Cocktail Slippers Interview: SXSW 2010

There must be something in the air in Scandinavia that makes their creative types see the world differently from the rest of us. It's hard to pin down, they seem a little crazier, less inhibited and easily combustible. Oslo's Cocktail Slippers are certainly all of that – guitarist Rocket Queen gave Spinner an insight into their manic world before they rolled into SXSW.

Describe your sound

The sound of Cocktail Slippers...to me it's like the sound of coffee in my cup in the morning, the sound of my first beer Friday night, the sound of...nah, just kidding! I'd say a great mix of Blondie, the Shangri-Las, the Sonics and the Ramones with a touch of the Bangles. I know that didn't make you any wiser -- so why don't you all just go and check out the album, 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre'. You'll hear for yourselves that I really am not that far off!

How did your band form?

Cocktail Slippers sprung out of an all girl group called the Barbarellas. Sugar Cane (bass player of Cocktail Slippers) was one of the members of the Barbarellas, and when the guitar player and keyboard player quit the band, Rocket Queen and Modesty Blaze were the new replacements. The Barbarellas split up in 2000, but Sugar Cane, Modesty Blaze and Rocket Queen stuck together and hooked up with a new drummer. After a few arguments we decided that it would be better to rename the band. We called the new band Cocktail Slippers, and recorded our first album, 'Rock It,' in early spring 2001.What are your musical influences?

Well, that's a tricky question. We have a lot of musical influences. I could start by saying that all members of the band have their own favourites --and none of them are the same. No names mentioned, but one band member digs Mötley Crue and one is really into Pink Floyd...but we're all inspired by some of the same artists though -- like most of old 60s girl groups, the Ramones, MC5, Blondie, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop -- just to mention a few.

How did you come up with your band name?

Well, we'd go for the Rolling Stones, but it was already taken. Ha ha. Actually, we had a real hard time coming up with a name. So one day we called for a band meeting. Now was the time -- and nobody was allowed to leave the room till we had agreed upon a band name. So we started looking through old magazines and we came up with a few names, but none of them really fitted. I remember there were names such as the Housewives and Buckle ... It didn't seem right ... Then we noticed an ad in a really old 50s magazine. It said; "Cocktail Slippers -- for any and all occasions!" Now since we were not allowed to leave until we had agreed on a name --and we had already been sitting for a while-- that was it. We all agreed.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Lipsticks, drumsticks, chopsticks.

What's your biggest vice?

We really talk and laugh a lot.

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

Once we did an entire concert with the whole band playing on two dinner tables which had been shoved together to work like a stage. I had to stand with one foot on each table holding them together so that the drum kit wouldn't fall in between the two tables. That was a crazy night! It was in The Netherlands at a really cool Mexican restaurant. Another time, in Norway, a guy in a wheel chair kept driving the chair full speed towards the stage so that when it hit the stage, he'd kind of fly onto it. Opposite stage diving. At the very same concert, a guy -- out of his mind drunk -- tried to urinate behind my amp on stage. Crazy night!

What are you hoping to get out of SXSW?

Cocktail Slippers were at SXSW last year as well. We got a lot of good feedback from it, and a lot of contacts that have proven to be very useful in the past year -- so I guess that's what we're hoping for this year as well. And obviously to have fun -- see a lot of great bands. We truly love Austin, it's such a great city.

Who else are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

I always wanted to see the Muffs. And the Cynics are playing --and Roky Erickson. I saw Cheap Trick once before --at Joey Ramone's birthday bash in New York in 2001-- but I hope I can make the concert on Fri 19 after our own gigs.

Beatles or Stones?

I believe you meant to say Beatles and Stones ... right?