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Fan of the Month! |
For the record, what is your name? Melissa Marie Montgomery Where were you born, and where did you grow up? Bellingham born and raised (small town - I stood out as the loud one in any group). What were your main interests, entertainment and otherwise, growing up? Any obsessions you don't mind people knowing about? Loved Music! I played it loud and loved anything that sounded “not normal.” |
Tell us about your musical endeavors and any musical instruments you play…
I play cello and piano but it has been about five years since I have played in public. I wanted to be a singer when I was younger and still wish I could be, but then again I wish I was a size four. Well, you know, wish in one hand, crap in the other [and] see which one happens first.
What accomplishments are you most proud of at this point in your life?
I am a proud mother of a sweet boy.
My doctor said he and or I or both of us might not make it through this pregnancy. I almost died on the table but as you can tell I did not. I am in love with a really great artist. I just bought a new place and I am actually happy with my life right now.
What are your favorite movies?
Well, of course Six-String Samurai but there are others. I really for some reason or another love watching Mystery Science Theater movies; you can call me lame but I really enjoy them. Mail Order Bride was cool, and the all time classic Faster, Pussycat KILL KILL!!! I am odd but just love those classics.
Do you have any favorite books?
H.P. Lovecraft is really the Poe of his time and what a suspense writer. "The Journey Beyond the Tree Seas" is a really deep epic book in my mind. I am not sure how or why but it really moved me in some way that I still have yet to figure out. I have read "Water for Elephants" four times. I bought it about three months ago and just love how the writer pulled me in with just the first few opening lines.
What music are you into, in addition to Red Elvises?
I love music that has a statement and yet is still free in spirit, light and heavy at the same time. It is a hard wire to walk but some people do it well. Fiona Apple does it well and so do the BOOM BOOM Cats [and the] Andrew sisters. Oh, I love Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and the Dead Milkmen. I like all that stuff as well as Sinatra, Crosby and Slippery Sally. Minnie the Moocher - I love that song [and] love any band that covers it. Dick Dale and the Del tones, what a sound they had. The list is endless with me.
When, where, how, etc. did you first hear and experience Red Elvises?
When I was younger than a bar-going age I stood outside The Wild Buffalo bar in Bellingham, Washington. I was about 19 or so; it was pissing rain. I stood outside under the lip of a stoop and was so pleased. I heard them yelling and screaming out and singing over hearing the drum solo that every one loves. I was a fan from back in the day, however, they formed in 1995, I think, but like most I heard them on a movie in 1998 that my friends and I went to see. I did not know that the band was a real one. I thought it was a movie band so I gave it no mind until three weeks later. I was still singing the songs from the movie and remembered their shoes and sound more then the script and plot. So I went to every store hunting for the band and hunting for anything that they had put out there. Found what I wanted and never stopped listening to them since then, so far over ten years now. I listen to them on a daily level; that is over 4,000 days that I have listened to one or more of their songs. Wow, okay, I never really did the math but holy cow that is a lot.
Yes, it sure is, Melissa! About how many times have you seen them?
Wow, I do not remember how many shows I have seen of theirs .....Well, let’s see, they usually do two shows near here and one in town, and they are here almost every year or every other or so..... Hmm, well, over ten shows and I am only 23 so I have not been bar going age for that long. I have sat outside and listened to them but I guess technically that is not seeing them.
What is it about Red Elvises that draws you to them, that you like the most?
Style and sound. They are not like anything else you hear or that I had heard before. I love their shoes, of course; I am a shoe woman. They are very light and yet kinda have a deep sound that comes out of nowhere. Plus they are flat out creative and talented, and they do it with style. I always say if you do it you gotta do it with style and, man, they really do. Plus you get a really good vibe off them when you see them live. What is there not to like about them?
What's the farthest you've traveled to see them? And do you have a good story around that?
We went to see them here in Bellingham about a year ago. I was living here in Blaine which is about 30 minutes away from Bellingham, but had been staying with a friend near Everett and traveling back and forth. Well, finally my car died on a trip the day they (Red Elvises) were to be performing. Well, in about five minutes I had called up two close friends, bought them tickets and booked a room in a really run down hotel (every other place was full). I made it into town from Everett (about 62 miles) and walked in through the door of the bar just in time to see them step up on the stage. I was like, “Man, I am good!” The show was awesome and the best part was when they took their break - Oleg came to my table to rest and took a shot with me. I am not sure what I had drank that night or what that shot was but I was so stoked to get to see one of my fave bands and get to have a drink with Oleg. It was an awesome night with a blurry ending and a very clear morning but, wow, I had such a blast, and I turned two of my friends into fans.
Which show is your favorite of the RE shows you've seen?
Well, my fave is the last one I saw because it was such a hassle to get every thing done in time and make it to the show but getting that drink with Oleg, ooh. Plus, that is when my boyfriend became my fiance. The band was so amazing; they had such a pulse. I was jaw- dropped I always am when I hear them. I hope that they make it back to Bellingham again.
Interviewer jumps in to ask for more... Ooh, a proposal the same night as a Red Elvises show! Do tell us how that transpired?
He asked me in a bit of a drunken stage, it was really odd and a bit unexpected. We walked up a few blocks from the show still amped up, singing off key, saying goodnight to our friends, who then said go ahead and spend the night at their apartment (so on and so forth… the motel we would have stayed in looked like something you might see on 60 Minutes!).
We got to their place and they went to bed. We sat in the living room talking. My head was spinning from the mystery shot I took with Oleg. He (boyfriend) said, “I have never met a girl like you…” and bam, asked me to marry him. Then the room stopped spinning just long enough for me to say yes and goodbye to my cookies...(nasty story yes, but with a hopefully happy ending to a long dating streak). I think my son (age 3) is as big a fan almost as much as I am; he loves the sound track to Six-String Samurai. I think it is so cute, he hunkers down on his knees and says “You like we do some BOOGIE BOOGIE!” He is too cute!
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Any other standout, all time great Red Elvises memories so far?
They are all pretty much crazy and great but the first one I went to when I was 19 is still my fave just because it was so much fire and passion to take in all at once. Oh, and my two friends are getting married too and love Red Elvises. She even asked if they would do her wedding. I said I did not think so but that just goes to show you how much she likes them.
What are your favorite Red Elvises songs?
Boogie on the beach naturally and Belly Dance, for me. Cha-Cha-Cha, Love Rocket!!!! Red Lips,Red Eyes, Red Stockings, 200lbs of Pure Love. I love all of their music.
What would you like to see them do in the future? Any ideas? Anything you’d like to say to the band?
I want them to make more movies and maybe a mocumentery of being a STAR and how they live as famous people. If I could say one thing to the band it would be,"You are great and do not stop what you are doing. I am pleased and so is every other person, and… Would you be willing to color your hair red again? If yes, I think you all should do that. Oh, and I love your drummer. I suck on drums and he is so smooth and cool looking. Well, actually you are all cool looking. Are you all really close friends? Where does the piano player get her threads? She always looks so outstanding. She is one of my most fave people in the band. Oh, and I am glad you never went mainstream with anything. Thank you!" Yeah, that is all I think I have room for. My son says he loves your sound.
Okay, last question… Do you have anything you’d especially like to say to all the fans?
To all the fans out there keep up the good work in supporting this great band and remember, anything worth doing is worth overdoing as long as you do it in style. I hope to see many of you at the next show. Yippie! I love the Red Elvises! YEA!
Thank you very much, Melissa, you did a kick ass job!! Thanks for sharing your cool photos with us too!