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ask the lepers

Do you have questions about your relationship? Send it to The Cute Lepers!
Do you need gardening tips? Send it to The Cute Lepers!
Do you want to know when we will be touring to your town? Send it to The Cute Lepers!
Do you want to know our favorite pancake receipe? Send it to The Cute Lepers!

Send your questions to [email protected] (it may take a while to get the answers up here...we'll email you when they are posted)
Please no booking questions, those go to our booker!

Dear Steve E. Nix,
What are your opinions on the "other" Stevie Nicks? Any cases of mistaken identity?
-Nick Jagger
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There is a old live video of A Global Threat playing their song Out in the Dark up on youtube, and their guitarist looks a lot like Steve E. Nix. My question is was Steve indeed at one point playing with them, and if so, when and how did it come about? Thanks
-Passing the Time
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Hey Lepers! Any plans for playing SXSW this year? Also, I'm stoked for the new album, I've been needing myself a fix of new Cute Lepers tunes. much love to the underdog,
-Ellis
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I was little hesitant to ask this knowing about the death of Travis (rip) but, I figured with Prissila being from here im hoping its cool to ask, but is there any chance of you guys hitting up Cincinnati this summer? Ever since I got the Smart Accesories record last month it's been played alot, and I'd love to see you guys live ! We just formed our band, and that record has seriously had a bit of influence in how we play. But anyways, hope to hear back soon !
-kris
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When are you all going to play Tacoma? I can't remember the Lepers ever playing here. What's a matter, 'fraid of wildlife?
Your fan forever.
The Raccoon
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Why do some of you ride scooters, when did you start, how did you get into them, and what kinds do you have? also, I noticed you mentioned a possible east coast tour a few questions ago. If said tour ever happens, I would love to see you in Florida and would be glad to try and help out. Especially in Tampa. Thanks!
Jullian

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Hi, your songs are fucking great! Why the name "Cute Lepers"? Why "leper"? Paulo

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I absolutely love your Christmas song "All I ever want" and I was wondering if I could get the lyrics. I have most of them figured out, but some things I am not sure about. -Paula

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Just because I don't have to belong to the religious right, doesn't mean I can't, right?
Next summer, me and my lady friend are going on a road trip from the suburbs of St. Louis, MO to the Pacific Northwest.  Hope we can catch a show while we are there!

Thanks,
Sean

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Any plans or japan releases in the works?
 
Steve E. Nix: Love Japan.  I'm quite sure both of our bigger labels Damaged Goods and 1234Go! get their records into Japanese stores...  Someday we'll play there, there is a legal issue I've got to get past with them first though and it's a pain in the butt.
 

 
Will you be having any Vancouver, BC dates anytime soon? I caught you for the first time this year at Bumbershoot...you guys were the best surprise ever...you totally knocked me on my ass.
 
Cherry Bomb
 
Duffy: Same as above (not because of me)... We're playing in Seattle at The Funhouse in November. Come on down! You could take the train, its fun! And, sorry about your ass.
 

 
Hey Lepers,
So my parents are going outta town and in that same week I'm going outta town for a day trip and where I'm going has a record shop. So I debated "do I want to buy food or records with the money left to me?" I decided on records.
So point of the story is do y'all have any recommendations for good records? I've been wanting to find some new music, but all my friends listen to is Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, All American Rejects, Lady Gaga ect, and that music just isn't my cup of tea. So their recommendations never really help.
your help is much appreciated :D
 
Steve E. Nix: Hello D,
  I didn't know what Lady Gaga or All American Rejects sound like so I had to look them up.  That's some really really crappy music. It's definitely a sign a maturity that you turn to us for recommendations, and it's possible you are entirely outgrowing your friends' usefulness to you.  For "new" music the Cute Lepers endorse The Spits, The Tranzmittors, The Cyanide Pills and the latest from The Adicts.  You'll want to look up an independent type record store that carries punk records to get this kinda stuff, and you'll want to get it on vinyl.   Vinly records are just sexy and you'll notice that you start 'getting lucky' more and more often as your record collection grows.  Happy shopping!
 

