dan monick

Abe Vigoda came from Chino but are slowly relocating to L.A. They play more shows than just about anybody. Bassist David Reichardt could not be present for this conversation after cancelled dinner at Phillipe’s.

If L.A. picks on Orange County, and Orange County picks on the Inland Empire, who does the Inland Empire pick on?
Michael Vidal (guitar/vocals): Themselves.
Juan Velasquez (guitar/vocals): It’s really not that bad. A lot of it’s almost kind of nice. It’s just the air quality. Apparently the Inland Empire has the worst air pollution.
Even though you’re moving to L.A., will you always be welcome in Chino?
J: We only played Chino once. At the Chino Rec Center, and that was really fun.
What kind of recreation can you get in Chino?
J: It seems like they do a lot of choir things there.
Reggie Guerrero (drums): And wrestling.
What was it like to incubate so long in inland isolation?
J: We met over a mutual love of the Smashing Pumpkins.
M: No one would talk to me because I had a Smashing Pumpkins shirt. Except Juan.
J: I saw him walking and he had that shirt, and me and David and my friend were really into them—we’d download Smashing Pumpkins bootlegs, and we got to see them before they broke up, before Zwan and all that. And I knew Reggie from that because he liked Smashing Pumpkins, too. I never thought we’d all be in a band together.
What’s your oldest recorded song?
M: It’s called ‘Sophomore.’ It’s really funny—you can probably find it on SoulSeek.
Do you SoulSeek yourselves?
J: He’s really into SoulSeeking himself. Take that however you wish.
What exactly is so tropical about Abe Vigoda?
J: I think it’s a lot to do with the drumming.
R: I’m really into things like dancehall and hip-hop and stuff, so I sort of try to blend that into what we’re doing as a band, and it just comes out as sort of—the beats are kind of what people would say are tropical.
What’s the closest to the equator you’ve ever actually been?
J: I was born in Mexico.
R: And so was I, but Juan was closer to the equator.
What happens to the band as you travel farther north?
J: We get really chilled out when we go to the northwest.
Are you aware that when you aren’t touring you play literally every single week in L.A.?
M: I think we really love to play live. It seems like rad shit is always coming up and we always wanna be a part of it. I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t play a show.
What was the last time you crashed a bill?
M: We did it once, but we asked Jim at the Smell if it was OK, and he said yes.
J: That’s the only time we ever crashed a show. I think we’re polite people.
What is the happiest crowd you ever played for?
M: In Albuquerque, we played to like twenty dudes with their shirts off in the Albuquerque heat, who were all dancing really crazy—they seemed really ecstatic.
Actually, Juan, wasn’t it your dream to play for a bunch of shirtless sweaty dudes? Since that dream has come true, do you have a new dream? Or are you dreamless?
J: I’m pretty much dreamless now. Maybe I’d like to be carried away by them.
Like in Roman times?
J: We need more Roman shows. With like bingeing and purging areas.
Abe Vigoda live at the vomitorium?
J: That sounds great. Caligula-style entertainment.
What’s the most decadent experience you’ve shared?
J: We played at Boise State, and they hooked us up all nice—we usually don’t stay in hotel rooms on tour, but there was this really fancy suite…
M: And they gave us free pizza!
J: Good pizza, too! That was the best. I guess that was pretty decadent—two different rooms! And we each had a really good bed. I think it was pretty decadent.
Did you mess with the minibar?
J: There was one, but I feel like they would have been charged for that.
So decadent yet so polite.
J: I guess it’s not that crazy.
What is the serenest moment you’ve shared together?
J: On our first tour, we went by ourselves and did a summer west coast thing. We played in Seattle on the 4th of July and met the kids in Michaela’s Fiend, who we’d been talking to online. It was a really fun show at a friend’s house—there were all these people our age and there were fireworks over Lake Washington. I feel like—it’s always been fun, but that moment really started that feeling.
So heartwarming.
J: That’s the kind of guy I am.
R: That’s the kind of band we are.
J: A band of sweethearts.
Is Andre 3000 going to produce the next Abe Vigoda record?
M: Hypothetically.
J: I think it’s gonna happen. We met him really quick, and he’s really excited about us.
Really?
J: No, I’m lying. Feel free to say it’s true. I was hanging with Cali and we saw Andre 3000 at the cleaners being fitted for a really nice suit. So I talked with him for like twenty minutes.
What were you wearing?
J: A Winnie The Pooh t-shirt.
What is the one common characteristic of all Abe Vigoda friends and fans?
M: They’re all beautiful.
J: We pride ourselves that we don’t have any ugly friends. They’re all special little snowflakes.
Are you working on a new record?
J: We started recording it this month. I think we’re just gonna record it and see what happens. Teardrops wanted to do the vinyl. We’re talking about doing a picture disc—all of us naked, I guess. We really wanna be in BUTT magazine.
M: It’s a gay publication.
J: They have really good articles.
You read BUTT magazine for the articles?
J: It’d be so cool to be in it. They have bands sometimes. They had Matmos. We should be in it and pose for it—but who would show off their dick? Then we were gonna use it as a 7” cover. But Michael’s mom could never see it.
What’s the most inspiring thing anyone wrote about you?
J: When people write about the L.A. scene in general, they include us—like No Age, Mae Shi and us, and it’s nice to feel a part of that. That when people think of L.A. music, maybe they think about us, too. That makes us want to continue—not that we wouldn’t.
M: Jessica Hopper wrote in her blog that we’re the best band she’s seen in years.
Was there a communal blush?
M: Yeah, I kind of blushed.
Blushing teen sweethearts naked in BUTT.
J: We should really milk that—become like teen stars. Because we’re all teenagers and stuff. And we really like David, even though he’s not here.
M: And women love him and think he’s beautiful.
J: He gets all the ladies.
He’s a heartthrob?
J: For sure. He’s so silent.
Did you know that Abe Vigoda has a real career problem because everyone thinks he’s dead?
M: Everyone says that to us—‘Isn’t that guy dead?’
J: One time at the Smell this really old dude showed up—
M: I have no clue where he heard of it, but he was just sitting around, and was like, ‘So when is Abe Vigoda going on?’ And some kids told him it was just a band, and he laughed and kind of walked out. He seemed really lonely. I felt bad.
J: I think he was excited. I’d be pissed off, too.

ABE VIGODA PLAY FRI., SEPT. 14, AT THE RECEPTION FOR BARRY McGEE AT REDCAT, 631 W. 2ND ST., LOS ANGELES. 7 PM / FREE / ALL AGES. WWW.REDCAT.ORG. AND MON., SEPT. 17, WITH MATT AND KIM AND XBXRX AT THE TROUBADOUR, 9081 SANTA MONICA BLVD., WEST HOLLYWOOD. 8 PM / $10 / ALL AGES. WWW.TROUBADOUR.COM. AND TUES., SEPT. 18, AT VIVA RADIO’S VIVA LA CITA AT LA CITA, 336 S. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES. 10 PM / CHECK FOR COVER / 21+. WWW.VIVA-RADIO.COM.