Interview conducted with guitarist  Chance Hutchison Shock Treatment: Who is currently in Private Lives and what does everyone do in the band?  Chance: Chance - Guitar, Jackie - Vocals, Josh - Bass and Andrew - Drums  Shock Treatment: Tell me about the origin story of the band. How did you all meet and decide to form the band? Chance: Jackie and I are married and during the covid lockdown we started demoing songs for fun. In Quebec, we were very restricted and there was a curfew of 5pm or something wild. We got bored and started writing songs together. We both came from playing in other bands but had never worked together on anything. It was a bit of a happy accident.  Salt of the Earth by Private Lives Shock Treatment: Did you have a particular sound and feel in mind when starting this band or did it just gel once you all started playing together?  Chance: We’ve gone through many different vibes! Haha! When the band initially started the influences,...

  Shock Treatment: How and when did you decide to pick up an instrument and gain the desire to start learning to play and write music?  Erica Rose: I had dreams of being a rock n roller since I was a little kid. I technically started (or, at least, tried) to start learning guitar in second grade. However, I didn’t have the patience and my folks decided to stop wasting the little money they had on lessons when they walked in on a lesson where I had the guitar on top of my head and was attempting to play that way! I picked up guitar again in high school. I’d go over to a family friend’s house. He’d have me choose songs I wanted to learn and show me how to play them. That’s how I really learned. I believe my first song was “Can’t Explain.” Shock Treatment: Tell me about Appaloosa. How did you meet them and decide to form the band? Erica Rose: I started Appaloosa while I was pregnant and right after I’d moved back to Seattle after about six years in NYC. Since I was a teenag...

Interview conducted with lead singer and guitarist Joe Maddox Shock Treatment: Who’s currently in Continental Lovers and what does everyone do in the band to earn  their keep? JM: Hey! Continental Lovers are: Joe Maddox- Lead vocals and guitars Ben Webster- Lead guitar Kerri Kaysen- Bass guitar We are currently between drummers, however our fantastic original drummer, Rokket Rik is behind the kit at the moment. Previously we had Ace Carlton, who is still part of the gang, but doing his own thing for a bit. Earning our keep?! We do a lot of things, really. Helping others out, making things, playing music….  Connection/Wedding Song (Single) by Continental Lovers Shock Treatment:  How did you guys all meet and decide to play music together? JM: The band was originally a bit of a solo project for me. I wrote a bunch of power pop songs with no real intention of putting a band together, but there was a lot of interest in them and, after a few early line up changes, Kerri, Ben a...

The Suicide Notes started as a recording project for Tim (of Epoxies) and some friends. The fun soon couldn’t be contained to just one small recording space and a full band was formed to play live. Three female lead singers were brought in to belt out those dark lyrics while harmonizing like the Ronettes. A backup band was meticulously chosen from the local talent pool including members of the Mean Jeans and Pure Country Gold. Suicide Notes play music in a fun, frantic ‘60’s girl group style only with some slightly demented lyrics. If you want another sense of what this group is like: imagine you’re on a hell bound train with Joey Ramone wearing the conductors cap while listening to The Shangri-La’s as you’re plummeting into the abyss. With lyrics like: “Life is about choice so i choose death so I don't have to see your face and smell your breath.” It’s this bitter and sweet dichotomy in their music that makes them so unique. However humorless squares: find your kicks elsewhere! ...

Venomous Pinks are an all girl punk band from Tempe, AZ. With that being said these four aren’t your typical twinkly pop punk princesses with spunky haircuts. In fact you might find a few of those types of people stuck in these girl’s boot heels. This band plays hard and fast as if they’re the Allied Forces storming the beach at Normandy. If you’ve seen this band live you know what I’m talking about. First you hear the vocals growl the battle commands; next the guitars come in relentlessly spraying sonic projectiles into the battlefield and whatever unlucky bastard is still left standing gets knocked on their face by the heavy guns of the drum kit. It’s a kill or be killed world out there and Venomous Pinks take no prisoners. This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on December 29th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: Who’s currently in the band and what do you all do in Venomous Pinks? The Venomous Pinks are: Drea Doll – Vocals/Guitar, Jukie – Drums, Gaby Kao...

It was a summer in the early 1970’s in what would otherwise seem like a  typical night in a Minneapolis suburb. Four teenagers were practicing with their band when they suddenly and suspiciously went missing. This up and coming band these boys were in, who were greatly influenced by groups like The Bay City Rollers and The Ohio Express were regarded by many as being “teen idols in the making” and “the next big thing.” In the year 2012, these boys mysteriously returned unharmed and un-aged. Wherever they were time did not exist. They have returned to this dimension now in its “information age” with a request for us all: disconnect, decompress, strap on your roller skates and fall in love! This Interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on November 24th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: Let us first start out by you guys introducing yourselves and telling us what exactly you do to keep the Cozy machine rolling on. BONKERS: My friends call me Bonkers, so I guess you...

Tough Age play honest and melodic pop songs, I would like to elaborate on the “honest” part for just a moment. Theatrics in music are great and fun, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you want to listen to something that you can emotionally connect with. Jarrett and his band seem like they’re in the same station in life as a lot of us are. They’re not singing about sipping Dom Perignon and dancing with strippers on a private yacht. That kind of silly garbage I can’t and most importantly don’t want to relate to. What I find refreshing is a man with real song writing talents picking up a guitar, turning it up loud, and singing about what he knows best: his own life and what he feels and thinks as he stumbles through it. That is honesty, charm and charisma and it spills out onto Tough Age records and on to the interview below. This interview originally appeared in Audio Ammunition on October 17th, 2014 Interview by J Castro Shock Treatment: I first want to start off by saying thank you ...