Coo Coo for The Crazy Squeeze

What do you get when you combine sexy, snarling vocals with crunchy, catchy riffs that make you beg for more? The Crazy Squeeze! LA's own has talent for days. With Johnny Witmer and Frankie Delmane upfront on guitars and vocals, Dat T. Ngo on bass and Johnny Sleeper on drums, you know when these boys get on stage, their gonna bring you just what you want! I recently caught up with these harbingers of Gunk Wave at their local malt shop and the following interview gives us a little peek inside their world. 

Your gonna go coo coo for The Crazy Squeeze,

Julie Pavlowski Green
November 8, 2014

JULIE PAVLOWSKI GREEN: Why The Crazy Squeeze? 

FRANKIE DELMANE: Because that is exactly what the world seems to be, a Crazy Squeeze.

JOHNNY WITMER: …because it doesn’t always fit, easily…

JOHNNY SLEEPER: Why not?? Has a nice ring to it and I like Jules Holland.

JPG: How did the band form? 

FD: Johnny Witmer & Johnny Sleeper formed the band with 2 other members, then their guitarist left, so I jumped in, and then we switched out two more bass players until we got Dat Ngo!

JW: Johnny Sleeper and I had a band called The 10’rs with Francois (Motorcycle Boy), and Jimmy Greco (Pro Skater). We played around town live for about a year, and a half, recorded a few songs. Once that fizzled out, Sleeper and I kept going. We picked up Frankie about a year into it, and that’s the best thing we ever did…

JS: Out of the ashes of a project that Witmer and I were a part of. We decided to continue on and get new people and new songs.

DAT T. NGO: I was asked to join after Chris B left the group. John saw me play with my other band Shiteland Ponies one night and said I was his first choose for the group. I still have my band Shiteland.

JPG: What is the bands discography?

FD: Since 2012 (our year zero- we were just warming up prior to the LP)- one full length LP, self titled debut, and two singles- "Gimmie A Kiss" and "Younger Girl," to be followed shortly by a third, double A sided single "Red Rosie/To The Lonely Ones."

JW: Gimme A Kiss/ I Need A Witness 7” (Rapid Pulse/ No Front Teeth) 2011, The Crazy Squeeze LP/CD (Vinyl Dog) 2012, The Crazy Squeeze LP (Wanda Records Germany) 2012, Younger Girl/Terminal Love 7” (Rapid Pulse/ No Front Teeth) 2013, To The Lonely Ones/ Red Rosie (Pure Punk Records Italy) 2014.

JS: Gimmie a Kiss 7inch/Younger Girl 7inch/ Full Lenth LP/Red Rosie 7inch.

JPG: Where did you grow up and how did that influence the music you play today? 

FD: I grew up in both Chicago Heights, Illinois and Portland, Oregon- which influenced me in the way I approach music most certainly- meaning- I love a good, solid hard rock riff ride- tight, compact, well constructed ala Cheap Trick and Stooges, but also love gnarly, nasty, over driven, punk slathered garage rock and like Dead Moon, The Wipers, Poison Idea- which simply connects both locales together and describes my personal approach. Plus, I bonded with Johnny Witmer on our love affair with pub rock and English punk- which was a big thing for me in the NW when I was there.

JW: I grew up in North East Ohio, and was definitely influenced by the snotty vocals harder guitar sound of Dead Boys & Pagans, but also love the rockabilly of The Cramps, and the weird art stuff like Devo…

JS: Orange County CA and Idaho. There was no music scene in Idaho at that time. I had to pretty much make my own, which I did. Had bands.. did backyard shows, had police shut down said shows. This idea and spirit has always stayed with me.

DTN: I was born in Vietnam and grew up in Freson till I moved to LA in 1991. Music influences are all from the the people I have met along the way!

JPG: What is your favorite song by The Crazy Squeeze?

FD: "Nasty"- because I wrote it and sing it!! Hahahahaha-. I'd say I love "All Lies" for the song Johnny wrote and sings- I think that song is one of my very favorites to perform.

JW: I love ‘em all for different reasons, but Younger Girl, and To The Lonely Ones stand out for me. Frankie sings both, and he’s bad ass.

JS: I like the new songs on this new single a lot.

DTN: "Boys Are Gonna Be Here Soon" is my favorite song by The Crazy Squeeze! Sounds like a teenage anthem!

JPG: What has been the craziest gig The Crazy Squeeze has played?

FD: Hmmm- well they are all insane to a certain degree, and if I reveal the insanity a lot of people would be incriminated- but I will venture to say a show we played once where people in the front were literally beating each other up while we were playing. I saw two girls smack the shit out of each other while we were rocking, and they seemed to be loving it. Now THAT's crazy. 

