This Friday, a rockin' trio of trios will be invading Albany's Dublin Underground at Savannah's for a night of crazy fun and good music. I caught up with all three bands and discussed aesthetic, albums, plans and crazy pre-show rituals. It sounds like they will each be putting on an amazing performance- one that nobody should miss!

SEX SLAVES' bassist/vocalist Del Cheetah:

1. How did the whole concept and theme of the SEX SLAVES come about?

We needed a soundtrack for our lives. There are always plenty of bands in NYC, but none were personifying our lifestyle. We made it a point to write only true stories and share a glimpse of the crazy underworld that is the NY rock scene. It's bizarre, obscene, funny, sarcastic, sexy, mean and ultimately irresistible. People can sense when you're posing and when you're the real deal, and I think that's what people like about the band.

2. How has the band evolved from album to album?

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Bite Your Tongue, our first record, had a bit of an east coast/New York punk rock vibe to it- plenty of three-chord, 8th note bangers with a lot of attitude and a fun party vibe. It got the attention of a big (now defunct) label in California, who locked us in a studio for 18 months to write 60 songs. They wanted us to 'grow' as a band. It was educational, but pure torture. We definitely grew, and the next album Wasted Angel was the result. More refined, sure, but better? Everyone has their own opinion. I think what we took from that experience is that growing up isn't really what the SEX SLAVES are about. We're about embracing your youth, vitality, permanent immaturity. Our new album, Call of the Wild, returns to these roots, but with the songwriting chops of years spent in the studio and on the road. It's the culmination of everything we've learned and experienced- the best of both worlds.

3. You play Albany this Friday. Do you or the band have any pre-show rituals or superstitious routines?

I drink raw eggs until I puke to make myself look thin. I'll usually catch Jay obsessively lint-rolling his black outfit while in deep preparatory meditation, and Eric has a Jenna Jameson yoga DVD he likes to spend some time stretching with before a show. Then we all join hands and say a quick prayer to our John Travolta bobble head.

4. What do you plan on doing during the show that ensures people will remember who you guys are?

I plan on cutting off a testicle and feeding it to Eric. I hope it's effective because I can only do it twice.

All I can is let's hope so!

The Erotics vocalist/guitarist Mike Trash:

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1. What turned you on to the style and aesthetic that is The Erotics? Does the band's name portray you as individuals?

Well, growing up myself and the rest of guys we're drawn to the dirtier, raunchier side of rock n' roll, which comes out in our music.  The name does indeed portray us, in various different ways.
Actually the name came from one of The Simpsons Halloween episodes- the 1995 episode I believe. In the ending scene Homer is in another dimension, and he enters a bakery called 'Erotic Cakes'...I thought it would be a cool band name...but eventually just shortened it to 'The Erotics."
2. It's obvious by your sound that Alice Cooper is a big influence, especially old school Alice. What about him drew you to mimic his style and make it into your own?
I always thought Motley Crue would sound 1000x better if Alice fronted them...so we did exactly that, LOL.
3. You play Albany in less than a week. Do you or the band have any pre-show rituals or good luck superstitions?
Just a few shots of tequila, to get the engine going.
4. Your newest album title (Boulevard of Choking Screams) is a parody of Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, correct? What drove you to go in that direction and have you done that in the past or plan to do it again in the future?
It's the first time we've ever done a play on words like that...and yes, I have a few goods ideas for the future. : )
Even before Green Day, Hanoi Rocks had that song title first...which I think is originally from a James Dean flick.When I was writing the lyrics to 'Your Bloody Frankenstein'  that line just flowed naturally in the song, and I thought it would be a great album title as well.
The BLiSTeRz vocalist/guitarist Dave Graham:
1. I have to ask- where did you come up with the band's name and why is it in the fashion it is?

