Piper
Downs, The
“Ladies and gentleman, we have a piper
down. I repeat, we have a piper down!”
Kangaroos can’t distract
them… the fierce wind of the Midwest can’t
get to them. Not even the flying attacks
of designer jeans, shoes and haircuts
good old Los Angeles provides can break
these cat’s strides. The piper downs have
everything going for them right now, and
awesome attitudes that keep them sane
in a sometimes-insane industry. Don’t
tell them the scene in la sucks, because
they don’t back that program. Get
to know the august band of the month,
the piper downs…
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Well, first thing's first. The name: What
is a piper down? Let's hear the origin.
Bobby: The name is taken from a
scene in "So I Married An Ax Murderer,"
with Mike Myers. There's a scene at a
wedding reception where a drunk bagpiper
is playing "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" over
and over again on the pipes. He finally
passes out and a character yells out,
"We have a piper down! I repeat, a piper
is down!" I thought that nothing summed
up the attitude of the band better!
Ellen: It’s from Mike Meyers’ “So...
I Married An Axe Murderer,” – such a great
flick. If you check out the scene at the
wedding reception, the ‘band’ is actually
Mike Meyers (as his own Scottish father
– he likes those dual roles) and an elderly
man playing bagpipes. They play Rod Stewart’s
“Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” over and over until
the elderly man finally falls over – not
from exhaustion, but from full on inebriation.
Mike Meyer’s calls out on the microphone,
“Ladies and gentleman, we have a piper
down. I repeat, we have a piper down.”
Add an S to that and there you have it!
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Who are you downs anyways? What are the
roles of each of yous?
Bobby: My name is Bobby Bognar...I
am the lead singer and shitty guitarist
for The Piper Downs. I also do most of
the grunt work-like making sure we get
paid at shows.
Ellen: I’m Ellen McGuyer, drummer
and girl. I started learning the drums
two years ago in the hopes that I might
be good enough to get in the band one
day. I’ve been an official Down since
December and I’ve had the time of my life.
If you’d told me 5 years ago - hell, 2
years ago – that I’d be in the Piper Downs,
I would’ve asked you where you got the
crack you were smoking.
Garner: I'm the lead guitar player
and back up singer for the Piper Downs.
We are the new dominators of rock and
of music itself! My role is
the cuddly one; I can cuddle like no other...
Yell: : I am Yell (an old family
name given to the first boy of every generation.
It is my real middle name.) The Bass player.
I also sing all of the girly high backup
vocals. I orchestrate the witty banter
between songs, and bring a boyish charm
to the band.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Tell me a bit about the scene her in la.
What advantages or disadvantages there
are to being in the entertainment capital?
Bobby: The music industry is sort
of like a lotto. You can buy a ticket
in a small town, at a church raffle, and
win a cake, or tickets to Six Flags or
something, and maybe make the local newspaper
as a human-interest story. Or you can
go to a big city, and buy a ticket for
the hundred million dollar jackpot, and
change your life forever...Sure, there's
more competition, but there's more opportunity,
too. We're playing the BIG lottery.
Ellen: It seems like everyone in
L.A. has aspirations of stardom – I mean,
we all know that in L.A., everyone’s an
actor, comedian, and/or musician. It seems
saturated and so I think sometimes you
get, “Yeah, you’re in a band, so what?
My cousin knows Fred Durst…” But on the
flip side of that, all those people are
here because all the record execs, casting
agents, etc. are here in L.A. I
mean, you can’t live in Pumpkin Center,
VA and get Sony out to see your band. Besides,
I love L.A. – I couldn’t imagine living
anywhere else…
Garner: I love the LA scene. A
lot of people bag on it or say it sucks. I've
been in other scenes; east coast, Midwest,
southern, etc... LA is the
best. People here don't know
how good they have it. There
is always a place to play any night of
the week in any part of LA.
Yell:: L.A. is tougher
than our hometown of Richmond VA. But
the fact is, if you want to be really
successful at something, you go where
the industry is. Besides, you never got
to see a secret performance of Fishbone,
or have Amy Mann play a club every week
in Richmond. We go were the action is.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
I read that you guys rocked all the way
out in Australia. Give us the goods...
