No Valentine
Interview conducted on May 14, 2020
by Dan Locke
No Valentine has an arsenal of original songs that don’t all sound alike. It’s definitely rock n roll, but it’s more than that. There are lean guitar riffs straight from 1968 London, 4 on the floor punk beats, Stax like grooves, and full on barn-burners.
Lyrics speak universal truths and sing la la las, ballads of murder with hooks of pop. On every tune you get 1… 2… 3… or no vocals at all. Nothing like a galloping hard rock instrumental.
No Valentine is an exciting and unpredictable live band, check them out!
CINDY PACK, famous for fronting The Shakes and slinging hooch at CBGB, is the songwriting brain behind No Valentine. These days she’s slinging a Gibson Les Paul and her lead vocals range from growl to to howl.
MIKE LINN, one time house drummer for Cryptovison Records, pounded the skins for hip hop/punk rocker Princess Superstar, electronica group Spalding Rockwell, and the hard rocking Dirty and Naughty. His hard charging beat propels the sting and thunder of No Valentine’s sound.
LAURA SATIVA, long a road dog for Tania and the Revolutionaries and Mongrel Bitch, came home to command the bass guitar for No Valentine. She likes it most when she’s singing the “la la las”.
, What is your upbringing?
Cindy: born in the Midwest, transplanted to the deep south (culture shock) lived in NYC most of my life now. Left home at 17 to seek, fame and fortune…still looking.
Laura: Spent my childhood on a farm in Connecticut. I’ve lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan most of my life.
Mike: I was born in the mountains of Virginia surrounded by bluegrass and country music. When rock hit the area, I was sold on that and started playing drums. I moved to Richmond VA in my teens and playing drums in teenage bands was my first “summer” job. My parents were music lovers and I was around all kinds of music my whole life.
How did you discover music?
Cindy: The legend is I was shaking my ass in front of the record player while still in diapers (may end up that way as well) My first instrument was piano, discovered guitar at age 13.
Laura: K-tel Records and FM radio.
How did you start to write music?
That happened very early on in my second band The Kool Rays. (The first one was an 11-piece R and B extravaganza complete with matching satin threads believe it or not). It seemed like the natural thing to do and besides someone had to do it …and then I fell head over heels with the creative process and seeing my ideas burst into songs with a band.
Cindy- do you remember how you got your first guitar? And do you still have it?
It was a 1959 cherry red Les Paul Jr. a really classic guitar. It had one single coil pick up though and it just wasn’t loud enough. In those days it never occurred to me that I could have two guitars I was too broke.
Wish I still had it, but I traded it for a 68 tele, which I still have and have played till the frets are fried. I’ve gone back to a Les Paul now, but this one has juice to spare.
Cindy- you were in the band The Shakes and did time at CBGB. Tell me about those days?
Those were vibrant and carefree days. I indulged myself to the max. It was a quite manic, but very creatively productive period in my life. The Shakes was a hard-hitting trio (gotta be a trio) with cow punk overtones. Many of my closet friends date back to those days. We formed really close bonds manning the fort at CBs. It was ground zero for up and coming bands and I was behind the bar for most of them, the good the bad and the ugly.
Mike- you were a hip-hop drummer, who did you two discover each other?
Cindy and I were in bands that played together a lot, and I would even sit in with her band sometimes, so we’ve been friends, and stayed friends a long time. When she was putting this band together, she asked me to be the drummer. I’m happy I did. I’ve been a drummer in punk bands, rock bands, country and rockabilly bands, as well as the hip-hop and electronica bands. So, I play just about anything, except jazz. I just love listening to and playing all kinds of music.
How the band did get its name?
It’s a lyric from our early anthem “Bowl of Cherries”. (life is not, is it?
How do you describe your sound?
The sound of three parts. buzzsaws jackhammers and honey.
How was your first gig together as a band?
Otto’s’ Shrunken Head (the best little Tiki bar in the East Village. Our first date with Laura on bass. We found our sound.
The band started in 2014, but the website said 2015?
2014 is a true story.
What does it mean “A chicken in every pot”?
That’s an old campaign expression; we used that to encourage people to vote for us in a battle of the bands on U-Rock Radio in Montreal.
Laura- how did you start playing flute?
I started playing at a very young age, forsook that for bass guitar in college, sold my soul to rock and roll and fell with this rough trade.
Laura- who are your flute gods?
Herbie Mann and of course Ian Anderson.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
We stay home
What is your favorite track on the album?
Laura: Detour
Mike: You’re Sick
Cindy: I have to copy Mike “You’re Sick”
Digital vs. vinyl?
Vinyl is cool, digital and streaming are reality
Any plans to tour?
When we can.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what is the meaning that song means to you?
Bowl of Cherries No Valentine, because we were just talking about it. (Life is not a bowl of cherries.)
How did you become part for the Pandemic Punch benefit compilation?
Otto’s Shrunken Head is near and dear to our hearts. Our friend Lynn from The Carvels NYC invited us to be part of it. We love them.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
Arghhhhhh
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
We are recording a new song “Radio Indonesia”. The first from our next planned release. “Live from the Bunker”
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Smoking pot, sleeping and teleportation.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
For a band the time lag/delay is a tough one of you don’t have the technology.
Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
LOL
First it was an article in the New York Times, then Rolling Stone talked about it and finally Live Nation CEO said that concerts may not start again until fall of 2021. Do you think this could happen?
No one knows what’s going to happen.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Anything you would like to say in closing?
In closing this are difficult questions. Big concerts, not too soon, small rooms, yes please when possible, but really psyched for the holographs.
Please send us your quadrant coordinates, so we can beam No Valentine to your living room today.
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