erin_broadley

If the Killers met Hot Hot Heat in some swanky NYC hotel bar, had a night that involved lots of vodka-soaked linens and a hefty dry cleaning bill, and then never called each other again, nine months later one of them would give birth to Lola Ray.

At one point the guys in Lola Ray were signed to Good Charlottes Sony imprint and enjoyed playing in front of thousands in arenas across the country. Now back to their indie roots, theyve easily planted themselves high atop my top-10-favorite-bands-of-all-time list if for no other reason than that their music sometimes makes me question my sexuality.

Though there may only be four members in the group -- John Balicanta (Guitars/Vocals), Brian Spina (Guitar), Frederick Beck (Drums), and Chris Upton (Bass) -- they have the strength of 100 men. They can leap tall buildings in a single bound. It was once rumored that their bassist could read your thoughts just by sitting on your lap, and their drummer may have invented ink...and the fanny pack.

John Balicanta is a young soft-spoken Filipino man with a penchant for hard liquor and soft women. I sat on a park bench and chatted with him about the birds and the bees, the elephants of DC (Flag) and breasts. Lots and lots of breasts.

Arlan Hamilton: Are you guys back in California?
John Balicanta: Yeah Brian just got an apartment in Long Beach with his girlfriend, and my girlfriend just moved from New York to be with me in Orange County. She and I are trying to save some money, so we picked up this bench on Craigslist for $25. You know those outdoor benches that are made of wood and iron? We took it apart and sanded it down, and painted it.

AH: So you went all Tim Allen on it?
JB: (laughs) Yeah, we went mad Tim Allen on it. Twenty-five bucks for a bench that were using indoors. Its fuckin sweet.

AH: Do you guys know the band, Girl in a Coma?
JB: No, I dont think so. Are they any good?

AH: I just interviewed them. I absolutely fell in love with their music. Theyre so good. You should definitely check them out. Their lead singer Nina is 19, and shes just a ridiculously amazing vocalist.
JB: Is she hot?

AH: (laughs) She is hot, yes. But shes also 19. Ill say that part again.
JB: (laughs) Thats a whole different kind of hot. Its like, I wont actually date her, but Ill totally make out with her.

AH: (laughs) Right.
JB: Lets start the interview off with me talking about nubile honeys. (laughs)

AH: Absolutely. And now to some band questions that involve nubile honeys of a different kind: can you tell me why youre no longer on Good Charlottes label?
JB: Sure. DC Flag was basically a vanity label for Benji and Joel who are in Good Charlotte. Sony gave it to them as a subsidiary. There were two bands on the label, us and Hazle Street. And they poured a bunch of money into the other band, but then Hazle Street ended up breaking up. So when that happened, the label stopped running the whole project. And I think Good Charlotte was having a little trouble of their own at the time. So eventually the label just went under. When that happened, we wanted to sign to Sony proper, but they didnt want us.

AH: How has the change been, in ways you can quantify, like album sales, and in other ways?
JB: Well I feel like we learned a lot when we were on the label, cause we had a lot of resources. We got a taste of what goes on when you have lots of money and people behind you. We paid attention to the publicists and the managers when they were running around and learned how they did things, especially touring-wise. We got to see what we really needed to go on tour and what we didnt need. So now were able to tour on our own really efficiently.

AH: Right.
JB: Yeah its one of those things where you get really excited (when you get signed) and youve got big dreams about making it big. And then when that goes away, youre like holy fuck, weve gotta work just as hard as anyone else. It was weird. We did it ass backwards. We were handed all this great stuff and then had it all taken away from us. It was good cause we learned a lot. But it was a big blow to all of us, morale-wise. When we started over, (former bassist) James wanted to go do something else, (former drummer) Alex didnt want to be in the band anymore. And it came down to Brian and I wanting to do this and not wanting to do anything else. It was a really difficult change, but at the point where we are now (with the new lineup), Brian and I feel fortunate cause we own everything we are. Liars came out and we did it all ourselves. Its a really good feeling. Its not much, but its ours, ya know?

