Vintage Justin Tranter Interviews

These interviews were added to the semipreciousVEVO channel (thank god).  We understand they might not classify as vintage, but if you want to argue about it make your own site, and suck it.  Enjoy!

Urban Nomad Kicks it With SPW

Really Great Lullaby Cover

Making of SPW's "Semi Precious Weapons"

Partyofwolves.com Parties with Semi Precious Weapons!

Find MORE ferosh, filthy, glamorous photos at Partyofwolves.com

MTV Interviews Semi Precious Weapons

Lady Gaga may be busy prepping the release of her eagerly anticipated new video "Telephone," but it seems she still has time to help out a band of fellow New Yorkers — the fashionista superstar has been quietly working to introduce the world to Semi Precious Weapons.

However, these dirty rockers are not new to the game — Semi Precious Weapons have been a staple of the New York party scene for a few years now, bringing their unique formula of rock music, high fashion and "good old-fashioned filth."

Now the guys find themselves playing to different sort of crowd. "The last four months for us have been insane," lead singer Justin Tranter told MTV News recently. "We've gone from a band that plays in bars, driving ourselves to every show, selling our own merch ... to opening for [Lady Gaga] all over the world."
It doesn't stop at opening for Lady Gaga — the current first lady of pop also helped the boys get signed to a major label and is providing an assist on their upcoming album as an executive producer. So why all the goodwill from Gaga? Well, not too long ago the roles were reversed.

"We've been playing shows with Gaga since 2006," Justin recalled. "Her first couple of shows as Lady Gaga in NYC were opening for us."

Although the tables have now clearly turned, the boys from Semi Precious Weapons couldn't be more appreciative of the opportunity that they've been given. "We pretty much owe our lives to Lady Gaga!"
But just because SPW are opening for Gaga and now have a major label deal, don't expect their raw rock sound to be tempered — they promise to keep their edge plenty sharp. "People don't really know what rock and roll is anymore," the band stated plainly. "You can't call it rock and roll unless it's dangerous, unless it's offensive."

SPW Diaries Webisode II annnnd etc.

Things that happened today..

First things fuckin first. My Fetty came in. (I'm waiting on one more necklace)

Look how pretty it is! Second of all!!!! CHECK OUT the new SPD shot and edited by the lovely/talented Stevy Pyne

C4TV To Be Premiering Some SPW Soon!

According to this Twitpic.  C4TV is about to premiere some SPW! Check out the background on the pic!

SPW Performs for Mac V-Day Party

What did you do on v-day? If you were in NYC chances are you were at Milk Studios watching our boys play their hearts out... If you weren't then... well.. why NOT??

"Surf Lodge at Milk Studios was also quite the happening scene as the younger kids jammed to the Semi-Precious Weapons who performed at the MAC Valentines Day party. Lots of love filled the space (and by love we mean PDA) as Richie Rich danced about and Justin Tranter performed an outfit change right up there on stage."
- Hauteliving.com

For More Fabulous Photos like the one on the right visit darkroomdemons.com

SPW UNVEILS "SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS"

Good Afternoon Weapons! Sorry we haven’t updated in a while. Jawsh is starting hair school and I’m on P90x so i’m sore like 99% of the time. But… While we were out (i’m sure you knew this anyway, but i’ll post it regardless.)


SPW PREMIERED THEIR VIDEO!


We thought it was going to be on the 13th but those skalliwags released it on the 12th. (Jawsh and I, being broke had no internet at the time and made up an excuse so we could use our neighbors computer to watch!) and it was soo worth it. The internet is a buzz with the new filthy fucking glaMOURous video and here is an article we plucked by a guy who has a column called Burger With Relish… and his last name is BURGER! Get it???
here it is:


“Buzz-builiding neo-glam band Semi Precious Weapons premiered their new video for their track Semi Precious Weapons Feb. 12 on MySpace and it is currently ranked as the No. 1 video on the social networking site.


