Thin Red Line - Interview (page 1)
On February 9, 2002, Thin Red Line reunited in whole for the first time in six years. Mehool Patel of noisynoise.com was there to interview the band about their music, their experiences and what the future may hold. Mike Marando, who was also in the WPI music scene at the time of Thin Red Line’s genesis, was also in attendance.
Mehool Patel (MP): I'd like to know where the name Thin Red Line came from.
(everyone turns to David and laughs)
David Rostcheck (DR): The previous year before Thin Red Line's existence we'd both been in these two terrible bands that we try never to talk about, and after that we came back to school with knowledge that we were going to form a good band together. John had a new car, new red car, and we're driving on Route 9, I need to go buy a guitar amp. And on the way out to, you know, wherever it was - you couldn't buy anything in Worcester, so - on the way out to Westborough or wherever, I was watching the red line on his tachometer, and when his tach hit the red line, I thought "that's it, Thin Red Line"
(laughter)
Troy Nielsen (TN): I had no idea!
DR: I like the name because it has that idea of just being right on the edge of being out of control
John MacNeill (JM): A name shrouded in mystery all these years!
So how did the four of you come together and form Thin Red Line?
JM: Well, Troy Dave and I were in Doppler Effect our freshman year, which is one of those things we want to forget about (laughs) and ...actually it's interesting because we had a couple of other people in the band, I can't remember their names, but...
DR: Rob was the lead singer
TN:(cackles)
JM: Yeah, we really started taking over...
DR: and the drummer was hideous, we didn't like him at all
TN: he had a good kit
JM: and actually when we played the Lower Wedge, I actually got on the kit and played "Other Side" I think
TN: that's right, "Other Side" was born in that band (laughs)
DR: that's right, "Other Side" was a Doppler Effect song, wow
JM: but, ummm
TN:(to Peter) and we just knew you from [WPI] Stage Band
DR: he was actually, no, no, he was in the rival bad band at the "Battle of the Bands"
Peter Jenkins (PJ): Cruise Control! With Jeff Duquette
DR: We were the two worst bands in the Battle of the Bands
PJ: Jeff Duquette, Mike, ah, forgot his last name, Mike was this Air Force guy, he had no, ah, you know, rock band kind of clothes or anything like that. He ended up wearing like a doctor's smock, on stage
TN: What the...(laughs)
JM: And he had like his hands in his pockets with sunglasses...
PJ: No, that was the singer
JM: Oh
PJ: Well, he had the sunglasses on because he had all the lyrics on the sheets in front of him, he couldn't remember them
JM: You guys were doing [Led Zeppelin's] "Custard Pie"
PJ: Yeah
TN: Oh yeah (howling)
JM: That's it!
