New York has a legacy of producing some of the world’s best punk bands, and today’s brand new band of the week are on a mission to carry that torch all the way into 2018.
Citing a ragged mix of The Ramones, Patti Smith and Blondie among their influences, alt-punk four-piece The Nectars take inspiration from their New York City forebears, while injecting a heavy dose of lavish pop sheen, resulting in a sound which falls somewhere between peak 90s No Doubt and Riot! -era Paramore.
We catch up with the band below, to find out more about where they’ve been and where they’re going next.
Can you introduce yourselves – where are you from, who does what and what are your roles in the band?
“Hi! We’re The Nectars from Bergen County, NJ. Jess is our singer, Dr B is on guitar, Mad Dog Mike is on the drums and last but not least Jon is filling out the bass.”
How did you guys meet and start making music together?
“Jon and Mike have played together in bands for years. After coming to the conclusion that they wanted to start a girl-fronted punk band, the search for Jess and B were quick and easy. We just looked to our local Jersey music groups and there they were.”
What were your key influences/inspirations in getting the band together?
“From the beginning, our goal has been to open the eyes of people world wide to girl-powered punk rock and spread a message of peace and love with a bit of fuck you sprinkled in. Musically, we’re pretty far reaching, but we line up hard on Blondie, The Ramones, Television, Bikini Kill, The Wipers, Patti Smith and The Pixies.”
How would you describe your sound in three words for people who’ve never heard you?
“AbRaSiVe. (You can keep the other two words.)”
What makes you special/different to other bands out there?
“We’re relentless. Every show makes us hungrier. Every recording, we demand more of ourselves. It’s a constant, tedious task, but this band is festering and growing like the Jersey scum we know we are!”
What’s the story behind the new single Heaven? How did it come together?
“2017 was a year of serious building. We spent every waking moment trying to flesh out our sound by taking any show opportunity that came our way. We wrote Heaven about confronting the oppressive people in your life and demanding change. It’s 2018, and the world could blow up at any minute – why the hell are you not following your dreams? Don’t let anyone or anything get between you and your best future. That’s Heaven.”
Can you talk us through the accompanying video?
“Our music video for Heaven was shot in a dusty North Jersey garage for as cheap as humanly feasible. As always, Wes Van Heest (B’s childhood friend) manned the cameras. When we were writing this song, we all agreed that it had this nauseous yellow ora around the riff, so of course the only colours in the video are yellow and black.”
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What’s your favourite story/anecdote from recording the single?
“If your guitar solo ever steps into that lame dad rock territory, just slap on a bit of Crusher and bring it back from the darkness…”
What do you hope people will take away from the single and your music in general?
“That only you can know what’s best for you. Every person is different. Every person is an individual. Everyone deserves love. If you’re not safe, if you’re not loved, then run… Go find your own slice of Heaven, lord knows it’s out there.”
What’s been the highlight of your time in the band so far?
“Our residency last year at Pianos was up there, watching the crowd expand week to week was incredibly liberating. Coming up, we’ve got a home show booked for January 27th at The Meatlocker in Montclair, that we all know is going to be a little rowdy.”
What can people expect if they come to see you live?
“Passion. We want to play for people who love live music. And most importantly we want to surprise people. Never expect the same show twice, it’s always a brand new revelation.”
What are you most looking forward to about the future – what’s coming next?
“An album. Or EP! Or whatever label people are giving to a compilation of some stuff we’ve been playing/recording recently! Regardless, we have countless music videos dropping all year long and the mix tape comes out around May. Stay tuned, Stay sticky!”
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