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Photo Credit: Niko The Ikon

Alex Kazemi: How are you? What’s the tour been like with GaGa?

Justin Tranter: I’m good, fucking amazing. We are having the time of our lives.  GaGa is a good friend of ours and it’s just been a dream come true being back on tour with her. It’s nuts that she opened up for us just a few years ago.

Kazemi:  I am happy the tour is going well. What was the journey like  making the transition from performing in small rock bars to performing in major venues across the world and settling on a huge record label like Interscope? Was it a “filthy” hustle to get where you are today?

Justin:  It was extremely glamorous in my own way. I love the fact that I was so broke that I had to collect cans and cash them at the grocery store to eat dinner, I also love the fact that I had to walk over bridges because I couldn’t afford the subway. I think all that stuff is fabulous.

Kazemi: You made it glamorous Justin.

Justin:  Haha! Exactly, anything can be glamorous as long as you make the decision. It’s great though, we love playing the dirty little bars that fit  fifty people. A lot of people would see that as pointless and a lot of work for no money, but  I guess driving six hours to play at a bar with fifty people seems kinda insane, but when it’s all you wanna do… It’s a lot of fucking fun!

Kazemi: Yeah, it is also more intimate then playing a huge venue. Well, I  am sure past experiences connected with  the trash glamorous life style you lived with inspired lyrics like “Sticky with champagne it’s OK it’s her birthday” and “I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous.”

Justin: Yeah, everything in the songs come from real life experiences, basically. For example “I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous” , was because I literally couldn’t pay my rent and I even got evicted. You can watch my eviction on YouTube. It’s pretty awesome. In my brain I thought I looked like a million bucks even when I had no money, so it all comes down to real life. With “Sticky With Champagne,” it’s  about the many times  in my life that I’ve had champagne poured on me  and that’s where that chorus comes from  A lot of my song’s are inspired by amazingly  beautiful  self destructive things and my looks.

Kazemi: “Sticky With Champagne” rules when seen live. I remember back when I saw you in December on “The Monster Ball” tour.You were holding a bottle of champagne with your face on it and poured it on the crowd and you changed on stage. Will we ever be able to purchase Justin champagne bottles? Will every Semi Precious Weapons show be that eventful?

Justin:   You will be able to buy Justin Tranter champagne bottles. I don’t know when, but it will happen! Every Semi Precious Weapons show is eventful, not always the same things happens.  The champagne bottle and changing my outfit will always be apart of the show. We feel like rock fans have really forgotten  that its OK to be really serious musicians and put on a crazy show Everyone just wants to stare at their feet and say “Look at how smart they are.” We aren’t really interested in that.

Kazemi: How the hell did you think of such crazy stage antics?

Justin:  Talking to friends and brainstorming ideas.  Our friend, Jimmy Knehans, tours with us  and makes most of my clothes. He and I brainstorm  a lot of ideas. It’s kinda my favorite thing to do. I just sit in a bar with my friends and think of ridiculous things we could do on stage that people have to watch. Haha!

Kazemi: Crafty!  So I understand your debut record “You Love You” was recently released. While recording that record who would you cite as influences on the sound/writing direction.

Justin: Patty Larkin, Sharon Stone, Jillian Welsh, Marilyn Monroe, May West, Gwen Stefani. Haha!  Usually endless amounts  of amazing woman! Oh yeah! Courtney Love  I love Hole!  “Live Through This” is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Kazemi: “Live Through This” is one of my favorite records as well.  Any male influences?

Justin:   Yes, “Miss World” is an amazing  song. David Bowie, but I don’t think he has been that big of an influence. I think he’s a genius obviously, but I’ve only listened to women for the most part.

Kazemi: Do you have a favorite track on the debut record?

Justin:  It always changes. It depends on the reactions at shows. “Statues Of Ourselves” is my favorite song on the album.

Kazemi: What inspired that track?

