Interview With The Unlovables
Tell Us About The Unlovables.
Hallie - Hallie eats too much candy. Mikey eats too much McDonalds. Frank drinks too many girlie cocktails.
Are you on a label? If so, who?
Hallie/Frank - Whoa Oh Records, from Astoria, Queens, mother fucker!
How would you describe The Unlovables to a person who's never heard of you?
Hallie - The Unlovables are a super-gooey, sweet n’ chewy pop punk band. We take all of our influences like the Go-Go’s, The Ramones, Screeching Weasel, Cyndi Lauper, and The Muffs, and we put them in a big rock ‘n’ roll blender. The result is hooky, spazzy punk with an emphasis on melodies and harmonies.
Frank - Catchy, irresistible to not sing along to, fun for the whole family.
Hallie - I was in the Hiss fits for a short period. Mikey was in like a hundred bands including Dirt Bike Annie and The Ergs.
Frank - None that you'd want to hear or ever recorded anything thankfully
How did The Unlovables get started?
Hallie - When Enoch from Knock Knock Records asked to put out an EP of my songs, and I had to actually assemble a real band :
How did you come up with the name The Unlovables?
Hallie - From The Smiths’ song, “Unlovable”. "I wear black on the outside, cuz black is how I feel on the inside"... classic Morrissey!
Frank - The vote came down to three names and that got my top pick.
So what are the plans for The Unlovables this summer?
Hallie - Man, I really wanna go on a national tour! We gotta see... not everyone’s sure they can get time off from work and stuff. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Frank - Catching up on the first two seasons of Lost, touring the US and hopefully Japan!
What challenges do you run into with a female singer in a male dominated style of music?
Hallie - Eh, it can be a drag sometimes. I feel like there are certain bills we’re never gonna be asked to play, and labels that are never gonna be interested in our stuff because we’re thought of as a “girl band”. But, at the same time, there are people who are real enthusiasts for female-fronted pop who are some of our most die-hard, supportive fans. It’s got its pros and cons. We don’t think the female vocals define us as much as a lot of people perceive, but we’ve come to terms with that by now.
Frank - Girl band groupies.
Who writes the lyrics to your songs (they're incredible) & what is the inspiration for them?
Hallie - Thanks! I write them, and the inspiration is my vida loca! For better or worse, my life provides me with plenty of fun/disappointment/excitement/love/stress/drama/adventure/heartbreak, and I am never at a loss for things to write about :)
You can hear a female backup vocal that sounds much like Hallie on some of your songs. Is that a studio technique or another vocalist?
Hallie - No, that’s all me. Our old backup singer sang on a couple of tunes on the last album, but all of the rest of our releases have been Hallie x 1,000. Haha. It’s a lot of work in the studio, but the harmonies are what most people really like about our songs, so it’s worth it!
How did the Rock 'n' Roll journey begin for The Unlovables?
Hallie - I started playing bass a long time ago, but I never really took it too seriously. I just picked it up from time to time so I could play along to my favorite Pixies/Rancid/Weezer records, but never did much more than that. Finally started composing little songs for friends of mine... just silly ditties that I would sing to them for their birthday or for Christmas or whatever. “Vacation” was initially written as a present for my ex-boyfriend, because we were about to take a trip to Disney World. It’s hard to describe how I got from there to having a band... it just kinda happened. People heard I was writing songs, people got excited about my writing songs; suddenly I had other musicians volunteering to play with me if I ever started a band. Really good musicians. The whole thing was just too good to be true, really. I still can’t believe how lucky I was that it all just seemed to come together. Cuz I don’t know if I would’ve ever started a band otherwise.
The term "Pop Punk" is thrown around in many ways. What makes punk, "pop punk" to you?
Hallie - Punk that is fast and catchy and melodic, but still punky. Not radio rock sung by someone wearing a spiky belt. That’s not pop punk.
Hallie - It rules. Ha-ha. No seriously, we worked our asses off on it, and we’re so proud of how it turned out. It’s not too far a departure from what we were doing on the last album, but it is a LITTLE heavier, and so far people have been responding really well to that. The last album was a concept album that dealt entirely with relationships. When I was writing “Heartsickle”, I didn’t give myself that kind of a restriction… I was able to write about a much broader range of things. There are still a lot of songs about love, or losing love, but there are also songs about life, friends, work, etc. Boys are great, but there’s other stuff to write about, too :)
Frank - It's our new album full of dance hits and I know you're gonna love it.
On the new Release "Heartsickle" what was the most difficult song to record & why?
Hallie - Any song where I had a bass solo! God, I do not know why I always put bass solos in our songs, when I am NOT a very good bass player, ha-ha. Anyhow, I have solos sprinkled all over the record, and none of them are very hard, but they all managed to stress me out. Note to self: more kazoo solos on the next record.
