NECK

NECK

When I first came across Neck, I was astounded because although many bands have clearly been influenced by Head, your sound felt like a continuation more so than merely paying homage. The vibe, the song structures, the vocals, you guys really nailed it! What were the goals and thought processes behind creating this band, and were you specifically concerned with carrying the torch in this way?

Of all the punk sub-genres out there, I have never been a fan for the pop punk ... Or even worse 'power pop'. Yuck. This might explain how I had not heard of Head for many years ... With my first exposure being about 7 years ago! Kevin (one of my best pals ever and ex-drummer from the Visitors) is who I must hold responsible! True story. When I first heard of them I was equally unfamiliar with the whole 'Ramones core' thing as well as being pretty much oblivious to the Queers and Screeching Weasel. Never liked any of it. That said, I always LOVED the Ramones (until they put out Pleasant Dreams and everything after that!) haha.

When I heard Head (a CDR with ALL their stuff), my first impression was that they were using similar Ramone-esque chord progressions and transitions. I was also freaked out because the guy singing sounded almost exactly as I did / do!.

This happened to be right up my alley. I've been playing in lots of bands for a long time with each of them being different from the previous yet one common thing (for me) was that I used 'my own rule book' for song structures. The other part of this was that I just started 'trying' to sing about 15 years ago - and every once in a while someone would approach me to say I sounded a lot like the singer from Head. The only hHead I ever heard of was an awful band from Ontario in the early-mid 90's ... so I used to think the comments came from weirdos!

Now, I dunno what other cities do but fairly recently in Ottawa, there's this thing called 'Punk rock cover nights' where everyone gets a chance to see and hear tunes from their fave band from the past. With that, Kevin and our pre-neck bass player (Bevans) decided to participate and play a HEAD set. We recorded many of those early jams as we learned some 15-20 songs. Whenever I played our jams to my close friends, they would think it was a Head bootleg haha. It also freaked them out.

After playing the Head set (which was super fun but rather uneventful and not well received), we decided to start our own 'Ramones core' effort ! 

I decided to stick with my typical song structures but this time taking it to the extreme by stripping all the 'fat' from the idea. The good ole ' get in and get out approach. Short songs. I always loved that Dead Kennedy song 'I like short songs' ... most likely cause I have a short attention span. And now, thanks to that dead fruitatarian guy from Apple -  everyone else have become the same as they continuously stare at their hands for their next 'like'!!

A pal of ours used to hang out during our jams ... and jokingly suggested we call ourselves NECK "cuz you guys support HEAD" haha ... also when you make out with someone's, it is called necking - so at the same time the name is a parody of KISS. Totally dumb name for sure.

 

After playing a few shows, Bevans left cause he already played in a much cooler band (CREEPS).

Enter Johnny Nash!! We were basically pre-neck until Nash saved the day!! Very much the same as Kevin and myself, Johnny had played in many many bands more notable being the Bitchin Camaros and Holy Cobras. 

As far as carrying the torch for Head goes ... it is not deliberate but ya, I guess we sort of do that given our stripped down approach.

Something quite sublime is the whole "smart stupid" concept. Everything that Head released possesses this duality of humor and deadpan that few other punk bands ever attempted. There was always some question about intent, leaving the listener intrigued and stoked but also bemused. Do you find yourself pondering this concept as you write Neck tunes?

Not a great deal of though behind lyrics other than our general spin on daily life experiences / current topics.

Each member plays some kind of role whether it was independent or collaboratively concocted over beers. Nash came up with the best line ever with 'eating mashed potatoes with one hand down my pants' ... I mean c'mon - who says that!

Have you had contact with Ree Ree, Touch, and Tulu? Did you reach out to ask for their "blessing" before starting Neck? What is your impression of their style as individuals? I saw them play SF about 10 years ago and I found them all to be very genuine and delightful guys, with Brother Ree standing out as contrarian of the crew.

I have communicated with Ree Ree ... Where I asked for their blessing for us to include Tire Shredding on our debut. He gave us that blessing and with that I sent 4 copies of the record as a humble gesture of thanks and respect. Make no mistake, after I first heard of HEAD ... The hook was set.

When you compose songs for Neck, it's obvious that you want to trim the song down to only the essential parts, which in many cases means skipping repetition and delivering very lean but very potent doses of driving, fun, slightly dangerous punk. Did it take time to develop this sense of when enough was enough, and perhaps when it wasn't?

Touched on this topic up above ... But yes, we are not big fans of repetitive, predictable or pedestrian song structures. That said, you still want a song to have some kind of 'essence'. We try to write tunes that get right to the point then end it before we get bored. We recently recorded a song that was 2 minutes long ... which is highly controversial! 

I like that you guys do the "two songs in one" thing where the two titles are separated by a forward slash. I assume that Head's influence shines here as well, since they did that from time to time. What effect do you think this technique has on the listener, and how do you go about selecting which two songs to combine into one? Are there lyrical considerations or is it more about what feels right musically?

Not a HEAD thing ... connecting songs is one of the oldest tricks in the book. I'd have to give credit to the Ramones. For myself, there's nothing worse than a band that jibbers and jabbers in between every boring song. Even worse is when some try's to tell jokes!! 

