Chuck Shute Podcast

Junkyard (band) w/ David Roach & Tim Mosher

February 04, 2021 Junkyard Season 3 Episode 98
Chuck Shute Podcast
Junkyard (band) w/ David Roach & Tim Mosher
Show Notes Transcript

Episode 98 - Junkyard! Singer David Roach and guitarist Tim Mosher sit down and go over the whole history of the band.  The band had several videos on MTV and songs on rock radio, as well as a tour with The Black Crowes. Guns n Roses and Mother Love Bone were seen wearing Junkyard T shirts. The band broke up in 1992 but reformed in 1999 at the request of Eddie Spaghetti from The Supersuckers. Hear the full story on this episode!

00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Junkyard Formation
02:10 - Brian Baker (Minor Threat)
03:24 - Starting as a Cover Band
04:15 - Opening for Jane's Addiction & Green River
05:25 - Guns 'N Roes & Junkyard T Shirt
09:30 - Tim's Early Interactions with Junkyard
10:55 - Late 80s in Hollywood
15:05 - Self Titled "Junkyard" Album
16:14 - Touring with The Black Crowes
17:05 - "All the Time in the World" Single
18:05 - Flooded Market & Standing Out
19:30 - "Old Habits Die Hard" Album
21:54 - Breakup Of the Band
22:37 - Reformation & Supersuckers
25:15 - Spotify & People Discovering the Band
27:02 - Salvation Army
29:53 - Drive for Success & Guns 'N Roses
31:36 - Blackberry Smoke
32:23 - Clay Anthony the Wild Man
34:35 - Foot Run Over by a Car & Being Choked
35:58 - New Junkyard Music
39:25 - Goals with Live Shows
43:25 - Go Fund Me for Clay Anthony's Daughter
45:20 - Wrap Up

Junkyard Website:
https://junkyardblooze.com/

Clay Anthony's Daughter Go Fund Me:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memoriam-of-clay-anthony-jefferson

Chuck Shute Website:
http://chuckshute.com

Support the show

Thanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Chuck Shute:

Welcome to the show. Thank you for listening or watching. Today I've got Tim and David from the band junkyard, and junkyard is another one of those bands that came out in the late 80s. That's underrated. In my opinion, they did have some minor success on MTV and radio. But I think more people should know who this band is, and hence why I'm having them on the show. They have some interesting connections with rock and punk bands, including Guns and Roses, Jane's Addiction, Mother Love Bone, the Black Crowes Bad Religion, and you know, just like any rock band, there are highs and lows. And you'll hear all about that in this episode. Welcome, David and Tim, from junkyard to the truck shoe podcast. So what I'd like to do is just tell the story, basically a junkyard for people who'd have no idea who junkyard is, but also for diehard fans. Hopefully, they're going to learn something as well. Does that sound good to you guys? Sounds good. Yeah, so tell me the story. Um, I know, David, you're from Austin. But how did everyone meet initially and formed the band?

David Roach:

Well, I had a garage rock band in Austin in 86. And me and the drummer had decided to move to LA and then the guitar player decided he wanted to go. So the three of us went out there. And at the end of 86, and started looking around, trying to get our, you know, sea legs. And we ran into Chris gates, who I had known from Austin. He had been there about a year previous, trying to get a band together. So we had that connection. And about two weeks after we landed in LA, we hooked up with Chris and kind of informally started the band.

Chuck Shute:

How did you get up Brian Baker, and because he was later going to be in Bad Religion, but he was in a band called minor threat who, people who aren't familiar with the punk scene. I mean, that was like kind of a big punk band back in the day. Right. So he kind of had a little bit of a household name, I mean, or some recognition.

David Roach:

Yeah, they were kind of a big deal. Chris Gates had a relationship with Brian Baker from the punk scene, it was a very communal type deal back then. So when Big Boys that was Chris's band, they were on tour. They would be in DC, they'd hook up with Minor Threat doing Minor Threat would come through Texas, they would hook up with the Big Boys. And so they had that background. And by the time we got signed, we knew we needed to replace a guitar player is somebody with more chops. And by happenstance, Chris ran into Brian Baker, like literally the day we were deciding to start looking for betterment of 711 and said, Hey, we need a guitar player. You want to check it out? And he said, Yes. And that's how it all came together. He

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, when you get a record deal everybody wants to be in your band. But so before you guys got signed you you were actually started out as a cover band. And you got this reputation at the Sunday night soundcheck or whatever open mics has been kind of a crazy wild party band, what kind of songs covers were you doing? Was it the classic rock stuff like AC DC? Or was it more of a punk or a mix?

David Roach:

Well, I was it was a cover band only in the sense that we just started, you know, we'd only met a few weeks earlier. So you know, yet soundcheck was a cool little dive bar that had a Sunday night open mic thing and lots of cool, people ended up there jamming. But you know, we hadn't really rehearsed as a band or started writing new material or anything. So we just did covers I think we did. Mississippi Queen and probably some AC DC and ZZ Top, you know, just something we get all too easily.

