The Ramonas are the Ramones reborn with gender realignment and transposed to London, I've seen them twice and I've enjoyed them more than any other Ramones tribute I've ever seen - in fact more than most bands I've ever seen - they just get everything right
I spoke to Cloey Ramona and this is what she had to say
1. An all girl Ramones tribute band like most Ramones things makes perfect sense and seems completely obvious (but only retrospectively) - did you have teach your 3 sisters how to play by locking them in a room with just instruments and the first 3 Ramones albums for company ?
That's how it happened for the first tour. Taz the drummer had only been playing 3 months when we toured and started off by learning Ramones songs which was great for her 8ths on the high hat. Sometimes its better not to know how to do things because then you don't know what the impossible is and you just do what you have to and achieve what you need to. Alot of good drummers can't do the 8ths on the high hat for any length of time because they know what they are doing. Often ignorance will make you more powerful....you have no limits if you don't know what your limits are!
2. Do you remember the first time you saw or heard the Ramones ? What sort of stuff were you listening to before then ?
I was a big New Model Army fan first, I had a friend at school who turned me onto them, then I was turned onto the UK Subs and The Damned and Motorhead, then I was round a different friends house on acid and he played the Ramones and I was like...What the fuck...this is amazing and was hooked ever since. I totally got them. Little could I have ever imagined in my wildest dreams that one day I would get to be Johnny for the evening having the honour to back up Marky Ramone on his first UK spoken word tour and from then on I was totally obsessed. The Ramonas was only a matter of time!
3. A lot of what makes the band work is that you look the part, is that something that came easily or did you have to steal the leather jackets and get wigged up ?
The look was easy. It's the classic Ramones look but skimpy and sexy. There is nothing that we could add to what the Ramones did except for skimpy clothes! The wigs are worn by those of us with hair that is not the least bit Ramones like and we have the option of swapping the converse for big boots. The important thing about the look is to keep the cartoon image going. The Ramones were perfect cartoon characters and the Ramonas are just the female versions of the same cartoon characters.
4. You've toured Scotland already, how did that go ? Were you well received ? What type of audience did you draw ?
Scotland RULES!!!!! There are lots of real Ramones fans there who love the music as much as we do so whenever we have played there it has been like a big party and celebration of some of the best tunes ever written! We get the old and the young... the people who have loved the Ramones since their youth and also a surprising amount of kids who are into the Ramones but have never had a chance to see them live. It is great seeing them all getting on and dancing and looking after each other.
5. You play a good mix of old classics and some of the later greats, I think I described it to someone as "It's Alive" plus the best of the rest - was it difficult choosing the setlist ? did you manage to agree on it all ? Is there anything unusual that you'd like to play, e.g. a song that the band didn't perform live ?
The set basically is the beginning and end of Its Alive with some new stuff thrown in the middle. The Its Alive set is one of the best constructed sets I have ever heard any band do. The keys that the tunes are in always modulate from song to song making the set increase in intensity as it is played. The Ramones must have spent alot of time putting it together so that is how we start and finish the set. I think the Its Alive era was when they were really on fire and hungry for success as well. It was before the canker of hate set in. We have thrown some of the other greats in the middle of the set because it would be rude not to play them! I am always up for listening to the other girls ideas, but as well as being the Joey, I am also the Johnny and a bit of a control freak as well so the band is a dictatorship and what I says goes!
6. You also play in AntiProduct www.antiproduct.com are the rest of the band moonlighting from other bands as well ? Will this be a problem when it comes to gigging ?
All the people involved are in other bands as well. AntiProduct is fresh and exciting and where my heart lies. The Ramonas exists in the downtime of AntiProduct so there is no way I could get musicians of the calibre I need to make the Ramonas rule and expect them to always be there when I need them, so there is a large number of people involved which also keeps things fresh and exciting. It also means we are not beholden to anyone elses schedule. There is always someone I can call up that I know will do a great job.
7. You've got a great website
www.ramonas.net, I love the eagle motif transformed with the rolling pin in place of the baseball bat - its the attention to detail like this that shows the passion for the Ramones, is that a conscious decision to have the whole 'package' correct or is it a lucky coincidence ?It is hugely important to have the whole package correct. We do this because we love the Ramones and in their honour everything must be right. We have a definite uniform like they did and we are fortunate to have Luci involved who is a tatooist and fantastic artist who has drawn the logo and some stunning cartoons as well. I like to think that they would approve.
8. What do you listen to personally now, any old bands that you constantly go back to, any new bands that you think people should be listening to ?
I don't really have time for listening to any music except AntiProduct and the Ramones.
Rhonny Ramone plays down strokes in front of Drew the spew, just before he's carried out © Trudi Knight 2004
9. I've seen a few Ramones tribute bands, but you're closer to the spirit of the real thing than most of them in both looks (I mean looking the part rather than looking like men obviously) and playing the guitar part being one of the hardest things to actually copy, but Rohnny Ramona does only do downstrokes and major chords - is this the way she plays naturally or did she learn it for the gigs ?
Anyone who is going to play guitar for the Ramonas has to play all down strokes. It was really important to Johnny and whether he was right or wrong (would they have been more successful if they had been allowed to be the pop band the rest of the band wanted to be?) that is how it was so in honour of his memory that is how it has to be.
10. What's next for Cloey and the Ramonas ?
Check out www.ramonas.net for all the latest gig info, but you can be sure that we will be playing somewhere near you at some point so come on down for a night of some of the best tunes ever written played with passion and conviction by hot chicks in skimpy clothing!!!
hot chicks in skimpy clothing
© Trudi Knight 2004