JACOB REINHART

 

JACOB REINHART

I first became aware of you through your YouTube channel, where you've uploaded shitloads of cool guitar covers of mostly punk and skate punk songs. Then I noticed a few where you were posting your own material and got stoked. Can you give the readers a proper introduction to yourself and your band The Stinky Meatballs?

Absolutely! My name is Jacob Reinhart, and I’ve been listening to Punk ever since I played the Tony Hawk‘s Pro skater games. I have been involved in my local scene for about 3 or 4 years, and I have been playing music in the stinky meatballs for about 2 of them. It started off with me making home recorded demos in audacity playing all the instruments. I released a four song EP that had a lot of positive reviews, so I decided to turn the solo project into a full band, and recruited a couple friends from our scene. The lineup has been consistent ever since.

Congrats on releasing your first official album "Emotional Rollercoaster". I read that the album was based on songs you recorded all by yourself at first, and then you recruited friends to play on newly recorded versions? What was the process like for creating this album start to finish?

Well first I wanna start off by saying that recording the album in an actual studio has got to be one of the most fun things I’ve ever done, and it has a lot to do with our producer, JC Griffin at lakebottom recording house. The process was basically everybody Learning the songs to play live for about the first year of us being a band, and then going into the studio. I’m very open to new ideas, so I had no problem with our drummer and bass player introducing different basslines or drum fills. If they enhance the songs, then I was all for them (and enhance them they did). We recorded the drums first, with me doing scratch guitar, then we recorded the guitars, then the bass, then the vocals. A little re-amping and a couple things being punched in, and it was done.

What's your songwriting background? When did you first break down that barrier between "player" and "composer"?

I always kind of wanted to write songs even when I was growing up but nothing ever really came to fruition until my high school days. I had a very cringy rapper phase in high school where I would make mediocre beats and wrap over them, but I never actually went anywhere with it and got made fun of for it. When it came to me getting into Punk a lot more, I would always come up with stuff here and there but again they would never really go anywhere. That was until I started getting into local scene and that’s when I actually started putting my ideas into recordings. The first song I ever wrote for the stinking meatballs was “you’re too young to bitch about being old” and The next thing I know I have three demo EPs and a professional studio album.

Your pages are proudly emblazoned with the slogan "DEFEND SKATE PUNK". I am a huge fan of that style of punk but find it hard to believe that it remains relevant to people younger than 40! How did you get into it originally, and what are your favorite all-time skate punk bands/albums?

4 words: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Those games were a huge stepping stone for me getting into Punk. My favorite songs from the soundtrack’s were always the ones with the 1-2 skate Punk beat (Seneca Falls, Blackball, etc.). I really like looking into stuff that I really like to the point where I become borderline obsessed with it, so even though I listen to a lot of other sub genres of Punk besides skate Punk, it remains my favorite sub genre. A lot of my favorite skate punk bands are Millencolin, Frenzal Rhomb, mi6, Guttermouth, Pennywise, and Bad Religion.

You also skate and seem to have a deep appreciation for old school skating (not unlike your musical tastes). How deep into skating are you, and are there any good spots/skateparks where you live?

Admittedly I don’t necessarily skate as much as I used to, but if I get on the board I can still do what I’m able to do. I can’t necessarily do real life 1 million point combos, but for what it is I can definitely make it look like I know what I’m doing. Again, the Tony hawk games inspired that. A couple spots that I can name off the top of my head are Parmalee park in Lambertville, pacesetter Park and Sylvania, and the DIY park off Central and Buckeye. I really need to go to that last one because I see videos of it nowadays and it looks a lot more intricate.

My take on Ohio is that it's always had a very fertile and diverse musical culture. Lots of great punk and metal seem to come out of different parts of Ohio as well. Do you feel that there's a vital scene where you live?

Oh absolutely. There’s a lot of bands outside of the Punk scene that I absolutely love. Variety is the spice of life, so if there was just a punk scene it would kind of get boring. Everyone’s friends with each other and supports each other. I’ve even had people outside of the Punk scene share our album, and I would do the same for them.

