Southern Charm Meets Punk Rock
The No Loves formed in 1996 in St Petersburg, FL when founding member and singer and guitarist, Jim Putney began working with long time friend and drummer, Mike Hobbs. They were eventually joined by guitarist Chris Baber and bassist Adam Tisch and began playing shows locally in the Tampa Bay area. The four of them had many influences in common such as The Clash, NY Dolls, Social Distortion, AC/DC and The Descendents to name a few. The band's second gig was opening for New Bomb Turks at the State Theatre in St Petersburg. They went on to play with many other national acts including Nashville Pussy, Supersuckers, Quadrajets and The Independents. They began playing out of town shows and in 2006 went on an east coast tour that included stops in Atlanta, Savannah, NYC, and Portland, ME.
The No Loves formed in 1996 in St Petersburg, FL when founding member and singer and guitarist, Jim Putney began working with long time friend and drummer, Mike Hobbs. They were eventually joined by guitarist Chris Baber and bassist Adam Tisch and began playing shows locally in the Tampa Bay area. The four of them had many influences in common such as The Clash, NY Dolls, Social Distortion, AC/DC and The Descendents to name a few. The band's second gig was opening for New Bomb Turks at the State Theatre in St Petersburg. They went on to play with many other national acts including Nashville Pussy, Supersuckers, Quadrajets and The Independents. They began playing out of town shows and in 2006 went on an east coast tour that included stops in Atlanta, Savannah, NYC, and Portland, ME.
Throughout the years the band went through various lineup changes. Most notable was the addition of guitarist, Curtis McCall in 2007 who has remained in the band ever since. Jim now being the only original member in the current lineup. In 2012 the band released their long overdue debut release, 'Fully Loaded' on Stiff Pole Records. Music videos were filmed for the songs 'GPS' and 'Curtis McCall'. The record was reviewed well and a highlight experience for the band around this time was playing live on local radio station, WMNF 88.5.
In 2013, the band faced a major decision when Jim's employer gave him the option to move Nashville, TN or be laid off with a severance package. With Curtis McCall being from the "backwoods of North Carolina", the move to Tennessee didn't sound too bad. It would give him the opportunity to be closer to his family. Jim and his wife made the move along with Curtis and were rejoined in Tennessee by former bassist, Steve Merkel. It took nearly a year to find the right fit at drums when Bo Dinski joined the band.
Before the move, the band had recorded five songs with then drummer, Chuck Wood and bassist, Pat Horgan that were intended as an EP. With the new line up in Nashville, the band went on to record another eight songs and make their next release a full length. 'Plum Crazy' was released in March, 2017 and features cover art by Greg Reinel who had also done the art for 'Fully Loaded'. Greg is a Ford guy but happily creates a Mopar themed fantasy world for the band's artwork. The 2013 Florida tracks were produced by Stephen Connelly at Zen Recordings in Pinellas Park, FL.
The Tennessee tracks were recorded at Shed Recording Studio in Madison, TN by Eliott Virula and by Curtis Erdek at Audiotopia in LaVergne, TN. The record has a consistent sound despite being recorded at three different studios. It is a well rounded record that takes the listener in many different directions.
Most of the material is written by founding singer/guitarist, Jim Putney. The band could be called pop punk given their emphasis on melody, but their use of guitar leads and solos makes them much more dynamic. The songs are about girls, muscle cars, drinking, heartbreak and will make you laugh at times. 'Cab Drivin' Son of a Bitch' will take you inside the mind of Jim when he drove a taxi. Their sound is melodic yet aggressive and based on early blues based Rock 'n' Roll and Old School Punk. You can hear many influences in their music blending classic rock guitar heroism with street punk attitude. The band is all about showmanship on stage. The two guitarists each have their own skill set yet come together at times with harmonizing dual leads that will remind you of Thin Lizzy but at the speed of the Ramones.
With 'Plum Crazy' now released and with the addition of new drummer Marc Gould in the band, No Loves have an ambitious year planned ahead of them with trips out west and regionally in the states. They intend to eventually bring their show to the UK and Europe.
Band Line up: Jim Putney - vocals, guitar, Curtis McCall - guitar, Steve Merkel - Bass, Marc Gould - drums.
Band Line up: Jim Putney - vocals, guitar, Curtis McCall - guitar, Steve Merkel - Bass, Marc Gould - drums.
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