With the new release of their remastered album "Hallucinations" on Omnivore Recordings, Permanent Green Light are back from the 9T's. Along with a collection of out of print favorites and unreleased demo trax, this new compilation is also packed with rare photographs and ephemera for fans to enjoy.
I recently photograph the band in picturesque San Pedro. Michael Quercio and Matt Devine kindly gave me an interview giving us a chance to catch up and fill in the blanks on the past, present and future. I'm absolutely thrilled to present to you one of Southern California's seminal bands: Permanent Green Light.
Julie Green
November 3, 2018
Julie Green: What was the impetus to release these remastered recordings now?
Matt: I attended The Quick panel discussion at Beyond Baroque last June, and it was an inspiring night. The band had reunited with their producer Earle Mankey to talk about the Mondo Deco reissue. It made me think about the Permanent Green Light records being out of print, and how I had been lugging around the master tapes for years. So I met up with Danny Benair for coffee the following week -- Danny played in The Quick before the Three O'Clock as you probably know -- and he graciously let me pick his brain. He introduced me to reissue producer Pat Thomas, and everything came together quickly.
Michael: Matt knew that we had owned all the rights as our contract with the record company stated that after so many years that we were the sole owners of the material.
JG: What other bands were you in before PGL and how do you think they influenced the sound your created?
Michael: I was in Salvation Army and The Three O'Clock. I'm not sure if they influenced Permanent Green Light. I was moving in a different direction style wise, but you can hear both those bands in the PGL material I wrote. That is just bound to happen.
Matt: I was in a garage band called Lazytown before Permanent Green Light. PGL was the first band that I played lead guitar for, so maybe I was getting out all my frustrations having been solely a rhythm guitarist before PGL.
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| Michael Querico |
JG: “Hallucinations” is an amalgamation of styles and sounds, hard and soft at the same time. Do you think the band was reflecting the music scene at that time or was it more due to the tastes of each band member?
Michael: As for me, I was not influenced at all by the music being made around me. I was in my own world and still very ensconced in the music of the '60s and '70s, which has always been my inspiration since I began to write songs.
Matt: I was inspired by the rock 'n roll records I worshipped -- the Stones, Big Star -- and the bands who knocked me out live like Redd Kross and the Replacements.
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| Matt Devine |
JG: “Portmanteau” has always stood out to me as a singularity on this record. Where did the inspiration for this song come from?
Michael: This was Matt's song. He is insane.
Matt: It was temporary insanity. The song was meant as a love letter to Arthur Lee and Love, but it ended up more like a postcard from inside an asylum.
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| Chris Bruckner |
JG: I love the contrast between Matt and Michael’s vocals. What are the differences and similarities that drew you to create music together?
Michael: Matt dug all the stuff I did, especially a '70s band called Big Star in which the two main guys shared lead vocals and harmonized together... like the Beatles really. It was great to work with another lead singer who happened to have a great vocal range. I found that our voices blended well together.
JG: Who is Martha Raye?
Michael: An actress and comedian from the 1930s and '40s. Martha Raye used to do commercials for Polydent denture adhesive up until her death in 1994.
Matt: She inspired us to boogie.
JG: There are tales of chocolate covered fish being tossed around at your live gigs back in the day. Is this true?
Michael: Yes, Paul K. from The Imperial Butt Wizards threw them at our audience during a show we did at a performance art showcase.
Matt: We were told that Mary Woronov was in the ladies room afterwards wiping chocolate sauce off her blouse muttering, “This isn’t funny... This isn’t funny.” We were surprised she didn't appreciate it more. It's not unlike getting uptight with the Velvets but with genuine chocolate flavor.
JG: Tell us the story behind “You Are the Queen of Market Street” from your 1995 single!
Michael: This was a song that goes back to the very early days of the band. Matt and I recorded a demo tape of it. It was not recorded until after Matt's exodus from the group. It was released as a contractual obligation as "Permanent Green Light," but it really was a different band by then.
JG: How was it working with the amazing Earle Mankey who produced your final album “Against Nature”?
Michael: Earle Mankey was the producer of the first two Three O' Clock releases including the radio hit "Jet Fighter." I had always loved working with Earle, so when PGL formed I made it a point that if we had the chance we would record with him. He is a major contributor to the sound of Permanent Green Light.
JG: Will you be performing live to support this rerelease?
Michael: We hope to be doing shows worldwide.
Matt: I hope it includes Germany. I'm partial to the fugue.
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