Chuck Shute:

Sure. And then so is this true you guys open for Jane's Addiction and Green River which Green River would later basically turn into Pearl Jam. Right?

David Roach:

Right. Yeah, well, there's a place in LA the time off of the Sunset Strip off of that whole scene space called scream and they It was a huge building and they had two or three stages or two to three different. Yeah, levels. It was a huge place. It was in an old hotel or something I believe. But I'm the woman who booked a deal. GLORIA who's our first manager, she booked lots of different bands so she would mix it up there was like goth and cow punk and rock and roll and everything. Everything went, you know, it was all it wasn't too denominational. It was not just one genre music was two or three kind of things happening the scene. And yeah, Jane's Addiction. We played with them Green River played. They're all you know, Guns and Roses played at the screen. Lots of great bands.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah. And you guys, what's that?

David Roach:

No good.

Chuck Shute:

You guys speaking of Guns and Roses, you guys also you opened for Guns and Roses. And I love this. So used to give away shirts, which is really smart, especially back in the day before internet to get your name out there. You gave the shirt away. So then people are basically advertising for you. And Axl Rose got one and there's a picture of him wearing a junkyard t shirt. And I think I saw one of slash wearing one as well.

David Roach:

Yeah, we've got, you know, quite a handful of prominent people who've worn this shirt. Yeah, it's that that particular incident with Axl, we actually happened to Chris had some silk screening background. So he shot a screen, and we made t shirts at home. And we had a gig that night. The night that we pressed a bunch of shirts, and we took them down there to for promotion, you know, to give them away. And Axl was there and Duff and I think slash was there. I can't believe but yet, two or three of the guys were there. And we did a nice boys cover nice boys a tattoo Rose Tattoo song. And Axl came up and sang with us. And yeah, we gave him a shirt that night. And I think he had a photo shirt the next day and I don't think he changed that shirt for two or three days. Like a couple of prime photoshoots in a live show, where they

Chuck Shute:

get by that kind of That's amazing. Yeah, so were they were they as big of a band back then before they you know, obviously got on MTV and the record label like even just locally. I heard you say I think faster pussycat was maybe the bigger band at the time before. You know both of those bands got record deals.

Unknown:

I don't know.

Tim Mosher:

Guns and Roses. When I hit the ground here in 86. They were by rule ours. Yeah, they ruled it they were the most talked about band. They had myth already and then he never record out yet. They were mythological almost like they were the shit in Hollywood.

David Roach:

It took a little longer for America to catch up.

Tim Mosher:

Right pussycat album and guns roses almost came out within weeks of each other and initially pussycat came out of the gates a little faster. Okay. Yeah. Like they got more national exposure to like was Pussycat, you know, because Guns and Roses were maybe seen, we felt like that might just be too dark for America. Much more straight ahead, rock

David Roach:

and roll thing like maybe that's killing themselves more to the poison.

Tim Mosher:

Yeah, a little poppier bit here on paper better looking, I guess. Yeah. So so. But Guns and Roses, was the biggest thing. Okay.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, cuz that's what I thought because I heard even Tracy guns tell the story about I don't know if people know the story, how it was la guns, with Tracy guns, and then Axl Rose, hollywood rose, and they merged the two bands came up with Guns and Roses, and heard Tracy telling the story about how he's in Guns and Roses. And then it got like, to a point where I think they were living with Axl. And then it got to a point where he wasn't really even talking to Axl anymore. And that's when he kind of realized like, Oh, he's like this, that he's getting too big. Like, it's just he's, you know, he's getting too much attention, even before they really got took off. Like locally, I think they were they were the thing. So that just confirms what I've heard

Tim Mosher:

stories. I mean, I didn't know them. Well, David knew them a lot better. But you'd hear stories about individual guys in that band getting up to whatever behavior they were doing and all these things. They were legendary. Well, yeah. You did not want to leave your girlfriend in a room, you know, because all the chicks loved them.

Chuck Shute:

Of course, girlfriend. Yeah. I

Tim Mosher:

mean, they're just voracious. So. Yeah. If they came somewhere, they cut a swath through the room. I mean, it was all real Appetite for Destruction. That's a really apt title. Your day had a reputation that I'd have seen the band applesauce, for sure. Did

Chuck Shute:

you guys watch the Axl Rose reels biography channel thing? Oh my god, it's so good. I'll have to send that to you. But So Tim, explained to me, I know you didn't join the band until 2000. But were you in the scene back then? Are you guys were you friends with the band or what was?

Tim Mosher:

Yeah, I think I think David and Chris were some of the first people I landed in Hollywood and fall of 86 with a bunch of guys from DC. Okay. And I think we all kind of lived in the same shitty East Hollywood area within blocks of each other and so people who are transplants tend to find each other and somehow we came across Chris cakes, you know, probably being from DC because that kind of gives you some kind of cachet because of the punk thing. And I'm ever getting no Christian David really early. And then I was in a band and they were very quick to give us opening slots. And so the band that I was in called broken glass that formed pretty soon after that came up under junkyard and they would give a shows and Brian Baker was a DC guy, and he was we were running together when he joined junkyard, okay, so tight then and so, there was always that connection as well. You know, various men.