Justin:   It’s about a very specific party that Lady Starlight was throwing on Thursdays that only about ten people would ever go to. It was just me and my best friends and Lady Starlight DJ’ing. It was the most amazing thing ever! The song is important to the listener as well because I want people to get that “you and your friends are probably the coolest people your ever gonna meet.” The kids who are coming to see GaGa are some really fuckin cool kids and I wanna dedicate it to those people .  People should think its OK to be cool and you should think you’re cool enough to build statues of yourself.  Basically its OK to think you’re awesome.

Kazemi:  Rock N Roll self esteem boost! . Why don’t you tell me a bit about how the NYC party scene has inspired your band’s image/music?

Justin:  Hahah!  Most of the New York City party scene is pretty boring. New York  for the most part is just a bunch of girls pretending to be “Sarah Jessica Parker,” which isn’t very inspiring ! But the thing with New York is those girls trying to be “Sarah Jessica Parker” have no shame in it. Like in LA everyone pretends that their not working but in New York everyone is very open about how they are only making friends with people who can fuckin vamp up their career. Its a very exciting scene. It’s the only place I’d ever wanna live but I think the glory days of CBGB and Andy Warhol are sadly at the moment dead. I think with Lady GaGa inspiring a whole new generation of kids and SPW inspiring a whole new generation of “Rock N Roll” fans, every party Lady Starlight throws is getting bigger and bigger. So I think New York is slowly but surely getting back to the era of the 70s/Early 80s that I romanticize.

Kazemi: I guess the media’s perception about the New York party scene is pretty accurate. Didn’t Lady Starlight and GaGa open up for SPW back in 2007? How did you guys meet and what were those shows like?

Justin:  They were a fuckin blast ! We would sometimes throw a party called “Glamor” and sometimes they were just Semi Precious Weapons shows and we needed an opener and while we were selecting the slot there were a lot of bands that were boring and took themselves so seriously but then their was this girl “Lady GaGa” who was a big fan of our band. Someone told us she was a really great performer so we checked out her MySpace page and they were right. She was fuckin awesome!  So we had her open for us and it was fantastic. In New York at the time we had developed an awesome following. There was about 500-1000 kids who would come to every show/party that we were throwing and it was this amazing little world of filthy glamor. It was something that the New York Press and media wouldn’t wanna talk about. The shows  were  just in rock clubs, and there was no budget,  just a sound system and a stage and then everything else we just created with our existence.

Kazemi:. I bet those 500-1000 kids are still with you guys today! I  saw on your Twitpic of some fans holding up a sign that said “Monster Weapons.” How far along on the tour did you start to see that??

Justin:  It started happening when we got to Australia/New Zealand. I saw kids Facebook and Tweet it! For some reason we really blew up really quickly over there. We played 2 shows with GaGa and there was kids in the audience holding signs that said “Monster Weapons.” I took a picture, and put it on twitter.  I guess now all the kids have caught onto it. So now at upcoming shows we definitely see a few kids holding signs that say “Monster Weapons.”

Kazemi: Was New Zealand your favorite city you toured too?

Justin:  New Zealand is amazing. They love Rock N Roll so I love them! Haha! It’s really hard to say. We have been waiting so long and been waiting so hard to get to this moment where we are living our life on the road and playing shows for thousands of people every night.

Kazemi:  Besides music/touring, you design a jewelry line called “Fetty.” While designing the collection did you ever think the pieces would be sold at “Barneys NYC.”

Justin:  Fetty Jewelry started at our very first SPW show and we just made some pieces to make some money because we were all broke!  I have worked at jewelry stores in NYC and I  just got fired at the time… We didn’t have t-shirts, we didn’t have albums to sell and it was our first show! I made these “Gun-Heart” necklaces for all of my friends who came to the show and they freaked out over them! Then I started getting them in boutiques around New York and then I harassed the people at Urban Outfitters until they “expressed interest.” I didn’t really know what I was doing.  You know I have a degree in music so Urban ended up liking them and told me “Oh! This is great! So we would love two thousand necklaces in three weeks” because they were convinced I was a massive jewelry company that could just produce these necklaces, but realistically it was just me and my band members and my friends in my loft in Brooklyn.

