Page 57 - ION Indie Magazine MayJune 2019

I have never been one to apologize for what I like nor for what I don’t. It is nice interviewing an artist
who unapologetically makes the music they want to make, who answers the questions asked without
reservation, and who believes enough in what he and his bandmates are creating to be “selfish with
their vision.” I sat down and interviewed that guy, Chris Clark of Babylon Shakes, for this very special
th
5 Anniversary edition of ION Indie Magazine. Babylon Shakes is comprised of Chris Clark on guitar
and vocals, Gary Jordan on guitar and vocals, Dave Elmore on bass guitar and vocals, and Jeff
“Morty” Mortimer on drums and vocals.

JP: You formed Babylon Shakes in September of 2017, if memory serves me correctly. What
caused you to form this band?

Chris Clark: It was kind of a chance meeting. I was in a band, Last Call Messiahs. We were kind of
coming to the end of our creative process and the guys in that band wanted to do different things. I
met Jeff at the after party of the last show my other band played and we just hit it off well. I found he
liked old Aerosmith, Hanoi Rocks…we sort of had kindred spirits. I sent him some demos I was
working on and really had planned on forming a band at the time. He really loved them. We just got
together and jammed and I asked him about a bass player and he knew Gary was available. Those
guys played together in a band called Cage. We got in a room together one weekend and it was
perfect; just absolute magic. We knew right away we had something special and we were just gonna
run with it as hard as we can.

JP: I’ve heard comparisons to Hanoi Rocks and New York Dolls in conversation about
Babylon Shakes. How would you classify your sound and are there any comparisons you feel
are relevant for our readers?

Chris; I think we definitely have an old Aerosmith thing going. Some of our songs have a little more
of a punk edge, probably from the Hanoi (Rocks) influence. There were a lot of sleaze metal bands
in the 80s that weren’t in the spotlight, like say, Warrant or Whitesnake, but bands like Princess
Pang, Spread Eagle, Child’s Play…bands that were a little grittier and dirtier. I think we have a
kinship with those bands as well.

JP: When I listen to it, I hear Faster Pussycat.

Chris: Oh yeah, yeah (laughing).

JP: You recently added a member, which will take you away from some of your guitar duties.
How do you feel this will affect your live performances?

Chris: I can concentrate on singing a bit more and play more leads and fills. We get a bigger, fuller
sound. As far as writing goes, we’ve already started working on some new material with Dave on
bass and Gary now on guitar. It frees up a lot more stuff we can do. It opens the door for the next
phase.

JP: Is the writing a collaborative effort or is there one main writer for the band?

Chris: Normally, I’ll come up with the lyrics. I’m kind of the wordsmith and I’ll do a demo with a loose
chord structure and we’ll get in a room together and the guys will add everything to it to finish it out.
It is a real collaborative effort.

JP: I have heard it said live music is a tough sell these days. If someone had an extra ten or
twenty dollars to spend, why should they come out and spend it on a Babylon Shakes show?