webpage: http://www.dementlieu.com/~obik/ email: obik@dementlieu.com JERRY'S KIDS (from Noise 91, January 1990) JERRY'S KIDS ON THE BLOCK by Doug Thomas The block where Jerry's Kids rehearse is at the corner of Robert and Holmes streets. In this quiet suburb, in guitarist Rockin'Bob Cenci's cellar brews the vicious, angry presentation known around hard core circles both here and in Europe, as one of the best. Throughout their on-off, up-down sleigh ride to stardom, the song-writing duo of bassist Rick Jones and Cenci have been a constant backbone of Jerry's Kids brutality. There's a bit of history in this trend. Let's wade through together. Originally guitarist Dave Aronson was replaced by Chris Doherty. Singer Brian Jones,after breaking his leg during a show, was forbidden by his parents to perform live, so his brother Rick took on the vocals as well as his bass. The line up of Jones, Cenci, Doherty, and drummer Brian Betzger recorded Jerry's Kids' first: L.P. "Is This My World?" in 1983, when the straightedge punk scene in Boston was at its legendary best. The first J.K. album is still considered a thrash milestone from Boston to Berlin. Chris Doherty and Brian Betzger then left and formed Gang Green, and were replaced by drummer Mike Dean and again Dave Aronson on guitar. In 1987, Dean was replaced by Jack ark behind the drums, and Jerry's Kids went into the studio to record their new L.P. "KILL! KILL! KILL!" RICK JONES: The guy who owned the studio kept yelling at us. JACK CLARK: He had an anxiety attack when he heard our music. RICK: "Can't you guys sing one song without screaming?" DAVE ARONSON: "Haven't you ever heard of harmony?" RICK: It was in a basement and this guy lived upstairs. All the basic tracks were done in a basement. So, they have that great basement sound. DAVE: No expense was spared. RICK: We mixed some songs over and over and over. We'd mix it all weekend, listen to it and it would sound good. Then, a couple of days later, it sounds like shit. You get frustrated with it and do it all over again. After a while, just going in there again and again for two years drives you crazy. NOISE: Whose idea was it to use the special effects on the album? The telephone, the morse code... RICK: Drunken stupors. Alcohol was the inspiration for lots of things we did en the record. DAVE: A lot of it was due to Tom Hamilton making us drink a lot while we were doing it. RICK: Tom's production theory is to drink lots of alcohol. And it works pretty good! Not too many side effects. The record has taken a year to come out. Part of it was our feet dragging, but we wanted to make sure everything was right before it went out, but you're never happy. NOISE: Are you happy with it now? RICK: We could probably keep working on it for another five years and still not be happy. BOB CENCI: Tom Hamilton wanted to be there for the mastering, and they were talking about remastering and I was like, "I've had enough. Enough of the studio. It sounds fine." NOISE: Jerry's Kids have some very vivid, bloody song titles and subjects. The music violently wraps you in a blanket full of fishing hooks. Anger, hate and rage are big ingredients in the band's songs. Did you guys grow up in an abusive orphanage or something? RICK: Dave did. His father lived with another man. Dave was an experiment. DAVE: Rick's parents were pretty abusive, over-bearing. But now, Rick's his own person. Bob had it pretty good. BOB: Yeah, I could do whatever I wanted. But really, it's just a product of the times. In the '60s, it was love, man. In the '90s, it's hate. DAVE: What type of publication is this, anyway? NOISE: It's the NOISE magazine. Rick thought I was from "the Beat". RICK: I didn't know. I couldn't remember. BOB: Hey, aren't you Ace Diamond? JACK: Hey, I'm talking to Ace Diamond! Oh boy! DAVE: No, Ace Diamond is talking to YOU! JACK: Actually, I think Ace Diamond nibbles on the knob. NOISE: So where do Jerry's Kids go from here? You said you have some new songs... RICK: I want to record in a couple months. Maybe we'll just do an E.P. and it'll only take us a year. BOB: The new songs are called "Sing With Me", "Kill! Kill! Kill!", "Love Dolls", "I Will Destroy You", and we have this cut from '82 we were thinking about remaking. RICK: Maybe.... NOISE: What makes Jerry's Kids so angry? RICK: I don't know. We just start playing. I don't know what makes us that way. I guess it's my fault. DAVE: I'm sick of everything, man. RICK: We just play and.... JACK: ....it just comes out. RICK: Music is such a release of tension for us. Some pecple go jogging.