Kazemi: Wait, so you had to make three thousand pieces in three weeks?

Justin:  Luckily I did, so then I had a jewelry line! I started getting the kind of people who could make the pieces in 14 karat gold and diamond. I sold that to Barneys. Basically, it was this amazing accident that took an amazing amount of work. I assembled three thousand pieces with my own two hands! It was a lot of hard work but it was worth it because the band was able to fly to LA, London, and Paris to perform, and make our first indie record. It was an amazing way to start out as an indie band.

Kazemi:  It seems like the jewelry was the savior of the music.

Justin: Literally! If it wasn’t for the money from the jewelry, the band wouldn’t have been able to move on.

Kazemi: Doesn’t Kate Moss wear Fetty?

Justin:  Yeah, but so does Taylor Momsen and I think she’s  fabulous. Taylor always wears the big “XL” gun. The best part about her wearing Fetty is that she doesn’t even wanna wear the fancy stuff at Barneys. She wears the 20 dollar “big gun” we sell at shows. It’s so awesome!

Kazemi:   That is awesome! She is super young. Speaking of young, what was your college experience like at Berklee School Of Music?

Justin: It was amazing!  I can’t complain. It was like any other college.  Some parts are really awful and some parts are really great. Some teachers suck and some teachers were life changing, but the fact that I could study songwriting and get a degree from it…I really can’t ask for much more! Hahha!

Kazemi:   I assume that’s where you met your bandmates of today?

Justin:   Yeah, that’s where we all met. All of us studied different things. We all met in the first week of school.

Kazemi: Did you have any idea you guys were gonna work with each other and form the glam rock band, Semi Precious Weapons?

Justin:  We had no fucking clue. We did not start the band until five years after we met. We were just friends for a very long time. I thought I was gonna be a very serious somber singer/songwriter and Stevy & Cole thought they were gonna do jazz compositions. Dan thought he was gonna be a classical composer.  At some point we just got so bored of being so “intellectual” and started writing the music that inspired us as kids in the 90s:  Hole, Nirvana, Guns and Roses, Metallica and AC/DC. That’s how we became “Semi Precious Weapons”.

Kazemi:  So rock music on top 40 today isn’t really rock like the people you just listed. It’s more of a bubble gum juiced down rock.  Is Semi Precious Weapons going to change that?

Justin: We wanna be the biggest band in the world. I have intentions to go mainstream because I would love if “Real” Rock N Roll was on top 40 radio again because it use to be.  You would always hear rock on the top 40 stations, but now  you can’t even hear the guitar in the “rock music” that is played on the radio today.You can’t call that “rock n roll” when you can’t even hear the guitar. We are going to make “Rock N Roll” the new “Pop”.

Don’t forget to pick up the new Semi Precious Weapons album, “You Love You,” today!

LINK LOVE:   ALEX KAZEMI

]]> http://fashionindie.com/interview-justin-tratner-of-semi-precious-weapons-preciousweapons/feed/ 0 http://fashionindie.com/events-nylon-kin-music-issue-party/ http://fashionindie.com/events-nylon-kin-music-issue-party/#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:49:00 +0000 McArthur Joseph http://fashionindie.com/?p=132761 Last night at Skybar Nylon Editor In Chief Marvin Scott Jarrett & Publisher Jaclynn Jarrett along with KIN and Belvedere, celebrated the Nylon June/July 2010 music issue with host & cover star M.I.A. and music by DJ Tennessee Thomas (of the band The Like) and DJ Brent Bolthouse.

The party also included a live performance by the band Semi Precious Weapons, and was prefaced with a private dinner hosted by Lacoste & Nylon. There were many familiar faces in attendance which included: M.I.A., Agyness Deyn, Peaches Geldof, Lindsay Lohan,  and Jonny Makeup.