JW: Any show when Anthony Wilkins gets kicked out…

JS: They are all crazy. Getting Frankie there on time is part of the craziness.

JPG: How did you meet Asia Muka and how is she involved with the band?

FD: We LOVE Asia, she helps with promoting and managing the band (we are slightly stubborn control freaks, so managing us is an open ended prospect). She has been a great supported and her enthusiasm and excitement are always welcome and infectious.

JW: Asia is our main squeeze, for sure. She booked us at her Club Romper Stomper about 5 years ago, and has been one of our biggest champions ever since. She’s gotten our music in the hands/ ears of cool radio people all over the world. She does a guest appearance on our song Red Rosie.

JS: Asia has always been very supportive!!

JPG: What other bands have you been in?

FD: Teenage Frames. I have other, various bands floating around- Secret Lovers, The Wicked Wicked Ways, etc- but nothing quite like The Crazy Squeeze.

JW: The Stitches, Motorcycle Boy, The 10’ors.

JS: The Beatles, Rolling stones, Disneyland New Orleans Square Jazz Quartet.

DTN: Bands in the past are The Napoleon Blownaparts, The Lonley Planet Boys, The Superbees, Distortion Felix, The Neurotics, Donita Sparks and The Stellar Moments and a few others.

JPG: How was it working with the Producer Jerry Andrews and how did that come about?

FD: I love working with Jerry. He understands where we are coming from. He also likes to smoke tons of weed with me, and loves The Damned as much as we do.

JW: At the beginning of The Crazy Squeeze, I was hanging out a lot with Billy from The Humpers. Jerry was his good friend, and when it came time to do our LP Jerry was into it. He’s been producing and recording since he was a kid, and was working for Universal at the time of our record. He’s got an ultimate set of tools, and is a great collaborator.

JS: We liked his apartment.

JPG: The energy and stage presence of each band member is quite a force to be reckoned with. Is it easy to collaborate?

FD: Our collaborations are the easiest I have ever been involved with. I am a chronic songwriter, so I always have stuff to bring in, and the other guys have no shortage of ideas to enhance, improve, and accelerate those initial song structures, as well as writing stuff themselves. It is actually so fluid that i don't think there is a song we've written in which we struggled to get it finished- I've probably been wasted for many of those sessions, it's that much fun.

JW: Collaborating is the most effortless thing in the world for us. If you’re not playing music with your friends, you’re definitely doing something wrong…

DTN: Working with the band is very laid back. We have lots of fun at rehearsal and on stage!

JPG: Johnny Sleeper is leaving to concentrate on No Silver Bird. Who is going to replace him on drums?

FD: We have many pending options. We are just playing with a bunch of drummers at the moment to find the right one. Remember- after Tory Crimes bailed out of The Clash it took then 200 drummers to find Topper- and though I feel we may have found ours recently- I am not revealing names at this point- unless Witmer feels the need to share that info.

JW: The last few shows we had David S Fields (from Prima Donna) filling in, and he’s doing a fabulous job. We auditioned Shaun Clark (from UK bands The Gaggers /Miscalculations/Los Pepes) a few weeks ago. He kicked so much ass, but he's still living in London at the moment. He does have a wife, that lives in LA , so hopefully he’ll move here in 2015…

JS: A hologram of Karen carpenter.

JPG: You have a new 7" coming out on Pure Punk Records in Italy. Tell us about it.

FD: Ah- the double A side- as all our singles are-It's a super hit song!!! An anthem for the lonely ones, the other song a masturbatory classic.

JW: 2 songs we recorded earlier this year at Laundry Room here in LA. Jerry Andrews did the mixing. Frankie sings 1 side, and I sing the other. Early reviews say it’s some of our best stuff so far.

JS: Sounds delicious.

JPG: Tell us a story about workin' with Honest John Plain, from The Boys, on the track "Terminal Love" from your debut album.

FD: Oh man, working with Honest John was very cool. Great guy, great guitar tone, it was just cool to hang out with him. We are big fans of Boys UK.

JW: We backed up Honest John for a few shows in 2009. We had just started recording our LP around that time, and were already dong a cover of Terminal Love in our live set. We got really drunk at The Pike in Long Beach, and decided to mosey on over to the studio down the street to add his guitar part. He was a genius in the studio. He asked Jerry if he had any booze, and Jerry handed John a bottle of rum. He took a big gulp, and then laid down his guitar part in minutes…

JPG: Denim or leather? 

FD: Both. Depends on which bar, what city, top or bottom.

JW: Yes.

JS: Polyester.

DTN: LEATHER!

JPG: When is your next gig?

JW: Next Gig is at Café Nela in January with The Humpers.

JS: Karen Carpenter hologram is warming up.