AH: Is the goal to get back to that same level again on your own, or do you feel like that was too much, or not what its cracked up to be?
JB: There are certain things that wed really appreciate having from a labelthat having a label would make a lot easierbut there is also a lot of freedom we have not being on a label. On one hand it would be rad to have more money, but on the other hand, most labels are wasting money doing things the old-fashioned way. Like radio and whatever, and not on touringthe things that hold everything together. Theyre too impatient. They dont want to invest time and wait and watch things grow. I think at a certain point, when we build it up enough ourselves, labels will want to come back again.

AH: If you build it, they will come.
JB: Yeah, exactly. Before that point comes, a label isnt going to be that good for us. But I think that extra push that certain bands need, labels are great for. Right now I think were still trying to build a better foundation to get to that point.

AH: You know that video you guys have where(interrupted by a homeless man screaming about El Pollo Loco while sitting on a bench outside at a park)
JB: (laughs) Whoa

AH: That was my dad.
JB: (laughs) Man, your dads like, drunk on a bicycle yelling at you? Thats rad.

AH: (laughs) All day. Thats why I had to get out of the house to do this.
JB: (laughs) Youre in the living room while your dads on a bike just yelling at you.

AH: Just circling and circling, yelling about chicken.
JB: (laughs)

AH: Yes, so the video you did for this older song What It Feels Like, you know the way YouTube is right now, I feel like its the type of video that could become viral. Are you going to do something like that for a newer song? You guys have such a fun, creative time with things like your blog and the way you promote yourselves.
JB: Yeah definitely. We actually made another video for the song Were Not Having Any Fun. We shot all of the footage less than a year ago. We just havent had the money to get somebody to edit it. Its shot really, really well, and its just a matter of finding someone to edit it for us, or coming up with the money.

AH: You know who does editing? I know this is kinda random, but Clea Duvall does editing.
JB: Really?

AH: You should totally get in touch with her and see if shed do it. She did this 10 minute short film recently. It was this funny take on global warming about this girl named Green. It was about herselfand she did the writing, direction and the editing. She did a great job on it, so it would be cool, right?
JB: Definitely. Thatd be sweet.

AH: The direction you already have with it, is it something thats really cool that you think people would show their friends and could possibly become a cult hit?
JB: Yeah, well I just love the song so much--

AH: Its my favorite of yours
JB: The video is basically us standing in front of a brick wall, getting tons and tons of food thrown at us. Like cakes and tons of beans, and eggs and tomatoes. Its amazing actually. (laughs)

AH: Wow. Yeah Id love to see that. Ok, so you call the album Liars. Was that directed at anyone?
JB: Originally I drew a bunch of elephants for the cover and I wanted to call it "Mice. So it would be, ya know, untrue. (laughs) But the title is more directed towards myself, if anything, or what people have thought of me. Like people in my life, ex-girlfriends, etc. Most of the album is about my old relationships. I had this crazy summer of drama and MySpace (laughs) and ex-girlfriends, and new girlfriends. It was a mess. I wrote most of the record with Brian on acoustic guitar, or by myself at 4 oclock in the morning, really, really drunk, and sad. The whole record is basically me confessing a lot of how I felt about things that were going on. It was almost an apology to the people that I hurt. It was a way for me to come to grips with the many things that I dont like about myself or havent liked about myself for a long time. Its just me exposing myself a lot. Its the most Ive ever done. But its the not the most that I could do. I think the next record will be more so like that, maybe in a different tone cause Im in a different place now. Im trying more and more to really say what I really mean. Thats always been a difficult thing for me. Im always trying to like, sugar coat things, and make things pretty. But I really want to get across certain things that I feel. The last record was an attempt to do that.

AH: So your next album will basically be a how-to guide for guys?
JB: (laughs) Yes, How to not get yourself in a situation where you would write liars for your next record.

No, there are a lot of things that Ive struggled with spiritually that have nothing to do with relationshipswait no, actually I think it has everything to do with relationships. I think thats why Liars happened. I was figuring out my relationships and how they related to things. Ive also always been interested in religion. Troubled by it and plagued by it. The next record will be more of an expression of a journey that Ive been going through lately.