When are you guys going to come to the Baltimore/ D.C. area?
 
Steve E. Nix: Yikes!  Don't know for sure...  it's been too long though.  Possibly in november we might shoot over for a week or two of shows on the east coast.
 

Cute Lepers--
Okay, so I have only just recently discovered you and I really dig your sound. I found out about you guys after looking at the different bands on Blackheart records. Which leads to my first question-- Did you get to meet Joan Jett?? She seems so awesome, I want to be her.
Ok. my second question is how would you guys feel about coming over to play in eastern washington like Pullman... I mean, you guys are only like 5 hours away in Seattle! There's this bitchin place called the Belltower here that's a church that was converted to a concert hall you guys could play at. the band Local Natives played there last year. i think you guys should def come.
please lepers, Pullman wants you to come!
--cierra l.
 
Steve E. Nix:  Hi Cierra,
  Glad you dig the sounds.  Thanks!  Nope, didn't stinkin' meet Joan Jett... the times we played New York the entire label came out, but each time she was either in the studio or out of town.  Yeah, bummer.  I did totally sit in the chair I think she sits in at Blackheart's NY office though.  Kinda cool?  Hey, we'd love to come play Pullman sometime if you can convince us there's a decent crowd who would come out to see us.  Or if you can recommend a good band from Pullman that we should play with?  Otherwise, you guys only live five hours away from us!
 

Hi Guys. I really love your music!! I saw you live in Bologna, and I danced all gig long!! awsome. I bought the cd but there aren't the lyrics, and on the web  I can't find them. Where can I find them? can you public all them on your website? thnks
 
AND......
 
Hi Lepers
How about a competition - Guess the lyrics or something?
this is coming from someone who thought -'rottweilers are not safe -what a shock to put them on your face' was a line in 'So Screwed Up'!
No prizes for me then!
Mike
Torquay UK
 
Steve E. Nix: I have almost all the lyrics finally written out and they'll be posted on the website soon.  I promise!!
 

hi lepers!
i saw  you in bremen last monday - you were really great. you really seem to be a team. (kicks was really impressing, though.)
was that your bandbus up there above the ship? how do all of you spend your time traveling in there? if you want me to i could steal a superstar-bandbus from someone like whitney houston or our local soccer-teams for your next tour.
last question: when will you return to northern germany (hamburg or bremen)?
all the best
lemmy
 
Steve E. Nix: Oi Lemmy!
  We would love to have a quality 'soccer tour bus' for our next european tour.  When you get it let us know how many kilometers per gallon it gets?  We'll have to budget for that 'cause it can get expensive traveling in style.  Don't get me wrong, we'll take it for sure!  We will look much more rested when we load into the clubs.
  The Cute Lepers should be back in northern germany in february 2011 with a new LP.  Maybe sooner.  Glad you enjoyed the show!  And you don't know what impressing is until you live 6 weeks in a row in a van with our friend Kicks.  He's a good boy!
 

Dear Mr. Nix,
You are a sassy one ain't cha?
(Ha its the form of a question so you have to answer!!!!)
Love,
Steffie Elizabeth Gruchen
 
Steve E. Nix: Hi Steffie, You're right.  I'm proper sassy!  

 
Hey Lepers!

I just wanted to ask, since I'm pretty sure most of you collect vinyls, what systems do you guys run through? Turntables, needles, mixers, amps, speakers? I grew up just buying CDs and never really had the chance to experience vinyls. Now I find myself buying records with the intention that I'll get a sound system going to play them off of, or if not that then at least a really cool collection. Do you have any tips of players, speakers, and the whole thing that I should try out? Anything that I should stay away from?

Oh, and I'm also looking at converting some of my records to MP3. I've briefly read about ways to do that, but do any of you have knowledge on that sort of thing? Thanks!

Jim
 
Brian Yeager: Records rule, and building up your system is fun as hell!

I use a technics record player that I got for $15 dollars on carigslist, and I love it! It sounds great and spins the right way. I run it through an old receiver circa 1970, that was gifted to me, but you can find these anywhere for around $30 to $50 bucks. Then a couple of speaker boxes with a 12 inch a 10 inch and a horn.  The speakers were also very inexpensive, i think I gave $40 bucks for both on craigslist. You can get a really cool and completly functional system with out spending a lot of cash. Records are so much more fun to buy, and listen too.
I would stay away from self guiding needles. They suck in my opinion.

