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Redneck Punks


Band:

Redneck Punks

Members: Scott Hower as Jesse James Dupree, vocals and guitar; Scott Snyder as Chris Worley, drums; Roby Strine as Roman Glick, bass; Steve Stoner as Jeff Worley, guitar

Who we talked to: Snyder

How did you guys meet/how long have you been performing together? I play drums in the band. I have the role of Chris Worley. The past two years . . . I've been really pushing for this. (My friend Steve and I) . . . we'd been talking about it for a couple for of years. The bass player, guitar player and I had just started the project back in November.

Why did you decide to make this a Jackyl tribute? I do front house production for a local club and just (watch) bands and what's going on in this town. The first thing is that we're missing the whole, "Hey, we're here to be performer" thing. The entertainment . . . has lost the whole true rock 'n' roll drive. Jackyl has been one of my favorite all-time . . . rock bands, besides AC/DC. They're hard rock 'n' roll . . . is (where) I feel the rock scene needs to go to. Those guys deserve a lot more attention than what they've gotten.

Have you ever been in a tribute project before? We're all new at the tribute thing. We've all been in other bands. Other musicians have probably done more in their careers than some of us. Tribute bands are different as far as learning cover music. (Bands) cover . . . different styles of music. With a tribute act, you're doing one style. (Jackyl's music) might seem simple, but there (are) hooks in their material that's . . . made them who they are today. It's a little more difficult than your average cover band. (We're) stepping in some big shoes. (We're) working hard to mimic that. It's kind of like an actor who goes out to play a role in a movie. (We) really study.

Where did the name come from? We pulled a song title. This kind of flew around the band room for a while. "Redneck Punks" came up. I kept pushing the fact, you know, (that we) live in redneck Pennsylvania. I'm thinking, "what a great gimmick to come out as redneck as possible." You can't go too overboard. It's about the American rock bands (including) Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet (and) The Allman Brothers (Band).

So I guess you guys aren't on your best behavior in the clubs? No. None of us are on the best behavior chart at all. (Laughs) With us, it's a party. When you go to see a tribute band, you know what you're going to get. We really strive to be (Jackyl) down to the instruments. We're looking at the right sounds . . . and if the stage setup looks close to something they'd have.

Have you played out at all? We've done one private party . . . to kind of get the cobwebs worked out. We're actually playing with Rebourne at The Tourist Inn in Hellam (Township) May 7. We've all been in other bands that have definitely played there. Rebourne is great. I'm looking forward to doing shows in the future with (AC/DC cover band) Back in Black. AC/DC and Jackyl, my gosh, go together like chocolate and peanut butter.

Any other local groups you'd want to share the stage with? Any of the tribute bands. I think there (are) a good bit of good tribute bands out there. We take whatever we can get. If (we're) openers, fine. If (we're) headliners, fine. We're just starting out, so whatever comes to the table and if it's something that's going to benefit (us), we'll do it.

Do you think people are excited to see you perform? I do, for the true rockers. The ages can range . . . from 21 and up. How much of the younger generation is going to know about (Jackyl)? I don't know. Jackyl's releasing a new album. That's a good thing. They're still on the circuit playing. The age group for that band is probably more like 30 or 45.

Have you ever seen Jackyl live? I've been to Hershey and a couple private clubs. What a great show they put on.

What are your goals? We're bringing rock and roll back to the scene. I just hope to influence some of the younger generation . . . who are playing the newer cover stuff today and writing originals. I hope we can keep up and keep playing. From what I've researched . . . we are the only Jackyl tribute.

- ERIN McCRACKEN, FLIPSIDE STAFF

If you go

Redneck Punks will open for Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Rebourne at 9:30 p.m. May 5 at the Tourist Inn, 671 W. Market St. in Hellam Township. For details, visit touristinn.net.

On the Web

For details about the band, visit www.myspace.com/redneckpunksrock.

To listen to the interview, visit www.flipsidepa.com.

To read more meet-the-artist interviews, visit www.flipsidepa.com/musicdirectory.