The video was shot at Trash, a premiere NYC nightlife club.  Below is a note from frontman Justin Tranter about the “Semi Precious Weapons" video


“We really, really, fucking really, wanted to make a REAL NYC party video. Every band, pop star, guitar player, and girl group has made a quote unquote Party Video. But we wanted ours to be real. So we asked DJ Jess if we could take over his “Trash” party downstairs at Webster Hall since we had played that party so many times before. And then we had our actually bff’s and true fans fill the place. Lady Starlight, Darian Darling, Breedlove, Knehans, The Jocelyn, Mz Eddy, Stormy Leather and obviously us, Semi Precious Weapons all hung out, changed outfits, and lived life to create the best party video of all time. Champagne was spit, sex was had, filthy glaMOUR was created and The Precious Empire reigned supreme to create our dream rockNRoll party video.”


Semi Precious Weapons

Semi Precious Weapons | MySpace Music Videos

Fab Friday: Darian Darling

Good Morning Weapons and welcome to a new segment called Fab Friday! Where every Friday we give you an extra dose of fab. Which we know we all need time to time.


Our first FAB FRIDAY features Darian Darling. (But since Jawsh and I have been paying homage to Oprah this month, calling it Oprah History Month we feel obligated to announce everything like Oprah does. So here it goes.)


“Today on this Fab Frriday. We have a very special guest today girlfriend, straight from New York, shes blonde, beautiful, and FABULOUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSS.
DARIAN
DARRLINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG! (Glad we got that out of our system)


Darian Darling is a celebrity confidant and homemaker living in New York City. Her blog is seriously one of the most fabulous things because it has a point and its very well put together by going to dariandarling.com or dariandarlingnyc.blogspot.com you are immediately immersed in not just everything blonde, but everything fabulous.


She gives you hair and make-up advice such as tips to getting a brighter blonde and what products certain celebrities used to get their look Shes smart in what she covers and what she knows, she takes you through Darling Décor and gives us inside looks from inside her lusciously Lucite apartment all the way to Jayne Mansfields pink palace. All the while mixing in short bios of other blonde darlings and her mini adventures.
But our favorite section of the website is the Darling Delights, this diva knows how to bake! We had to try a recipe out and we picked Atomic blondies because were totes Debbie Harry Fans, and they were out of this fucking world.


So stop reading this and go to her site already bitches. Get your dose of FAB!

20 Watts Interviews SPW

Hear the Interview Audio here:


“Led by filthy rock n roll purist Justin Tranter, Semi Precious Weapons, are the gritty opener act touring with Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball Tour, but dont be fooledthese guys are quite the showmen themselves. They keep it simple: they want to party, and they want you to have fun, and they do it in high heels. They started out like your average rock band, but the road they took to get to where they are now is anything but average. Keep a look out for their debut LP You Love You at the end of March.


20 Watts: Describe your bands overall attitude and style.


Justin Trantor: The overall attitude is to make balls-to-the-wall rock n roll that kicks ass, and is really fun. We want people to have fun, to party; we want people to get laid. I think thats what the whole point of rock n roll should be, and another important part is danger, excitement, and kids parents should be mad at them for listening to usall of those good things. Obviously we also get the glam label thrown at us, and I think thats just because I wear high heels, but theres definitely a lot of worse things to be called than glam.


20W: Some people say youre like the glam version of The Sex Pistols. Ever heard that before?


JT: I think my favorite quote was that were like The Sex Pistols if they came out of the Warhol scene. I think thats our favorite description of our band ever.


20W: Maybe its me, but I havent heard that many glam-inspired acts in a long time. Is this a re-awakening of glam-rock?


JT: Were not trying to make it a glam-rock revival at all. Ive always dressed crazy. I havent always looked like this. I havent always looked this fantastic. Fashion was always very important to me. I think thats where the glam comes from. Were not trying to make a glam-rock revival, were just trying to look fucking awesome, and have a blast. Rock n roll has looked so boring for the last 10 years, it has sounded so boring that people want something to call it, and glam is just the easiest thing to call it because we like to look cool.


20W: Your energy on stage is out of this world. Where do you get your inspiration?


