Dave Lloyd
Lead guitarist
Alycia Small
Lead Vocals
Shelby Murphy
Bass Guitar
Johnny Hunter
Drums
So tell me how the band formed.
The band formed as a creative outlet for Shelby and I. We both work
together and Shelby came up to me at work one day and said, “You know, I
need to get some tunes I’ve written out of me. I’ve got a drummer. I like to
play bass. You play guitar, let’s get together and see what we can do.” We
had a singer that I knew from a band that I had played in before, so the four
of us got together and played. Shelby knew the drummer, so we plowed
through the summer and wrote as many songs as we could. The goal was to
do nothing but original stuff. We played maybe about two shows before our
singer decided that she wanted to move to Yogaville, which is another
interview altogether. After she left, we had about a two month hiatus before
Shelby came back up to me and said, “I think I have another singer for us.”
So that is when Alycia joined us.
How long ago was that? When did you originally form?
We’re coming up on two years this
summer. Shelby and I started writing the
first few Loofah songs on the roof of our
office building in downtown during lunch
breaks. We brought acoustic guitars to
work and would just sit up on the roof and
play during lunch. I really enjoy writing
stuff with Shelby, because with other
bands, I have just been relegated to just
playing standard chords; but since Shelby
Shelby to play the root, while I play stuff on top that’s not just regular
chords. We end up getting a very full sound for only a guitar, bass, and
drums.
Who came up with the name?
Shelby! Yeah, definitely Shelby.
Shelby and I like “Your Mama” jokes. We enjoy that middle school level
humor. So when we were still trying to figure out what to call ourselves, our
singer came in to rehearsal one day and said, “I just bought a body scrub
and loofah from Bath and Body Works.” So Shelby and I immediately
reverted to our middle school selves, and started with the “Your Mama”
jokes: “I got your loofah”, “I got your moms loofah”, “Oh yeah, we’ll I got your
6 foot loofah.” After a good laugh, we all thought that would make a pretty
cool name.
Let me ask this to Alicia, what do you think keeps you pushing forward and
keeps you going in this band?
I think the fact that we’re original and have
a unique sound that people don’t hear very
often. We all have a unique sound
individually. Shelby has a unique bass-line;
Dave is an amazing guitarist; and Johnny
adds his funk and incredible drumming
abilities. So, that’s probably what keeps us
together. We’re just different, we’re original,
and people like hearing original stuff.
Describe the first moment that you decided you wanted to make music an
important part of your life.
I never had to seek it out. It just fell upon me in my own life. Johnny and
Shelby just said she’d be a good rock star, and she can carry a tune, so let’s
get her!
So you’ve only been doing stage stuff for two years?
Yeah, I was in theater when I was a kid, but I’ve only been doing this kind of
stuff for a year and a half, since I’ve been with the band.
You write lyrics, right?
I wrote one song. (laughs) Shelby and Dave
are the lyric and music masters here. I might
put a melody in here and there, but they’re
the masters at it.
Johnny, do you want to describe that first
life? Or that you wanted to be in a band?
Well, since I was around four years old I knew I wanted to be a musician.
My father was a music teacher, so it’s in my blood. So, when Shelby told me
about how they were tossing around an idea of forming a band built around
purely original stuff, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I can’t stand most
the stuff on the radio as it is just the same things over and over again.
Like Johnny, my family is all musicians as well. But, whenever Dave and I
first got together, we talked about what kind of sound we want. We had
both played in other “Alternative,” “Emo,” and “Grunge” bands, so we
wanted to go for something more fun and light, so we decided on Pop. Less
slop, more pop! So, that’s what keeps us going. We like to write catchy
tunes, where melody is always at the forefront of what we do.
What name do you go by Dave or Van Lloyden?
My name is Dave, but the
“Van Lloyden” thing
started out as a joke. The
first rehearsal that Shelby,
Johnny, and I had, Shelby
said, “Go ahead and take
a solo.” I didn’t know
whether I should revert to
my glam rock days, or go
with the blues; so I went
glam. When I was done,
they started laughing,
saying that I had just
played every Van Halen
solo ever recorded. From
that point on, Shelby
out as a joke, has stuck with me in every area of my life. Everyone calls me
Van Lloyden now. Whether I’m at work, home, or on the Frisbee fields, Van
Lloyden has stuck with me. (everyone laughs)
What’s it like being the only female in the band?
I have to say I don’t really think about it a whole lot, other than just trying to
deal with the fact that I’m with a bunch of guys, and I can’t say what I want
to say sometimes.
She has to put up with allot of fart jokes (group
laughs).
I take it that these guys are the ones writing
most of the songs. What is that like for you
tosing words that are coming from guys? Do you
wrote?
I think that they actually really try to help me out and write them knowing
that I’m going to be singing them. I really try to make them my own, and
escape in them as much as I can, to make the performance worthwhile.
Dave, if Alicia was no longer part of the band, what would be missing? What
does Alicia bring to the table?
We’re at that point now where we can’t replace anyone in the band. Alicia
brings her personality. She brings a solid voice, and a softness that we didn’t
have in the past. It’s nice having a woman in the front because it’s a
different sound. We are trying to avoid the “alternative” sounds, and I think
with a male singer we’d just fall back into that realm. She gives us a very
different and unique tone.
Johnny, if Dave was no longer apart of the band, what would be missing?
