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The Interceptors are the kind of band that gives an old rock fan like me hope for the future of America.  Despite their youth (only one member is old enough to buy a beer legally) they draw their influences from the roots of punk and rock ‘n’ roll instead of whatever passing fad is infesting the airwaves at the moment.    The band (vocalist Vinnie A-bomb, drummer Commander Wally, guitarist Biff and bass player Lyle) is relatively new to the scene, but they’re already making an impact with their high energy live show.  I sat down with the guys at a local coffee emporium and they obligingly gave me the lowdown.

“I was in a few bands and I quit all of them.  That’s when I decided I was going to start a band that I wasn’t going to quit,” Biff tells me.  “I knew Wally from chatting over the internet, and asked him if he wanted to come out and jam.”  Vinnie and Lyle joined soon after and the band began putting a set together.

Musically, The Interceptors draw from groups like The Stooges, MC5, and Dead Boys.    Commander Wally adds, “I’m also obsessed with the New Bomb Turks, so everything I do is very trashy and high octane.”   Although there are similar bands on the Cleveland scene, like The Vacancies or Jackknife Powerbombs, The Interceptors distinguish themselves in their songwriting.  They’re catchy without compromising their raw edged sound.  Perhaps that catchiness is due to vocalist Vinnie’s professed knowledge of “every song on the radio.”  I’m inclined to believe him, as he certainly knew the lyrics to everything coming over the café’s sound system.  If they ever hit it big, I can just edit out the parts of the interview tape where he’s crooning “Rollercoaster of Love” and release it as a limited edition single.

“You don’t want to know about the lyrics,” Commander Wally warns.  “As long as it rhymes it’s a success for us.  Our song titles are horrible.  If anybody reads this interview and wants to write song titles for us give us a call.”   Vinnie disagrees, stating, “Some of the songs have a lot of meaning.  Songs like “Yellow Smog Town” and “Rebel Cat” have so much personal meaning because they’re about what was happening right then when we wrote them.”  Biff backs Vinnie up, adding, “He writes the good lyrics.  When we wrote lyrics together we used to sit around on the couch and try to write and it would take like a month to come up with anything.”  All kidding aside, in this interviewer’s opinion the band have some pretty solid material.  Given time, they can only get better.

So why spend your hard earned cash to see these guys live?  Without hesitation, Vinnie answers with just three words, “The Shit-on Shuffle.”  Wally elaborates.  “It’s a song, and now it’s a dance.  Basically it’s like a Joe Cocker thing.”  Vinnie  adds, “People should come see us because we move.  I hate seeing bands where they just stand there.  You gotta see something.  You’ve gotta have people in your face, guitars flying around, basses flying around.”  Biff sums it all up by saying, “I think we’re all feeling it.  We’re just feeling the rock, you know.”

“There’s a line in one of our songs that says “we’re not tryin’ to change the world, we’re not tryin’ to get no girls”, that’s really the heart of what it’s all about,” says Commander Wally.   Just then an attractive young lady walks in the door and the way their heads all turn casts some doubt on the second part of Wally’s statement.  Being the focused professional I am, I of course refrain from staring (you believe me, right?) and try to get the interview back on track.  I go for the cheap and easy question and ask Commander Wally about the current state of music.  “I think with bands like the Hives and The Mooney Suzuki coming around now, people are starting to notice that rock ‘n’ roll is still alive.  Just don’t start sucking once you get played on MTV or the radio.” 

Although at times it made for a chaotic interview, there’s a real chemistry between these four musicians.  As for the future, these guys seem committed for the long haul.  Commander Wally says he would even drop out of college if they had to tour nonstop to support an album.  In the meantime, you can still catch The Interceptors playing around the northeast Ohio area.  They’ll be at the Rhythm Room in Cleveland Heights Sunday September 8^th and The Mantis in Kent on Saturday September 14^th.  And for those of you depressed that Commander Wally’s previous band The Squirts didn’t get to play their farewell show at the Punk and Ska Fest, it’s been rescheduled for January 10^th at the Phantasy.  Check ‘em out.

Note: 9-11-02 - My powers of prognostication seem to have failed me.  Since this article was written, Vinnie has chosen to leave the band for personal reasons.  While unfortunate, Commander Wally says the group will forge ahead.  Check the band's website for further information and updates.