Salt Lake City's own Headshake has roots (and influences) from all parts of the world. That's what keeps the band's fresh wit alive -even though some of the styles clashed at first.
"When we first got together as a band, we each brought in some songs we were working on at the time and tried to put them together," said guitarist/vocalist Dale Garrard while kicking back with the band at Green Street. "It sounded like four different aliens from another planet."Garrard, who has lived in Italy, Japan and the United States, said as time went on, the band worked harder to blend their styles and create a somewhat comprehensible sound.
"It took some time, but you have to consider the different influences we've had," Garrard said. "I've been in goth bands in Italy and bluegrass bands in Japan; yes, that's what I said. But my all-time favorite bands when I was growing up were Blue Oyster Cult and the Sex Pistols."
Drummer Nigel Redd is from Phoenix and the youngest in the bunch at 25.
"The other guys tease me because I listened to a lot of Tears for Fears and Howard Jones," he said. "I was the first in my high school to have those albums and really got into the new wave scene. But those band's didn't influence my drumming style, per se. I used to listen to a lot of swing and jazz, but I can't say I have a real drumming idol."
Guitarist Pete Weiland was born and raised in Germany while bassist Mark Orndorff hailed from Seattle. The two met while Weiland was living in Provo in the early 1990s.
"We were in a band together, before we met up with Dale," said Weiland of himself and Orndorff. "I remember when we first saw him. We were in Provo and walked into a 7-Eleven. He was standing there with his friend and they both had hair hanging down to their backs. I said, `They must be in a band.' "
"It was because I was really stuck up," quipped Garrard.
"Anyway, when our first band broke up, I talked with Mark and we decided to recruit Dale," said Orndorff. "He had taken off to L.A. to play the clubs there and we were able to coax him back and join us."
Weiland who lists classic rock and classic punk influences such as Kiss, Led Zeppelin, the Dead Kennedys and the Misfits, said as a guitar player, the blues is a staple influence he can't escape.
"Actually, I love it all," he said. "But the blues is something that's basic and when you have an interesting rhythm section like we have, it adds to the Headshake style."
"When you play in many different bands, you have to adapt to every thing you do," added Orndorff. "Like when we play live, it doesn't matter how many fills Nigel does a night or how much improvisation we do. All that matters is the groove. If it sounds good, then it is. How can anyone tell you it's bad when it feels good?"
Still, if the sound feels right and no one hears it, said Weiland, what's the use?
"The one thing that sets us aside from many local bands is our long-term business plan," he said. "We don't have a real manager so we do it all ourselves. And we've been able to draw up a two-year plan divided in six-month intervals."
"You will be surprised at how many local bands that have put out a CD don't really know where to go from there," said Orndorff. "When we ask how their CDs are selling they say stuff like, `We sold out of them.' Man, why don't they order more? It's almost like getting the CDs out is the end when it should be the beginning."
After Headshake released its debut "Inside," the band began a promotional campaign that included gigs, videos and interviews.
"We just finished a video shoot with Ponytail Entertainment and plan to distribute it all over the country," said Weiland.
"We have a lot of connections and want to focus on them instead of sending the product out in a "shotgun" effect," said Garrard. "It just doesn't work like that. The record companies out there have too many new bands sending in stuff that they (record companies) end up sending it back or throwing it away."
But the future looks promising for Headshake. With continual support from the local scene and radio stations like KBER 101 and X-96 playing cuts from the album, Headshake is slowly making a name for itself.
"We have a strong following in Salt Lake," said Garrard. "We were voted the Best New Band in Private Eye Weekly's annual reader poll, and Nigel was voted the Second Best Drummer. And a few weeks back, one of the representatives for Virgin Records ordered three promo packages."
"Let's face it,"' said Redd. "We want to make it big and be successful."
"The artistic part of the band is important, don't get us wrong," said Garrard. "But what's the point of having a message and no one hearing it?"
"We want to make sure the public is exposed to what we have to say," said Orndorff. "But we also want to say those things in our own way."
"That's our next step," said Weiland. "We need to find a major label that will fit our needs."