{"id":44955,"date":"2014-09-10T17:59:28","date_gmt":"2014-09-10T22:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=44955"},"modified":"2014-09-10T18:00:54","modified_gmt":"2014-09-10T23:00:54","slug":"interview-with-rob-wylde-of-sins-of-america-and-teenage-casket-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/interview-with-rob-wylde-of-sins-of-america-and-teenage-casket-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Wylde of Sins of America and Teenage Casket Company"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller<\/span>
\n– Managing Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Teenage Casket Company lead singer Rob Wylde checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about a side project he had a few years ago called Sins of America; the release of Sins of America\u2019s Demos for the Deranged<\/em>; what it was like to live in the States; what Teenage Casket Company is up to; an upcoming 10-year documentary on Teenage Casket Company; adding his vocals to the new release from Rob Laney\u2019s Straight to Video<\/em> sequel; and a whole lot more. <\/p>\n

\"wylde\"HRH: Most of the Hardrock Haven readers know you as the longtime singer\/guitarist of Teenage Casket Company, maybe on the latest Tiger Tailz release, but there was a time when TCC was on hiatus and you were living in the States and started another band\u2014Sins of America. The music you guys made is now going to be released via Mighty Monster Records, all the demos and songs from your EP, and it\u2019s called Demos for the Deranged<\/em>. How did this collaboration come about?<\/p>\n

Wylde: Well it all started when I got an email from a guy named Sasch Machyne. He was a big fan of Sins Of America and had the five-track demo that we released in 2008. He hit me up a while ago and asked if I had any other Sins Of America songs hanging around as he was interested in putting them all out on an official release on his label Mighty Monster. I told him that in addition to the give tracks on the 2008 demo CD, I also had four or five other tracks that we recorded after that and were intended to be released on our official debut album, which unfortunately never came to fruition as the band split not long after that.<\/p>\n

I sent him all the demos, he re-mastered everything and put the whole thing together. Putting this CD out was something that I\u2019d been considering doing for a couple of years myself as I often get requests for it, so Sasch and everyone at Mighty Monster saved me the job!<\/p>\n

HRH: I remember being in touch with you\u2014maybe we did an interview\u2014when you were living in Boston and playing local shows with Sins of America. Looking back on that time living here in America \u2026 is it with fond or bittersweet memories?<\/p>\n

Wylde: It\u2019s bittersweet to be honest with you. I don\u2019t regret moving to the States, as there was nothing really going on in the UK at the time and I had some amazing times and met some really wonderful people out there. I just regret a few decisions I made in my personal life haha.<\/p>\n

On the whole though I wouldn\u2019t change it. I love America and loved the way of life over there and of course the people. I was always made very welcome over there and Sins Of America was a really great band that probably would\u2019ve gone on to do a lot more had things worked out differently, but no regrets. It was fun while it lasted. Great memories.<\/p>\n

HRH: One of the funniest exchanges we had, via email or whatever, was that \u201cPBR is one dollar a beer tonight at this bar!\u201d If you didn\u2019t know gluttony was one of \u2018Merica\u2019s favorite pastimes, I think that clarified it for you right there! <\/p>\n

Wylde: I used to love Pabst Blue Ribbon! I drank that stuff like it was going out of fashion. In fact I\u2019d go as far as saying that it was my favorite beer over there. I don\u2019t know what that says exactly (laughs). I guess some people are easily pleased.<\/p>\n

HRH: I remember the first time I heard \u201cCan\u2019t Take It Back\u201d off the original EP. It stuck with me for a while; it was my favorite song on the release. It\u2019s probably because most Sins of America songs are more positive, upbeat, and this was a little more moody. And there is that guitar part where you guys channel Steve Clark from Def Leppard. Just an awesome song. Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind that song? <\/p>\n

Wylde: \u201cCan\u2019t Take It Back\u201d was probably my favorite Sins Of America song too and you\u2019re right about the Def Leppard vibe. That was totally the vibe we were going for with that one and Chris Kelley played some really great lead stuff on that track.<\/p>\n

