Tigers and Monkeys
Sea Ray
The Natural History
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists

Sea Ray

The Natural History
Julian Tepper (bass, vocals)
Max Tepper (vocals, guitars)
Derek Vockins (drums)

[w/Derek]
Does the name of the band have any relation to J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye? The part when Holden Caulfield becomes completely depressed and wanders through central park and ends up in the Museum of Natural History. It’s there, in the Natural History, where he finds his Zen amidst his melancholy.
Hmmm… it doesn’t, but that’s a pretty good interpretation. That’s what we should say if people ask us where we got our name. We’ll use it from now on.

Have you guys ever been to the Natural History Museum together?
I haven’t been with Max and Julie, but I went with Catharine, my fiancé. It was pretty impressive, although I have to say I don't like the renovation. I thought the old exhibitions like the North American mammals exhibit was really awesome. The items in the exhibit were all dusty and strange, but now they’re all refurbished and it’s not quite as exciting. Although I guess you know, times change. But I feel like it’s an era in exhibition design that needs to be preserved.

You heard that story that they imported this indigenous people for display and then stuff them for a display?
No, that can't be true.

It’s true! You believe they’d do that kind of stuff?

{ 1897 Robert Peary, Arctic explorer, took 6 Eskimos from Greenland back to NYC as living museum specimens. In 2000 Ken Harper authored "Give Me My Father's Body," the story of Minik, one of the 6 Eskimos, who died in 1918 in a New Hampshire lumber camp at age 28.]
www.epinions.com/content_124773043844

I noticed that the bassist Julian sang 2 songs. I never really saw him sing before, and he was pretty good. What’s up with that?
He sings 2 songs now -he’s got a good voice. Julian and Max are from the same bus. They live together, they were born together, they’re brothers. I am brother from a different mother. The brother dynamic does get interesting sometime, but not in bad way.

What are you all working on now?
We are working on our 2nd record right now. Max and Julian can tell you more about it.

Who released the first album?
The first album we released was on StarTime.

I hear a rumor that you are gonna have a full frontal male genitalia on the front of your album? Is that true?
Not true. [Derek leaves]

[w/Max and Derek] So how did you like the show today?
It was good! Lot’s of fun.

Do you do a lot of out door shows like this?
We only done 2 or 3 I think? It’s always nice to sort of play while looking at the city and the audiences. You turn around and there’s the East River, it’s always nice.

You guys are brothers? How is that being in a band?
It has its ups and downs. It’s good though -overall, very good.

What are you guys working on now? We are finishing up our 2nd record, it’s gonna be done at the end of August, and than we gonna find a new label for it, will probably be out early next year. And then on to the 3rd album…