By Keith Walsh
There’s a stereotype about punk rock that it’s all negative or caustic. On their debut EP Nasty Habits, NC17, out of Richmond, Virginia, disproves all that.
I spoke with the members of this dynamic quartet about their lyrics and their loud but celebratory sound, asking if there was ever any temptation to be a mean and aggressive punk rock band. “I think we left that in our last bands,” quips DRock, who plays guitar.
“We’ll be accessible,” says Yani, who as vocalist writes the band’s lyrics with her husband, “and there’s no need to be (mean) in my estimation. You don’t always have to preach — I think you’d like to party.”
With their upbeat melodic sound and lyrical messaging, NC17 blurs the line between punk and its more commercial counterpart, alternative music. “We do come from a punk background,” says RyNo, who plays bass. “It’s kind of funny you mentioned alternative because we’d be comfortable playing just about anywhere.”
“We’ll be accessible, and there’s no need to be mean in my estimation. You don’t always have to preach — I think you you’d like to party.”
Yani, of NC17
For now, NC17 are focused on conquering the vibrant punk scene near Richmond, Virginia. “We’re definitely trying to play the dingiest basements and also the most Normie festivals you can think of. There’s definitely a good DIY (scene). Like we actually just played, someone’s like tiny basement about two weeks ago. There’s a good punk scene out here for sure.”
As for bigger venues, RyNo added “there’s a place called The Broadberry that I think we’d do really good at and then and then at the Richmond Music Hall, I think would be really cool as well.”
‘A Fan Of Second Chances‘
Frontwoman Yani delivers songs that are full of energy, built on her training in choir and singing in bands. “I love any girl who’s badass,” she says. Some of her heroes are Pink, Tina Turner and Billy Joel, and believe it or not, the latter artist’s tenderness seems to influence the lyrics of NC17. The song “Something’s Different” tells the story of giving someone a second chance after initially writing them off.
“You’re so different/nothing like you were the first time we met/I thought you were a poseur/But I’m open to do-overs/I’m a fan of second chances/
I thought I hated you/but something’s different/And I think I like it/I like it.” (Something’s Different, from Nasty Habits by NC17.)
That social situation seems challenging to me, but I must be mistaken. “It’s a pretty commonplace situation,” says Yani, “especially in dating relationships…you might meet somebody the first time, you don’t hit it off and then you get a chance to do it again.”
Yani definitely enjoys her roles of writing and performing. The song “Raise Your Glass” encourages celebration, despite the hardships and challenges of everyday life. “I’m just happy to be able to use my voice,” she says. “I’m kind of in the sweet position of the boys coming up with the instrumentation and then I get the joy of just writing.”
Yani’s writing partner is her husband Franklin Roberts, who was in bands with RyNo a few years back — Hero Gets The Girl and Cherry Red. Of her husband, Yani says: “We met by making music together and it just kind of carried over — and I think he’s super stoked about NC17. And so any time I’m working on a new song, he’s going to make sure he’s involved, but it has worked out to be a good thing because he’s a great songwriter too.”
Origins, Studio Work, And Gear
DURG is the stage name of NC17’s drummer. “Me and (RyNo) and (DRock) have played in bands together for probably like seven years now. I met these guys basically through like a Reddit post. They were looking for a drummer. I was new in town. So I met them with one of our old bands. We did a Ramones cover band for a long time.” It’s through RyNo that the other guys met Yani.
The first song NC17 wrote together is “Killer Show,” which encapsulates the band’s powerful, fun message. It comes across quite well on the EP, which was recorded and mixed in four days. “We basically recorded all the instruments live,” says RyNo, “at least the drums and the bass and then we and the guitar played along with us. But then we overdubbed a bunch of other guitar tracks. So that’s basically it.”
DRock favors his Gibson SG, while RyNo plays a Fender P-Bass. Drummer DURG: “I try to keep it pretty simple back there. I keep to my bread and butter punk beats and mid-tempo stuff. But I use an Orange County kit with Zildjian cymbals and Remo heads. So yeah, I mean had the kit for a while now added on, you know, different cymbals here and there just to get some different sounds.”
Summarizing the perspective of NC17, guitarist DRock says: “There’s so much negativity already in the world, especially nowadays,” adds DRock, “that just trying to be that positive voice. I think, is a good way to go.”
I’m told that NC17 will be releasing an acoustic track in a couple week. Stay tuned!
NC17 on Facebook
NC17 On Instagram
NC17 On Bandcamp
finis