JT: We all have a great time performing, and we feel there is no real reason to put on a live show if you arent going to enjoy it yourself. The audience isnt going to have fucking fun, if you arent having fun. Some of my favorite performers are Courtney Love, Lil Kim, Jay-Z, AC/DC, Axel Rose. All of those people perform their asses off, and thats what inspires me the most.


20W: How has the tour been so far? Whats been your favorite part?


JT: The tour has been fucking amazing. Weve been a band traveling in a van for the past three years, selling our own merch, booking our own shows, and in the last couple months we signed a major label deal, we have an amazing manager, and then Lady Gaga asked us to come on tour with her. We went from playing for 200 people in a bar to playing for 12,000 people in a fucking arena in Montreal. Its been really surreal. Its hard to say what our favorite part has been, the whole thing has been our favorite part. Just the fact that Gaga wanted a rock band to play with her, being the biggest pop-star in the world, I think is really fucking cool. I feel like a lot of people in the world dont even know what an amp is, let alone what a rock band is.


20W: Lady Gaga is the biggest pop star in the world right now. What is it like touring with her?


JT: Weve known Gaga since 2006, and her first shows as Lady Gaga were opening for us. Touring with her is mind-blowing since we get to play Radio City Music Hall four nights in a row, but on the other hand its just playing more shows with Lady Gaga like its fucking 2006. Its a really weird, amazing dichotomy of playing the biggest tour in the world and playing with our friend.


20W: Its such a huge tour. Its got to be a little hectic, right?


JT: Its not stressful at all, compared to driving ourselves around in a van and playing bars is a lot more than doing this. Everything is so organized, theres a stage manager, theres a monitor guy, a front of house guy, and theres all these different people to make it run more easily.


20W: Your image and sound is so unique. Whats the most common response when people see and hear you for the first time?


JT: I think the most common reaction is what the fuck? You either love us or hate us, they say what the fuck? because its something theyve never seen before.


20W: Is it true you originally funded the band by selling jewelry?


JT: I first started selling jewelry to set up the first couple band shows, because we didnt have a record, t-shirts, we didnt have anything, but I always had worked at jewelry stores as a day job. People responded really fucking well at the shows, so then I started selling them at boutiques around New York City. We made our first record with jewelry money, and it also covered all the times we flew out to Los Angeles to play shows. Barneys bought the line. We did a lot of things indie bands cant do, because of jewelry.


20W: What do you want your debut LP to convey?


JT: It sounds like real rock n roll, you can hear the real fucking instruments. Its as intense and as raw as our live show, but polished enough so we can play in between Lady Gaga and Jay-Z. Its still filthy, its still edgy, and still says things youre not supposed to say.”


Interview by Jett Wells

SPW to Guest Star in 'Telephone'

According to members of Semi Precious Weapons, the band will be making a cameo in Lady GaGa & Beyonce’s new video, “Telephone”. It’s being shot in the desert! All I know is Beyonce, Lady GaGa ANNNNNND Semi Precious Weapons in the desert is going to make for the PEACHIEST fucking video we’ve ever seen. Stay Tuned for Updates.

SPW - 'Semi Precious Weapons' Video Shoot

Couldn’t make it to Friday Night’s Shoot? Been depressed while watching everyone tweet about it? Well don’t worry. We feel the same way.

Thankfully drivenbyboredom.com was there to fill all the unlucky fans in on all the filthy deets:

“Friday night was pretty nuts.  My boys Semi Precious Weapons are back in town doing a bunch of dates with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall. They decided to turn the weekly Trash party into a shoot for their song Semi Precious Weapons.  I figured the song was called I Cant Pay My Rent, But I Am Fucking Gorgeous being as that is the hook, but clearly I am wrong. Evidently its self titled. My fault.

Anyway, after hearing the song 25 times in a row Friday night I probably should be sick of it, but its a pretty serious song.  They have done a video for it before, and used it as the sound track to a Beatlemaniaesque promotional video. It was also on their first album, and their EP and I guess it will be on their next album too since they are doing a video for it and all I am sure they are sick as hell of it, but thats how the music industry works.  You have to promote the same 5 songs for three fucking years. Its pretty awful, but at least its a rad song and I am excited to see the video.

