the Music Lounge by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A & E Writer

Sex, hugs and rock n' roll: Seattle's hottest band The Blakes are as loveable as they are deviant

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer The Blakes are being called Seattle's best band since Nirvana. Raw, highly energetic, incredible live performers with an amazing self-titled album, their endless talent has put this trio on everyone's must-watch radar - including major record labels who've been encircling the threesome like sharks for a recording contract. In 2008, The Blakes have played the Noise Pop and SXSW festivals, are slated to perform at Sasquatch and rumored to appear at this summer's Capitol Hill Block Party. Straight (though bending every open-minded rule I'm aware of), always lusting for that next piece of&um, adventure, and completely down-to-earth, I present to you, The Blakes. Over beers and wine at Two Bells Bar & Grill, here's what Garnet Keim (lead vocals, guitar), Snow Keim (bass, vocals) and Bob Husak (drums) confessed to inside "The Music Lounge." Rodriguez: What brought you guys to Seattle? S. Keim: Funny story. The day after I graduated high school, we left, went to Vancouver - a little island on the coast named Saltspring Island. I had a cousin out there that I hadn't seen in 15 years. Ran out of money, found out we couldn't work because we didn't have work visas, so we went to the next closest city we could actually work. We didn't have any money, we bused for burgers. Well, we bused for money and we'd take the money and go down to McDonalds. G. Keim: It was the only thing we could afford. S: Keim: Meanwhile, Bob was pulling strings at coffee shops. He was trying to work all the angles. He already had a good job. We were living at the Green Tortoise Hostel. Rodriguez: How long did you guys live at the hostel? G. Keim: We lived in the hostel for over 3 months. We would wash sheets, wash their stuff at night because we couldn't afford our own room. Then we moved to the "extended stay" Green Tortoise, which is on Queen Anne at the bottom of the hill, which is like four guys to a room. S. Keim: We had a great friend there that was Gay. He was an amazing violinist. Rodriguez: Has a big label approached you guys yet? G. Keim: For this last record we did for Light in the Attic [Records], we talked to a lot of majors. Strange enough, Rick Rubin [producer: Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty] was even interested. In the end, it just seemed like the guys who were hanging out in Seattle that you could talk to, walk down there and shake their hand, say "how's the record doing?" - that's what made sense to us. In hindsight, I don't know if that was the best move. I'll leave that wide open. Overall, the whole business model - nothing really seemed to work when we'd speak to a major label. Every time, it kept coming back to the same deal, and once again The Blakes get fucked. Rodriguez: Maybe the bidding war will be even bigger next go-round. S. Keim: Oh, I'm not in any hurry. I'm not going anywhere. Rodriguez: What's the most forward anyone's ever been to/with you? G. Keim: One time we were out with a group that was so rabid they took us downstairs to their basement, removed their belts and promptly tried to whip us with leather belts. Husak: They were drinking moonshine. G. Keim: First, they started whipping their girlfriends. And their girlfriends were like cats, "Arggh!!! I love this stuff!!! It's great!!!" Rodriguez: They really whipped you? G. Keim: Oh, they did! The belts hit my ass! Rodriguez: A friend wanted to try that once, but I said "No!" G. Keim: (laughs) Well, I didn't want it to happen either. I didn't have an option. Rodriguez: Who gets hit on the most? S. Keim: Bob! G. Keim: Rob's got so much ass, it'd make your head spin. Rodriguez: (to Bob) Is that true? Husak: Um, I don't know. I got some girls around town. G. Keim: I'd say Snow works it the hardest. Husak: It's really a lot easier when they know who you are and what you do. Rodriguez: Have you ever been hit on by a dude? Husak: I have. Rodriguez: Recently? G. Keim: It was in San Diego. There's this couple that comes to see us and they always want to buy us a lot of drinks. The man and the woman are really