The Pollocks are a band from Batesville, Virginia. They have been releasing music and playing regularly at the Batesville Market for years. But something feels different now. With their new record titled Love You which was released May 30th, The Pollocks seem to be aiming for big things. I wrote about the Pollocks here on Pencil Storm in late 2023 (The Pollocks at the Batesville Market; A Back To Basics Beautiful Rock & Roll Experience — Pencil Storm), and I was privileged to be able to get an advanced copy of Love You which I reviewed (One Bass Player, Two Great Bands Two New Records - part two, The Pollocks — Pencil Storm) back in January of this year. The record is now out and it is truly must listen.
The Pollocks played a fantastic record release show in Charlottesville, VA on May 30th, the release date. I will dive into that show, but before I get to that, I got a chance to get into the new record and The Pollocks in general with none other than Jason Pollock, the founder of the band, as well as Thomas Gunn. Jason and Thomas share in the handling of guitars and vocals. Together, Jason and Thomas are the songwriting team that makes it all happen. The band is rounded out by Maryline Meyer on vocals and percussion, Randy Mendicino on bass and Nathan West on drums.
JCE: Jason and Thomas, thank you for helping me out with this. While I already reviewed the fantastic new record, I wanted to be sure to follow-up, now that it is out there for the masses. It’s a record everyone should hear, and I mean that sincerely. You guys have made some good records in the past, but this one seems extra special. So, let’s start there. You seem to have bigger aspirations with this record, putting it out on the big streaming platforms and pushing it on social media. There’s a video out that I will get more into in a minute. But what’s different this time?
Thomas: After playing solidly together as a band for 15 years, staying locally in the immediate area, we are at a point where we would like to cast the net and reach a wider audience. We’ve been enjoying soaking in a nice warm tub, but the time is right to push the comfort zone.
JCE: The video (linked below) is for a track called “In a Storm.” The video is super well-done by the way, so congrats on that. This song may be my favorite track on the record. I guess since you made the video for that one, you may agree it’s one of the best. Tell me a little about making the video and the decision to choose that track.
Jason: Yes, this is definitely one of the top three band favorites off of the album. It’s really chewy; so much going on there. Chris Haske directed the video, and his inspiration came from Odysseus, trying to make his way home through a storm to be reunited with his family. Now there is a direct line from Homer to The Pollocks! We shot it in one day in Batesville, then Chris amped it up with his top secret effects package.
JCE: Jason, you have had substantial success in the music industry, having been the founder and primary songwriter in the multi-platinum band Seven May Three. I was a big fan of that band back in the 1990’s. I always had the impression that when that band ended, with The Pollocks you were looking to do something more on your own terms, a little outside of the brutal music industry. Is that accurate, and are you now ready to jump back into the fray, so to speak?
Jason: Jump back into the fray?! Man, I never jumped out. Yes, your impression is accurate; I felt as though the institution no longer had anything to offer me. 7M3 was (and still is) a great band, but I wanted more freedom to explore the sizzle of a live performance, stretch out a bit to see where the song leads in a particular moment, then “poof” it’s gone. On to the next adventure. One of the realities of the music business that I found hard to accept is its repetitiveness - the same thing, done the same way every time, to sell a product. Might as well sell peace of mind. You’ll probably make more money.
JCE: As an aside, Colin Gawel is the creator of Pencil Storm—this is his website that I have the good fortune to have been invited to contribute to. Colin is the guitarist/vocalist for Watershed, one of my all-time favorite bands. I believe Watershed shared the stage with Seven Mary Three a few times. Do you remember them?
Jason: Never heard of them. Seriously, I remember little of that period of my life…..for reasons which will go unsaid. I’m sure that if I met Colin, and we reminisced a bit, then a memory would shake loose.
JCE: I have seen you play a bunch of times at the Batesville Market. And I realize you play plenty of other places too, but there is nothing more intimate to me, and nothing with a vibe as beautiful as the Batesville Market, where you have a residency. Do you agree, and what do you think makes it that way?
Thomas: It’s all about the people. The people who work there, the people who come there. It’s as close to an Irish pub as you might imagine. No TV’s, just great food and an environment ripe for authentic connection between all who look for it. We feel completely at ease playing there. No self-consciousness, no ego trips, no agendas other than making the best music we can on any given night. The store vibe lends itself to great music.
JCE: You have a new website I believe, or at least an updated one (everyone should check out thepollocksmusic.com). I appreciate your using some quotes from my Pencil Storm review of the record, by the way. Hopefully that means you liked what I wrote. Anyway, there’s a bunch of shows listed on the website throughout the rest of the year. In the past you haven’t played shows as frequently, have you? And they are all essentially local. If the opportunity arises, would you tour nationally?
Jason: No one else would touch us with a ten foot pole! We had no choice, but to use your quotes. There’s always my stepmother to be mined for indulgent praise, but she doesn’t have a fancy website like yours. As far as touring nationally goes, we’ll burn that bridge if we ever get to it; I don’t see us piling into a van and hitting the track for gas money, but it could be fun to play a few shows in other parts of the world.