David Roach:

Tim was in the thread very early on.

Chuck Shute:

Okay.

Tim Mosher:

I mean, we were all in each other's pocket. That's cool. Starting from 80s, late 80s. Like, either living with each other or spending many evenings hanging out playing on the same shows. Sharing road crew, I mean, fill in the blank.

Chuck Shute:

Okay, so yeah, walk me through this time in the late 80s. The Hollywood Sunset Strip I'm just so fascinated by this time like I you know, I've seen the movie The dirt, obviously. And I've read it. I've heard it in so many interviews, but I just thought I want to hear your take on what was it like for you guys? Back in those days? I mean, you mentioned a little bit Guns and Roses faster Pussycat, who else? are you hanging out with? Whether memories Do you have like paint a picture for me? Because I love hearing these kind of stories?

Tim Mosher:

Well, I think you would agree that we didn't do the strip. It was like a whole different world. We were we're in our little bubble. And he's Hollywood. And we play these Diaby places, and he's Hollywood. It was a much more eclectic scene, you know, the strip, you have to be one kind of thing. And we were all kind of doing different stuff. Believe it or not, there was not a lot of hedge money. Like, you know, there were different bands. Jane's Addiction is very different from junk care, which is very different from this and on the right line. The East Hollywood clubs, we're open to that. So you could play on a bill with x and then tap la guns on from that stuff happened a lot back then, huh? And I like that I didn't want to have to we didn't i didn't get into this business to fucking fit in with somebody on the script trying to sell presale tickets, right. But I do say, you know, East Hollywood and the clubs like the screen these underground clubs that were not really even advertised it was all a very word of mouth. It was a huge seed. It was you filling out we're selling out venues as unsigned acts on a Saturday night very you know, I band world class, we would sell out a venue on a Saturday night at a$20 ticket once we got popular. So it

David Roach:

was same thing that we came up with a nice Hollywood spawned the bands like Green River and Thelonious monster and Jane's Addiction. It was it was like Tim said it was eclectic. It was but there were a lot of very relevant bands. And that's good roses. Yeah. very much a part of it. Yeah.

Tim Mosher:

Yeah, yeah. And it was, you know, there's lots of craziness. And you know, it was a Hollywood at the time was really free meaning like, it was sort of dangerous and Disneyland

David Roach:

for adults. All right,

Chuck Shute:

that's a good description in reverse.

Tim Mosher:

Like the cops never seem to bother you. They were more interested in gangs and sounds okay. And we would drive around in beater cars with our crazy clothes on going to these shitty clubs. And they didn't seem to really bother with us very much. We lived in a brand was very cheap.

Chuck Shute:

That's crazy. Because now it's probably through the roof and in LA

Unknown:

anywhere.

Tim Mosher:

You can't have a good music scene with expensive rent, you know? Yeah, that's true. You never hear about New York anymore, because it's too expensive to live there. And Hollywood's probably in that same place. Now. That's a Connecticut very, very cheap and it was unleaded gas that cost 65 cents a gallon. So you could you know, rehearsals were six to $8 an hour for rehearsal room like it was easy to build this thing a little bit.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, no, it sounds it sounds cool to be like surrounded by like minded people and all musicians and it sounds like from the stories I've heard everyone was pretty cool with each other like everyone was kind of friends right? I mean, there wasn't Was there any rivalries like we're certain bands didn't like each other or anything like that? It was

David Roach:

Yeah, it was stripping stuff

Tim Mosher:

strips. Okay. You found your core guys like i think you know, I hope for Junko law junk I probably found guys that they liked as friends you know, because you end up sharing gear and all that other kind of stuff so even fans that are like minded start gravitating on blogging okay to build your own you know junkyard was probably the biggest that batch that was that post Guns and Roses faster la guns they were kind of the first ones out of the gate with James a little bit behind them. And then you know, junkyard gets on there were one of the probably the first I mean, I don't think the guns roses record come out with with Joker guts are very close to that. Okay. So it wasn't like it was a scene that had been proven. I mean, nobody was really convincing. Jane's Addiction was gonna be popular. I didn't. I thought they were all too I thought all of it was too We're

Chuck Shute:

so talented though so much talent so so yeah, back to junkyard so that first album produced by Tom werman, who produced Molly crow The Motley Crue albums and I know if you guys read this review at all music it says, incorporates elements of Southern rock Boogie Woogie and AC DC ism into a compact sound pretty cool. And then, you know, the singles Hollywood and simple man. I mean some great songs and I just you know, I listened to that record still 30 years later, and it still sounds good to me. Do you guys agree? Is there anyone that doesn't like that record?