Bobby: We sure did. Australia welcomed
us with its boozy open arms. We played
shows with a great Sydney band called
Starky. They were kind enough to help
us out with bookings Down Under, as we
had lent a helping hand the last time
they were in the states. It was a blast...we'd
love to go back.
Ellen: Oh, man, we had
the BEST time Down Under! The flight down
there blows (16 hours – yikes…) but it
was so worth it. We stayed in Sydney with
our friends in the band Starky- they rock.
We met them in L.A. last year when they
played IPO and we all just became sort
of instant friends. The people in Sydney
were all great and we just had a blast.
Garner: Australia was great. We
really built a following in the two weeks
we were there. Our audience/attendance
doubled every time we played. They
loved our accents, we made fun of theirs.
Yell: Yes we did!!!! Our good friends
Starkey were kind enough to host us, and
we met some of the most wonderful people,
and played some of our best shows there.
We also introduced "mama" jokes to the
locals.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Any interesting anecdotes from the trip?
Bobby: We saw koalas, kangaroos,
and genuine Australian pubs-dozens of
them. People just love to sit in pubs
for hours, drinking beer and socializing.
It's a very communal experience...totally
unlike American bars.
We also spent a few days in the studio
with Starky, who are working on their
new CD.
Ellen: From the moment the plane
touched down in Sydney, I was begging
the guys to get me a koala. Well, they
did pretty well – we went to a Koala Sanctuary
and I got to pet kangaroos and koalas.
They are unbelievable creatures… Aside
from that, we drank a whole lotta beer
and I mean HEAPS of beer, went to an Australian
rules football game (a.k.a the Footy),
drank some beer, hung out in the studio
with Starky, had some more beer… You get
the picture.
Garner: We rented a van and in
Australia you drive on the left hand side
(steering wheel is on the right). All
the steering column instruments are reversed
as well. So when I would make
a left hand turn, I'd squirt windshield
wiper fluid.
Yell: Ellen said that all she wanted
to do in Australia, was pet a Koala. So
we all trekked down to this little Koala
and Kangaroo park to see some wild Koala.
And after a long day in the sun, the keepers
brought out a koala, and all of the kids
(Ellen) lined up to pet it. When Ellen's
turn came up, they had to ask her 3 times
to move on, and let some of the other
children have a turn. The lesson is, never
take Ellen to a Koala park. She won't
let any of the other kids have a turn.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Alright, you've toured to Australia, been
a huge success so far in L.A… Now what
was it like in Chi-town?
Bobby: Chicago was a blast. We
broke all of our existing sales records
at our live shows there. Couldn't have
asked for a better reception. You know,
once you get out of LA, musicians get
a lot more respect! It seems like wherever
we go, people offer us food, drink, money,
and shelter...in LA, you're lucky to get
a beer, let alone get paid!
In Chicago we were plagued by van problems
that culminated with over $2000 in repairs.
It was the first (and hopefully only)
tour we've ever lost money on. But it
was a great trip nonetheless.
Ellen: Well, in spite of our van
breaking down in every manner imaginable,
Chicago was GREAT! We really had a great
experience there – the people are so nice.
I mean, the guy that fixed our transmission
bought us lunch when we came to pick up
the van! Our friends Tom and Ameake hooked
us up with room and board (and kick-ass
Easter baskets). Plus the crowds loved
us - we sold more merchandise than ever
out there!
Garner: I hadn't seen snow in 10
years until we hit Chicago. It's
cold. We had a good time anyway,
played a couple of Tower record in-stores,
etc. We used our own van for
that tour... I didn't accidentally turn
on the wiper fluid but we dropped our
transmission in the middle of the street
the second we pulled in for our first
gig!
Yell: I'll tell you, getting out
of town to play is always fantastic, but
we spent more time inside of mechanics
garages than in night clubs. Our van broke
down no less than 6 times. We had just
purchased a new transmission before the
trip, and it fell apart on us. We had
it done at a small shop back home, so
we had no warranty 2500 miles away. We
had to get a second transmission in Chicago.
But so far, the second one is doing great!!!
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
What was the crowd like?
Bobby: Loved us. All the shows
we played in Chicago were well attended,
and we could see a swell in the crowds
from the first to the last show, just
like when we were in Australia...word
travels fast about Piper Downs shows!
