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As original members of 80’s high hairs, Cinderella, guitarist Jeff LeBar and bassist Eric Brittingham have found a way to fill their down time after the stroke of midnight. They formed a second band, called Naked Beggars, which has set them on an alternate course and they are kickin’ ass all the way down the road, as they are currently out on tour in support of the band’s sophomore release, “Spit It Out.” They were cool enough to hang with Glam-Metal during their stop in Buffalo, NY even though they were nursing hang-overs and suffering from what Eric referred to as “bunk hair” and Inga had that not-so-fresh feeling due to a plumbing problem on the bus that prevented anyone from showering earlier in the day. At any rate, before treating a couple members of the band to some grub at a local Irish pub, we sat down to shoot the shit for a bit. While other band members were engrossed in watching Pittsburgh kick the crap out of Denver in the NFL playoff game on TV, we were busy discussing everything from songwriting to bodily functions to a hilarious trip to the meat market for some olive loaf.
No topic was off limits. So, let’s “Get It On” shall we?
So guys, how’s the tour going so far?
Eric: Good.
Inga: Awesome. I mean, we just started what, like, not even two weeks ago?
After the East Coast, you’re headed…?
Eric: Midwest
Inga: We’re kinda booking things as we go. Right now it looks like we’re really hitting the Midwest a lot in the next two months.
Kristine: Which I like!
Kristine, you weren’t on the first album, how did you guys hook up for this one?
Kristine: My sister’s boyfriend plays in a rock band.
Eric: He’s a bass player. I sold a bass rack to him.
Inga: Hey, did you get the money for that yet? (Laughter)
Eric: Yeah. Anyways, he was over while we were rehearsing and I had my bass pedals all set up, and he was like “oh wow, cool!” and I said nah, they’re a fuckin’ pain in the ass! Actually, I would like to have a keyboard player, preferably a girl, because of vocals ya know? He was like, “well my girlfriend’s sister plays keys and sings.” We’re like, “No shit?” So I gave him a CD.
Inga: And then I met her and we discussed our…
Kristine: bowel habits
Inga: yeah our bowel problems
Kristine: We bonded. I don’t even think I auditioned, like, for real.
Inga: She doesn’t shit very well, so…
Eric: Yeah, Inga was like “We’re on the same poop schedule, so it’s all good.”
So it must make sharing a tour bus easier, if you never go to the bathroom on it?
Inga: Oh, God! (laughs) Exactly!
Eric: It was pretty cool. I mean she added a lot to the songs from the first record too. I was like, God I wish she’d been there for that. As it turned out, this is a great album,
now with the keys and a lot of different things. What differs from this and Cinderella is like Cinderella has keyboards on every frigin’ album, and we don’t have a keyboard player! We just hire somebody when we go tour or go in the studio and I just think that’s bullshit.
Inga: (Laughs out loud)
Eric: Tom will probably give me a call if you print that.
(Laughter from all)
So, what is the songwriting process? Everybody contributes?
Inga: Oh, yeah.
Kristine: It’s different.
Eric: We collaborate at the same time, or she’ll come in with a song or sometimes her & Kris will come in with one, or whatever, and we just put it together. It’s really cool.
Kristine: It’s easy. All you have to do is be like, here’s this idea, and everybody’s like “okay!”
Inga: It’s magical (laughs)
Starting with you Inga, what are your two favorite songs off the new record?
Inga: Oh, uh I like “Get It On” and I guess “I Ain’t Your Mama.” “Ain’t Your Mama” is cool live. I mean I’m sure it’s good on the record, but I have the most fun doing it live.
Eric: “Ain’t Your Mama.” I have the most fun playing that song. But, being that I produced the record, they are all like my babies. Ya can’t go, “Well, I like this kid better.”
Kristine: I like really like “Creep.” I really like ‘em all.
Inga: “Creep” is moodier.
Kristine: It makes me feel dirty. (Laughter) In a clean sorta way.
Eric: Well, when we play it later, I’ll look over at ya…are ya feelin’ dirty??
Kristine: Well, I can’t dirty dance!
Eric: We all feel a little dirty today. (The broken shower issue)
Eric, are you producing any other bands besides your own?
