Our Interview with Kareem Bunton of the Juggs

SYFFAL: Give us a bit of background on the band and its history?

Kareem Bunton: The Juggs started about four years ago out of boredom. My son was tiny, I was spending too much time at at home, and my ex was severely postpartum so I didn't have much to do in the evenings. It progressed in to a live thing about a year later and has gone through several line up changes until I assembled the current one.

SYFFAL: Since all artists are a conglomeration of their influences how would you describe your sound and how those influences affected the sound?

Kareem Bunton: Around the time when I first started writing the first batch of songs I was listening to a lot of Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Queens Of Stone Age, Love, The Animals, and an odd Bo Diddley record called "Black Gladiator". I believe that obsessively studying these artists and others shaped the Juggs foundation along with the fact that I was also just learning to play guitar. People always comment about how the writing is so wonderfully simple and concise, well there is a good reason for that, I am a bass player and I still can't play guitar for shit.

SYFFAL: The NYC scene seems to have exploded over the past two years after a period of relative malaise. Why do you think that is, and who are some of the bands and clubs people should be checking?

Kareem Bunton: The New York scene has jumped again primarily because a few bands from Williamsburg made it big in the last decade. Don't get me wrong I'm not hating, many in those fore mentioned bands are dear friends and family to me and I am very proud of their success. But what we are seeing now is what I like to call, "Seattle syndrome". A group of of artists achieves some notoriety and others follow, out of the thousands upon thousand of stupid boring muthafuckers that flock to the city seeking fame you have a handful that are willing to put the work in, and this is where your scene starts.

Bands that I like: The Netherlands, Borrowed Eyes, Gordon Voidwell, Activator, Chin Chin, Tss, Natur, and Apollo Heights.

Good Venues:

• Bruar Falls, usually free and hit or miss with the talent. If you are a cheapskate but you got jokes this is the place for you.
• Union Pool: Good room, Good vibe
• Nu Blue: I don't think I've been to this spot when something at least vaguely interesting wasn't going on.
• Parkside Lounge: Mostly because it's the closest thing to a juke joint downtown and they love me over there.
• The Cake Shop: If you are one of those who always trying to predict which band will be the next big thing, this is a good place to start.

SYFFAL: What are some of the better venues to catch show at around the city?

Kareem Bunton: For bigger shows I have always been partial to the Bowery Ballroom, for medium size events I like the Mercury lounge and once in awhile Joe's Pub still has it.

SYFFAL: I have seen you guys numerous times and I am always impressed that you are the Bass player and the lead singer, who would you place on the alltime bass player/lead singer Mount Rushmore?

Kareem Bunton: In my opinion the greatest singing bass player of all time was the black Irishman, Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott.No one else even comes close to the the impossible task of singing melody lines while laying down poly rhythmic bass lines like that. It's almost as if the brother had two brains.

SYFFAL: Better very special episode the episode of Diff'rent Strokes where arnold and dudley got molested by the bike store owner or the Family Ties when Tom Hanks, playing uncle Ned on a drunken rampage, smacks Alex Keaton and why?

Kareem Bunton: I think the Different Strokes episode taught a more valuable life lesson to the youth. Everybody has a drunk uncle that they learn to avoid after 7pm at the family BBQ but most kids aren't aware of sexual predators in there midst. Besides that after watching that episode I developed the healthy paranoia that has sustained me until this day and learned very early on that everybody wants something and true altruism is very hard to come by. Sorry Dudley but it's ass, grass, or gas in this world....nobody rides for free.

SYFFAL: Who would win in a fight the new A-Team or Motley Crüe?

Kareem Bunton: Motely Crue wouldn't have to lift a finger to vanquish the new A-Team, they would have their army of ninja strippers and sleeveless paunchy henchmen do it for them.

SYFFAL: One of our correspondents Joel Frieders asked me to ask all bands "If you could make love to only one guitar for the rest of your life which one would it be?"

Kareem Bunton: Because I am a bass player I would chose a 1960's or 70's Fender P-Bass. It is the perfect instrument that all others aspire to be.

SYFFAL: What are some of your favorite places to tie one on around the city?

Kareem Bunton: I have always been and will be a Max Fish man. Like it or not I can't seem to get free of that place.

SYFFAL: backstage is it the king of beers, the champagne of beers, or the blue ribbon award winning, or some shitty redstripe or Heineken the promoters threw back there?

Kareem Bunton: Backstage I like to have a bottle of Jameson and whatever watery American beer the give me, as long as it's not like. To me, beer only has two functions: to compliment Mexican food or bbq and to wash down my whiskey. If there is a budget I'll also have them throw in a bottle of Grey Goose for my weight watching friends.

Lightning round

SYFFAL: Diary of a madman or of a mad woman?

Kareem Bunton: Mad man

SYFFAL: Album you wish you made?

Kareem Bunton: There are so many albums I'm jealous of I'm going to have to have to leave this alone.

SYFFAL: Hotter in drag: Tootsie or Madea?

Kareem Bunton: Have to go with Tootsie on this one, but hot has nothing to do with it. I hate Tyler Perry more than an inner thigh chafe in August. That muthafucker has done more to damage the image of the black race than Flava Flav and Micheal Steele combined. God bless the Boondocks for outing him and dissing him so badly that every time I see his stupid ass on TV I smile, just a little bit.

SYFFAL: More embarrassing way to go – autoerotic self asphyxiation or killing yourself because you thought judas priest told you to?

Kareem Bunton:The jerk and choke is a bad way to go, how does one get to a point in their hedonism that this is the only way to but a nut? No one to blame but yourself in that situation so leave Rob Halford out of it.

SYFFAL: Do you listen to your own music when making love like Jamie Foxx does?

Kareem Bunton: I don't often listen to my own music unless it's demos that I'm about to record. So the answer is no, but if you get down like like I respect your gangsta.

SYFFAL: Do you take it as a compliment or an insult when you see (snot nosed) kids (with plugs in their ear holes) putting their hands up to their ears in a vain effort to slow the onslaught coming from your speakers?

Kareem Bunton: To me ear plugs are like bike helmets, my generation didn't believe in them but that doesn't mean it's not a really good idea.

SYFFAL: Anything you want to promote?

Kareem Bunton: Look for a full length Juggs album this December.