Low Doses

     In the short time they’ve been together, Low Doses have already molded a unique sound for themselves. It’s like they’ve taken hardy bites of New York’s heroin smeared, tight leather jacketed rock n’ roll swagger from the Thunders/Bators/Vincent class of the late ‘70’s, popped pills crammed with mid ‘60’s UK mod/beat like early Who and Small Faces and chased those pills with a shot of American garage frenzy similar to The Sonics.  The songs have a foundation poured with unforgettable melodies that quickly set in your brain; they’re framed in thick, sturdy guitar chords and coated with zesty tempos that command your attention. These East Coast city dwellers effortlessly blur the lines of garage and power-pop, and they’re just getting started on us! 

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start by telling me who’s currently in the band and what you all do in The Low Doses:

Right now we’ve got Ryan Masterson on guitar and vocals, Joi La Cour on Bass, and a rotating cast of drummers. We started the band with Vin Russoniello, and he plays drums on most of our recordings.

How did you meet and decide to play music together?

RYAN: We’ve all pretty much known each other since high school. Vin and I played in a band together back then, and our best friend had a hopeless crush on Joi, so we knew her that way. Vin and I reconnected in 2013 and started the Low Doses, and then I ran into Joi at the music store where she was working. I didn’t have the balls to ask her on a date, so I asked her to play bass with us and she totally fell for it!

JOI: I was in Livids (R.I.P.) at the time, but I thought he was hot so I said yeah and gave him my email address. It took him like 6 months to actually send me a song, but when he finally did I really liked it and so I started playing with them when Livids broke up.

Who do you feel had the biggest influence on you musically and please tell me about the first time you heard this band/musician: 

RYAN: I’d have to say my biggest influence as a guitar player is Johnny Thunders and as a songwriter: Ray Davies and Paul Collins. The first time I heard the New York Dolls was in high school and something definitely clicked inside my head. I don’t think I fully understood it at the time though. I mean, I spent a lot more time listening to the usual teenage classic rock shit before I understood where the Dolls were coming from and what made them so exciting. Eventually I got into more of the bands that they influenced and were influenced by and I think that has really helped shape our sound.

As for the other two--well, who can remember the first time they heard the Kinks? And the first time I heard the Nerves I definitely had the feeling that they were pretty much made to suit my exact musical tastes. I wished that I wrote every one of their songs.

JOI:  I’ve been a ‘60’s rock n’ roll girl pretty much since birth, but by the time I started playing bass I was basically into mostly punk, which is lucky because I had no formal musical training. The Libertines inspired me to take my playing a bit more seriously and though I learned how to play guitar by mimicking those guys, I ended up in a fast n’ dirty punk band called Livids with ex-New Bomb Turks singer Eric Davidson. I think the Kinks are our mutual heroes and our love of those songs is our tightest musical bond.

The Low Doses are currently based in New York and New Jersey. Is it tough being in a band and living in such a huge city with so much going on every night? 

RYAN: Yeah, for sure. Everything in New York is so competitive. I couldn’t even get a job as a fucking waiter when I first moved here and I grew up working in restaurants. Also, I live in New York right now but Joi lives back in our hometown of Trenton so we’re sorta caught between two places. But back in Jersey there’s not much going on in the way of our style of music so we don’t find ourselves playing there too often. There’s mostly just a market for Bon Jovi covers.

JOI: To be fair, they’re starting to throw a lot of Nickelback in the mix…

You guys recently made a video for the song “You’re Gonna Lose.” Tell me a bit about it if you will? 

JOI: My best friend since childhood, Jackie Roman, approached us about making a video that she had already conjured up in her head. She wanted to play out scenes from the works of the photographer Duane Michals and use footage that she had taken while riding on trains throughout the NJ/NY area. All we had to do was show up and let Jackie work her magic. We were really stoked to see the final product!

I recently read an article about music videos still being relevant despite MTV pretty much no longer showing them. Why do you think their popularity remains?

RYAN: Hmm. I’ve never really thought about it, but I guess since everyone is walking around with a video camera on their phone and with YouTube and so many other platforms available to share them, it just makes sense that bands are gonna continue to make them so yeah, technology. 

JOI: We don’t fancy ourselves internet/technology savvy folks, but hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Also, they can be a lot of fun and interesting in their own right. Just look at what Jackie did with ours!