I did a pretty epic stage dive off a monitor into a crowd of 18 year old girls. Everyone moved out of the way and I landed on my back but not before putting my hand into the lovely Suicide Girl Bettinas face. Woops. Justin from SPW announced to the crowd that I had done that the last time they played Webster Hall and informed me that I had broken his friend Kristas wrist in the process. I felt pretty bad about that since Krista is my birhday twin (May 29th, 1980).  No one broke anything this time, but my back still hurts like hell two days later. I hope it makes it into the video, but I have my doubts…”

Continue reading this fabulous article HERE… and also view the hanus gallery of fierce pictures fom that night!

Semi Precious Weapons – Sole Opener of Tonight’s Monster Balll

jconline.com posted this morning that Semi Precious Weapons will be back tonight as the sole opener for the sold out Lady Gaga concert in Purdue

 

“The band led by bleach blond vocalist Justin Tranter will start at 7:30 p.m. and play for 30 minutes. Gaga will hit the stage at 8:30 p.m., according to Student Concert Committee officials.

 

R&B singer Jason DeRulo, who was the second act before Gaga’s Jan. 14 cancellation, will not play tonight.”

Artist to Watch: Semi Precious Weapons

Semi Precious Weapons: Talent Free Inspiration  .

Uncensoredinterview.com sat down with Justin to talk about what inspires his “sass”

“Whos broke and tours with Lady GaGa? Semi-Precious Weapons. I cant pay my rent but Im fucking gorgeous sings lead singer Justin Tranter. But with a new album out this spring and tour dates with the perpetually pants-less Lady GaGa (as part of her worldwide Monster Ball Tour), the glam-rock band may soon be able to afford things far more fabulous than rent.

Uncensored Interview sat down with the spotlight-grabbing front man back in 2008, and its no surprise the band has come so far in less than two years. Catchy guitar riffs combined with his flashy onstage antics have garnered comparisons to AC/DC, Queen and David Bowie. Rolling Stone suggested Tranter is like Adam Ant, T.Rexs Marc Bolan and Ziggy Stardust wrapped into one, singing lead on AC/DCs Back In Black.

Formed in New York City in 2004, the band released a new EP January 19 that includes three songs from their upcoming full-length, You Love You. The tracks were produced by Joseph Puig (Green Day, Beck) and executive produced by tourmate Lady GaGa. (We bet there were some fashion tips exchanged in those studio sessions, too).

And if you're wondering where Tranter gets all that sass, he borrows it from talented rock stars who have proven themselves worthy of admiration, in addition to tabloid trash who havent done much of anything.”

uncensoredinterview.com is currently down but the interview will be posted later.

Spinner.com Reviews SPW at Radio City Music Hall

Spinner.com’s Jessica Robertson wrote an absolutley glaMOURous article about SPW’s Radio City Performance. Read the brilliance below:

 

“We are Semi Precious Weapons from New York motherf—ing City,” campy frontman Justin Tranter began during the band’s opening slot Saturday night on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. “Our job, which we are f—ing honored to do, is to get you bitches wet and excited for Lady Gaga.”

 

Mission: accomplished.

 

It had been 6 months since SPW were home, and, as Tranter recalled, four years since the band first shared a bill with Lady Gaga. “It was 50 blocks south of here and there were 12 people,” he said. “We’re just really f—ing happy you aren’t 12 people.”

 

Tranter, a 6-foot-tall Ziggy Stardust meets Rocky Horror caricature, strutted onstage dressed in only fishnets, stripper boots and a mesh tank, screaming his now infamous cheeky line: “I can’t pay my rent but I’m f—ing gorgeous.” His oversure lyrics and banter were bolstered by a short but no less impactful and raunchy set of riff-heavy glam rock, including songs ‘Magnetic Baby,’ ‘Put a Diamond In It’ and ‘Sticky With Champagne.’ The latter found Tranter popping a bottle onstage, replete with his own picture on the packaging (“because why the f— not,” he asserted). He then called for all those in want of the bubbly to approach the stage.

