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If you look at the numbers, there are literally
thousands of records coming out each year. Some bands make it,
some don't. The fact is that less then 20% of all new music that
hits the stores ever actually gets heard by the masses. That
leaves 80% of music, for some reason or another, just doesn't
cut the mustard. Quite often it's because most bands are simply
generic. However, every once in a while a band comes along and
truly shines. With "Songs From Suburbia" it is undeniable
that "Spring Heeled Jack" are one of those bands. Growing
immensely from their first effort, "Static World View,"
these Connecticut natives have already made some waves in the
ska/punk scene, playing out with veterans like The Toasters,
The Specials, The Bosstones, and last years Warped Tour. "Songs
From Suburbia" is hands down one of the best records I have
heard this year.
Remember these names: Mike Pellegrino (Lead
Vocals/Guitar); Ron
Ragona (Guitar/Vocals); Rick Omonte (Bass); Dave Karcich (Drums);
Chris Rhodes (Trombone/Vocals); Tyler Jones (Trumpet) and Pete
Wasilewski (Saxophone). These are the guys who will take "Spring
Heeled Jack" to the "household name" level. It's
not often that a band like this comes along, but when they do
there is just nothing that can beat it.
I recently had a chance to speak with Dave
Karcich during some tour down time. The following is the word
from Suburbia:
Interview With
Dave Karich
Drummer for
Spring Heeled Jack
AMZ - So How is the tour going?
DK - Not bad. We're off for a bit, but
we will be back on the road soon.
AMZ - Oh, I had just seen you guys in New
York a few weeks ago. Was that the last show for this leg?
DK - Oh you saw us at Coney? (Coney Island
High) Yeah, that was the last show for this leg, but we head
out again soon. We've had a few weeks off and then this week
we had the record release party.
AMZ - How did that go?
DK - It was great. We did two shows in
New Haven at Tune Inn. It went really well.
AMZ - So in the bio, it states that you
did not get the name from Jack The
Ripper, which was my first thought, where does the name come
from?
DK - The Spring Heel Jack figure came from
Ron (Ragona, guitar/vocals) when he saw it in a book called STRANGE
STORIES AND AMAZING FACTS. He kinda came to me and said "Hey,
I got this cool name." The character in the book was like
a hell raiser type. We all thought it was cool. The story does
take place in England, but no it's not about Jack The Ripper.
AMZ - So does that mean the band is a "Hell
Raiser" band?
DK - Sure - when you come see the band
we do kinda raise hell. It's kind of a no holds bared kind of
thing. When we get on-stage we always give 110%. You never no
what's gonna happen. Hell we never know what's gonna happen,
but we know we will always put out everything we got.
AMZ - How did the band come to be?
DK - The rhythm section, which is the core
of the band, has lived in the same area for a while now.
AMZ - That's in Hartford, right?
DK - Actually Fairfield County, which is
20 minutes outside of New Haven.
AMZ - Oh, okay.
DK - Mike Pellegrino (lead vocals/guitar)
and I have been friends since age 7. He actually beat me to playing
guitar. I originally wanted to play guitar too. So I took up
drums and we have been jamming since we were about 11 years old.
We would jam on really bad covers of Black Sabbath songs. Anyway
through the years we played in various bands. I met Rick Omonte
(bass) in a small local band I was in. Rick originally played
guitar too. He had this Flying V and hair down to his ass - it
was kinda funny. "Spring Heeled Jack" kinda formed
when we met Ron Ragona (guitar/vocals) and Chris Rhodes (trombone/vocals).
I was playing in a Jazz band in college, so we wound up taking
horn players from there. There were a few changes in the line-up,
but I guess you could say the core band kind of brought people
in along the way.
AMZ: It's kind of interesting that you've
had so many guitarists along the
way, but your not really a guitar oriented band.
DK: No, we're not. I mean, I think the
new record is a bit more guitar
oriented, but really, when we first started, none of us had ever
played with a horn section before, and since our horn section
was so strong we thought, hey lets just push the horns up front.
A lot of Ska bands never really feature the horns as good as
they could.
AMZ - Do you still play guitar?
DK - Yeah, a little guitar, a little bass,
but mostly drums.
AMZ - How long have you been playing drums?
DK - 14 years now.
AMZ - Are you self taught, or did you have
formal training?
DK - A bit of both. I had some lessons
for the first 6 years, and then was self taught until I got to
college. I took some lessons with a guy who played with Benny
Goodman. I still take lessons when I can. It's pretty much the
same for the whole band. I believe you can never learn enough
about your instrument. There is always someone who can teach
you more tricks.
AMZ - So who influenced you most as a drummer?
DK - Well I guess in the early on I was
a bit more cliché - Neal Pert and so on. These days I
would have to say it's the guys I am on tour with. You know,
the guys who I can actually get something from. A lot of drummers
will say guys like Dave Weckel. I went to one of his clinics
and left feeling like "What the hell did I learn, ya know?"