David Roach:

I hear that. People still listen to it. 30 years after the fact. And that says a lot. I mean, it says that we didn't pigeonhole ourselves. We didn't write for that era. We just wrote songs. So hopefully it had some longevity. No, I think

Tim Mosher:

we play most of that album Live but we are still a large part. We still end it works. Yeah. I mean, it's it just works. The songs are good. Yeah, it was solid. Absolutely. A good song really good songwriting, you know, yeah. And it's held up. I mean, we're still playing it all. Yeah,

Chuck Shute:

I think so. And then you guys so at this time he did. He did some shows with dangerous toys. And then, but the crazy one to me is the the tour with black crows. And they open for you guys. Did you guys think that they were gonna when you listen to the songs, I think that record, maybe it had just come out or hadn't come out yet. Did you think that was gonna blow up as big as it did?

David Roach:

Was it wasn't sure. I, I, before the tour started, I got the album and I listened into it. I said, Wow, these guys are cool. And you know, they had something. Yeah, they were a breed apart from what was going on at the time, really. And about halfway through the tour, we started seeing them really getting an audience. So the writing was on the wall. Yeah, no, that's gonna do big things. Absolutely.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, that was great. And you guys had a couple of music videos, and then that second album, Six, and Sevens and Nines. So you had that single "All the Time in the World?" I think that's your highest charting song for whatever that's worth. It's the most popular song that way. Do you think that's your best song that you guys have ever made?

David Roach:

No. I don't. I think it's a good song. I think the the video was kind of the turning point with our relationship with Geffen, where they kind of tried to pretty us up and make us more palatable for the Mainstream Rock audience. And we played the song today, and I like it better now than I did then. But I think my feeling was that we were it was the beginning of starting to succumb to the Geffen's pressure of like being a little more polished and cleaned up.

Chuck Shute:

So is that what they wanted you to do? So? Because, you know, it seemed like it was kind of a flooded market at the time for the for rock bands. I mean, because like for right now, I feel like I host this podcast. And I feel like every day there's a new podcast. I mean, I think this is your your guys's third interview you've done this week. And so people just don't have enough time to listen to all these podcasts. I'm assuming it was the same back in the day with rock bands, like people could have some favorites. But I mean, they can't even keep up with all the bands that were coming out. Did you? Was there ever a strategy to maybe try to stand out or to to change your look to be different? Or did you guys ever talk about that? or changing the sound?

David Roach:

I think we always felt like we were different. You know, we didn't look like everybody else. We didn't sound like everybody else. I think that was just a natural occurrence. You know, we didn't seek out to separate ourselves. I think we just weren't naturally.

Chuck Shute:

So you didn't want to go like more punk though cuz that's like, what's interesting, too, is it you guys have all those punk influences? Or at least some right? Well,

David Roach:

I think that the the album that we were trying to do for Gavin, the the third time around, we were starting to implement some of the some of our punk roots to an extent. You know, still keeping it I mean, it's all junkyard to me. Yeah. What sounds Southern or like AC DC, or you know, you know, punk rock, whatever. It's just junkyard. It always has been and always will be.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah. So that album. Is that that though? Is that the one that's called Old habits die hard? Yes. Okay, so I listened to that on Spotify. Is that is that demos? Or is that the the finished product cuz it sounded pretty good to me. I don't know. But I thought I read something about you guys were unhappy with the What's that?

David Roach:

It was a great team. Yeah, did produce that those demos

Tim Mosher:

back then. I mean, those are paper demos, but they were 24 track two inch at a big fancy Hollywood studio demo. Okay, we're back then they would never obviously do it in your living room now. Yeah. But so that's what I kind of came in. So I have a little more insight I was brought in, brought in. We were writing together for that record. So I started writing with the band. And, and that was probably the beginning of my most formal involvement with the band, which was what 92? Yep. I mean, signed and dropped. And was that, you know, so there's songs on there that David and I would, you know, because we hung out all the time, we would, eventually guitars come out, and we sit around and try and come up with songs or we tossed stuff around. So I was there for that. And the demos were done at nice studios with big fans. That's why it sounds so good. People would spend that much money on a record now. They're just, yeah, so we'll have to say hard is us taking all the demos that had been bootleg and sold and various that had kind of got out there and people have been asking for and we never felt we're really it was it was too diffuse and all over the place. So we finally said let's put a bow on it and create a version that we all feel is good. You know, I felt like I could have a stake in it too. Because I helped writing like let's pick the best 11 songs out of the whatever the word 20 Plus, and make a freestanding record of all that stuff. So we can kind of put it in its place. Like here's what that third record was, you know, probably going to be about Okay, it does sound good, because it was recorded.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah. Did you have to buy ears?

David Roach:

This was years before Tim was actually a member of the band. Sure. But far back is his. You know, involvement.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah. Did you guys have to buy it back from Geffen or was it?

Tim Mosher:

Vegas? Then once you have it? It was never official release. Okay.

Chuck Shute:

Oh, yeah. Cuz it's demos right. Good call. So then the band's dropped by Geffen and you guys break up. So what did everybody do? I know Brian Baker, he joined Bad Religion, which is really cool. What did everyone else do? I

Tim Mosher:

think, did Patrick have another band or any impact kind of? Well, after a couple of years, we had Pat gotten a band called sucker punch and we got signed to MCA universal whatever it was, and did that for a couple years now an album for them. He played a few other bands, and then he and then we all kind of David had another band.

