If you can envision the banjo being employed as a rock & roll instrument, then Los Angeles' Slang Chickens is for you. According to lead singer and former Wires On Fire guitarist Evan Weiss, the band's approach is simply "to have fun, not over think things, and write crazy pop songs." Having heard the recently completed debut album I'd say mission accomplished. Look for the self-titled release this fall. Read the full interview with Weiss after the jump! -IL

What happened to Wires On Fire?

Nothing really happened to Wires On Fire… we are still band, we just don't operate the way most bands do. We haven't played together in almost a year. Geographic locations and all of our involvement in other projects have put the band on hold. We still love each other, and if it feels like a good time to actively be Wires On Fire again, we will.

How'd you get the name Slang Chickens?

When I was growing up the term "slang" was slang for selling "stuff." A friend of mine's father works in the poultry business. One day about a year and a half ago, another friend of mine said, "Hey man, what does your dad do again? Slang Chickens?" It had a ring to it and right away I knew that would be the name of the band...

Was there a specific approach you had when forming the new band?

With the Chickens our approach is to have fun, not over think things, and write crazy pop songs. Something happened in my brain around the time we started playing together where I stopped thinking about music in terms of riffs and sonic intensity and began to think in terms of melodic hooks, however maniacal they may be, and simplicity.

How'd the band come together?

Dash, Zach, and I have been friends for years and years. Dash was the first person I played these songs with. We had played and toured together in the past, and have a serious musical and personal connection. I knew I needed him to be in the band. Zach is someone who I had only played with briefly before the band, but when he came into the picture everything sank into place. My brother played guitar for the first few shows, we had a lapsteel player for the first two, but we came into our current lineup when we met Travis. I had seen Travis around LA for years, but never knew him. My brother introduced us at a Tom Waits show in Phoenix last July. I ran into him a couple weeks later back in town and told him I heard he was a badass guitar player, and asked if he wanted to come play with a band some friends and I had recently started. It was clear after the first time we played together that we had completed the puzzle.

What did you do in between bands?

There was not really any time between bands. There was a point where both were active.

What genre would you say applies to Slang Chickens? How do you feel about rockabilly?

I hope this doesn't come off as a cop out, but I'm not really interested in genres, my brain doesn't work that way. Like, I love The Everly Brothers and I love the Circle Jerks. They both make me feel good and I don't really see much of a difference. We keep that idea in our head as Slang Chickens, we try not to put up any borders. I am not very familiar with rockabilly... I like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, is that rockabilly? I don't have much knowledge about what rockabilly is.

How'd you come up with the term "Let's microwave" and is it an actual dance? Or a euphemism for sex? Or getting stoned? Tell me!

The "Let's Microwave" dance is in the works. Yes, Let's Microwave comes off very sexual, and I will not deny that. I think for me the song is just about people coming together, and doing whatever it is you need to do to enjoy yourself. That could be sex. It could be getting high, throwing a vegan potluck, or getting a library card with your nephew. They are all valid to me.

On "Badland Blues" you sing "1985 and all I want to do is get stoned." I hope the song is about someone other than yourself--because that would mean you wanted to get stoned as, what, a three year old? That's fucked up.

That part of the song is borrowed from a Spacemen 3 song in which the lyrics are "1987 all I wanna do is get stoned." I was born in 1985, so I changed it. The 3 borrowed the melody from "In My Time Of Dying" which is an old American traditional song. I think Dylan really popularized it. One thing I love about American roots music is the passing of songs not just between people in a given time period, but from generation to generation. It's about reinterpretation and ultimately about communication. I think for us it's a way to join the line of that continuum.

"I Want To Score," "Wild Winds" and "Young Money" are my personal highlights. Do you have a particular favorite song or moment on the record?

I love them all.