“Recently I sat down to talk with Anthony Cuccia, multi-instrumentalist, prevalent sideman, primary songwriter of psychedelic/funk band The Other Planets, and founder of New Orleans-based record labelAttention Spaniel Records. We were both absolutely sober.” —SN
SN: You are a musician who started your own label. So you are both a recording artist and a recording executive. Are you afraid of accidentally exploiting yourself?
AC: That’s true, except I’m possibly the worst record executive of all time. Exploit myself? Somebody’s got to do it; it might as well be me.
SN: What, exactly, is the deal with Attention Spaniel Records? Because it doesn’t sound real.
AC: Attention Spaniel Records has always been an inside joke. Over the years I’ve found people that are in the same vein or conceptually similar or like-minded I’ll give em a number and logo. No distribution. No website. But we’re working on a t-shirt. So far we’ve only PAID for our own stuff, but we’ll see how this next one goes and maybe we’ll actually start pressing albums by other artists besides The Other Planets. The next TOP album will most likely come out on vinyl, so I’m excited about that.
The Other Planets | The Date
SN: So Attention Spaniel is sort of like the Twitter of record labels. First people worked with major record companies, then everyone was with an indie company, then their own record companies. Now it’s just going to be the label. No company, just the label.
AC: Exactly. JUST the label. Literally. Just the logo and word of mouth. That’s kind of what’s happening right now. It’s all lies…
SN: Are you afraid at all that this model sets a potentially dangerous precedent? Like, pretty soon, there will be no records. Just t-shirts. And then there will be no music. Just bands.
AC: I think that the situation is already in a state of total desperation. Actually, I think there are lots of bands that probably just sell a shirt with some download code for their music. And I can think of a million bands that walk on stage with no skills or greater concept whatsoever. Do people even like music anymore? I do.
SN: Yeah music is o.k. I guess.
So you know how most artists sign to a major label, then complain about it, then get into a purposefully public legal dispute after they’ve become conveniently famous, then create their own record label, then graciously sign better but lesser known artists to their label. Attention Spaniel seems different from those other indie labels. Have you thought about, maybe instead of signing new artists in the future, doing something “for the community”? Like, for example, you could open up a Dogs Only Bar.
AC: The Dogs Only Bar will be re-opening in late September. We had a problem with our leash license.
SN: Where do I send the check?
AC: Actually, I’d love to start a program to bring iPods loaded with excellent music to children in hospitals. I’ve had that idea in the back of my head for about a year now, and if I do it it’ll require a fundraiser. And that fundraiser will feature Attention Spaniel artists prominently.
SN: How many instruments do you play? And what bands in town do you play with?
AC: I play a lot of different percussion instruments, and keyboards. I know how to play congas, bongos, timbales, bells, triangles, shakers, drum kit, scrapers, etc. I also play organ and electric piano or synth.
SN: That’s impressive. Are you trying to be the next Prince? You know he says he knows how to play 40 instruments.
AC: I don’t think I could even name 40 instruments.
SN: I think he’s counting triangle as its own instrument, not just “hand percussion” as one instrument.
AC: I definitely count the triangle as its own instrument! A skilled triangle player can wow any audience. I played a gig at the Jazz Fest this year and I was rocking the triangle. The lead guitar player was taking a solo, but the jumbo-cam was on the triangle. Something about it…
SN: Well. Agree to disagree.
“The Vinyl District in no way condones walking around the Bywater while carrying a fake gun.”
AC: Anyway, I write a lot of music for my band with Jimbo Walsh, The Other Planets. We have five albums now, and I’ve played percussion, keys, guitar, drums, and sang on all of those. I also play keys for Mega Dynasty Five.
SN: Greatest band name of all time.
AC: And sometimes I play percussion with Shannon McNally, the Iguanas, and Rotary Downs, and Happy Talk Band around town. I do a lot of recording sessions with Mark Bingham over at Piety Street studios, which I really love. We work together well and I love being in the studio. I’ve done sessions over at Piety with Shannon McNally, Alex McMurray, and the Happy Talk Band, and a ton of other pick-up sessions.
I got to work with Mark and Hal Wilner on Marianne Faithfull’s latest album, which was pretty fantastic. We also made the newest TOP record there, with Mark producing. A couple of years ago I recorded on the latest Iguanas album in Nashville at Blackbird Studios with Justin Niebank and that was huge learning experience.
SN: Forgot one.
AC: And I play percussion with Stephanie Nilles.
SN: Luke from Happy Talk Band. Is his beard real?
