Courtesy of Illegal Substance.

What better way to end the week than to have a featured interview with a band that is sure to keep you partying for the entire weekend! Almost A-List sent out some questions to Illegal Substance, an alternative, sorta-techno, moreso electronica, and extremely-danceable band out of Pheonix, Arizona. We featured their song, “Jordache Jeans”, in our Monday Mix (3/28), from which you can tell this is a band that likes to entertain and have fun. So when we received answers back from Capt. Handsome, we were definitely in for a (humorous) surprise!

AA-L: What gave you the idea to do the whole banana theme?

CH: It all started with the little whistle that is in the Banana Song. It’s the first thing you hear. We were like damn that is catchy. We thought about making a song purely about innuendo, and the banana is the perfect sexy phallic symbol! We rhymed banana with nana (I know right … lyrical genius!) and after that we were just laughing and making stuff up from there. As you can see from my first answer once we get started on a topic we tend to spiral all out of control after that! That is also where we then got the idea to make an 8 ft banana costume!

ALMOST A-LIST: You guys are definitely a fun and catchy band. What’s the writing process like for your songs?

CAPT. HANDSOME: It can actually be hard sometimes. Since we tend to think we can do any song in any genre, it can be a real challenge to pick a style subject topic and theme. But like I said once we get rolling!

AA-L: Most of your songs available for download on your Myspace and you also have a link to where people can buy the songs off itunes. Are you finding that more people are downloading your stuff for free as opposed to buying them? Also, do you think the fact that you have downloadable songs makes it easier for people to spread the word about you?

CH: Well you know Butch Walker has a lot of songs that are downloadable for free. (If you don’t know him you really need to check out his stuff it’s great) He tends to ask for a donation for those downloads, so we are currently toying with the idea of putting up a button to give donations to us as well. These days people need to really love you and what you do, and what you’re about or they are going to find your (sh*) for free somewhere. So we would just rather it come from them. Also we have found that if we give away a certain amount of songs about people come back and will buy the CD because then they want to get behind us and really support what we are doing! We like to think we have an intimate (oh lala!) relationship with our fan base, if you myspace us or email us we actually write back and it’s really us to not some intern managing our page. Those create a real bond that people tend to respond to and want to get behind.

AA-L: How are your lives different from what fans might perceive?

CH: Well when you see us at our shows its 100 mph balls to the wall with no pants on! Well not any pants but basically, those are some really shorty shorts! A lot of times people think we live at that same speed. But it’s almost like a Superman/Clark Kent thing. At the end of the day we go home to do what we do the rest of the time. But if you do get the chance to go to a show I highly recommend you do it. It’s a religious experience!

AA-L: You guys have been on tour in the past–any awesome (or embarrassing) tour stories we should know about?

CH: Well I have a better one for you it’s not a tour story but a story of the best Bachelor Party prank ever! Daddy O was having his bachelor party in early Oct 07 we lured him away for some debauchery (don’t get to drop that one in interviews very often!) and the band sprang into action. We drew a giant angry penis on the top of his roof! No lie it was about 50 feet long with angry eyes and scary sharp teeth! Mind you we did this in early Oct 07. Well just this last Tuesday the 18th Daddy is walking to his car to go to work and he spot News chopper 12 just hovering over his house! He has no idea what is going on! He goes and picks up his new wife from the airport and the News van in front of his house wants to talk to him. They take him to the back of his truck and show him the work of art! He is blown away and is laughing! So they actually did a news piece on him and his huge penis art on the top of his roof. He has a flat rooftop so the only people that would have seen this in the last six months are police helicopters that HAD to have seen it but done or said nothing, or the news who wanted to interview him!

Here is the story to see the actual news report click the video on the side to see the report

(Illegal Substance also has stuff posted on their site).

AA-L: If you could be stuck in an elevator with any celebrity, who would it be and why?

CH: No question, Belinda Carlisle! I would definitely get down with her and we’d SHO NUFF PROVE Heaven is a Place on Earth! We’d draw a Circle in the Sand and I damn sure would Leave the Light on For Her. She’d feel my warm Summer Rain. I’d really hope she’d tell to me, “I’m mad about you!” I am sure it would be a religious experience, soon or later Voila. I’d be done, Heaven on Earth would be completed and my 1987 fantasy would be complete. (F*) getting Rick Rolled, I wanted to be B Carlisled!!! (Big ups to wikipeida [sic] for helping make this answer all it really could be!)

AA-L: What’s next for Illegal Substance? Any new projects you guys are working on?

CH: We are JUST starting the process of getting material together for an EP release of some new stuff so keep posted to new stuff on our myspace page and illegal substance ’s web site.

AA-L: Do some shameless self promoting–why should readers check out your music or shows?

CH: Illegal Substance is for people who like fun and having a good time. Or music is silly and funny and will put you in a good mood. Its not half bad either we have a little something for everyone, It is RARE that someone doesn’t like at least one song on all of our CD’s. We make music for people who listen to music. People don’t listen to one style or genre of music they listen to many different ones, so do we so we do every type of music we are capable of. As for shows if you like the Banana Video or think our Roof top Penis prank was funny you will LOVE our shows! Its music, its comedy, its short shorts, and raising hell at its finest! Come to an Illegal Substance show and join us on a Panty Raid! www.illegalsubstance.com or www.myspace.com/illegalsubstance

Illegal Substance will be performing at Fat Tuesday’s in Tempe, Arizona on April 19th.