David Roach:

Everyone. Dan Roscoe with Jo dog from dogs do more. And bam there drummer. Okay,

Chuck Shute:

so then

David Roach:

rate band but the wrong time. Sure. Sure. So

Chuck Shute:

then there was a hiatus, but and then I think it's is it 99 when you guys Was this the first show back? You open for the Super suckers at the House of Blues? Like how did that re formation happen?

Tim Mosher:

Oh, yeah, I think someone called and said, Eddie spaghetti here is that junkyard is back together. Is that true? I and I think we're like no. And at this point, we had never heard that but didn't kind of put up you know, they said, well, they want to open for us at the house of blue light. And by this point, Brian was in Bad Religion full time. And yeah, that's what I came into play. Brian's parts in essence, and so yeah, that was the first Okay,

Chuck Shute:

so Eddie spaghetti from Super suckers was a fan of junkyard. Yes. Oh, that's really cool. And then you guys did a tour of Japan and then like a couple years later ended up opening for Twisted Sister. And so then you're kind of back like at that point. I mean, you're doing shows maybe not full time. But

Tim Mosher:

yeah, we're kind of a summer vacation kind of thing like a trip to Spain or and then a couple maybe some local shows, you know, when you know, we did a couple years Spanish tours. And there was a Japanese

David Roach:

liquid after that. The It was a two day festival in Juarez, Spain. That's the show that we open for Twisted Sister. But it's sort of kind of reintroduced us.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, yeah. And then because you guys did and then you've done some of the like the festivals Did you ever do one of the cruises that always looks so fun to do on those things?

Tim Mosher:

We have done a cruise we did, I don't know, three or four years ago, whenever it was.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, I want to do one of those. We've done

Tim Mosher:

a few of those kind of like eight, you know, we've done in three. And you know, we do what we do odds and ends of that stuff too. As usual. We're kind of sometimes we stick out a bit those things, which is also nice, too, because like I think we we find that we get fans out of those things because we're a bit of a palate cleanser as we're different. And I think you know, people like that. So yeah, no, I always kind of like reticent to be lumped in with any big genre and it is what it is. But we do seem to get find new people who've maybe heard of us and had never seen this back and haven't seen the original band back in the day. We tour sporadically enough that it's hard to get to see us that we do get exposed to people who maybe were fans of the song Hollywood back in 89 and have now circle back because our day demographic is at the point where they're able to pay they have disposable income because their kids are growing up that kind of thing.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, absolutely.

David Roach:

We're confident enough with our material where we are that we can we can hang with all those bands,

Chuck Shute:

ya know? And it's I think, do you think it's good in a way that I know bands don't like Spotify and YouTube and all that, but in a way, it's good because people can go back and discover you. Whereas before, like, I mean, you kind of had to make a choice. And you're kind of a lot of times you're buying an album kind of on blind faith. Maybe you heard one song, and you're like, Well, I hope I like this right now. And everyone can listen. And if they don't like it, they move on. But if they if they like it, they're gonna keep listening, and then they're gonna come see you live.

Tim Mosher:

I always, you know, however, they find this, I'm thrilled. Yeah, you know, I mean, we're, like, we do have obviously a, you know, a presence at all those formats. But yeah, David and I, when we get together, like we're writing an album, and we put it out on a piece of plastic, because that's the format that we kind of understand.

Chuck Shute:

Well, I found you guys on. It was like a compilation youth gone wild. Hair metal or something. I think it had the song, I want to say it was Hollywood. And I was like, Oh, that's a good song. And then, but I don't even think I could buy your other albums back. And it was like 99 or something. I don't think the other albums were out for sale. And so I was but then when I think I also heard a couple songs on on Sirius, they got the hair nation, they I think they played a couple of your radio hits. And I was like, Oh, these are great songs. And now that Spotify that, like, for me, it's easy. It's like it's all I can listen to the whole album. And I love her. He's great.

Tim Mosher:

But and you know, I mean, I listened to I'm a Pandora guy. And I'll listen to junkyard radio and hear interesting things that I've learned. Oh, I've heard that one before in a long time. So yeah, they you can get the full breadth of the band's career very quickly. Absolutely. stuff to the very first up even obscure stuff, you know, because they pull from every label source that they can get, you know, it's not like you have to just go through the Giffin or go through it. You can hear the whole the whole kitten caboodle if you're so interested. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

Chuck Shute:

So I mean, the band's had ups and downs. David, I wouldn't normally bring this up. But I did hear you talk about another interviews. Is it true that you spend time in a homeless shelter? Or like Salvation Army at some point for a few months in like, 2012?

David Roach:

Yeah, I did.

Chuck Shute:

What happened?

David Roach:

What happened? That was a long time ago. I went in to rehab and the place I was living didn't want me back. So I needed a place to stay. And the Salvation Army was there. And yeah, I lived there for three months.