I would like to. I just don’t have the time. I do this thing, get the record done, I’m busy with that, and then we’re on the road. Then Cinderella pops in. I gotta go rehearse and do stuff with them.
Are there plans for a new Cinderella record?
None that I know of. Tom’s been working on a solo record for, geez, at least 3 or 4 years, if not longer. A lot of the songs are songs we worked up for Cinderella, and the record didn’t happen, so he just sort of re-recorded ‘em.
You’ve settled in Nashville, what’s the music scene like there?
(At this point in the interview, the sound guys begin testing the drum kit, making it impossible to carry on the interview. Eric remedies the situation by politely yelling:
“Hey, shut the fuck up over there!”-thanks Eric)
Inga: Nashville is unique. Nobody really cares what the music scene is like. It’s just a bunch of musicians living there.
Kristine: It’s mostly country though, a songwriters city I would say.
Inga: Yeah, it is a songwriter’s city.
Eric: Yeah, I think C.C. DeVille summed it up a few years ago. He said, “I hate Nashville. I walk down the street and there’s a bum playin’ guitar with three strings and two fingers… better than me!“
Kristine: There really is a two-fingered guitar player!
(Laughter from all)
There were a lot of tours this year. Did you catch any?
Inga: Motley Crue, it was long, well it seemed long. We were so busy this year we didn’t catch much.
Eric: John Waite
Inga: Oh, yeah we saw John Waite.
Kristine: I saw Keith Urban.
Kristine, you have more of a country influence, are you from Nashville originally
No, I’m from Kansas.
So is there still a lot of partying goin’ on out on the road these days or what?
Kristine: Noooooooooooo!
Inga: Oh my god, they are just frigin’ way outta control actually.
Kristine: The girls have been very good.
Eric: I would like to keep it more under control, but we go into these places that we’ve played in before, and I’m friends with the people. You get done playin’ and they’re just like “Oh, come on!” They lock the doors and we don’t walk out ‘til 5 or 6 am. We get about six hours of sleep and get up and do it all over again. It’s like, oh, Jesus!
What do you guys do when you’re not touring? What’s a typical day in the life?
Eric: Cleaning the litterbox.
Inga: Oh, shit! (laughs) Me yelling at everybody.
Kristine: I’m a nurse, I get up at 5:30 in the morning, save lives.
Inga: Most of her patients die though.
Kristine: They are in ICU!!!!! They don’t die, well sometimes.
(Everyone laughs)
Maybe I should leave that out?
Kristine: Kidding, kidding!!
Okay, Eric & Inga when & where did you two meet?
Inga: (Turning to Eric) What year did we meet?
Eric: Who?
Inga: YOU and ME!
Eric: I dunno.
Inga:We met in the mall.
Eric: Like 1982?
Inga: NO! I think like ’99, pretty sure.
Here’s a personal question. You two are married and you share a bus with the band, what happens when you want “alone time?”
Inga: That doesn’t happen.
Do you care?
Inga: No, I mean we don’t care. We’ll go in a bunk together or whatever.
Eric: and then do whatever! (Laughter)
Inga: and also in the bathrooms at the venue are good when no one’s around.
Mens or Womens?
Eric: Whatever works.
Inga: I think it was the Men’s room last time.
Any plans for little Brittinghams?
Eric: Not unless there’s an accident (laughs)
Inga: I don’t know, haven’t thought about it. He’s almost a grandfather.
Eric: There ya go. Ugggggggh!
Inga: I’m KIDDING! He doesn’t like that. He’s got two kids, they’re 17 and 15.
Inga, have you always sang?
Yeah.
Were you in other bands before Naked Beggars?
Inga: Well, in half assed stuff. Nothing that ever actually … and I did theatre in school and college and stuff.
Eric: Yeah, she can tear up some Oklahoma!
Inga: I’m very theatrical.
Eric: It’s funny, when we first moved in together, she’d wake up and be singing show tunes in the morning. I’d be like trying to wake up, and ugh, there she is like fuckin’ Ethyl Merman or something.
What about you Kristine, how did you develop your musical talent?
My parents are very musical. I started playing violin when I was 8. I inherited it from my Grandpa on my Dad’s side. He died though, and then um….
