Crimes
Interview with bassist Vic Castello
By John B. Moore
In terms of band break ups, fans of Static Radio NJ have little to complain about.
Yes, the group called it quits, but most of the lineup quickly reformed and started Crimes, which sounds surprisingly similar to the last couple of Static Radio releases. Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself with Crimes’ debut four-song EP, out shortly on cassette (yes, cassette) and download via Black Numbers.
Bassist Vic Castello spoke recently about the break up and quick founding of his new band, bringing Trekkies to Jersey and why a cassette tape release made sense.
So why did Static Radio NJ split up?
We wanted to kind of start over. We felt like since Static Radio had been around for about 11 years, we needed something fresh. We were tired of playing the older songs and we didn’t really like the name of the band anymore, so we figured a fresh start was in order. Also we were going through a few lineup changes and we didn’t really want to be one of those bands with a revolving door of members. Static Radio was always kind of a mess; we never really did stuff the “right” way as far as being a band. We only cared about writing songs we liked, playing them, and fucking partying. Crimes gave us a chance to do it right, but not skimp on the partying.
Think there were any hurt feelings from Static members that weren’t part of this band?
The only member of Static Radio that isn’t in Crimes is Charles, and to be honest, he really didn’t like much of our stuff after our first full -length, An Evening of Bad Decisions. He’s more of a vegan (straightedge) hardcore dude, so our newer stuff wasn’t really his thing. He’s in a band called Test Of Time now, and they just got signed to Bridge Nine, and they’re much more his speed, so I think we’re all in a better position. He mastered the LP and the live in-studio stuff we did for us in exchange for some Star Trek schwag that I had sent to him. Him (Charles), Chris Scanlan (Static Radio’s original drummer), and me are all going to a Star Trek convention in Boston in June, it’s gonna be the tits. Anyway, the point is that it’s all good.
Is this EP a tease for a full- length?
Sure, but we haven’t written it yet. We’re going to write it over the summer and hopefully we’ll get it out by the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014. We’ll see what happens. We’ll keep everyone posted on our various media outlets.
Whose idea was it to release this one on cassette tapes vs. vinyl or CD?
After discussing it with Black Numbers, we decided cassette and digital was the way to go, and here is why: Vinyl is super expensive, and on a 7 inch in particular, it would be hard not to lose a bunch of money on the release. Since it was only four songs, we can’t really charge more than five bucks and at that rate, being a brand new band and not selling a ton of them right off the bat, it would be a loss. Obviously we’re not in this band to MAKE money but at this point in all of our lives, we really can’t afford to lose too much money either. CD is kind of the same deal, but CDs tend to sell even less in our style of music. We thought that a digital copy was obviously important, but we also wanted to offer people a physical copy of the EP. The way we did it, if you buy the tape you get the digital copy for your personal listening device, but you can also have something to actually hold in your hands, and no one loses their shirts in the process.
Anything else you want to cover?
I’d love to thank everyone that gives a shit about our band and that gave a shit about Static Radio, and please follow us on facebook.com/doincrimes or twitter.com/doincrimes. Also, never stop smoking weed. Also, get the new Banquets record ‘cuz it’s fucking awesome. The new Turnover record is really good, too. And Diamond Youth is great. Also New Noise is sweet and Lisa (Root, founder) is really cool and I hope she’ll hang with us at the Fest again this year.
Which reminds me, you guys are playing with Banquets in Jersey and Boston. Any other shows planned?
Yes! We are playing at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ with Plow United on July 13, and we’ll probably play some other shows in the North East area on that same weekend, hopefully including Philly. We’re also playing The Fest 12, which we’re super stoked for.
