Weasal Face interview
1, 2, 3, 4, Hey Ho…. It’s Weasal Face!!!
The Ramones are truly the founders of punk rock and most inspirational bands of all time delivering a nonstop flurry of energetic music that set the curve and standard in the history of rock n roll. From the time they formed in 1974 until they disbanded in 1996 the Ramones unleashed14 albums and played over 2,200 shows around the world spreading their influence on music world wide and creating 177 songs or 8 hours of nonstop punk music. In 2002 they were acknowledged for their blitzkrieg style with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and later received a Lifetime Grammy award in 2011.
Jump ahead into the next century Weasal Face take the energy and inspiration of the Ramones paying tribute to the legendary ground breaking band and hail from Akron, Ohio. Weasal Face formed in January of 2023 and have been bringing the music and energetic performance of the Ramones to life in nightclubs in Northeast Ohio. They take their name from the Ramone’s song Weasel Face misspelling it intentionally.
Weasal Face includes Drew Harris on vocals, Kenny Marteny on guitar, Jeff Reese on drums and Billy Mills on bass. Together they create the Ramones live show on stage musically, visually and aesthetically. They are a must see for anyone Ramone’s fans and otherwise. In case you missed out on seeing the Ramones in action you now have a new opportunity to get a taste of the energy and music they performed.
Bill Mills said “They were an American band from Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. Johnny, Joey, Tommy, and Dee Dee formed The Ramones in 1974, and are considered to be one of the first true punk rock bands. Dee Dee came up with the name. He discovered that Paul McCartney would often check into hotels under the name “Paul Ramon” to avoid fans, and he started calling himself “Dee Dee Ramone” before the band even formed. When it was time for a name, he floated the idea, and it stuck.”
“The Ramones never had mainstream success, but they influenced many bands. Rick Rubin stated that the Ramones are the most influential band of all time. If you don’t know who Rick Rubin is, you should definitely look him up. The Ramones took rock ‘n roll music, and stripped it down to the core. Fast, loud, and raw. Unapologetic and in your face. But they played some nice songs, too.”
While the Ramones have influenced so many bands worldwide for decades, they had a profound influence on the members of Weasal Face including Billy Mills. “Rick Rubin calling the Ramones the most influential band of all time is what motivated me. After that, I listened to every album the Ramones ever recorded. Decided to put together a tribute band. I put together a list of songs, and learned the bass lines.Then, I went on Craigslist and found the closest available drummer to my house. That drummer was Jeff Reese. He lives 10 minutes from my house. He was looking to put together a blues / rock band, but I invited him over to my house and explained that I’ve played in KISS tribute bands that were very successful, and I wanted to put together a Ramones tribute band. He agreed to give it a shot. I gave him a list of 12 songs that I knew how to play.
I already knew Drew Harris from a band Aaron Katavich formed called Emissary. I played bass in that band, and Drew was one of the guitar players. Drew never sang a single note into a microphone in his entire life, but he was so good at imitating cartoon characters that I was pretty sure he could sing if he put his mind to it. and he even looked a lot like Joey Ramone! All I had to do was persuade him to be the frontman for Weasal Face. It wasn’t easy, but he eventually agreed. Plus, he said he knew a guy who might be interested in playing guitar.
By the time Drew was ready for an audition, Jeff and I had the first 12 songs ready enough to move forward. Drew came in and sang, and we immediately knew he was our Joey. Drew Harris and Kenny Marteny have been best friends since they were kids. Once Drew was comfortable enough to sing a few songs pretty well, he brought Kenny over to audition to be Johnny Ramone. I took one look at Kenny and thought, Oh shit… this isn’t going to work. It’s not like you have to look exactly like the artist you’re trying to portray, none of us do, but you should at least be in the ballpark. Kenny wasn’t. Big, Bearded, and Bald. And covered in ink. While Kenny was playing his first rehearsal, I was thinking, no, this definitely isn’t going to work. However, I am a firm believer that you should never make your decision off of one audition. I like to give people a second chance, and time to improve. Kenny doesn’t look much like Johnny, but he is one of the most authentic punk rock people I know. And he looks like a punk rocker. That’s good enough for me. And he is Drew’s best friend. And now, we all love Kenny. And lucky for all of us, Kenny gets the MVP award for the most improved member. I went from thinking he wasn’t going to work out, to thinking there is no one else I’d rather have in the band.”
Although the actual Ramones were gone before Mills could see them in action, he credits local rock patrons Sherry Rose and Luecie Tunes as there inspirational heroines. “The Ramones eluded me when I was growing up, sadly enough. I was into metal, and mainstream hard rock. So, my actual Ramones experiences has been hearing stories from a lot of our fans who have actually seen the Ramones. Sherry was our very first fan. Jeff Reese knew her, and told her we were doing a Ramones tribute. The rest of us finally got to meet her when she came over to watch us rehearse. It turns out she only lives a half a mile away from us. She, and her friend Leucie Toons have been a vital key to our success. Sherry told all her friends about Weasal Face, and she set up our first gig, at Jilly’s Music Room (Great venue), and Leucie made us our Pinhead costume. Those two have met, and became friends with more famous musicians than you can shake a stick at. If it wasn’t for them, we’d probably still be in the basement.”
As for the mission of the band, Mills said, “Help keep the legacy of the Ramones alive, and well. And, to be one of the best Ramones tribute bands in the world. I won’t be satisfied until we are. Our mission, first, and foremost is to keep the Ramones music, and legacy alive. There are a lot of people out there who know very little about this legendary band. We want to change that as much as we can. And we also need to do our part to keep the local music scene alive, and well. We can’t do it without YOU!
We sincerely appreciate each, and every one of you who have come out to see us play. We are working hard to add more songs, and keep each show a little bit different than the last.”
Having been to several Ramone’s shows over the years from their 1978 appearance in Akron at the Flying Machine with the Runaways and Joan Jett to their last tour stop in Cleveland in 96, the Ramones of one of my all time favorites and Weasal Face bring those great memories to life and are one show you don’t want to miss. They have a local show in April at the Karma Social in Canton (near Belden Village Mall) on April 18th. Be sure to support them and meet the band in person and experience the music of the Ramones live!
As for the upcoming months and future plans, Mills said, “Well, you’re going to hear me shout “1234” an awful lot, followed by a relentless, no-nonsense assault of pure punk rock. We barely take a breath between songs, delivering about 30 songs per hour. No matter how small the venue, our MINIMUM set up is a full Marshall stack, and a 300 watt Ampeg SVT Heritage with the 8×10 “Refrigerator” cabinet, and a beautiful white Rodgers drum kit. And some wigs, leather jackets, ripped jeans, and an appearance from Pinhead!”
