Utter Trash--Immortal Lee County Killers

Chapter III

An Interview with The Immortal Lee County Killers III

By Bob Ignizio

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, the Immortal Lee County Killers 3 aren’t your typical roots music band. Sure, they’ve got a firm foundation in country and the blues, but that’s augmented by a healthy dose of psychedelia and a penchant for garage rock aggression. The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Chet Weise, drummer Toko Channel (both ex-Quadrajets) and keyboardist/vocalist John Wesley Myers. Their third album, ‘These Bones Will Rise to Love You Again’, has just been released on Tee Pee Records.

Utter Trash: So what¹s the story behind the band name? I’m a bit of a true crime buff, but I¹m not familiar with any “Lee County Killers”.
Chet Weise: Although understandable, the band being named after a serial killer is a common misconception. The band originated in Lee County, Al (about 40 miles from MLK, Jr.'s first church, Rosa Parks famous bus ride, and Hank Williams' final resting place). "Killer" is Jerry Lee Lewis' nickname. The Killer is our favorite original RNRoller, other than the KING of course.

UT: What made you decide to leave Estrus records after so many years with the label both in The Quadrajets and this band?
CW: Every kid decides to leave home eventually. Estrus was/is a great label and a great home. Now we have decided to try playing on someone else's grass. Tony at Tee Pee records is ready for the adventure.

UT: You¹ve got some pretty swanky custom made amps and guitars. How much of an impact does that have on your playing?
CW: The guitar I designed while we were a two piece. The instrument's sound is huge; covered all kinds of sonic real estate and would howl like a banshee to sport. The cabs are amazing. They sound so good. And when we're home, they make great end pieces in my living room. Swanky lamp, cool panther ash tray, great sounding speaker cabinet; what more could a living room need.

UT: You¹ve got elements of blues, psychedelia, and garage rock in your sound without really fitting into any of those genres. How would you describe the ILCK to someone unfamiliar with the band?
CW: Different but true. Uncontrived. Natural. And most importantly - good. We're playing brand new rock n roll. All the adjectives you used can also apply to the Rolling Stones ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’, but we are unique from Keith and CO. There's the same ingredients, but a different soup. Our nice fresh home made soup vs. their goat's head. Hopefully, some folks will like our flavor.

UT: If I understand correctly, you play both the guitar parts and the bass lines via a 2 amplifier set-up. How does that work, and do you ever find it limiting?
CW: On the previous two records, I used that technique when the band played as a duo. And yes, we decided to add an organ player and go trio (John Wesley Myers now plays bass lines via his left hand) because we wanted to try some new things musically. The Duo is a great great line-up folk musicians have been using since the beginning of time, but we are always looking to evolve and always take gambles on the hope that we can become a better group. The trio line up certainly isn't original, but hopefully the notes we choose to play and bounce off each other will be. Drums, organ, guitar, and all three players singing can create some fine times.

UT: What are your favorite cities to play and why?
CW: Nashville (our home). London, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta, Auburn (Lee Co.), Vancouver, Gothenburg, and more. All those cities hold friends and loved ones for us. People there especially like our band and appreciate what we are attempting to do with our soup.

UT: Outside of playing music, what sort of things do you like to do?
CW: Right now I have a purple nose and black eye from sparring in the martial art of Muay Thai (see the movie ‘Ong Bak’ or any K-1, UFC Pride event). I enjoy trying to participate in all the arts- writing, music, and martial. All of them bring the best rewards and the most damnable frustrations—like self-doubt, bruised, egos, bruised noses, expression, satisfaction, beauty, terror, therapy, and fun. I also have two cats. Madame Curie and Rutherford “Chip” Jones.

UT: What do you hope to achieve with the band? What level of success would you be comfortable with?
CW: We started playing kitchens and living rooms around the college town of Auburn, AL. Now we've released 3 LPs and one EP. ILCK has traveled all around the world. Therefore, we've accomplished all that most honest RNR groups could hope for in this day and age. Now, RNR has become a folk art like jazz and blues. Beatlemania is dead. Elvis has left the building. Cobain killed himself. The Doors are touring without Morrison. Thinking about fame and fortune being connected with RNR results in desperation, heartbreak, and foolishness. Now, RNR exists only for those who truly love her. ILCK3 is honored to be a part of such a great music.

UT: What's your favorite song you play and why?
CW: I like the song “Blues” because the tune best melds all those adjectives used at the beginning of the interview. I like when John Wesley Myers and TOKO the Drifter do their electric piano and vocal version of the old gospel tune “No More My Lord”. Their version sounds like a ghost strolling through the ages right to now. Our old tune, “Let's Get Killed” is always fun, too. We always leave that tune open ended. Lots of improvisation. Sometimes we'll do medleys where the bridge should be. We'll slip between MC5's “Black TO Comm” to Floyd's “Interstellar Overdrive” to James Brown to noise and back to the chorus. Sometimes we play that song too long.

UT: What sort of things do you feel compelled to write about in your lyrics? Any lines you¹re particularly fond of?
CW: "Time enough for a joke and a smoke with a Queen on a nite gone in a blink"