Can you imagine how painful it would be if we stopped to talk for 2 minutes in between all our 1 minute songs?? Trust me, if it was us and our jibber jabber ... You would not be able to leave the venue fast enough.

Fact is that the general attention span for everyone keeps getting smaller and smaller - so if you wanna get their attention - make it short and sweet. If you only have 4-5 'decent' songs ... Play a 15 min set. Everyone wins!

"Hate to Read" had really cool artwork that was a decidedly different approach than Head has taken up to this point. Where did that image come from, and how did you settle on it for the cover? There's a somber vibe to it, yet the comic style lends itself nicely to the whole "smart stupid" concept.

Pulled that off the interwebs ... have no idea who drew it. Found the image doing a search for 'burning books'. For myself, i never read for fun. I read for information/facts. I'm the kind of person who prefers the movie over the book cause I will NEVER read the book! I think all three of us would prefer to sit in rocking chairs while staring at the clouds. 

Aesthetically, what is most important to you in terms of Neck's sound and appearance live? Are downstrokes a must? Does the drummer play with only a floor tom and snare to accompany the kick drum and cymbals? Are leather jackets important? How do you visually represent Neck in a way that complements the sound that you have developed?

Hmnnnn ...

Well Kevin is a total 8ths hitting machine w the high hats. He uses a floor tom here and there - but generally rips w the snare, kick and HH.  I used to try to play along with the first Ramones record with the balance all the way to the left (or right) ... Which would remove the guitar entirely making YOU the guitar player. Between that and Black Flag ... That's pretty much how I learned to play . From the beginning, Kevin has this rule that we ALWAYS must wear the exact same thing on stage. We have many many band uniforms. We want people to think we are in some kind of a gang.

Head is quite unique in the sense that they play "Ramonescore" that sounds unlike most bands in the genre. There seems to be more of a tendency towards ripping off The Queers and Screeching Weasel, which of course means heavy reliance on the old 1-4-5 progression and some doo-wop sensibilities here and there. Neck and Head both attack from a different angle in which the feel of the 3-chord song is retained, yet the melodies and progressions don't tend to go where we might necessarily expect. What's the usual method for writing a Neck tune? Vocal melody first? Chords? I know this might seem to be a generic songwriting question but crafting catchy songs that aren't in the typical form is a notable achievement worth exploring.

We come up with ideas in both ways. For myself, it usually starts with the riff - which then inspires a vocal idea. For each of us ... Songs 'come to us' they are never forced. I never sit down and say ' well it's time to roll up my sleeves and write a bunch of songs' ... I can go months and months and months without a single idea. I think my record is 8 or 9 month dry spell! That said ... What happens is one of us show up with a song idea - then we collectively work out and settle on the structure. If the songs go too long, Kevin could fall asleep and hurt himself. We are always concerned that this will never happen.

Do you guys feel like you are part of the larger "Ramonescore" community? It seems that you've maintained a fairly low profile despite being well-received by fans of this kind of music. What's your approach to communication and community within the punk world, both locally and via the Internet?

We've definitely made a lot of new friends over the past few years - and have more fun then the average bear.

we are low profile for any number of reasons :

- adverse/ unskilled with computer and tech

- poor business, communication  and marketing skills

- paying bills working 'straight jobs'

-poor eating habits

We're also straight shooters ... And prefer to deal with the same. 

I guess we take it as it comes, occasionally planning short trips here and there. Never as often as we would like but that's the way it is. We usually play benefits when asked. 

Do you feel that the style you've chosen for Neck is limiting in any regard? Do you think that it will remain exciting and fun to do for a long period of time? Is there a timelessness to the sound you have created? And finally, to what extent do you feel your music is "relevant" in 2019 - a digital world full of short attention spans and unlimited options?

For myself, I do not enjoy buying the same record from a band again and again. I like slight change showing a  progression with the band and their material - while retaining their original 'charm'. Our new record is different from the first - but still written using the same rule book. Broke the golden rule re. guitar solos ... Someone might want to call the police.

Presently working on new material that continues to veer away ever so slightly while adhering to out rule book for structures.

Is vinyl the only format you plan to release on? Head famously only released vinyl up until the cd compilation containing most of their discography. Why does it remain important to create physical releases?

We like records!! Digital (bandcamp) is fine and dandy as well (we gotta get on that and load the news tuff !) records are real and much harder to physically copy - but as a music lover ... The digital format is more convenient for sure. We usually sell our t-shirt with a digital download code.

Outside of the music world, do your families and friends, co-workers and other contacts have any access to the Neck phenomenon? Do you receive support and encouragement from them?

It has been a nice surprise that some folks dig the band. I try to keep my work life separate from band life  but that was hard to do when we all took two weeks off work to go to Europe! Our partners could care less about most of the 'band stuff' except for Rosa who often attends shows and serves as the merch girl!! 

I can't resist asking what your favorite Head song and album are. So I'll put that out there but end with a question about Neck: What's next for you? Do you have any other musical outlets or goals beyond Neck? What would be your ideal vision for success with Neck? 

1. There are too many HEAD songs that I really love ...  I really like 'they used to call them bums' ... Also Larry Tate.

2. Life is too short. There are many other bands I would like to start ... One in particular would be a 'quiet core' thing. We would only play libraries. 

3. Would be amazing if NECK could keep playing shows when we are in our 80's ... oh wait, that's almost now!