1. Sarah Pallack is booking DJs and working on special events for the W Hotels Arrivals Lounge backstage at Bryant Park. She is currently downing water by the bottle in hopes that it will help her feel (and look) more alive once all the craziness that is Fashion Week officially starts. She’s excited that Fashion Week gives her an excuse to pull out all the fancy clothes she’s been dying to wear.

2. Elaine Drebot is organizing press appointments and special events at the W Hotels Arrivals Lounge backstage at Bryant Park. To de-stress, she cuddles with her beloved dog, Moe. She’s excited about all the amazing DJs the W Lounge has this season – including Semi Precious Weapons!

3. Claudine is working a bunch of fashion shows including YEOHLEE, GILDED AGE and Emu and on the JOONBUG.com party on Feb 13th with Elle and Style 360 and cast of Ugly Betty. She is also djing for the first time along with her buddy, Mike.

She is going to be playing songs that inspired Walter, Bess, Yeohlee, Brian Reyes and others to create their Spring 2010 collections. So she has been practicing for that in her spare time. She is really proud of her team and thanks everyone for working so hard during this busy time. To unwind, she works out with her buddy, Amin, and loves to do tons of jumping jacks and bench jumps. Beyond that she is really looking forward to having the support of a lot of her college friends on the 13th and having a good time dancing with them.

She also loves to write up some personal happenings at www.caravangirl.com.

4. Madeline Amato is thrilled that THINK’S model casting is complete and that the most perfect girls were found to compliment all of the fabulous looks for the EMU of Australia Presentation. She had gotten tired of eating salad every casting day; it is not easy holding your own in a room full of fashion models! However; she is dying to sample the chocolates from Michel Cluizel, the official chocolate sponsor of the YEOHLEE show this season.

5. Bailey Horn is working on overall STYLE360- STYLE360 serves as the alternative Fashion Week destination, hosting a series of shows, presentations and after parties. She is coordinating RSVPS and overall requests for the event. She is also reaching out to press about feature stories on STYLE360 in general. This is her first experience with STYLE360 and is very excited for fashion week to start. She is a huge fan of Kim Kardashian and Watches Keeping Up with the Kardashians all the time.

6. Andrew Young is spearheading both the Gilded Age and EMU Australia fashion shows for the upcoming fashion week. Creating looks, casting models and following up on invitations becomes a full time job during fashion week and Andrew is convinced the key to keeping it together is staying as pragmatic as possible. “If you’re calm and systematic about fashion week it’s really just a piece of cake” he explains, albeit a very glamorous cake. He adds, “I also want to make sure I make the most of this fashion week while it’s still at Bryant Park. Although I’m excited about change, I’ve had some of the most exciting moments of my life there and will miss it terribly!”

7. Laura Neroulias is working on the bebe-Kardashian’s fashion show and the grand opening of bebe’s new SoHo flagship. As she coordinates all the requests with Kim’s personal publicist and bebe’s PR team, she stays calm with the help of a box of rice krispie treats hidden under her desk. She has an amazing group of people coming for the show and store opening and can’t wait to see it all come together!

8. Hillary Beulah is working on the Yeohlee Teng fashion show this season. Hillary is liaising with Yeohlee’s internal PR team to seat the show, monitor requests, backstage interview and photographer access, post show interview, both pre and post and a very exciting live streaming component. Yeohlee’s show will continue to explore the urban nomad theme that she has made famous so it should be a sensory experience. Expect a veritable who’s who of the fashion world to attend. She is excited to meet Stephen Kolb from the CFDA because he has always been one of Hillary’s idols; she rocks out to the Rihanna Rated R album to keep stress levels down; it’s all about unleashing her inner DIVA!

9. Amanda Esposito will be the eyes and ears of the W Hotels Arrival Lounge this Fashion Week, which hosts editors, celebrities, designers and models in between shows. She is super excited about Danny Roberts from Igor and Andre, who will be visiting the lounge this season to sketch!

