Clay Wheels - band member Ray Stevens - Brief Article - Interview

Thrasher Magazine, Oct, 2001

have incorporated skateboarding in their music. Although none of the guys have ever been sponsored, they all rip in various ways; especially Jonny--check the slob grind. I talked to Ray Stevens been skating longer than some of you've been alive; alumnus of bands such as The Faction, Los Olivados, Odd Man Out, Goodbye Gemini, and Odd numbers) to see what's up with band and skating. Viva la Skate Rock!

What's the current lineup? Jonny Manak: vocals/guitar Ray Stevens II: bass/vocals Eric Powers drums/no vocals, When did the band form? 1994 in San Jose, CA with Kal Gettle on guitar and vocals, and Randy moved on to become daddies and homeowners, so I needed to get some fresh talent. You guys have a lot of elements that come together when you play.

What kind of punk inspires you guys? Music chock full of real rock excitement. The Sonics, Turbo Negro, New Bomb Turks, Thin ,Lizzy, Mudhoney, the Gits, Dead Boys, Fu Manchu, the Ventures, Misfits, Gas Huffer, Ramones, the Stooges, The Now Time Delegation, Man or Astroman?, the Saints, the Supersuckers. What kind of stuff outside of punk? Soul music, the Beach Boys, reggae, hip hop, jazz-whatever's clever, but it has to have soul. Tell me about the first time you met Kevin Thatcher, the guy who started Thrasher. Keith "Meekster" Meek and I were skating the Los Altos pool in 1977 for hours and hours. We were the only two guys there and were getting kinda tired so we started dorking around, butt boarding and knee boarding. So who walks in the backyard? Thatcher, Blackhart, and Smiley Goldman. We felt like such kooks. When did you start skating? I started skating the summer of 1975 on a clay-wheeled board that I liberated out of a garage in Saratoga, CA. How is skating now different or the same from back then, or its various phases? Skating is better than ever these days. The equipment, terrain, and techniques always kept changing, but the road trips, great friends reunion is gonna be insane. Skate and Destroy. Bad Brains or Misfits? Misfits. You guys seem to put out CDs on your own, which has gotten a lot easier lately. You also have some stuff on 7." Do you have plans to release a full length and/or hook up with a label to do it? We have a full length coming out called Born to Barge. It will be included with the Black Label Jason Adams Punk Point board. We would be super hyped, if we could find a rad label to distribute and promote our music. What is the best part about, skating? Being on point, going fast, not slamming, laughing; it's seriously the fountain of youth. Playing music? Expressing what is in your soul and having others identify with that same feeling--getting some energy going --Wez Lundry