After hearing Atlanta, Georgia's New Junk City’s self-released Self-Titled debut
LP that came out in the latter part of 2014, I had to know a bit more about what
makes them tick. They have a distinct sound
that’s loud yet intimate and unpretentious. John (singer/guitar player) was kind enough to allow us to momentarily peer into his soul.
Interview by J Castro
Let’s start off by
telling me who’s currently in the band and what does everyone do in it:
John plays guitar and
sings. Zac plays bass. Justin plays guitar. Jeff plays drums.
How did you all meet and decide to play music together?
JOHN: The other guys have
been playing music in Atlanta for a lot of years in a bunch of different bands.
Jeff and Zac were both members of Die Benny and toured together in Mose
Giganticus (from Philly) in the early/mid 2000’s. Justin was in a band called
Wrister, and they all knew each other from playing shows and what not. Jeff and
Justin were also in one of my favorite Atlanta bands for a few years called Bad
Mammals. Jeff and I have known each other since high school and I was lucky
enough to fill in on guitar on a tour with Bad Mammals.
After that band ended,
Jeff and I started working on some songs I had set aside that didn't quite fit
with my solo stuff. We did a few studio sessions and realized we needed another
guitar player. I love Justin's guitar playing and was really stoked that he was
into the songs. We had a fill in bass player for the first few shows but nobody
could really commit. Zac offered his services shortly after and we graciously
accepted.
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| New Junk City LP by New Junk City Artwork and Design by Chandler Galloway. |
You guys came out with
your Self-Titled debut LP late last year. Can you tell me a little
about your experience making it?
JOHN: It
was a really simple and straight forward recording process. We did everything
at The Cottage in Atlanta, GA with engineer/producer Damon Moon. It was done in
three or four days over the course of a couple months. Damon is a really easy
guy to work with. He is a true professional - very invested in the idea and
experience of "making records." He is sincerely one of my favorite
people and we're lucky to work with him.
How would you describe
New Junk City’s sound to someone that’s never heard your band before?
JOHN: This
is always the question that’s the hardest to answer for me. However I describe
our “sound” will probably be wildly inaccurate to everyone else that listens to
the band. None of us really agree on any music other than the songs we write
(and maybe Dookie by Green Day.) I
think at the heart of it we’re just a punk rock band. We have a really wide
array of influences and interests. We probably land somewhere between Uncle
Tupelo and the Get Up Kids.
What sorts of things
typically inspire you song lyrics? Are there any subjects you
purposefully try to stay away from?
JOHN: I
mostly just write about my life and experiences and those of the people around
me. I definitely believe in “write what you know” so I just try to write things
that are honest. It’s probably best to let the songs speak for themselves.
I stay away from overtly
political stuff and I have no interest in bizarre surrealist lyrics. There
isn’t anything wrong with either of those things, I just really enjoy trying to
tell personal stories I think people can connect with.
New Junk City is
currently based in Atlanta, GA. What’s it like for a band like yours to
play there? Is there a supportive scene going on out in the land of
peaches?
JOHN: There
is a really supportive network of musicians in Atlanta. It’s a big city, so
everyone definitely has their own scene, but in my experiences, there is very
little shit talking, competitiveness, or drama. I think that there are really
good music ethics in Atlanta. We’re lucky to have so many good venues in our
city, and even luckier that they are run by people that actually give a shit
about music and musicians. Every time I go on tour, it makes me thankful for
the venues, bookers, and folks running sound at our venues in town.
Speaking of shows, tell me about the worst show you’ve ever played.
JOHN: Bad
shows happen, I don’t really want to talk about them other than to say I’m glad
that the vast majority of our shows are awesome. The bad ones just make us more
thankful for that.
I was reading this interview with Keith Richards and he said that anyone buying digital music is getting short changed. Do you agree with this statement?
JOHN: It
depends on the person’s relationship with music, right? Isn’t it up to them
whether or not they’re getting short changed?
As far as fidelity, most
people don’t know what they’re listening to. Even most people that consider
themselves “audiophiles” don’t know what they fuck they’re hearing. Digital
music can sound more compressed, and yeah, yeah, yeah, vinyl sounds “warm,” but
a lot of music these days is recorded digitally and produced to sound good in
that format.
Anyone actually paying
for music in any format these days is great, and who am I to tell them how they
are listening to music is wrong or somehow less than the way that I choose to?
Anyone that says anyone else’s experience is less than theirs is an asshole.
Besides, some artists are doing strictly digital releases due to the fact that
vinyl is expensive, cassettes are still seen as a novelty, and no one buys CDs.
Coming from a state
that’s deep in the heart of the south. How do you guys weigh in on the
whole Confederate Flag controversy: symbol of southern heritage or symbol of
tyranny and oppression?
JOHN: I don’t really
like getting involved in anything political, but I’ll say that I really don’t
care about the flag. I’m not invested in it; it bears no meaning to my heritage
or history. Patterson Hood wrote a poignant piece on the issue, and you should
really just read what he has to say: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/magazine/the-souths-heritage-is-so-much-more-than-a-flag.html?_r=0
Are there any other
bands currently playing and based in Atlanta that you guys are into?
JOHN: Tons! My favorites
right now are: The Hotels, Coma Girls, Joseph Lazzari, The Wild, Wymyns Prysyn,
Terminally Ill Babes, Seagulls, Places to Hide (RIP), Wicked Pretty, and
Slugga.
Shameless plug: We’re
all big fans of Zac’s other band, Bodyfather. Dissonant, noisy post punk type
stuff. If you like Hot Snakes, you’ll probably dig it. I also play bass in an
indie pop band called Gold-Bears.
Where are some of the best places people can log on or go to listen or buy you music?
JOHN: You can buy the
record here:
Bandcamp:https://newjunkcityatl.bandcamp.com/
Dumb internet stuff is
here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newjunkcityatl
Twitter: @newjunkcityatl
Stewart, who runs No
Breaks Records (they put out our record) has an impressive collection of other
releases he has put out in addition to a vast library available in his distro.
He is the best dude in the world and everyone should buy records from him here:
http://www.nobreaksrecords.com/
What lies ahead in the
near future for New Junk City?
JOHN: We’re
currently in the studio. We’re putting the finishing touches on a couple songs
for an upcoming 7” with Robot (re)pair on Night Animal Records, and writing the
rest of what will be the next LP. We have a quick little weekend tour in the
Carolinas in September, and after that hopefully more consistent regional
touring.
Thanks!
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