10. Marie Dasaro Cuccurullo is senior account executive at THINK PR and works on the W Hotels account. Marie is getting ready to spend every day at the W Hotels Arrival Lounge, backstage at the Bryant Park tents. The W Hotels lounge is an exclusive spot for the biggest VIP names at fashion week, including major designers and A-list celebrities. This season, Marie will also be utilizing the lounge to meet with magazine photo and booking editors to speak with them about existing and upcoming W properties that may be a fit for future photo-shoots.

11. Lauren Larkin (Account Executive) – I am working on the Clandestine Industries by Pete Wentz fashion show and after party, coordinating with Pete’s team to schedule interviews and control the RSVP list. I am also handling press for our STYLE360 series as a whole and working on the Gilded Age menswear presentation with Andrew. I drink lots of water during Fashion Week to stay hydrated and focused and am super excited for a successful fall season!

12. Reshma is working closely with everyone at THINK to ensure we have another killer fashion week that we can be proud of. (See everyone else’s summaries for specific events.) For anyone experiencing Fashion Week-related stress she recommends that you:

- Adopt a pup from http://www.barcshelter.org

- Listen to the new Vampire Weekend album

- Tell your husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/ to take you out for a yummy dinner at Marlow & Sons (order all of the specials!)

13. Claudine is working a bunch of fashion shows including YEOHLEE, GILDED AGE and Emu and on the JOONBUG.com party on Feb 13th with Elle and Style 360 and cast of Ugly Betty. She is also djing for the first time along with her buddy, Mike.

She is going to be playing songs that inspired Walter, Bess, Yeohlee, Brian Reyes and others to create their Spring 2010 collections. So she has been practicing for that in her spare time. She is really proud of her team and thanks everyone for working so hard during this busy time. To unwind, she works out with her buddy, Amin, and loves to do tons of jumping jacks and bench jumps. Beyond that she is really looking forward to having the support of a lot of her college friends on the 13th and having a good time dancing with them.

She also loves to write up some personal happenings at www.caravangirl.com.

Our favorite New York Rockers, Semi Precious Weapons were recently signed to Interscope. Check out their first official music video. These dudes used to have Lady Gaga open for them, now their finally getting their chance in the spotlight. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM.

So happy for these guys. I’ve been listening to them for years, back in the days when Gaga was opening for them in the LES. Now the tables have turned, but in the best way possible. Semi Precious Weapons will be opening for Gaga on her sold out Monster Ball tour. Suck it Kanye.

Jewelry line, Rolling Stone spread, and song…what more could one ask for from a true friend?

LINK LOVE: Perez Hilton

I watched ‘Memento’ last nite with Sun Tek and Eric (Opening Ceremony). Pretty sure I missed a big night at St. Jerome’s; Facebook told me Justin Tranter (Semi-Precious Weapons) got ready for the bar’s 4th year anniversary party while watching ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ and that Lady Starlight DJ’d. She wore some cute little gloves with lasers attached to the fingers. Justin was all batty eye shadow and tossled hair. Sometimes I wonder if he’ll wear that look forever. I mean, I do like a good uniform.

I love that I can go out without leaving my apartment, I got to be at St. Jerome’s and all I had to do was stay glued to my computer. Which I’m very good at.

I probably should have gone to the party, but my night was glamorous enough in its own way. Sun Tek is a famous artist, really, he lunches with Al Pacino and the Olsons. One of his pieces was even a prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. And these days Eric models for Alexander Wang or something. He also photographs expensive Persian birthdays, I think.

Anyway, I guess my night was grand, because I was watching ‘Memento’ with people who are up there. Too bad the movie wasn’t very good. I probably should have watched ‘Mad Men’ or ‘True Blood.’

Or gone to St. Jerome’s.

P.S. Are Eric and Coco back together? Do you know Coco? She’s an angel. She was in Nylon once for something, but I don’t know what.