Was he in ICU at the time? (Eric had long chuckle over my comment)
Kristine: Noooo, I hardly remember him. But I started playing violin, and then I took piano when I was 12. I played in bar bands with my Dad. Bluegrass, country music, then we played in church on Sunday. Did oprys and things like that.
Inga: What was is that you did? The Jubilee?
Kristine: (sings) The Juuuu-bil-eeee. Every Saturday night! Had to learn 30 new songs every week. It was pretty tough, and I wasn’t very good.
What do you enjoy about being on the road as opposed to being in the studio?
Inga: I hate recording. I like performing.
Eric: Cause I yell at her.
Inga: No, no. It’s cause I hate it. I like just frigin’ performing. I don’t really think I’m a singer. I think I’m a performer.
Kristine: I think you’re a singing performer.
Inga: Well, I have to sing, but ya know, I like to perform.
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What about you Eric, what do you like or dislike about touring?
Eric: Well, the schedule. I don’t like. It’s so turned around. Other than that I like it all.
Inga: Yeah, I wish we could like play at 11 o’clock in the morning.
Eric: Except when the bar owners get me fuckin’ drunk every night! It’s fun, but…
Inga: Hey, you brought it on yourself.
Kristine: You got free meat though.
Eric: Yeah, last night one of the club owners drove me to a local meat market to pick up some stuff. They started loading up all this stuff for us. Like smoked meats and bologna, cheese, pickles and all kinds of crap. It was funny cause we closed the show with “Caught with the Meat in Your Mouth” and then he sends us out to the meat market.
So does that mean we can expect you to come out with a huge loaf of Bologna at the end of the show or what?
(Laughter)
Eric: or a stick of pepperoni this fuckin’ long, hahaha.
Inga: I should’ve used that on stage. I don’t think about these things.
What’s a good example of an “I’m gonna deck that bitch” story? Does anything come to mind?
Inga: hahaha, um… YEAH! But we can’t talk about it.
Eric: We can’t be mean. But, we’ll put it this way, in general. Sometimes the fans can be a little over the top, a little over zealous. I’ve dealt with it a little more than these guys have.
(Again we are interrupted, this time by Joe Tall the sound tech, explaining that there is chicken wings, bar-b-que ribs and gumbo-jambalaya and other delights cooking in the back room if the band is interested)
Eric: Yeah, stuff that makes you SHIT!
Tracey: Well hey, they NEED it, so…
Inga: Yeah, we DEFINITELY need it!!
Ok, so over the top fans can be a problem. What about in the band, how do you deal with conflicts or disagreements?
Eric: Just air it out.
Inga: Oh, that reminds me I need to talk to you about something.
(Laughter)
Eric: We let it fly. If you gotta say something, just say it.
Inga: Well…
Eric: Absolutely, and it’s healthy
Inga (sounding dejected): then you all walk away from me
(Eric and Kristine bust out laughing)
Eric: Yeah, we tell her shut the fuck up.
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What can we look forward to tonight?
Inga: First, stuff off the new album. We do a few Cinderella songs. We try not to bore you, ya know, we keep it rollin.’
The last time you played here, it was a very long and energetic show. You guys walked off stage drenched!
Inga: Yeah, Eric, Jeff and I are always completely soaked.
Kristine: Shawn gets pretty wet.
Eric: I don’t think Kris sweats does he?
Inga: mm-mm
Kristine: I sweat underneath my hair a lot and between my boobs.
Inga: She’s pounding on those keyboards.
Kristine: I can’t move around as much as Inga does!
Eric: If you don’t walk away all wet and sweaty, you didn’t do your job!
Kristine: Haaaayyyy!
Eric: Well, that’s my philosophy, my personal philosophy anyway.
Kristine: Okay, I’ll pour a bottle of water over my head, and say, “Look what I did, I’m so sweaty!”
I like that there are a lot of different sounds and styles on “Spit It Out.”
Inga: We kinda mix it up. Well, we don’t actually do it purposely, it’s every time someone else brings a song, the songs ends up different. That’s just the way it happens. That’s what we want to be about. We don’t want to be about one type of music. Like when you listen to every song and they almost sound the same. It’s like, “this shit’s getting old.”
Eric: Yeah, I hate records that are like that. It’s not that they’re bad, they’re good songs, it’s just there’s not much difference between one song and the next, it just bores me. That’s why I love this band. We kinda have the freedom to do what we want.
