After winning the Chicago Emergenza Final, there comes the astounding tour in the UK, for GHETTOBILLIES, ‘the only unsigned bands in the midwest that can play 3 full lenght sets of all original materials where the audience dances, laughs and sings along: the band has mastered the art of entertainment in all aspects.’ I read it in their pressobook, I agreed when I listened to their cd, I had a lot of fun interviewing them, now I will definitely miss not seeing them at Taubertal. - how did you get to play together? Derek and Robb went to school together, and the band started with a couple of acoustic guitars and mass quanities of alcohol sitting on the front porch... Then they found the drummer and bassist holding up the end of a bar in Chicago, and decided to try and make some drinking money. - how and why you decided to take part in Emergenza? We were on the road one weekend when I was flipping through the local Chicago music rag, The Reader, and saw a small ad posted. We checked out the website, and it seemed like a good idea. So we met with Kevin, the local manager and signed on... - what the Emergenza experience means for you, and for the Chicago up and coming music scene? Emergenza has helped Ghettobillies quite a lot. The Chicago music scene is quite political, and Emergenza has given us the opportunity to get into some of the premier rooms in Chicago with out a lot of the political bullshit that can go along with getting those gigs. ALso, even though it is a competition, its still great to get 8 bands a night bringing their own crowds to see other bands, and getting to expose yourself to so many other bands'' fans. Emergenza has also opened up media contacts for us, and being a part of the American and Canadian compilation CD''s has done more for our exposure than anything we have done in the last 2 years. - Did you expect to win in Chicago? No. Our end goal for this competition was to get a gig at the Double Door, which meant getting past the first round. After that, it was a complete shock. - How do you feel about the final in Boston? . Other than being completely delirious with jetlag, having just flown back from the U.K and not having slept in 2 days, the final was great. There were a ton of good bands (check out Fluttr, The Wandas and September Twilight), and it was much more varied than the previous shows we had done. The general vibe was cool, and all the bands got along well. We hope to be hitting Boston to gig with some of these bands soon. Fluttr, the winning band, was one of the coolest things I have seen and heard on stage in a while. - your music is a timeless blend of all the American rock and roll… who are your favorite artists and influences? Holy Shit, thats a bit of a varied list. Someone doing a review in the Detroit Free Press said we have been influenced by everyone ever recorded, and they were right. Just this week in the van, we have listened to Outcast, Jerry Reed, The Darkness, Muse, Led Zepplin, Cracker, The Flecktones, Journey, Maceo Parker, Oh My God, Boston, Frank Sinatra, The Meters, Cat Stevens, and Snoop Dogg. And sang along with all of them. Of course, the singing might be due to the fact that its legal to have open alcohol in a car in the U.K. - I heard about your amazing and funny shows, it looks like you are real entertainers: waht about your relationship with your fans? It all comes down to suckin dicks and squeezing titties. - Your lyrics are so hilariuos and meaningful at the same time… they are about living ''normal life'' at its best, enjoying its strangest sides and you cannot live only on ''wish lists''… what about your life philosophy? Gin, hookers, and blow. We firmly believe in spending all of our time providing enjoyment for ourselves and those we come in contact with. We definitely work hard and play hard. Also, all four of us stopped at a mental age of 13. - How''s going the tour in UK? The U.K. tour is