There was a scary bouncer at the door of the Leopard Lounge in the East Village last night. He didn’t know who I was and wouldn’t let me or a lot of my friends in. It made me very nervous. I think I paced around for a few minutes before I saw one of my favorite new trannies, Tiana (Bungalow 8), walk in with a train of muscle men. I think she or someone grabbed the manager for me. Trannies always know how to get the legwork done.

Trannies are such hard workers, much harder workers than most people. I mean, they have to erase all the tell-tale signs of their manhood and draw in all the woman ones. Woman ones?!? Anyway, we swapped numbers and she wants me to come out with her, maybe Thursday. Definitely a consideration. Tiana was wearing something that looked like a rich woman from the Upper West Side who isn’t into fashion would wear, but she lives in the Upper East Side. She’s like some sophisticated transneighborhood queen and it’s becoming increasing difficult to offer a proper critique on her chic.

I forget last night at Cool Jerk!. It was memorable, but I forget.

I more than often remember getting ready for a party, than remember the party itself. I think the party has become younger and gayer, but better and better too. Michael T. (Rated X) and DJ Jess (Indierotica) were our guests and they both did really great sets. Michael had his hair flipped out and lots of white makeup on, and a tailored denim jacket. Jess said he had just rolled out of bed, but his pomp was perfect. Oh, and Tiana said someone tried to break a stall door in on her. She was so cool about it, but I was so uncool: I was too afraid to ask if she was using the men’s or women’s bathroom.

Afterward I stumbled into a cab and piled in with maybe 4 or 5 other kids. Brik picked a fight with the driver when we pulled up to Kellog’s, but I think maybe the driver picked a fight with us. It was frightening, I don’t know if he got paid. I just ran into the diner and got a table for five, but only Brik joined me and he drank all the water. I ordered a bison burger, because I’m a truely loyal American (and I thought they were going extinct, which just makes ordering one seem like the equivalent of layering myself in forbidden pelts from dead beasts).It seemed decadent, but it was really tasty and exactly what I needed.

Now Brik is playing with a bolt of spandex he found on the street. That’s no way to make friends. But we’re trying to get ready forthe Box, it’s a Caligula themed party tonight for some reason or another. A toga party? I don’t know about that. But Caligula is such a good movie.

If you’re coming, password: Caligula.

Go figure.

]]> http://fashionindie.com/out-with-aaron-k-nite-in-nite-out/feed/ 4 http://fashionindie.com/the-takeover-semi-precious-weapons-music-video-for-her-hair-is-on-fire/ http://fashionindie.com/the-takeover-semi-precious-weapons-music-video-for-her-hair-is-on-fire/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:00:01 +0000 Hillary Frazier http://fashionindie.com/?p=53957

Here’s the music video for the song ‘Her Hair is On Fire,’ another hit from the album ‘We Love You’

Via Myspace

Here’s the music video for the song ‘Magnetic Baby,’ off of SPW’s debut album, ‘We Love You’

via Myspace

Semi Precious Weapons’ own line of jewelry brings you the ‘Tooth Necklace.” Not sure of it’s significance, prob has something to do with ‘sinking your teeth into the music industry,’ or maybe that’s just to corny…Either way, it’s $15!

Buy it here

Via Myspace

She gets so sleepy with out a powdery pick me up

We all know he’s “been magnetic” since he was a baby, but we didn’t know how snuggly our favorite indie was with our favorite model, Kate Moss

Moss partied the night away in trendy West London night spot The Notting Hill Arts Club. She was there to party with the Semi Precious Weapons as they rocked and continued on their tour of London. Jealous is not the word to describe this feeling, it’s more like blind, uncontrolled envy. Congrats Justin, you know you rocketh best.

You can see the Weapons perform on February 28th at The R Bar 218 The Bowery [btwn Prince & Spring], New York. (It may be your last chance before they explode and get all Maroon 5y on all the little folks.)