Interview exclusive for Romania with Rusty Nail (st. Louis celtic folk,punk)
Mirceone (MPTY ZINE):Hi guys, what’s up?
Chad:Just enjoying life, making music, making beer, and of course drinking beer
Congrats for the album, is really nice and so deep.Tell me few things about it.
Alvy:Its an album about regret. Its about wishing things were different and struggling with the decisions that were made and then ultimately making peace with those decisions. I am not sure I ever look to mask a lyric with deep underlying meaning except to keep it universal… meaning the names are changed, and the experiences are sometimes combined, but honesty is very important.
Chad:Nine of the songs were written by Alvy, one was collaboration between Alvy and Chris, and one was by Chris. Typically Alvy and I work on the songs till it’s something that feels like a Rusty Nail song and then we work on a full band arrangement. This is how the songs were written for this album. We recorded at my studio for the most part and I did the mixing, the final mastering was done by Brad Sarno who is lives in St Louis.
Also for our few readers:) tell us a short bio
Chad:Born in the winter of 2005, Rusty Nail is a 7 piece band that plays Celtic infused Rock songs, inspired by such acts as The Pogues, The Tossers and Flogging Molly. With the strong Irish history in many of St. Louis’ neighborhoods on the city’s South Side, Celtic folk music has a rich tradition and a welcome place in our great city. Gaining the love and encouragement of our town, we have crafted our sound by playing a healthy mix of these traditional songs as well as a strong repertoire of our own original music. We began this experiment in the various pubs and festivals of metro St. Louis and built a solid reputation as an entertaining and energetic live music experience and a true-to-form Irish bar band.Rusty Nail takes its name from an Old-Timey beverage made with Whiskey and Drambuie Liqueur. We feel that we are a potent blend of traditional and hard rock elements that works well at any party, club or booze-fueled festivity! In 2011 we released our first “FULL BAND” album, containing many of our original and live show favorites. The record “Boozers, Bastards, and Bards” garnered great local reviews and bore us many new friends and supporters. While we are inspired by these traditional sounds, we aim to put our own spin on Folk Rock. We like to think if Shane McGowan or Liam Clancy grew up listening to Nirvana, they would create music that sounds like Rusty Nail!
So whether it is St. Pat’s and you are looking for a soundtrack for your revelry, or it is the dead of winter and you need a spot of whiskey and a jig to warm you, in Rusty Nail you will always find a great time!
Rusty Nail is:
Alvan Caby – Mandolin, Guitar, Vocals
Chad Ross – Dulcimer, Accordion, Banjo, Guitar, Bouzouki
Chris Otto – Tin Whistle, Native American Flute
Dennis Frentzel – Drums
Kelly LaRussa – Violin
Mark Hochberg – Bass
Pete McAvity – Electric Guitar
Who influenced you across the years?
Chad:As far as celtic music, I used to go local bar that this guy John would play all these Traditional Irish beer drinking along with some punk and 80’s stuff. The regulars would often sign along and make allot noise. So, I thought it would be great to learn those songs and posted an add looking for people wanting to play celtic music. Alvy contacted me and that was the start of Rusty Nail.
Speaking of influences,please name a top 10 of you all time favorites bands
Alvy:Black Sabbath
Bob Dylan
The Pogues
Dropkick Murphys
The Beatles
The Cure
Flogging Molly
Van Morrison
Dinosaur Jr.
Iron Maiden
Chad:Robert Pollard/Guided By Voices
Dinosaur Jr
Uncle Tupelo
Warren Zevon
Pouges
Dropkick Murphy’s
Bob Mould/Husker Du
Black Sabbath
Ramones
Dylan
How the album will be promoted? You guys will start a tour? A video?
Alvy:We are interested in playing some out-of-town shows in the coming months.
Tell us few words about your message,i did notice sad lyrics but in the same time this is an optimistic album..
Alvy:I don’t think we have a “message” per SE. I took a more honest and personal approach to writing lyrics for these songs. I stopped trying to create a story that was funny or fake and I wrote about my personal struggles. I went through a divorce, I had some personal crisis, I hated my job at the time, I was pretty miserable. The writing has always been a sort-of therapy for me, and perhaps the songs reflect more of the struggle than the success. I appreciate that you see the optimism in them. I certainly feel optimistic about the future. Maybe our next record will be all happy songs.
If you will have to choose a band for a split cd,who it will be and why
Alvy:I don’t know, maybe Taylor Swift.
What the future holds for the band?
Alvy:As long as we still enjoy doing it, we keep writing new material, playing as much as life allows and make as many new friends along the way that we can.
What else you guys are doing beside Rusty Nail?
Alvy:Some of us have other musical projects ranging from Bluegrass to Hard Rock.
A few words for our readers in Romania? Btw no google,what do you know about Eastern Europe? Romania?
Alvy:That is where Dracula is from right? My great Grandparents were actually from Romania. Its a beautiful country, rich in culture and art, and that landscape is (in my opinion) some of the the most gorgeous sights on the planet. Maybe someday we can come to Bucharest and play our little songs!
Where people can buy your music?
Chad:CD Baby, Bandcamp, Amazon, Emusic, etc.
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RustyNail
https://rustynailstl.bandcamp.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Ale-Heart-Rusty-Nail/dp/B01CF3U810/ref=tmm_acd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1471281856&sr=1-3
http://www.emusic.com/artist/rusty-nail/13512198/
Thanks to Alvy and Chad and Rusty Nail.
Interview will be on our 36 number, coming out this Autumn.
mpty zine 