AC: Real like grass in the moonlight.
SN: Why “Jerry Lee Lewis the Video Game”? Why not “Charley Patton the Video Game”? Or, “Bob Hope the Video Game”?
AC: Well, because that’s what the song was saying to me. It was Nintendo rock, the way it was written. Plus it felt really good to sing that absurd shit on top of that weird groove the first time we played it at the Green Room on the North Shore. They didn’t know what the fuck.
SN: You thinking about writing a sequel?
AC: I’ve been working on a sequel for years. Eleanor Rigby the Video Game?
SN: Let’s say I am currently an Attention Spaniel Recording artist.
AC: You’ve been one for a couple of years. We’ve been direct depositing your royalties into Dan Oestreicher’s bank account.
SN: Right so, let’s say, I want to have a gospel choir sing all my songs in a church. Could you make that happen for me?
AC: Hmmmm… Jimbo is the organist at St. Anna’s church, so I would probably call him up before I told you yes or no.
SN: How about I want to sing lead in a Prince cover band and have Bon Iver be my back-up singers. Or maybe the dude with the stupid beard from My Morning Jacket. Can you make that happen?
AC: If said “yes” to this one I’d be lying… but yes. I can hook that up.
SN: If I were to dress in drag, do you think you could get Alex McMurray to let me sing in the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus? Because that’s a deal breaker.
AC: Again…yes. Drag would help.
SN: How is McFatter doing?
AC: McFatter is now Trombone Shorty’s saxophonist. Touring Europe and the US, he is perpetually on the road. He recently sold me a great guitar amp.
SN: How about McClimon?
AC: Haven’t spoken to him in a moment, but he’s got a beautiful family now and I’m sure he’s nothing short of excellent.
SN: What was the inspiration behind the song “Walking Porno Zombies Part 2″? How does it differ from the Part 1?
AC: Well, there was this older lady making the rounds trying to pick up all the young musicians on Frenchmen around the time we made that recording. Diesel Dan and I saw her stumbling left to right on the sidewalk and decided she was a “walking porno zombie.”
Part one was a random event. Jimbo called me up and said he had a few loops at a certain tempo that were 16, 8, and 8 bars long. I had just made these other tracks that were exactly the tempo, length, and number of bars. So, we got together, hit record and played them at the same time without either hearing the other one. First take. Magic. Part two was a heavily overdubbed Funk overload. Lots of heavy loops put together by me with raunchy organ and guitar sounds over tons of intricate shaker and bell overdubs.
SN: In your hit song “Happy Time at the Mall,” you list things you can find at the mall. In what mall do they still have skee ball? Is that still a thing?
AC: I think they have it at Acadiana Mall in Lafayette. Also, I think I saw it at the Clearview mall but I could be wrong.
SN: How do you spell ski ball?
AC: Not sure if its ski or skee, and I refuse to google it.
SN: I’m pretty sure it’s ski. Skee is not a word.
AC: Is it two words or one?
SN: Gotta be two right?
AC: Maybe is there a Q in there?
SN: I don’t think so. Honestly I don’t even know which one ski ball is. Anyway I’ve been trying to cover that song for years. What are the chords in the chorus?
AC: On the “Happy Time at the Mall” part? F Fm6 Am Gm Gm6 Gm Gmsus4.
SN: Who makes the best Bloody Mary in town?
AC: Vaughn’s has a great one. I don’t know. I’m not afraid of beer in the a.m.
SN: Correct.
AC: Thanks.
SN: Once, a blogger who was interviewing me asked me “Who determines what art is? The artist or the critic”? Could you answer that question for me please?
AC: I think the artist absolutely dictates what is good and what is funny and what is real. You’re either in the band or you’re a fan. And critics? Please… It’s nice when they like what you do, but when they write mean shit about you, you’ve got to let it roll off your back. So why take even the positive stuff seriously? They often mix their praise with a series of pigeon-holing type references to other bands that they claim you are derivative of.
SN: Yeah. I just told him, “That’s a high school newsletter question. Not a high school newspaper, high school newsletter. There’s a difference.”
AC: I like your answer.
SN: Where do you migrate to when you go on hurrication?
AC: Big Brown in Hendersen. Or my parents house in Lafayette. But, I don’t have a car anymore, so I guess I’m going wherever whoever I can get a ride with is going. You?
SN: Come in my car! I just got a used VW Golf. Semi-automatic transmission double-clutch, runs on diesel. Gets 45 miles to the gallon. We could get all the way to Alaska and never have to stop for fuel…
