An interview with Rocket
The L.A. alt-rockers discuss their new album, 'R is for Rocket', touring with Smashing Pumpkins, abandoning their effects pedals, the importance of Juliana Hatfield, and pulling pranks with fake poop.
I first took an interest in the Los Angeles-based band Rocket not for their music but for their taste in music. Early last year I saw a feature on them in the NME and while yes, reading that their EP sounded like “Siamese Dream-era” Smashing Pumpkins intrigued me, it was the Spotify playlist they compiled to accompany the story that impressed me more. Here was a group of young 20somethings suggesting bands I was listening to at their age (ten years earlier even) like Helium, Blonde Redhead, The Replacements, Mercury Rev and Teenage Fanclub. To my pleasant surprise, their own music fit in with a lot of the bands I am listening to right now.
Rocket were formed in 2021 by secret, mostly so they could fine-tune their skills before anyone knew they existed. Already a tight group of friends - Alithea Tuttle (vocals and bass), Desi Scaglione (guitar), Cooper Ladomade (drums) and later Baron Rinzler (guitar) - the free time they found themselves with during the pandemic really helped them get the band off the ground. Their first gig was opening up for friends Milly, another excellent band rising up from L.A.’s alt-rock scene. Not long after they were recording their debut EP, Versions of You, in Ladomade’s family garden house with a mixing board that was once owned by soft rock gods Captain & Tennille.
That EP garnered a lot of attention, which led to deal with and reissue by Transgressive Records (Alvvays, Black Country, New Road), as well as tours opening up for heroes like Ride, Sunny Day Real Estate, Silversun Pickups and Smashing Pumpkins. For their first full-length album, R is for Rocket, the band upgraded from the garden house to big time L.A. studios 64 Sound and Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 with Scaglione serving as producer. Naturally, working in such profesh studios has given Rocket’s soaring, guitar-driven rock added juice. Songs like first single “One Million,” “Crossing Fingers” and “Wide Awake” all sound as if the best traits of your favourite ‘90s shoegaze, grunge and power pop bands were combined to form this perfect specimen of a band.
You just finished a tour with Smashing Pumpkins. How was that experience?
Baron Rinzler: Unreal. It was a dream come true in a lot of ways. And also seeing them every night was epic because they’re one of our favourite bands.
Desi Scaglione: They played a lot from Mellon Collie, which was super cool. Like, they just put out a record, but they only played about four songs from it. And they played close to two hours every night. So they did all the hits off of Siamese Dream and then the ones off of Mellon Collie, but also some deep cuts, which was really cool. And yeah, I don’t think it comes as a surprise, but they’re a huge band for us. So having the honour of playing with them and getting to see them every night was very amazing.
How approachable were Billy, Jimmy, and James?
Desi: They’re all actually very nice people. James, I think we probably talked to him most. He also lives in L.A., so we were able to bond over that. We talked to Billy a few times and he was super, super friendly and genuine. And we met Jimmy briefly and he was really nice.
Alithea Tuttle: They’re all very… around, which I think was really cool, just because when you look up to somebody, obviously, you hope that they would be like all the things that you wish and they absolutely were. They kind of went out of their way to welcome us and they each gave us a good amount of advice, which is really nice because obviously what they’ve done and the music that they’ve made in their career has been incredible. So to be able to talk to them and ask, “How’d you do this? How’d you do that?” I think it was just so special to us.
When I first heard your band, I initially wondered, “Did they get their name from the Siamese Dream song?” Because I hear a lot of Pumpkins in some of your guitar tones. Is there any truth to that?
Desi: Not necessarily. I mean, first of all, it’s a very valid assumption, and you are not the first person to assume that. [Alithea] came up with the name, I can’t even remember how. But it was the only name we could say out loud that we liked and we’ve had a bunch of names. Like if you have to tell your parents your band’s name, like, what sound can you get out of your body?
Alithea: We knew immediately, though, that it would be the assumption, and I think we were so okay with that because they’re such an amazing band and because they’ve been such an influential band for us specifically. So we thought they were awesome company to be with. Sometimes people will assume that and we don’t even necessarily correct them because it makes sense.
Were there any other names you’d considered?
Desi: Yes, and they will not be repeated.
Alithea: There were none that we really considered heavily. Like, this is the only one where we thought, “This is us.”
Since we’re talking about Smashing Pumpkins, what are some of the other ‘90s bands that kind of helped shape your sound?
