Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

When Steve Simoncic (vocals/guitar) and I (Larry Liss, lead guitar/backing vocals) started writing together, we knew we didn’t want to be a bunch of dudes standing around staring at their shoes, amps pegged. We wanted to build a core of musicians that create moments where anyone could come in and contribute to the song. On any given night we’ve had dobro players, rappers, spoken word artists sit in with us-our world is wide open for any Trickshooter to come in and do their thing. We’ve been blessed to have James McNaughton
(bass), Chris Bartley (keys), Ruth Margraff (accordion), Beltran Delcampo (fiddle), Jenna Leigh (Vocals) and Rob Kristan (drums) as the core of this band. They are ridiculously talented, unbelievably generous folks who we’re happy to share the stage with. And we look forward to welcoming more people into the group.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

While we hail from all over (Detroit, Des Moines, etc) our home is Chicago-with the exception of one Wisconsin-ite. We’ll let you guess which one of us that is. We all met at a Fishbone show, where there was a huge brawl and we were the only ones left standing at the end. Which would be a decent story if it were true. Fact is, we mostly waded through the weirdness of Craig’s List and somehow found each other. And we couldn’t be more grateful.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Hoo-boy. What’s the word count in this article? The amount of heroes we have and have stolen riffs off of is seemingly infinite and laughably diverse. But to name a few-Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Jack White, Beatles AND The Rolling Stones, Social Distortion, Neil Young, Wilco, Mellencamp, etc. The common thread you’ll find through all of them is that their every note feels authentic and honest. And we try to embody that with every song we write.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I’ll use my favorite quote, which I believe is from Mike Tyson-“Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.” Or something like that. Being able to create songs, seeing what that felt like-to drive in a car and listen to final mixes, see it out in the world. Those are the things that you can’t plan for-but ultimately what we’ve found brings us the most joy.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

The new Foo Fighters album, hell all Foo Fighters albums are inspiring to us. Grohl has always been a monster. He seems to be non-stop doing whatever he wants, when he wants. And he makes it all look so easy. He makes death metal with his heroes (Probot). He makes a show about recording songs in the most sacred places. He makes horror movies. And he’s fearless through it all. Which is the best blueprint anyone can leave for us.

Do you sing in the shower?

Let’s be super upfront about this. If we were not meant to sing in the shower, it would not sound so damn amazing in there. Don’t know if it’s the tile, the glass or the rubber ducks, but if you’re not singing in the shower, in time, out of tune and pruned beyond belief-you’re missing out. Also, the showerheads are shaped like microphones for a reason, friends.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

The goal is to continue to write, record and put things out into the world. Simultaneously, we’re trying to find new worlds to knock down the doors of. We just played The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England on our amazing label, The Animal Farm Music’s, stage . And it reminded us that there are so many opportunities outside of our comfort zone. So, we’re going to push to unearth them. Be it touring, social content or just a new song that isn’t what we’re used to writing. Or even a new approach in how we write it.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

We just released our EP “Wilderness Radio”-which we couldn’t be more proud of. But we’re already recording another one that should make its way to everyone’s ears pretty soon. We’re still living in the punk/hillbilly world, but this EP really starts to push those edges out even further.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

CBGBs. Never got the chance. But went there once-you’re mere steps in the door and you feel the history in your bones. The unapologetic aggression. The sweat of a thousand unheard 2 minute 37 second songs. The road-weary, relentless souls that came through in search of three chords and a story. It’s all there. There are places like it, but brother, they ain’t like it.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Metallica. Master of Puppets. Nothing like it. Never will be. Each song was more epic than the next-and not just in length. They were unafraid to pull at the string of being beautifully melodic-flying in the face of other thrash acts that were full-throttle for an entire album. They were thoughtful in using guitar harmonies. And in a time when you got airplay for for a song clocking in under four minutes, they handed the world songs that went twice that. Again, for us, lesson learned.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Everything from the 90s. Grunge aside, it was just a time when people were unabashed in writing the ultimate heavy pop song. The Goo Goo Dolls, Weezer, Veruca Salt, Liz Phair. They were so…damn…catchy. It was impossible to not belt these out wherever you were (see the above, singing in the shower question). There were so many amazing songs from that time period-it felt like the whole industry was in its prolific phase.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Well, since you’ve left the door wide open, I’ll make this the Heaven on Earth festival. So, Lemmy. Foo Fighters (also a Nirvana reunion). Jack White. Van Halen. GWAR (hey, it’s my festival), Mastodon, The Sword, Ozzy, SOAD, Tool and Metallica.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

Kiss Alive 1. Have it in its digital form, but lost the fantastic vinyl with the inside cover and the letters from Paul, Gene, Ace and Peter. While I love the convenience of streaming/digital purchases, I do miss sitting with the tangible albums. Reading lyrics, taking in the art, reading credits and learning those names.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

We’re everything you’ve never heard before.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new,
can find and follow/like you!

https://trickshootersocialclub.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4rNZSXzhUGT0GfIysrXZgZ
FB: https://www.facebook.com/TrickShooterSocialClub
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCromcFFtS9TTYF0dUm5gHOg
IG: trickshootersocialclub

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum