by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: The Heart Attacks
When: January 25th @ 8PM
Where: Jack Rabbits
The Heart Attacks aren’t just about a punk sound; they’re about a punk attitude, one that’s refreshingly old-school. There’s much about their sound that harkens back to the 1950’s and early 60’s riffs and beats, but with a punk edginess that throws poodle skirts and bobby socks into a whole new punk-infused light.
EU had a chance to speak with lead singer Chase (aka Teenage Haircut) who says of the 50’s and 60’s: “back then there were a lot of people with the same [punk] attitude, they just didn’t put safety pins through their noses and ears and sh*t”.
The fearsome fivesome of Chase on vocals, Tuk on lead guitar, Dave on rhythm, Paulie on bass and Brad on drums look like a hair/glam band with a shot of punk and a lot of trouble. They sell the idea of raising hell because, well, they like raising hell, and so far it’s paid off for them. “I guess it was about [at] 17, I started getting real dumb. I was pretty smart for a while and then I stopped worrying about everything and doing whatever I wanted to. I guess if it ever comes back on me I’ll worry about it then. No consequences is what helps out a lot with raising hell.”
EU asked Chase about the cut ‘Tearstained Letters’ with Joan Jett, but he shared that “we never met her” and that she recorded the track overseas. Says Haircut “I’m not sure if she remembers doing it…she must have been doing a lot of sh*t [at the time]…We played a couple of shows with her…she never mentioned the song.”
Chase wrote most of the tracks on their album Hellbound and Heartless at the tender ages of 15-17, holding on to his best stuff for the album. He has been in one band or another since he was about 11 years old. One punk band he fronted was named And Guest, a name the band chose based on the same logic as Bare Naked Ladies, though a name like And Guest simply didn’t build the fan base the band had hoped for. The Heart Attacks did what the now-defunct And Guest didn’t; they got on a major label, namely Hellcat Records. This success came on the heels of a major disappointment for the band.
When the band left for Warped Tour in 2005, says Chase “We were all pretty sure the girlfriends that we did have were going to leave us…Everybody quit everything, just to go on a little tour and come to find out we weren’t even supposed to play…our manager [at the time] was a jackass.” Still, the band had put everything on the line to go on Warped Tour, so they decided to follow the tour and sell their CDs in the adjacent parking lots. “We would get really, really drunk like at 8 in the morning just to loosen up and sell CDs to kids.”
They also decided to open a makeshift bar in the parking lot to make ends meet. “We had somebody in our van that was old enough to buy it…We sold the beer for like $1 or $2. We weren’t like a real bar…I was surprised, we’d get like $100 in tips a night.” The relatively cheap booze attracted bands and their fans. Says Chase “Kids [would] just hang out…with their favorite band…and get drunk with them and raise hell and scream and shout. [It’s the] funniest sh*t to see 15 year-old kids puking…I get a kick out of sh*t like that, I’m a sick motherf*cker.” While pimping booze and CDs, they happened to pass one of their CDs on to Tim Armstrong of Rancid, who soon encouraged the boys to sign on with Hellcat Records. “I’m glad it happened the way it did. I’d never do that sh*t again though, that’s the most embarrassing thing in the world. Don’t even wanna be near the Warped tour unless I’m playin it.”
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