Extended Play

More excerpts from my interview with Perry Farrell are below. Satellite Party performs Saturday at the Detour Festival in L.A. and Sunday at the Glass House in Pomona. "Ultra Payloaded" is now available on Farrell's own label, Bells Are Ringing.

Q: Have people been grooving out to songs from the new album on tour?
A: You know, I’m not only doing new stuff. I’m also doing Jane’s and Pornos stuff - going through all my catalog and mixing it up.

Q: So you’re not one of those artists who totally abandons their past when you start a new project. You embrace it.
A: Yeah, man. Why not? Those songs are great. They come off great live and that’s part of my repertoire.

Q: I caught your performance earlier this year at Coachella, where you seem to be a regular.
A: We only did one or two songs from Jane’s (there). I’ve been touring for 20 years, right? I can do stuff that worked for Jane’s and Pornos and put in new ones too and it slides right in there now. Goes down easy like an oyster [laughs].

Q: Where do the group of characters known as The Solutionists fit into the Satellite Party concept?
A: As I began to write the lyrics (for the album), they began to tell me a story. Really, it was about what’s going on today in the world of art and media and how it has become a level playing field...The Solutionists aren't waiting for Fox News to tell us what’s going on in the world. If we, the artists, get together through the strength of our creativity and tell people what’s going on, I think we’re going to turn heads.

Q: How did the song "Hard Life Easy," John and Flea from the Chili Peppers come about?
A: Flea was in the studio with me and I told him what I wanted to do with the music, how I wanted to market and distribute the music and put this live show together. He was just hanging out with me, having a sandwich in my garage... I told him, I’d do everything by myself, which is what I’m doing. I’ve got my own label now. The frontier for real musicians – not pop musicians; people that play music – is a new world. I think by the next year, you’ll see the entire record industry on it's flipside.

Q: The lush sound of "Awesome," where you almost sound like Bowie, is a highlight of "Ultra Payloaded."
A: It’s about the birth of my son and obviously my beautiful wife. I think I’ll begin recording another body of music in November. It won’t be like the last time. I’m just going to record for a month, then get back out on the road. Keep things vital. It’s important for real musicians to constantly be out on the road and recording. I think it has to happen simultaneously. There’s no such thing as a record cycle in my mind. I can’t use that system at all. Maybe a pop person can do that. For me, the most important thing is, coming out and playing in the flesh and blood to the people and at the same time, having material I can distribute to them digitally.

Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Wait until you see our party, it’s fantastic!

Note: the audio isn't quite in synch with the video on this, but it's a good overview of the band. -GP