The 'Tones are almost a traditional rock band and keeping garage rock American, alive and kicking. Formed over five years ago, they have a cult following that stretches right across the States. For sheer rock excitement, there are few bands to touch them, live. The problems occur when they try to put their sound on vinyl. In the summer of '79 they brought out a single on the indie Red Star label, the rough and rocky 'American Beat', the only time they've been captured even semi-successfully on record. They followed this with two tracks on Marty Thau's 2x5 album, produced by Jimmy Destri, it was a great idea gone very wrong. Their most recent effort, was the disappointing EP on IRS Records "Up-Front", featuring a misjudged cover of "Play With Fire", and a desecrated rendition of their live fave "Girl From Baltimore", it's jaunty dancebang, indiscreet noise becoming ineffectual pop-blop, due to lack-lustre performance and a tired effete production. I asked Peter about their vinyl headaches.

"I think eventually, the answer is to do live records. Maybe to have the basis of the album live and then work on it in the studio."

The conversation meanders. We discuss contemporaries, "We're less poppy than them", their Stones cover, "That was a failed experiment. We were trying to recreate something that never happened, taking out the R&B and putting in the R'n'R", local legend Marty Thau, "He discovered The Dolls, he discovered Blondie, he discovered us, half of the New York bands. You could have a hundred articles on him". Their "Up-Front" EP, "It wasn't a bad record, the songs were great, but if you've seen us live, it might have been a bit of a let down. We did it in L.A., here, and the atmosphere was right, maybe it was the production."

Going to England is a fifteen year dream come true for Peter. He bubbles over with enthusiasm and regales me with stories of L.A.'s disenchanted youth, faking Cockney accents stolen from Arthur Teachers (State-wide fish and chips, fast food emporiums) commercials, and late night movies. This leads to a discussion of the differences between American and British bands.

"The thing is we aren't hungry as they are. We live the rock'n'roll lifestyle, we're not affected by the same things. There are jobs, people have money, life isn't that bad yet." If that sounds cynical, at least it isn't naive, in fact it's closer to the unromantic truth of the situation.