“Even before Zombie broke up, I always had this thing in my mind,” Arkoff explains. “I’ve always loved old honky tonk music and swamp and surfy stuff. And after a bit of a break, I was getting itchy to play again.”
While the outfit is really a solo project, there’ll be a floating group of musicians Arkoff plans to call on pretty regularly. For GreazeFest, the lineup is extraordinary, including Danny Heifetz on drums (Link Wray, Mr Bungle) and Chris D’Rozario on double bass (Brian Setzer Orchestra, Firebird).
Looking back, it was kind of a weird time for Zombie to fold – they were wildly popular, touring the world and supporting some of the scene’s greats (Necromantix amongst others). A lot of people were left wondering what on Earth had happened.
“Really, I just needed a break,” Arkoff recalls. “I’d been playing since I was 15 and Zombie were working really, really hard. We were always so busy touring. I needed a break, because we just didn’t stop. I haven’t stopped playing music since we broke up, though; I just haven’t played live. I did heaps of writing. It’s been good to have time out and get inspired again.”
Arkoff describes the band’s groove as “swonky tonk”. What the hell is that? “I made it up,” Arkoff laughs. “It’s my own definition of the sound. It’s surf and swing meets honky tonk and a bit of old ’50s country.”
Arkoff has loved this stuff forever. “I’ve always been into country, rock’n’roll, Western swing, hillbilly, exotica and garage surf. Zombie had that punk rock edge – it was psychobilly, punk rock. This band gives me a chance to dig into the other genres.” So, where did it start?
“I can remember watching these black and white rock’n’roll movies, like Don’t Knock the Rock and I was just mesmerised by them,” reflects Arkoff. “And I saw La Bamba when I was about 12 and that was hugely influential, and so was the Buddy Holly biopic and American Hot Wax, the Screamin’ Jay movie. Also when I was 12, I got to see this concert in Sydney – it was Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers. I begged my dad to take me to it.”
Zombie were renowned for throwing a party – it was rarely just a gig. For example, they once took a ferry out for a Christmas show and their hell-raising New Year’s Eve’s parties were always corkers. Arkoff says there may be more like this in the pipeline. “That was always a lot of fun,” he smiles. “I think I was dressed as the Creature From the Black Lagoon for the ferry thing. I love that sense of community that comes with subcultures. After we’ve been playing again for a while, I’d love to get a night going in Sydney – a Western swing, honky tonk thing. I’ve always loved doing more than just a show – there’s something about giving people a whole experience.”
When reflecting on what’s brought him to this point, Arkoff’s had an impressive career already, but he’s very modest. When pressed he recounts some of the highlights that you might expect, say playing at the Spanish psychobilly festival and supporting Batmobile, but some of them are surprising.
“Oh, playing with Rose Tattoo was pretty awesome,” he adds. “And having a song on True Blood, that was really cool too.”
BY MEG CRAWFORD
