Fleshing it Out With Peter Zaremba of the Fleshtones

interview w/ M. Alberto Rivera

  The Fleshtones have been bringing their brand of Super Rock to the masses for almost four decades and are reee-aaally good at it. Like blow your doors off and bring ya back for more good. Which technically translates as great. And they are currently on tour and will be in Orlando, this Sunday, May 3^rd, so you get to shake your groove thang with the men who gave the world “Roman Gods,” “Hexbreaker,” and the ditty which needs to be the next TV undead theme song, “I Was a Teenage Zombie.”

Founding Fleshtone vocalist Peter Zaremba was good enough to sit down with Indie Music (www.indiemusic.co) and share his thoughts on Super Rock, concept albums, and The Chairman of the Board.

Indie Music: Do you recall the moment you first wanted to pick up an instrument?

Peter Zaremba: We had a guitar around the house when I was little but never remember anyone being able to play it. Funny, when the Beatles became popular I was only about 10 but figured it was already too late for me to learn. much earlier on I liked to sing, especially Frank Sinatra’s version of ‘Fly Me To The Moon’. I’d cock my little hat just like him, though my hat had a chin snap so it wasn’t quite as cool as Frank’s.

IM: Which musician (living/dead/other) would you most like to share a stage with and what song would you most like to jam on?

PZ: Sonny Boy Williamson II, although I can’t imagine what I could add to the performance, i’d mostly just listen!

IM: Now that music (overall) has returned to a more DIY ethic, do you think it’s improved the overall quality of music?

PZ: DIY? If that means to do your own thing, then I agree 100%. We’ve fought for that all our lives and it’s great to see that people realize they can put together their own band and make and record the music they like. It took a long time for us to figure out how to do that. The ideas and the will was there, but lot’s of mental and financial obstacles were put in the way in the early 70’s. Bands like The Ramones showed everyone the way.

IM: Your favorite song to perform?

PZ: Gosh, there are an awful lot of songs I like to perform, especially ‘Veo La Luz’ because it’s so emphatic and gives me a chance to sing in Spanish. So does ‘Que Montruos Son’, the Spanish version of ‘Monster Mash. When I perform in Canada with the Rock Delegation I love singing ‘Shela’ because I’ve always loved that song. One song I’m wary of is our ‘Push Up Man’ because I usually have to blast off over 30 pushups before it’s over.

IM: I know musical trends are cyclical, but why do you think stripped down rock n roll (in your case, Super Rock) regularly comes back into fashion?

PZ: Because the trend to make music that has no emotional guts always takes over and people want relief from that, they want something simple and real, something that helps them break loose. That’s what we wanted from music, and wound up having to make it ourselves in order to hear it.

IM: Most absurd request from an audience member?

PZ: For us to stop.

IM: When you get around to writing your rock opera and/or concept album, what subject will be the focus your intense personal examination?

PZ: I’d like to think something with emotional and historic depth like what it was like growing up and loving rock & roll but probably be about mad scientists or something. I already have a head start on that.

IM: Most absurd thing you ever bought with a royalty check?

PZ: Gee, those always seem to go to paying bills, not like my state scholarship money, that all seemed to pay for going to Studio 54.

IM: Finish this sentence, “The Fleshtones (are) is the perfect soundtrack for _________”

PZ: A road trip” Drew Carey said that I’ve been told.

IM: Question you wished I’d asked . . . .

PZ:What’s next? Well – we’re working on a new album via releasing a sting of 45’s, “I Surrender’ will be out in June, we’re finally going to Brazil in September but will probably never play Japan (ask the Japanese) and my Sirius Radio show ‘Super Rock Session’ debuts Saturday May 2 at midnight on Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

-IM-