I've learned more from drummers who we have played out with than
anything else,
AMZ - So who is your favorite drummer to
tour with?
DK - I guess my biggest influence that
way is the old drummer from The
Toasters. He's in a Ska/Jazz band now. That tour was the first
big tour
"Spring Heeled Jack" even did. I was kinda young at
the time, 21, and he took me under his wing so to speak. He taught
me that playing drums is not just about the physical, it's about
the mental too.
AMZ - So what is the collective age of
the band?
DK - I guess we are all about 23-25
AMZ - Who is the primary song writer in
the band? Or is it more of a
collective effort?
DK - Initially Ron wrote most of the material.
After "Static World View," it became more of a band
effort. We all tend to come to rehearsals with ideas and then
develop them together. So it is very much a collective effort.
AMZ - What inspires the song writing?
DK: Oh geeze, everything and anything -
from Teen Angst to just every day life. Our single, "Jolene,"
is about our van which we named Jolene. On the first Toaster
tour we had just bought the van and it must have broke down the
whole tour. Mike wrote the song on the side of the highway in
Texas in the middle of August.
AMZ - So I guess there must be a lot of
interesting stories behind the new
record. Lets start with "Begging." Who's begging and
who are they begging for?
DK: (Laughs) Well, that one was written
by Ron who has this thing for Janine Garofolo. So the song is
about her. He thanks her on the record too. It kinda makes sense
if you go back to the lyrics. "All this time I've spent
constantly watching you from the shadows of a darkened room."
He's talking about being in a movie theater. The whole song kinda
says "Would you notice me if I was ever standing next to
you? Would you know I wrote this song about you?"
AMZ - I would never have guessed that one.
DK - Yeah it's a pretty interesting story.
She actually showed up to the show at Roseland when we played
with the Bosstones. He totally flipped out. You could tell he
was real nervous.
AMZ - Did she know about the song?
DK - You know, I don't really know. That's
a good question. (laughs)
AMZ - Ok so, next song, "1959."
It's a very relateable song being about parents and dealing with
"the house rules." Is that about anyone's parents in
particular or just parents in general?
DK - No, it's not a true story, but there
are truths in it. We all grew up in
Suburbia and have lived with stuff like that. It's just an honest
song about
growing up in Suburbia and how we are just like our parents when
they were younger.
AMZ - In "Where I Belong," there
is that line "When You Said Goodbye So Did I." What's
the story behind that one?
DK - Well that one was written by me and
Pete. That was a true life story about him and his girlfriend.
She had dicked him over a lot, and so he wrote a song about her.
It was so powerful, and so from the heart, that we had to use
it. I think a lot of people can relate to the heartbreak in that
one.
AMZ: What exactly is a Makisupa Police
man?
DK: (Laughs) That one always comes up.
The actual definition has never really been decided on. Our lead
singer, Mike, is into a lot of different music and had gotten
into Phish. He saw them one time and they did this reggae jam
where the only words where "Hey makisupa police man, police
man came to my house," and that's all it was for like 20
minutes. He kind of grooved on that for a while and wound up
writing a song around it. So it's kind of a cover but not really.
AMZ - Wow, that's pretty unique.
DK - Yeah, the song itself is about being
stoned and the things that make you paranoid. You can see it
in the lyrics: "Man hiding under the bushes, any one calling
on the phone? Kettle starts screaming on the stove. I suggest
that you stay out of the way of supermarkets that are bright
as day." You know things that you think of when you're stoned
and paranoid.
AMZ - So who does the reggae on "Man
Of Tomorrow?"
DK - That's Collie Ranks of the Pilfers
AMZ - Oh, okay. Have you played out with
him?
DK - Yeah I've played with him and the
Toasters for a while. We became good friends through that. He
also played on that song with us for the first time at the CD
release party.
AMZ - So what is your favorite venue to
play?
DK - Hmm - that's a hard one. I mean The
Tune Inn is our home, but N.Y., Boston, Chicago have all been
great to us. We've had such great response the whole tour. We
actually just played the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville with
Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and that was just an amazing show.
AMZ - Really? In Knoxville? I didn't think
there would be a ska/punk scene there.
DK - Well it was kind of funny actually.
We walk in the theater and there are seats in the place and we
were like wow, this is going to be interesting. So we go on-stage,
and the place is like filled up, and we knew no one had heard
of us, so we start our show and everyone is sitting in their
seats just kind of bopping along. We were getting good response
after the songs but we knew we would have to go all out to get
this kind of a crowd into it. So by the fourth song we just decided
to go full blown. The horn players wound up going out into the
audience to play. By the end of our set the whole place was dancing
in the isles. We got called back for an encore that night. So
I guess you can say that that was the most memorable shows of
the tour, because we totally went out there and won an audience
over who just did not know what the hell to think of us.