Inga: A little punk, a little rock…
Eric: It works. We’re not just stuck with one thing.
Kristine: Plus, everybody has different influences too.
Inga: I have way too many. I think that’s where all my voices come from.
The ones in your head and otherwise?
Inga: Exactly! I enjoy so much music. I hear one of the songs we start playing and it sounds like I should sing like it like that. And then sometimes we start a song, and somebody else is playing it, and when somebody else joins, I’ll change the way I’m singing it cause now it sounds different, especially when Kristine and I write a song together (laughter from the girls). The other day we wrote a song together, and it started off sounding like a circus song at first. I was like, “Alright, I KNOW it’s gotta be more rockin’ than this!”
Kristine: No, it was Debbie Gibson.
Inga: Yeah, it sounded like Debbie Gibson. I was like we gotta’ do somethin’!
What are some bands you like to listen to?
Inga: Tesla. Everyday. I listen to ‘em before the show usually. Gets me psyched.
Frank Hannon is playing here in a couple weeks.
Inga: Yeah, I saw that.
Eric: Where did that Tears for Fears CD come from?
Inga: Oh, I brought it with me.
Eric: Yeah, Tears for Fears “Greatest Hits.” It’s like what? All both of ‘em?
(Laughter)
Inga: No, they have a lot… they got a lot.
Eric: Oh, sorry …all THREE of ‘em …okay?
Inga: I know the whole CD!
Eric: That doesn’t mean that they’re like….greatest hits.
Inga (annoyed): See, that’s what I’m talking about.
Eric: I don’t really listen to much new stuff.
Inga: I think Nickelback’s got some good writing goin’, but now I’m starting to think it’s getting a little monotonous, it’s getting the same. I’d like to have them keep making great songs, but maybe change their formula a little bit.
Eric: Keep things fresh.
Any Superbowl picks?
Eric: I watch the Superbowl for the commercials, and the food. I sit where the food is and wait for the funny commercials. That’s me, I don’t give a crap about who’s playing.
Any Rock n’ Roll predictions for 2006?
Inga: I predict…
Eric: We might drink a little. (laughter) I was shit-faced! For the first time, I think since I was a kid, that I was shit-faced before a show.
Inga: Last night?
Eric: Yeah.
Inga: You’re an ass!
Eric: I know! (Laughing)
Inga: He was really good though, last night. I was like what the hell is this guy doing? I’ve never seen him move so much!
Eric: I know I should do it every show.
Inga: I gotta drink a little before I go on, but not that much!
Eric: It’s a double- edged sword. Ya hate dickhead club owners, but the good ones kill ya! Shit, she was doing shots at frickin’ like one in the afternoon yesterday.
Inga: No, just one! It was a light shot.
Eric: Yeah, ONE…right!
Inga: I didn’t do my other shot ‘til the END of the set.
Eric: I held out as long as possible, but then they took me to the meat market, went in and everyone was like “Awe have some beers too!”
Kristine: At the meat market? Where they cut up things with sharp items???
Eric: Oh yeah! They were waiting on customers and shit and we’re just sitting around drinking beer in the meat market. It was a riot though. There’s one kid that works there, he’s a big 80’s fan. So, the club owner got Bret Michaels to sign a picture for him when he was in town and the kid hung it up at the meat market. All the employees gave him shit about it, like, “Oh, yeah, like Bret Michaels just walked in here and bought a pound of olive loaf.” So when we got there, the club owner tells me to go in and ask for a pound of olive loaf. I go in and I say “hey, yeah, I’m Eric from Cinderella.” The kid was like, “NO SHIT!!!” and I said, “yeah, can I get a pound of Olive loaf, please?” (Laughter!!)
Great story!
Eric: It was funny and they really hooked us up with lots of good stuff.
Well Good luck with the tour and the record, looking forward to the show tonight guys!
Inga, Eric and Kristine: Thanks!
These guys were a blast and they is good people in my book!
I’ll be headed up to Rochester, NY on Friday (Jan. 27th) to check out the killer show again. Thanks to my partner in crime, Gus, who assisted with the interview and photos.
Check out my review of the show here
Also visit www.Nakedbeggars.net
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