Uncle Dan is the Fucking Man

One constant I seem to encounter in my terrifying existence is the “happy accident”. Recently, while fucking around with mp3.com, I decided to type in “Gun Club”, one ‘o my all-time faves. Of course, the greedy bastards wanted me to pay for anything by Jeffrey Lee and the boys, so I decided to check out the numerous “similar artists”. It was there that I first discovered the doomy trashabilly of the suave Uncle Dan.
As a young Southern lad growing up in Batesville, Arkansas (named Dan Rowe), he discovered KISS through a cousin whom “resembled Burt Reynolds circa ‘Smokey and the Bandit’”. This was to annihilate any need other than to rawk. By the age of ten, transplanted for four unfortunate years in Colorado, the gods of noize smiled upon him: He received his first electric guitar. He’s never been the same.
Let me say, after contacting and corresponding with the man himself, he is one of the finest gentlemen I’ve ever met in cyber-space. And even though he called me ‘Jeff’ in one of his e-mails, he still rawks. As a matter of fact, he rawks hard and often— he has a number of irons on the fire that would drain a lesser man: He dabbles in doom metal, new wave and garage punk with alter-egos such as Tremble Saith Thy Master, Arkansas Cab-Over Underdog, Danrro, and of course, Uncle Dan. Oh, did I mention he plays all of the instruments himself? Hell, he even makes a drum machine sound good. On top of it all, he takes time to provide cyber geeks everywhere with his dissections of his favourite noize on his “House of Smut” website (See our links page). Put down the cheesies and take a little journey into his world with me, won’t you? Besides, your genitals are turning orange…

Where's the "Uncle" thing come from?

Well, it's really just my smart ass sense of humor rearing its ugly head. I really wanted to give the garagey stuff I was playing an underlying scumbaggy vibe and I thought that would be the perfect handle for it. It's not like a hippy or an old guy thing where "I'm like an uncle to the world," it's meant to be more of a (lady speaking) "I know you miss your Daddy, but this is Mommy's new friend, Uncle Dan"— LAMF! The Uncle Dan's House of Smut website name was originally going to be the name of this radio show I was developing to do, based on my college radio show. Unfortunately, that never panned out, so I used it for the website.

What's the music scene in Batesville like?

There is no music scene in Batesville. There's some good stuff happening in Arkansas but most of that is happening in Little Rock. One cool thing that's starting to take shape in Batesville is some folks bringing touring bands through town. RL Burnside and T Model Ford have been in town (both as great as you'd expect), and a ton of old classic rock bands like Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult, and Mountain. The ticket prices for these things seem to be out of reach for most of the kids around here, though. Still, if they can find a way to cut down on those charges, there might finally be a chance for a sense of community to
take hold here. It'd also help if they brought through bands the kids could immediately connect with better--they're the people who really need for these shows to happen. Otherwise, it's pretty dire.

Why so many goddamn bands?

I'm a genuine lover of music-- not some poseurfied "scenester." As such, I like to listen to and play virtually everything, with a few exceptions. A lot of this has to do with how the songs come out, too. I don't sit down and make a conscious effort to write a "punk" song, a "metal" song, or whatever. You've just got to let whatever comes out of you creatively come. Sometimes, I'll write a song I feel is really good but won't be in tune, at that moment, with playing that particular style of music. I've got songs that were started years before I finally got the grand inspiration to finish them. I'm fortunate to be able to play a lot of different styles and have so many people dig the output--so, why not?

Kim Salmon 0r Tex Perkins? Why?

I might get jumped on by some folks for not going the traditional route but I've gotta say Kim Salmon. My reasoning for this is just the overwhelming influence his stuff has had, and continues to have, on me. I was just listening to that Blood Red River CD yesterday, in fact. I think the bulk of his stuff is the perfect blend of creepy and soothing, familiar yet angular. Not to mention, all the killer bands his stuff has influenced, to my ears, anyway--like the Chrome Cranks, Gimmicks, and Necessary Evils. The man's a genius. Once, there was this guy from Spain who told me he heard a big Kim Salmon influence in the Uncle Dan stuff, and it remains one of the biggest compliments I've ever received.

What's your association with Solarized?

This is a great story: I had done a review for their album Driven--one of my favorite things MeteorCity has ever put out, to this day. Several months had passed since I posted the review and one day, I got this email from James Hogan--he had gotten in touch with me shortly after I wrote the review, so hearing from him this time was a pleasant surprise. It turned out that,
without any requests for him to do so, he had taken the graphics on the House of Smut main page and cleaned them up. See, I don't have a graphics program that will do things in JPG. So, I had copied out all the graphics on paper, then scanned them to convert everything to the proper format. What he did was one of the most thoughtful and selfless acts of kindness I've ever experienced. People who have been visiting the site from the beginning will tell you that it looked pretty sad for quite awhile. Anyway, James is a super cool guy--everybody go out and support his band, because they're pretty damn killer, to boot!