Ellen: Fantastic crowds – really
responsive. They aren’t as saturated out
there and they’re a little hungrier for
good music. We signed dozens of posters,
CDs, t-shirts, and made some fans for
life – it was a great time.
Garner: The people there were into
it! They loved us! We actually
set a new record for merch sales at the
Hard Rock in Chicago...That gig was on
fire! (Pun intended)
Yell:: We have been pleasantly
surprised everywhere that we have toured,
but Chicago is a Rock town. They loved
us.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
What's next as far as touring goes?
Bobby: Well, there's a possibility
of Japan and/or England in November...nothing
solid yet, but the offers are on the table...we'll
just have to see how it goes.
Before that, though, a few trips to Vegas,
Arizona and northern California.
Ellen: World domination! Hopefully
a major record label sending us out to
promote our album will back our next tour!
I’d love to go to England, France, Spain,
Japan, and Russia…
Garner: Rumors are going around
that we may hit Japan or even Europe,
my passport is still warm, I'll be ready!
Yell: I don't really know. We just
came back from a couple of shows in AZ.,
and there is always something in the works.
It seems like we tour more than some signed
bands do. But that is what we love to
do. So we do it as much as we can.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Who does the majority of the songwriting
for the downs?
Bobby: I do...but we all work on
arrangements, and Garner and I co-wrote
one of the strongest songs on our new
CD-a tune called "Stutter."
Ellen: Bobby Bognar,
King of Songwriting. Garner and Yell kick
in too, but the majority are Notorious
B.O.G.’s
Garner: That's definitely Bobby. We
don't call him the "hit machine" for nothing!
Yell: Bobby is the chief songwriter.
And with songs as good as his, who's complaining.
Garner and I write some, but it is rare.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Listening to the song "hardcore," it conveys
a bit of angst for a couple of things.
What function to do you think having sad
or angrier songs serve?
Bobby:Interesting question. I don't
sit down and say to myself, "Hey, I think
I'll write an angry/happy/sappy song"...it's
just what comes out at the moment. But
the functionality of a song, whether it's
angry or not, is that an audience member
can sympathize with feelings conveyed
by the songwriter. A fan might not have
a gift for words, but might be able to
hear a lyric like, "sometimes a touch
is worth a few hours' drive," and think
to him self, "Dammit-that's EXACTLY how
it feels...why couldn't I say something
like that?"
Ultimately, you are trying to share feelings
with someone in the audience-both expressing
yourself, and helping the listener express
him or herself in a way they weren't able
to before.
Ellen: I think it’s important as
a listener to be able to feel a song connect
with that part of you that relates. You’re
pissed off, you want a grinding angry
song to sing/scream along with. You’re
feeling melancholy, you want that song
that can get inside you.
Garner: I never really think of
songs serving a function other than something
to enjoy or not. I guess fast
songs could serve a function for skateboarding
or slow songs for slow dancing/romancing... I
think soundtrack music is more service
oriented in the function department.
Yell: I don't really think of our
stuff as sad or angry as much as energetic,
or rocking. But now that you mention it,
Hardcore is a bit angry. It has some pretty
deep visuals in the chorus. "the girl
you wanted, never wanted you" "You've
got the wrong Idea" What's going on Bobby?
Let's give him a hug.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
So, are you working on any music now?
Bobby: Always working on new stuff.
Just put down tracks on three new tunes,
including a Christmas song ("O Come All
Ye Faithful") for an upcoming compilation.
Ellen: Well, not being a songwriter
of any kind, my focus is really on soaking
up everything I can possibly learn on
and about the drums. I’m still so excited
by everything – sometimes I’ll go practice
and surprise myself with some fill or
beat I didn’t know I could do. It sounds
weird, but it’s kind of like realizing
you know how to read, but still having
to sound out the big words. I guess you
could say I’m working on new music – a
lot of stuff out there is still new to
me.
Garner: We're always working on
new stuff, it does a body good.
Yell:Always. Bobby is one prolific
MF!!!!
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
What bands/artists have been your biggest
influences thus far?
Bobby: Influences? Or whom we sound
like? I love bands like The Figgs, Superdrag,
Everclear, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World,
and the Muffs. I would say that our sound
could be linked to any of those bands.
