A Few Scratches and Dents.

To me the Murder City Devils were the epitome of rock n' roll. It had nothing to do with having a greasy little pompadore, using a certain amp to get a retro vibe and twang or spending a shit ton of money on the right 'old' clothes. Their songs are stripped down but have the seamless melodic invention to keep them timeless classics, they have the boom and the swagger as well as poignant heartfelt moments lamenting loves lost. Spencer Moody's lyrics are laced with metaphors incorporating being a touring band with being a sailor at sea, drowning in excess and regret to forget the girl in the last state he was in, or the last stop for shore leave. Moody has lent his talents to more great projects since MCD called it a day in 2001, the latest being Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, which has been probably his most abstract and yet his most heartfelt output to date.

It's great to hear your voice still going after all these years and not be silenced, what's the MO for your latest project Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death? And what a great name! What are the origins behind it?

Triumph of lethargy is taken from the Beautiful and the Damned by F.Scott Fitsgerald. Skinned alive to death was a band name Corey (Brewer, Chaostic Magic) had. So we stuck 'em together. A little silly i must say.

From what I understand, Triumph of Lethargy... has quite a few releases in the works, are there any tentative release dates? What can people expect from the new material? 'Chivalry is Dead' has been my favourite song for the past month. Are you involved in any other projects that we can expect to see any releases from in the near future?

The record Teenage Teardrops is putting out should be out in the next few months, you should be able to get it through their web site. There should also be a split release with Seattle band Hemingway coming out soon on broken press. We have other offers to release stuff, it's mostly a matter of getting the recording time. The new material is stuff we've been writing with Joel (Cuplin, Hideous Thieves) and Andrea (Zollo, Pretty Girls Make Graves) so it sounds a little more like a band than the older stuff.

You're probably most well known as the vocalist for the Murder City Devils, but after it ended you were involved with a string of other projects (Dead Low Tide, The John and Spencer Booze Explosion, Smoke and Smoke) for those not in the know, can you give a little background on each as well as on some I may have missed out!

The only one you missed was Rabbit Ears, we had one ep out on make break records. Rabbit ears was myself and Jeff Macissac. Electric drums and vocals. Dead low tide was Coady and Nate from MCD and our friend Mike Kunka from Godheadsilo and Enemymine. We put one record out but couldn't keep our shit together. Smoke and Smoke was me and Kunka and Dan on drums, Dan was also in Godheadsilo. I liked Smoke and Smoke a lot but fate was against us. Booze Explosion was something fun to do with John Atkins and some other folks, I'd like to more music with John some time.

After years and years of being a primarily a singer in different bands, what made you decide to pick up a guitar in Triumph of Lethargy as well?

I found people who would tolerate it. It's more fun than singing. I feel more like part of the band.

I get the impression there's a link between your antiques shop the Anne Bonny and the lo-fi junk shop orchestra vibe in a lot of the Triumph of Lethargy... stuff. Do you feel that working at your shop has influenced your music in a way? Do both reflect a love of things with an overall 'classic' feel?

I don't mind a few scratches and dents

Murder City Devils did some reunion shows recently. What made you want to play with that band again? How did these gigs go and are there any more shows planned?

The shows went well, I think we were always kind of a fucked up live band anyway. There is talk of more shows from time to time.

What is your approach to lyrics? How have they changed through the years and what are the inspirations behind them? Is there a different goal with each band you do and if so what do you try to achieve with lyrics for Triumph of Lethargy?

I used to try and sound honest now I try to actually be honest.

I've only just got a copy of the Rock n' Roll Won't Wait DVD though mail order. It's a great little road dog movie but unfortunately one I rarely heard about. With it having come out long before every band was putting out dvds do you feel that it was given the proper publicity and recognition it deserved?

I don't know never gave it much thought.

Do you think a band like the Murder City Devils could have gotten as far as it did had you started nowadays? Do you think it would have easier to start/be in the Murder City Devils in 2008 in any way?

Hard to say, I hate to think of the bands we would be lumped in with today.

With newer bands springing up from your area from people involved in bands like MCD, Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves. How do you feel about the bands in your town in recent years? Where do you see the music from Seattle evolving lately? Do you still feel a kinship with these bands and the people in them?

I feel very much a kinship with these bands, everyone keeps getting better.

Thanks so much again for taking the time to respond to my questions!

Thank you and good luck with everything.

The Murder City Devils – RIP
By Moody's own admission, Murder City Devils were always “kind of a fucked up live band anyway” and this was true to the end, Their final show on Halloween 2001 saw mics, cutting out, out of tune guitars grating against one another and keyboardist Leslie Hardy conspicuous by her absence. But even on their studio albums there was a wild-eyed, reckless and a slightly inebriated abandon that kept the danger present in all the best rock n' roll present in the devils' sound. The band holds it together well enough to barrel through the classics from their final ep Thelema, all the way back to songs from their first record. The band went up, cut the self celebratory bs most bands this great would revel in for their swan songs and did what they had been doing for the previous five years. Probably the most interesting moments are in the two songs only played at this show. 'Waltz' and 'Grace That Saves' pick up where the material on Thelema left off and give a glimpse into the type of output that would be seen from Dead Low Tide, the post-MCD band most of devils would go on to form. Another highlight worth mentioning for the indie hipster boys out there is 'Boom, Swagger Boom', which features Pretty Girls Make Graves singer Andrea Zollo uh-huh-ing, moaning and purring like a cat. Rawr.