What The Hell Is A 'Back C.C.'?
The Back C.C.'s are Kick, Hiromu and Shingo, three Brooklyn punks who play rock-n-roll with as much energy as anything out there. They have performed with The Mummies, Birthday Suits, Roky Erickson, Davilla 666 and, oddly, Kidz in the Hall. Kick and Hiromu are half of the DJ team which puts on the Rebel Night rockabilly dance night and the upcoming Rebel Night Weekender. Kick is also in the band Thee Borders, while Shingo recently toured Europe as the drummer for Baby Shakes.
Marcus (the interviewer): What is a "Back CC"? Where did you come up with that name?
Shingo: In Japanese, a "Back CC" is, basically, one of these children in India who go around pickpocketing.
M: So pickpockets, thieves, something like that. All right, so then how did you guys get together?
Hiromu: Actually me and Kick met doing rockabilly DJing, so we knew each other.
M: I know there were some different people in the band originally.
S: Originally it was me, Kick, and my little brother. You were at the show at Don Pedro [on November 14th]? He was playing drums for them.
M: I know you all have some side-projects now, but what other bands were you in before the Back CCs, if any?
H: I was in Royal Lowkick Manah, and Bobby Steele's "The Undead".
M: (to Shingo) Were you in any bands before this?
S: Nope!
M: So this was your first one?
S: I was in this shitty goth-punk band.
H: He was like G.G. Allin.
M: Yeah right, there you go. So are the Back CCs something which evolved naturally from your previous bands or the Rebel Night thing or is it something different, like you decided to try something new?
S: Well, me and Kick used to work together at Search and Destroy, the vintage clothing store on St. Marks, and basically we just listened to music all day long. All these CDs laying around. We listened to a lot of garage-punk music, you know, Teengenerate and all that, and just decided that we wanted to start a band, basically, in that genre, and that's it.
M: Okay, I have to ask this obvious question but who were your band's influences. Who were you listening to that made you decide to start this band?
Kick: Madonna.
H: We originally were like a punk band. We basically wanted to be just like Teengenerate, you know. But now we're more garage-y.
M: Yeah, I was going to say that you have a bit of a rockabilly sound, a bit of kitsch, a bit of punk, a bit of lots of things. What are you specifically trying to do? Is there a particular sound you're going for, or are you just sort of doing whatever?
S: Yeah, we still do some 50's sounding stuff and just whatever we like.
M: All right, so do you guys write songs as a group, or is there one particular songwriter?
H: Actually, most of the time Kick brings us the song idea, lyrics, and the main chords.
K: And this motherfucker says "no".
M: (to Kick) So now where do you get your ideas?
K: I'm basically like, collecting records, really good stuff. I get ideas from there and, hmmm, I don't know, being drunk?
S: Our drunken leader!
M: So let me ask you this, in the more recent shows I noticed you've had the sort of suit-and-tie thing going on. Are you guys going for a particular style or look?
H: Yeah.
S: Yeah, I mean we used to dress like this in the beginning and then we changed it.
M: So back when you were a punk band you were going with this look and then you decided to go back to it?
S: I guess if we all look the same, dress the same we'll be, I don't know, visually pleasing.
H: A costume can change your mind, get you focused on the show, kind of like a hero costume.
M: So how did you get that gig with The Mummies anyway? I mean that was huge, like every garage rock band in town would have wanted that.
K: I don't know.
H: Our friend just gave us the chance. "Do you like The Mummies?" "Of course, yes." "Do you want to play with The Mummies?" "Yes of course, what can we do?"
K: I think the owner of the...
M: Maxwell's?
K: No, uh, Southpaw, I think he heard about us and he contacted us at one point. Yeah, it seemed like he liked us, and it was just like that.
M: You guys just recently released an EP. Are you thinking ahead to an album yet? I mean is that...
K: Yeah, we actually start recording soon, this year.
M: Cool!
This article will also appear (with more photos) in a 'zine called "Bananas" (issue 1), to be released in Summer 2010.