AH: Speaking of journeys, how long is Brians hair going to get before he cant see his face anymore? What is the goal here?
JB: (laughs) What I think were looking for in the forecast for the next few years is something where if you stretch it out it can go around the world twice. Right now its like a big orb of joy. But if you were to look at individual strands, I think youd find tiny towns and people who have been trapped for days. Then if you cut his hair in half, just straight down the middle, youd see the rings of all the touring weve done, and all the stress. I think hes older than he says he is. He says hes 26, but I think hes 400 years old.

AH: I was thinking something like 270, but you know Im bad with guessing ages. Do you think hell ever do the Lenny Kravitz thing and cut it off to just take away all of his stress and mellow out?
JB: The Lenny Kravitz thing and go black?

AH: Half. Go half. Lenny is half. But to be fair, Brian is already half black. So
JB: (laughs) Hes got a lot of soul.

AH: And whats with his fascination with Ben and Fred Savage? Is he gay, or?
JB: (laughs) No, I dont think hes gay. Brians very into pop culture. His world is reading US Weekly and People. Its an addiction and weve been trying to figure out how to help him kick it, without hurting him. We might have to bind him to a wheelchair or something and have him listen to only indie records.

AH: Thatd be a cool stage show, if you bound him to a wheelchair.
JB: Watching the IMC channel only. Youre done with the pop culture man. (laughs)

AH: SuicideGirls -- I dont know if you know this or not, but theres a rumor that there are naked women on the site.
JB: Id have to verify that rumor. (laughs)

AH: This leads into probably the most important question of the entire interview: Do you prefer the left boob or right boob on a woman? Which one has served you best?
JB: Id say the left boob because its closer to the heart, so its swollen a little bit more.

AH: I was not expecting that answer.
JB: It just looks great. Its wonderful.

AH: They dont usually talk about Britney Spears on the site, but I think we should for a second. Cause I know it has a lot to do with your life.
JB: (laughs)

AH: Did she go crazy because you broke up with her, or?
JB: (laughs) Well thats why I took down my MySpace page. Cause she kept messaging all of my friends saying that we were still in love, ya know or that things were great. But you know what, that bitch stole my Xbox 360 and I will not forgive that!

AH: She stole your what?
JB: My Xbox 360, yo.

AH: Oh I thought you said your virginity! And I thought, well that explains a lot.
JB: (laughs) Yes it does.

AH: The questions I had planned for this are just becoming so much different.
JB: Theyre just becoming more and more real, Arlan.

AH: Which of the four of you guys would pose naked on the Internet?
JB: (laughs) HmmId probably say, our drummer Beck. He even calls his penis The Great Redwood.

AH: (laughs)
JB: I think thats something hed want to share amongst the great multitudes. Its not gigantic by any means, but its a beautiful thing. Its like a natural rainforest, if you will. I think more people should bare witness to its greatness.

AH: And how often do you guys share these things with each other?
JB: How often do we show each other our wieners?

AH: Well, yeah.
JB: I think that all of us try to pee in urinals that dont have dividers. I think that subconsciously we want to see each others wieners. We dont talk about it. Like, you know someones taking a piss next to you, so youre like, "Hey man, hows the show going so far?" And if you can see a shadow of it out of your peripheral vision, youre like, "Yeah, thats Brian right there." Makes you feel safe. Or like if were in a hotel and were really drunk, and one of the guys is like, Man, Im gonna pee over this balcony, and were like, No! dont do it! but secretly we kinda like lean over and think, Thats some good shit. (laughs)

AH: Thats amazing. I wanna live in your head for one day. Your brain! Your brain, I wanna live in. I should say. Oh man
JB: (laughs) My shroom. I think the problem is that my brain and your brain are too similar.

AH: Thats interesting. Were kind of an androgynous pair too, I guess.
JB: (laughs) Exactly.

