adris hoyos is the drummer for
harry pussy.

alan licht interviewed her by post for chickfactor.

adris: certain parts of miami are like havana would've been like if castro hadn't taken over. I like it here because I feel comfortable living around people like me, who speak the same language I do and who have the same customs I do. there isn't much happening in the music scene. mostly bands playing pop music. I'm not involved in any scene. my life isn't that exciting.

alan: when did you start playing drums? do you play any other instruments and do you plan on singing more?

adris: bill and I started playing music together, just for fun. I had never played drums before, but I really enjoyed doing it, so we formed harry pussy. I had played drums only a couple of times before we recorded our first single. when we started playing in front of audiences, I would usually sing and play guitar for a couple of songs. I'm getting back into that; I've started writing "songs." but I still see myself primarily as a drummer.

alan: what is your "day job"? would you do harry pussy full time if you had a chance? would you be bummed if hp became hugely popular, or happy?

adris: I can't imagine anything I'd rather be doing than touring. I love being on the road and performing. I wouldn't be "bummed" if hp became popular. personally, I'm a quiet person. I don't have quite a lot of friends; I like spending time by myself. as far as the band, I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that not everyone hates the music. in miami, people who watch us play are there to insult us and the rest just walk out. people who come up to me after the show usually have something nasty to say. in the beginning, a lot of people had the attitude that hp wasn't a real band because there was a girl playing drums with guys playing guitar. but I enjoyed that. this attitude gave us license to do anything we wanted and it justified us being aggressive and unpleasant to the audience. and I haven't been able to lose those feelings even when I play outside of miami, maybe because I enjoy feeling angry onstage. even now, when someone comes up to me after I play, my first instinct is to say something nasty before they can insult me - and I'm trying to learn not to do that because when I play out of miami, some people do tell me they like my drumming or they come up to me just to talk.

alan: have you bonded with people in other bands? other couples in bands?

adris: I'm a shy person, but it's usually easier for me to talk to other drummers. I'm grateful that drummers in the bands I've toured with have been really supportive as far as helping me out with problems or giving me advice. I usually have so much anxiety over the condition of my drums when I'm on tour that to an extent I was emotionally dependent on other drummers.

alan: okay, here's one straight from the kim deal spin interview: when you were growing up, were there any female rockers that you admired?

adris: no, there weren't any.

alan: how did your tours with sebadoh and the dead c go?

adris: both tours went really well. one of the main reasons why I like touring is that I get to see really good bands. sebadoh and the dead c are two of my favorite bands, so that was great. and they were both really friendly to us. I also like touring because I've never traveled much. I like going to different cities and find out if my preconceptions are true or not. some of the clubs I've been in are amazing, like the pussycat tavern in new orleans which has circus acts go on before the bands. I like doing shows every night; I love performing and having to do something different every night.

alan: what kind of music were you into in high school? were you goth? new wave? metal? hardcore? southern rock?

adris: when I was young, I listened to pop and hispanic music, especially salsa. for a long time I felt that rock music was for white americans and it had nothing to do with me. my high school was something like 90% hispanic; I didn't know anyone who was into rock music. when I was a senior in high school, a friend of mine started listening to the doors, and I got into that for a while, but even then I didn't listen to other classic rock. it wasn't until I was in college that I got into buying records and listening to different types of music.

alan: what's the biggest mistake harry pussy has ever made?

adris: I can honestly say hp has never made any mistakes; it's not like hp has any goal to accomplish or purpose to achieve. hp has allowed us to experiment with different ideas about music and performance.

-- chickfactor, c/o gail o'hara, 245 east 19th street, #12T, NYC 10003;
chickfactor is available via matador mailorder