Adrian and the Sickness is one illness worth catching

A few weeks back the lovely and talented ladies of Hell's Belles, America's premier all female AC/DC tribute band came to Boise. Examiner.com was on hand. Prior to the show, yours truly met with lead guitarist Adrian Conner and skin-pounder, Melodie Zapata at the Boise airport. Toting a snare drum, a Gibson SG guitar and a cup of coffee, the Austin, Texas portion of the band sat down for a quick interview while waiting for the rest of the band to fly in from Seattle. Adrian and Melodie also form two-thirds of rock band, Adrian and the Sickness.

Adrian and the Sickness also includes the rock solid groove mistress, Heather Webb, on bass. Webb pulls double duty as the band's techno-media wiz, running the band's various websites, and YouTube channel.

November saw the release of the band's third album, BFD, produced by Go Go's bassist, Kathy Valentine. The CD showcases a spectacular and eclectic mix of style and sound spread over the course of a dozen tunes. The journey begins with the aggressive hook and harmony laden opener, "Modern Freedom," before tripping into "Turn It Up," which sounds like the lovechild of AC/DC and the Go Go's. From the Led Zeppish feel of "Loser" to the rockingly delicious riffage of "What Ya Do To Me," to the romp and circumstance of "Rice and Beans," every track gets under your skin and into your blood stream like, well, like a sweet sickness. Conner, Webb and Zapata play with musical dexterity and charismatic elegance. Both punky and graceful, the vibe of BFD is at once raw yet polished, and utterly engaging.

The aforementioned interview turned out to be a metaphor for the band's own perseverance and persistence. The recorder was dropped on the ice and run over by an SUV not two minutes after it was complete. A repeat interview via e-mail was also lost along the way. Third time is indeed a charm, and proves that good things come to those who wait. So with the band's third album fresh off the presses, it's on to the charm...Adrian Conner sat down to re-chat on her birthday this week:

Examiner: Talk about the Sickness in your words. Style, sound?
Adrian: On the surface, we are a rock band. I try to stretch the limits of my songwriting with different styles as I love guitar. We are fun shy girls.

How did you choose the band name?
It's a pretty uneventful story. I wish I named the band "Lost Kitty." I don't like the "And the" in the name. So many bands do that. And the only good one that comes time mind right away is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

I understand you had Kathy Valentine (Go Gos) produce the new album, BFD? How did that come about?
During her stint on Rockstar Super Nova, Patrice Pike met Kathy Valentine who was moving to Austin. Kathy was wanting to work with all female bands and asked Patrice who was good in Austin. Patrice recommended us. She also sings "Talk To Me" with me on the new album.

What was it like to work with Kathy Valentine?
It was awesome to have someone I trust and respect tell me "Hey, that's not good" or "Try this" and even better when you hear, 'Wow, that's great!" I learned a lot more about songwriting. There's so much to learn and I only want to keep getting better and better.

How did you choose the title, BFD, and the schoolbook album cover motif?
We're lucky to have a friend that is a teacher at the Art Institute. One of her class' projects was to design our next CD cover. Sean Simons was the best.

How is the new CD different from your first two?
The new CD, BFD is more pleasant to the listener. It has the most production of any of the other CDs. More harmonies. Kathy Valentine is the harmony queen. 2006's Adrian for President is very aggressive vocally, musically and lyrically. It is a product for trying to fit into the rock bar scene in Austin. 2004's Adrian and the Sickness black album has more of a variety of styles (which the critics HAMMERED me for) but is more fun and playful lyrically.

When you begin your writing process does it start, with a riff, or a lyrical idea?
It depends on my intent. If I want the listener to sing with me, then usually the melody and lyrics come before the guitar. If I want them to rock out with me, then it starts with guitar. But even this is not the same every time. Creating is creative. There are many paths to the same destination.

Did you approach BFD differently with respect to your songwriting?
Kathy wanted me to grow up lyrically. I discarded my need to write songs that were inspired by anger. I searched for something deeper within myself to find things that were more important than my ego and expressing my disenfranchisement.

[Below is the video for the first single, "Listening," co-written with Kathy Valentine.]

I know every song is like a child and you love them all equally, but are there any tracks that are especially important to you on BFD? If so, which ones and why?
I love "Modern Freedom." It's directly inspired by a band called The Octopus Project and their song "Truck." It's also part "Dirty Deeds."

How did the three of you originally connect?
I met Melodie through Hell's Belles. I met Heather a year after I moved to Austin, in a bar, because I drank too much.

How do you manage to fit both bands in, spread across the western half of the country like you are?
It's really hard splitting up the weekends between the two bands. Both bands are shows that people would prefer to see on weekend nights. It's really hard to pull off a weeknight show when you are as obscure as Adrian and the Sickness.

When you play with Hell's Belle's you are strictly the guitarist. How different for you is it to be the singer and guitarist, and front the project?
It's definitely more nerve racking being myself. Hell's Belles is such a crowd pleaser. It's very rare we have a bad show. Adrian and the Sickness is much harder. People are much more resistant to show that they are enjoying the music.

The final track on the new CD is a cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love." An interesting choice. What's the story behind that?
I think it was Kathy Valentine's test on Adrian and the Sickness to see if we were a good band and easy to work with. It's an interesting interpretation of our previous music. The song is like seven minutes long, and I took out the long break, which cut it down to five minutes. Then Kathy made some really bold cuts, so now it's like three and a half minutes. I think it turned out pretty well.

What do you want listeners to take away from your music (besides enjoyment)?
I want the music to secretly force the listener to pay attention. I want the music to shut off their internal dialogue even if it's for 30 seconds and take them to music heaven.

Who are your influences musically (as vocalist, guitarist, and in general) and if different, as a songwriter?
Lyrically - Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Jack White, Prince, Thom York and of course Kathy Valentine. Vocal performance-- I've never been able to shake the influence Madonna had over me as a child. Also, Karen O, B-52's. Guitar wise, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Jack White, and Allison Robertson from The Donnas.

What does 2010 hold in store for the Sickness?
Success I hope. We are so tired of struggling to make people pay attention to us. We are DIY and don't have the money to be up in people's faces.

 If you enjoyed this article, please check out these articles on other rock classics, Halestorm, Metallica, Shinedown, and Them Crooked Vultures.

For the latest in Rock Music news, simply click the "Subscribe" button or "RSS" Feed button on the top of the page. Notifications of all the latest news will be delivered to your inbox.

Follow Boise Rock Music Examiner on Twitter.