Interview with Lisa Hahn from The Scamps

How did The Scamps form and what inspired you to make music together? 

After moving from Chicago to Brooklyn to work as a guitar maker, I was inspired to build my first “real” electric guitar.  I had played acoustics for years but that electric guitar changed how I wrote music and played guitar. It was the catalyst to start the band.

My first idea was to find someone who played the keyboards that sounded like a old Hammond organ. I found Emily. For a while, it was Emily on keys and me on guitar with a drum machine. But when we met Kevin he put the drum machine to shame and we became a trio. Then Matthew came along on bass to complete the lineup and it was magic… scamp magic. 

How did the name “The Scamps” originate?

One evening, while we were out celebrating my birthday, Emily’s boyfriend called us a bunch of scamps. The name stuck. The Scamps were born.

How would you describe your sound and who are your major musical influences?

We sound like Muddy Waters and Stevie Wonder making out to the Talking Heads in the back of Booker T’s MG. Or better yet, how about if both Muddy Waters and Stevie Wonder were ladies!

OK, all ladylove aside… We have a lot of 60’s influence. 60‘s garage rock, old school R&B,  electric blues, and just about anything that you can dance to.

Who writes your song lyrics and what are some reoccurring themes in your music, if any?

I write the lyrics and I guess, travel or transportation comes up often.  To me, whether its human powered, a combustion engine, or whatnot, transportation and travel feel like change or progress, even if that progress is measured in miles.  That might be a reoccurring theme, or I might just be a flight risk.

Briefly, walk me through the Scamps music making process. How does a song begin its life; through lyrics, guitar, random rock sessions?

Sometimes its a guitar part, sometimes its a lyric. Lately, I’ve been coming up with lyrics while bicycling around Brooklyn. The hard part is remembering when I get home, so I usually end up singing them the whole way. 

After I’ve got the beginnings of a song, I sit down with a guitar to flesh it out and email a demo to the rest of the band. That way, when we get together to play they’ve already got some ideas. We usually end up taking the song apart and putting it back together piece by piece. 

Are The Scamps signed to a record label?

We are doing it all ourselves.

 How can our followers listen to a few of your songs and are any of them available to download? 

On our website, thescamps.com. You can listen to our single, Sack Lunch and download it for free.  As we finish up the rest of the songs, our site is the best place to find them.

Where on the World Wide Web are you located and where can we purchased your self-titled Album, “The Scamps”?

We can be found at thescamps.com. and on facebook at, facebook.com/thescamps.

Once it’s out, you’ll find our self-titled debut, “The Scamps” on our website, at shows and almost any place you can find music online.

When exactly is the new album coming out?

August 31st, but you can pre-order on our site.

Do you have any live show dates in the near future, if so what venues?

We are having our album release party in Brooklyn on August 27th Matchless. That is the show not to miss. You can also check out our calendar at: thescamps.com/shows.html 

Who within the band identifies as part of the LGBTQ community? 

Me. I am super-gay. Our bass player is pretty gay too.

Is the LGBTQ Community a large part of your target fan base?

The LGBTQ Community feels like my family, so its more like sharing than targeting.

Do any of your songs speak about ladies loving ladies?

A bunch of them do.  I am a lady who loves the ladies.  I’ve been out for so long that its not something I think about when writing my lyrics. Ladies just seem to slip into songs.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band?

Start the band with people you like. Start it with people you wouldn’t mind being stuck in a room with practicing for a few hours a week. Start it with the hopes that you’ll be stuck in studios and vans on the road for hours at a time with them. I love my bandmates, and wouldn’t recommend doing it any other way.

Do you have any last words?

FUCK YEAH LADY LOVE  Rocks! 

interview by trajenny

FYLL: Who are your band members and what instruments do they play?

Alexa: Well, Jon sings with me! Matt and Sean play guitar, Taylor plays bass and right now we don’t have an official drummer but for right now our friend Emmett is playing shows with us!

FYLL: Where are you guys originally from? 

Alexa: Long Island. Around the Stony Brook area.

FYLL: What inspired the name of your band? 

Alexa: Well, Jon and Matt came up with the name years ago when they were a 3 piece hardcore band and it’s supposed to represent the ending of a letter.

FYLL: Why and how did you form your band? 

Alexa: Like I mentioned it was originally a 3 piece hardcore band with Matt and Jon.  They got tired of the hardcore scene and wanted to branch out more so they asked me to originally play guitar… then we went through a couple bassists but found Taylor and then Sean came in to take over my guitar parts so I could focus on singing.

FYLL: What would you call your genre of music? 

Alexa: Pop punk with some hot sauce on it!

FYLL: What would you say makes your band unique? 

Alexa: Hmm, I mean the male and female vocal sets us apart off the bat, but there is some hardcore influence to the way we write the music behind the voices. 

FYLL: Do you have any musical influences? Who and/or what are they?

Alexa: We each have many different musical influences, for me personally since before Paramore got huge I always thought Hayley was awesome for doing what she did back then.  Jonny Craig’s vocal ability is amazing, and the lead singer of Every Avenue also. 

FYLL: Who writes your songs? What happens during the process and what inspires you?

Alexa: Well, we all write songs. Jon and I write full songs usually acoustically and bring them to practice where we all pull them apart and re-make.

FYLL: Where can our followers find some of your music? Are they available to download?

Alexa: Well, we are on iTunes! Just search Love, Robot on iTunes I’m sure we’ll pop up, our two older EP’s are on there.  This summer we’re releasing a brand new 6 song EP we’ve been working hard on!  Our myspace also has some of our songs on it as well: www.myspace.com/loverobotli

FYLL: Are you guys playing any shows in the near future? If so, when and where?

Alexa: I believe we’re playing July 6th at Broadway Bar with our friends The Here and Now.  After that though we’re working on getting a tour up and running for August and in September hopefully we’ll be going coast to coast!

FYLL: Who within the band identifies as part of the LGBTQ community?

Alexa: Well, I suppose I identify myself as queer, and the boys are all straight however are 100% supporters of everything LGBTQ related!

FYLL: Is the LGBTQ community a large part of your target fan base?

Alexa: Unfortunately not right now, I’ve just started becoming comfortable with reaching out to the LGBTQ community and now that I’m out to my close family I feel like it will be easier for us to get more involved.

FYLL: Do any of your songs speak about ladies loving ladies?

Alexa: Haha! Well, considering I was what I thought was “in love” with a girl who broke my heart while writing most of the first EP, a majority of songs are about a lady who loved a lady who broke her heart.  However this newer EP and some of my newest solo acoustic songs are more about falling for someone new!

FYLL: I found a cool cover by your band of Danity Kane’s hit Damaged. What made you do a cover of that song?

Alexa: Well, it was Matt’s idea, and originally I didn’t think it would work!  But he persisted and we tried and it and the next thing I knew it worked haha.  I think it came out pretty good, and it was a fun song to mess around with because it was so outside of our genre.

FYLL: Do you have any last words for our lady lovers?

Alexa: Please please please check out Love, Robot and come to any shows we play on tour this summer/fall.  We’re always looking to talk to our fans so please feel free to contact any of us with any personal questions or just to say hey! 

Links:

MYSPACE - myspace.com/loverobotli

TUMBLR - lovecommarobot.tumblr.com/

TWITTER -  twitter.com/lovecommarobot

Interview by Thelma Rodrigues

Direct Link to VIDEO:

http://www.vimeo.com/12601329

Tightrope by Janelle Monae a LGBT supporter!

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