above]  I’ll be presenting Part 2 of this post, featuring my interview with S.O.B. front man James Wilson tomorrow.  In addition to having MP3s from both bands, we’ve also got a pair of tickets to giveaway to see the Mules and Sons of Bill this Saturday at Toad’s Place in Richmond, Virginia.  To register to win, drop a big “Yee-haw!” in our comments section.  I’ll be announcing the winner this Friday at noon.  The winner will be drawn at random and will be notified via email.   [interview with Andy Stepanian after the break]

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This interview is separated into two parts.  Part One includes questions for both Andy and James Wilson of Sons of Bill.  I’ll bring you James’ answers to these questions tomorrow.  Today Andy responds.  Part Two are my questions for Andy alone.

Part One:

Both bands have played overseas (S.O.B on the USO tour) and the Mules in the UK.  Granted two completely different experiences, but maybe you guys could talk about what those experiences were like.

I think the Sons will agree that it’s a pretty special experience.  For us, we just found that the audiences were so knowledgeable about what you’re doing and where you’re coming from historically that it makes the shows all the better.  And in the UK, people wanted to throw down after the shows as well.  We barely made it to the second day because the people in this little village called Swindon outside of London nearly killed us with post-show revelry.  Things are shaping up for another run to Europe next year and I hope it happens.

I think it’s safe to say that the two of you are friends.  How did the friendship come about?

It’s something that just came about through playing shows together.  It was clear straight away that we are trying to accomplish something similar.  The bands have a hell of a lot of respect for each other and we have a pile of good times when teaming up on shows.  It just so happened that the Mules were a few years ahead of the Sons in terms of experience and mistake making.  So, James and I have spent a lot of time on the phone talking about ideas and such.  He gives me a dose of optimism and I hope to hell we’ve been able to save the Sons from some of the stupid mistakes we made along the way.   Plus, I see that the Sons are going to be huge and I want to ride their coattails later on.

Sons of Bill have been described as country-rock, the Mules as a rock band that likes bluegrass.  When you both want to listen to rock n roll, where do you turn (artists / albums)?

Ha.  James and I were just talking about Danzig and how he liked the Misfits “way back”.  As a band, we like all kinds of different rock, but for me there’s no match for Led Zeppelin.  I’m so pissed at Robert Plant right now for foiling this reunion tour.  I’m not sure what he is thinking.

Talk about one song from the other band’s catalog that just makes you stop and say “Shit, I wish I had written that one!”

That’s tough.  The Sons have such a knack for melody that all of them seep into your brain and won’t let go.  I really dig Back to the Time because its something that everyone can relate to.  Far Cry is my favorite though.  I especially like the end when they start talking about prison farms, greyhound buses and portraits of the Sons painted by Michelangelo.

If you guys could program your own radio station what artists would we hear more of besides more Sons of Bill and Wrinkle Neck Mules songs?

As far as contemporaries go, Centro-matic from Denton, Texas, Bonnie Prince Billy and you can never go wrong with The Gourds.

Your musical heroes?  Any villains?

My musical hero is Sam Wilson from Sons of Bill.  Villains?  Yes.  Si.  Joe Perry needs a punch in the mouth.

If you guys could challenge the other to a contest, knowing full well that you would win, what contest would you challenge the other to?

Bear wrestling.

You sit down at your favorite bar.  What’s the first thing you order up?

I would order Beer.  Stuart, our drummer, would order a water, a beer, a coke and a cup of green tea.  I’ve never seen anyone who is a more demanding bar patron.

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Part Two:

How challenging has it been to keep the Mules moving forward now that everyone is so scattered about? [Andy lives in Houston, guitarist/banjoist/vocalist Chase Heard is in Austin, TX, the rest of the band still calls Richmond, VA home]

The Mules are used to long distance relationships.  There was a long period in our early history where Mason lived in Wyoming, Chase in Texas and the rest in Virginia.  We plugged through then and are doing it again.  Its just a fact of life brought on by the need for everyone to live their own path and be near their people.  We’re all committed enough to hop on planes and get things done.

New songs?  New album in the works?

Yes.  And Yes.  By the time this goes to press I would expect to have the full band recording of a fourth record fully underway.  Chase and I have demoed many new songs and we’ll hit the studio starting Friday October 10.  No promises, but I would expect a Spring release.

The song you’ve written that you’re most proud of?

This changes, but right now I would say Ursa Major.  There’s a lot of layers in there that aren’t readily apparent.  The song was created for no album in particular and really represents a moment in time where Mason and I were working every single day in a home studio.  We made some pretty strange songs at that point, many of which would surprise most Mule fans.

Excited to be playing back in the Old Dominion in front of the hometown folks in Richmond?  With S.O.B.?

Oh yes.  I feel like we owe the Dominion and Richmond so much and we haven’t really been able to pay any debt of gratitude over the last year because of wildness in the schedule.  We’re going to do what we can to make it happen this time.

How crazy has life been since Hurricane Ike rolled through your part of Texas?

It was a wild storm.  I was smacked by Isabell up in Richmond a few years back and didn’t think it could get much worse.  It can.  100+ mph winds don’t take any prisoners.  Houston is getting back to near normal, but the Galveston area is decades away.

What the hell is a Wrinkle Neck Mule anyway?

A Wrinkle Neck Mule is a character similar to the Easter Bunny who brings toys to good children in the country of Swaziland during the celebration of the long reign of monarch Ngwenyama Sobhuza II.  Apparently, Patrick Swayze is a direct descendant of his and could conceivably become king if 14 or 15 others in the line pass away.

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The Wrinkle Neck Mules have released three full-length albums to-date.  Their most recent release is The Wicks Have Met, which was also their first release for Lower 40 Records.  [give a listen to “Ursa Major” from The Wicks Have Met below]

Listen:
MP3:  The Wrinkle Neck Mules–”Ursa Major”

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Tagged as: concert, interview, MP3, Sons of Bill, ticket giveaway, Toad's Place, Wrinkle Neck Mules