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Hrvoje Bubić: TOMMY NIEMEYER INTERVIEW
Hrvoje Bubić
Tommy Niemeyer je gitarist sastava The Accused, Gruntruck. Za Solin Live govori o svojim bendovima, grunge sceni Seattlea i projektima.
For the start, could you introduce yourself to our readers and say something about yourself?
Hi, everybody. This is Tommy Niemeyer, guitarist and founder of The ACCUSED™; I am also guitarist in GRUNTRUCK, and now, I’m contributing to a project titled PRIMITIVE RACE; and I work with Josh Sinder (drummer for The ACCUSED 1990’s) on WATERGHOST (USA) a side-project, spare-time recording-only band (so far); The ACCUSED’s ‘MURDER IN MONTANA’ LP just came out last year on P.I.G. Records, and that album features some of the EARLIEST recordings from The ACCUSED live back in 1983..! Straight Hardcore Punk and It features John Dahlin on vocals; we hope to record some NEW material with John once again and release that in the near future…so keep an ear out for that.
You have been in the Washington state’s scene for a long time, and you have played with various bands. Tell us more about it.
My first real band was The Accused, which Chewy, Dana and I formed back in 1981, up in Oak HArbor on Whidbey Island, WA; That has gone off and on up until present day,,,so that’s been a lifetime of work and continues to be fun. GRUNTRUCK came along around 1989, and I joined BEn McMillan, Scott McCullum and Tim Paul at that time; we released a couple albums on Roadrunner Records; had some bumps along the way; lost Ben to diabetes several years ago, and, after officially dissolving, have had labels periodically release ‘lost’ or ‘remastered’ material that we recorded while we existed. In the 1990’s I was in HELLCAT, LYE, Rorschach Test, River Red, and a few other bands, so I’ve tried to keep busy and having fun playing music. LAtely, Josh Sinder and I have worked on WATERGHOST (USA) together, which is a fun side-project with no musical rules. We write whatever we feel like writing, and get to experiment so it’s a nice change of pace sometimes.
You are the guitar player, as well founder of punk/metal band Accused.Please tell us more about the Accused, former member, new line-up, as well the rumors that Mike Patton of Faith No More was supposed to be a new frontmen of Accused?
The Accused is my baby. I am the last original member, and have had the pleasure of having many talented people join me in that band to celebrate all that the band has to offer. Their contributions were integral at keeping the quality and the legacy alive for all the fans of that sort of music. It’s always been a band that attempts to ‘out-do itself’ with each release, so the bar has gotten pretty high since 1981..! I am excited to now look forward to a kind of ‘looking back’ at the band’s roots, with new material and adding our first vocalist, John Dahlin to the mix. It’s gonna surprise people, but in a good way, I think. No release dates yet but we are working on material now, so keep an ear out.
Regarding Mike Patton: yes, it’s true, I did contact Mike back around 2006 0r 2007, and ask him to sing for The Accused; this was right after Blaine QUIT The Accused to do Toe Tag; Patton said he was honored to be asked, and that he was indeed a fan, as I had heard he was, but that he had already a bunch of other projects going that he was committed to and just didn’t have the time needed to commit; the funniest thing about all that, is he suggested I ask Brad Mowen to sing, who was actually an old friend of mine from Portland, just south of Seattle; Brad had been in Sweaty Nipples, 90 Proof, Mommy, Burning Witch and a bunch of other bands…and I recalled then, as Patton was talking, that Brad had the PERFECT VOICE for The Accused! A lot like Patton can sound when he goes that route…! So I said, ‘thanks, Mike!’ and that was that. I called Brad, and he and the rest of the guys, (Pete from Lesbian on bass and Mike Peterson on drums) formed what was to become ‘The Curse of Martha Splatterhead’ line-up in 2008-2009. After the European tour with Dayglo Abortions, that line-up disolved, and I got Warren Peace on drums, and Aaron Slipp on bass for awhile, along with a random vocalist and bass player, but the magic was fading, so I put the band on ‘pause’ for a bit to recalibrate things, until 2019, when we gotr John Dahlin back on vocals, Brian Frits on 2nd guitar, Andy Caro on bass, and Mickey Widmer on drums; along with Chi Gyubera on occasional vocals….that was going to be the big ‘REVEAL GIG’ opening for Napalm Death in Seattle back in January 2020, but then the Covid-HOAX hit, and killed the dream — at least for the moment. We have plans to ramp it up again as soon as ‘normal gigs’ can get booked again…which they BETTER!