JCE: In addition to streaming, what formats is Love You going to be available in? I’m really hoping for vinyl…..
Jason: Yes, definitely streaming and downloading from our website. I would love to do vinyl, but it can be pricey and who has time for quality anymore? I reach straight for The Pollocks on Spotify. However, if Mr. Bigshot Record Executive wants to fork out cash on the barrel, then I’ll press my soul into a record.
JCE: I really like a lot of the lyrics on this record. In particular, I love the lyrics and the song “How Many Ways.” Anything you can tell me about that song in particular, and maybe tell me a little about your songwriting process together.
Jason: “How Many Ways” is a love song with a twist. We often think of love as a Hallmark card, but bad people doing bad things are as deserving of love as the saints… it just comes in different ways. I’ll let Thomas talk a bit about our songwriting process.
Thomas: We gather weekly to present each other with either completed songs, pieces of songs, song titles, verse lines, anything really, and then go from there. We play the song together as it is, then share ideas as they arrive. The more we play a song, the more ideas come in, at which point we will go to our separate corners and meet again the following week, having put the ideas into practice. Some songs come quickly, others have taken a decade. We are careful not to force a song into existence. If it doesn’t work after a bit, we will put it down and come back later with a fresh eye and ear. We won’t play songs out unless we really like them.
The goal in completing a song is to spend as little time in life being bored as we can.
JCE: What about the title of the record? When I got the advanced recordings back in January, I think the plan maybe was to call it Summer of Love, which is the title of the lead single, and an outstanding track for sure. What made you go with Love You?
Jason: It was initially going to be called Killer With A Parrot, then Swamp Tiger, or Night Goblin, but I was voted down. Summer Of Love was next. Boring. After much back/forth over whether to include the possessive at the end, we settled on the phrase that the band members say the most to each other.
JCE: I saw the May 30th record release show at the Rivanna River stage which was part of the summer Front Porch Concert Series. It was a fantastic show (more on that below). I can tell the band loves to play live, and the dynamic between all the members is special. Do you want to tell me a little bit about why you think it all clicks?
Jason: Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed yourself! It all operates on fear, terror and anxiety. Fear of disappointing each other by properly ruining the show. The terror of facing what will almost certainly be total ridicule from the audience. And the anxiety of contemplating the possibility that we have wasted our time, and our lives. Other than that, yes we love each other dearly, and have each other’s back.
JCE: I could keep going for a very long time with you guys, but I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I really appreciate this, and once again, the new record is amazing. What else do you want to share with our Pencil Storm readers? The floor is yours…
Jason: Thank YOU for taking time out of your day to listen to our drivel and share it with the masses. I will say, and I insist upon the validity of this point, that this is a great album, possibly one of the greatest ever. And, it’s all about love and chill vibes. If you don’t love it, then we don’t love you.
Here is the excellent new video for “In a Storm” by The Pollocks:
RECORD RELEASE SHOW, RIVANNA ROOTS FRONT PORCH CONCERT SERIES, MAY 30
right to left; Thomas, Randy, Maryline, Nathan, Jason
As noted above, I attended the release show which was held at an outdoor venue with a large stage near the Rivanna River. The show was in the heart of Charlottesville, VA, but once we made our way to the stage and the grassy area surrounding it, you would think you were in the middle of nowhere. It was a perfect Saturday evening with blue skies and 75-degree temperatures. I had only seen The Pollocks play live at the tiny Batesville Market, so I was blown away when I arrived and saw the extent of the crowd in attendance.
An appreciative crowd enjoying a perfect Saturday night with The Pollocks.
The band took the stage around 7:30 for the first of two sets. On just the third song, they played “Summer of Love,” which was the lead single from the new record. Next up was “Honey Bee,” which is a crowd favorite, followed by “How Many Ways,” my personal favorite. We also got a new song by Thomas which is not on the record, called “American Sunrise.” It was excellent. (Jason has said that the band already has enough new songs to make another record.) About an hour in, Jason quipped that the band would “take a five minute break for ten minutes and be back in twenty.” The second set opened with an older song called “Lemon Icing” featuring Maryline on vocals and it was a killer. One highlight of the second set was “In a Storm” (video linked above). And there was another new (to me at least) song which was called “Witches Curse.” As the set neared its end, it peaked the evening with a flurry of gems, including a crowd favorite called “I Like You Better When You’re Drunk,” another great track from the record. Next was my favorite older song, “Worst Superhero,” and the beautiful “Language of Oxygen” from the new record was in there as well. The band was in fine form, hitting on all cylinders.
By the second set, the sun was down and the lights came up.
See this band if you can. And go listen to Love You by The Pollocks. Right now.
JCE, or John to his friends, is 63 years old, retired and lives happily in rural VA about an hour and half outside of D.C. His wife of 35 years says he’ll never grow up, and she’s exactly right. He attributes that to his lifelong love affair with all things rock n roll. Starting with 45 rpm Monkees records at a very early age to his present massive collection of vinyl, cd’s and a digital library of God knows how many songs, he’s a rock n roll lifer.