Rob Lane & Rob Wylde Teenage Casket Company
Interview October 2007

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

HRH: First off, thanks for taking the time to fill us in on everything Teenage Casket Company. The big news is that you and The Erotics are gearing up for another leg of The Brawl For It All Tour. On your Web site you say it’s going to be "Bigger and Better." Without letting the cat out of the bag, what can people expect from the shows and why should they attend?

Wylde: Well even though both bands have toured together a bunch of times before this will be our first outing together since last summer's Metal Sludge US Tour so we're all fired up and ready to go! We purposely booked fewer shows this time around to make it that bit more special. In fact, we hand picked all the venues we're playing on the tour ourselves. The Erotics are touring on the back of their new album and we'll be playing brand new songs in our set too so it's going to be really cool. Seeing as neither TCC nor The Erotics have toured a great deal this year it'll hopefully attract a bunch of our fans and friends who haven't seen us for a while - I hope so anyway! You can expect lots of loud guitars and loads of fun so come on out and party with us!

Laney: The last tour we did together in the UK had a real buzz about it. Maybe it was just down to having two good bands, some great supports and giving the whole thing a 'name' which makes for more of an event. I know the crowds really fell in love with The Erotics and they'll be out to see them again this time. I think it's real healthy sometimes not to gig for while and it makes people that much more eager to see you. If you overkill somewhere people fall at the wayside with the mind set of "Oh, I'll see them next month, I'll watch Pop Idol (or should that be American Idol) tonight instead!"

HRH: Why do you think Teenage Casket Company and The Erotics make such a strong touring team?

Wylde: A few reasons. Firstly we're great friends and we always have the time of our lives when we tour together both on and off the stage. When we're traveling around in the bus we laugh constantly and the comradery between both bands is awesome. In fact, a lot of the time it feels like we're just one big band. We could be called "Erotic Company" ha ha. Another reason is that we're both pretty much on the same page in terms of where we're at in our careers right now so there's no rivalry, egos or anything like that. Even though we both have a slightly different thing going on musically I think both bands really compliment each other and genuinely dig each others' music and our fans feel the same. TCC fans always dig The Erotics and vice versa so it makes touring together an absolute pleasure.

Laney: We come from the same hardworking, if you want something done - do it yourself background and mentality. Or maybe we're both just plain stubborn and just like to get on with stuff rather than waiting around for it to happen?!

HRH: What’s the story behind your friendship with The Erotics?

Wylde: Back in early 2005, Mike Trash sent their latest CD All That Glitters Is Dead to Laney's fanzine TrashPit for review and asked if he knew of any UK bands who'd be interested in touring with them, as they really wanted to come to the UK but didn't know how to go about it. We all decided it'd be a great idea to join forces and tour the UK together. We were just about to release our debut album Dial It Up so it all tied in nicely. It all came together real easy. They just flew over with suitcases and guitars and we took care of the rest. When we arrived in the US that summer they did the same for us. Over time we really just bonded as friends and as a team. Even when we're not on tour together we speak on the phone all the time. In fact whilst I've been over in the US recently I've hung out with Mike and the boys quite a bit. They're just a great bunch of guys who share our strange sense of childish humour!

Laney: It's real interesting 'cause when Mike sent me their CD it got lost in the post and literally took a couple of months to arrive. It's weird thinking back and realising that parcel may have never arrived, meaning this whole mess would never have happened in the first place!! Trash must be kicking himself everyday over that!! ;) No, but seriously, I have to admit that when it did arrive there was something special about it. There was a great Press Pack in there which I always love (which I still have) and the headline in the CD which stated that "The Erotics have already been banned from your town," had me sold straight away. Although I did give an Avril Lavigne CD a better score out of 10 in the Zine!!!

HRH: Is Teenage Casket Company going to debut any new songs on this tour?

Wylde: Yeah we'll be showcasing two new songs: "Own Best Enemy" and "Secret Of My Success," both killer songs if I say so myself! We may also add another new song to the set but we'll see how things go. Once again we'll be mixing things up so it stays interesting, not just for us but for our fans as well. Old stuff, new stuff - you name it, it's gonna kick ass big time!!

Laney: We tried out those songs in the set we did on tour back in August and they both went down really well. It was pretty cool to see people singing them the second time they caught the show! Wylde's song have a great knack or embedding themselves into people's heads. I really hope we can get enough rehearsals in to try out at least one brand new song though. I'm all up for testing out songs while they're still totally fresh.

HRH: Any plans on filming any of the live shows and making a DVD release?

Laney: Mr Miller - you and I are on the same page. I'm hoping to blag a Digital Camcorder for the shows and record a bunch of stuff. I really wanna try my hand at putting together a few short Tour Documentaries and catch what's going on for the world to see on YouTube and on our MySpace Page. I still have some footage from our first US Tour which I wanna get out there. It's all on old tape though so needs transferring but there's some killer stuff including Mike Trash up onstage tearing up "Red Hot" by Motley Crue with Roger and Lenny from TrashLight Vision (RIP).

Wylde: I think that's a killer idea. To truly appreciate TCC you have to see us live - simple as that. If you could capture the boundless high energy, over the top, arena inspired rock show we do on tape I think it'd make for a great DVD.

HRH: Teenage Casket Company has been over in the States, touring the East Coast. When can we expect you over here again?

Wylde: Well we kinda had a tour in place for this November but it fell apart at the last minute, which was a real bummer as I love playing in the US more than anywhere. The problem is without a deal it's so damn expensive to fly four guys over to play. Before you even play a note the band is down at least $2,000 for the flights so a lot of the time it's just not cost effective. We pretty much always break even or run at a loss but we simply can't afford to lose that much money right now as we just don't have it! We're trying to build our fanbase more and more in the US right now so hopefully we can come over and tour again next year. Whilst I've been over in the US I definitely see a fanbase growing for us in terms of radio play and interest in general so we'll see what happens. One way or another we'll make it back as soon as we can.

