The Spastic Hearts

     Ohio’s Spastic Hearts seem to be hopeless romantics and if you’re going to sing about romance, relationships, and broken hearts you have to lay it all out there on the table and let the world see your cards for the music to sound genuine. That’s what makes rock n’ roll so great, that’s what turns bands and songwriters into legends and that’s what puts Spastic Hearts right up there on the top shelf as well. Exposing your soul out there on stage or on a record in song form for the world to judge and pick apart to me seems infinitely more difficult than going on stage and hiding behind a mask of anger, cynicism or goof ball humor. You can scream and sweat into a microphone all you want about all the injustices in the world to stoic faces in a crowd, but a real soul to soul connection with music is what really incites changes in people.    

Interview by J Castro

Give me a quick rundown on who’s currently in the band and what everyone does in The Spastic Hearts:

Jay Dee – Vocals/Guitar

Angi Phalangee – Bass/Vocals

Mikey Reynolds – Guitar/Vocals

Casey - Drums

Your band bio states you guys came together in the spring of 2012 and released your debut album in December of 2012, that’s pretty quick!  Did one of you have songs already written or did you guys just really gel together that quickly?

JAY: Ya things came together quick! I was in another band with our drummer and we broke up. I wanted a group that was more of that ‘50’s type sound but of course punk rock influenced as well. It helped that we have all been friends and have played music in some way with each other before. It’s the first time all four of us have been in a band together though. A lot of the songs were written that year before recording. I had the shells of the tunes and we hashed them out at practice. The debut record was a lot of fun.

Tell me a bit about how you all met and decided to form Spastic Hearts:

MIKEY: I used to play in a band called the Reynolds with Casey before moving to Florida. Angi and I moved there for college and to rock in a band called The Hi-Life. We moved back home in 2010. Jay and I have always played music together and collaborated well writing songs and that seemed to pick back up quickly. Not sure when or how, but the four of us decided to start the Spastic Hearts. The four of us seem to complement one another perfectly musically, so it just made sense. Making great music is the mission.

You guys are from Youngtown, OH. What is it like playing live in your town? Is there a supportive “scene” out there that are into what you guys are doing musically?

MIKEY: Although a smallish scene, we definitely have a good time playing here at home. There are really only two venues that matter, Cedars and the Royal Oaks…we pack them both ha, ha.

JAY: It’s not what you would call a punk scene at all. We have good bands and good people though. You can make a scene if you really want one.

Razorcake Magazine said this about your record: “This is the kind of record I put on the turntable when I’m in a bad mood because you can’t possibly continue feeling upset when something this catchy and infectious is playing.” Is there any particular band or record you can put on that can pretty much lift you out of a bad mood?

MIKEY: Chixdiggit will always snap me out of a bad day. The Influents seem to make a good day even better.

JAY: The Ramones. Never fails.

What records do you own that you listen regularly and possibly draw inspiration from that you think a lot Spastic Hearts fans may be surprised you like?

MIKEY: Van Halen . . . shouldn’t be surprising ha, ha, but they rock.

JAY: KISS, Also not surprising. I did listen to Mathew Sweet the other day: 100% Fun, Really good. I’m not into anything popular or even semi popular right now though. I’m not even talking about radio either. I used to remember being excited because every month something new was coming out. I can’t tell you the last record I bought or was waiting for.

A lot of your songs are about love, girls and relationships. Have you ever written song lyrics that you regret, that were maybe a bit too personal? Has there ever been anyone that’s been offended about the songs you’ve written about them?

MIKEY: Nope. Jay???

JAY: Never. I mean looking back it’s funny to see what you were singing about 15 years ago, in the end though it’s just songs about girls, just better songs and recordings now.

Can you remember the first time you heard punk music?  Where were you, who introduced it to you and how did it make you feel?

MIKEY: Green Day changed my world…I never felt anything real until I heard them.

JAY: I remember it like yesterday finding the Queers “Move Back Home” then seeing the Riverdales open for Green Day on the Insomniac tour. The Dookie record kinda changed everything though. I was told about it in High School way back when and I’m sure it was the same feeling 20 years earlier those kids had when they first heard the Ramones. No one was going to play like Eddie Van Halen in the ‘70’s and I wasn’t going to play like Kirk Hammett in the ‘90’s. I didn’t need to.

Where is the best place to go or log on to hear your music or buy your records?

http://www.jollyronnierecords.com/#!shop/czr5

http://swampcabbagerecords.com/store/

http://sprecords.shop-pro.jp/

http://www.stripedmusic.com/

http://www.monsterzero.nl/shop

http://www.themachineshoprocks.com/Webstore_s/1814.htm

Any digital outlet: iTunes, Amazon etc.

What does the near future look like for The Spastic Hearts, any record or tour news?

MIKEY: Recording new music is never boring right???

JAY: Touring doesn’t look too good, I’m sure another record.