Also, you were active in the Seattle scene; as a guest guitarist on the Skin Yard’s album Fist Sized Chunks. Later, with Skin Yard vocalist Ben McMillan, you formed the band Gruntruck. Tell us more about those collaborations, and what the Seattle scene was like at the time, in early 90s’?
As I said above, Gruntruck was fun and a great band to be a part of while it lasted; the whole ‘Grunge Scene’ thing was a blur to me; it was such a good time, and celebrations occurred nightly, that the only way I can clearly recall those years is by looking at old photographs..! Then I can SORT-OF remember certain things; but in general I remember it being a lot of fun and I wouldn’t change a thing about the experiences I had back then. I’m just thankful I’m alive to talk about it. Skin Yard were amazing. I’m so thankful to Scott, Ben and Jack Endino for inviting me in to their world; it gave me new direction musically, that I wouldn’t have discovered I could do otherwise. Their friendship led me to Gruntruck, which wouldn’t be a success were it not for Layne Staley and ALice in Chains, in my opinion; those guys gave us the ‘big break’ bands dream of, which was to open for them on two different tours, which led to what little successes GT experienced during that band’s lifespan; all of which opened doors for me personally, doing this project and that on and off over the years, Which leads me up to today, which is at the Top of My Game, guitar-playing-wise.
For the ending, what are your future plans for Accused, Gruntruck? Is there any chances for show in Croatia?
Gruntruck has just had the ‘PUSH’ LP re-released by Rhino/Universal last month; but it was a VERY LIMITED EDITION double 12” LP, gatefold, colored-vinyl only release of 2500 copies. A cool trophy if I ever get a copy..! Ha Ha! Also, Found Recordings released a posthumous LP of Gruntruck material we recorded prior to Ben’s death, and that self-titled album is avail now on CD and LP I believe. It’s great materiaL, AND i’M THANKFUL THAT Found Records CARED and RELEASED IT. The Accused ‘Murder in Montana (1983)’ live album is out and avail on PIG Records; There’s a ‘new’ project I’ve contributed guitar to called ‘Primitive Race’ which features Mark Hennessy from PAW on vocals, Chris Kniker on bass and Josh Sinder (The Accused) on drums; the first of many songs from Primitive Race should be out avail for download soon. It’s got a real ‘grunge vibe’ to it, but if fresh and relevant sounding, mainly due to vocalist Hennessy being one of the best all-around male rock vocalists I’ve ever heard. People who liked GrunTruck will REALLY like Primitive Race.
I guess that’ds about all. Thanks for the interview. If you ever have any questions about stuff I am involved with don’t hesitate to contact me directly via email;. Sorry for the delay in responding BTW…stay strong. Stay FREE! One way or another, one BAND or another, you bet your ASS we are coming to Croatia in the near future..! We’ve heard alot about it over there, and we gotta experience you guys in the flesh, for God’s sake…! See you soon I hope! Cheers!
Za početak, možete li se predstaviti našim čitateljima i reći nešto o sebi?
Bok svima. Ovo je Tommy Niemeyer, gitarist i osnivač The ACCUSED ™; Također sam gitarist u GRUNTRUCK-u, a sada sudjelujem u projektu pod nazivom PRIMITIVE RACE; i radim s Joshom Sinderom (bubnjar za The ACCUSED 1990’s) na WATERGHOST-u (SAD) sporednom projektu, slobodnom bendu koji je samo snimao (do sada); The ACCUSED LP ‘MURDER IN MONTANIA upravo je izašao prošle godine na P.I.G. Records, a taj album sadrži neke od RANIH snimaka iz filma OPTUŽENI uživo 1983. godine ..! Straight Hardcore Punk i na njemu je John Dahlin na vokalima; nadamo se da ćemo još jednom snimiti neki NOVI materijal s Johnom i objaviti ga u bliskoj budućnosti … pa pripazite na to.
