Interviews: Leather Duchess

This is a new interview with the Hard Rock/Glam Rock/Heavy Metal band Leather Duchess from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, plan it or come out just like that?

The band name actually originates back to a lineup that existed before the current one, when I was still living in Oklahoma. I wanted some sort of duality consisting of royalty and rock n’ roll. A few different names were tossed around, all of them beginning with “Leather”. Someone tossed out the idea to add “Duchess” as the second piece of the dualism. Thus the name was born! When I moved to Los Angeles, we were trying to come up with a new band name. I mentioned that my former band has disbanded and we could use the name and logo. My new bandmates liked the idea, so that became the name. We played our first show on August 8th, 2014.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I suppose it wasn’t really a deliberate choice to play this type of music specifically. We all love a particular style and aesthetic, so we naturally gravitated towards one another and what we’ve written simply sounded like the bands whom we worship. As things came together and evolved, we did eventually “pick a lane” and try to steer things towards a particular style, but the path was chosen very organically. We all love the hard rock bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s, so our sound took on that shape as a matter of course. It is funny when we get called a “throwback” or “retro”, because, from our perspective and intentions, we’re just writing rock n’ roll songs. There was never really a concrete decision to “sound like it’s 1989”. The music simply comes out that way.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Not really, no. I met Marc Edgar (the guitar player) shortly before he moved to Los Angeles in April 2014. I made a somewhat whimsical decision to move to L.A. with him and we soon after met Jake Wolf, who was actually playing bass and singing in another local band. Jake wasn’t even really a drummer at the time, but we needed a drummer and he melded well with us, so he joined the band on the stool. He just as easily could have ended up as our bass player, had that been the spot that we needed to fill at the time.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Tyler’s favorite band is either Bathory or Dangerous Toys, although Dangerous Toys makes more sense in the context of Leather Duchess. Marc’s favorite band is Aerosmith. Jake’s favorite band is Mötley Crüe. Colton’s favorite band is Kiss.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

We’re inspired by a lot of things, primarily money and the desire to be worshiped by men, women, and children all over the world. We have yet to bask in the fruits of our efforts, but we’re hoping this next album changes that. 6. Where was your last gig? Our last live performance was in Austin, Texas on February 5th, 2022. We opened up for Dangerous Toys.

7. Where would you like to act?

I’m not I understand the question? Something lost in translation maybe? If the question is asking where we would like to play, we’re really hoping to do a European tour at some point.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

We would love to play with any one of our heroes. Playing with Dangerous Toys was a fantastic experience, so we’d certainly like to play with them again. We’d love to play with some of our contemporaries too, such as Deadwolff from Canada and Saber, who are also from Los Angeles.

9. Whom not?

Who do we NOT want to play with? Any band or artist who is going to upstage us and make us look like amateur fools. This includes, but is not limited to, Insane Clown Posse, Dolly Parton, Smashmouth, and Kid Rock.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that? Stage fright?

Well, I suppose we all feel a certain nervousness before a show. We’ve certainly grown more comfortable and confident with experience. The advice I would give is; just keep practicing. There really is no way to replicate being in front of a live audience. You just have to do it. Study the greats and make notes of what makes them so good at what they do. Also, take notice of things that other bands and artists do that might turn you off. A good performer has just as much experience as an audience member as he or she does being on stage. View your performances as objectively as you can. There is always something you can improve. Try to see yourself through the eyes of the audience.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

We’re inspired by a great number of bands, both the obvious ones as well as some not-so-obvious acts. The Mötley Crüe and Kiss inspirations are pretty easy to see. We love fire and we aim to give the audience a spectacle to look at. We’re inspired by a lot of ridiculousness and extremism. Personally, I’m drawn to things that are grandiose and over-the-top. There is an art to absurdity; being satirical without being a parody. The trick is to celebrate something while making fun of it at the same time. Bands like The Darkness and Type O Negative have turned this paradox into an art form. I also strive to bring a sense of depth to our lyrical subject matter as well as the overall themes of the band. Take our latest single “White Leather” for example. It’s rather specific, it’s silly, and it’s self-aware. It’s a celebration of being outlandish. Above all, that’s what inspires us; anything that is a blatant display of extravagance and excess.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Well, Jake and I once answered an ad on Craigslist from a guy selling a mini-fridge, which we wanted for our rehearsal space. The sellers were a nice Asian guy and his wife. They must’ve thought Jake and I were pretty cool because they asked us to take a photo of us holding their newborn baby. We gladly did and I still have the photo. This was about five years ago, so that child is probably in school now. That was more fun than strange though. Can’t say we’ve had any weird or puzzling requests.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Both of our fans are fantastic and we love them very much.

14. What do you think of our site?

Your site is awesome! It’s great to see sites like yours promoting bands at the underground and grassroots level.

15. Something to add?

We have a full-length album coming out later this year! Available on vinyl, CD, and cassette. Also available on the streaming services, but we recommend only using those in extreme emergency situations.