Utter Trash--Lords of the Highway

Rockabilly Road Warriors

An interview with Dennis Bell and Sugar of The Lords of the Highway

By Bob Ignizio

Dennis and Sugar of The Lords of the Highway

For those unfamiliar with The Lords of the Highway (and shame on you), they play a cross between punk and rockabilly and have had several albums and singles released both independently and by various labels throughout their lengthy career. This interview was conducted by email with guitarist/vocalist Dennis Bell and bassist/vocalist Sugar. Their answers to my questions were a collaborative effort, so you’ll just have to figure out on your own who said what.

Utter Trash: When did the band start? Who is everyone and what do they play? How long has the current line-up been together?

Lords: A guy named Satan started the band about 12 years ago. He was the drummer. Dennis was the original guitarist, and has been with the band through all 12 years, through countless drum and bass player changes. Sugar has four years in, and Mike the drummer has a year and a half in.

UT: How has the band evolved over the length of time you've been together and specifically how has having Sugar in the band changed the group's sound?

Lords: As previously mentioned, there have been countless drummer and bass changes. OK, let's count, about 10 different drummers, and 6 different bass players. Every time there's a new CD or a new band photo, (aka The Kiss of Death) somebody quits. When a new member joins the band, there are subtle changes, and Dennis just has to roll with the new style. The one constant though is Dennis' guitar. That's what gives Lords of the Highway its sound. Sugar's upright bass playing emphasizes the hillbilly side of the music, the slapping gives it some psycho edge, and the female vocals are something new to the band.

UT: A little info on your touring. How much, how far away, etc. Other than Cleveland, where do you get the best response?

Lords: We average about two to five gigs a month. We all have day jobs so we usually play on weekends. We pretty much draw the line at about 10 hour drives for weekend shows. We've been as far as New York City, and Winston-Salem NC. We play a festival there called "Heavy Rebel Weekender". We have a blast there; it's all about rock 'n' roll with country and punk influences, so we're a good fit. It's always on July 4th weekend. We seem to do really well along the North Coast; Erie, Buffalo, Rochester. We think it's because they're heavy drinkers.

UT: Tell me about the writing process. Do you write together as a group, does each member write individually, or does Dennis handle most of it?

Lords: For lyrics, Dennis and Sugar write individually. When the song is brought into the band, everybody comes up with a part, and we thrash it out 'til it all works together. Instrumentals are particularly fun, because Dennis writes really off the wall stuff, and it's a challenge to fit it into the three-piece format.

UT: Do you ever get "serious” with your lyrics or do you prefer to keep things fun?

Lords: Dennis' head hurts if he tries to write something serious. We do prefer to keep things fun. Or sadistic.

Lords: We recorded "Haulin' Ass" at 609, and we recorded our new release (as yet unnamed) there. Don Depew's studio is in Bedford, and he's from the band Breaker. He's got a really good set up there, and we always have fun. It's the best studio we've been to, and we're really excited about the new CD.

UT: I understand you’ve been featured on a couple of movie soundtracks. How did that come about?

Lords: A good friend/fan, Ezra, made ‘Midnight Skater’ down in Kent and he suggested using one of our songs. Our song "Rip Off" is played every time a zombie comes on screen! Ezra and crew just went to the Fright Vision Convention here in Cleveland and they sold eighty copies of ‘Midnight Skater’! Dennis doesn't really know anything about the other movie yet.

UT: What can we expect from the new CD? Will there be another installment of 'Truck Man' and when will the label, Rock ‘n’ Roll Purgatory, have it out?

Bob: Yep, there's another installment of Truckman called "Unholy Rollers on the Bible Beltway" and it's about Truckman vs. Zombies! We've got about twelve songs for the new CD, all originals except for one cover. We have a CD Release party scheduled for Saturday June 14th, so we sure hope to have it done by then!

Lords: We are looking for a new drummer (the Kiss of Death - a new CD means a new band member!) Anyone that would be interested, please contact Dennis.

Visit The Lords of the Highway's website.