The Rashita Joneses on fetishes and pet mosquitoes
A penchant for Parks and Recreation with songs about pet mosquitoes? Only Milwaukee garage rockers The Rashita Joneses could pull this off. The trio has melded together the perfect combination of guitars, wit and basement neophyte production for their first single "Mosquito."
The video is a rollicking fisheye lense view of a day in the life of the band, complete with input from the Tidy Bowl man and a trashed apartment that looks like the aftermath of party central. It's all part of the debut EP from the band due out in March.
We spoke with drummer Shamus Weiland on the origins of this testosterone laden tribute to the offspring of famed producer Quincy Jones and '60s Mod Squad babe and Twin Peaks regular Peggy Lipton. No comment yet from the real Rashida Jones or her lawyers, so enjoy this piece before we get a cease and desist order! Shamus also gave us a sneak peek of another track called "Killin It" from the new EP.
Who has the fixation on Parks and Recreation or is it just a crush on Rashida Jones?
We're all Parks and Recreation fans and Rashida Jones is the hottest girl on the show. She's good 'cause she's sexy but keeps it low-key, and in a way less slutty sorta-way then a Scarjo or Angelina Jolie.
Mosquito has a great guitar-intense vibe. What’s the story behind the song?
Our guitarist Jeff wrote that song a year ago before we all moved in together. It actually started with Matt's bass riff and we ended up building the rest of the song around it. Jeff based the lyrics off a pet mosquito he used to keep in a jar when he was younger and carry around with him.
The opening shot of the video for Mosquito makes generous use of a waterproof camera. What was the set-up for that scene in the bathroom?
Our band manager had recently acquired a go-pro camera with a waterproof case so we put it in the toilet and had Jeff poor a beer/mustard liquid combination over the lens. His penis was never actually exposed.
When is the new EP coming out and how was it recorded?
We're just finishing up the last part of the EP and will be releasing it March 3rd. The majority of it was recorded in Shamus' basement with limited equipment and a very low budget.
You’ve got some live shows coming up with Filter Free Rodeo. What is the scoop on the tour?
We're doing a Midwest tour with them from March 20th through the 28th. We're starting in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and then making our way through Illinois and Minnesota before finishing the tour back home in Milwaukee. (Editor's note: The Rashita Joneses play the Frequency in Madison on March 27 and the the Yield Bar in Milwaukee on March 28.)