PRP: The band originally formed in 1993, I understand two local bands that were breaking up kinda morphed into one, how did this all come about?
Lawrence: Dutch Courage, which lasted a year, broke up , me & Pat decided to move forward. Aaron's band, The Tradition broke up too, we nabbed his nappy ass straight away. Pat knew Tom from back in the Iron Maiden days. We sat in Tom's computer room & told him we wanted to have fun & make music. He shrugged & nodded "OK".
PRP: "Flourished With Candies" is pretty well the phantom release that no one knows about.. is it your guys first album? Any plans to ever make it available again?
Lawrence: Flourished was our 1st full length recording. We had a couple demo tapes before that, called "Pastures of the Heathen Forgotten..." Plans to release Flourished go along with any plans on re-releasing Paco, since all the songs are on Paco. So when we get the rights to Paco, we'd release it again, for sure.
PRP: For being around for so long, combining the influences and styles you do and did back in the day was very unique and the material still stands the test of time, who were your guys influences?
Lawrence: Direct influences on us, bands that you'd hear in our stuff, especially the early stuff included: Primus, hell, our first demo - I even copied Les' nasally voice. Kinda wack, but I had to start somewhere. Limbomaniacs - cuz they were local & had done the band live rap thing. Faith No More - once local (as was Primus) & they combined different styles, in a good way. I'd say I copied Patton's vocals, but then again, no one could do that. That guy rules the vocal arena in my opinion. More indirectly we were influenced by Public Enemy, Jane's Addiction, Led Zeppelin,Beatles, Hendrix, Beasties, Fishbone, Rage & even smaller local/up & coming bands. I believe bands push each other, rub off on each others. It's a matter of ultimately though, staying true to your style & finally up in a place where you don't care about what others think, really, cuz if you're rocking true honest shit, you know, others will dig.
PRP: How many times do you think you've farted underwater in your lifetime?
Lawrence: One thing we haven't done, any of us, is fart underwater. What is it like?
PRP: It's exhilarating.
PRP: What kinda bands do you guys listen to for enjoyment?
Lawrence: I listen to Bob Marley constantly. Public Enemy, Rage, Beasties, old school hip-hop. Soulfly, Fugazi. The others like (collectively) Jane's, Slipknot, Incubus, Led Zeppelin, John Coltrane, De La Soul, Fishbone, Beatles, the list is very, very long.
PRP: The band combines something unique by bringing a ferocious amount of speed and groove but doesn't stray off into the heavily technical complex structure, is this something that's shot for or just flows?
Lawrence: I think the boys (instrumentalists) shoot for technically challenging grooves, something that will catch ya but not lose ya & feel satisfied with their effort. Like they're pushing themselves, cuz we do that & with hopes ya'll feel that, push yourselves to get with it, open up & trip out with us, all along having fun & catching the message.
PRP: Rumors have arisen that Dutch Courage a band which featured Salmon members was also in fact an early version of Papa Roach, true or false?
Lawrence: Like I mentioned, Pat & I were in D.C., Dutch Courage, for lack of a better term, was the shit & nobody sounded like it.
PRP: Crunchy Peanut butter or smooth?
Lawrence: We like the peanut butter that comes in the same jar as jelly, crunchy too.
PRP: Any comments you'd like to make about the whole Red Ant situation, do you think the breakup was a direct result?
Lawrence: Red Ant - that was a good times/bad times, thing. We signed the papers, we're grown men, we got what we got & a lot of it sucked. We learned a lot, for sure. They were lame. John Phillips was the only good thing there, Our break-up stemmed from frustrations that were borne out of that time.
PRP: Just how in the hell did a musical force like Salmon come out of a small town like Gilroy?
Lawrence: How can us small town dudes sound decent? Probably because our influences were so damn tight & we've been fortunate enough to stay within our boundaries (most of the time!)
PRP: Any story behind the name of the band?
Lawrence: Name originated from the Sacred Seven Words = Salmon, Lettuce, Rice, Seven, Chicken, Pickles & Cheese all meant anything you wanted them to, especially illegal terms. (that's how boring Gilroy life can be, we resorted to such antics)
PRP: Just who is Paco? and why did he have a chicken?
