The bio for Prophets of Addiction used to read: “Every once in a great – and blessed – while, a band comes along that encapsulates everything that’s great about rock-n-roll. The Prophets of Addiction is that band. These guys are so authentic and such masters at what they do that it’s like some mad scientist extracted the pure essence from their genre – Guns N’ Roses, The Ramones, Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls, Dead Boys, Backyard Babies, Lords of the New Church, Motley Crue and all the best glam/punk bands – and gave rise to The Prophets of Addiction.” Front-man Leslii Sanders may also be familiar to some from the band Pretty Boy Floyd indeed last time I saw him he was doing double-duties when Prophets supported Floyd. For those that follow the band you’ll know that last year saw the release of the full-length acoustic album ‘Nothing But The Truth’ – we caught up with Leslii to talk about that album and the journey so far.
Mark: Hi Leslii thanks so much for catching up.
Leslii: That’s cool
Mark: Are you playing much over the New Year period?
Leslii: Not really, I’m playing a show filling in for another band, but other than that just a couple of solo shows in January me and my acoustic.
Mark: I loved the new album ‘Nothing But The Truth’ – what as the idea behind it? I used to love it back in the day when bands used to break it all down and go back to basics with the acoustic guitars so you could really get to the bones of the songs. But that was usually with existing material that the fans were already familiar with – this is new material treated that way.
Leslii: Yeah, well we were touring a lot, me and the guitar player Glenn, and we were doing a lot of shows like that and how that really started was that we had a drummer, and we recorded a single and while we were waiting for him to get better we recorded this. I think it’s just cool to play like that and see that live – just two guys with guitars, at first it was kind of weird, it’s a whole different vibe to playing in a Rock Band, you have to make sure you’re good enough so that people aren’t talking over you when you’re trying to play (laughs) not like in a Rock band where the amp’s so loud you can’t hear nobody talking! (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) That’s right gotta keep that attention! So where did it all start for you Leslii? You’ve been in many bands over the years, lived the Rock and Roll lifestyle and the new album I guess is mainly about that journey, but where did it all start- what made you want to become a musician in the first place?
Leslii: I don’t know, I guess at first it was more about the sex, drugs and Rock N Roll (laughs) but then the music kinda becomes your way of expression. I don’t know exactly at what point that changed but at one point it just kinda became my life and I haven’t really done anything else besides that you know. And I keep doing it and keep trying but it’s getting harder and harder, and a lot f people really don’t care, I mean music in general is way down as far as buying records and stuff. But then what am I going to do now at this point? I kinda set myself up to live very simply, I don’t have a lot and there are no payments or anything like that, I just keep trying I guess – I don’t know what else to do (laughs). I’ve been working on a bunch of new songs for a full Rock record too and I hope to do that one of these days in the not too far future from now.
Mark: The only time I managed to catch you live was at Vamp’d in Vegas and that night you were doing double duties – playing guitar and singing for Prophets and then taking bass with Pretty Boy Floyd. What was your first love guitar or bass?
Leslii: I actually started out playing bass, so I’m really a bass player, I’m not that good on guitar, I play all sloppy (laughs) but that’s when Glenn comes in with that guitar overlay and brings it all to life, I’m just all heart!
Mark: I love the vocals on the new album and I always get that vibe of Tyla from Dogs D’Amour when you sing, do you get sick of that comparison?
Leslii: Well Tyla and The Dogs D’Amour is super cool so I could never get sick of it but with me you just kinda get what comes out! (laughs)
Mark: There’s some personal stuff on ‘Nothing But The Truth’ and the album itself is a tale of woe, of broken dreams and stolen opportunities – what was the hardest song to write?
Leslii: I don’t know, sometimes I don’t think about it too much beforehand, I just start writing. You know you can tell yourself you have to write and sit with a guitar in a room and go over and over and nothing happens but then usually for me it comes at any time, I might strum a couple of chords and words come shooting out of my mouth and then I might then grab a piece of paper and oftentimes then that whole song is written in five minutes. (laughs) I mean the basic structure and notes of course, not the arrangement, that takes a lot longer.