As for converting them to Mp3's, I have never embarked on such an agonizing journey,

keep buying and listening to records.

Duffy: You can find cheap turntables at a pawn shop because DJing doesn't pay (for most people)! If you can find an affordable Technics 1200 then you have found the workhorse of the turntable world. A rule of thumb for stereo receivers and turntables - the heaver they are, the better.

 

Hello Lepers-
Who is the cutest Cute Leper?

Stay Sick-
Matt Mayhem
 
Prisilla Ray: All of us are cute but come on...have you seen the cute lepers girls??!! They're pretty damn cute!!
Brian Yeager: Steve.
 
 

 
Hi, I graduated from high school three years ago, and have until recently done nothing to pursue any post-high school education. I've been given an opportunity to attend college completely free, without having to pay anybody anything back, and have been doing so part time for the past year. I absolutely hate it, and am seriously considering quitting. I don't have any idea what i want to do with my future, and hate the thought of having to go through school to get some fancy career. What are your thoughts on post-high school education, and what have the Lepers done in this very situation? Do any of you have real careers, and if so how did you decided to go into that profession. Thanks.
 

 Steve E. Nix: That's a tough one.  Myself, I attended the Clover Park Vocational Technical('voc-tech' they called it) school in Tacoma after getting the fuck out of high school.  I studied offset reprographics and it was fucked.  I tried getting stoned with a couple of the other guys in my class who were into punk music but that only made class way way worse, in case you were wondering about that...  At Clover Park Voc-Tech there were all kinds of different trades and professions you could learn.  Some folks were learning carpentry and electronics and stuff and it seemed like that was where the money was gonna be, career-wise.  And then there were people of all ages who were in training to be cafeteria workers.  During breaks, while my classmates got stoned in the parking lot I would go and sit in the cafeteria and smoke cigarettes and drink coffee and kinda study these 'cafeteria students'.  At first it seemed like a better day at school than the class I was taking, but after a while I decided their class was rotten too, and a lot of them seemed to have learning disabilities.  They were kind of fun to watch though.  The students learning to be nurses had their breaks at the same time as us reprographics students and they would all be in the cafeteria with me.  They were pretty much all women in their 30s and they pretty much all smoked, they smoked those super skinny cigarettes that have flowery names.  Common sense told me that those must not be so bad for you: they're skinny and nurses(well, nurses to be) are smoking them.  Right?  I tried them out to see if I could switch over from regular filters, but they were pretty bad.  Bad smokes.  I think they were called Capris and I know for sure that I see real life female nurses in Seattle smoking them 50 feet outside of hospital exit doors during their breaks.  

  I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that while you are only going to school part time and hating it, in 1989 I was going to school full time and hating it, except during breaks.  But! I found the shortcut to success which you may also find... although my grade average was a c-minus, there was a special rule at Clover Park Voc-Tech where if you were at least halfway done with the course and you landed a real job in the real world then you automatically graduated with a certificate and everything!  Pretty cool!  I landed a sweet job at the Lakewood Press doing ad layouts and got the fuck out of voc-tech.  The Lakewood Press sadly folded after just two months and I then got a job at an auto-trader in some shitty little town in the woods past Olympia.  That job was really awful and I was really bad at it and I got fired.  I started smoking pot and taking speed occasionally and I moved out of my folks house and into the band practice room in downtown Tacoma.  So you see, there is now a new point.  Even though I had temporarily found success in life with a fancy career... it soon turned into a crappy job, getting fired, turning to drugs and living in a rehearsal room.  Although I blame only myself and take responsibility for my choices in life, there could be a case made here that the school system failed me.  In fact, that the school system failed all of us.  Maybe??
 
Duffy: School is cool but so many people don't know what they want to do with their lives until they've lived them a bit more. Some people never know. Maybe it is time for something different and mind expanding? You can always go back to school. How about working overseas?

