THE RATS
are: 
Lefty BONES Guitar
Jakey SNAKES Drums
JAKE Rat Vocals & Bass
J.R. - the music is really what we’re about- we don’t spend much time trying to look like an old punk or rock cliché image manual... not a lot of poop n pody, punchy, nose picking g.g. allin stuff... i think people in new york don’t have much time to spend on those things these days... everyone has to work 2 or 3 jobs and are consumed with survival, so we’ve been keeping it to the point... they can go to broadway if they want theater... it may not get us on the warp tour but we have well crafted material and we can play the hell out of it.
i think as players, we’ve all been through every phase of the “spinal tap” cycle... so all that’s really left to do is just write the damn songs and play em.
i don’t wanna go into a lot of technical stuff, but we’ll take influences from pretty far back, like chord changes from the 1930’s or drum beats from congo square of new orleans, and apply it to current shit going on around. so, we’re not doing anything new, but more like applying the best of american music & punk ethos into what’s wanting to be bled out the current veins of rock n roll into the nyc blood system. whoops there goes the recipe... ok that was a fake formula i gave you... anyhow it’s nothin new, the blues guys did it, the stones did it, the dolls, the stooges, the ramones, the pistols... its nothing new, but we just do it how we do it.
we emphasize the music, and if our hair is messy from playing, or fucking , or partying, then its called whatever they call it. no reason to force it with all that malcolm mclaren type posing. we really don’t fucken care what people think or say about us or our music. a lot of critics in nyc really don’t know shit about rock n roll anyways... were just having a great time doing this here and now. we love what were doing and the crowds are into it so far.
L.B. - early on music was all about the paula abdul videos. not much has changed since then, but there’s only so many times that you can listen to “cold hearted snake”, so it forced me to get into other things, trouble mostly. i play the guitar to let the steam out, it seems to be working for me so far.
J.R. - started messing with music when i was five- they killed lennon that year and it cast a heavy shadow over my dad for the decade to come. you know, everyone wants to be big and important when they’re little. i figured if a musician could have so much impact then that’s what i wanted… first song attempted on a rubber band & dowel guitar age 5- here comes the sun... first song learned was part of the t.v. commercial for the movie “carrie” i learned on one of those little finger pianos. lately i just write about people i’ve known or know now, from smalltown experiences growing up with meth smoking psycho dirtbags, to the neurotic freaks here in nyc, i write songs mostly about girls- how original huh?
so, i played in bands since the 6th grade (first band called the tardymen), and there you go. it’s all i really know… also, 2 of my uncles (r.i.p.) who were like brothers, always playing influential music from the dolls to hendrix- i inherited my first decent guitars and amps when they died very young. i was a shy nerdy burnout freakoid through high school and the music helped counter-act being a pariah and getting my ass kicked, so i stuck with it.
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS HEADED?
we’ve got 4 singles recorded to get onto vinyl somehow... until then we’ll give em out at shows as free demos. tours in july or august. hustle.
DRINK?
L.B. - grapefruit juice
J.S. - a lot
J.R. - free and high octane
FAVORITE BAR:
L.B. - silencio’s
J.S. - 27th street bodega
J.R. - don’t like to linger one place too long
BEST JUKEBOX:
L.B. - danny stalkers’ house and the palace in greenpoint
J.S. - grassroots on st.marks
J.R. - mars bar, 7a, manitobas... week-nights only
WHAT DISC / RECORD / MP3 IS ON YOUR PLAYER:
L.B. - dead boys
J.S. - john lennon
J.R. - george hughley & the cama rockers, stalkers, the choke, violator, and the love drunks
FAVORITE PLACE TO PLAY / ENTERTAIN:
J.S. - my bed
L.B. - chukee cheeses
J.R. - anywhere
FENDER OR GIBSON:
J.S. - fender (drummer)
L.B. - gibson
J.R. - an el degas from sears and it shreds chops and licks
DO YOU PLAY AIR GUITAR:
we leave that to tom cruise and other chumps... especially rich actors that have got to have their own bands... that’s totally gay. kevin bacon and russel crowe trying too hard it’s so great. their drama teachers would be so proud, they’re so fantastic... poison anyone? i saw ed norton carrying this chick’s bass amp into cb’s once ,now that was hot.
DO YOU PICK UP HITCHHIKERS WHEN ON TOUR:
J.S. - yes
L.B. - pick em up. only bearded dudes
J.R. - only if they fit in the trunk
HOW LONG HAVE YOU GONE WITHOUT DOING LAUNDRY:
J.S. - does doing laundry in the shower count?
L.B. - don’t remember
J.R. - clean socks, period.
FAVORITE TOOTHPASTE:
L.B. - crest
J.S. -baking soda & water
J.R. - the one with the three stripes in it... can’t remember
FAVORITE BRAND OF CONDOM:
L.B. - don’t like em
J.S. - hanes tube sock
J.R. - ones that don’t break. lifestyles are crummy
FAVORITE JUNK FOOD:
J.S. - i buy little debbies off lefty
L.B. - little debbie
J.R. - bacon, crotch, and guacamole doritos
BEST WASTED MOMENT:
J.S. - barfing union square station 7 am and scared off all the midtown suits L.B. waking up covered in blood with post it notes all over me reading “call me in the morning”
J.S. and l.b. - recording a cover of “california girls” in the f.i.t. bathrooms and lefty barfed red wine all over the wall on the last chorus and got arrested
J.N. - finding a lost kitten
FAVORITE POSITION
J.S. - assistant manager
L.B. - bonesback mountain
J.R. - that’s harder than favorite bar, come on!
www.theratsnyc.com/
myspace.com/theratsnyc
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