Elaborate on this "reading guitar parts using tuba positions" thing....

Actually, it was trombone positions-- let's call it even on messing up the details, JAKE! Well, the first instrument I learned how to play was trombone. One Christmas, my folks got me my first electric guitar--I was about 12 years old. The problem was, we were too broke at the time to have me take guitar lessons. So, being as obsessed as I was to learn and play guitar, I devised this way to read guitar music based on trombone fingerings. It was totally insane but actually worked! I wish I could remember now how it went but if memory serves me, it was ridiculously complex. I never actually learned how to read treble clef and I've been doing just fine the last 16 years, so I guess it wasn't a big deal anyway.

Why such a lone wolf? Nobody wanna back up the phenom that is Uncle Dan?

It's hard for people to understand why I never put together a band for all these years--I have gigged in the past solo, but only during the formative stages of my musical life with a band. There are people who believe that myth that all people rock for ulterior reasons--drugs, adulation, hoochies, etc. I'm here to tell you that myth is a lie. I play music because I HAVE TO. Some people will say they feel like they'd die if they couldn't play music. The difference between me and those people is I KNOW I would. It's hard to find people that passionate about music. However, that has all changed. I am about to start a band with some great guys down in the Southern part of the state. I'll be playing bass and lending a hand with the songwriting in this band. It's going to be called Hogfat and, from the riffs the guys have passed to me, will probably be along the lines of Nashville Pussy. The guys have also expressed interest in backing me live on all the projects I've got going and, if Hogfat works out, that'll almost certainly happen. I just want Hogfat to take shape first so we're all doing something collaboratively, to start. The chances of all this stuff coming to pass are probably 99.9%--I just can't say for certain because we haven't had our first rehearsal yet. It is a very exciting time and we should be getting seriously started in the next couple months. Stay tuned.

Is black metal the new punk rock?

Let me say, I thought the piece you wrote on this was really good. Still, I don't think I'd go so far as to say black metal is the new punk rock. Every now and then, people think punk is getting stale and they look for something to replace it. I think everything is back where it was in '94--you have a bunch of people in the mainstream telling you that the pop punk they play on the radio and MTV is the real deal. Just like back then, the solution is the same as it's always been--if you want the raw, real deal, you've gotta dig for it. Everybody (besides younger kids) should be hip to the way this cycle works by now. Anybody who thinks punk is in trouble needs to go see a Final Solutions show--the best damn thing I've experienced live since the Oblivians.

Last time you kicked someone's ass?

Last night, when I was playing an old wrestling game on my Playstation. I hope these new platforms are a little more challenging, because what was going on last night was pathetic. Musically speaking, it seems to be happening all the time (thankfully), and that's the only ass kicking I really care about dishing out. Somenice guy from Australia had some kind words to say about the new Tremble Saith Thy Master demo, last week--it was really gratifying.

Celtic Frost or Slayer? Why?

This one's a no-brainer--Celtic Frost. When I was living in Denver as a young gent and first got into all the underground types of music heavily, Celtic Frost were one of my earliest champions. I played “To Mega Therion”, and the “Emperor's Return” EP till you could've probably seen through the tape. Then, one day, my life was changed forever-- I got a copy of “Into The Pandemonium” the day it was released. That album completely changed my idea of what great music could and should be. It opened up musical horizons to me I would've never looked for or been able to grasp without it. They are one of the most important bands of my life. Many black metal bands have tried to duplicate what they did on that album, but everything falls short. Brilliant, brilliant stuff-- I still love and listen to them.

Elvira or Vampira?

I've gotta go with Elvira here because watching her show was another thing that occupied tons of my time during our four years in Denver. Besides hipping me to all those great old Hammer horror films, she'll always be one of the biggest sex symbols ever, to me. Now, if you had asked about her versus Lisa Marie's portrayal of Vampira in the Ed Wood movie, then it would be a contest.

OK, you've been offered a long-term contract with a major label and a large indie (Epitaph, Sub Pop) simultaneously-- whaddaya do?

That's tricky. My first instinct would be to say the one who gave me the most creative control. However, the way some of these bigger indies run now, that guarantee is potentially as worthless as one you'd get from a major. See, to me, it would be great to have something released on one of the indie labels who did stuff I respected. That would be the big thrill for me--to be part of the legacy, no matter how small the label. Of course, I wouldn't tolerate a screw job out of one of those labels, either. My experience is that there are just as many scumbags in the underground as the mainstream and you've really gotta watch your back on that stuff. There are some good, honorable people out there but it seems like you've gotta really dig to find them. It's worth it to take your time on label stuff because being involved with people you dig, respect, and can trust is the only way to go.

First band that blew you away live?

Wow. I guess the oldest show that comes to mind was seeing Motley Crue. I think they were somewhat sober the first time I saw them and the power was just OVERWHELMING. There was this really frightening energy in the air that was hypnotizing. They were so massively heavy--much more so than on their albums.

Lester Bangs or Richard Meltzer? Why?