The song is written about letting go of things you can\u2019t change. We all make stupid decisions from time and time and make mistakes but sometimes you\u2019ve got to stop beating yourself up, put it down to a life lesson and just move on.<\/p>\n

\"sins\"HRH: For those that have the EP, there are unreleased songs like \u201cHypnotize Me\u201d that you can\u2019t find on the EP. When I compare it to the songs like \u201cOne More Shot\u201d or \u201cDon\u2019t Bite the Hand That Feeds You,\u201d it\u2019s somehow more earnest yet more of a pop hit. It\u2019s seems the songwriting kept growing before you guys called it quits. In fact, this might be my favorite chorus out of all of them \u2026<\/p>\n

Wylde: Thanks yeah, I think we were really getting into our stride just before we called it quits so it was a shame. The pop side of things has always been really important in everything I write. Unless there\u2019s some pop hooks in there I\u2019m not interested. That\u2019s the most important part to me.<\/p>\n

HRH: The only real \u201cballad\u201d on the release is \u201cSo Good, So Bad.\u201d Just like in TCC, the harmonies are stellar, musical, rich. Is this one of the songs you guys were playing live when you were playing shows, or did it come later? And if you played it live \u2026 how much did the ladies love it? <\/p>\n

Wylde: No we never played that song live, not as a full band anyway but I would often play it when I\u2019d go out and play solo acoustic shows which I did quite a lot when I lived out there.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s definitely a song that comes straight from the heart and I think the lyrics are some of the best I\u2019ve ever written.<\/p>\n

I remember it making one girl cry when she first heard it. I don\u2019t know whether that\u2019s a good thing or a bad thing haha. I\u2019m taking it as good! Definitely a song for the ladies though, no doubt about that. <\/p>\n

HRH: I don\u2019t know how many songs you and guitarist Chris Kelley wrote together, but for sure one was \u201cOne More Shot.\u201d It seems that you guys put together a kick ass songwriting team. Are you guys still in touch with each other? Is there any chance of doing any songwriting together in the future? <\/p>\n

Wylde: We didn\u2019t really write together. For the most part I would write all the songs and just bring them into the band but Chris and I did write \u201cOne More Shot\u201d and \u201cAlready Leaving\u201d together. Chris came up with the riffs and I wrote the lyrics and melodies. Then Evan Deane, the bass player wrote a great track called \u201cLet The Good Times Roll\u201d which opens the CD.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t really see us writing together in the future but you never know, maybe one day. I\u2019m still in touch and pretty close to Evan. We speak all the time on Facebook and he\u2019s doing great. He\u2019s working on a solo album right now and the material sounds great.<\/p>\n

I hear from Shawn Vincent every now and then too. He\u2019s just got married and is having a kid. He now plays drums in a great band in Boston called Damn Shame.<\/p>\n

The only guy that I don\u2019t really hear from is Chris Kelley so I don\u2019t really know what he\u2019s up to these days to be honest with you.<\/p>\n

HRH: And that begs the question \u2026 what are the odds of seeing Sins of America doing a few one-off shows, either here in the States (especially in your old stomping grounds around Boston) or even over in England or Europe? <\/p>\n

Wylde: When I lived in the States I was always talking about us coming to the UK to play some shows as I know we\u2019d have gone down great over here. The UK loves that whole Glam scene and we\u2019d have had a great time over here if we\u2019d managed to get over.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t see that happening now but I would love to maybe do like a one off reunion show in Boston or something. That would be great and I\u2019m sure it\u2019d be something we could organize fairly easily. I\u2019m sure at some point it will happen, maybe even record a live CD or something. Time will tell.<\/p>\n

HRH: Well, we\u2019d be remiss if we didn\u2019t talk about the band that introduced you to Hardrock Haven, and that\u2019s Teenage Casket Company. The band\u2019s last release was in 2013, Still Standing<\/em>. Are you working on any new music with a release date in mind? <\/p>\n

Wylde: Still Standing has been doing great and the response to it has been overwhelming. It hasn\u2019t been out for quite a year yet so to us, it\u2019s still a new album. We\u2019ve just been concentrating on promoting the hell out of it by playing live.<\/p>\n

