You just finished a tour with Smashing Pumpkins. How was that experience?
Baron Rinzler: Unreal. It was a dream come true in a lot of ways. And also seeing them every night was epic because they’re one of our favourite bands.
Desi Scaglione: They played a lot from Mellon Collie, which was super cool. Like, they just put out a record, but they only played about four songs from it. And they played close to two hours every night. So they did all the hits off of Siamese Dream and then the ones off of Mellon Collie, but also some deep cuts, which was really cool. And yeah, I don’t think it comes as a surprise, but they’re a huge band for us. So having the honour of playing with them and getting to see them every night was very amazing.
How approachable were Billy, Jimmy, and James?
Desi: They’re all actually very nice people. James, I think we probably talked to him most. He also lives in L.A., so we were able to bond over that. We talked to Billy a few times and he was super, super friendly and genuine. And we met Jimmy briefly and he was really nice.
Alithea Tuttle: They’re all very… around, which I think was really cool, just because when you look up to somebody, obviously, you hope that they would be like all the things that you wish and they absolutely were. They kind of went out of their way to welcome us and they each gave us a good amount of advice, which is really nice because obviously what they’ve done and the music that they’ve made in their career has been incredible. So to be able to talk to them and ask, “How’d you do this? How’d you do that?” I think it was just so special to us.
When I first heard your band, I initially wondered, “Did they get their name from the Siamese Dream song?” Because I hear a lot of Pumpkins in some of your guitar tones. Is there any truth to that?
Desi: Not necessarily. I mean, first of all, it’s a very valid assumption, and you are not the first person to assume that. [Alithea] came up with the name, I can’t even remember how. But it was the only name we could say out loud that we liked and we’ve had a bunch of names. Like if you have to tell your parents your band’s name, like, what sound can you get out of your body?
Alithea: We knew immediately, though, that it would be the assumption, and I think we were so okay with that because they’re such an amazing band and because they’ve been such an influential band for us specifically. So we thought they were awesome company to be with. Sometimes people will assume that and we don’t even necessarily correct them because it makes sense.
Were there any other names you’d considered?
Desi: Yes, and they will not be repeated.
Alithea: There were none that we really considered heavily. Like, this is the only one where we thought, “This is us.”
Since we’re talking about Smashing Pumpkins, what are some of the other ‘90s bands that kind of helped shape your sound?
Desi: Probably all the ones you would assume. There’s a band called Chavez that’s really big for us. I feel like there are some songs on the new album that are more leaning towards that than some of the softer stuff we’ve listened to, but that’s a huge band for us. Pumpkins are a huge band for us.
Alithea: Fugazi is one of our favourite bands, even though obviously we don’t sound much like them. Their music is a massive influence on us and. What else?
Is that more about their DIY ethos or a lyrical thing for the Fugazi influence?
Alithea: No, I don’t know how to really put it into words, but guitar-wise they’re just so unreal and awesome. And just their energy behind things, I feel like they always came across so passionately, even on recording, which I feel is so hard to pull off. For me personally, I can see a band live and feel moved by it more often than not, just because it’s in your face and it’s real and it’s tangible. But I think sometimes it’s hard to come across as that energetic on a recording because you’re in the studio and you’re just by yourself and you’re just singing. It’s hard to channel that same energy. And I feel like they always did that perfectly, which was something that, again, I don’t think necessarily comes across maybe on our new record. I don’t think that we sound like them, but there were little things like that that I feel made us all think differently about recording, but also playing live. They were amazing.
I see Desi is also wearing a Helmet shirt.
Desi: Helmet, yeah. Fugazi, also Television was a big band for Baron and I specifically with guitar playing, which is funny because I feel like Television and Fugazi, as different as they are, are very similar in terms of how important the guitar playing is. They’re also very similar in the sense that there are two guitar players and they’re both individually, really good from one another and they work together really well.
I saw a video the band shared where you talk about some influences for the album. I thought it was really cool that Alithea mentioned Juliana Hatfield’s Only Everything.
Alithea: Yeah, the first time I heard that record it just evoked such a feeling and it was so exciting to me. It was so new, even though we’ve been listening to this genre of music for years and years and years. But I only found out about Juliana Hatfield a couple of years ago. It was Baron who played me a song, and I remember just feeling so excited because she was a girl and, not to deduce down to that, but just at a very simple level, I was like, “This is so cool. I want to do this so badly.” And I think it made me even more excited than I already was to try to be like that. I would look up photos of her and think, “Oh my God, she’s so cool.” All of those aspects of it.
But I love that she is so talented. Her melodies are incredible, her lyrics are so honest, but then at the same time, her guitar playing is incredible. Like, she doesn’t leave anything out. And I feel like sometimes people just will sing and they’ll just play rhythm guitar, and that’s just kind of their thing, which is also really cool. But she was like, “I’m gonna do both and be really, really incredible at both.” So I feel like that’s kind of what also influenced me personally about it, just being like, “I’m going to sing and I’m going to play bass. I’m not going to just play it simple. I want to try to do this the best that I can at both.” I think just her sound on that record, it feels very honest. She’s like, “This is what I am. Here you go. Take it or leave it.” And I appreciate that about it.
I feel Only Everything is one of the more under-appreciated albums of the ’90s. People usually mention her previous album, Become What You Are instead.
Alithea: Yeah, no one talks about it, and that’s exactly how I felt when I heard about it. I was like, “Why have I not heard this sooner? All of my favourite bands are in this same vein and this is the first time I’m hearing of this?” She’s incredible and just as good as the most famous bands of the ‘90s, but it feels like no one ever talks about her. And then, of course, I got into Blake Babies. And I love The Lemonheads. And once I kind of found out all that out, I was like, “Okay, I guess she was around more than I initially knew.” But I had never heard her name. I had never heard anything about her. So anytime anybody asks, I’m like, “Yeah, she’s just incredible.” And she’s still making incredible music, which is crazy.
Rocket formed during the pandemic. At what point did you realize that Rocket was no longer just a pandemic project?
Desi: From the moment we started, it really wasn’t a pandemic project in a sense of, “Oh, there’s nothing to do, we might as well be in a band.” Whether the pandemic was happening or not, I think this was going to happen.
Alithea: But I think it gave us the freedom to do it because we all were at home, able to start writing and brainstorming, just having a lot more free time than prior to being home. Obviously, everybody picked up new hobbies and such, but from the get go, we’re like, “This is not going to be a hobby. We’re gonna try to give this our best effort.”
From: https://firstrevival.substack.com/p/an-interview-with-rocket