Chuck Shute:

Wow. So I mean, it seems like the I don't know, in my lifetime, I'm sure you guys have seen it to just the issues with the homeless. I mean, it seems like it's becoming a bigger and bigger problem. And I like to hear about... tuff like this. I want to get somebody's opinion who's actually been there. So you were in a bad place. You went to Salvation Army, which was able to help you all but what do you think, what what did? How was it going to salvation army, the thing that, like helped you get back on your feet or what helped you get back? Because obviously not homeless now. So what helps you get out of that? And how do we help these people?

David Roach:

I drop a quarter in that red can, outside of the Albertsons every time, Christmas rolls around. I needed someplace and they were there, and I thank them for that. I got out, Brian Baker actually gave me some money to get back on my feet and get out of there and rent a room somewhere. But a lot, things aren't that much easier. I mean, I'm living in a garage right now. Just because you got to do what you got to do in these times. Life takes you different places, and you just got to deal with it. Whatever it is.

Chuck Shute:

Okay, so I mean, you're still trying to get back on top. Well, I

David Roach:

mean, what's on top? I don't know, I'm trying to keep a roof over my head and keep food on the table. like everybody else. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I don't know what that means anymore. Love to be on top. Sure. I mean.. yeah wher are stairs

Chuck Shute:

Well, I mean, you've made it's just you have so much talent. Maybe there's something else that you would want to do within music like as a producer or songwriter, or no, no,

David Roach:

No... I like what I do here in junkyard I mean, like Clint Eastwood said man's I got those limitations. I've been blessed with Chris was had a lot of great ideas. Tim is a great songwriter. I surround myself with talented people to convey my own talents.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah. Well, you had an interesting quote, you said you he actually said that you're glad that you didn't end up like Axl Rose or you wouldn't have made the record that you made in two Doesn't 17 the high water because you're still hungry and you have the drive for success?

David Roach:

Well, I don't want Axl to misunderstand what I meant. I wasn't that wasn't a disrespecting him.... Just given that much spotlight and that much money at that time in my life, it wouldn't have ended well, and I know that and in 2017, you know, that was 26 years after the first record, so, and we hadn't been together the whole time. So there wasn't a lot of time for exploration or, you know, finding a new direction for the band, we just started where we were we, you know, we picked up where we left off, you know, three chords, rock and roll, try to write a three minute song that affects somebody. Where, as Axel had to, you know an answer to Appetite for Destruction, and it was usually a delusion, and I hadn't heard the whole album, or both of them ever. I saw a video for one of their November rain are one of them. But it went on for like seven minutes. And there was dolphins and whales, and

Chuck Shute:

that's a strange thing happened to

David Roach:

appetite. Mm hmm.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, user illusion. They

David Roach:

definitely didn't have that, like, difficult, like, jazz progression stage in the middle.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, every well every band is different. For sure. You guys, like stick to your guns. I like that. So one of the songs you co wrote to the wheels fall off with Charlie's star of blackberry smoke, and he was actually the one that reached out to you guys. Right?

David Roach:

It wasn't a it wasn't a co write. He wrote that song.

Chuck Shute:

Oh, he wrote the full song. Okay.

David Roach:

Yeah. Brian Baker had a relationship with Him previous and they were somewhere talking about something and he gave the song to Brian. Okay. He said, okay, hell yeah. Thanks.

Chuck Shute:

That's cool. What other fans do you guys have on the iron super suckers, Blackberry smoke. I mean,

Unknown:

all the good ones. Nina Simone.

David Roach:

Elvis Presley.

Chuck Shute:

That's awesome. Um, tell me about clay Anthony, the the original bass player, he left the band in 91. He had some issues, but and he sadly died in a car accident just recently. But somebody one of you guys said in an interview that he had actually cleaned up and helped a lot of people later in life, which is really cool to hear. But back in the day, like, is there stories or memories you have of him? Like I heard he was a little bit of a wild man or

David Roach:

lady was the clay was what we projected ourselves as clay, you know, you know, we were like street rock, you know, dirty, kind of gritty kind of checkered lifestyle. Clay was that he was the real shit. He was the you know, he had been in jail. I mean, you know, maybe one, you know, a couple of to submit in jail nine or two, but clay. Clay was the real deal. So he gave us that street credibility in my mind.

Chuck Shute:

Why can't you Why didn't you say you protected the boss? Like he was like a bouncer for the boss like, people if people try to.

David Roach:

I mean, it's sort of in general, but it'd be there was one particular night and outside of Cleveland, we had a show and one of our roadies had stolen an eight ball from the from the pool table at the bar. And so three bouncers came up as we were, you know, we'd loaded up all our gear when we were you know, ready to take off and the two or three bouncers charged through the bus door demanding that we return the eight ball and clay instantly went into like prison mode I begged my put a kick to the guy's chest the first guy to try to enter the bus. He kicked him in the chest and I sent him out sprawling and we we you turn in you know kicked up gravel getting out of the parking lot but clay turned around and collected themselves like you know you don't disrespect the bus. You don't come into our home you know, but he was that guy is real.