into the band. They're married, but they're really into us. Husak: They were all over me last time. G. Keim: (pointing to Bob) They were all over him. Husak: All over him? They were all over ALL of us! Rodriguez: Were they grabbing you? G. Keim: They were touchy-feely. Buying us endless shots of whiskey. Drink, drink, drink, drink. Arghhhh!!! Wawawawawawagh!!!! Husak: The guy is really young. The lady's older. S. Keim: (realizes who they're taking about) Oh, those guys? They're a weird couple. Rodriguez: (to Bob) They just hit on you? G. Keim: They started out with me and I wasn't drunk yet, so they got Bob. S. Keim: I blew 'em off. G. Keim: That's the thing with these fans. They get weird. If you're not well lubricated, you're in for trouble. Rodriguez: Has a guy ever just asked you out, like on a date? Husak: That happened to me. Rodriguez: Really? You do get a lot of ass! G. Keim: We just played a show in San Francisco. That guy that always comes to our shows. He's "not" Gay. S. Keim: Oh, that guy. Totally! G. Keim: He's my Gayest friend I have in San Francisco. And he was with me all night. He's like, "I can't wait to show you around next time, it's all on me, everything's on me, you can spend the day with me". S. Keim: (laughs, teases Garnet) It's all on me, baby! G. Keim: He was fun. I really liked him. He's a great guy. Husak: I had this guy come up to me. This was a long time ago, this guy who was married. He accosted me. G. Keim: (laughs slightly) What?! Husak: He asked me some personal questions, personal things he wanted to do with me. I don't know if you experienced this before, but he was like "Oh, I'm not fucking Gay, man!" He's like, "I got a wedding ring right here" and I'm like, "What?" He was in his car. I was walking down the street and he just followed me. Rodriguez: I'm going to start a DILF site. G. Keim: Has that been done? I don't think it has. Hey, can I invest? Husak: You can make T-shirts, "dilf.com." Rodriguez: You all wear tight pants. I dig that. G. Keim: If you're comfortable and you wear it well, you can wear anything. Shit, if you're in the rock and roll business you have to celebrate the body! S. Keim: There is a sexual element to rock and roll. Rodriguez: Where's your favorite place to get hammered in Seattle? G. Keim: The Crescent used to be my favorite place, for two years running, to get drunk. I love the people there. They're cheap, and I love everybody there. It's on Capitol Hill. Rodriguez: They used to serve beer in these big plastic tumblers. G. Keim: (laughs) That sounds familiar, but I can't really remember. Rodriguez: Do you guys share a room when you're on tour? Husak: We share everything. Rodriguez: You'll eventually get to a point where you'll get your own rooms. G: Keim: Imagine the fun we'll have then! Can you imagine having your own room, each one of us? That's the weirdest thing, when I get done with a tour I don't even want to hang with friends. Husak: The lives we lead is that we're always around people all the time. S. Keim: Your girlfriend's like, "Let's go out and party tonight." And we're like, "Can we just not do anything? Can we walk around or just sit in one place and do nothing?" G. Keim: I've lost my love for so many things since the touring became heavy. I don't enjoy food anymore, I don't enjoy entertainment. I'm going to go to this movie [10,000 B.C. at The Cinerama] and sit there and think about this interview. S. Keim: Why are you going to the movie then? G. Keim: I already got tickets. I'm trying to do normal stuff in life. S. Keim: I have a feeling you're not going to like this movie. G. Keim: Well, I gotta try it. Rodriguez: Are you stoked for Sasquatch? G. Keim: Yeah, I am. I believe we're on the same stage as last year. Same stage, but we've been bumped up like four places this year. Husak: We're playing the same day as The Cure. G. Keim: We are? I gotta see that show. Rodriguez: I'm not happy with you guys being on a smaller stage. I told a friend, "Why the fuck are The Blakes on the Yeti Stage and a totally sucky, horrible band like Blue Scholars is on the main stage?!" G. Keim: They're on the main stage? Rodriguez: Only because they're on a major label. Somebody's getting fucked on the side. S. Keim: You know who got fucked? The Blakes!