:::: skatelegs magazine incorporated two thousand and eleven ::::
2/25/11 PHEELICKS ARCHULETA OF "THE MUMLERS" INTERVIEW
Can you tell me your name and a little about yourself?
My name is Pheelicks Archuleta... I play music...
What is this Mumlers thing?
The Mumlers? oh, yeah, i play music in this band called the Mumlers, a five piece San Jose based band. I play the guitar, bass, percussion, back up vocals, keys, and horns. there are 3 of us who switch it up with various instruments, and 2 guys stay put at their instruments
Do you like living in the San Jo?
I love San Jose and I'll always rep the 408, but, i've only lived here in SJ and then in Arcata, CA. I like the location of San Jose, up north: Oakland, SF, down south: Santa cruz... super close to fun places...
So i heard your about to go on tour... How does it feel about to go back on the road again?
I'm super excited. nothing like driving for hours, playing a show, sleeping on a cookie crumb floor and getting up early to start the cycle again...
Whats your favorite thing about making music with Paolo, Will Sprott, Muller, JF, and Andy?
I think the fighting is what draws me to them… After a song we usually give each-other a grimacing look, "who, hit that F#? it was supposed to be a F natural!!!" We will usually shout at each other after a show. I just want there to be peace between everyone... Once we have that peace, I'll leave the band. Conflict resolution is why i really return...
I heard you beat Caswell and Jerry Hsu in a game of skate recently...and they owe you 500 dollars a piece still on the bet… Is that true? What tricks did you pull off?
hahaha... Yeah… I did a fakie manuel, dolphin flip out!! just playin'... But imagine that, if you will, that trick would be wild. I like to think of tricks that are super impossible. but as for them owing me? Naw… more like i owe them for kicking down some equipment...
I also heard you made a soundtrack for the "Bag of Suck" video?
Yeah, I made an enjoy skateboarding song for the movie. They didn't end up using it in the video but they put it up on their web site for a while. It's cool, I guess they have the scrilla to put out to pay for copyrighted music...
Whos this Pat Parra dude?
Oh pat... He is from San Jo. He likes writing songs about girls who break his heart...and sometimes illegally molesting camels while he is guiding tours for the elderly...
Oh... I see.
Yea... he even touched me once...and i didn't like it...Sometimes he makes rap music while he is inside of the shower...He says its a vulnerable space to let out his demons in...
Whats your worst experience on a skateboard?
There are 2 of them. 1) I was at a seven set and wasn't very experienced at stairs, but my friends got me pumped.. So I tried to kickflip them… When I landed, my back foot was on the board and my from foot wasn't so I rolled my front foot. I jacked up my ankle and was on crutches for weeks…2) I was trying to impress some girl on this half pipe once… I'm a street skater, not vert... So as soon as i drop in i slam right onto my knee and embarrass myself, and had a knot in my knee afterwards...
Best experience?
Before I got my license to drive, me and my homies would skate for days to a skate spot and skate for days... I just miss that, now I'm super busy and skate here and there by myself...
I also recently heard you broke both arms trying to do a nollie heel back tail down a twelve stair hand rail? what happened?
I guess I popped it too late and fell right on my arms... but while my arms were broken and i was recovering i wrote soooo many songs on my guitar, i had to play them with my feet, that's why my songs aren't so good during that period of my music career...
Whats your least favorite thing about touring?
I like to be clean and shower... If this doesn't happen every day I get bummed... Also sleeping on floors with crumbs all over the ground... like i stated earlier..., i don't like a midnight snack that has hair laced in it…
Who is this marz guy form san jose?
Oh... You mean mario. He and his brother Mike have a bike gang. They bang on fools sometimes in San Jo that aren't a part of their biker gang crew...they banged on me once a long time ago.. But were homies now....
What can you tell me about your friend Danilo Parra?
He yawns alot.. but he's also a good artist. But his breath smells really weird...
thats interesting...
Yes.
Can you tell me anything extremely embarrassing about any of your fellow Mumlers?
They all snore... Except for me... which is why I sleep in the van, because they say I snore!!?? But I don't believe them...
I heard you used to do performances at this place called "the cone" back in the day and it was some hot fire rap stuff.. what was that about?
yeah... el rincon... haha... i used to play there in SF and had a great time... that was heavy mello, solo stuff... i would usually make up lyrics about the guys at the bar trying to hit on the ladies there... but they were consumed in their game that they didn't listen to the lyrics i was spitting about them, the audience was paying attention and had a nice chuckle...
What is your favorite thing to spend your time doing other than recording music?
I'm all about "turfing"... It's like ballet and Crumpin at the same time...
I heard you had some beef with martial artist Chris Balualua out in San Jose and then he actually moved to Arizona because he was scared of you....
It's too bad too. Because Chris was cool... but when i'm on tour in Arizona, i'll be nice to him and invite him back to SJ. He sure did burn bridges with me... He battled me in some dancing and he won.. I was so butt hurt i couldn't forgive him... but that was a long time ago...
How many horns do you play on a day to day basis?
I play the baritone horn and sometimes tuba... but i do own a french horn, i rarely pick that thing up...
Where are you and the rest of the Mumlers going to tour through and when does the tour start?
The tour starts the 25th of February and ends the beginning of april maybe? I cant' remember… West coast mostly... You can check out if we're in your town on the mumblers web site… the mumlers dot com…
Ok… thats it Brian. Thanks for your taking the time to share some of your brain with us…We will miss you on tour..travel safely....
Thanks...See you in a month!!
Fotos courtesy of Pat Parra, the Brian Archuleta Archives, and various other friends of pheelicks...Art by Mitsy and Ethos..
Erick Lennin Andino "Natures Lost Highway." Erick is an sf based artist originally from Honduras. this particular peice is from a series of images combining foto and collage work to create intricate layers of conent and composition
Bredio Cedeño A, Harold Tomlinson, Antonio Navarro, Jose Manuel Quelne, T.F.M., Ricaurter Marengo, and Rafael Gonzalez on a skate tour in Central America. foto: Josue Watts
Fargo North Dakota Skatepark. A long drive along highway 94 East through the dry abandoned plains will bring to you to a place where the locals speak a different toungue and the skate spots are few and far between but the skatepark is a hidden treasure awaiting unsuspecting travellers in search of mellow transition and spacious skateboarding terrrain..
Bryan derballa is a photographer based in new york city. he is constantly putting out new work and works as a photojournalist contributor for the wall street journal. he is also founder of a photography blog known as lovebryan.com. this an essay on scraper bikes in oakland entitled: scrapin'
Art show up at Whiskey Theives, sf on geary inbetween Larkin and Hyde.. Artists: Max Marttilla, Laura Onsale, Luke Baldwin, Chris Atwood, and Spencer Keeton Cunningham