On your Facebook page you list the 1960’s and 1970’s as influences. Are there any current bands that you enjoy listening to and find inspiration in? 

RYAN: Uhh, Jan Terri’s still making music, isn’t she??? But seriously, yeah, there are plenty of current bands I enjoy listening to. I was checking out your 2014 top ten lists earlier, and I love so many of the bands you guys covered. You know, stuff like Dino’s Boys and Barreracudas. But I don’t really use newer bands for source material or inspiration. If anything, I’ll go back in time further to generate songwriting ideas.

What sorts of things influence your song lyrics? Are there any particular topics you purposely stay away from, if so why?

RYAN: Well they say write what you know right? So I write about drugs and girls, naturally. I enjoy staying within the usual bounds of rock and roll lyrics. There aren’t any topics I shy away from but I try to keep things simple and try not to make any “statements” or anything like that. I’m not a good enough writer so it doesn’t come off well if I try to make things too serious. But I really wish I could be one of those songwriters who make pointed social observations, like Ray Davies or Paul Weller, ha ha.

When you play in front of an audience, what sort of feeling or sentiment do you hope to convey to an audience that hopefully they will walk away with?

RYAN: We really just want our shows to be fun and we strive to hold people’s attention. If I look out and see a bunch of people checking their Facebook, then I know we’re doing something wrong.

JOI: Yeah, we just don’t want anyone to walk away, ya know, during the set.            

I always hear golfers say how many “life lessons” can be learned from playing golf.  What sorts of “life lessons” do you feel people learn from being in a band?

RYAN: I definitely wasn’t expecting to see any golf related questions, ha ha. I prefer to get my life lessons from baseball. I’m a Mets fan, so I’ve learned to dream big and achieve small. Being in a band is kinda the same I guess.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

RYAN: Don’t date your bandmate…whoops.

JOI: Don’t wear that on stage.

What’s in store for the Low Doses in 2015?

We just recorded some songs at Volume IV studios in New Brunswick, NJ, two of which will be coming out on 7” this spring. We’d really like to go back there make an LP later this year if we can and we’re gonna make another video, this time for our song “Bathroom Stall.” But mostly we’re just focusing getting all of our band members living in one place so we can play out more regularly. Definitely look for us to be playing in the New York area a lot this summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRN08x9fvwU

https://www.facebook.com/TheLowDoses

http://lowdoses.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/the-low-doses

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Primitive Hearts

(photo by Aaron Oxborrow)

     For decades power pop and punk rock have had a history together. However, to successfully execute this merger a band needs to possess a sort of X factor, a certain something that allows a person to open up like a dropped book on a busy street and let passersby to peer into the pages of their lives, their souls. To do this well, there can be nothing artificial, the feelings and emotions that come through those amplifiers must be genuine no matter what instrument is being used as the conduit. Primitive Hearts have raw and sincere reactions to the world around them and they present their findings to you in song form and you’ll soon realize that their hearts are far from “primitive.”

Interview by Jay Castro

First off Paul, I would like to thank you for taking time and doing this interview; I know you are a busy individual, well…. I’m assuming. Let’s start with names of all in Primitive Hearts.

DANIELLE – Bass and Vocals

PAUL – Guitar and Vocals

TAYLOR – Drums

I know the band started as a two-piece (Guitar & Drums) back in 2010 and you Taylor played a show in Portland as a two-piece. Then Danielle came in and magic ensued.  Do you feel 2 piece rock bands lack a bit in fullness or depth in any way?  What led to the decision to add bass?

PAUL: I think there are some two-piece bands that can sound as big or bigger than even three or four-piece bands. In our case, though, we never intended to be a two-piece; we just couldn't find anyone to play bass! I wrote all the songs with bass parts and backing vocals from the beginning, so when Danielle got on board, we could finally start playing the songs as they were intended.

The new LP High and Tight reminds me of one of the three Ron Swanson acceptable haircuts for men (Buzz Cut and Crew Cut being the other two). Does film or TV shows inspire your songs a lot?  