Do you feel more connected to the punk/pop punk scenes via the Internet and your YouTube channel? Do you think that technology has opened more doors for you as an artist with respect to networking and building community?

100%. With my guitar covers I like to cover smaller bands based on the fact that they’re more likely to see it. I appreciate the music so I wanted to show my appreciation to them, and in a sense that’s how I get their attention. I’ve made a lot of good friends doing that. Despite my love-hate relationship for it, and a lot of older punks not liking this take, I feel that the Internet really helps your band if you’re marketing it correctly. So long as you’re a friendly person, don’t have an ego, and your music doesn’t suck, you should be OK.

What's next for you? What are your ultimate goals for The Stinky Meatballs and for your music in general?

To be completely honest, I’m not exactly sure. I’m definitely up for making more and more music as the years go by since I’m always thinking about songs to write, and when corona ceases to exist in the near future, we’ll see if we can definitely play out of town shows. I feel also some ultimate goals like becoming famous aren’t necessarily something you can plan out, so we’re kind of taking this one goal at a time. (The most recent goal being the album.) We’re still practicing as well so we’re preparing to get back out there when everything is back to normal, whatever that may be.

Any final words/shout-outs?

I wanna give a shout out to my buddies in the bands the Robinsons, Scooped Up, Atomic Treehouse, Take Weight, as well as our entire local scene, Punk and all. And the biggest shout out of all I wanna give is to our full band, Brandon, Eddie and Benji. You guys fucking rule for playing with me.

LILY LIVERS

 

LILY LIVERS

I first heard of you guys when Matt (OUTLOUD! Records) put out your

cd with the carnivorous plants on the cover. That artwork alone was

enough to get me stoked! When I heard the tunes I knew I was in for a

traditional old school pop punk treat. How did you guys form and

settle on playing "our" kind of music?

The age old Fish and Juju met in Jr. High and have been jamming ever since, with multiple lineup and name changes haha..

Tyler came along being a good friend since our incarnation as "Lily Livers."

We settled on Pop Punk earlier on in our history... But plan to branch and experiment a bit more as time goes on.. Lots of plans!

I'm relatively new to the Lily Livers so I'm not sure about

membership and roles besides Tyler being the new bass player (Hi

Tyler). Who writes the songs? How does the band dynamic function with

regard to making decisions about the songs, lyrics, vibes, imagery,

etc?

Fish Usually writes the songs, but Juju and Tyler (Hi, Grim!) Chime in and make quirks and changes along the way, making it a group effort! We try to keep everyone on their toes in the creative front, but lately we've been writing together.

I'm 40 so I'm always interested to know how people born after 1990

were first introduced to this style of music. Which albums were first

to grab your attention and when did you begin creating your own songs?

Tyler- For me it was Green Day Dookie my folks played all the time when I was little then in my early teens discovering American Idiot on my own and getting into their back catalog which lead me down the Lookout rabbit hole to all those classic bands Queers, Weasel, MTX etc a little later Teenage Bottlerocket's They Came From The Shawdows coming out on fat cemented my love even further I didnt start writing till I joined this band.

Juju-  when i was younger i played a lot of Tony Hawk games with my sister who would eventually go on to introduce me to bands like Green Day and Blink 182 which i quickly became obsessed with. That lead me to playing guitar with Fish where we would start a number of garage bands with our buddies. I learned about the Decendents album Milo Goes To Collage which eventually gave me the drive to start drumming. After years of playing in bands I started making my own music in many forms and genres like electronic and pop songs of which bands like the Talking Heads and Pink Floyd are big influences of. Though many of the current pop punk bands keep me involved like Flamingo Nosebleed, The Putz and others.

Fish- I began writing music as a young lad... About 10 years old but never took it seriously until i met Juju and found a sense of direction in what songwriting was. The biggest band that influenced me was Green Day, but eventually I travelled deeper into Lookout! records...! But what drove me to write music personally were 2 bands from Macedonia called "Noviot Pochetok" and "Fonija" they play Melodic Punk and drive home with a California Drive... Recently I've been diving into WEEN.