Mark: I think I have your entire catalogue now, and there’s a track right at the end of the new album ‘Heart of Mine’ which I think might just be one of the best things you’ve ever written – what can you tell me about that one?
Leslii: So you’ve heard both versions then – the Rock version and the acoustic. That one was the music first, and I usually don’t do it like that you know. Normally I just kinda sing, making up shit to fill the space while we work on it. But that one I sat by the computer with my pro tools on, and to be honest I can’t really remember where it all came from.
Mark: So what does 2019 hold for you?
Leslii: Well right now we’re just trying to figure out what’s going on with this record and thinking about doing a new Rock record, it’s kinda frustrating to me as I’m always trying to keep moving and making things happen, and it’s kinda frustrating that I feel at a bit of a stand still right now, I can’t book acoustic shows and I can’t book Rock shows until we know what’s going on and I don’t want to book tours if we can do a record, so it’s frustrating, I just feel like I’m stuck you know. I’m spinning my wheels, I don’t know.
Mark: It must be hard, you seem like someone who’s either recording or on the road. I’ve always loved the music you’ve put out and always imagined that you might have similar tastes to me – what were the albums that meant most to you growing up?
Leslii: The thing is when I was growing up I used to race BMX bicycles and all that kind of stuff so I really didn’t listen to so much music, except the Pop music that was on the radio. But when I started playing I started to get into Punk and 80’s music and all that stuff. At first it was just all about the party and then later I started to listen to things that I thought were musically cool like Hanoi Rocks and I went from Hanoi Rocks to Cheap Trick and New York Dolls, everything you know.
Mark: If you’d had the chance to be a ‘Fly on the wall in the studio to see any of the great albums of the past being made what would it have been for you?
Leslii: Oh I don’t know there are so many great records that would have been so cool to have been there for! And I guess it would depend what I wanted to get out of it – if I was looking at it for production techniques, or looking at it for the party that was happening! (laughs)
Mark: (laughs)
Leslii: I might go for ‘Appetite For Destruction’ I bet they were having a good time making that! I’ve talked to guys from lots of bands around that time who were there and they were having a great time getting wasted, some of them were more interested in the party than making the record I’m sure!
Mark: I’ve heard a few of those stories over the years! (laughs) If people were just getting into the Prophets of Addiction and they’d never heard the band before how would you describe the sound of the band?
Leslii: I don’t know I take whatever people hear- some say The Dead Boys, some Hanoi Rocks, The Dog’s D’Amour and others are like who’s that? If you don’t know those bands maybe start with Ramones! (laughs) But I never really sat down in a room and said “OK let’s try to sound like this band” I just keep doing what I do. Even today I think that what I write now sounds pretty much like what I was writing twenty years ago when other people were singing it just sounds a little different now because I’m singing!
Mark: You’re right it all comes down to peoples point of reference, name a band and if someone hasn’t heard of them you’ve got to try again.
Leslii: I always read reviews and there’s another name, I just read Lords of the New Church and that’s cool.
Mark: That’s the main thing as long as they’re all cool bands, no one wants to get compared to a band they hate!
Leslii: (laughs) Yeah I mean I’d hate to read we sounded like New Kids on the Block, Simply Red and Right Said Fred! (laughs)
Mark: (laughs)
Leslii: Not cool!
Mark: And a final question – a really easy one – what is the meaning of life!
Leslii: Ahhh the really easy one! I’m still trying to figure that one out, I ask myself all the time. Even though I might not have much money at least I’m playing music, so at least I’m doing what I wanna do rather than bitching and moaning all day doing something I hate.
Mark: That’s a great answer. Take care man and who knows we might see you Down under sometime soon!
Leslii: Let’s hope so, thanks Mark.
http://www.prophetsofaddiction.com/