Desi: Probably all the ones you would assume. There’s a band called Chavez that’s really big for us. I feel like there are some songs on the new album that are more leaning towards that than some of the softer stuff we’ve listened to, but that’s a huge band for us. Pumpkins are a huge band for us.
Alithea: Fugazi is one of our favourite bands, even though obviously we don’t sound much like them. Their music is a massive influence on us and. What else?
Is that more about their DIY ethos or a lyrical thing for the Fugazi influence?
Alithea: No, I don’t know how to really put it into words, but guitar-wise they’re just so unreal and awesome. And just their energy behind things, I feel like they always came across so passionately, even on recording, which I feel is so hard to pull off. For me personally, I can see a band live and feel moved by it more often than not, just because it’s in your face and it’s real and it’s tangible. But I think sometimes it’s hard to come across as that energetic on a recording because you’re in the studio and you’re just by yourself and you’re just singing. It’s hard to channel that same energy. And I feel like they always did that perfectly, which was something that, again, I don’t think necessarily comes across maybe on our new record. I don’t think that we sound like them, but there were little things like that that I feel made us all think differently about recording, but also playing live. They were amazing.
I see Desi is also wearing a Helmet shirt.
Desi: Helmet, yeah. Fugazi, also Television was a big band for Baron and I specifically with guitar playing, which is funny because I feel like Television and Fugazi, as different as they are, are very similar in terms of how important the guitar playing is. They’re also very similar in the sense that there are two guitar players and they’re both individually, really good from one another and they work together really well.
I saw a video the band shared where you talk about some influences for the album. I thought it was really cool that Alithea mentioned Juliana Hatfield’s Only Everything.
Alithea: Yeah, the first time I heard that record it just evoked such a feeling and it was so exciting to me. It was so new, even though we’ve been listening to this genre of music for years and years and years. But I only found out about Juliana Hatfield a couple of years ago. It was Baron who played me a song, and I remember just feeling so excited because she was a girl and, not to deduce down to that, but just at a very simple level, I was like, “This is so cool. I want to do this so badly.” And I think it made me even more excited than I already was to try to be like that. I would look up photos of her and think, “Oh my God, she’s so cool.” All of those aspects of it.
But I love that she is so talented. Her melodies are incredible, her lyrics are so honest, but then at the same time, her guitar playing is incredible. Like, she doesn’t leave anything out. And I feel like sometimes people just will sing and they’ll just play rhythm guitar, and that’s just kind of their thing, which is also really cool. But she was like, “I’m gonna do both and be really, really incredible at both.” So I feel like that’s kind of what also influenced me personally about it, just being like, “I’m going to sing and I’m going to play bass. I’m not going to just play it simple. I want to try to do this the best that I can at both.” I think just her sound on that record, it feels very honest. She’s like, “This is what I am. Here you go. Take it or leave it.” And I appreciate that about it.
I feel Only Everything is one of the more under-appreciated albums of the ’90s. People usually mention her previous album, Become What You Are instead.
Alithea: Yeah, no one talks about it, and that’s exactly how I felt when I heard about it. I was like, “Why have I not heard this sooner? All of my favourite bands are in this same vein and this is the first time I’m hearing of this?” She’s incredible and just as good as the most famous bands of the ‘90s, but it feels like no one ever talks about her. And then, of course, I got into Blake Babies. And I love The Lemonheads. And once I kind of found out all that out, I was like, “Okay, I guess she was around more than I initially knew.” But I had never heard her name. I had never heard anything about her. So anytime anybody asks, I’m like, “Yeah, she’s just incredible.” And she’s still making incredible music, which is crazy.
Rocket formed during the pandemic. At what point did you realize that Rocket was no longer just a pandemic project?
Desi: From the moment we started, it really wasn’t a pandemic project in a sense of, “Oh, there’s nothing to do, we might as well be in a band.” Whether the pandemic was happening or not, I think this was going to happen.
Alithea: But I think it gave us the freedom to do it because we all were at home, able to start writing and brainstorming, just having a lot more free time than prior to being home. Obviously, everybody picked up new hobbies and such, but from the get go, we’re like, “This is not going to be a hobby. We’re gonna try to give this our best effort.”
A lot of bands I listen to have these massive pedal boards and rely on effects for their music. But I read that you didn’t use pedals much on this record, despite the guitars sounding like they’re very pedal-driven. What brought on that decision?
Baron: I feel like it was a conscious decision.