On "Heartsickle" what was the most fun song to record?
Hallie - Any song with gang vocals! The Steinways, and Jonnie Whoa Oh (who released the record), and a whole bunch of our other friends came down to help us with those. We loved having our pals in the studio with us... by that time we’d been working on the album for a long time, and it really helped to break up the routine and re-inspire us.
Frank - I liked them all equally; really it was such a fun album to record. Though some were more stressful than others to record my brain wiped out my memories of which those were to protect my ego I think.
What is your favorite Unlovables song to date?
Hallie - Probably “I Already Know” (off of Crush*Boyfriend*Heartbreak), which will seem strange to some people, cuz I don’t know if it’s considered one of our “hits” (do we have hits? I don’t know... but if we do, that probably isn’t one of them). That song just still speaks to me years after I wrote it. It’s about being in love with someone who, for whatever reason, has a hard time expressing love in return. I think most people have experienced something like that at some point in there lives, and I think that song really captures how I felt at the time.
Frank - It's hard to narrow it down. These days Jersey Boy is the one that gets stuck in my head the most.
So you just back from playing in Puerto Rico, how was that show?
Hallie - FUCK-ING-AWE-SOME. We played 2 shows there actually--one on either side of the island. The kids down there are so crazy, so nice, and so fun. Every time we play a new place, I always have this really surreal feeling when I see people singing along... yaw know? I’m like, “How the hell do all these kids know the words to this song that I wrote in my bathtub 2 years ago?” Ha-ha. So, anyhow, I always have that feeling when we play a new town, but it was SO MUCH MORE EXTREME down in Puerto Rico, so far from home. It was a total thrill to see that people were fans of our stuff; it was like too good to be true.
Frank - Amazing. Two of the most fun shows we've ever played! I'd go back in a second. Though not to the casino at the Ritz Carlton, I lost my shirt there.
Is the Punk Scene in Puerto Rico big? What's it like?
Hallie - The scene down there is so cool, and, yeah, it did seem pretty big. Great bands, great fans... they take a lot of pride in their scene down there. I mean, they’ve figured out a way to FLY bands down there to perform for them... that is so amazing! How many kids to you know in the Continental US who are willing to organize something like that, who take that kind of initiative? Very few.
Frank - Energetic, supportive, small but growing fast. They're just some of the nicest people I've ever met. Those kids are making some amazing music and doing their best to bring bands from the states over which I definitely appreciated!
I read that your recent tour with The Steinways was "by far the best tour we've been on so far". What made the tour so good?
Hallie - Well, having the Steinways along was the first thing that made it awesome. They are such good friends of ours-- we have such a good time with them, and we love seeing them play. The other thing that made the tour so rad was just the number of kids that came out to all the shows, and danced, and sweated, and enjoyed themselves.
Frank - Besides the Steinways being one of a select few bands I wouldn't get sick of hearing everyday, we're all such good friends and hang out often here in NYC that it's great to take that relationship on the road and meet new people and get in hijinx together and have so many more awesome stories to come home with. Also Grath has an even better Japanese pop punk collection than I do at this point.
Obviously the Insubordination Fest this summer is going to be huge. What are your thoughts & expectations leading up to it?
Hallie - Our set at the Insub Fest last year was one of the funniest (I know "funniest" is not a real word, and I don't care! No rules!) sets we’ve ever played as a band. We are so excited that those guys decided to organize another festival this year... it’s gotta be such a headache trying to orchestrate such a big event! And they’ve really outdone themselves with the lineup this year. We expect it to be even crazier, even spazzier, even pop-punkier than the last one.
Frank - I'm totally excited at what an amazing lineup they've assembled this year. It's like a damn jammin oldies station: the pop punk stars of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I'm of course so sad that the Groovie Ghoulies have broken up aren't going to be there as for me they added to the whole family reunion aspect of it for me.
There are tons of rumors that Screeching Weasel is going to make a "surprise" appearance or one time reunion show. Do you think that it will happen or is it just someone's dream?
Hallie - Oh, I dunno. I’m trying not to get my hopes up about any surprise appearances. That way I can be pleasantly surprised if they do happen, rather than disappointed if they don’t. But there are gonna be a lot of pop-punk legends down there, and, really, anything could happen!
Frank - I doubt a full blown reunion will occur but I'm sure there will be a full blown Weasel set of classic SW "hits".
Favorite place to play and why-
Hallie - Basement shows. Funniest fans, least hassle from venue staff.
Frank - Ohio, the kids are just so damn nice out there and there are so many great
bands to play with.
Funniest thing you've seen at a show?
Hallie - A band that we played with in San Diego played their whole set from inside a pup tent that they set up in front of the stage.
Frank - A middle-aged mom stage diving at an Unlovables show in Kentucky. Check You Tube for evidence.
Most bizarre place you've played a show?
