So here I am, sitting in Stolen Babies bus. Incredible; I have been dreaming about seeing them live (ok, I haven’t been actually dreaming, that would be rather weird) since I’ve heard their amazing debut ‘There Be Squabbles Ahead’. Therefore, when they went on tour with Dillinger Escape Plan and Between The Buried And Me, I couldn’t resist – I went there with my camera, my Dictaphone and half of my brain – the other half I have left at home, as I was afraid DEP would destroy it permanently.

Following interview should be more called “an informal chat” one I had with Dominique Lenore Persi, the beautiful and talented Stolen Babies singer and Rani Sharone the band’s bass player and composer. Here we go.

R: We’re doing it, or what?
W: Well, yeah…
D: I’ve thought it will be just two of us, me and you.
R: Yeah – we’re going to do it, me and Domeneezel (haha – W)

Rani’s little bit nervous. Their performance didn’t go well enough – band is unhappy with the sound and the fact that they were asked to cut the set slightly due to timing problems.

W: So, when is the next cd coming?
R: Good question. We’re working on it. After the tour we’re going to go back home and work on the new material, then the local tour around the States… There are so many things scheduled right now, so many things in the air… Now, I mean the band has been asked to do the music and the song for a movie… A horror movie I can’t talk about (Rani smiles)… But there are things I can talk about and the things I can’t talk about, so… Well, it’s coming soon anyway.

W: You’re not going to rush it then.
R: Oh yeah, we’re not rushing. We want to take our time. There’s a lot of work going into the new album. We want to do some more orchestral sounds, more experimentation – we’re never going to stop experimenting. You know, our first album was a good introduction to what we do. Some of these songs were years old, “we have some old songs so let’s do the album” thing…

W: More like a compilation?
R: Yeah, exactly. It wasn’t like we’ve had thirty songs and we’ve kicked thirteen, no, we’ve had thirteen fucking songs. We’ve had fun with things, but the next album will be done with the time spent on actual writing.

W: And I’ve also heard that you are not signed or under contract, so you can release it whenever you want through your own label? No
commitments like “you must record it before this date or…”
R: I don’t think we could ever be held down with any kind of deadline like this. If I’d ever have this kind of pressure… No. I do music for the film industry you know; and deadlines there are present, but for music, for something I do for fun… No chance.

Mick interrupts. Up till this moment he was sitting, quietly consuming some suspicious ground nuts bought in Tesco.
M: I want to make a correction to you (Mick’s pointing at me, and then at Dominique) – she writes a lot, and he’s like “I am Mr. Composer, you know?” (Laughs)
R: It’s not the truth (smiles). I mean, outside the band I have my own work, I write my own music but in this band it’s me and Dominique – we write together.

W: I wanted to ask you something we’ve been talking with Dominique about; do you know, that your cd here – your last one – was delayed in the UK for a year? Do you see it as a kind of a problem, with a perception for example, like today, when people don’t really know you? R: Maybe a lot of times people don’t really react the way we could expect (Rani heard one moron teenage metalhead asking “Jesus, what is it?” while they were on the stage), they don’t move around as much as we would like them to… You know, we’re coming from the States; we’re used to playing for people who know our songs, who know what we look like. We may be strange to people, the way we dress, the way we behave… They may need time, so they don’t move anyway. Not too much.

W: Maybe a tour around the UK or Europe as a main act then?
R: This is a great opportunity for us to be here with Dillinger, and we would never expect that. We thought the first time we’ll come here and we will play in some pubs in front of twenty people – and this exceeded anything we expected. This is a first night, so things will get better! (From the rest of the very loud and fast conversation I could understand that SB would love to play as a main headliner some day and they surely will – I am telling you!)

