THE FURYS – Say Goodbye to the Black Sheeps Of Rock!
6 min read
Interview with Jeff Wolfe (The Furys)
1.How did you decide to form the Furys?
I formed the Furys as a reaction to the bland music thatwas on the radio in the US at that time. 1977 was a pivotal year in the early days of punk/new wave bands. In those days it was a community amongst the new bands as we were all doing something so different to the norm that we were compelled to bond together. The Weirdos, The Plimsouls, X, The Zeros, the Motels were all contemporaries and pals.
2. Do you recall the difficulties of the first days to find a label and promote your singles?
It was impossible to find a major label to sign the band. We had a notorious meeting with Kim Fowley who wanted to sign the group to Mercury Records, but the deal wasn’t right. In 1979 Sire Records developed an interest but by then, the first version of the Furys was on its last legs. Therefore, we released our records independently, which in the long run, was the best tactic.
3. Your first single (“Hey Ma” b/w “Jim Stark Dark”) was released in 1977, do you remember the recordings?
“Hey Ma” was recorded in a professional 16 track studio in Santa Monica, the name of which escapes me. It was my first time recording in a “real” studio. “Jim Stark Dark” – written as homage to James Dean’s character in Rebel Without a Cause-was recorded on a home eight tack tape recorder in some guy’s garage in Santa Ana, CA. We didn’t think we’d sell any copies but my manager at the time, Mike Compton, and I took the records around to local record stores and sold out of the first run of 500 copies in just a few days. We went into a second printing of 2,000 and sold those out also. We knew we had something going, so we started playing live shows. Our first gig was on Saturday November 26, 1977 at the Surf Movie Theatre in Huntington Beach, CA. Admission was $3.00. We sold it out.
4. How different was your second single (1978’s “Say Goodbye to the Black Sheep”) compared with your first one?
Did you apply any knowledge learned from your first release?“Say Goodbye to the Black Sheep” was a massive step in production values. We recorded this at Media Arts Studio in Hermosa Beach, CA. For this record, we used more overdubs including percussion and stacked background vocals. We recorded, mixed and mastered the song in one session on sixteen tracks in late 1977. The B-side “Suburbia Suburbia” was recorded at the same eight track home studio in Santa Ana that we recorded our first B-side, “Jim Stark Dark”. The single was released on our own label, Double R Records, in February 1978. It was a huge indie hit and still garners airplay to this day.
5. You recorded a five-song mini album entitled Indoor/Outdoor in 1987 at EMI/America Studios in Hollywood. Did this professional recording affect your later recordings and mode of thought for the production?
Indoor/Outdoor was a much different experience than the 70s recordings. For one thing, we had an entirely different band. And, of course, the music scene had changed. So called “New Wave” rock had become more mainstream so The Furys sound reflected that change. We had a much bigger budget too, so we were able to take our time in the recording process. The studio was in the original location of Liberty Records 6920 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood. Indeed, the studio was across the street from Hollywood High School. On breaks, we would wander the halls of the offices upstairs and see the gold records awarded to Ricky Nelson and Eddie Cochran displayed on the walls
6. How did the success of this album affect you as a band and on a personal level?
Indoor/Outdoor did well on radio and in the press. Naturally, the band continued to play live shows all over the place.
7. Why did you decide to split up as a band?
By 1988, I wanted to play a different kind of music; it was the right time to move on.
8. What did you do all these years, before returning with the 2015’s “The Sound of the Furys” CD?
I formed a band called the Horse Soldiers that was an acoustic outfit with electric bass and drums, playing traditional and original Americana music and classic country/western. I ran that band for 25 years; we played hundreds of shows all over the Southwestern US appeared on four major label compilation CDs and released three albums of original material. The Sound of the Furys, released in 2015, combined six of the band’s best studio tracks along with three new recordings. The Furys Again is the first release containing all new material since 1987’s Indoor/Outdoor.
9. You have 2 new singles (“New Wave Girl” and “Action Reaction”) that were released the second week of September 2021, would you like to describe them?
“New Wave Girl” and “Action Reaction” are The Furys updated to the 21st century. My collaborator and colleague Dave Lewty is hugely responsible for this new direction. Dave plays all the instruments on these songs—as well as the others on The Furys Again—and is the co-writer of all the material. These songs have charted top ten all over the world, The Furys will be releasing two more singles concurrent with The Furys Again album release on 8 October 2021, entitled “Glitter Bomb” and “Anna, Come Home”.
10. Do you have any plans for re-issues?
All the previous vinyl releases by The Furys will be available on thefurysband.com in the coming weeks. This includes “Hey Ma/Jim Stark Dark”, “Say Goodbye to the Black Sheep/Suburbia Suburbia” “Moving Target/We Talk We Dance” and the Indoor/Outdoor mini album
11. You also have a new album called “The Furys Again”, how and where did you record it?
The Furys Againalbum was recorded entirely at Dave Lewty’s studio Lewtyworks in Simi Valley, CA. Dave is a monster talent and is a huge pleasure to work with. With a few exceptions, Dave plays all the instruments on the album and contributes his version of backing vocals.
12. How did you approach the album in terms of lyrics?
In essence, Mr. Lewty will create a track for which I will then write vocal parts and lyrics. Occasionally, I’ll have a full set of lyrics and a melody for songs but in general, I write to order relative to the track Dave has created. Thematically, the lyrics reflect life in the 21st century (“Tightrope Walking”, “Worthy”, “Action Reaction”, “Gotta Grow Up”) literary homage (“Miss Havisham Regrets” (from Dickens’ Great Expectations), “Please Mister Kafka” (the brilliant Polish/German surrealist author), wonderful women I have known (“New Wave Girl”, “Anna, Come Home”), civil protest (“Afraid”).
13. What about your next music plans?
Dave Lewty and I have enough songs recorded for two more Furys albums. We also have 20 or so songs in various other genres as well as some genres not definable. We hope to be continuing releasing albums in the future.
Dave and I are forming a band with intention to do as many shows as we can to promote the album and have some fun! Jeff Jourard—formerly of the Motels—is on board on guitar and Steve Harvey is the drummer. We hope to see everyone at our upcoming gigs!
About Author