Dugo ste na sceni države Washington i svirali ste s raznim bendovima. Recite nam više o tome.
Moj prvi pravi bend bio je The Accused, koji smo Chewy, Dana i ja osnovali davne 1981. godine, u Oak HArboru na otoku Whidbey, WA; To se događalo i trajalo sve do danas ,,, pa to je bio cijeli životni posao i dalje je zabavno. GRUNTRUCK se pojavio oko 1989., a ja sam se u to vrijeme pridružio Ben McMillan, Scottu McCullumu i Timu Paulu; izdali smo nekoliko albuma za Roadrunner Records; imao usput zastoje; izgubili su Bena zbog dijabetesa prije nekoliko godina, a nakon službenog otapanja oznake su povremeno objavljivale “izgubljeni” ili “remasterirani” materijal koji smo snimali dok smo postojali. Devedesetih sam bio u HELLCAT-u, LYE-u, Rorschach Test-u, River Red-u i nekoliko drugih bendova, pa sam pokušavao biti zauzet i zabavljati se svirajući glazbu. U posljednje vrijeme Josh Sinder i ja zajedno smo radili na WATERGHOST-u (SAD), što je zabavan sporedni projekt bez glazbenih pravila. Napišemo sve što nam se prohtije i počnemo eksperimentirati, pa je ponekad lijepa promjena tempa.
Vi ste gitarist, kao i osnivač punk / metal sastava Accused. Recite nam više o optuženom, bivšem članu, novoj postavi, kao i glasinama da je Mike Patton iz Faith No More trebao biti novi frontmani Accused?
The Accused je moje dijete. Posljednji sam izvorni član i imao sam zadovoljstvo da mi se u tom bendu pridruže mnogi talentirani ljudi kako bi proslavili sve što bend nudi. Njihovi su doprinosi bili ključni u održavanju kvalitete i naslijeđa svih ljubitelja te vrste glazbe. Uvijek je to bio bend koji se pokušava “nadmašiti” sa svakim izdanjem, tako da je ljestvica prilično porasla od 1981. ..! Uzbuđena sam što se sada radujem svojevrsnom ‘osvrtanju’ na korijene benda, s novim materijalom i dodavanju našeg prvog vokala, Johna Dahlina. Iznenadit će ljude, ali na dobar način, mislim. Još nema datuma izlaska, ali sada radimo na materijalu, zato pazite.
Što se tiče Mikea Pattona: da, istina je, kontaktirao sam Mikea otprilike 2006. ili 2007. godine i zamolio ga da pjeva za The Accused; to je bilo odmah nakon što je Blaine NAPUSTIO Accused radi Toe Tag-a; Patton je rekao da mu je čast što ga pitaju i da je zaista obožavatelj, kao što sam čuo da jest, ali da već ima hrpu drugih projekata za koje je bio predan i jednostavno nije imao vremena potrebnog počiniti; najzabavnija stvar u svemu tome, jest da mi je predložio da zamolim Brada Mowena da pjeva, koji je zapravo bio moj stari prijatelj iz Portlanda, južno od Seattla; Brad je bio u Sweaty Nipples, 90 Proof, Mommy, Burning Witch i gomili drugih bendova … i prisjetio sam se tada, dok je Patton govorio, da je Brad imao SAVRŠENI GLAS za Accused! Slično kao što Patton može zvučati kad krene tim putem …! Pa sam rekao: ‘hvala, Mike!’ I to je bilo to. Nazvao sam Brada, a on i ostali momci (Pete iz Lesbian On Bass i Mike Peterson na bubnjevima) formirali su sastav koji je trebao postati ‘Curse Of Martha Splatterhead’ u razdoblju 2008.-2009. Nakon europske turneje s Dayglo Abortionsom, ta se postava raspustila, a Warren Peace dobio sam na bubnjevima i Aarona Slippa na basu neko vrijeme, zajedno sa slučajnim vokalistom i basistom, ali magija je blijedila, pa sam stavio bend na ‘stanci’ na malo da kalibriram stvari, do 2019., kada smo John Vohru vratili na vokal, Briana Fritsa na drugoj gitari, Andyja Cara na basu i Mickeyja Widmera na bubnjevima; zajedno s Chi Gyuberom na povremenim vokalima … .to bi trebalo biti veliko otvaranje ‘REVEAL GIG’ za Napalm Death u Seattlu još u siječnju 2020., ali tada je Covid-obmana pogodila i ubila san — barem za trenutak. Planiramo to ponovno povećati čim se ponovno rezerviraju ‘normalne svirke’ … što BOLJE
Također, bili ste aktivni u sceni u Seattlu; kao gostujući gitarist na albumu Skin Yarda Fist Sized Chunks. Kasnije ste s vokalom Skin Yarda Benom McMillanom osnovali bend Gruntruck. Recite nam više o tim suradnjama i o tome kakva je bila scena u Seattlu u to vrijeme, početkom 90-ih ‘?
