Contra Coup Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 8th 2010 1:12PM by Justin Richmond
Comments

In 2006, Clinton Fearon of the Gladiators embarked on a three-state tour of the southern US -- Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, to be exact. To back him on tour, Fearon handpicked a group of Austin musicians out of a couple of local bands, the Stingers ATX and Five Ton Chicken. Several months later, after building a solid chemistry on the road, Fearon's backing band stayed together to record a full-length under the name Contra Coup.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Roots reggae and traditional ska in the spirit of the 1977 punk rock movement, with dub versions. If you mix the music of Dennis Bovell, the Gladiators, Skatalites and Derrick Morgan with the stylings of John Cale and the Clash, you would be close to completing the recipe for Contra Coup's sound.

How did your band form?

We formed in '06. A group of us spun out of a band called Five Ton Chicken. We came together to back Clinton Fearon. We recorded our first full-length in 2007. We've gone through a lineup change since then, but the spirit and idea is the same.

What are your musical influences?

Joe Strummer, the Heptones, Curtis Mayfield, the Gladiators, Adrian Sherwood, Clinton Fearon, Prince Buster. A lot of our influence will come from John Cale and Joe Strummer. We will cover John Cale and try to add a reggae vibe.

How did you come up with your band name?

Contrecoup is a type of concussion where the brain rebounds off the inside of the skull. Our sound is heavy and deep, so we liked the descriptive effect. We didn't like the spelling, so we changed it. Spelled Contra Coup, it also plays on the meaning of a counter-revolution. We are appalled at the commercialization of punk rock and other forms of revolution (Have you got your Che T-shirt on 100 percent hemp cloth yet?), and we relate our band to the opposite of that. We play our music from the heart, and for the heart, not the pocketbook.

When people think of music coming out of Texas, most think Stevie Ray Vaughn, 13th Floor Elevators or maybe Buddy Holly, but not reggae. How is it working as a reggae band in Texas?

Any band working in Austin, you have a lot of competition. I mean, a band is nothing special here. There isn't a huge reggae scene, but there is a reggae scene. We don't really fit the Jamaican reggae theme. We get booked as a ska band a lot because people don't really know how to book us. We're not really into doing a lot of the irie-Jamaican positive thing.

What are your plans as a group, and how does SXSW figure into them?

We are planning to expand our touring area -- presently we tour only in continental Europe -- with the release of our new record, a double LP titled 'Run for the Moon.' We are looking to meet people at SXSW that can help us deliver our music, live and records, to new parts of the world.

Justin Richmond is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.