Chuck Shute:

That's crazy. So that you had a crazy story too though. I heard you talking about the the song "Hands Off" - the lyrics for that are not fiction. That girl really ran over your foot with a car and choked you.

David Roach:

Well, it's just a Honda. It was a small car. She was in the driver's seat and I was in the window and so yeah, my foot was in way but yeah, That's all true. I mean... I feel like you can't write a song without having some sort of personal experience or some sort of connection or else you're singing hollow.

Chuck Shute:

So those are that's what I hear too, that a lot of the best songs are coming from a place of pain, usually not, not when you're really happy and you want to share that it's usually when you're like, pissed off at the world or depressed or something, right?

David Roach:

I guess feral or that guy who wrote Don't worry, be happy write songs when they're in a good mood, but most of my stuff and a lot of stuff I think comes from bad experiences and you know, things that you experienced that aren't that fucking fun to deal with.

Chuck Shute:

Mm hmm.

David Roach:

And but those ring true.

Chuck Shute:

And is that cathartic to write those songs like you feel better after writing it?

David Roach:

Well for a few minutes

Unknown:

till next

David Roach:

to the next thing happens

Chuck Shute:

well, what's what's going on now with john Carter, you guys writing new stuff?

Unknown:

Slowly.

David Roach:

But yeah, we got probably half an album. Oh, yeah,

Tim Mosher:

we haven't we have a single that we're finishing. It's being mastered art things like that, which is the label get sit together and we have a release date will announced it's a good aim, Beast to name beside we'll make a video and do and we're pressing seven inches and all that stuff. And that in theory is going to lead into an hour a full blown album, like how we did high water, which had faded come out before it and then the album kind of followed it up. We'll be closer follow up with hopefully gonna happen out in 21. But yeah, we're, you know, writing. We don't since there's kind of a conglomeration of writers for junkyard you know, David principali, the lyricist, and with everyone pitching in and music coming from different sources, whether Brian still contribute some and or I do it, it's so it's, it's the pace of it, it's not like one guy sitting down and writing 12 songs, it's kind of a bunch of guys, when we can get in the same room coming to a place and finding it. So the songwriting process can be a little bit slower than some bands, I don't know. But we're also very quality conscious as well, you know, we want it to be great, you know, we spent a long time, it can mean you know, the first six sevens and nines in high water, we knew that had to be make a real statement. And so now we're going to be following up high water, which, I guess made a statement. So we're, you know, but what's coming along, first of all, the singles really good, the singles like a, you know, there's a bit I try, we try to move the ball a little bit forward, musically, Mm hmm. And touch on in a try different things a bit within staying within the parameters of what the band is really about. We're not interested in, like David says, going through jazz phase, singles very strong, and then the stuff that's coming up for the next record is already shaping up really well. So I think it's going to be good. And we're about halfway there. But you know, we're also a band that does well, when we start to have deadlines, so when the single comes out, that'll start to really put a morass to circle down circle in and the, there are other ideas floating that haven't been kind of polished up enough to really say they exist as a song yet, but there's other good stuff floating around that we're gonna

David Roach:

have ideas floating around yet or that have yet to become concrete, but I have no doubt that they will be concrete by the end of the day.

Tim Mosher:

And this is we are getting deadlines, we tend to rally a bit more and no, we have a timeframe because you start in theory of tour dates to support it. But as you all know, we're still kind of waiting to see how that's going to shake out. So, you know, there's still a lot of lots of life is amorphic days. And so it's hard to really pin down rushing a record that you don't know when you're gonna be able to support I guess, right.

Chuck Shute:

So ideally, though, you know, shows do come along. What's that?

David Roach:

Our patients have been our fan base has been patient for so long. I mean, they waited 26 years for the follow up. Yeah, second album,

Chuck Shute:

absolutely a way to we can wait, we can wait but up for next. So show when shows do come back? Like what is the ultimate goal? Like what would you guys would you want to do like 100 shows a year if you just did if you did every weekend? I mean, or 50 weekends a year? That's like 100 shows would that be? Or is that too many? Would you rather just do like 20 or 30 shows a year?

Tim Mosher:

we kind of do. You know, depending on people have other things to deal with, you know, some of us are probably more able to tour than others. And that all depends, but, you know, we really need it to be you know, we try to keep it as we don't like to do substitution or anything like that. So we'd like to call the five of us. So that kind of limits us a bit. I think for When high water came out, we ramped up to be doing around 40 shows a year. Since we mostly do fly in fly ins, are hard on our 50 year old boss. Probably manage a few more. Yeah, we, you know, so basically we do as as many flights as we can physically manage that are cost effective, probably. And then a couple two week runs, either somewhere in Europe is going on two weeks, and then an American part of America for two weeks whether, you know, the Southwest was being talked about for last year before it all got shut down. But we've done the East Coast that was the year before that. So I think we kind of you know, knowing with a record out we knowing it's probably a two or three year cycle of supporting that record with minimum of 30 high end, I think we've the most we've ever done is 50 shows a year since we've been back. I think we did one year we have 50 Plus, okay. And that's probably a boat thrown in there, too. I mean, I know there's talk about us being on the boat and 22 seven fun. I don't know if that counts is how many shows that counts as but it's hockey travel.

