Thee Makeout Party!
Posted on September 1, 2009 – 5:27 PM | by OldManFoster
Last time Thee Makeout Party played in Sacramento it was at West Capitol Bowl. They blew everyone away with their polished bubblegum pop. The crash of the bowling balls outside the 300 Club provided the perfect background noise to transport the audience back to the sixties. The icing on the cake was when the heretofore mostly silent guitar player, Sean, took the mic for the song “Birthday Suit” and busted out with a hilariously perfect nasal falsetto to sing this tune with the refrain, “How do you like me in my birthday suit?”
Photo by Sue Davis
That track is contained on their first album, Play Pretend. The title captures the playfulness of the record. The standout track is “2 EZ 2 LUV U”, which is a flawless three minutes of pop with sugary “bah bah bah” background vocals that kill me every single time.
Lee Noise-the bass player and chief side-splitting between song banterer-and Sean run Burger Records, a label that has put out Thee Makeout Party, Audacity, and The Resonars, among others. But Burger’s most genius move is to put out 5 buck (3 for $10) cassette releases of current albums that are crying out to be heard on this trebly, low-tech format, like King Tuff and Sac favorite NoBunny. The rest of the group consists of drummer Alex, and Dan, lead singer and guitar player.
Thee Makeout Party are making another Sacramento stop on August 22nd at Luigis, with local rabblerousers The Pizzas, and the bright girl pop of Oakland’s Dreamdate. I contacted Lee and Sean via email from their home base in Anaheim.
When did Thee Makeout Party begin?
Umm….I think it was in thee fall of year 2000.
How many lineup changes have there been, and how long have you had the current lineup?
Innumerable…probably a couple handfuls at least of slackmafias finest slack rock n rollers in thee A town (Anaheim) always starring Dan & Lee with help from our friends.
What and who are your influences?
Audacity, bubblegum, records, kittens, hugs, kisses, hearts, flower punk, burgers, the bs (bee gees, beatles, big star, beach boys, beau brummels, barracudas, see where we’re going with this?)
What is your favorite bubblegum song/band?
Sean: my favorite is the whole first 1910 Fruitgum Company album Goody Goody Gumdrops…every song rules! I had to stop listening to it for a while because the songs would get stuck in my head and I couldn’t sleep! But there are so many good bands and just one-off goofy bands that came around that it’s hard to have just one favorite. The cartoon bands are the coolest…like the (sixties-era Hanna Barbera cartoon) Cattanooga Cats or Lancelot Link (which wasn’t a cartoon, we know, but it was still really awesome psychedelic chimps!). The Monkees. There I said it.
What other bands have you guys been in?
Lee and Sean were in The NOiSE! Dan joined us also for a few shows! Dan was in The Four Letter Words, Cheze de Crunchez (w/ Jason Bozel of Rilo Kiley!!!! big time!!!), The Willowz with Alex (huge times!!!!)…actually Dan was with Alex, not Alex with Dan. Nobody remembers Dan from that band, only Alex! The Oil Pans, Devon Williams band, Schatzi and Hazeltine…Dan is a member of all those bands too! He gets around!
What are your goals for Thee Makeout Party?
To live in Makeout Manor on top of a hill, overlooking the ocean. That sounds really nice.
Ahhhhhhhh!
And to get by without the 9 to 5 BULLSHIT.
What is NoBunny really like?
Ahhhhhhhh! Everything you would expect times a million. Soft and furry and loveable and huggable and rock n rollable!!!!
Who started Burger records? Who in Makeout Party is also involved in Burger? Tell me about the cassette releases? They are brilliant, by the way!
Lee and Sean, Sean and Lee, we started it! Cause we’re not very good at our instruments and we needed another outlet. We listen to music really well, so it was a perfect fit! And some of our closest friends are making some of the greatest rock n roll albums of our time and naturally having our fingertips on the pulse of rock n roll we get to archive and document the times of our lives pop culture 2009 or whatever year it is…2010. or 2012, but don’t get us started. Thank you.
What are the perfect toppings for a perfect burger? Special sauce or no special sauce?
Burger, bacon, cheese, grilled onion and whatever else you got lying around…throw on the special sauce too!
When you come to Sac on August 22nd you are playing at a pizza parlor. Last time you played at a bowling alley. Would you rather have free pizza or free bowling?
FREE PIZZA! Dan and Lee used to work in a bowling alley so they’re over it.
plus food wins EVERY TIME.
The Makeout Party, Th’ Losin Streaks, The Pizzas and Dreamdate play Aug 22 at Luigis Fun Garden, 1050 20th Street, Sacramento
One Response to “Thee Makeout Party!”
By HANKSATANK on Jan 29, 2010 | Reply
Cool that they let Weird Al in the band.