Hi lepers,
Can u guys please come back to Austin!? My friend and i have loved the briefs since about fifth grade and now we love cute lepers but we unfortunately couldn't make it to the last cute lepers show in austin and are still devastated. It would make our lives if y'all could hitch hike back to texas. We are unfortunately minors, but I'm sure if you are playing at someplace that isn't all ages we'll some way to sneak in. So please come! (If I told you one us had cancer would it movitate you to come? cuz than one of us has cancer)
sincerely,
the bandmates of the future band Amish Maifa

Steve E. Nix: It wouldn't really be fair for us to book shows on the grounds of "one of us has cancer".  What about about kids in Milwaukee with with tuberculosis? or the kids in Philly with jaundice and bulimia?  Are we supposed to hire a jet and make the rounds for every group of kids who don't have the phone number to the Make A Wish Foundation?  Hey, I'd like to!  But it just isn't realistic for us this year.  If we we get enough financial donations then maybe.... Anyways, we are hoping to be back in Texas at some point this summer and we'll shoot for all ages.  Cool?  Thanks!

 

Hi Lepers !
I was wondering why you were called "The Cute Lepers". if it was referring to something.
Steve ... have you had leprosy?? looooooool
I hope you come play in France. And congratulations on your second album, I love it!
 

Steve E. Nix: Prisilla and Kicks both had leprosy in their teens.  I never did myself, although I'm not sure how I avoided it. and yes we shall be enjoying select French cities in may 2010.  Glad you like the new album!!


Hey Lepers,
So I've gotta question. Suppose you were given one million dollars would you rather spend it all on gift cards to get your furniture re-upholstered or on Nerf guns?

Much obliged,
Ellis

Prisilla Ray:

That's an easy one. Nerf guns! The only furniture I own is a 60's kitchen table and a disco tek. Anyway... how much fun can you have with re-upholstered furniture?

Hi guys,
 
Hope the tour goes well and see you back in the UK soon.
 
One question, when you play with the brilliant STITCHES, tell them to
get their arses over here to the UK. Never seen them and want to before i live this earth (by the way, i hope that
i have a long time to go yet).
 
All the best
TIM 

Steve: Hello Tim, 

  Thank you, and we'll let them know!


Hey there, Lepers! I see that you've got a couple of some Bay Area shows coming up - all of which are 21+ shows. It's like poison to my young, under-21 heart! Would you know if you'll be playing any Bay Area shows that are All-Ages any time soon? I gotta come and see you guys...

oooooor.......would you know where I could get a fake ID in CA? Wait, what? Don't answer that.

Thanks! The new album is great by the way!!!!

TL

Brian: TL, Unfortunately we do not have any ALL Ages shows booked in the Bay Area at this time, but we will promptly investigate that possibility, and make it a reality. As far as attaining a fake ID is concerned perhaps you should consult your local computer nerd and offer him/her a bounty of sorts in trade for an ID card verifying you are at least 38 years old. If for some reason this plan backfires and you find yourself in the clutches of the law, we will deny ever giving you such spectacular advice. Good luck TL, and thanks for listening to the Lepers.


Hey Lepers, it's me again. Actually, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to go to the Parkside show with Clorox Girls. Is there any way a underage dude like me could get in there? Could I be sneaky and be ninja-like to make my way into the show? Is this or anything possible?

TL

Brian: I don't think it is possible to smuggle an underage dude like you into that show without drastically disrupting the universe. Work hard on a fake ID, and if you succeed we will honor your victory by giving you a t-shirt of your choice (Duffy -after you get discovered and kicked out). Good luck punk rocker!


Hello lepers!

Sometimes... when  I'm alone at home I play my Carpenters records and enjoy singing We've only just begun or Yesterday once more...
but, shhhh... it's a secret! Dou you have any guilty  pleasure?

Love from Spain. 

Duffy: 60s folk, psych bands, Left Eye Lopez, ferrets, gnocchi, stouts and porters!

Steve: Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, even the bad Will Ferrell movies, twix bars, Bee Gees


Hey guys! Jamie from The Stiff Wires here!

