The hipsters will tell you that once the mainstream media has discovered any "scene" or "movement" its already over. Boisterous Black Diamond rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot would agree. He’s already been there, done that and bought the T-shirt, courtesy of his late-80’s collaboration with local crunchers Metal Church on Black Sabbath’s "Iron Man" and a 1993 pairing with Mudhoney for the soundtrack to Judgement Night.
Yet for his release since 1996’s Return of the Bumpasaurus, Mix has joined forces with the artists formally known as the Presidents of the United States of America in a new band, Subset. It’s a move which could, perhaps, be interpreted as an attempt by two past-their-prime (and currently label-less) acts to clamber aboard a bandwagon that is already trundling out of town. Except there’s one notable and significant difference that sets Subset apart: Where others merely rock, they groove. More Muscle Shoals than Metallica- and magnificently so- Subest’s funky, frugging formula has re-awakened all four member’s interest in the music business and brought the Presidents back to life less than a year-and-a-half after their heady farewell show at Seattle’s Paramont Theatre. Gathered together at drummer Jason Finn’s capitol Hill home, messrs. Chris Ballew (bass), Dave Dederere (guitar), and Sir Mix-A-Lot ("call me Anthony" vocals) can hardly contain their excitement as they listen to playbacks of four tracks from their still-in-progress debut LP and chat enthusiastically about the future. The groovers are back on maneuvers.
The Rocket: So tell us how Subset came together.
Sir Mix-A-Lot: It was first talked about a couple of years ago but neither of us had the time back then. Then last year, somebody suggested we do a Hendrix song together but I wanted to do something original.
Dave Dederer: So we recorded a couple of "grooves" that we just had lying around.
Jason Finn: And then Mix had a gig at the Showbox and we thought it would be fun to go and play the two songs "Addicted to the Fame" and "Beach Rats."
Chris Ballew: And playing those songs live was really exciting. The whole place just went up so we thought, "There must be something in this!"
Rocket: How did you collaborate on those first songs?
Ballew: We’d been making instrumental versions of lots of little ideas that we’d had for a long time. We arranged them so they were exciting as instrumentals, then gave them to Mix and he put lyrics on.
Finn: With "Beach Rats," Mix took the instrumental track, cut it up on his computer rearranged it, then rapped over it. We then took that version back with us and re-recored it.
Rocket: How many songs have you completed and recorded at present?
Dederere: There’s six songs that we’ve got finished and five more which will be done by the time we play live again.
Rocket: What satisfaction are you each getting out of the project?
Mix: It doesn’t have that corporate feel about it. There’s no one saying "Hurry up and get it done. Joe Schmo wants it done this way and by this time." We’re doing it because we want to and that’s what music should be about. There’s no pressure. Like after I’d done "Baby Got Back" I was pressured to try and re-create it. You know, "Baby Got Tits," "Baby Got Face…."
Ballew: "… Baby got Lips" "Baby Got Baby, Whoops!" "Baby Don’t Got Contraception…" Seriously though, its been very cool for us because Dave and I have had groovy riffs lying around for years and no outlet for them. "Addicted to Fame" is a riff I’ve had for 10 years.
Rocket: Who is writing the lyrics? And what are you using as inspiration?
Mix: Me, pretty much. I got the idea for "Addicted to Fame" when we were just talking about how much we all hated "the business." And I went straight home and started scribbling. That’s how it’s been with the whole album, nothing has been forced. I haven’t sat down and said, "I’m going to have to write a song now."
Rocket: Can you give us a rundown on the others songs you’ve completed so far?
Mix: There’s "Addicted to the Fame," "Something Wicked," "Beach Rats," "What the Hell," "Skinning and Grinning" and "What she Gave," which will be the epic we perform at the Grammys with a full choir.
Ballew: And Snoop Dogg flying around on a wire in the background.
Mix: None of the songs sound alike, yet we’re definitely starting to develop a distinctive "sound."
Rocket: So will this be a one-off or an ongoing collaboration?
Ballew: We’ll take it as it comes. After the Showbox all I knew was that I really wanted to do this.
Finn: And of course, he doesnt have to sing now. Me and Chris were already the tightest rhythm section in rock and since he’s been playing a four-string bass, we’ve got even better!
Rocket:So you and Dave have finally retired the guitbass and bassitar?
Ballew: Yup, we snapped out of it. We’re back to normal. I have four strings and [Dave] has six. At least we won’t have to talk about playing "wacky" instruments ever again.
