The 87 Stick Up Kids had a monthly residency at Crazy Girls, the strip club that was the set of the Motley Crue “Girls, Girls, Girls” video, and run around with one of the baddest chicks to ever blaze through L.A., Malice. Last week, I caught their show at the Troubadour, and said in my review for BestNewBands.com, “The 87 Stick Up Kids’ hyperkinetic shows seem fueled by cocktails of Popov vodka drugged with Pixy Sticks and sucked through Sour Straws.” The Deacon, Squishy, Nashville, and DJ Rockwell took some time en route to a show to chat about those live shows, their debut cd, Car Keys and Rabbit’s Feet, and the crazy things that go down in their cars.

Rebecca Haithcoat: You gentlemen have a way with the ladies. How did you become BFF with the lovely Malice?

87 Stick Up Kids: She’s the Mayoress of Crazy Girls and the hottest chick in LA … we met her there and then we found out that we like the same kind of girls!

RH: And Amanda Blank has a feature on your debut, Car Keys and Rabbit’s Feet! Tell me about working with her.

SK87: Amanda is one of the most talented RAPPERS in the game right now. Don’t let the short skirt and 6 inch heels fool you – she wrote the verse in an hour, tracked a scratch vocal in her bathroom at her hotel, and recorded the final in 2 takes. Super pro and always fine!

RH: Speaking of the album, how long did it take you to record, and what’s the story behind the name?

SK87: Car Keys and Rabbit’s Feet has been our labor of lager for the last year and half.  The name comes from a sample on the title track, which we thought was a standout line by Nash from our first EP – “Bon appetit, get a napkin and grab a seat… I’m 87 like car keys and rabbit’s feet.”

RH: What are the three most vital things to have with you in the studio?

SK87: Booze, smokes, and a really great engineer!

RH: Y’all are known for raucous performances. Did you always make conscious decisions in regards to crafting your stage show?

SK87: A lot of the motivation to start The 87 Stick Up Kids was the lack of high energy rap shows going on currently.  We got sick of seeing rap music presented in the “ok play that next track… now I’m going to rap at you for 3 minutes and then tell you to act excited” format.

RH: What were the early shows like? Any in particular that have discouraged you? And one that really encouraged you?

SK87: One of our early shows was with the Cool Kids at the Roxy and at the end of our set all of these kids came up on stage and were raging along with us … The only discouraging shows have been the ones we thought we were going to be on but ended up not doing.

RH: What’s the first cassingle you ever bought?

Deacon: Nas, “Affirmative Action Remix”

RH: I laughed when I read your post, “This blog is starting to look like an OF fan page.” In comparison with other rappers, especially in L.A., you guys are incredibly generous in your very vocal support of other artists. Why is this?

SK87: We love rap music … and we’re not afraid to say we like something before everyone is on Twitter talking about.  We know good music when we hear it, and we like to share it with others.

RH: You get a few fifths of Popov and ask five people (dead or alive!) to come over and drink them with you. Who do you ask, and why?

SK87: Obama – cuz somebody’s gotta bring the weed and cigarettes … and he knows shit. Charles Bukowski – just for the sake of competitive drinking … wait … actually how about some hot girls instead – Irina Shayk, Mila Kunis, Scarlett Johansson, and you, so you can document the mayhem … can we throw Lindsay Lohan in too?  Again for the sake of competitive drinking.

RH: What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened in your cars?

Deacon: I got caught cheating in the back of my van in the parking lot of MJQ in Atlanta…

RH: Ok, you’re Cali boys. You must choose one: weed, women, or the weather. Which one do you pick?

SK87: Weed is weed, and there are beautiful women everywhere… but it’s only sunny in Southern California.

RH: No more monthly residency at Crazy Girls is a sad thing. So where can we see you now?

SK87: We’ll be doing shows all over LA and Cali… Crazy Girls is always a home away from home… so don’t be surprised if you see us there again soon.

 

The 87 Stick Up Kids always have something cooking. Try to keep up with them on their website, Tumblr, or MySpace.