All of Our biggest influences music wise are Mean Jeans, Ramones, the Smurfs and the Dead Milkmen.

I know Tyler is a super pop punk fan with a lot of knowledge of

obscure stuff. Does the rest of the band share the obsession? How deep

into the pop punk style of music are you guys? What other styles of

music do you listen to?

Juju and Fish Could go ALLLL NIGHT on this question... Quite the diverse taste. Tyler Keeps us grounded to Pop Punk normally...! Haha, but Juju and Fish like Weird Paul, Jan Terri, Ween, Butthole Surfers, The Dead Milkmen and all sorts of goofy music hahaha. But Pop Punk definitely runs deep throughout ALL of our veins!

The Lily Livers strike me as having a blend of "party" and "fuck

you" vibes. Mean Jeans meets The Queers. Is that accurate? How would

you describe your sound to the discerning punk ear?

You Nailed it.

You guys seem to go for a very honest and raw production, which I

like. Are you picky about that aesthetic or do you just go with the

flow? What are some of your favorite sounding punk albums

production-wise?

We like to stay raw... But we try to know what production sounds best with what. Fish typically writes all the songs on Keyboard before turning them into more of a punk style... We're going through a bit of a "Sound" Change write now, of which will start to be heard more AFTER this next release we have planned, But as for "Punk" album productions currently we'd have to say "Eat Your Paisley" Dead Milkmen "Suburbia" the Wonder Years "Dork Rock Cork Rod" by the Ergs (like I said we have diverse tastes in music that span across the board, so who knows what the answer will be in a Month HAH.)

Tell me more about the Detroit scene? I know Dougie Tangent is from

that area and I know The Dewtons but that'a about it. Is there a

community there for this kind of music? How gnarly is the city really?

It has quite a rep.

Pop Punk is a Rare Gem in Detroit nowadays, but we have the Dewtons as you said and the Randy Bastards (which Juju and Fish are in) along S.U.B. and Bathroom of The Future. Its a tight nit community here.. And i haven't listed nearly all of them But its quant and nice!

Have you guys ever heard of/seen the movie Detropia? It made

Detroit look fascinating and terrifying at the same time. What's your

take on the culture and community of Detroit? It seems like there are

a lot of artists, musicians, and other creative types there to take

advantage of the cheaper living costs and vibrant art scenes.

Never heard of Detropia, but Very true, Detroit has a great music scene but there's also a lot of Gentrification and, because of that, a lot of clubs are going away...  But Precovid Detroit was a bustling with local acts! It was nice too see an active town

Hope it happens again soon! Haha

You guys are part of the OUTLOUD! roster - has that increased your

community in the pop punk "bubble"? What other bands are you friendly

with, and how do you view the pop punk scene in general?

We're tight with the Sheckies and Dougies bands, Flamingo Nosebleed and Nifty Skullet from Indiana as well... Nick Rorick is our dude though, he's mostly opened our opportunities up the most in the past and has offered to help us out more along he road. Sweet Guy.

What are your next plans? Future goals? How do you stay on track

to meet your band goals - do you have a disciplined approach despite

the carefree style that you play?

Practice Every Sunday at Noon(ish) and we're currently working on a BRAND NEW RECORD... We like to keep it fresh most of all so our natural rhythms and functions change constantly!

Regarding lyrics - do you guys put a lot of thought into titles

and concepts for the songs? How loose are your policies for what flies

and what doesn't? Do you aim for a certain level of wit or cleverness?

n a way we do strive for a certain level of wit... But like I said we are an Open book. Things change CONSTANTLY and so do our concepts with songs. When I (Fish) write alone, i usually start with the music and try to stay within the lines of what the song calls for, but when it comes to performance and the Melody, or Vocal Rhythm, it's nice to spice it up a bit with flare, or rasp. I DEFINITELY overthink (it).

It's a weird time to do this interview because we are in the middle of a bit of a change in lyrical content and musical direction... But the future is unwritten as of now!

