Pierced Arrows Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 14th 2010 10:38AM by Tessa Metayer
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Fred and Toody Coles, of the band Dead Moon, push foward as musicians, recruiting Kelly Halliburton to form Pierced Arrows. The trio is about giving fans raw, straightforward rock that not only satisfies Dead Moon fans, but a new generation of rockers, too. As the musicians make their way to Austin for SXSW, Halliburton talks Finnish punk rock, playing with the Coles and the debauchery he plans on having at SXSW.

Describe your sound in five words or less.

Raw, straightforward rock 'n' roll, garage punk.

Describe a typical show for the band.

On a good night, beer-soaked chaos. It's just a pretty straightforward wall of sound from us. We really like a good interaction with the crowd, jumping around and hanging around my drums.
What are your musical influences?

We're a very eclectic band of sounds; our influences are wide and vary ... very hard to put down. (It varies from) classic roots rock to a lot of punk rock, the DIY underground punk scene.

What songs are you listening to now?

I'm a fanatic record collector, (music from) across the board and worldwide. I've been frantically digitizing my collection onto my iPod while on tour. I have a lot of 1950s exotica music, Martin Denny, Korla Pandit and even 1980s Finnish punk rock bands like Kaaos, Terveet Kadet and classics like Porter Wagoner, Black Sabbath and Motorhead. It's a real mix.

What about your music do you believe will make you stand out from others at SXSW?

As far as our music, it's just straightforward, no bullshit, no thrills, fancy pedals or effects ... just a pair of people (Fred and Toody) in their 60s, who've been playing for 50 years, rocking the shit out for people that could be their grandchildren. If that doesn't set us apart, I don't know what will.

If you can sum up your musical career up until now, what would that be?

We've all been at this for quite a while ... at 39, I'm the child of the band.

What's in your festival survival kit?

To hang out there, and have as much fun as we can with two scheduled shows a day.

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

No idea. After touring for 20 years, it's been a gamut of arrests, strip searches, death, border detainment ... I've seen it all.

What's your dream music collaboration?

I don't know. I've been lucky and managed to play with the best. I'm just happy to work with Fred and Toody.

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