Sponge – Interview with Joey Mazzola

How are you getting geared up to release New Pop Sunday?

We’re doing a release gig in Detroit at the Harmony House Store which we’ve done twice before, and we’ve totally blown it out with thousands of people showing up at this record store.

It’s not going to be this little acoustic thing; it will be totally electric and loud and nutty.

Do you think this album differs from previous releases?

I think there are a lot of similarities. It continues along with the Sponge style. The one way that it differs mostly is given away in the title, New Pop Sunday, which implies that this is a pop record; but that’s not to say that this is a soft, wimpy record because there are still raging guitars and hard drums. But every song has a pop twist to it.

Was there any reason that you switched record labels?

In late ’97 we were on Columbia and we started this record in New York City and worked with a producer and finished it in March ’98 and the label didn’t dig the record and we didn’t really like it much either. So, they gave us a choice to either work with an outside writer and record some new stuff, or take the masters and go to another label. So we decided to do just that: take the masters and go to another label. We hooked up with the independent label, Beyond, out of Los Angeles, and finished the record at the same studio that we recorded the first two records with the same co-producer, Tim Patalan.

Is being a rock star all that it is cracked up to be?

Well, that is a funny term. I can’t say that I feel like a rock star. I think a rock star is like David Bowie or Mick Jagger. It can be all of what people perceive it to be if you want to live that kind of lifestyle, but this is a business and we are trying to keep our heads and be cool and survive.

So, if your idea of being a rock star is a crazy, skirt-chasing, drug-shooting freak, then maybe we are the wrong band. (laughs)

What made you want to be a musician?

I grew up in Detroit and then was quickly moved to the suburbs when I was young and it was tortuously boring. The guitar gave me something to do besides getting into trouble. It kept me busy and it kept me pursuing something that was creative. It was a good creative outlet. I just feel in love with it and wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Did you have a lot of shitty jobs while trying to support yourself as a musician?

Absolutely. I absolutely had some shitty jobs. I did everything from working in restaurants to selling t-shirts to tinting windows. You name it; I’ve done it. Before this band, Sponge, took off, I was teaching guitars for about eight years which, I have to tell you, it was the better job that I had out of all of the crappy jobs.

So what happened that you left Detroit for L.A. only to come back to Detroit to end up in Sponge?

I was in a band with Vinnie (Dombroski, vocals) prior to moving to L.A. in 1987, so I knew Vin really well. I split in ’87 and spent five years in L.A. and came back in ’92 and joined up with Vin in a band he was in at the time, which was Loud House. Then that promptly split up about two months after I joined and we continued on as Sponge from that moment.

When you first worked on “My Lackluster Love” did you think the chorus would work so well?

It sounded kind of light, but it really grew on me. I didn’t really have any doubts when I heard Vin sing that, it just sounded real catchy. I wasn’t threatened by its poppiness.

Vin has a real knack for writing melodies. He takes some real quirky titles like “When You’re On Fire Baby, Roll” and makes them work well.

How involved is the rest of the band in making this work?

I’ve got to say that Vin is responsible for those melodies himself. It’s funny sometimes, while we are writing the songs he’ll sing the song one way and when we record it he’s come up with a new melody and usually it is hookier. We don’t just spit these out without thinking about them and trying on a lot of melodies and guitar parts. They definitely go through a metamorphosis.

Do you have a favorite song from the album?

I have a couple of favorite songs. I love “Radio Prayer Line”. I love “When You’re On Fire Baby, Roll”. “Polyanna” is a beautiful song and “1000 Times” is really cool. I’ve got to tell you, I’m really, really proud of this album.

The album seems to have plenty of hits. How do you take such a great album and get the public to recognize it?

Well, you go out and do the footwork. Everything from what me and you are doing right now to just playing live or even using our web site as a tool and MP3’s. Everything is an effort to get it snowballing.

How involved are you guys with the web site?

Actually we are quite involved. We will send Dave, who runs our web site, photos and tell him some road stories and he keeps in touch with the label. Usually things are talked about with the band members before they reach the web site.

What do you like to do when you have down time?

(laughs) Well, we never had down time up until last year when we went through this label change, so it’s hard to say, but I did plenty of things with my down time. I formed a small four-piece jazz combo with a female lead singer and we did old ’40’s standards in coffee houses and parties just to keep busy. I loved it. I thought it was a riot.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

I don’t think I had any serious ambitions until I picked up the guitar. I think I was pretty much lost until I found music, which is kind of sad. It’s sad to think that there are other people who have experienced the same thing and haven’t found their niche. I feel very fortunate finding music and having it work for me. I mean, it is a gamble. There are no guarantees in this business. It’s a rough ride.

Has anyone, family or friends, told you that you were crazy for wanting to be a musician?

I’ve been fortunate there because my parents never discouraged me from playing. My house was always the place where the band rehearsed, so they put up with hours of racket. I’ve got to tell you that they were quite patient people to put up with the beginner musician because most beginners totally suck, and I did as well.

So you are self-taught?

Absolutely. Never took a lesson in my life.

And you taught?

Yeah. It’s funny because I started teaching guitar and some of these kids knew more than me. I had to read up on theory and things and stay a step ahead of them all of the time.

If you could work with one musician, dead or alive, who would it be?

Probably John Lennon. I hold him in very high esteem, my favorite Beatle and my favorite musician of all time.

+ charlie craine