Desi: Not at first, though. We do use effects boards live, but the first time we went into the studio, Baron and I were like, “Let’s just do this shit the way we do it live.” Like click on your fuzz pedal at this part, because that’s what we always do. And it turned out cool, but we recorded eight songs at 64 Sound and we were like, “You know what? Aside from the songs changing, I feel like we need to do this differently, tonally. Like, let’s try to not do this.” And just reading about other bands where there’s some myth of them using some shit in the studio and then it turns out it’s not true or whatever.
Alithea: Yeah, it turns out that they just actually turned their amp up and got the perfect tone and it sounds incredible, it sounds huge, but it’s not a Big Muff or whatever. I feel like we figured that out and then we were like, “Okay!.”
Desi: Baron, I don’t know if we used any petals at 606, right?
Baron: No distortion or fuzz petals, but it was all amp tones. We also had access to the craziest vault of amps. So it was like being a kid in a candy store, where we would say, “Oh, for this song, I’m going to turn up this Marshall or this vintage Fender amp all the way up.”
Alithea: Also, if we recorded at 606 in August, we had just done that Sunny Day Real Estate tour in May. And I remember talking to the guitar player Dan [Hoerner] in Sunny Day, who told me that he doesn’t use any sort of distortion. even when he plays live. And I think talking to him about that, and them tonally being one of our favourite bands, you would think that on the record they’re using all these pedals to get that sound but that just wasn’t the case at all. And I feel like that’s inspired us to go into the studio in August and do the heavier songs because 606 is a much larger room. And so we went in there and then it was just amp tone city, which honestly got us exactly where we wanted to be, tone wise.
So are you able to carry on doing that through your live performances, or are you back to using pedals?
Baron: No, we need the pedals. There’s no way. We would need ridiculous amps in order to do that.
Desi: But, you know, the truth of the matter is, no one knows if we used a pedal or an amp in the studio. Because at the end of the day, it all sounds the same. There are a lot of people that show off their rig rundown on YouTube, and if you just told me that it was an amp I’d believe you. It’s so arbitrary.
Baron: It’s more about, not convenience, but like focussing on playing rather than stepping on things.
Alithea: We’re used to it now. I feel like if we were able to get a broader range of tones from the same amp, it’d be different. But a lot of people use those Kemper amps now where you can have a million amps in one. There’s no amp actually on stage. Some bands do that and then they can probably get a bunch of different amp tones. Whereas we have one amp, so I feel like having a pedal board where you can click off all your distortion and just put that reverb on, rather than having another amp that would maybe bring that sound way better. It’s a little more versatile and easier to make things sound different.
Do you feel like you’re part of any kind of music scene based on either genre or geography?
Desi: Yeah. Absolutely. Like, we’re not a shoegaze band, nor are we trying to be, but we love that music and I think there are aspects of that word that applies to our band. But I think we are much different than that. There are a lot of guitar bands in L.A. that I feel we are similar to. And you know, shoegaze is a very big thing in L.A. too, but there’s also a broad range of guitar bands. There’s a band here called Milly, and they’re some of our best friends. They’re the same kinda thing: not a shoegaze band, but just like an alternative guitar band. There’s a band out here called Jawdropped who do the same thing. Momma is from L.A. Same thing. They’re not a shoegaze band either. So I feel like if there’s any sort of world we probably fit into the most, it’s that sort of thing. But also, it’s a hard question to ask. It’s almost a question for the listener, really. Also because of the access to music people have these days, you can almost be a part of anything if someone likes one band and another. You know what I mean? Like, I feel like we could be played with Drake.
Alithea: I wish!
What is an activity you guys do together outside of music?
Baron: Ha, ha, that’s an awesome question.
Everyone: Drink.
Alithea: We like to bowl.
Baron: We like recreational activities.
Desi: Yeah, we played tennis for a while.
What about pickleball?
Desi: No. That’s a rich band’s game. We like to hang out with our friends. Sometimes there’s a bar we’ll go to that we drink at where we can do trivia. We like to eat good food together. I think there’s something else I’m missing.
Alithea: Baseball!
Desi: Yeah, baseball. We like to play baseball or softball together.
Oh yeah? Are you Angels or Dodgers fans?
Everyone: Dodgers.
Alithea: We just like hanging out with each other, honestly, and spending time with all of our friends. That’s truly the thing we do.
Desi: Playing music together. It’s probably the biggest one. No surprise.
What is the hardest part of being a band?
Desi: The whole damn thing.