Kao što sam gore rekao, Gruntruck je bio zabavan i sjajan bend koji je bio dio dok je trajao; cijela stvar s ‘Grunge scenom’ bila mi je mutna; bilo je tako dobro vrijeme, a proslave su se događale svake noći, da se jedino mogu jasno prisjetiti tih godina gledanjem starih fotografija ..! Tada se OD PRILIKE mogu sjetiti određenih stvari; ali općenito se sjećam da je bilo jako zabavno i ne bih promijenio ništa o iskustvima koja sam imao tada. Samo sam zahvalna što sam živa da razgovaram o tome. Skin Yard bili su nevjerojatni. Tako sam zahvalna Scottu, Benu i Jacku Endinu što su me pozvali u svoj svijet; dalo mi je novi smjer u glazbenom smislu, da ne bih otkrio da mogu drugačije. Njihovo me prijateljstvo dovelo do Gruntrucka, što ne bi bio uspjeh da, prema mom mišljenju, nisu Layne Staley i Alice in Chains; ti dečki su nam dali bend o velikom odmoru, o kojem su im trebali otvoriti dvije različite turneje, što je dovelo do onih malih uspjeha koje je GT doživio tijekom života tog benda; sve mi je to osobno otvorilo vrata, radeći ovaj projekt i sve dalje i tijekom godina, što me vodi do danas, koji je na vrhu gitare, svirajući gitaru.
Za kraj, kakvi su vaši budući planovi za Accused, Gruntrucka? Postoje li šanse za nastup u Hrvatskoj?
Gruntruck je upravo izdao LP ‘PUSH’ u izdanju Rhino / Universal prošlog mjeseca; ali radilo se o VRLO OGRANIČENOM IZDANJU dvostrukom 12-inčnom LP-u, sklopivi poklopac, izdanje od samo 2500 kopija u boji-vinila. Super trofej ako ikad dobijem kopiju ..! Ha Ha! Također, Found Recordings objavio je posthumni LP Gruntruck materijala koji smo snimili prije Benove smrti, a taj istoimeni album sada je na raspolaganju na CD-u i LP-u, vjerujem. To je sjajan materijal, i ZAHVALAN SAM Found Records-u što im je BILO STALO I što su potom OBJAVILI to. Accused ‘Murder In Montana (1983.)’ uživo izlazi i dostupan je na PIG Records; Postoji ‘novi’ projekt kojem sam pridonio gitara pod nazivom “Primitive Race” u kojem sudjeluju Mark Hennessy iz PAW-a na vokalu, Chris Kniker na basu i Josh Sinder (Accused) na bubnjevima; prva od mnogih pjesama s Primitive Race trebala bi uskoro biti dostupna za preuzimanje. Ima pravu ‘grunge vibraciju’, ali ako zvuči svježe i relevantno, uglavnom zbog toga što je vokal Hennessy jedan od najboljih svestranih muških rock vokalista koje sam ikad čuo. Ljudima kojima se svidio GrunTruck STVARNO će se svidjeti Primitive Race.