Laney: I have so missed not coming over to the USA this year, you'll never know!! Next year I wanna play over there again for sure. The tiniest things make it so special about being there - it's my favourite place in the whole world.

HRH: What is the status of the new album? Do you have enough songs written? Any definite date to hit the recording studio?

Wylde: After the craziness of 2006 this year has been pretty quiet for us. We definitely over did it last year and I think it was important for us to take our foot off the gas for a while and take stock. We've all been doing our own little projects here and there throughout the year but now the focus is well and truly back on TCC. The two new songs I mentioned earlier will certainly make album number three for sure and I'm writing a ton of songs right now. The creative juices are flowing for sure! Once our upcoming tour is over and done with we plan on getting back down to business and working on the new record. We haven't looked at any dates yet but there will be a new album at some point in 2008.

Laney: I'm really excited about what the next TCC album will be like. At the risk of sounding big headed I think we have the potential to make a truly great Hard Rock record. We've learnt so much these past few years and we know next time round we need to take it to the next level and beyond. It's real hard to say when it'll be ready though which is a little frustrating. Each of us are literally all over the place at the moment, even worldwide, and to even get us to rehearsal is sometimes like a military operation! I'm sure you guys will be the first to know though once we're back in the studio!

HRH: Your debut album and the follow up EP were released independently. Wylde, you and I talked a bit about some label prospects recently. Is the band getting any closer to signing a label deal, and if so, with which label (if you can tell us)?

Wylde: Man, the music business is the most fucked up business in the world that's for sure! From day one we've always had interest out there but up until now nothing cast iron has transpired for us. We're not the only one's either. There's a huge scene in the UK right now with a bunch of bands who've been around a lot longer than us but no one ever seems to get signed or even get a real break. In fact I can't think of the last rock band to really break through. That's why after having spent time in the US, checking out the scene, making contacts I really think we should focus on the US market as it just seems so much more healthy in general.

Laney: I must have had this conversation a million times that when you're in a band that works really hard and makes sure all your output and presentation is as professional and polished as anything else available out there then Record Companies, Managers and the like must have the mindset of "They're doing fine on their own and don't need any help." I may be wrong but I'm sure that's the case for a lot of bands, ourselves included. Either way, I'm very proud of what we've achieved though and the fact it's been without any outside help is all the more rewarding. There's the stubborn side showing through which I mentioned earlier!

HRH: You guys obviously had a riot making the video for 'Don’t Look At Me Like That.' Any plans to shoot another video in the future?

Wylde: Hopefully yeah. I would imagine once we have a new album out we'll shoot a video for one of the tracks. It's too early to tell but I think the song "Own Best Enemy" would make a great single/video.

Laney: What the guys at Ignore Entertainment did with all the editing and production for that video was really incredible and we really owe them a lot. If we were to do another video I hope they're involved cause they are top shelf indeed and should be making a fortune.

HRH: Lane, you just sent me the 'TrashPit Magazine Volume I: New Breed Rising' Compilation. For those who aren’t familiar with TrashPit Magazine, what’s it all about and how can they pick up the magazine and the CD?

Laney: TrashPit Magazine started in the summer of 2003. That was a pretty cool time. After all the crap, over hyped 'Rock' Music that had been going around for several years there were some really great bands that began to visit the UK and our hometown of Nottingham. These in particular were bands from Canada such as Robin Black and Crash Kelly - real kick ass rock bands with that old school ethic that you shouldn't be ashamed to look cool when you hit the stage but also knew how important it was to have great songs too. This was what all my favourite bands in the past stood for too - the likes of Poison, Van Halen, Danger Danger, etc. so I decided I'd love to do a magazine which bridged the gap between the Hard Rock bands from back in the day who were still around, and also the 'New Breed' of groups who were starting to surface. It's been a really cool ride these past few years and the magazine has covered soooo many great bands. The compilation itself was a labour of love and something I've vowed to do for a long, long time - even before Trashpit began so it's been cool to finally get it out there. Both the magazine and CD can be ordered by PayPal direct from the MySpace Page at www.myspace.com/trashpit

HRH: Wylde, do you still have an affinity for that awful beer Coors Light or have you finally gotten that out of your system?

Wylde: Ha ha yeah I still love Coors Lite but I can only afford to drink that on special occasions now! Here's a funny story. Whilst I've been over in the US, whenever my buddy Scotty would come over to the house he'd always bring a pack of Coors Lite. However times are much harder for the both of us so whenever he comes over now he brings a case of Milwaukee Best Lite which costs $7 for 12 beers! It's not great but what you going to do?

HRH: OK guys, is there anything I left out that you’d like to leave with our Hardrock Haven faithful?

Wylde: I'd just like to say a big thanks for all your support. You guys have been awesome to us over the past couple of years and we truly appreciate your interest and hard work. We'll hopefully see you on tour in the US in 2008. Spread the word!

Laney: Anyone coming out to see us in the next month, get ready for a Real Rock Show - ourselves and The Erotics are back to show how it's really done. For the rest of you in the USA and beyond, hang in there - we'll be back real soon. Thanks so much for all your kind words, support and for keeping the faith!

The Brawl For It All Tour will be tearing up the following venues in the UK...
October 29th - Purple Turtle, London
November 1st - Mexborough Civic, Mexborough
November 2nd - Tom's Venue, Pontypridd, Wales
November 3rd - Junktion 7, Nottingham
November 4th - Ilkeston Town FC, Ilkeston

www.teenagecasketcompany.com
www.myspace.com/teenagecasketcompany