Alithea: I think it’s hard to spend time away from your life being sort of normal and like your family and you become very busy just travelling so much, which is such an incredible blessing, honestly, because so many people don’t get to see that much of the world. And it’s not like we’re paying to do it. You know what I mean? We’re we’re getting paid to do it and that is honestly so incredible. But at the same time, yeah, I think just being gone from our families and partners.
Baron: Animals.
Alithea: Animals, yeah. Oh my god, my cat is sitting right here looking at us like, “You can’t ever leave.”
What’s the best part of being in a band?
Baron: Everything else.
Alithea: I think there are way more pros than cons, honestly. Definitely way more pros than cons. Sorry, I’ll let you guys talk, but I think everything about it. Getting to travel the world with your friends, getting to play music in front of people, having people actually want to come and see you play. Like, it shocks us every time that we can play a city and people will come. That just doesn’t compute in any way. And getting to meet our idols and people whose music we are so moved by, getting to sit and talk with them about why they wrote it or how they wrote it or them saying that they like our band… I feel like we’re frequently shocked by all of those moments. I think we also all realize that this is like a career and a path that so many people wish they could do. And somehow we are lucky enough to be able to do it. And so when there are those hard parts where you’re tired or you miss your family or you’ve been out for months or any of those difficult aspects, I think we’re also really reminded by the fact that this is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And even if we tomorrow weren’t able to do this ever again, we’d still think that was the most insane thing that ever happened to us. I feel like we could be those parents who one day say to their kids, “Yeah, I went to Europe. I played with the Pumpkins.”
Baron: That’s really funny. We’ve crossed the threshold into bragging to our kids. Like, “Okay, grandpa.”
Having been covered by many different outlets like Rolling Stone and NME and everything, what is one thing that you think the music press gets wrong about Rocket?
Alithea: Sometimes people will refer to us as pop-punk, and I think that is just completely wrong.
Baron: That’s weird. I even think shoegaze misses the mark.
Alithea: It misses the mark, but I do understand how you could think we sound something like that, but pop-punk is crazy. Every time they call us that I’m just shocked.
Desi: I feel like there’s other shit that we’re just not even thinking about. No one’s ever really offended us, I guess. So that’s been good.
Finally, I watched a video where Desi was talking about pranking people and I’m wondering, what is the best prank that he’s pulled? And what is the worst prank?
Desi: Let me just say, I met my sister’s new boyfriend last night and got out the hand buzzer to meet him and it was –
Cooper: That’s fucking weird, bro.
Baron: Did he think it was funny?
Desi: I knew it was broken. I didn’t even get to do it.
Baron: Damn. That’s a good test, though.
Alithea: Desi’s best and worst prank happened in the same night, and I’ll keep it brief. So we were playing the final night of the tour with Sunny Day Real Estate in New York. We had done two nights at Irving Plaza. They were the best shows ever. And we had become close with them because they’re just the nicest people. In a mentor sort of way, they were really great to us and really cared. So we had the only green room that had a shower in it and we knew that William [Goldsmith], the drummer, was going to have to take a shower after his set. We would leave the green room so he would be able to shower.
Desi: It wasn’t even the shower. It was the only bathroom backstage. So people were constantly using it the whole night.
Alithea: Which was fine. So Desi had the bright idea to stage a horrible poop accident next to the toilet. He literally got fake poop from this prank store, covered it in toilet paper, and put salsa on it, because we always get chips and salsa on our rider. And William was so tired after his set, because he just played for a fucking hour and a half and he’s such an incredible drummer. He was very sweaty and he ran in there and wanted to take a shower because there was an afterparty. We were all up there having fun and he like runs up and was like, “What the fuck? Are you guys okay?” He was so worried because he thought that one of us needed to go to the hospital. He got the security involved and the security was worried. It didn’t totally backfire because he did laugh about it. But we cleaned it up because no one else should have to clean that up. I mean, it wasn’t actual poop. He was like, “I didn’t get to shower because I was so worried that one of you was bleeding and in need of help.” So that was his best and worst one because we felt so guilty about it afterwards that he wasn’t able to just relax and shower.
Does anyone ever get revenge on Desi?
Alithea: Not yet, but you know what? I have a sneaking suspicion that in our future there will be a prank rivalry. I’m praying for it. We’re going to go on our headline tour and that’s maybe where we can start pranking people. We’re gonna be together every night, and they’re going to be our age.
Baron: We need to gear up now. We need to be ready.