Teenage Casket Company | Best Kept Secret

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer –

If you get your jollies by discovering unknown bands that sound like they should be bigger than they are, then listening to Teenage Casket Company will get you more excited than the high school geek scoring a date with a hot cheerleader who promises the night will end with her pom-poms naked. The band’s bouncy, infectious, guitar-driven power-pop has been filtered through the fun-loving spirit of the ‘80s and filigreed with some dirty punk attitude, creating a sound that is both warmly familiar and yet anything but cookie cutter. It’s Butch Walker meets Cheap Trick and it’s plenty good enough to be on modern rock radio… if modern rock radio didn’t have its head up its ass most of the time.

Teenage Casket Company have been around for a decade now, releasing indie albums in ‘03 (Dial It Up) and ‘07 (Eat Your Heart Out). Originally a quartet, they are now a trio following the departure of guitarist Jamie Derelict in ‘09. The other members circled the scene a bit, touring and writing with The Bulletboys and Stevie Jaimz, but during this two year hiatus the band’s fans (called “coffin kids”) grew restless and demanded they get back together. So, armed with a new studio track (“Best Friend is My Radio”), Teenage Casket Company have compiled this “best of” collection to re-introduce their smart, catchy style of rock to the world. Here’s hoping the world is paying attention.

This is one talented bunch of guys; they possess skills that only come from a hearty work ethic and an eternity or two honing those chops out on the big bad road. Bands like Bowling For Soup and Danger Danger have publicly declared their admiration for Teenage Casket Company, so you know they’re not just a bunch of frat boys banging around in daddy’s garage and calling themselves a band. Teenage Casket Company may only be a threesome now (get your minds out of the gutter) but those three know how to play.

Whether or not you choose to call this “hard” rock depends on where you draw the line. It ain’t Metallica, but it ain’t Madonna either. Whatever you choose to call it, this is utterly addictive stuff, equipped with snarky lyrics and the kind of sharp hooks that instantly snag you like a fish hook in the eyeball. Take the new song, “Best Friend Is My Radio,” for example; with its fast rhythms, driving guitars, sing-along chorus, and punk-powered angst, it is a prime exhibition of the Teenage Casket Company style. That description can be applied to just about any track on this album except for “Believe In You,” which is a huge lighter-in-the-air ballad that proudly testifies to the band’s love of ‘80s hair metal. It’s one part Warrant, one part Firehouse, and all class. Put it up there with the classic power ballads we all know and love.

If you absolutely must find something to complain about—though, really, this album is so much fun that bitching seems almost sinful, but if you must—then you could argue that all the songs kind of sound the same. But that is the curse of any genre and this sort of power-pop rock is no exception. You could also argue for a bigger backing vocal punch—a few more gang vocals would really hit the spot—but enough with the nitpicking. Even with these minor flaws, this album is fun and infectious from start to finish.

Teenage Casket Company have a name that conjures up images of dark, trendy, Gothic metal infested with garish ghouls and bloody-fanged vamps. Well, take that misconception, drive a stake through its erroneous heart, and bury it six feet underground. With their timeless, addictive, hook-laden approach to the genre, these guys truly are one of the best kept secrets in the world of rock and roll.

Genre: Rock

Band:
Rob Wylde (vocals, guitars)
Laney 74 (bass)
Spike (drums, keyboards)

Track Listing
1. Best Friend Is My Radio
2. Cocaine
3. Dial It Up
4. Down on Luck
5. Thank You For Nothing
6. Mirrors & Wires
7. Don’t Look At Me Like That
8. Believe In You
9. One Thing You Don’t Need
10. Eat Your Heart Out
11. Ain’t Got Nothin’ On Me

Label: JAMSYNC Music

Webpage: www.facebook.com/teenagecasketcompany

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Rob Wylde of Teenage Casket Company

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer –

Teenage Casket Company lead singer Rob Wylde checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about their brand new single/video for the track “Without You,” released on Valentine’s Day 2012; their upcoming EP; their “best of” compilation Best Kept Secret; what it’s like playing as a 3-piece; the small but awesome role Hardrock Haven played in the liner notes of Best Kept Secret; how they picked their “best” songs for that release; upcoming tour plans; and a whole lot more.

Teenage Casket Company is one of those fathomless bands; no one who has heard them can fathom how everything they do is not at the top of the charts. Tune in now to re-learn why these guys should be one of your favorite bands, and pick up Best Kept Secret today.

Online: www.jamsyncmusic.com

Rob Wylde

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

Sins Of America currently is taking the East Coast by storm. The band has garnered a huge following in the Boston music scene, helping to re-shape the scene with its innovative hard rock, glam-rock style.

Sins of America frontman Rob Wylde, who also fronts Teenage Casket Company, brings a riveting stage presence that has Boston’s rock audiences taking notice. Teenage Casket Company recently signed to Jamsync Music, and Hardrock Haven’s managing editor Derric Miller wrote the liner notes on the upcoming Teenage Casket Company release Best Kept Secret.

Hardrock Haven is proud to present an interview with Sins Of America singer Rob Wylde, who discusses Sins Of America, Teenage Casket Company and much more.

HRH: Thank you for checking in with Hardrock Haven. We are excited about the news that Teenage Casket Company was signed to Jam Sync Music. How did this transpire, and when is the new CD going to be released?