AMZ - When I caught you guys in New York,
the horn players had gone out into the audience to play as well.
Is that something that you guys do often?
DK - Yeah actually it is. Whether it's
a small venue or a big venue we want to present it like we, (the
audience and band) are all having a good time together. We never
want it to be like we're the band and your the audience. We feel
like if you wanna jump on stage and sing with us then cool, go
for it. If not well then we are gonna come sing with you. A lot
of times I'll be like hey where's Mike? I hear him singing but
who knows where he is. (laughs) It's just more fun that way.
AMZ - When players are off doing their
thing in the crowd, is it hard to take cues and stuff?
DK - Not at all. We've been playing together
for so long, it all just kinda
flows. We rehearse a lot and stuff, but when we do a show, the
horn solos are all improv. I've just learned to know how to read
the solo and see where they are going and when they are done.
There is always a tail end lick to tip me off. We don't believe
in a set set list for a tour either. I mean we write one for
the night but we always write a set list based on the vibe for
the night, and most of the time we even stray from that. A lot
of times we will just wind up taking requests, or playing songs
that just kinda strike us at the moment.
AMZ - So What is your favorite song to
go to then?
DK - That's hard. It really depends on
the moment. I love to play all the stuff from the new record,
but at the same time we try to play as much as we can from the
older material, because that is what got us where we are. I think
people like the spontaneity and honesty.
AMZ - You've mentioned playing with The
Toasters, The Bosstones, Cherry Poppin' Daddies - who did you
most like playing with?
DK - All the tours we have been on have
been so much fun. We get along with every one. We had a great
time with the Bosstones, The Pietasters, The Toasters, Amazing
Royal Crowns - it's too hard to pick just one. We try to make
friends with everyone we play with. It's important to us.
AMZ - So what is your opinion on the punk/ska
scene today, as opposed to say 5 or so years ago? Do you think
it's stronger or weaker?
DK - Well, it definitely blew up from what
it was. A lot of that came from the west coast which is not a
bad thing, but I think the whole scene needs a bit more east
coast. I think it will be more well rounded that way, which will
balance out the sound and give the scene more longevity. It's
kind of like the outlook on "Spring Heeled Jack." We're
not just ska or punk, we have influences from rock, reggae, pop
etc. It just keeps it interesting that way.
AMZ - With Alternative music fizzling out,
and the influx of Ska and punk, it seems like a great time to
be a punk/ska band.
DK - Yeah, it is, but it's also a hard
time too. We don't want to be lumped in with a particular crowd.
It's not like we sat down ad said "Okay, this is what we
have to play to succeed." We just did our thing. I think
it's best not to jump on any one bandwagon if your gonna stick
around. I think the scene does so well, and people dig the music,
'cause it's just so damn fun. It's like going to a movie. When
you go to a "Spring Heeled Jack" show, we want you
to just come and have a good time. Ya know, just escape life
for a while.
AMZ - How would you say "Songs From
Suburbia" differs from "Static World View?"
DK - The songs from Static were older songs
that were collaborations from the band four years ago. Other
then "Time," which was written around the time of Static,
all the songs on Suburbia are from the last year to two years.
I think we have definitely grown as a band. Also, "Static
World View" was personally funded. It took us two years
to get the record out because we kept hitting financial walls.
That didn't really make for an ideal recording experience. On
the new record we had Ignition backing us, which took a lot of
the stress and pressure off of us and left us to just do our
thing. That makes a world of difference.
AMZ - Has the reception for the new record
been better?
DK - Well, I know we will get some bad
reviews - that's just inevitable. There will be those who say
we sold out because we went with a label. I mean the Bosstones
got it when they signed with Mercury. There are a lot of people
who would say that "More Noize" is the be all and end
all of the Bosstones, but really, if you look at their career,
they didn't change any thing, they just progressed. I think the
same holds true for us.
AMZ - Are their any plans for new material?
DK - Oh we're always writing. We just got
together and rehearsed for the CD release party and we were like,
"So does anyone have anything new?" I myself had like
three, Ron had four or five, Mike had three. Maybe they don't
all work, but sooner or later something clicks. There is always
something in the works. I always carry a pad and pen around just
in case.
AMZ - Any plans for a video?
DK - Well the video is done for "Jolene."
We did it with Darren Dillon out of L.A. He did the video for
Blink 182. He also did work with MxPx and Descendants. It's a
great video, and if you like the band live your gonna love the
video. It's very honest and very us. We'd just finished shooting
it before we left for the tour, and we just got it back and debuted
it at our CD release party.
AMZ - So we can be looking for it on MTV
soon?
DK - Well I know they have been solicited,
but you know how that goes. We'll see what happens, but to be
honest a video won't make or break us. We are more about the
live show. We'll be back out on the road soon enough.
AMZ - Great! So we'll see ya in New York
then.
DK: We'll be looking for ya. |
