The Jim Jones Revue Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 4th 2010 12:05PM by Amanda Herron
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The Jim Jones Revue wants to save your soul. Former Thee Hypnotics and Black Moses veteran Jim Jones's screaming vocals and Elliott Mortimer doing indecent things to the piano combine with Rupert Orton's guitar, Gavin Jay's bass and Nick Jones's drums for an unholy orgy of rock 'n' roll idols from Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis to the MC5 and the Sonics. The British band brings the raw rock romance of its messiah Little Richard back to the stage at their US debut at SXSW 2010.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Jim Jones: Rough but juicy -- brutal with a swing -- rock 'n' roll.

How did your band form?

Rupert Orton: Out of necessity: Jim and I felt that the world needed to rock again.

What are your musical influences?

JJ: The piano-driven rock 'n' roll of the 1950s and most music with guts and soul.

How did you come up with your band name?

RO: When we first got the band together after a couple of weeks, a friend heard a rehearsal tape and demanded we play his club night in East London. We protested that we weren't ready and didn't even have a name. He said, "You're doing the show and I'm billing you as the Jim Jones Soul Punk Revue." We played the show, which was a sold-out success with a line stretching down the block, and the name -- slightly shortened -- stuck from there.

What do you consider to be your biggest vice, either on the road or at home?

JJ: Humility and dark chocolate.

What's in your festival survival kit?

JJ: Dark chocolate, Alka-Seltzer and rubbing alcohol.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

JJ: The Bellamy Brothers.

Beatles or Stones?

JJ: Both.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

JJ: A little bald gas station attendant in Cork, Ireland, who freaked out, shouting and running around madly, when we tried to put trash in the bin.

How do the fans and audiences differ between the UK and the States? Do you have a preference for your live shows?

RO: We've never played the US before, so SXSW is the American debut of the Jim Jones Revue. We're very excited!

What's your favorite song to perform live?

JJ: 'Princess & the Frog': It always hits the ground running!

If you could have coffee or a drink with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

JJ: [Little Richard's producer] Bumps Blackwell would be cool for a chat about, among other things, the early days of Specialty Records. Or maybe Oscar Wilde, just for the pleasure of chatting.

Any superstitions or road traditions for luck?

JJ: Always kick out the jams and never write your band name on the wall of the dressing room! Also, if it's the last Friday of the month; it's bad luck to eat a frog's tongue wrapped in horse hair and boiled in virgins' blood before you go onstage!

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