Links to follow the Spastic Hearts hijinks:

https://thespastichearts.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spastic-Hearts/293415424090397

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSpasticHearts

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skoLBjItvEc

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The New Rochelles

     What makes a good pop punk band? Surely it’s not musical skill; The Ramones have been hounded for years over their technical simplicity and yet they remain kings. It most certainly isn’t lyrics; most pop punk bands use the simplest of words to describe everyday mundane events, love, hate and every emotion in between. What I feel makes a good pop punk band is the ability to emotionally throw yourself into your music, admitting imperfection, vulnerability, and most importantly, just have pure, unpolluted fun. Long Beach, NY’s, The New Rochelles take all of these qualities, stuff them into very loud amplifiers and blast it at you like confetti cannons. What makes most grownups so boring? Whatever it is listening to the New Rochelles will help in steering clear of it!

Interview by J Castro

First off, who’s all in the band and what is everyone’s function in The New Rochelles?

RONNIE: I'm Ronnie Rochelle. I'm the singer and I play guitar.

RICKY: I’m Ricky; I play drums and sing backing vocals.

ROOKIE: I’m Rookie; I play bass.

How did you all meet and decide to play music together?

RONNIE: Ricky and I have been playing music since the dawn of time, we found Rookie on a street corner somewhere and he was eager to downstroke with us.

As kids, who or what inspired you to want to learn how to play or write music?

RONNIE: I learned how to play music just to pick up girls.

RICKY: I recorded a demo cassette at home with a childhood friend. We had no real instruments but we made a bunch of sequenced sounds and I was drawn to that. Then another friend and I wanted to start a band at age 13 as a social thing, so we bought drums and a guitar and began to play.

ROOKIE: It seemed easy enough.

Do you remember who first introduced you to punk music?

RONNIE: I was fooling around in the neighborhood one day as a kid; I found a duffel bag full of beer, porn and some Screeching Weasel cassette tapes. The rest is history.

RICKY: My friends and I stumbled on it together at the end of Jr. High School. My dad bought Ramones Mania right after Joey Ramone died, that’s how I got into the Ramones.

ROOKIE: My Dad grew up in Rockaway Beach, so The Ramones were always on in the house growing up.

You guys released a split 7” with Austria’s Dee Cracks last year on Swamp Cabbage Records. Tell me a bit about the song “Cuidado”. Was it inspired by firsthand experience?

RONNIE: “Cuidado” is inspired from a true story involving me, the US border patrol and one fine Mexican mamacita. I can't go into much detail as legal issues are still pending.

I don’t hear any politics or heavy social issues in your lyrics. Is this a conscience decision? What do you guys’ think of MRR and the punk rock political correctness police?

RONNIE: I wouldn't be able to tell you who or what is going on politically in the world.

People just write about what's on their minds. For me, pizza and other stupid shit is always on mine.

RICKY: We’re unaffiliated with MRR and the punk rock police.

ROOKIE: Politics are dumb.

When you guys aren’t playing or listening to music, what will people typically find you doing?

RONNIE: When I'm not playing music I'm usually at the beach, cracking a cold one. I also like old Nintendo games.

RICKY: Working a job and hanging out with my girlfriend. I'm easy to please. You can find me playing Game Boy and drinking beers while she watches some television show about snobby housewives or families with 38 children.

ROOKIE: You can find me watching whatever baseball game is on or picking my nose, sometimes both.

There is documented evidence that the U.S. Government has used Van Halen and Skinny Puppy to torment prisoners. If you were in charge of selecting the music to use to torture people what songs would you use? Give me your top five.

RONNIE: If you turn on top 40 radio right now for about an hour you'll hear the same 5 songs about 30 times. So, that seems pretty torturous to me. Is torturous a word?

RICKY: Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith.

ROOKIE: Nirvana, Sublime, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and Led Zeppelin.

I read that out of all the art forms, music has the power to change a person’s mood the fastest. Do you agree with this? If so, are there any records you put on that will almost always ease you out of a bad day?

RONNIE: Nothing beats putting an original Ramones record on a turntable; much like prescription narcotics, its mind altering.

RICKY: Tie-dying T-shirts always does the trick for me.

ROOKIE: I only listen to the McRackins, what mood am I in?

Can you tell me about the most memorable New Rochelles gig, good or bad, and what made it so?

RONNIE: Every New Rochelles gig was a blur. I think one time we played with Green Day?

RICKY: We played a Halloween show as the Ramones a few years back. There was a great crowd and it ruled.

ROOKIE: I think one time we got through an entire set.

Where can people go to hear or buy your music?

RONNIE: Ask Rookie about where to buy our music, I seriously couldn't even tell you. Do we even have stuff for sale?

RICKY: I’m sure they’ll figure it out.

ROOKIE: You can hear/buy our music including our debut 7-inch “It’s New!” and our split 7-inch with DeeCracks “The Smile Of The Tiger” at https://www.facebook.com/thenewrochelles or http://thenewrochelles1.bandcamp.com/. Coming soon our split 7-inch with Windowsill on Swamp Cabbage and Lost Youth Records and our complete discography “It’s New, Too!” on Kid Tested Records.

What lies in the near future for The New Rochelles?

RONNIE: Who knows what the future holds for The New Rochelles. I don't even know what I'm doing tomorrow.

RICKY: It's a secret.

ROOKIE: More debt, more dependency, more fun.

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