Please-- Lester Bangs! Anyone who could write about Iggy slicing himself open with a broken bottle and make it sound like the most beautiful, admirable thing the world had ever seen, to the point it made you well up with tears--that's THE MAN. I think college literature programs should make courses around his written output-- that guy was a genius.

Greatest band no one's ever heard? (Can't be you)

Hey, I'm too much of a fan to even THINK about myself, anyway. There are so many, but I'll get into a few here. In my opinion, the greatest piece of undiscovered music ever is the Bedemon CD. It compiles all their recorded material from the 70's, and is only available as a bootleg, at the moment. This band included Bobby from Pentagram on vocals, and the songs are INCREDIBLE. It's doom metal and, needless to say, Black Sabbath would've been in deep trouble if some label had ever put this out on a large scale back in the day--I think it's as great, if not greater, than the Sabs mighty “Vol.4” album. They had recently reformed due to all the renewed interest doom metal has been getting over the last couple years. Unfortunately, leader/founder/guitarist Randy Palmer was killed in a car accident last year. Supposedly, the new material they were working on will see the light of day, as well as an offically remastered release of the 70's recordings. Randy Palmer should've been one of the most revered guitarists ever, and it breaks my heart that he didn't live to get all the accolades he deserved. I was fortunate to correspond with him briefly and he was a great guy--really enthusiastic about music and not just his own stuff (the sign of a true great one). Beyond that, the band that has really been killing me more than anyone else lately is Mouserocket. This band features Alicja from the Clears and Lost Sounds. The only stuff out on them at the moment is self-released. They're synth-driven and really dreamy sounding-- it would be hard to compare them to anyone off the top of my head. Anyway, they have this CD called “Water Recordings” that is just unreal-- it's so good my recent plans to listen to other stuff have been totally screwed up, because I can't stop listening to it. I encourage everyone to check both of these bands out and to go see Mousrocket if they're ever anywhere close to you. There are a ton of others-- I could go on and on. There are reviews of both these bands, and many others, people need to know about on the Uncle Dan's House of Smut site.

Fender or Gibson? Why?

It depends. If I'm playing some of the garagey Uncle Dan style stuff, I always use this Telecaster copy I've got. However, if I'm doing the doomy Tremble Saith Thy Master stuff, I'll use an Epiphone Les Paul Special (the cheap one). Playing so many different styles, what I use switches as I need it to. I can say definitely that I prefer Gibson to Fender when it comes to bass. I know that's not the popular way to go, but that's how I feel. Those humbucking pickups in the Gibson basses get the EXACT sound I like. In the end, both brands have their merits.

"She'sThick": an ode to voluptuousness or brainlessness?

Brainlessness? NEVER! "She'sThick" would definitely be an ode to voluptuousness. I love women, especially the ones who rock. That's where the song was coming from. If a woman doesn't have a good head on her shoulders, I ain't interested on any level.

Based on a real person?

Yes and no. I really think more than anything it's kind of an amalgam of all these things I would want in a woman--some of these qualities I've been fortunate enough to experience first hand from women I've been involved with in the past. I think in music a lot of times women get a raw deal and are treated like second class citizens. I just wanted to celebrate all the women out there who love music and let them know that they are appreciated. That's one thing I've never been fortunate enough to have with a mate--an honest shared love of music. This, of course, has always been a massive drain on my relationships as music is, was, and always will be a massive part of my life. It's kind of difficult to find because I'm not really a partier and, for a lot of people, the rocking and the partying go hand in hand--for me, the rock IS the party. You know, I daydream a lot about being a good husband and father someday. Not the "cool" answer, but that's the truth. Maybe I was just dreaming out loud on that one.

What are your goals as a musician?

A lot of those have already come true. I've had my songs played on radio stations around the world, been reviewed in great zines, and had other musicians who I look up to and respect support and believe in me and my music. The ultimate goal is to do something worthwhile that adds on to the legacy of music-- I'd feel like a thief if it didn't pan out that way. Related to an earlier question of yours, on a personal level, it'd be a thrill to have something officially released by someone eventually. Still, I'm pleased I've been fortunate enough to have a level of success as a guy doing everything myself on not the best equipment that tons of gigging bands cutting demos in proper studios are never lucky enough to see. None of the support or cool things that have happened to me, and my music, are lost on me and I am humbled and grateful for it all. To younger folks starting out, remember--don't worry about your gear and stuff like that; if you've got the songs, people will be there to support what you're doing.

Goddamn, we really fucking rawk, don't we, Uncle Dan?

Whether I rawk or not is for others to say but I can DEFINITELY say you rawk JAKE "The Fucking Pope." I really appreciate you asking me to do this and hope you had as much fun putting this together as I did answering the questions. Your support is very much appreciated! Your site is kicking tail so far, and I hope it continues to progress and grow exactly how you want it to. I've got faith.

UNCLE DAN IS THE FUCKING MAN!

Interview by The Fucking Pope. Page Design by Ms. Jennifer Cheetah