But I also love songwriters like Jay Farrar,
Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, and Matthew
Sweet. Songwriters who can write lyrics
that touch you and have a self-deprecating
sense of humor. Hopefully there's a good
bit of song craft in our tunes as well.
Ellen: Wow, good one…
My influences as a musician have been
pretty recent – Dave Grohl and the Foo
Fighters, Tre Cool and Green Day, American
Hi Fi, The Posies, the Figgs, Mike Fasano,
Travis Barker, and (since he taught me
pretty much everything I know) Garner.
Garner: Personally, I've been huge
into make-up era KISS, The Replacements,
& Dinosaur Jr.
But collectively as a band I'd have to
say: Superdrag, The Figgs,
& Jimmy Eat World
Yell: The Figgs!!! Superdrag, Jimmy
Eat World, Green Day, Matthew Sweet.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
What do you have playing in your car?
Bobby: Man, I wish it was more
varied, but in my car, I only have a few
CDs. "Anodyne" by Uncle Tupelo; "Badger,"
"Sucking In Stereo," and "Banda Macho"
by The Figgs; "Family Secrets," by The
Andersons; and, of course, "Varying Degrees
of Failure and Tunelessness" by The Piper
Downs!
Ellen:: Okay, ready? The Figgs:
Banda Macho, Badger, Sucking in Stereo
Superdrag: Last Call for Vitriol, American
Hi Fi (self-titled), Starky, The Goo Goo
Dolls: Hold Me Up, Jimmy Eat World: Jimmy
Eat World, Static Prevails, The Piper
Downs (duh), Bad Religion: The Process
of Belief.
Garner: I love that question! I've
got a little Green Day, Otis Redding,
Son Volt, Bob Marley, Jimmy Eat World
(older stuff), etc.
Yell: The new Bad Religion CD,
Jimmy Eat World - Static Prevails, O Brother
Where Art Thou, Allison Krauss and Union
Station.
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
As a band, what's you ultimate show to
play? From venue to bands to cities...what
would be the show????
Bobby: Foo Fighters with The Piper
Downs and The Figgs. Right here in Los
Angeles at a medium-sized venue, like
House of Blues. Just great songs and a
great show all night. No one would leave
disappointed!
Ellen: Oh, man… For me, I would
love to play the House of Blues with the
Foo Fighters, the Figgs, and Jimmy Eat
World (not necessarily in that order…)
Weird combo, huh?
Garner: That gig is already in
the works, by the time people read this
it will already have happened! We're
playing with the Figgs right here in LA
at a wonderful new club called Platinum
Live. Not as exciting for me
on a personal level, but still pretty
cool, is the fact that Alicia Keys is
also playing the same night we are (after
the Figgs)!!!
Yell:: I think that the ultimate
show would be us, Jimmy Eat World, Green
Day, and the Figgs at Madison Square Garden
LAlocalmusicscene.com:
Finally, give us an insight as to what
you all have planned for the future. What
do you want out of music?
Bobby: I want to be able to live
off of my music for years to come. I want
The Piper Downs to sign a major record
deal and tour for years. The happiest
I ever am is when I am onstage with the
Downs. At our worst, it's still the best
thing in my life...at our finest, I can't
imagine that there's anything much better.
Ellen: Seriously? I want to be
a rock star. I want to get on a major
label, play to huge crowds in cities all
across the world, have videos on MTV,
and make my living being a rock star.
Garner: Our future plans are to
rock the world, literally. We've
got a good head start with most of the
US and Australia, look out Japan & Europe...
we're coming! My life is music
and this band, that's it. I
want to live off of, from, and in the
music.
Yell: I would be lying if I said
that I wanted anything less than being
the biggest band in the world, and we
push for that everyday, but playing in
front of people and making music is our
passion, and we will never stop doing
that.
That there, my friends, is a band who
has their heads on straight, and their
hearts in the right place. You’ll be seeing
them much more in the future, so go to
their site, get their cd, and get familiar
with the songs. PiperDowns.com
Now let’s head over to the messageboard
, and talk about the August Band of the
Month, The Piper Downs! (Roar of Applause
as a sea of fans stand up cheering.)
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