[Webgenius' note: I didn't keep track of the emails people sent in at first, just the questions. So these first ones we'll call "unauthored"]

What have you MEN been doing?
Chavez plays with each other a couple of times a month, making up new songs. Clay and James have been traveling and Matt works in an office part-time. The main reason we have been laying low is so we can play a set of mostly new material and we haven't had time to get it all together.

Day jobs?
Yes. Clay and Scott work in the film biz, James works with choreographers and computers, Matt works in an office doing stuff for a couple of record labels.

Why has the band abandoned the Marsh?
The Marsh tried to abandon Chavez but to no avail. The real deal is Scott has the least amount invested in the band, as the other three guys write the songs without him, so it's harder to nail him down to tour, etc. However, he is a crucial member of the band 'cause he rocks that thunderstick like nobody's bizness.

What do you have in store, hair-wise?
Chavez plans on growing its hair radically long.

What is behind the rumors that Matt Sweeney has sold out for electronica?
Sweeney runs the Karaoke machine for Digital Hardcore Recordings.

What's your fantasy gig?
Bowery ballroom August 1st with Cat Power

Are you going to tour? Will you come to Brazil? Texas? London?
a) Hope so.
b) If they want us.
c) Hell yeah.
d) Massive indifference

Where is it possible to get the Skunk albums?
I don't know, honestly. I think they're out of print, which is fine by me cause they're kind of like an embarrassing high school yearbook............

Are any of you in therapy or have you ever been?
Chavez is a men's support group so I guess the answer is Yes. "Rock Therapy" like Johnny Burnett said in his song "Rock Therapy."

How do you define success?
Success = Chavez

Hello. I am a Chavez fan, and I would like to ask this question: What exactly is a "Chavez kid"? See, I have asked many other Chavez fans, and no one knows!!! Maybe we are all dumb...Is it just a term for a fan of Chavez? Well, thanks for your time!!! Ciao!!!

Krista Verrastro

Chavez Kids is a charity that Chavez set up for the shooting of their "Unreal is Here" video. The Chavez kids are the ones holding an oversized check.

My question for Chavez would be a little Trainspottery but I can't really help it - this is a question which I've been trying to answer for a long while. How the hell do you get a guitar sound like that on `You Must Be Stopped' or `Laugh Track'? I'm sorry, I don't want to be totally anal...I'm not looking for microphone positioning or associated other microscopic detail just, is it a big muff I hear with everything but the tone cranked all the way up? If not, is it an amp's distortion?...what on earth produces that incredible noise???

Iain H.

Clay uses one pedal: an MXR "distortion +" that he got in junior high. He plays a LesPaul and a Marshall. The "Must Be Stopped" riff is played on the low pitched strings using alternative harmonics (4th and 5th frets). His low E is tuned really low - I don't remember what note. But the noise is totally MXR action.

***

Dear men of Chavez.

I was watching the movie Natural Born Killers the other week, and at the end it the credits it said: Special Effects Coordinator: Matt Sweeney. Hmmm......Any response to this?

Love,
Adam Boysen

Although Oliver Stone is a HUGE Chavez fan, he did not hire Matt Sweeney to work on Natural Born Killers.

***

hey clay... did you really do the "got milk?" ads? If so, did you hire the guy in the "Aaron Burr" spot because he looked like Steve Buscemi? By the way, Chavez is better than Bullet LaVolta... but only by a bit.

love,
greg costello

Gerald Cosloy lied to all of you when he said that Clay was the man behind "Got Milk." He is in fact the man behind Nike's highly successful "Just Do It" campaign.

***

I was just wondering if you guys are into sports? Ya know "Ride the Fader" is what I'm playing when I'm doing squats and L-seats in the gym; it's either that or Rollins. Anyway, I'm really glad to hear that Chavez rocks: why did that become so uncool in the first place, anyway? I mean a mediocre Chavez song is light-years better than any "good" Lou Barlow song. As the Italians say, "Louis is dead to me" after what his band said about Bob Pollard's faux-English accent. That MTV broken heart show with him on it made me sick.

Also, what relationship does the band have with Guided By Voices? I recently saw Clay side-stage at the recent Tramps show. GBV are cool, but it's not what I call "weightlifting rock".

Stay Free,
Craig

Clay and Scott are good basketball players, James claims to be a really good skier. Sweeney sucks at all sports. GBV and Chavez are best buddies and Sweeney plays bass for GBV on tour. There's a lot of Chavez GBV connections but they're all kind of insignificant.

***

Matt,

1. Since the other guys in the band do so much work with film, have you ever thought about making a film starring CHAVEZ?
2. Does James Lo actually realize that he's the best drummer in the world?
3. Do you guys plan on playing a show in the midwest this year?
4. If Scotty were to suddenly quit the band (or disappear from the planet) would you consider hiring a guy from Milwaukee to fill in?

Sincerely,
Brad Kay - Bass Player
Milwaukee, WI

1. "Boys Making Music Music Making Men" is a promotional video that Matador records made a couple of hundred copies of. It contains video footage from a European tour with GBV in 1995. There is some hot cinema, Chavez style on this tape. I don't know how you can get a copy, though.

2. James Lo has an enormous ego and is quite a bully when it comes to his prodigious talents. He has often said to us that the empire of Chavez is built on his back. Just kidding.

3. Hope so.

4. You don't want to play bass for Chavez, I swear.

***

How did Matt hook up with Bob Pollard for Quicksilver off "Not In My Airforce" and will there be future collaborations?

Dan Wonsowski
Houston TX

We recorded that in Bob's Garage the night before I went on tour playing bass for GBV in Spring of 1996. It's always nice to play with Bob and I would gladly do it again.

***

How long has James Lo been playing drums, and what type of gear does he use. I don't want to know for any vanity reason ( "my drumset sounds like James Lo from Chavez"...besides, I would most likely get, "who the hell is James Chavez? a Mexican rocker?) The drum recording, along with everything else, is so damn good on Ride the Fader, I was just curious what gear he uses. He sounds like he hits really hard. Thanks for the records.

Isaac Turner
Grand Forks ND

James has been playing the drum set since he was 11, which means he's been playing for almost 50 years! His drums set is a generic Pearl kit, bought around 1983 (13", 14", rack toms, 16" floor, 22" kick). He also uses two ride cymbals (which he never rides on) and a high hat.

***

Does chavez listen to miles davis? When will there be a fight between james lo and todd trainer?

--buddy

1. Sometimes.
2. Todd Trainer showed up at one of our shows in Minneapolis, pushing the crowd number into the two digits, but he left before we finished. Perhaps he was scared of the fury that is James Lo.