I've known Joe (or Joey as he was then) since the salad days of Cheers. Those were fun days that got even funner when we found out he frequented my friend's mother's liquor store in Kendall. For many years, there was a running joke that he owed me twenty bucks, so much so, that I even believed he owed me the money for real during times of beer-soaked excess. Another joke that I used to play on him was the "Who came first? The Crumbs or the Basicks?" routine.
Regardless of which, Joe's always been a good dude and I've always enjoyed his tunes. This Q&A concentrates more on his time with The Basicks, who'll be reuniting onstage this Saturday at Churchill's.
New Times: First of all, who are you and how do you feel about the Dolphins' loss this past weekend to those little girls from Pittsburgh?
Joe Basick: I'm Joe and the Dolphins loss sucked. Just like every Dolphin loss. But this one we should have won and not for the really shitty call the referee made. The fact that our offensive play calling blows, we can't score in the red zone, and our quarter back is scared to throw the ball! That's the real reason why it sucked. A game should never come down to losing on a referee bad call. But that call sucked!
How did the Basics come to be? When did we change from "Basics" to "Basicks?" I know this has always been a sour point of contention between us. But some people out there honestly do believe that the Basics were a Crumbs side-project, please set the record straight for us.
The Basicks came to be because I, Raf and Marcio just wanted to jam one day. Being really close friends at the time we were all in other bands. At this point I was in the Cancer Stix, Raf was in Cavity (this was before The Crumbs) and Marcio was in a band called Flammable Liquid. So we just wanted to have fun, me and Raf had written a few songs together. One night we went to Marcio's studio in Opa-Locka with a bunch of friends. Some included Basick members that were and are still in the band, much notably Chris Callous. I had a conversation the other day with Marcio and Raf about those early Basick days and they were some of the greatest times we ever had playing music.
As for ever thinking it was a Crumbs side project which only Raf at the time was in The Crumbs, The Crumbs came after! And since Raf and Johnny both left Cavity, they put lots of their time writing the songs for The Crumbs, while me and Marcio were still in our other bands at the time. So Basick-ly, it was just really good friends who were in other bands at the time that just wanted to rock with each other. And that's what we did! And I believe I have kept the tradition going on. As for the name change, it happened after our first show because a country band had the name first so we added the "k," but the letter is silent.
If you like, here's a complete list of all the members that have been Basicks and will always be Basicks except for Rob the Douchebag, if I'm missing someone, forgive me. Myself, Raf Classic, Basick Marcio, Chris Callous, Steve Paranoid, Chris Critic, Raulices Fernandez, Raul Rubiera, Ugly, Felipe Lithgow, Quana, Jerry, Jose (Cherry R.I.P.), Ian, Rob Suburbs, Pete Pardeles, Johnny Slob, Cupcake... I could be here forever thinking and I bet if asked any of these fuckers to share the stage for a night they'll say fuck yeah!!!
Why did you move to New York City and when? Did nobody tell you that New York's alright if you play the saxophone?
New York City is my first and second home, as is the same for South Florida. And I'm very grateful for all the time I have spent there in the past and hopefully the future. The band moved there in 2003 after I was there in college for some years. We started playing lots of the clubs there much notably CBGB's in the Bowery, the Continental in the Village and the Knitting Factory. But a good thing about being in the North East is that there is Boston and Philly and so many other towns and cities to go for a weekend here and there. Hang with me one night, New York sounds like more of a butt trumpet instead of the sax.
Okay, so you're back in South Florida with a new musical outfit, what can we expect from it? What are your thoughts on your musical past, both here and up in New York Shitty?
Lots of great tunes! I teamed up with a Steve Paranoid's brother Todd Slimak and have been having a blast rocking together. Our band is called The Can't Stand Ya's! I really love doing it. As for musical pasts, I love it all and I have shared the stage with many great performers and musicians. I plan on visiting NYC soon... maybe I'll bring the new band with me.
To close, The Can't Stand Ya's are getting a better local profile with every gig, when can we expect some recordings and can you squash the rumor that you'll be performing at Mark Duper's New Year's Eve party?
The Can't Stand Ya's are in the process of recording with the legendary Chris Critic a Basicks alumni, so expect some sort of release next year and it will not disappoint. And as for the Mark Duper New Year's Eve Extravaganza, it's true, no lie! We will be performing with the Dolphins' greatest receiver. Thanks Abel!
The Basicks will reunite under the sponsorship of Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort with Ireland's Stone Motion, NYC's SPED, Miami's The New, Danger US, Dyslexic Postcards, Low Visibility, Clambake, Orlando's Down by Dawn, and Russia's Pravda v Glaza. DJ's Skidmark, Frankie Pointless, and the Dangerfun Sideshow. Saturday, October 30. Churchill's, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami. The show starts at at 9 p.m. and admission costs $10. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-757-1807 or visit churchillspub.com.
