Metal Sludge — With the club business on life support for the past year because of the Pandemic, people are getting out again.
Even if it is for cover bands like Gypsy Junkies from Pennsylvania.
Like Apollo Creed in “Rocky,” Metal Sludge is giving an unknown underdog a shot.
Meet singer Doug Miller.
————————————-
METAL SLUDGE: 1, What are you currently up to? Here is your chance to plug your stuff.
DOUG MILLER: When I started this band back in 2019, being a cover band, you want to be unique and play music that no other bands are playing.
A few of the guys wanted to have two singers, male and female, and I could never find the right mix. Made a few changes in the line up and now we are all on the same page as far as song selection, things like that.
These guys are great. There’s really no drama in the band and we get along like brothers. Right now, we are solidifying our sets. Since everything was shut down here in Pennsylvania since March of 2020, nobody was able to play. Now the floodgates are opening and we are ready to rock. Our next show is May 15th in Easton, PA.
2, What are your connections to the old Sunset Strip?
Doug: Oh man, the old Sunset Strip. Loved it! I had a friend that moved out to LA and was just telling me I gotta get out there. LA was so much better than the East Coast. Three months later I was on a Greyhound bus and living off Sunset and La Brea. First night I was out there, my roommate and I hit every fucking club on the Strip! We started at the Whisky, hit the Roxy and finished off at Gazzarri’s. I remember meeting the Godfather himself, Bill Gazzarri that night. It was like being star struck! He was truly a great guy.
3, How is the pandemic going in Pennsylvania?
Doug: The Pandemic in Pennsylvania, as in most states, sucks. I had Covid-19 back at the end of January 2021 and had no symptoms. I was fortunate, however I do know people that were less fortunate and either got very sick or passed away. Things are starting to look up. Bars are allowed to book bands and keep it at 75% capacity. It almost feels like some “normalcy” is coming back.
4, Speaking of Pennsylvania who is better, Philly’s Cinderella or Harrisburg’s Poison?
Doug: Shit….this is a tough question. I asked all the members in the band for their thoughts and they all agreed on Poison. I personally prefer Poison. They are still out there playing.
When I played in a glam metal band here in the Lehigh Valley in the early 90’s, we would always play this club just south of Harrisburg called Swizzle’s. After playing there, our drummer was friends with Rikki Rockket’s aunt. We would swing through the Harrisburg area and stop at Rikki’s aunt’s house. She was amazing!
5, You’re a cover band. What song gets the biggest reaction?
Doug: We get the best reaction when people hear us start to play “Sweet Emotion” from Aerosmith. Just that bass line alone with a little percussion gets them going. At our last show, we started play “Looks That Kill” from Motley Crue and this guy comes up in front of me while I’m singing just yelling, “Fuck yeah!’ and was giving the horns throughout the song. People still love “Fallen Angel” and “Talk Dirty” from Poison. “Shimmer” from Fuel is always a crowd pleaser.
6, Do cover bands enjoy cover groupies?
Doug: Groupies? Are they still around? Let’s just say we have a lot more females coming to our shows than males
7, Introduce everyone in the band including their real job.
Doug: Our current line up stands as follows:
Me on lead vocals and percussion. I actually received my first vocal lesson from a guy named Chuck who was an instructor at Musician’s Institute. He knew I didn’t have cash, so he charged me like $20 an hour. Steven Tyler is definitely my major influence. As far as my day job, I work in the legal field. Basically all debt collection. If customer’s fall into debt with one of our major clients, they can either pay or get sued. It’s a dirty horse but somebody gotta ride it.
Tommy T-Bone, Bass/Backing Vocals: Tom is self taught and has been playing for almost 30 years. Previous bands include Gracy’s Trip, Brotha from Anotha to name a few. He favors Fender and Ibanez basses along with Ampeg Amps. His major influences are Duff McKagan, Dana Strum and Mike Dirnt. Tom drives a tractor trailer for his day job. I guess that’s why he knows the songs like the back of his hand.
Dave Warmkessel, Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals: Dave started playing around the age of 13. Dave’s previous bands include Krusifire, Black Fate and Unit Ready to name a few. Dave favors his custom Ibanez and his EVH 5150 head played through his Marshall cabinets. Dave is an IATSE stagehand for a local union in Allentown, PA and also works for a Theater Installation company based in Philadelphia.
Eric “Wags” Wagner, Keyboards: Eric has been playing keyboards since 1986. Eric’s previous bands were Elysium, Flame Merchants and Terra-X. Some of his influences are Richard Tandy, Tony Banks and Greg Hawkes. His Roland and Korg are his favorite keyboards. Eric is self employed in the property management field.
Bruce Michael, Drums: Bruce was self taught and has been playing since the age of 18. Although he is left handed, he has his set up for a right handed drummer. He plays Tama drums and Zildjian cymbals. Some of his past bands included Thirteenth Hour and 3D to name a few. Some of Bruce’s influences include Lars Ulrich, Randy Castillo and Nicko McBrain. Bruce works as a service writer for a small family business in Allentown, PA.
8, You throw in a few deep tracks. Do folks appreciate your versatility?
Doug: As far as the crowds appreciating our versatility, yeah, they can definitely adapt very quickly. It also depends on the venue. We have people with age ranges from 25-60 years old. Believe it or not, the older crowd loves the heavier stuff like Metallica and Motley Crue. I still like watching people jump around when we play Poison or Faster Pussycat. We always end our shows with “Killing In The Name Of” from Rage Against The Machine. A huge crowd favorite and goes over very well!
9, Do you miss Hollywood?
Doug: Do I miss Hollywood? Hell yes. Was saddened when I heard they tore down Gazzarri’s. I was out in Long Beach on business in 2013 and wanted to try to hit some of the old hot spots but it didn’t happen. One of my best memories is when I turned 21 out there. Ugh… Hit the Cathouse first. Best night of my life!
10, Anything to add?
Doug: Going back to your first question, none of this would have happened so quickly without the five of us sticking it out through this pandemic. It got frustrating about three or four months into it, but somehow we managed to stick together. Special thanks to all of our families for allowing rehearsals any time we could get together and friends and fans for their support. Last but not least, a big shout out to Metal Sludge for the interview! Follow us on Facebook Gypsy-Junkies. See ya in 2021!
Check out Gypsy Junkies on Sat. May 15th 2021 at “Palmer Social Club” in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Gypsy Junkies @ Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube
