Interview with The Stretchers
The Stretchers are a local band that best epitomize the late seventies, early eighties punk scene when such bands as The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks ruled. Taking their influence from bands like this, they create a sound that stands out today in a scene that is strongly influenced by early hardcore bands. I love all the bands they’re influenced by and I love the Stretchers, check out their CD review on our site and catch them live, if you can. What follows is another interview in the interrogation room of the Midway dungeon. The Stretchers consist of Frankie Sinn- vocals and guitar, Jay Rage- guitar, E-reck (Eric)- bass and Jimmy Fowly-drums. Please proceed, strap all objects inside and follow the instructions as they become aware.
Slimedog- So how did you guys get started?
Frankie- Started about four years ago and we just wanted to do old school punk rock, more 70’s style, early eighties; stuff like that, what we grew up listening to.
Slimedog- How did you all meet?
Frankie- Well, I’ve known Jimmy forever, we’re cousins, for forty something years.
Jimmy- In a row. (Laughter)
Frankie- We’re kind of a family affair.
Jimmy- When I came back from New York, I didn’t have a band and I checked in with Frankie. And we just wanted to do punk and then we needed other members.
Eric- So you got the world’s greatest bass player next to Jaco Pastorious.
Jimmy- We played with Eric for a few years and then decided we needed to fill the sound out a little more and Jay answered the ad and so we’re here.
Jay- They saw me in an alley looking for food. (Laughter) I played with a metal band for a long time and we just had lineup change after lineup change.
Eric- Drop the name, Jay. C’mon drop the name. (Laughter)
Jay- It was Meliah Rage.
Slimedog- Oh, well, that’s a very well-known band.
Jay- I like to think so; my mom, my dad, they heard the name. (Laughter) So, after twenty-four years of doing the same friggin’ thing I answered the ad and it turns out Frankie and I have mutual friends so I knew we’d be fine. I didn’t know his cohorts. I’ve only been in the band five or six months.
Eric- He had no idea what kind of assholes we were gonna be.
Slimedog- How would you describe your style?
Frankie- In the Maximum Rock’N’Roll review it said, “’77 snotty, punk rock,” sounds pretty right to me. British punk mixed with West Coast, too.
Slimedog- You guys have a unique style in the local scene as you have no hardcore influence, it seems, just the original punk bands like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks.
Frankie- It’s the first records I bought when I was nine years old and that’s what sticks with me. I love the hardcore stuff, too, but that’s what is roots for me.
Slimedog- Who writes the music and lyrics?
Frankie- I write most of it, Eric wrote some. And then we all added our own stuff in together. I do the lyrics; too, we’re not a political band.
Slimedog- Any tour or recording plans?
Jay- We’re recording, probably soon. It’s an EP next.
Frankie- We do it backwards. First, an album than an EP.
Slimedog- Then after that a single, then a demo?
Frankie- Yeah. (Laughter) We’re gonna have a song about “special sauce,” you can go in any direction with that.
Slimedog- Who drinks the most in the band?
Frankie- At home or in public?
Slimedog- (perplexed) No one’s asked me that before!
Eric- Who drinks? Oh, me, of course. (Laughter) I like to have a few drinks. I don’t have to sing, just background vocals so I don’t have to worry about that.
Slimedog- How about a favorite dive bar?
Frankie- Sullivan’s in Quincy Center.
Slimedog- I know that place. I used to live close to it; it’s a great old bar.
Jay- The Midway.
Eric- The Alumni in Quincy.
Jimmy- My favorite dive bar doesn’t exist, anymore. It was called Downtown Beirut. It was in New York City, Lower East Side. It was about the size of this basement and a hundred people in there at any time. It was aptly named. It was all fucked up in there and so were the people.
Slimedog- Who’s most likely to become a serial killer?
Jay- (Looking at his band mates, with a crazed paranoid glare) What are you looking at me for? (Laughter) I’ll be fine; I’ll be fine in the morning. Couple of beers, I’ll be all right.
Jimmy- It’s gotta be Jay Rage. He rages all the time.
Frankie- He keeps it all pretty concealed.
Slimedog- You all seem to agree and why?
Eric- I mean, he’d be a good serial killer.
Jimmy- It’s not like he’s a psycho. He’s a wicked, nice guy; he’s quiet and he’s a total serial killer. (Laughter)
Frankie- Always hopped up on a diet of potato chips and skittles. That’s a main course for Jay Rage.
Slimedog- Any truth to the rumor that he was in Colorado a few weeks back?
All- No comment, no comment. Can’t comment on that.
Jay- I don’t even like Superman!
