Most punk rock enthusiasts know Terry Six from his time spent in the Exploding Hearts and the Nice Boys, but if that’s all you know Terry from, you’re definitely missing out. Terry definitely hasn’t been snoozing on music and if you haven’t listened to his newest project, Terry and Louie, its time to play catch up.
The buzz about Terry and Louie has been picking up steam since they blew away the crowd at Gonerfest—crooning old Exploding Hearts tunes and wowing the crowd with their new tracks. For those of you that have been lucky enough to catch Terry and Louie live, I’m telling you something you already know—you need to pick up their 7-inches!
So far Terry and Louie have put out two 7-inches out on Six’s record label, Tuff Break. With the second Terry and Louie release hitting the streets, its time to let all of you in on what Tuff Break Records has up its sleeve! Rumour has it that they’ve even got a full length LP in the works.
Heatwave: Everyone knows all about the Exploding Hearts and the Nice Boys, but can you tell me about what you’re up to in the music scene these days? It seems you’ve got quite a few active projects going on.
Terry Six: Lately, I’ve been collaborating with my closest friend and musical confidant, King Louie Bankston. Our project and band is called “Terry & Louie.” It’s been really great to get something going again with him. I feel we have absolute musical freedom with this project. As far as side projects, it’s been mostly recording other bands around the Bay Area as much as possible.
Heatwave: What’s it like collaborating with King Louie again? You guys seem to have a really great musical chemistry.
Terry Six: Lou and I are having a lot of fun with this, a little too much fun. We write by phone at least once a week, if not more, or we just bullshit really. I had some trouble writing for, or with other people in the past, but not with Louie. The flow is very natural, not forced. We always are cracking jokes and the songs that come out in the process are really fun to play and come off that way. There is no pressure, or deadline, we make up our own rules and that seems to be the “Terry & Louie way”
Heatwave: I’m interested in your label, Tuff Break. How long have you been running that and what have you got in the works?
Terry Six: I’ve been running Tuff Break since the beginning of 2013. So far I have the second 45 T&L Single “Can Ya Tell Me” coming out April 21st. And Louie and I have just acquired studio time for the T&L Full Length album. I was planning on recording it myself, but my better judgment took hold. So I enlisted Rob Good (ex-Warm Soda guitarist) to work the board, and most definitely Pat Kearns to master it out. This should hopefully be hitting wax by this time or early summer next year. As far as others… I have some plans in the works for new Exploding Hearts releases. But I can’t really comment on any specifics at the moment.
Heatwave: What made you decide to run your own label? Are there a lot of other people involved, or is it mostly just you?
Terry Six: I decided to start this label because I wanted to play music again, but on my own terms. I didn’t want to slave away at writing songs just to write them. So I started Tuff Break to facilitate that need. I enjoy working at my own pace and the product in return is much more satisfying. It’s mostly run by myself, but I get a lot of help and advice from Bobby Martinez and my awesome wife, Analisa. They both have been instrumental at making this happen.
Heatwave: I’m really excited to hear the new 7-inch on vinyl. When is it dropping? I saw that pre-orders are already open. I’d like to put some info up about it, so people can go and grab it!
Terry Six: The Pre-orders are up!! Anyone can go to the Tuff Break Bandcamp and get their copy. Pink colored vinyl is limited to 50.
Heatwave: With the second Terry and Louie release coming out this spring, have you got any plans for touring?
Terry Six: Louie and I just accepted an offer to play this year’s Project Pabst in Portland, Or. It’s happening the weekend of July 17th-19th 2015 at Zidell Yards. Ironically enough, the anniversary of the Exploding Hearts tragedy falls on the 20th and it will have been 13 years since portland has heard those tunes from us. Buzzcocks, Blondie, and Weezer are the big headliners for this festival. We will also be doing a string of west coast dates to support the trip. One will be at the Night Light in Oakland, Ca Thursday, July 16th. The rest will be announced closer to July.
Heatwave: Everything I’ve heard from your new projects has a super fun vibe. What’s your favourite tune to play?
Terry Six: My favorite tune to play is “Can Ya Tell Me.” It just has this great, rockin’ vibe to it and it has a fun blowout at the end so it makes for a stellar finisher of the set.
Heatwave: I had quite a few friends that went to Gonerfest last year and raved about your performance. What was it like when you and Louie jammed out those songs from Guitar Romantic at Gonerfest last year? That must have been a really intense experience.
Terry Six: Goner Fest was a blast! I feel, that crowd and that venue, was THE true test of what Louie and I are trying to do. It was extremely emotional to play those songs again, but it was also second nature and we just picked up where we left off 13 years ago. After we played, I remember we all went into the van parked behind the stage and just looked at each other, didn’t say anything, and just smiled and laughed.
Heatwave: What are some music acts in the current music scene that you think fans of your music really need to hear?
Terry Six: I really like what’s happening in the Bay. I think people need to hear The Talkies. I recorded them last summer and they are just are a great band. I really like a band from SF called Dancer. Others like Stalls, Bad Vibes, and SLICK are great too.
Heatwave: What can fans expect to see from Tuff Break in the future?
Terry Six: I would really like to put out other bands I’m digging, but that will come soon enough. I also (waaaaaay down the road) would love to do a weekend long Tuff Break Festival. But this is still a fresh-faced label and I have all the time to work on making that happen one day.
Heatwave: There’s a rumour in town that you’re great at barbecuing. If you ever make it over this way we’ll have to have a Terry and Louie barbecue party.
Terry Six: I can only assume that Bobby spilled the beans on that one. I’d love to have a BBQ with you guys! Anytime!!!
-Linsey McFadden
Heatwave Magazine 