Having said that I\u2019ve got probably another albums worth of material written and we recently went into the studio to record a brand new track called \u201cYou\u2019ll Be The Death Of Me\u201d which will more than likely appear on a warts and all documentary about the 10-year history of the band that we\u2019re about to start filming in the next couple of months.<\/p>\n

The documentary will be released early next year to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Dial It Up<\/em> being released then I\u2019m sure there\u2019ll be new music to follow it. Probably an EP I would think.<\/p>\n

HRH: You\u2019ve got some upcoming tour dates; how are the shows going with \u201cnew\u201d guitarist Dave Kerr, although by this time he probably doesn\u2019t feel very new anymore \u2026 <\/p>\n

Wylde: Things are going great with Dave. When he joined at the beginning of last year he totally injected a new lease of life into us. He\u2019s an incredible guitarist with a great voice and to top all that, he\u2019s just an awesome guy in general and the perfect fit for us. Can\u2019t say enough good things about him and we can\u2019t wait to get into the studio with him so you can all hear just how good he is.<\/p>\n

HRH: Speaking of band mates, TCC bassist Rob Laney released a cool nostalgia EP called Straight to Video that featured some awesome talent like Jarrett Reddick from Bowling for Soup, singing on Soul Asylum\u2019s \u201cMisery.\u201d Did you get a chance of listening to the first one, and any chance of being featured on the sequel? <\/p>\n

\"sins2\"Wylde: Yeah I have a copy of the first CD and I thought it came out great. I just loved the whole concept of the Straight To Video thing. Laney comes up with some of the best ideas and all the marketing side of things TCC related all comes from him. Really talented guy.<\/p>\n

As for the new one, I just got finished recording lead vocals on a track that\u2019s going to be on there. The song is \u201cTwo Heads Are Better Than One\u201d by Powertool. A song that was featured on Bill & Ted\u2019s Excellent Adventure<\/em> and it came out great. A few people that have heard it said that it was the best they\u2019d ever heard me sing and I think I agree. It was great to really just go for it and do a total sleazy \u201880\u2019s Rock vocal on it, something I don\u2019t really do with TCC that much so I\u2019m looking forward to everyone hearing it and the album in general. From what I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s going to be killer.<\/p>\n

HRH: Laney used Pledge Music to crowd-source funding for his new project. In a day and age where labels are becoming \u2026 I don\u2019t know if \u201cless viable\u201d is the correct term because you\u2019d sign to Sony or Warner or Atlantic in a second \u2026 less of an option if bands want to make any profit, would TCC look in that direction for an upcoming release?<\/p>\n

Wylde: Possibly. Laney funded the entire new Straight To Video<\/em> album via pledging so it is an option and it\u2019s not getting any cheaper to record these days so it might be our only option in future.<\/p>\n

I think people really need incentives to pledge though, rather than just saying \u201cWe want to record an album, give us your money\u201d. Laney\u2019s been giving away all kinds of cool stuff to encourage people to pledge so if we were to do it, we\u2019d have to go down that road I guess.<\/p>\n

In an ideal world we\u2019d just get signed to Atlantic or something but in reality, that just isn\u2019t going to happen so you have to find other ways to make it work nowadays.<\/p>\n

HRH: Best of luck with Sins, TCC and everything else you are doing! Is there anything I left out that you\u2019d like to leave with our Hardrock Haven faithful? <\/p>\n

Wylde: Just want to say thank you as always for your continued support. It\u2019s much appreciated!<\/p>\n

Sins Of America\u2019s Demos For The Deranged is out Sept. 26 so please visit
\nwww.mightymonsterrecords.de<\/a> or www.facebook.com\/sinsofamerica<\/a> to order.
\nAnd for all things TCC related, visit www.teenagecasketcompany.co.uk<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller – Managing Editor — Teenage Casket Company lead singer Rob Wylde checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about a side project he had a few years ago called Sins of America; […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":44959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10850],"tags":[203,1391,9967,1200],"class_list":{"0":"post-44955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcint2014","8":"tag-interview","9":"tag-rob-wylde","10":"tag-sins-of-america","11":"tag-teenage-casket-company"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}