Finally, what are some of your favorite current pop punk bands?

Fish-  Mean Jeans, the Putz, Dark Thoughts, The Grow Ops, Covert Flops, Nifty Skullet, Bathroom of the Future, You Dirty Rat!

Juju- Flamingo Nosebleed, Mean Jeans, The Cavemen, The Sneakers, Suicide Machines, Frenzal Rhomb, Smash The Jukebox, Fat Heaven, Paranormal Paratroopers, Bathroom Of The Future, Remember Sports

Tyler- Capitalist Kids, Dark Thoughts, Saturday Night Karaoke, Smash The Jukebox, Randy Bastards, Jagger Holly, Nite Sobs, Teenage Bubblegums, So-Cho Pistons.

Any final words? HAILS

We gearing up to record a BRAND NEW RECORD soon... So stay Posted on the Lily Livers Facebook and Instagram!

Thanks for readin' our DUMB words! Cheers and Beers, Folks! 

Lily Livers are...

Fish Tantrum - Vox/Guitar

Tyler Anxeity - Vox/Bass

King Juju Bones - Vox/Drums

BAD SECRET

 

BAD SECRET

(Interview with Beau Basement)

I know you as Beau from The Suck, and also as someone with whom I share a love for traditional old school pop punk, among other interests. Could you give the readers a more proper introduction?

I’ve been playing in punk rock and rock ‘n roll bands since 1995. Currently, I’m the drummer of the SUCK, and the voice of Bad Secret. I get tattooed. I sling pizzas. I can drink a lot of adult beverages, with varying results.

What is your musical background/band history and when did you start writing your own songs?

A couple bands you might know (STRIKEOUTS, LEBOWSKIS, FIRST IN SPACE) and most you probably don’t (MONTY BELMONTS, DEL PHANTOMS, SPEED LIMITS, BASEMENTS). I’ve also put out a couple of records as Beau Basement & The Razorblades. I started writing songs from day one, and I fashion myself as a singer/songwriter hiding in a punk rock band.

When The Suck came along, I was delighted because it seemed the perfect continuation of a renaissance of Weasel/Queers style Ramonescore bands and labels that has revitalized the scene over the past decade or so. What was the mission statement of that band, and how influential was HEAD?

If the SUCK had a mission statement... it would have to be that “we only give 25 percent.” Seriously. To give anymore completely takes all of the fun out of playing in a band. HEAD? We are HEAD. No one told you that? Smile!

I knew nothing of Bad Secret until I saw some posts featuring the Metallica-style logo and some interestingly dark imagery for the cover of Demo I. Can you tell us more about Bad Secret? In ways does it differ from The Suck and other music you've done previously?

I’ve always wanted the dark imagery of being in a metal band, without actually playing in a metal band. I’m a Ramone at heart. I started writing the songs for what became Bad Secret in January of this year. My songs are dark. All of them. Always. Why shouldn’t the imagery also be? All of the songs center around the theme of vandalism. I had the thought that one can vandalize anything and everything. The breaking of things. That appeals to me. The burning of every bridge, just for the fuck of it. And rather than put out another record under my own name, I decided I would hide behind a band name. • It differs from the SUCK drastically. That’s pretty obvious. I drum in the SUCK, but I don’t write the tunes. It’s all still punk rock. You can enjoy both.

We briefly chatted about our shared appreciation/love for old school pop punk, but also a shared concern for writing lyrics that aren't the same old tired/uninspired subjects that have been rehashed for decades. What is your philosophy of pop punk, and in what ways do you bring your own identity into this style?

I really have no philosophy on “pop” punk. I enjoyed it when I was in high school quite a bit, but as I got older I really couldn’t relate to it anymore. Especially the lyrical content. I still love all of those bands from a nostalgic point of view, though. And I revisit them often. I’m in the camp of thinking that punk rock should be a little dark, and a little violent. But I listen to all kinds of punk rock. I don’t prefer any one sub-genre to another. I love all of it. With that said, lyrical content should be a top priority. Say something that rings true for you. If it’s bubblegum, leather jackets, and Chuck Taylor’s... that’s great. You do you. I just prefer getting dark, and staying dark. Life is difficult. I’d like to think that the lyrics I write reflect that. I enjoy the struggle. One isn’t any more valid than the other. It’s subjective, just like all music.