ROB: Basically, what happened was our bass player, Laney, was on tour over here, playing bass with The BulletBoys. The BulletBoys had just released an album on the same label. The head executive of the label came down to see the BulletBoys and didn’t realize that he was a member of Teenage Casket Company. A long story short: It turns out that he was a big fan of Teenage Casket Company, and he was going to start a new label. He was finding bands. He e-mailed Laney and said he wanted to put out Teenage Casket Company in the States. We decided that rather than re-releasing both albums, we thought we would take the best songs from the first and second album. We also had a single, “Best Friend Is My Radio,” that was released in the UK last year. So, basically, we put all the songs together. We remixed and remastered the entire thing. Another cool thing is the single “Best Friend Is My Radio” is going to be remixed by Bruno Ravel from Danger Danger. The CD is going to be called Best Kept Secret, and I believe it is going to be released in America in September.

HRH: Are you going to be touring with Teenage Casket Company in the fall?

ROB: Hopefully; we have talked about it. I am going back to my annual visit to the UK in September to visit family and stuff. We have been offered a few dates in the UK. Maybe we will do a few shows in the States. Putting together a tour in the States is going to be a lot easier because I permanently live here. It has opened a lot more doors in that respect. We will see what happens. As of right now, we are looking to doing dates in the UK in September. With fingers crossed, maybe doing dates in October or November in the States to coincide with the CD release.

HRH: Any plans to release a video?

ROB: We would love to. We put out “Don’t Look At Me Like That” from our second album. That did wonders for us. You can only do so much on the Internet. It all comes down to money and who is going to fund it.

HRH: I heard that my editor, Derric Miller, is going to write a foreword on the album notes.

ROB: Yes, Derric has been one of those guys that have been behind Teenage Casket Company from day No.1. I actually remember sending him a level 3 demo way before the first album came out. He gave it a very good review. We put out the first album out in 2005, and he loved that. He has been real cool support! I actually have read the liner notes, and they are really cool. I have talked to him a billion times on the phone. I never actually have met him in person. He really hits the nail on the head with the liner notes. He has been an awesome support with the band. I can’t thank him enough.

HRH: How would you describe Teenage Casket Company vs. Sins Of America? You kind of have the best of both worlds going on.

ROB: The thing is, when I put Teenage Casket Company together, it was four guys who grew up listening to completely different styles of music. I grew up listening to Def Leppard and Bon Jovi and all these big-hair bands. Jamie, who left the band last year, was a big punk fan. Laney was into a lot R and B. He likes Goo Goo Dolls. Our drummer was a Rush and Yes freak. So when you put all that together, it kind of made it, although the songs are rock songs. I think TCC is a lot more diverse. Sins Of America is four guys who grew up on Motley and RATT. It is kind of a more straight-ahead hard rock thing.

HRH: Sins Of America currently is taking Boston by storm. How do you hope the band will help revive the Boston scene?

ROB: I don’t think the Boston music scene is very receptive for the kind of band that we are.

HRH: Do you feel the scene is more underground these days? I know the band is going to be playing at the Cantab Lounge in August. A lot of the bands that play there are kind of underground and are on the verge of breaking out of the scene. It’s kind of like word-of-mouth these days.

ROB: Yes, I definitely agree. It’s kind of like we are out playing all the time. We constantly play. We are not one of those bands that just sits at home. We are out all the time. Whether we are out playing to a ton of people or just two people, we really don’t care. Obviously, we are playing with bands that look and sound nothing like us. The one thing that we have found through constantly playing is the fact that when we finish our set whether we played with a mean and nasty death metal band, I think that everybody secretly has a Motley Crue or Poison album in their closet. Do you know what I mean? If you look at rock bands like AC/DC or Aerosmith, they have survived all different kinds of trends that have come and gone. I think people can appreciate what we are doing.

HRH: You currently are in the studio with Sins Of America. Is the recording finished?

ROB: Yes, we have an album coming out, Songs For The Broken Hearted, which is going to be released on the Trashpit Label, the same label that released the Teenage Casket Company back in the UK. It is an 11-track album. We are finishing up the album, and that is going to be out sometime in September or October.

HRH: Oh, that is the same time as TCC.

ROB: Yes, you get a double dose the British band and the American band.

HRH: How do you feel about the U.S. audiences versus the European audience? Do you see any differences at all?

ROB: Not between the UK and the U.S. Growing up in the UK, I thought America was like the “Holy Land.” (Laughter) It was where all of my favorite bands came from. I grew up on all American bands. We did two tours with Teenage Casket Company. The thing that we learned when we are on tour is that you can sell out on one night, then play to one or two people on a Monday or Tuesday night. It is funny because I think a lot of American people want to come over to England, the home of The Beatles and The Stones and all that. I think people tend to be a little bit disappointed. (Laughter)

HRH: That is very interesting. Now how would you describe the sound on the new Sins Of America album? Does it have the ’80s Motley Crue vibe?

ROB: The thing we are trying to put across with Sins Of America it is a real good-time rock and roll band. There are lots of guitars, tons of melody, big hooks and huge choruses. We also recorded acoustic songs on the CD. We are really looking forward to what people think of it. It is a real good-time rock and roll album. If you are down in the dumps, put this CD on, and you will be happy.

HRH: Is there anything else that you want to say about the tour and album?

ROB: I would just like to say that we have the Sins Of America CD, Songs For The Broken Hearted coming out sometime in September or October. Teenage Casket Company’s Best Kept Secret is coming out in September. Check out the band as we continue to tour because we need you guys.

www.myspace.com/sinsofamerica