Shortly after forming the band, our original drummer Vincent Zandri and I were working out in the

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gym one day (I cannot confirm nor deny if Vinny actually had 'blisters' on his hands from throwing 75lb dumb bells around) and he suggested the band name The Blisterzbecause it sort of looked like "The Beatles" (his favorite band) but with a bit of an edge to it. I think he was envisioning the fancy font emblazoned across the front of his kick drum head like Ringo! The name The Blisterz was also representative of our Ramones-like...LOUD-FAST-INFECTIOUS...in your face, punk rock sound where on stage we would shed our real life dad, job, and family existence for an alternate reality- that of Davey BLiSTeR, Drew 'Blood' BLiSTeR and Vinny BLiSTeR (who was replaced in 2011 by our current drummer Teddy 'Barefoot' BLiSTeR). We then searched the Internet only to find out that the teen-aged son of Jeff Tweedy (WILCO) already had a band named The Blisters based out of Illinois. So we decided in order to avoid any 'Cease & Desist' Letters from Mr. Tweedy it would be best if we changed the 's" to a 'z' and we also thought it would be cool if we changed the capitalization of certain strategic letters...and hence ThE BLiSTeRz were born!

2. The Blisterz have only been around for five years, and all three members are older- do those factors play a big roll in the band's potential or success? Is there significance in the number "3?" You state "Who wants to read a bio about us?!!?! 3 guys who write 3 chord rock songs that are 3 minutes long!"

Yes..we're older...but NOT old! HA HA!!! With our ages and where we are at in our lives we are content with basically being 'weekend warriors' and not being a regularly touring band. Not to say that we don't make the occasional road trip to NYC or Buffalo, but we aren't looking to pile in the van and drive all around the country. We are just three regular dudes that like to pick up our instruments and blow off some steam, be able to write and record our own music and go out a few times a month and share the stage with kick ass bands like the SEX SLAVES and THE EROTICS. Then on Monday morning we go back to our 'real lives.' Twenty years ago it might of been much different but this is who we are and where we are right now.

I don't think there is any real significance to the number "3" although I do recall Bonofrom U2 once saying all you need is "3 chords and the truth" so I guess that has pretty much been our motto! Nobody wants to spend a half an hour reading some long-winded bio about us three knuckleheads- we like to let our music do the talking, so crank it up to "11" and you'll learn everything you need to know about us, and at that volume...so will your neighbors!

3. Your songs are quite catchy, upbeat and witty. What geared the band toward comedy in lyrics? Is it all about just having fun?

Thank you for the compliment! We definitely don't take ourselves too seriously and are really just in this for fun and to have a total blast on stage playing our own music. When I write songs my goal is to have the crowd singing along by the second chorus the first time they hear it so I try hard to make it very melodic and anthemic witha big hook. It's quite a kick when you see the people in the audience enjoying themselves shouting along to some stupid little ditty I wrote in my living room. As far as the humorous lyrics, most of my songs are based on true stories and sometimes those true stories are funnier or more entertaining than anything I could actually make up. Songs such as 'Friday Night Girls' (which is based on an interaction with a disgruntled bar patron who clearly wanted to hear a cover band instead of us), 'Wrecking Ball' (about one of my kids trying to destroy my house) and 'BOTB' (which is our social commentary on those often rigged and unscrupulous little things called 'Battle Of The Bands') are a few examples from our new album REBELS WITHOUT APPLAUSE.

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4. Do you or the band have any pre-show rituals or superstitious habits to ensure that your shows go well?

I don't believe any of us have any particular pre-gig rituals. I think we all usually just act like regular dads, chilling out and spending time with our families until it's time to transform ourselves into our punk rock super-hero persona's ThE BLiSTeRz and hit the stage to act like a bunch of idiots for the next 45 minutes! I did start to develop a bit of a superstition or habit where I would always crank up some tunes by one of my favorite bands STATUES OF LIBERTY on the drive to the show. They are such an awesome, high energy band that always inspire me and get me pumped up to go out and put on the best show I can EVERY TIME...no matter how big or small the crowd is!

You can just tell by these responses that all three bands are very energetic, spirited, down-to-earth people who just want to do what they love and have fun with while also wanting to deliver to their crowds. I'm so excited to meet and see these bands perform, and I hope you will join me! The fun starts at 8 pm!

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