The Irving Klaws are an incredibly talented local rock & roll band here, in Buffalo. Some would go so far as to say that they are legendary in the local music scene. I have only had the opportunity to see them in concert once, and I was blown away. The band brings about an overwhelming sense of energy to the stage. I thought that its members would have some great insights on the Buffalo music scene, having first-hand knowledge. Luckily, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Irving Klaws guitarist, Dave Gutierrez.
Generation: Being in a local band here, in Buffalo, you have extra insight on what the music scene here is really like. Simply put, I would like to ask you what your thoughts and insights on the local Buffalo music scene are?
Dave Gutierrez: Well, there are a lot of aspects to the local music scene. What area in particular would you like to talk about?
G: Well, first of all, lets talk about what it’s like to be in a local rock & roll band here in Buffalo. That is, I mean to say, you must have a day-job.
DG: Yes well, financially, Buffalo is probably not very good for any groups really, however, there are probably a few who might do alright here. But for the Irving Klaws anyway, being in Buffalo is awesome. We love Buffalo. We get good crowds, and people have fun at our shows. Also, we have fun at our shows. So, for me anyway, I am one of the few people who don’t want to move out of Buffalo. I have no problem with thinking that I could be here for the rest of my life. You know, very few people from Buffalo feel that way, but they always come back. I like it here; bars are open until four, and the rent is cheap. It’s a good town.
G: What are some of your favorite venues to play here, in Buffalo?
DG: Hands down, the Mohawk place; it’s an excellent place to play. It’s not the prettiest place in the world, but everybody there is great; the bartenders are great and the owner, Pete, is especially great. It’s one of the few clubs, not only in Buffalo, but probably in the entire United States, where you get what you deserve. What I mean, is that if ten people walk in, you get paid for ten people. If two hundred people walk in, that’s what you get paid for. So it’s really up to the band to bring that in. But at other venues we play, you can get ten people through the door and not get paid anything, or else very, very little. In fact, there are even a few bars in Buffalo that I know for a fact, if you do really well, the bar is taking money off the top for shit. And at Mohawk Place, that won’t happen, which is especially important for a local group because, local bars do not exactly pay well. So if you get a lot of people in Mohawk Place, then you are going to be able to pay for your band’s rehearsal space, guitar strings, things that you need. Nietzsche’s is also a fun place to play. It’s been around for a long time and has a great stage. Continental also has a great stage. [laughs] I’ll just say that it has a great stage!
G: A lot of bands seem to not be able to do really well without the help of the radio. A lot of people don’t get the word of mouth about the really talented bands that are out there. What can you do as a band to try and get the word out on your shows?
DG: A lot of local groups don’t seem to understand this, but it needs to be very clear. The music industry is an industry, which means it’s a business. You can compare Warner Brothers to McDonalds, and Sony to Burger King; it’s the same thing. Now, if you are in a local band and you are wondering why your music isn’t played on the radio, you have to ask yourself if you are even gearing your music to be on the radio in the first place. We have had some limited success being on the radio, but I can tell you, we were shocked—more so than anyone else—that it happened. I don’t know if we even sent them our CD., I mean eventually we did, but then again, it’s not something we were seeking. We are doing rock & roll. It’s not like we have any intent on being radio friendly, but at the same time, it is rock & roll, and if the radio wants to play it, then that’s fine. But what I’m trying to say, is if you want your music to be played, you need to write music geared to the radio. And if you listen to the radio nowadays, you’re not hearing good alternative rock or punk rock or experimental music, you’re hearing hybrids of heavy metal and rap. I mean everybody’s a Limp Bizkit wannabe, everybody’s screaming. Or bands are like a Creed or a Pearl Jam or just straight up rap, or the bubble gum music of today, such as Britney Spears. If you’re stuff doesn’t sound like these things, then don’t expect to be played on the radio. My advice to local bands is that if you’re goal is getting to be played on the radio, then you better pay close attention to what’s being played on MTV.
G: When you first started playing guitar, was it because you wanted to be in a rock & roll band or was it because you wanted to get all the girls?
DG: [laughs] Shit, well it was because I wanted to be in a band. I was 15 when I started playing guitar, and I would probably say being in a band came first, but girls did come as an afterthought.
G: How did you get the name, The Irving Klaws?
DG: [smiles] Good question. I wish more people would ask that. The Irving Klaws were named after Irving Klaw, a bondage/fetish photographer in the late 40’s-50’s, most famous for Betty Page, a pin-up model from the 50’s. All of us in the band have a kinky side to us to begin with. But just the fact that he was an overweight Jewish guy who was selling pictures of movie stars to the entire world... but he kept getting more and more requests for the women to be tied up—things like that—so then he started taking the pictures himself. I thought it was really cool because it’s the American way, and what he was doing was totally legit, yet at the same time, he was catering to this sort of deviant/fetish underworld. But basically, he was the first to do it with photography. I mean, he treated his girls with respect, and it was always girl-on-girl, and the girls were always fully clothed too; it’s good stuff! So that’s where we got the name from.
G: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers about local music?
DG: If you are in a local band, don’t be discouraged because you don’t have a thousand people at your shows, or the radio doesn’t want to play you or anything like that. You really have to sit down and ask yourself what is your goal. If your goal is to have lots of money, and to be a superstar and live large and have lots of cars, like Cypress Hill’s new tune or whatever... I mean, if that’s your goal, you have to consider what that means, and what that means basically is taking the corporate cock and sucking it really hard. If you want to suck the corporate cock, then suck it and don’t sit around and mope and complain how you write the best songs in the world. I mean, if they’re not commercial, then you have to evaluate what you’re doing it for, because if you’re in a band, you should really only be in it because you enjoy it. If you’re trying to do it as a career, because you want to make money at it, then you have to forget about a lot of things, and really go the way of the corporate cock, and do commercial stuff. Bands that you may think are doing real well in the music industry are not necessarily doing as well as you think they might be. Take for example Pavement, a very well known indie rock band. I am willing to bet that several of them have a job! You know what I’m saying? It’s not this glamorous lifestyle. I mean, sure they’re touring and that’s beautiful, but it’s not like they are rolling in dough. They got lucky to be where they’re at, which is great, but that’s not going to happen for a lot of bands. But my point is, even when that happens, it’s not like your career is made. I guess this is a stern warning to anybody who wants to be in a band: listen to your parents and have a backup plan! It should be about emotion, fun, and what you feel. If by chance something you write gets huge and becomes famous, well then that’s fine. But if you want to be famous and huge, then the way is to make New Kids On The Block type music; that’s where the money is.
G: Who were your musical influences?
DG: This is really important to us. I know in my case and in Rob’s case, a major influence on us was... local bands. In the late 80’s, Buffalo had very big and excellent music scene. I can say right now, if it weren’t for the Splatcats, I don’t know that I would even be in a band now, or even playing rock and roll to any degree. It was seeing bands like the Splatcats that made such a huge impact on Rob and myself...and that was a big factor in us becoming a band—local music. Those were some of the first concerts I had seen that opened my eyes to rock & roll, thank God. And I appreciate local music in that sense. I think the scene is getting better. There are more good bands coming out and I think people are starting to care a bit more. I mean, you got bands such as Girlpope, Global Village Idiots, Bobo, Doombuggy, and other great local bands that are doing well other places, like the Baseball Furies, the Tyrades, and the Trailer Park Tornadoes...good punk rock & roll. It’s a pretty good time right now, but let’s hope it gets better.
Look for The Pervasonic Sounds of...The Irving Klaws, and newly released Pajama Party available at New World Records.