AH: We should do a side project thing. Ive been wanting to do a really messed up spoken word poetry thing, cause Im so bad at it. I want to try to make people take it seriously. I want to go to Hotel Caf one night and convince them to let me up there. Walk up there, have the place full of people. And wear a sweatband and never break character. I want a friend of mine to play bongos behind me, and theres just one really soft red light hitting the stage.
JB: (laughs) Right

AH: I want to request silence from the audience. Like put up signs that ask that no one speaks for the 15 minutes Im up there. And for the first 7 minutes, just have the bongos going. And then on the 8th minute, I just stand up and scream out, Vagina!!
JB: (laughs)

AH: and just look really sad, and kinda scary. Just walk offstage, leaving everyone to try to figure out what the hell just happened.
JB: Id totally do that with you! We could be the Ambiguously Straight Duo. Thatd be rad.

AH: (laughs) We should do that! Thats a genius name for it.
JB: Its beautiful.

AH: Ok, well work on that. I wanted to talk to you about tattoos, but I dont know how to segway into that now. I know you have several, and Ive never really talked to people about why they get them. Im curious.
JB: I have a theory about why people get tattoos.

AH: Oh great! What is it?
JB: My theory is that no one actually gives a shit about what any of them mean, they just think they look cool. I think 75% of the people you ask why they got a tattoo, theyre really full of shit. They might make up some grandiose story, but its really because they have a sweet picture on their arm or their chest. It comes down to vanity. It has nothing to do with heart or soul or anything. I think its pretty rad.

AH: Thats.
JB: (laughs)

AH: Well just end it on the ambigiously straight thing.
JB: (laughs) Well what do you think about it? Why do you think people get tattoos?

AH: I only have my brother as an example. Hes completely different from me in almost every way, except our sense of humor. Hes in Dallas and he has a ton of tattoos. He has so many that Ive lost count. And theyre mostly names of people in his life.
JB: Right

AH: And I think he does it because he likes the pain.
JB: Yeah, I was actually going to say that too. I know personally Ive enjoyed it so muchyou know when youre about to ask someone on a date, and you get really nervous, and you get really scared? And whether or not you fail, its the fact that you did it and you survived it and youre alive after that, it gives you a rush. And the next time it happens, its not as difficult. Its like overcoming a fear. Tattoos hurt a lot, but they dont really hurt that bad, just enough that you know what its like to hurt. And youre alive, and youre fine.

AH: So it reminds you of what youre capable of withstanding. It reminds you that you are alive and youre feeling things. Hmm. I might have to try that!
JB: Its like people who do the suspension stuff, right. All of that mind over matter stuff is fascinating to me. I have no control when it comes to that. If something hurts, it hurts. But talking to people who do things like that, they really do conquer pain or suffering. Its weird.

AH: Thats beautiful, John.
JB: Youre beautiful, Arlan. You really are.

AH: (laughs) Oh John, we know who wins in the beauty category right now. I love your hair and I hope you win.
JB: (laughs)

AH: I had my family vote for you. Thats how much I want you to win.
JB: (laughs)

AH: Ok, so this is my final question--
JB: Ok

AH: So you think you can dance?
JB: (silence)

AH: Oh god, you dont know the show?? Oh man!
JB: (laughs) Theres a show?

AH: (laughs) Ok so that wontbe my final question. Ill just keep asking people until they give me the answer I want. I just dont know what that answer is yet.
JB: I just want to express myself with the art of dance. Have you ever seen that Dane Cook skit? Where hes like, Girls are always like, forget guys. Lets just go out and dance. I just want to go out and express myself with the art of dance. You never hear a bunch of dudes go like,*deep voice* Dudes, fuck girls. Lets go outside and dance. (laughs)

AH: (laughs) You know what? I dont think Dane Cook is funny. But I think hes funny when you deliver it! Maybe you should be a cover artist for his work. Just do a Dane Cook cover coffee shop tour around the whole country.
JB: (laughs) Ill be like DaneBalicanta.

AH: Perfect!


Fall in love all over again by showering yourself with Lola Rays music at www.lolaray.com and redefine literature as you know it by visiting their blog at lolarayband.blogspot.com

Check out Arlan's blog here