Chuck Shute:

Okay, for us that pays well, though, right? I mean, it's totally like, that's like, that's the prime gig to get at this point is to

Tim Mosher:

guess, I guess I mean, you know, though, our feeling was we like to play so we're gonna be out for five days. I'd like to play for five days, and you only play a couple times. I like playing. You know, I don't even remember what we got paid. Last time I killed me. I couldn't even tell you. Okay, I see what I see what comes in the envelope when we get home Two weeks later. And then I know how much we made. But it's fun to write.

David Roach:

These weekend things that we say, you know, cost effective. It doesn't mean we turn down gigs because we're not they're not offering us enough money is we're trying to cover a hotel bills and rent a car. And that kind of thing. So don't lose money.

Unknown:

There's

David Roach:

there's tours where we come out. You know, I might make a couple 100 bucks. Seriously. After expenses. Yeah, yeah. After expenses. Yeah, yeah. So

Tim Mosher:

you can you know, the merge doesn't show up in your whole tours for cockta. I mean, we've had things like that happen entire we had a whole tour Spain member in the T shirts got lost and like, Well, shit like that happens. Okay, well, we're here. You know, what are you gonna do? So? Yeah.

Chuck Shute:

What's that? It's part of the game. Yeah.

David Roach:

More than the prospect of actually making money out of this whole deal. Yeah,

Chuck Shute:

yeah. No, I gotcha. That's cool. I love the music and I look forward to new stuff. I'd love to see you guys live. I've heard I've never seen you live but I've heard rumors that you guys are pretty good live. So that would be fun to see. a live show.

Unknown:

a live band?

David Roach:

Yeah. And to really get junkyard you have to see us live.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I do like, What's that?

David Roach:

It's all about the energy. So for sure. our live show is our bread and butter. That's what we are. Yeah,

Chuck Shute:

we'll definitely let me know if you if you come to Phoenix, I'll come and see. Or even if you're like nearby, sometimes I drive to Vegas. I've driven to. I drove to Denver to see dangerous toys one time it was it was a blast. I had fun though.

David Roach:

It's a mason jar still there.

Chuck Shute:

I forget what it was called. No, but I've heard of that. I feel like that's like a legendary club, isn't it?

Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. Was it's cool.

Chuck Shute:

Well like to end each episode with a charity. And I think you guys had mentioned somebody mentioned Meals on Wheels. Is that the one you want to give a shout out to? Or is there another one that

Tim Mosher:

I would actually I would say if you would go on our on the junkyard Facebook page. There's a GoFundMe for clay Anthony's daughter and if you're going to donate anything like that, okay, there's a there's you can click go to junk car blues, or you can go to our Facebook page. There'll be links there. How old is this daughter? How old is she David eight or nine?

Unknown:

Yeah,

Chuck Shute:

so that's just a tragedy because he had cleaned up his life and he and then he it's like Sam Kinison. Sam Kennison went got totally sober, cleaned up his life and then he got hit by a drunk driver.

Tim Mosher:

Yeah, it was. I mean, it's just all things tragic. Yeah, it was awful. And you know, we luckily got to see him. We played some awful show in Orange County. It was it a horrible, I mean, it was just like one of those nights are like, ah, and then clay Anthony showed up. We hadn't seen him for years. And I had seen him and I'd never even played with him. And so we had him come up and sit in with us on some Texas and you know, he was all smiles and in great spirits and we sat in the it wasn't even dressing was one of those places where you just basically sit out back and you know, but we were able to tell war stories to each other and talk about you know, in good spirits and that's the last any of the song, you know, as well so, least but we It was nice. We all had a chance to really kind of put a bow on it. Yeah, absolutely.

David Roach:

hadn't had a close connection with clays since he departed the band. Yeah. But there was no animosity or anything like that, you know, things happen. But it was great to see him then. And it was tragic to hear what happened.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, no, it is. Well, I hope that you guys have more good fortune in the future, and hopefully lots of new shows, and I look forward to new music. So thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it.

Tim Mosher:

Thank you. All right. It's been fun.

Chuck Shute:

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, goodbye. So in a nutshell, that's the story of the band junkyard. I'm sure there's a lot more to tell. But that should be enough to pique your interest, and check out their music or see them live. And if you're a fan already, then I hope you learn something new as well. Thank you so much to Tim and David for coming on. Make sure to follow them on social media to stay up to date with new music and tour dates and also some cool throwback pics that they post. Like I said earlier, Mother Love Bone they posted a picture of them or sorry, it was Andrew wood from Mother Love Bone wearing a junkyard t shirt. Very cool. And while you're on Instagram and Facebook, or Twitter or whatever, give me a follow to keep up with new podcast episodes coming out. Or check out some of the other interviews I've done already like with tortora dangerous toys. So many more. Thank you for listening. Have a great day and remember to shoot for the moon.