Recently I spoke with Dave Leto from the Mighty Rye Coalition about Dave Grohl, being in a band forever and one of my favorite topics, New Jersey. Check it out below:
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Can you tell me who’s in the band and what they do?

Ralph Cuseglio
Singer, Lyric Writer, Former David Yow Slapee, Current David Yow Slapper, They have that Rick James/ Charlie Murphy relationship. Also drives a cab (poorly) and has the craziest hookshot in basketball since Kurt Rambis

Jon Gonnelli
Guitarrorist. What can I say about this guy. He has a guitar made of chrome. Its a weapon both on and off stage. He can do thatthing where he lets spit dangle really far and can then suck it back up.

Herbert Joseph Wiley V
Guitarded. This guy is like Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, and Ritchie Blackmore all rolled into one insane individual. You may also call him to find out when your furniture will be delivered

Dave Leto
D(r)umb(s) Can Also be found on the basketball court sometimes with Kurt Rambis. People say I am like a white Larry Bird. Full time Mr. Mom. If in the Jersey City area and you need a diaper changed, I’m your dude.

Bass Player:
Photo not Available

How long have you guys been around?
WE have been around since forming in high school 1994. Which would make us old. We played on and off together thru school, girllfriends, etc….

What’s the trick on being a band for so long?
First & foremost, the band should be made up of friends. You can all be into it when you are home practicing, but the true self comes out when you get in a van for three weeks. You may kill someone, so you want to make sure the band is a good fit. Secondly, do it until it is fun, when it is no longer fun and enjoyable, STOP.

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What have you guys released? Where can I get it?
DISCOGRAPHY:
Full Length Albums
Curses – 2006 GERNBLANDSTEN.
On Top – 2002 TIGERSTYLE.
Lipstick Game – 1999 GERNBLANDSTEN.
Hee Saw Dhuh Kaet – 1996 GERNBLANDSTEN.

ALL OF THESE ARE READILY AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM, ITUNES, RECORD STORES (GOOD ONES), EBAY AND AT OUR SHOWS OR GERNBLANDSTEN.COM

EPs
Chariots On Fire – 2006 (RELEASES IN EUROPE CAN STILL FIND IT ON EBAY)
Jersey Girls – 2003 AMAZON, TIGERSTYLE.COM
Karp / Rye Split EP (compiles split 12″ and first 7″) – 1997 EBAY AMAZON TROUBLEMAN
Karp / Rye Split 12″ – 1996 EBAY AMAZON TROUBLEMAN
The Dancing Man (Demo) – 1994 JUST SAW ONE ON EBAY

7″s
Got This Thing On The Move b/w Whole Lotta Rosie 7″ (SUB POP) – 2003 EBAY ONLY
New Sherriff In Town 7″ – 1996 GERNBLANDSTEN.COM
Teen-age Dance Session 7″ – 1995 EBAY TOUBLEMANUNLIMITED.COM
Maximillian Colby / Rye Coalition split 7″ – 1995 EBAY ONLY
Rye Coalition / The VSS split 2×7″ EBAY ONLY ONCE AGAIN

COMPILATIONS
ABC’s OF PUNK ROCK (EBAY?) 12 inch
STEALING THE POCKET (EBAY?) 12 inch
aND SOME OTHER SEVEN INCH WITH FOUR BANDS ON IT

ryee

Tell me what it means to be a Jersey band and how does living in Jersey effect your music?
Lots of Jersey bands are emo, and you know how I feel about that. I liken it to the guy in the zebra spandex outfit in Heavy Metal Parking Lot talking about punk music. Then other bands are weekend warrior bar bands. Or BOn Jovi or Bruce Springsteen

What the writing process behind Rye?
Someone comes in with a big fat monster riff, then we work on it with a W.W.I.S.D. mentality (WHAT WOULD IZZY STRADLIN DO) mentality. Or Someone has a whole song written and we try to learn it and make it ours forever, like Robert Goulet when he gets his paws on something. Or we get high, start a fire, kick around the hackey sack and jam out like a fucking Burning Man band. Just kidding about that last part, Or am I?

Congrats on having a baby, by the way, how does that effect your life?
Thanks, I try to explain to people, you are never ready until you have the baby, then it all comes together,. I tell people imagine the coolest thing thats ever happened to you or you have seen and multiply it by 1,000,000,000.

Will you do a sountrack for Are We There Yet 3?
You give me money and I will do a sound track for a Nambla movie. My baby needs diapers

ryy

I know that you guys have had some label troubles in the past, what has kept you guys together?
The desire to prove certain FAT CATS wrong. LEt them feel like they have made a mistake. Most importantly, its the friendship and the music. I we were doing this to get rich, don’t you think we would have stopped years ago?

Is there a show or tour moment that is your favorite?
There are so many , and sometimes they all blur into one memory
i really like this last tour we did of Europe, It was half arenas (with the Foos) and half small headlining shows. It was very fun. Then there was the time we played in New Orleands with The Ex Models & The Apes (both bands I love) and there was no one there. We set up our gear and each band member had their stuff in a different corner, it was very funny. Ralph ran across the bar, kicked some drinks over, fell thru the roof of a little sitting booth, and got his necked clawed and bloodied by the bartender. Best three songs we ever played. The other bands had to load our shit out because we werent allowed back in

Also the last tour we did with Golden was amazing. A great band

Buy this record now!!!!!

Really, how good is that Karp split 12 inch you guys did??
It’s pretty good. It’s funny to listen to now. It brings back many teenaged memories. Both bands did a really short song and a really long song, but we didn’t know we both were going to do that. Also I think both sides of th\e record are exactly the same length. Minus the lame Star Wars cover art (I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY STAR WARS MOVIES) I think its great

ryyy

Your new record was produced by Dave Grohl, what was he like to work with?
It was how you would imagine it to be, fun laid back, a good time hanging and cracking jokes and shit… It was like ahving another dude in the band.
He is an extremely great guy

Who’s better, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, the Boss or The Fugees?
Love Bon jovi, Queen Latifah, eh…. The Fugees The Score was like the record of my high school. Queen Latifah’s video rental store in Jersey City was closed because they were selling bootleg movies. hehhehe

What have you been listening to most these days?
Hmm, Babies crying, QOTSA, , DOOBIE BROS, Steely Dan, Mars Volta, Orchestra Extra Golden , Muse, Kanye, Murs, Elliott Smith. 5Style, Tortoise. Betty Davis, Outkast (Not the new one) I dont know

What’s your favorite NJ joke?
WE put it on one of our T Shirts. It had an outline of NJ and it said “kiss your girlfriend where it smells, Take Her To NJ. We sold lots of them, especially to lesbians. It worked on so many levels

Any shows coming up?
NOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPEEE. We are currently training and brainwashing a new bass player and writing some new crud, so it may be awhile…

RYE COALITION’S SITE HERE.

Rye Coalition - Honky Please! (from On Top)

Rye Coalition - White Jesus of 114th St (From the Karp split)

Rye Coalition - Pussyfootin (from Curses)

BUY ALL THEIR MATERIALS HERE.

thanks dave.
(no, thank you)