SLUNT BIO! You wont find the word SLUNT in Websters dictionary (use your imagination, folks) but it has arrived in the form of a badass, rock-now-ask-questions-later New York Fucking City four-piece with a no-subject-too-taboo attitude long ago lost on rock & roll. So what is SLUNT? Take a modern-day slant on the carefree spirit of classic rock, add to that the attitude & sex appeal of 80s metal, then throw in a lot of booze, a sprinkling of estrogen, some hard-rockin AC/DC riffs & some good, raunchy spitfire lyrics that will make any school boy blush & youve got yourself a kickass rock n roll band.
Based in NYC, SLUNT formed in 2002 when Mtv2 VJ & aspiring rock photographer Abby Gennet sought to get on the other end of the camera lens. I was shooting all these bands & then one day I said to myself, `You know what I dont want to SHOOT the band. I want to BE the band! So she dusted off her guitar and got down to business. Gennet started jamming with some friends at a recording studio in her neighborhood & thats where she met drummer Charles Ruggiero. We clicked right away, says Ruggiero. "We knew there was something special there.
After a few gigs around New York City, Gennet and Ruggiero decided to "heavy up their sound" & found lefty guitar ace Pat Harrington. Harrington, who slams down raw & catchy guitar riffs as flawlessly as he does a six-pack of PBR, caught the attention of Gennet & Ruggiero while playing a gig with his previous band, Gaggle of Cocks. "He was ripping it up on the guitar," says Gennet. "The stage actually caught on fire that night. We knew right then & there that we needed him in this band."
Enter into the picture bassist Ilse Baca who?s final audition for the band took place at a gig in London. ?We had this UK gig already lined up,? says Gennet, ?so we put Ilse through about a week of SLUNT boot camp & held her final audition on stage in front of a bunch of screaming Brits. She rocked the show & then afterwards when she grabbed the bottle of Jack & started pouring it down people?s throats, we knew she was a keeper!?
With the release of their 2005 debut album, Get A Load Of This, produced by Scrap 60 (Eddie Wohl & Anthraxs Rob Caggiano,) SLUNT hit the road & toured extensively across the US & Europe with rock greats like Marilyn Manson, Motörhead, Drowning Pool, COC, Zeke, & Mondo Generator. Theyve been a traveling rock & roll circus ever since.
In the Fall of 2006, SLUNT's sophmore effort "One Night Stand" was born. Produced & recorded in L.A. by self-proclaimed world famous producer Mudrock (think Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold & Alice Cooper,) the album promises a heavier, sexier sound this time around. "We wanted to make an album you could fuck to," says Gennet. That was our goal.
Matured by their extensive touring with all of the aforementioned bands and countless hours in the van exposing one another to their varied musical tastes, SLUNT has done just that. With a new take on an old rock & roll attitude, the album bursts with heavy riffs, a powerful rhythm section & unapologetic sex n booze-influenced vocals that give SLUNT its unique edge. The lyrics scream girl power yet not in a feminist `I hate boys' kind of way. "Its more in the vein of `This is what I want, so Im gonna go out & get it," says Gennet. "I'm so sick of the taboos & standards that we live by. If a guy sleeps around he's macho, but if a girl sleeps around, she's a slut. That's bullshit. I think we should all be able to make our own decisions & not be judged by them."
That being said, there are songs about dirty blondes, threesomes, anal sex & (as the album title implies) one night stands. You won't find much sentimentality here. No sir. There is, however, one track called "Need You Tonight" in which Gennet coos about the difficulties of being out on the road & away from the one you love. Coincidentally, her sweetie, former Fuel frontman Brett Scallions, happened to be in town when they were recording the vocals & laid down some guest harmonies. "When he was in there singing the harmonies it gave us all the chills," says Gennet. "He really added something sweet that the song was missing."
The most appealing aspect of SLUNT has to be their live show (it's really more of an assault) with their post-show antics coming in at a close second. They're notorious for hanging out at the merch booth after shows & partying with fans, where they usually end up signing all kinds of body parts. The real fun begins when Abby busts out the camera & starts taking photographs for the SLUNT photo gallery. By visiting the photo gallery the next day, fans can see who who earned the title Dirty SLUNT. "It's a kind of badge of honor," Ruggiero smirks.
With their new album in place, SLUNT is hot off of an end-of-the-year tour as direct support for KISS frontman Paul Stanley & they don?t plan on slowing down any time soon. Make sure to check their tour dates to see if they?re coming to YOUR town. Who knows? you just might get a body part signed!
SLUNT's new album "One Night Stand" is in stores NOW... so check it, punks!