PAUL: Glad you go the haircut reference. The album title is sort of a play on the words “high & tight,” from both the haircut and a high and inside pitch in baseball. In our case, though, it just has to do with feeling good and shit being rad (aka tight). As for TV/film inspiration, maybe not on individual songs so much, but they definitely inspire the band as a whole. We're all big TV and movie fans, Kids in the Hall is the reigning band favorite. Probably about a third of any given Primitive Hearts practice is filled with KITH quotes and references. In fact, in our video for “Falling Apart,” if you look closely in a few shots you can see “Armada” scrawled on Taylor's bass drum head as homage to Rod Torfulson's Armada featuring Herman Menderchuk. It's still on there...

Can you remember the strangest or most unlikely person or event that inspired one of your songs?

PAUL: Actually, going back to your previous question, I guess I was a little off. A TV show did inspire one of our songs: “Lone Wolf.” It was based on Lenny of Lenny & Squiggy/Laverne & Shirley fame. He has the words “Lone Wolf” on the back of his jacket. I always thought that was rad and would make a great song title. I sort of wrote the song from Lenny's perspective; he may be a lone wolf, but he ain't lonely.

The lyrics for the song “Falling Apart” are kind of a bummer but the music makes it one of the catchiest most up-tempo songs on the record. I have heard some say that writing and playing music is like their therapist. Have any of you felt this way ever?

PAUL: Maybe a little bit when it comes to writing, in that you can vent certain feelings or frustrations, but playing music is definitely therapeutic. For two minutes at a time your only focus is the song you're playing, the people in the room, and having a good time. It's pretty hard to beat.

The reviewer from Maximum Rock N Roll said he hears more power pop than pop punk in your music.  I think that’s a huge compliment, do you agree with that description though? 

PAUL: Yeah, that's probably fair to say, although it's nothing intentional or deliberate. I can see how some of the songs have that feel, but we listen to all kinds of stuff, so it's all just a mash up of lots of influences. We've never claimed to be a “power pop” band or “pop punk” band or whatever; we just like to play good times Rock N' Roll.

In my opinion I hear both, which is a good thing! Is there any band or musician in either of those genres you feel is grossly underrated and deserves more recognition?

PAUL: Thanks, yeah, there's definitely a little of everything in there! I'm not sure about any “grossly underrated” power pop/pop punk bands or musicians necessarily, but I think the world could definitely use more of both. All hooks all the time!

In yet another write up, Primitive Hearts is described as having influences like The Kinks, Beach Boys, and The Sonics. I got into older Rock N’ Roll by way of punk rock when I was a wee lad. For example, I started paying closer attention to The Beach Boys and The Ronettes because of the Ramones. Was this the case for any of you?

PAUL: I'd say when we were young; it was the opposite for the most part. We all grew up on oldies and whatever our parents and older brothers and sisters listened to. When we got into punk and more obscure stuff, it was easy to see the connections and influences of those older bands.

I was reading this interview with Nick Cave and he said something to the effect that out of any of the art forms music has the power to change a person’s mood the fastest. Do you agree with this and if so do any of you have any favorite songs you put on to help you out of a bummer mood or to help you get all riled up on the way to a gig? Other than High and Tight of course!

PAUL: Yes, music can totally change your mood! There are so many good go-to jams when we wanna get pumped, but some favorites in the van would be anything from Chuck Berry, The Undertones, Equals, Slade, LAMF, Stones, and pretty much anything else that boogies.

With all these comparisons to Rock N’ Roll of yesteryear, do any current bands or musicians inspire you and if so who?

PAUL: Some current bands that totally kill it are Bad Sports, Midnite Snaxxx, Nobunny, The Steve Adamyk Band, Pookie & The Poodlez, The Shanghais, Mean Jeans, and Needles//Pins. 

Where can people go to hear Primitive Hearts or buy your music?

PAUL: Our Bandcamp page has all our music and merch for sale, so take a peek:

https://primitivehearts.bandcamp.com/ 

You can also follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/primitivehearts) and Instagram (@primitivehearts).

In closing on the behalf of all at Audio Ammunition I want to thank you again and wish you the best of luck. What does the band have in store for the remainder of the year, any tours or albums?

PAUL: We're gonna be doing a month-long tour in June with a couple dates in Canada, too, around the Ottawa Explosion Weekend. We're going out with our buddies Pookie & The Poodlez, which is gonna rule. We actually did a split 7” with Pookie that should be coming out soon on Jonny Cat Records out of Portland, so keep an eye out for that!

Thanks so much for talking with us!

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