Say it with me, kids: greazy. Not "greasy," but "greazy." It just sounds a little greasier, doesn't it?
And that's how New York City punk power trio Jackknife Stiletto serves it up: loud, fast, and greazy. As a guitar-driven trinity, the band plays hard rock with a punkish edge. It's rough, and it's raw. It's up your butt, and in your face. The band — vocalist and guitarist Annie Stoic, drummer and backing vocalist Mel Funk, and bassist Foxy Roxy — has been burning up the map across the US, sharing the bill with acts like Cheap Trick, NOFX, Anti-Flag, and Murphy's Law. The band has also singed eyebrows with barn-burning appearances at Warped Tour and SXSW.
Jackknife Stiletto has just released its debut EP, "Volume 1," the first in a series called "Chronicles of Jane," on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records imprint.
CITY got in touch with Stoic to discuss who started it, the health of live music, and how cool Cheap Trick is. An edited transcript follows.
CITY: What does your band bring to the table that no one else does?
Annie Stoic: To be honest, we're not reinventing the wheel over here. Yep, I said it. We're playing rock 'n' roll with a punk attitude. The fact that we are females, yes, it might set us apart a little. But there are amazing musicians out there, male and female. All we can say is we are fun, hard-working, determined, and genuine. We think that comes across in our music and our stage performances.
What's working with Joan Jett like?
Working with Joan Jett and the entire team at Blackheart Records has been amazing. They've been so supportive and helpful during the whole process. We can't tell you how honored and thrilled we are that they put out "Chronicles of Jane: Vol. 1," and we can't wait to see where this road will take us.
Give me a little background: Who started it?
A few years ago, Mel and I met in college, and after a few lineup changes, we met Roxy last year. We took her on tour last October and it went awesome, so we kidnapped her.
List a few influences.
We've all been in different bands over the years and have a varied taste in music. We can't really say there's a certain band or influence that started this band. It was more the situation of a few girls who wanted to form an all-girl rock-punk band, work as hard as we could to get our music out there, and tour a lot.
What can someone expect at a Jackknife Stiletto show?
That you can come out to shows and have an awesome time. We want to have fun and be your new friends. So to us, it's really about coming together, not judging anyone, and having a great time listening to music.
How do you feel about the current health of live rock 'n' roll?
It's tough out there. It's hard to get new people out to a venue to see bands they've never heard of. We had someone tell us recently that they "didn't want to spend $5 on the door to see bands they didn't know." Well, how are we supposed to get these "music fans" to shows where we can really show them who we are and get to meet them in person?
We just can't stress enough, along with a lot of other bands out there, that you need to get off of your devices, go to shows, and check out new music. The bands and venues are all struggling with this battle. We can only hope it will get better.
Your new record is out. How's it being received?
Amazing! The college radio scene has been really supportive of the new record. We've debuted on over 20 stations and charted on the Top 200 NACC College Radio charts at number 117. For our debut EP, we couldn't be more excited that it's being received so well. We can't wait to see what comes next.
Where are the best audiences so far?
We just recently opened for Cheap Trick and their audience really loved us, which was really cool. To add onto that cool factor: All the members of Cheap Trick came off stage during their set to tell us how much they loved our set. Plus, we want to give a shout out to our favorite hometown spots in Long Island and Staten Island, New York.
Tell me a funny road story.
Let's just say it's quite amusing when you see three chicks stumbling out of a minivan at a truck stop in PJs, go take showers, and come out in fishnets and boots, ready to rock.
Tell me a not-so-funny road story.
We've been pretty lucky so far to not have any horrendous road stories, besides that time I choked on a burrito and Mel had to pull a New Jersey slide across five lanes on the highway in Los Angeles during rush hour.
What's on your to-do or bucket list?
We are working hard in the studio right now to record our next album. So we will be working on finishing that up as well as a lot more touring.