“We got in trouble a couple of nights ago because I fed champagne to minors,” Tranter said. When an audience member was hesitant to take a swig, Tranter made one demand: “New York, I know there’s a lot of rules here but have some fun. It’s rock ‘n’ roll so get your tits out!” With that, Tranter had at least 10 eager mouths at his feet.

 

A couple of nipple flashes, crotch grabs and curtsies later, Tranter stripped to his skivvies for an onstage costume change (opting for Marilyn Monroe tights, silver glitter boots and a grey tank, natch) which would carry the band — who just released their self-titled EP — through the set. But not without one parting wish: “We are Semi Precious Weapons and tonight, we hope that you get laid.”

Unabashedly inappropriate but wholly rock ‘n’ roll. Just as it should be.”

Concert Riff Raff

We just opened a day or so ago so our fan site is still pretty virginal.  Unfortunately we weren’t up in time to catch all the reviews from when SPW joined the Monster Ball Tour so for the next couple of days we’ll update with an article called concert riff raff! An article full of miscellaneous reviews, vids, and pictures.
Our first update is about the Monster Ball in Chicago taken from autostraddle.com–an article titled:
“How Lady Gaga (and the Monster Ball) Changed My Life: The Concert Review”
By Elizabeth, here’s what she had to say about our weapons:
“Semi Precious Weapons, much to my surprise, were the opening act, there to get us wet and excited for Lady Gaga. I love rockin glam boys, especially the kind who aggressively make uncomfortable straight boys even more uncomfortable like when Justin Tranter yelled, You think you’re horrified now, just wait until Im f*cking your girlfriends later! Or you know, just wait till a few minutes later when unprepared front-row kids got an eyeful of his boyjunk as he changed from a dress into leggings onstage. He taunted security, telling, this is rock n roll. You dance, have sex in public, and bleed. All at the same time! It was delightful chaos, even in suburban Chicago.”
________________________________
We also have video of SPW performing Put a Diamond in It and Sticky with Champagne at Radio City Music Hall, Courtesy of the fabulous Beth R. from facebook!

Semi Precious Weapons Video Shoot in NYC

Throughout the week we’ve been viewing twitter updates from the SPW about their upcoming video shoot in NYC. SPW  tweeted:

“Filming a big party video Friday night downstairs at Webster Hall in NYC! 11pm-3am. Bring 2 outfits! “
8:35 AM Jan 20th   from txt

Check back later for even more photos from the shoot, as well as some reviews from our semiprecious-readers!

The New EP is Here!

It’s the moment we’ve all been FREAKING WAITING FOR! The new Semi Precious Weapons EP is finally available for download at amazon.com and itunes.
This EP features Re-Releases of their hit songs, “Semi Precious Weapons” and “Magnetic Baby” as well as one of their brand new songs (featured on the intro page) “Put a Diamond In It”.
In case you weren’t aware, the EP is nothing other than Fabulous! Here are what a few reviewers off amazon.com had to say:
_____________________________________
EPIC
K M “Malecken” (Grosse Pointe, MI USA) says:
“I cannot begin to put into words how much I love this EP. Thanks, SPW, for bringing back real honest-to-goodness rock and roll! This new recording of some of my favorite songs and the addition of an amzing new song make this a must have for any rock and roll fan!”
_____________________________________

Real rock is back with a VENGEANCE!
Michelle Kolkey (Chicago, IL USA) says:
FINALLY! Real rock is back with a VENGEANCE! Semi Precious Weapons are exactly what we have been waiting for: uncut, uncensored, full throttle rock. The songs on this EP are all you need to know! Trust me, you’ll blast it non-stop. If you have been wondering who will defend the honor of rock and roll, now you know!
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We couldn’t of said it better ourselves!  If you don’t have your own copy of the EP yet… well quit being a stupid bitch and get one already!