INTERVIEW
CHIP HANNA
by Christer Davidsson, April 2007

Hey Chip! How have you been since I last interviewed you?

I've been great! Lots of new stuff happening...

You just released your first album with your new band The Berlin Three. How come a guy from Arizona hooks up up with a bunch of people in Berlin to play music?

I'd been wanting to play with Andy, Tex and Valle, since the "Where the Bad Boys Rock" tour of 2005, when I met them with Mad Sin. The U.S. Bombs and Deadline were on that tour also if you remember. I just got lucky and it worked out that I had enough time to record with the in Berlin last summer.

Since the members in the Berlin Three are also in Mad Sin, would you say that the new record have influences from psychobilly?

Hell yeah! The excitement and energy of the psycho stuff is the shit! I really love Mad Sin, the Meteors, Nekromantix... all that shit is great! I wanted to add more traditional country lyrics and phrasing to the great psycho-beat.

How has the writing and recording been going considering the long distance between you and the band?

We do what we can. I just sent Andy Laaf a 10 song demo CD of new material and we'll just see what happens...

So you will do more stuff with the Berlin Three?

Oh, hell yes! We are gonna be kickin' ass and takin' names for a long time to come.

You've been over here touring Europe twice since we last spoke, right?

Yep. Last summer with Real McKenzies and the Briggs and this february with Deadline.

So, how is it to play your kind of music at a punk rock show? Are the crowds into it?

Sometimes it feels kinda weird but I think that is just my asshole in my throat (nervousness). I seem to win them over every time though. People like to see the real thing and there's nothing more real than a guy and a guitar...

Would you say that there's a big difference to play in European clubs compared to American ones?

I haven't played in many American clubs in a long time, just the solo stuff here in Phoenix. When I was drumming it seemed like the european clubs were hotter!!!

Most shows you've done over here have been in Germany. What country is the most fun to play in Europe?

Germany, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Finland, Russia, Croatia, England, Ireland, Scotland.... ok, I love to play in all of the countries of Europe!!!

Apart for the new album with the Berlin Three your last show in London resulted in a live-recording. Tell me about that.

My buddy Lee Jones from Deadline hooked me up with two shows in London at the 12 Bar Club after the Deadline tour in february. At the time I found out that Marco (of No Front Teeth) was there and filming and recording the show for their new series "Good Vibrations & Vicious Transmissions" with Drunk'N'Roll Records. I'll be volume two in the series. Three live videos and 8 live cuts. Really down and dirty sounding, it will be a great release.

You also got your latest solo-album "The Old Country" coming out on vinyl through Rockstar Records in time for your upcoming tour. You seem like a busy guy. How much of your time do you spend on your music?

As much as possible!

So, apart from writing and playing music what do you do nowdays?

I work a little doing promotion stuff here in Phoenix. Not much gunfightin' these days...

You've got a brand new tune on your MySpace profile called "The Chosen One". Tell me how you came to record that one.

"The Chosen One" was written and recorded literally over night for a horror movie project ("Vampires & Werewolves") that was brought to my attention by the director of entertainment at Rawhide where I play Gunfighter here in Arizona. Still waiting to see if the song will be used...

You have also been producing the recordings for other bands. I think I remember you saying something about being in the studio with The Bindle Stiffs. Is that correct?

The Bindle Stiffs is coming along great. Just waiting for when they have enough time to finish it.

You told me in the last interview I did that you were going to do some demos with Jack (One Man Army). Have you had the time to do that yet?

I just played drums on some demos he had and gave them to him when he came through with Dead To Me...

I noticed that you got a couple of shows coming up with your old band the U.S. Bombs. Are you supporting them or are you actually playing with them?

I'll be drumming.

So how's that going to be, playing with the Bombs again?

Should be a blast!

So, now that you got a brand new record out, what's the plan for the next few months?

More solo-shows and a tour of Europe with the Berlin Three in june/july. Another tour with the B3 in the fall. Looks like I have a label to release the BErlin Three in America so we'll see how that goes...

Ok, thanks a lot for doing another interview for Mutiny Zine. I really love your stuff. We should get a beer somtime!

Hell yeah, later C!



Links:

http://www.chiphanna.com

http://www.myspace.com/chiphanna