What does Dave bring to the table?
I would be missing because I wouldn’t be
in the band anymore if Dave
wasn’t. (laughs)
What are you trying to say Johnny? We’re
not good enough for you?! (laughs)
Dave’s an amazing, amazing guitarist. He’s
probably the best guitarist I’ve ever played
with. I love the creativity that comes out
of his guitar. There’s so many unique
we have 2 guitars. It’s amazing.
Shelby, if Johnny was no longer in the band, what would be missing? What
does Johnny bring to the table?
Well, the funk would be missing if Johnny were gone. Dave and I can
always come up with a creative bass line or guitar line, but it ultimately
comes down to the rhythm that only Johnny 5 can provide. We throw so
much stuff at him, and yet he stills remains solid and creative. A lot is on
his shoulders, as far as our sound goes, and he always comes through.
Alicia, if Shelby was no longer apart of the band, what would be missing?
What does Shelby bring to the table?
I would have no direction. I would have no guide. He is my everything!
(laughs) No, he really does bring a lot to the table. Shelby seems to kind of
direct us. Dave and Johnny may come to rehearsal with a bunch of
different sounds and options, and Shelby will be like, “…well, I think this
sounds better.” So he is really like our filter. He’s definitely been an
inspiration for me. I definitely say he believes in me and gives me grace.
One thing it seems like you share is a sense of humor in what you do. With
some of the things on the site, I wasn’t sure what things were fake and
what things were real. Like with your profile. Is all of that fake?
It’s absolutely all fictitious.
That’s what I thought. (laughs)
It all comes down to the catalyst of forming the band. The point was really
to make this fun and make our personalities come out. We all have a great
sense of humor, with a desire to just make this a hobby and really enjoy
playing music. It makes nights where you’ve only got two people in the
audience tolerable. You’ve got to have a sense of humor.
Yeah, you know, I can relate because I love the sunshine too! ( poking fun
at Alicia‘s bio -group laughs)
Shelby and I put a lot of junk on our initial website. It ended up being a
complete brain dump. (laughs) It had a sort of stream of consciousness
thing happening.
It’s a creative outlet for all of us. If they happen to write my bio, then WOO
HOO! Basically, you can see the two driving forces behind this operation
are Shelby and Dave.
Describe what it’s like to be on stage
and connecting with an audience. Is it
still exciting for you? Or are you kind
of getting used to it and it’s just kind
of a comfortable thing?
Absolutely not. It is not a comfortable thing for me at all! It is exciting.
Every show takes my breath away, literally. It’s getting more comfortable
with each show that we play, as we grow as a band and friends.
It’s like curling up with my purple blanket.
It’s like curling up with Dave’s purple blanket.
When I do have access to Dave’s purple
blanket?
It’s like that feeling you get right before you
gotta use the bathroom. (laughs) Does that
make sense to anybody? And than once you
sit.. it’s good.
Once you sit the prairie dogs go back home.
(laughs)
Where would you like to see the band go from here?
It’d be nice to see the band spread out a little more. Right now we’re just
trying to keep it fun. If something comes up, we will naturally give it
consideration and see if it fits in our individual schedules.
If it goes somewhere else, great; but the idea of making it fun and keeping
it a hobby makes this much more enjoyable.
I’m with Dave. As long as it stays fun, we’ll play shows as long as we’re
available to play. We would love to play out more, but we still consider
ourselves a pretty young band. Especially in the Richmond scene, so we’re
still developing that local fan base. It’s would be nice though to spread our
wings and go out to different locations, especially Charlottesville, DC, or
Virginia Beach.
Tour Buses, New York Stadiums, Arenas,
LA…that’s all I’ve gotta say.
Give us a sense of if you were to write your
profile a little bit. Does Alicia really love
the sunshine? (laughs)
I love longs walks on the beach, and
getting caught in the rain. No, really, I love
being with my family. I have 11 nieces and
nephews that make me happy and fill my
life with so much joy. I have a strong
relationship with my brothers and sisters.
And my mom and dad continue to be
Do you guys have a CD available right now?
We have a demo of five songs. Three songs that are recorded and two
songs that are live with out string section.
Is there websites that people can check you guys out on?
There’s www.myspace.com/6footloofah ,
and there’s www.6footloofah.com.
The 5 song EP and the stickers that we
have are all free. Just ask us for one, or
download them off our website.
This is the fishbowl question and it goes to Shelby. An anonymous fan
wants to know, what is the wackiest thing you have ever witnessed while
performing live on stage, any?
Without mentioning names, we had the opportunity to play at a local “crying
in your beer” country restaurant/club, opening up for some bluegrass friends
of ours. We were obviously out of our element! During our set, a drunk
individual at the bar kept yelling at us between songs. He would keep
saying, “Do you guys know any Heart?” “How ‘bout some No Doubt?” We
would politely tell him “no” each time he asked, which was numerous times,
even after he had already asked us. He would keep saying, “You guys are
good! But you should really learn some Heart!” On our way out of the bar,
we were saying goodbye to some friends when this individual leaned back in
his barstool to shake our hands, when he absolutely fell out of the stool,
onto his face. We just kept waling towards the door, and as we looked back,
he was slowly picking himself off the floor, stumbling around the whole time.
So, the moral of the story is, always have Heart and No Doubt cover songs
ready to go at a moments notice.
Scott E Vision Studios 2006©
