“That’s my cat!” said the girl who ran up to a partially alive, but mostly dead cat that Fox and the Law happened to come across just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse. Before I started my interview with the band they wanted to tell a good Fox and the Law story. I thought it was definitely one worth sharing:
After multiple disappointing shows and cancellations the band ended up stuck mid-tour in Denver. One morning they collected just enough money to treat themselves to a coffee (a big deal at the time). Just when Fox and the Law thought they had hit rock bottom, they came across the dying cat in the road that I mentioned earlier. Not surprisingly, after the little girl came running up to the scene, they were no longer in the mood for treating themselves to a coffee. One blood bank donation attempt and one depressing pawn shop stop later – they had hope they would finally get out of Denver. However they probably weren’t too surprised by the disappointment they experienced next when they got to the venue only to find it was more of a diner than an actual music venue.
Guy explains at this point that they “all split up and went to get food and [he] knew the night had taken a good turn because some guy from New Belgium was handing out free beer tokens so [they] all got lots of free beer.” Soon enough the once empty diner was filling up with drunk people that had just left the Rockies game. This is when they realized it was going to be a good show and they ended up making enough money to get back home. “At the start of the day we were residents of Denver with absolutely no expectations and we ended up playing the best show of whole tour.”
Things have definitely been looking up for Fox and the Law since their experience in Denver. In fact, the local Seattle rock group recently won the Hard Rock Seattle Battle of the Bands and could be on their way to London if they continue to progress in the contest. I had the chance to hang out with Guy Keltner (guitar/vocals) and Ryan Granger (guitar) and had a good time chatting about various things including music, 90’s fads and sausages. Here is part of the interview, enjoy!
TVD: Were you influenced by an artist or album growing up that really changed the way you looked at music?
Ryan: “Purple Haze” – I remember being 12 and listening to that and thinking “I want to play electric guitar.”
Guy: My dad was a big classic rock fan so he used to bring me to a lot of shows. He also used to wake me up at night and make me listen to something like “Texas Flood” or something that was played all the time just so I could listen to it since I was learning to play guitar. Also I remember I put Eric Clapton’s Rainbow album in a pile of stuff to get rid of. I got grounded for 6 hours or something and was stuck in my room and ended up listening to that and the Band of Gypsys album that were thrown in the corner because they were “stupid” just because my dad gave them to me.
Ryan: I think from the time I was 10-12 years old I listened to Marty Robbins on cassette every night before I went to bed. I also went through a period where I used to listen to a lot of rap. Coolio, Biggie. Chronic is still a good album.
TVD: If you could open for any band who would it be?
Guy and Ryan: The Dead Weather, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Rolling Stones, The Black Keys, The Strokes
TVD: Who are you listening to now?
Guy and Ryan: The Band, we listen to a lot of old music. Dan (drummer) listens to dubstep and jazz. Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac of the 60s, James Brown, Willie Nelson, Captain Beefheart…
Ryan: What? Captain Beefheart?
Guy: Captain Beefheart is awesome.
Ryan: He is okay…
Guy: Awesome.
Ryan: Okay.
Guy and Ryan: Can’t forget The Rolling Stones.
TVD: What’s your favorite Seattle record store?
Guy and Ryan: Jive Time. Bop Street moved to a more hip location but the guy is still really nice.
TVD: Any shows in Seattle coming up that you are looking forward to?
Guy: !!! (Chk Chk Chk) in Portland, I’ve always wanted to play funk music that’s still hip and not cheesy.
TVD: “You guys remind me of….” What do you get most frequently?
Guy and Ryan: The White Stripes
TVD: What’s in the future for Fox and the Law?
Guy and Ryan: We are almost done with recording, and we will probably do some more in the summer time. Hopefully London in June, we just won first in the region for the Hard Rock Battle of the Bands competition and now we have to win first out of US and Canada, then we have to defeat the world. Also trying to get some festivals lined up.
Be sure to check out Fox and the Law and their show at The Sunset Tavern tonight with Keaton Collective! For more information on Fox and the Law check out their Facebook and website.