I was wondering who did your last two records!? They both sound fantastic! I was wondering if I could get some backkround info on their production?
 
Thanks, Jamie  

hi Jamie,

  Johnny Sangster produced both along with me to a lesser degree.  The first album after we got the bass and drums tracked at an ok studio, I recorded all of the guitars myself in my basement.  For both albums we recorded bass and drums to 16 track analog and then transferred those tracks to protools.  All the guitars, vocals, tambourines etc. were done straight onto protools using a few really good preamps.  Both albums were mixed by Johnny at Electro Kitty which is like one of the expensive high end studios in seattle.  You gotta pay for a good mix!  
  My experience is, you need to make sure the drums are recorded in a good room by someone who really knows what they're doing.  Recording them hard to tape gives saturation or 'color' to the sound, and drums are really the only instrument where you hear the difference: digital sounds brittle and lacking depth, analog sounds warm and has more body.  Then everything else can be recorded anywhere cheap onto a digital recorder.  It's gotta sound good before it hits the microphone though!  I'm into old amps and old guitars...  That help?  All right! --steve e.

Would you guys be willing to let me interview you for Punkradiocast.com?
I'm a huge fan of the new album I can't stop listening to the god damned thing!
that's my question

Steven Blaqart  

Hi Steven,

Answer is: absolutely yes. Thanks! ---steve e.
 
(He'll be in touch)


Dear Cute Lepers

After listening to punk music since early '77 imagine my wifes' (and mine) astonishment when she caught me singing along to Andy Williams 'It's the most wonderful time of the year! What do you think could have caused this? I'm sure its never happened before and how did I know the words?

Mike -Torquay UK  

Hi Mike,

  Well sir, I have to thank you for turning me on to a seemingly pretty hip 60's crooner.  I really had no idea who Andy Williams was.  'Can't Take My Eye's Off You' is a killer on youtube, and I'm learning how to play it on guitar right now.  I don't know 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year'.  And, I don't know the answer to your question... All I can say is, hey it could've happened to anyone.   I don't think it's your fault at all since it was an apparently subconscious phenomenon.  There's no reason to feel proud or ashamed.  You can tell your wife I said that.  You're doing just fine.  Just accept it and move on when shit like that happens, it's cool and part of becoming a man.  Somehow I bet Andy Williams does a great version of 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head'  I bet! 
---sincerely,
Steve e.


Hi Lepers

Recently I conducted an experiment at home.
I put 'terminal boredom' on the turntable and changed the speed to 33 and played it backwards....I'm sure in the middle of the track there was another voice singing..maybe with a message to everyone?
Obviously I searched the internet but came up with nothing...could it have been Andy Williams.....?

Mike 'spooked and worried' Torquay UK

Hi Mike,

  This is more like it.  Something to actually be concerned about.  I'm concerned too because I only just (thanks to you) discovered Andy Williams, and if he's been lurking around the grooves of one of our releases without us knowing about it, well something's not right.  Trust me.  I've played the that 7" probably a hundred times at 33 speed, and although I've never had the wild itch to play it at 33 backwards (that's nuts!), I really should have heard the voice you're describing.  I'm worried that something may be out of phase with my hearing.  I'll have to visit the 7" again and investigate.  
  Once again, I don't have an answer to your question.  But you've every right to be spooked and worried.
---sincerely,
   steve E. nix

Dear Cute Lepers,

I love to run.  I also like to wear my Cute Lepers shirt.  So, I decided to combine the two activities by going on a long 20 mile run while sporting my nifty cotton Cute Lepers shirt.  Unfortunately, tragedy struck at around mile 17 when I developed bloody nipples due to chaffing.  I need to know if I should:

A) Continue wearing the Cute Lepers shirt and quit running
B) Continue running and quit wearing the Cute Lepers shirt
C) Quit running and quit wearing that damn shirt
D) Other??????

Yours truly,
Chaffed in Madison

 Dear Chaffed,

  It's like a change in the weather, you get used to it.  Don't stop running or wearing your killer lepers t-shirt.  
You wouldn't stop wearing a new cape just because it made your shoulders sore the first day would you? -Steve e. nix