Interview with Joe Ballaro from Hot Rod Circuit

Interview made via Email . interviewer: Pascal Biermann . 2007

Hot Rod Circuit - Statesite

Punk76: May you please shortly introduce yourself to the readers?
Joe Ballaro: My name is Joe Ballaro I play bass in the band

Punk76: 2008 will be your 10th anniversary with the band. How do you feel?
Joe Ballaro: I'm the newest member of the band, but I have listened and know the band since they made the move to Connecticut. I think that fact the band is still playing shows that Hot Rod just another time piece band, we not just a trendy band.

Punk76: Is it true that you changed your name from “Antidote” to “Hot Rod Circuit” because of an episode of the Simpsons?
Joe Ballaro: Yes. It was a in a line that Mr. Burns said. We just went to see the movie on an off day of this tour, it was rad!

Punk76: “The Underground Is A Dying Breed” is your newest record. What is the meaning behind the title?
Joe Ballaro: When we where working on the record we started kicking around some ideas for names, and most of them we kinda funny, inside jokes and what not, but then we kinda felt this being the bands 5th studio album maybe we would try and make some kind of statement. The underground is a dying breed was a line in a song that we where working on (Cali). We thought it might be a little stuck up sounding, be we didn't really care.

Punk76: You have released so many good records on “Triple Crown” and on “Vagrant” records. What do you expext from “The Underground Is Dying A Breed”, especially here in Europe.
Joe Ballaro: We are very excited to play in Europe, the band hasn't done all that much in Europe in the past. I dont know really what to expect from Europe. I guess nothing at all. But we will try the real good beer, if we ever make it to Germany and the other European countries.

Punk76: What are the topics the new album deals with? The artwork of the CD is really weird. The skeleton with the burning city. What is the intention of this drawing?
Joe Ballaro: We didnt think that it was weird, we all thought it was an awesome piece of art. It fit the title of the record great. With the way people can just steel music these days, most people dont ever see your record cover, we made this record for real fans of records. For us the whole record package is part of it.

Punk76: 10 years of band history, touring and recording. What do you like of beeing in HRC?
Joe Ballaro: Ever since i have been in the band, its the best band i have ever played in. We are all friends, we work on other projects together. Its kind of hard to get bored by touring. I love traveling, getting to see places I would have not other wise seen.

Punk76: What bands, movies, books, people did influenced you the most in your life? Not only in writing music, also in becoming the person you are right now?
Joe Ballaro: I think every person I have ever encountered has effected me in who I am, some more than others. Even the assholes I have meet, they are the best to learn from, cause they suck, and I know I dont want to be anything like them. But the music I listen to has been a huge part of me figuring out what kind of person I am, it's brought me together with some of the best friends I have ever made.

Punk76: What bands, movies, books, people did influenced you the most in your life? Not only in writing music, also in becoming the person you are right now?
Joe Ballaro: I think every person I have ever encountered has effected me in who I am, some more than others. Even the assholes I have meet, they are the best to learn from, cause they suck, and I know I dont want to be anything like them. But the music I listen to has been a huge part of me figuring out what kind of person I am, it's brought me together with some of the best friends I have ever made.

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