Hallie - We played a show recently that was one of those “Relay for Life” fundraisers for the American Cancer Society. We played our entire set to a bunch of people who were walking around a track. Some of them were wearing I-Pods and not even listening to us. It was hilarious. We were happy to play the show, but it was a little weird.
Frank - A jazz club under a Kinko's in Utah.
Who are your favorite bands right now?
Hallie - Latterman, Smoke or Fire, The Arrivals
Frank - That changes from minute to minute. So I guess this minute is Ghostface Killah not technically a band I know but
there are 50 people on stage with him, Toys that Kill, Ted Leo, Daniel Johnston, Dwarves, Bananas, Sebadoh, Lawrence Arms, Sundowner, if you're talking like people I know and not in a Myspace or Biblical way then Team Stray, Ergs, Delay, Steinways...I could go on but I'll just inevitably leave someone out. I like a lot of stuff. Not as much as Mikey, but more than most.
What's your favorite song that you play right now and why?
Hallie - “Everything’s Overrated”, cuz it’s the maddest song I ever wrote. Being pissed off is fun sometimes.
Frank - Leave Me Alone, I just like the energy of it and who doesn't have people that they'd rather just leave them alone.
What do you do when you’re not playing music?
Hallie - I act and dance and I teach acting and dancing.
Frank - Personal Trainer to the stars.
What is your evaluation of the current punk scene?
Hallie - Getting better everyday. There haven’t been this many bands I was excited about since the nineties.
Frank - It's younger than I am and has more money than I do but it still lets me hang out with it so that's fine by me.
Who are your musical influences?
Hallie - All the bands I mentioned above, plus the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, The Queers, and stuff like that.
Frank - More like inspirations, I don't want anyone of these folks to hear me and think it was their fault: Everything from Buzzcocks, Fastbacks, Queers, Cub, MTX, Smugglers, Descendents, Wu Tang, NWA, and Bob Dylan, lots of indie rock (Superchunk, GBV, and Archers of Loaf...)
Any bands you really want to do a show with and why?
Hallie - We already get to play with most of the bands we wanna play with, it’s pretty cool. That’s what’s awesome about playing punk rock... all your heroes are pretty accessible. It’s not like if we were a radio rock band and we wanted to play with Maroon 5 or some huge (terrible) band like that. We play shows regularly with The Queers, The Methadones, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Groovie Ghoulies, not mention all of our friends’ amazing bands like The Steinways, Delay, The Leftovers, The Copyrights... what more could we ask for? I dunno, maybe to open for Blondie or something :)
Frank - Well for older bands I'd love to get back together I'd love to play with the Fastbacks or the Smugglers. These days it'd be great to finally play with the Mr. T Experience for me.
Who's the wildest band you've ever done a show with?
Hallie - *See pup tent band, above.
Frank - Mmm, tough call, maybe Blood, Bath, and Beyond though I was a bit tipsy to remember that one.
What are your general thoughts on the world today?
Hallie - It’ll be better once W is no longer in office. Unless he's replaced by Rudy Giuliani, possibly the most hated mayor in New York City history. Don't get me started.
Frank - It's troubled but capable.
What's your favorite part of being in a band?
Hallie - Tour!
Frank - Getting to tour, traveling to meet new people and see old
friends at the same time. Finally holding your cd in your hand after months of waiting. That and drink tickets.
Anything you want to add or say?
Hallie - Go to shows, start a band, start a zine, support your scene!
Frank - Thanks for coming up with so many great questions!
Anyone you want to thank?
Hallie - Punk Rock Review!
Frank - All of our friends and fans that have made this all such a fun experience. Also the country of Japan.
Next - Word association, Type the first thing that comes to your mind when you
Read the following words.
Punk -
Hallie - In Drublic
Frank – House
Drink -
Hallie -coffee
Frank - Guinness
Porn -
Hallie - that porn star dude that looks like Super Mario
Frank - Amateur
Eat -
Hallie – candy
Frank - Me
Girls -
Hallie -Yummy yummy puck rock girls
Frank - Make Life Worth Living
Money -
Hallie - stress
Frank - Sometimes it seems like 7 up, never had it never will.
Work -
Hallie - little kids dancing (I’m a dance teacher, duh)
Frank - Sucks
Sex -
Hallie – yes
Frank - (see: Girls above)
Sleep -
Hallie - my super comfy comforter. I guess that’s why they call it a comforter, huh?
Frank - What's That?
Leather -
Hallie – gross
Frank - Vegans
Police -
Hallie - fat bellies in blue uniforms
Frank - 911's a joke
Movie -
Hallie - candy
Frank – Godfather
Government -
Hallie – ugh
Frank - Cheese
TV -
Hallie - LOST!
Frank - Get a life
Life -
Hallie – yes
Frank - has its moments
Death -
Hallie - no thanks
Frank - Death fuck off!
