In the next instalment of our series exploring the big musical influences behind some of our fave musicians in the punk scene, we caught up with JT from melodic skate punks Heartwells to figure out his musical DNA!
Heartwells have been a Punk Rock Philosophy favourite ever since their debut LP ‘The New Old School’ was released back in June 2024. Combining the best elements of punk scenes past and present, the band have been growing in popularity over the last couple of years with the release of their EP ‘Ollie’ this Summer and a European tour about to kick off. Things are going pretty well for the Long Beach foursome (also comprised of Dave ‘Moki’ Marino on bass, Chris ‘Guinness’ Stout on drums and Sam ‘Skwid’ Petersen on guitar) so it felt like a good time to catch up with frontman Justin ‘JT’ Tauch in amongst all this activity to drill down into where his punk journey began, and how a certain fast-based group of punk rock legends changed his life…
“I can tell you EXACTLY when I got into NOFX. It was when ‘Punk in Drublic’ came out, so 1994. My friend’s older brother was playing Linoleum [a track from the album], and I was like what the hell is this? It changed my life.”
JT was a tender 8 or 9 years old when he heard that opening riff of ‘Linoleum‘ but he was certainly not a newbie when it came to punk. By that age his mum had exposed him to classics of the genre already, bands like Ramones, Misfits and Blondie starting him off in the ways of punk that must have made him the coolest kid in his class: “I started listening to punk in Kindergarten- my mum gave me a Ramones tape. The other kids were all watching Barney and I was listening to ‘Beat on the Brat‘”.
1994 was the golden year for that brand of young, melodic American punk that would become globally successful. Green Day released their breakthrough smash hit ‘Dookie’ that year; Weezer’s debut ‘Blue Album’ was out with lead track ‘Buddy Holly‘ being in heavy rotation on MTV; The Offspring’s ‘Come Out and Play’ topped the Billboard rock charts for two weeks….you were spoiled for choice if you were a young, burgeoning punk fan in 1994. But it was NOFX- five albums and ten years deep into their career at this point- that captivated JT’s attention through all the rest of the punk noise.
“When I discovered NOFX I felt like it spoke to me more than other stuff around at the time. It had more angst, energy and speed…it hit harder. That what I like about them- they really BRING it.
“’Punk in Drublic’ felt like the record for me. When it came out, I had all this past stuff to discover. I went on a NOFX kick for a long time, and the more I discovered of what they were putting out, the more I loved them”.
Even to the casual rock music observer, the one thing NOFX are associated with is playing fast. Well, that and goofing around alongside a pretty solid and consistent back catalogue that saw them grow musically as a band, but not veer into territory that alienated their core fans. For a musician like JT, it’s a combination of the attitude and the musicianship that he has drawn inspiration from over the years:
“I love the energy and the speed of the opening riff in ‘Linoleum’, I never heard a guitar play that fast before even though it is just rhythm. When I heard ‘Linoleum’ I had never heard anything that fast or melodic, and since then it has just been something that has ingrained in me. It has the speed, the attitude, the harmonies… that song in particular hit everything they actually do. It was perfect lightning in a bottle for them.
‘Punk In Drublic’ is eclectic- they have everything you want to hear from the band in that record. I think the humour is really strong- they have a secret track at the end where they are doing impressions, ‘My Heart is Yearning’ is about getting an STD… but they also have songs that are dark like ‘Laurie Myers’. By that record they had really honed their craft and in my opinion, were at their best on that record.”
By his teens, JT had his own guitar and his own determination to form a band and get on stage.
“I got my first guitar when I was 13 and played my first show at 15. Immediately after getting a guitar I wanted to form a band, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I didn’t have any lessons, didn’t know how to hold the thing or what a chord was so I started messing around myself. I had some friends in middle school who showed me what a power chord was and as soon as I could play it, I started learning Ramones songs.
I definitely learned some NOFX songs and what they taught me was inverted power chords- I learned to do that through them. Because I am a rhythm guitarist, learning ‘Linoleum’ on rhythm guitar was a crowning achievement for me! Something about the way it breaks up and how fast it is… you have to really understand it to play it”.
Maybe it’s their pace, their own ear for melody or perhaps JT’s vocal style that leads to comparisons between Heartwells and NOFX- something JT feels mixed about:
“At first I would say I didn’t hear it and felt I was doing my best not to sound like that, but then more people said it. I personally don’t hear it but I guess there will be some sort of influence as I listened to them for such a long time. A lot of people compare my singing to them. I grew up listening to that music, so it is ingrained into my musician DNA”.
As a songwriter himself, JT appreciates the mechanics that go into crafting a song and what may sound simple on the surface can hide hidden complexities- something NOFX embody well:
“If you break down some of their songs to the basics, they can be pretty simple. But then they have complex moments within songs or they take something simple and make it technical and try to bring out as much as they can. For me the melody is where it starts and once you have the basics down you can build around that. As a guitarist, you appreciate them way more and if you are a bassist you definitely appreciate them more! And if you are a drummer you definitely appreciate them- Smelly is an amazing drummer. They always joke that they suck but I never understood why”.
Simple or complex, NOFX must be doing something right as their career has spanned over 40 years. They are one of the few punk bands that are incredibly well known in the alternative music scene (and probably beyond) but have nevertheless deftly managed to avoid a lot of the accusations of selling out or losing credibility that may dog other bands of similar stature and longevity. Their commitment to being independent has managed to maintain a lot of good feeling in the scene and has also provided an inspiration to new bands (including Heartwells) about how to maintain your integrity:
“NOFX never allowed themselves to get that big- they stayed true to not selling out. But when I saw the crowd at their last show in San Pedro in 2024, and saw the sea of people come out to see them, I was like ‘WOW! This one band built all this out of a career that they did themselves’. They never sold out, never gave themselves away to anyone to exploit them.
I really love the DIY spirit of punk and throughout my life I have always worked hard for what I had, I’ve never been handed anything. My own company Hey Fever Records [started with David Moki Marino] has been partly to ensure I maintain that ethos of punk and that authenticity as to me, that is the most important part of this genre.
There are a lot of inauthentic people in the music industry who are in it to cash-in rather than do it from the heart. NOFX did it themselves the entire way and brought up so many bands and inspired so many musicians to say you can do it yourself. I have been taking notes on what they did- we are figuring it out as we go along just like everyone else.
I have a tattoo that says ‘LIFER’ and I got that to show my commitment to punk music, even as people around me stopped listening to it- I was never gonna follow suit and leave punk behind. I stayed true to myself and what I love”.
And putting JT’s NOFX fandom to the test, we asked him to give his own NOFX top ten in full knowledge that it would invite scrutiny from other super fans! So here it is:
- The Decline
- Linoleum
- The Desperation’s Gone
- Eat the Meek
- The Bag
- Pimps and Hookers
- Seeing Double at the Triple Rock
- The Idiots Are Taking Over
- Kids of the K-Hole
- Total Bummer
And as for Heartwells…
European fans are finally getting the opportunity to see Heartwells live as they embark on their European tour in November taking in places like Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. Follow the band on social media or check out their website to stay up to date with tour dates, venues and ticket info.
If you’re a fan of awesome punk music of the West Coast skate/pop punk vibe then your homework is to listen to Heartwells 2024 album and this year’s EP- head HERE.
Aaaaand check out the rest of the roster on Hey Fever Records HERE.