I've seen a pretty impressive release bundle that's up for pre-order now? Tell us about the physical goods that will be made available, and also how you ended up working with John Proffitt, Jr. (of Mom's Basement Records) on this release.

“DEMO-ONE” from Bad Secret was always meant for a cassette release. It is a demo, after all. Because, metal. John Mom from Mom’s Basement Records thought a compact disc should be an option, as well. And the t-shirt for the preorder bundle is killer looking! Three of my favorite things in the world represented... RAMONES, METALLICA, and MOTORHEAD! I guess they could technically sue me, but whatever. • After the Bad Secret record was finished, I sent it to John Mom. If he couldn’t/wouldn’t work with it, I would have just released it myself. I wasn’t planning on shopping it around. Luckily, he fit me in, and his Mom’s Cellar Dwellers imprint worked perfectly for how I envisioned this release. Cassette. Demo. John Mom is a great dude, and he runs what I consider a perfect punk rock record label. I’m extremely grateful he’s hanging around. He’s done so much for the SUCK and for me, I’ll spend quite awhile trying to repay him back.

Do you foresee this project being your main priority going forward? How do you prioritize your musical output, and what's your approach to creating/achieving goals for your own music?

Nah. I can do whatever, whenever. I love the SUCK and Bad Secret equally. Bad Secret has given me an itch to scratch creatively, and the SUCK gives me a reason to hang out with my core group of dudes that I’ve known for over 20+ years. It’s a win-win. And in Bad Secret, I get to hang with my dudes Johnny Stanec and “Metal” Don Egan. Two of the best musicians I’ve ever worked with. And better dudes, you’ll never find. I think that answers all three questions, really. I don’t have any goals.

We're all getting older. Most of the old school pop punkers are now actually old - in our 40s and beyond. How long do you think our style of music can remain relevant? Do you see it as being a timeless genre that could carry on despite the change in musical landscape and culture?

Everything comes full circle. I already see a bunch of kids in their late-teens, early twenties, playing mid-90’s Lookout! Records style punk rock. And they’re pretty killer, actually. What I really want to see is a new group of kids doing their best GROOVIE GHOULIES impression. Now that would kill!

What are your ultimate goals as an artist and musician? How do you remain inspired while juggling the other challenges of your personal and professional life?

No goals, just expectations. I want my songs to get stronger as I continue to write them. Lyrical content, especially. The message is always more important than the delivery. • I remain inspired by all the other music that’s out there. All genres. I still love music as much as I did when I was a kid. I’m always looking for new bands to listen to. Let’s be honest... I sling pizzas for a living. I’m Peter Pan in a punk rock pirates outfit. I’m essentially the same asshole now, that I was back in the mid-90’s. I can’t help it. Stunted adolescence, as a rule.

What are your top 5 favorite heavy metal releases of all time?

METALLICA “Ride The Lightning”. • The perfect thrash album. My first love, long before I ever heard “Leave Home” from the RAMONES. •

DANZIG III “How The Gods Kill”. • Dark, for the sake of being dark. •

IRON MAIDEN “Powerslave”. • The best NWOBHM album, and a band at the top of their game, in my opinion. Still the best live band I’ve ever seen. Perfect precision. •

WARKINGS “Reborn”. • The best of the new crop of power metal bands. My preferred sub-genre of heavy metal. Huge songs, with perfect imagery. •

BLIND GUARDIAN “Nightfall In Middle-Earth”. • My favorite heavy metal band of all-time. Fantasy driven lyrical content (not unlike what I’m going for in Bad Secret), from the greatest power metal band ever. “Huge” doesn’t even begin to describe how powerful this album is. •

Honorable Mention:
Every MOTORHEAD album. Are they metal? Or Punk rock? Rock ‘n Roll? Answer: yes.