W: The question I need to ask: what inspires you? What is turning you on? I know about all your musical influences, but anything else, really?
D: This is changing all the time. Right now, for me personally it’s a movie – which I got for Christmas – “Seven faces of Dr. Lao” with Tony Randall – music for it was made by Leigh Harline and it’s just special… And I as I am coming from kind of a make-up background I must tell you, that it’s incredible there – you need to see it.
R: I have friends who are painters, other musicians, writers; and it’s the same kind of thing, you are driven or inspired by something like another piece of art you’ve seen or heard, or… So sometimes I just think “I want to do something which is similar” or, for instance if I am in a shitty mood, I want to write something that will let people know “he must have been in a shitty mood when he did it”. It’s so hard to say what inspires me; that’s what we are artists, inspiration just comes… Stravinsky said once that he’s like a filter, like an antenna, and it just comes, you don’t know where or when, but you just have this idea or motive, riff, anything – you just want to experiment on it and go!
D: It’s technical, but for me it always needs to come from an emotion. I am giving myself certain guidelines, but… it’s all emotions anyway. I have some moods, like for example not so long ago I just wanted to play slow songs, at home I mean, I just wanted to be mellow. You just have to go with things. That’s why our songs are different; we can’t be just a band which has some kind of constant style…
R: I just think that the music reflects our personality. If someone goes through the entire album and thinks “there are a lot of sides to this band”, it works! I don’t know how many fucking moods I have…
D: Amen! (Laughs)
R: …and I don’t know how much medication I should be taking, but I think I’d be more boring person if I was taking them. We’re just driven by emotions – so let’s write a cool fucking dance song if we are in the mood for it! The band is fun and we just want to have fun with it, see where we can take it and where we can go. That’s why, for example, our new album will be much more colourful, and we’re not afraid of experiments…

W: Could it be more experimental? I can’t even pronounce a half of names of the instruments used on the last one! (Laughs)
D: Yeah, unfortunately we can’t take them on tour, but hey, mandolin, violin from Karla, and tuba, played by Dan who produced the cd… We’ve had a great time together, and it’ll be lovely to have these on tour but… It’s not possible.

W: Have you ever had a moment when you’ve thought: “Fuck it, I have enough, I want to do something else with my life”?
R: The simple life?
D: Yes and no, my personal answer. First time we started doing this I was extremely torn apart; not because of critics, but because this entire business is terrifying, and it’s very common for starting musicians to get upset. But no, now it’s ok, we just want to be creative. W: Ok, last one: any particularly good thing you’ve heard last year?
D: We’re so behind the times…
R: You know… Personally I am not saying this just because they’re friends but… Sleepy time Gorilla Museum’s last album has blown me away and whatever they do always tends to impress me. But I am the worst person to ask, I am just not a person who listens to lots of new stuff, I just don’t…
D: I am behind the times. I have the computer, but no Ipod, nothing like that, so all the music I know comes from cd’s given to me, so… It’s very selective.
R: I listen to lot of film and classical music. To answer your previous question, as it is connected, there are times when I say “hell, why do I want to do this?” And it’s when I see all these magazines and when I read how seriously people are taking this industry; they actually have a nerve to play off like “I am so much cooler than you!” Dude, you’re in a fucking band, you tour the world, and you have fun – so don’t come out of it like you are being tortured… It’s so foreign to me… I just want to put it away. That’s why I don’t listen to it. People see us and they say “see what you wear, see what you’re doing on stage” but it’s a difference as we know it’s for fun we’re doing it and that we are not serious! It’s theatrical, it is a production. If we were going out there like we are really serious… It’s not us. This industry is really fucked up, someone does an interview with you and then the readers think that they know you – but they don’t. We all have different lives, outside the band. It’s kind of weird when people just watch you like you are just from “this band”.
D: When you are an entertainer there’s an extra thick line drawn around you. You are a trained monkey; it’s just in human nature, people watch you and expect certain things from you, unlike in any other profession.
R: I think that doing stuff like we do, being in a band like this and touring really helped me appreciating other people, everyday fucking people who make the world turn around. Like a garbage man, or social workers, or teachers. Those are really important people to care for… And then I see all these magazines with these motherfuckers… “Give me a break dude; is that your life model?” Like Paris Hilton for example – people want to be with her, take pictures of her, talk to her… That’s fucked up.

D: It’s money; it’s just people glorifying a model, a pose…
M: It’s easy to create a feeling you know. Feeling which does not mean anything.

W: Well – your feeling means a lot to me and to other fans, as you simply kick ass. Welcome to England – and have fun. I am sure we’ll see each other soon.
D & R: Thanks.
Mick is still sitting with his pack of peanuts. As my bye-bye advice, I am recommending him Devonshire Cat – one of the best pubs in Sheffield. Peanuts are better there, with local beers.

That was a great evening.

Visit the band at http://www.stolenbabiestheband.com
www.myspace.com/stolenbabies

Interviewed by Wojtek Kutyla

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