Lawrence: Paco is a small brown man, from the hills, a dweller of caves, a lover of poultry, obviously. He had 7 chickens, but at the time of the albums conception, he was holding one, & we asked him to drop it.
PRP: Which band member would be most easily referred to as "the stinky one"?
Lawrence: Aaron is the stinky one. followed closely by Roadie Joe. Aaron nudges out Joe due to herbal remedies, but no one can go round after round with Roadie Joe's intestinal explosions. Straight sulphur bombs, rotten, guttural emissions via the Abyss.
PRP: A very eclectic vocal style is one of the forefront's of the band, was it practiced to make something different or did it just come out?
Lawrence: Hmm. I try & bring something different to the Bar Mitzvah. So its somewhat practiced. Other times, though, you just can't top the flow of a spontaneous combustion. Once again, if one is being as honest as possible, you'll have a unique style no matter what.
PRP: The band is all very talented, was there any musical training or is it mainly self taught?
Lawrence: Thanks. Aaron has been taught at an early age. Tom & Pat taught themselves as youngsters, & I taught myself in front of the mirror, listening to hip-hop, jumping around, pretending to be a cool guy, it was pretty bad at times & can still be.
PRP: How many Chalupas do you think you could consume in one sitting?
Lawrence: 7.
PRP: How does it feel coming from the "Garlic Capitol"?
Lawrence: We feel like the underdogs, with smelly ass breath.
PRP: The Internet has played a major part in promotion for the band, do you try to take the time to talk with the fans on the web and bridge the gap or do you see it as mainly an information tool?
Lawrence: We will always use any form of communication at our disposal. Shit, fans are the essence of any bands, any real bands, existence. Talk to 'em, hang out, eat, smoke, drink & never lie.
PRP: You guys have an mp3 up at mp3.com, what's your take on the mp3 situation, negative or positive?
Lawrence: Mp3 is a good thing, bottom line, exposure. But, not everyone has the capabilities to listen.
PRP: How's the bands previous difficulties affected the song writing process? Or is everything going smoothly now?
Lawrence: We still face the same hurdles, in a practice situation. None that can't be overcome.. But I'd say things are going at a good pace.
PRP: Urinal pucks, do they have a beneficial place in today's urinals or are they a waste of taxpayer's money?
Lawrence: Urinal pucks are a good investment. It'd be cool if they had different shapes. Like how there is animal cookies, why not have animal urinal pucks? Especially a Chicken.
PRP: Any favorite local bands or bands that you've played with that you guys admire?
Lawrence: We admire all the bands that we've played with that have shown genuine heart, soul, respect & love to us & to themselves & music & the people.
PRP: The beanie has become somewhat of a trademark of the band and if memory serves me correct you guys even sell them now, anything you'd dig saying about that?
Lawrence: Beanies have always been the warmth to keep your head flowing. We don't sell 'em anymore cuz my ex made 'em & well, we're not together, she's moved away....
PRP: Who do you think wore the most Acid Wash denim back in the day?
Lawrence: Pat was acid wash man.
PRP: With the long time between your guys last release do you feel the sound has completely changed or is there still elements of the Salmon of old there?
Lawrence: We've changed but stayed on the path of the Fish.
PRP: Do you or did you own a pair of "Hammer Pants"?
Lawrence: I had grey, loose pants that buttoned down the sides & when you opened up, they were black on the inside, I was proud of em, breakdancing fool.
PRP: With a new demo/EP on the horizon and talk of a possible double album, what should we expect from Salmon in the near future?
Lawrence: Expect more & more new music, diversity, fresh dope, ill shit. Double album... we don't know.
PRP: Any shoutouts, thanks, comments, statements you'd like to give?
Lawrence: Thanks to wookubus for starters. THANK YOU! Aaron Liebelt at Camel toe Studios. Our families. Our friends. Our fans. Anyone who supports us. Shoutouts to local bands working hard at what they love & find.
Lawrence: It'll be a cold day in hell, when the fish stops swimming.
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