Hang out in one of the many Pennsylvania punk scenes long enough, and you’ll no doubt run into Hank Jones blasting out a bunch of feel-good chaos. For a band compared to both Minor Threat and Andrew WK, it’s hardly surprising to find these guys putting the positive back into hardcore, but don’t be fooled by the fun exterior - the band are driven by more serious issues, as frontman Mike Torti explains. Questions by Matt.
How would you describe Hank Jones to the uneducated?
Hank Jones to the uneducated? Well, i'd say we are a solid mix of punk and traditional hardcore. A vast majority of our songs are fast, and to us punk and hardcore kind of blends together, so really just think of Minor Threat meeting the Suicide File and Bane. I guess thats a decent description.
What are you trying to bring to the punk/hardcore scene?
We try to bring back a fun and positive atmosphere to the shows that we play while still addressing topics that are serious to us. Too many bands talk about nothing and write about nothing and thats something that I try to stay away from. We are just trying to stay away from being just another run-of-the-mill band and trying to be a little different, either through the music we write or through the message we bring to the table.
Your debut album ("Saturdays Of Thunder") has just been released on Undecided Records - how happy are you with how it turned out?
We are very pleased with how this record turned out. We were on a very tight budget when we recorded the record the album, but we managed to get it all done in about 12 hours, and with that in mind we are very happy with how it sounds. Alex and Cliff at the label have been doing a great job with getting the record out to everyone, so i'd say that im pretty pleased with how the label has been treating us. We've been upholding our part and we've been on a couple tours already this year with some more planned for the winter months, so everyone is happy.
How did you hook up with Undecided?
Well, when we recorded the record we never really had plans for getting signed, we just wanted to record a full record instead of just doing another 4 song demo like every other band seems to do. When we finished the recording process I sent a copy to my friend Patrick who was going to school in florida. He told me that he really liked the record and asked if he could give a copy of it to Alex at undecided records, since he interned there over the summer time. We said why the hell not and he sent it over. Patrick said that Alex really liked it and was going to get a hold of me soon and the next day he called my cellphone and from that point on its just been going great. Who knows if we could have signed with another label or not, we never sent out "press kits" or anything, but honestly were not really bummed at all, we are very happy with how the label has handled everything thus far!
What's the meaning behind the title "Saturdays Of Thunder"? And who is Hank Jones anyway?
Both are from the Simpsons, but to tell you exactly from what would give it all away. Lets just say that we had a guy who was #3 in the country in Simpsons trivia had no idea. So good luck, haha!
Is the no-nonsense hardcore route something you aimed for as a band right from the start, or did it just happen naturally?
It was something that came naturally from the beginning. I mean, our demo was not really like the CD, it had breakdowns, it had more slowed down parts, but the attitude in the band was there, and we evolved from that demo to the CD. 2 of the songs from the demo are on the CD, Where Did It Go? and Our Lives, even though we rarely play Our Lives. Although, that may change, hahaha!
What do you make of the Andrew WK comparisons? Or do you prefer the Minor Threat reference?
We definitely try to make shows fun like Andrew WK does, even though we do not come even close to the amazing time that he makes his shows! The minor threat reference basically makes more musical sense, just in the fact that we play fast punk/hardcore, and thats one of the few bands we all can agree on in the band.
On one hand you seem to have a carefree, fun approach to punk rock (obvious example being the song "Pizza Party"), but there is also a more serious aspect to some of your lyrics. Which is the real Hank Jones? Do you try and keep the two sides separate?
They're both the real hank jones. We do love having fun with our music and having fun at shows, but at the same time we want to bring up issues that we think are important to us. I think its easier to get a message out there if you give off a carefree attitude, more people will stay open-minded to someone if they come off as having fun, instead of acting completely serious and one sided.
How's the Pennsylvania music scene?
I think the PA scene is pretty amazing. There are so many scenes within the state, philly, pittsburgh, state college, erie, wilkes-barre, allentown, and then all the smaller towns that help out touring bands, its just incredible. Any tour going out always hits up some city in PA, so its sweet.
I assume that you are all non-drinking, sensible, stay-in-on-the-weekend young men - but just on the off chance, have you got any crazy tour stories?
We made some mummy movies in the van and at a couple houses we stayed at. Sure, a couple drinks were involved, but just wait till you see them. its great. We also took our sledge hammer with us, and stuff was smashed with it. It was a good time, hahaha! Lookin' forward to the next one!
What's happened to your website?
yeah... well... we forgot to pay the host for a few months over the summer while on tour... and yeah, it doesnt exist right now. All the information you really need to get is on our myspace page, (www.myspace.com/hankjones), so just go there! haha, sooner or later we'll fix the webpage and it'll be back.
What's next for the band?
Well, im graduating college this fall, so we are going to play weekends and write new songs until the winter time and then we'll hit the road a little and see what happens next. Basically take it easy for a few months to get a few things taken care of and wrapped up and then after that, who knows, only time will tell!
