Andrew Goldfarb: Kickin', Pickin' and Croonin'
LittleBook: Why did you start playing music and writing songs??
Andrew Goldfarb: Well, I happened to own this really creepy looking shrunken head - and I knew that it would be a perfect curio to hang behind me were I ever to be on stage - so I had to get myself on stage. To that end, I started writing songs. About shrunken heads.
LB: How did you end up a one man band??
AG: I actually worked in reverse; I started out playing with a full band that I called "The Slow Poisoners," but over time the various members mysteriously disappeared one by one. In the end it was just me, so I taught myself to play multiple instruments at once, and scratched the "s" off the end of all our merchandise. Sounded fine.
LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band??
SP: There was one show in West Virginia called "The Barnyard Brawl" that featured pig wrestling and a chili cook-off. It was hosted by a roller derby team, and the winning chili had human hair as a key ingredient.
LB: Favorite pre / post show; food, indulgence or ritual??
SP: I do a little hoodoo... I'll bring along a gris gris bag and sprinkle some Hot Foot Powder on the floor backstage, just to invite the spirits down. Maybe lay a chicken foot in the middle, so I don't break no strings.
LB: What do you drink at practice??
SP: I'll usually take a swig of my patented Slow Poisoner's Miracle Tonic, which I also sell at shows. It's made with genuine Egyptian Oil and is proven effective in the treatment of Elephantiasis, Cholera, Barnacles, Boils, The Fits, Excessive Abscesses, Necrosis, Lavender Fever, General Wasting, Consumption, Women's Troubles, Gout, Neuralgia, Wandering Limbs, Stoutness, Onanism and Disinterested Bladder.
LB: What's the hardest thing about being a Band in the bay Area??
SP: Carrying my bass drum up the hills in North Beach.
LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next??
SP: I have a brand-new CD called "Magic Casket" that I'll be having the CD release party for on April 26 at the Hemlock; and I'll be doing a tour of the deep South in July, including a science fiction convention in Baton Rouge and a cotton mill in Alabama (not to mention a public library in Kentucky).
LB: What's up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??
SP: I recorded it in a green basement in Portland, and will have it available on CD Baby and through my website: www. theslowpoisoner. com. I'm also gonna start slipping it into the drawers at hotels that I stay at on the road, next to the Bibles.
LB: Favorite Local Band or a memorable show??
SP: One memorable local show I played was the Witches Brew, which was a benefit for the San Francisco Ghost Society. They're a free service, if your house is haunted you can call them up and they'll come check it out. I won a psychic reading to boot. We'll be doing it again this year, in September at the El Rio.
LB: Favorite venue to Play??
SP: I love Kimo's, and also Brainwash, 'cause it's a good feeling getting your clothes cleaned while you rock. The Bar of Soap in Dallas is similar, but that's the filthiest laundromat on earth.
LB: What do you like about The Hemlock Tavern, have you played there before?
SP: I like the name! I have played there before, with my friend The Voodoo Organist. On April 26th I'll be joined by Palace Family Steak House, who are quite the musical and culinary force.
LB: Do any of the members ever take their shirts off at a show or at practice??
SP: On occasion my guinea pig will ring his bell while I practice, and he's usually shirtless.
LB: Who's the smelliest member after a sweaty gig??
SP: In a one man band, there ain't much competition! Though that shrunken head can get funky.
LB: Where do you think live music is heading??
SP: People will always gather in dark places to drink, and some of us will always bang on our guitars in the background. In the future these places will be even darker.
LB: How do you feel about people downloading your songs for free , do you offer free downloads??
SP: Freedom is good. I do have some mp3s posted on my website, and will be putting up more. And then there's my leave-the-CD-in-hotel-room-drawers plan. Maybe I can declare myself a religious organization and get contributions. I could be the Johnny Appleseed of Goth-a-billy.