Rocket: How would you describe Subset’s sound? Does it sound like Sir Mix-A-Lot accompanied by the Presidents?
Mix: People ask me, "Is it alternative? Is it rap?" It’s not bullshit, that’s all I know. It’s just great shit.
Ballew: It’s nothing like the Presidents. I’d describe it as the Meters playing a car-chase music, like New Orleans soul or something.
Dederer: My fantasy is Booker T. and the MG’s….
Ballew: …riding around in the General Lee.
Rocket: And this is the year of rock and rap after all, according to MTV.
Ballew: But this isn’t rock and rap. Its Subset. It’s not rock.
Mix: If it had ended up being like Aerosmith and Run DMC with a rapper singing over a crunchy guitar, I wouldn’t have done it. The closest thing I could compare it to would be L.L. Cool J when he did "Unplugged." It was a group, it wasn’t just L.L. and some guys in the background. It has that feel. It has personality.
Rocket: What has been the response so far from people who have heard Subset?
Mix: When I take it to the "hood" they ask, "Are you sure it’s white boys playing that shit?"
Dederer: Really white.
Ballew: Transparent.
Mix: And when I’ve played it I haven’t said it was me, I’ve just asked, "What do you think of these guys?" And they’ll all say, "That’s the shit!"
Ballew: A good friend of mine who I’ve been playing music with for 22 years said it’s the best thing I’ve ever done or been involved with. Not to build it up or anything! DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
Rocket: Mix, were you ever a fan of the Presidents?
Mix: Yeah, I was. When "Baby Got Back" waspeaking these guys were hot and I was always bragging up Seattle. These gusy, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden-I was giving shouts out to everybody I was like (stands up with arms in the air): "Seattle, motherfuckers! Come fuck with us!"
Rocket: Have you ever worked with or had a live backing band before? What’s it been like working in such a different way?
Mix: It’s certainly not a back-up group. I don’t like the idea of it bieng like Mix-A-Lot and the Fuck-Ups or whatever.
Ballew: We’re a band.
Mix: We are an incredible fucking group.
Rocket [to the ex-Presidents]: How have you enjoyed your "retirement," your time away from the limelight so far? Bring us up to date on what you’ve been up to since your "farewell" show at the Paramont last year?
Bellew: I’ve been too busy to retire. First, I put out the Giraffes record ant then I had the Tycoons, then a band with Tad Hutchison [of the Young Fresh Fellows]. I also did a little producing for Bicycle and I’ve been working with another couple of friends of mien of no notable name. As well as raising a child of course. The days are full. Definitely.
Finn: I just joined the Nevada Bachelors and I’ve also been playing in a band called Congratulators with the Sangster brothers- Jim and Johnny- which is really fun.
Dederer: And my band the Uptights is playing on June 16 at the Crocodile Café for our second gig ever.
Rocket: Do any of you feel any pressure to re-create former glories? After all you’ve each expirenced prior success, and on a pretty big scale: sell-our tours, platinum records, Grammys.
Ballew: There’s a distinct lack of pressure. We’re not thinking too hard about it.
Dederer: Like when we were in the Presidents we would just make up those really dumb songs.
Ballew: We forged a career from not thinking too hard. "Don’t look before you leap," that was our motto. Still is.
Rocket: Did the commercial pressure and expectations of the music business ruin the experience of being in a band for you?
Dederere: Sure. We pretended that it didn’t, but of course it did.
Ballew: The truth is, when you sign a contract you grow a new part on your brain that adds a step to the creative process. It’s this little voice that continually says, "What’s the demographic? Who’s going to buy that?" And I’ve spent the past two years trying to get rid of it.
Mix: The truth is, hits aren’t made that way. Think about it. "Baby Got Back" was considered racist, sexist, everything and it fucking hit. Do you think I was thinking about demographics when I did that song? Fuck no.
Ballew: (singing)"She’s lump, she’s lump." I don’t know what I was doing. I just found that one day on a little micro-cassette playing and couldn’t remember ever having made it up.
Rocket: Do you get nervous showing each other ideas you’ve come up with? Are you worried the others will just turn around and say, "This is rubbish, get it out of here?"
Mix: I know I can’t bring any weak-ass shit to these guys.
Ballew: We’ve been on a bus with this guy after eating ribs all night so we no longer worry about getting nervous showing him anything.
Dederere; He intimidated us with some of his most pungent ideas.
Rocket: What aer you immediate plans after these final couple shows?
Ballew: Just to finnish the album an then find a record company.