Dirty Rock’n’roll: In Conversation with Shining Faces

Written by Andrea Cacho

Upcoming rock’n’roll trio Shining Faces is bringing back hard blues rock to a younger generation. Born in Westchester, New York, the guys used to work at a local burger shop, but now they’re playing shows all over the big city. With a debut EP releasing on November 10th, the boys talked to us about suburbia, musical chairs, influences, rockstars, and their upcoming free concert. 

Andrea: Hey Clinton and Nick. Welcome to Tower Records. 

Clinton: Hi. 

Nick: Thanks for having us!

Andrea: What do each of you play?

Nick: Rhythm guitar, but I play bass sometimes.

Clinton: Lead guitar and I sing.

Andrea:  So, now that you guys are based in New York City, how was the change from suburbia to here? Was there a music scene in Westchester?

Clinton: The Westchester music scene doesn’t exist. I might be wrong, but from my experience, it doesn't exist.

Nick: There's music everywhere, but there's nothing like playing shows in the city - there's no equivalent to that in Westchester.

Andrea: I’ve seen that you guys have played some venues, how’s that been?

Clinton: We recently played Arlene’s Grocery in the Lower East Side. It was so fun. Very good crowd. 

Andrea: That’s a nice spot. You got some old heads and young people all together in there.

Clinton: It was our second time there, actually. I like it. 

Andrea: And you guys have known each other for a long time, right? You worked together at a burger place.

Nick: How do you know that?

Andrea: I know everything.

Clinton: Yeah, we worked there around 2019. 

Andrea: Were you guys line cooks?

Nick: Yup.

Andrea: Intense. 

Clinton: It was really high pressure, but our boss was the best. And, thanks to that gig, me and Nick got a lot closer. Everyone who worked there, for some odd reason, was really musically talented. 

Andrea: Is that your guys’ origin story?

Nick: You could say that, but not really. I think it helped us gain more confidence with each other. 

Clinton: I really needed to start a band and Nick was one of the few people that tolerated me. Our drummer didn’t want to do it at first, though. He also works on music as a solo artist. I had to tell him to just be “the guy that plays the drums.” But now I’m becoming the guy who plays the drums, and he’s playing more bass. We are kind of like musical chairs in this band. 

Andrea: Switch!

Nick: I don’t play the drums though, so I don’t switch.

Andrea: *Sighs*

Nick: I switch guitar to bass though!

Andrea: What are some of your musical influences? What artists do you look up to?

Clinton: I’m a huge New York Dolls fan. Iggy Pop and the Stooges. The Replacements. ACDC. I love, you know, dirty rock’n’roll.

Nick: I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Green Day. I love Metallica. But, I’m really obsessed with hip-hop. I’ve been streaming that new Freddie Gibs album non-stop. 

Andrea: How do you think your influences are reflected in your work?

Clinton: They definitely have inspired me to have a certain attitude when it comes to making music. But, I think something really important I’ve learned is to be critical of your work. So, “Worthless,” our most recent single, took me a while to really perfect. And, yeah, I really like it. I’m proud of it.

Andrea: You’re releasing an EP soon, what can you tell us about that?

Clinton: Yeah! It’s called Confuse the Enemy. I think that if you liked “Worthless,” you’ll like the rest of it. There’s a song on there that I wrote when I was 15 years old, so it feels good to finally release that. The other one I wrote in the same format as I did for “Worthless.” I love the project. I also think Nick likes it.

Nick: I do like it, actually.

Andrea: Did you guys work together for the EP?

Clinton: I do all the songwriting, so creating the songs off the EP was a very personal experience. Me and Nick tried writing some songs the other day, but he got distracted with the Yankees game…

Nick: It’s true. The writing part is more of Clinton’s thing, the performance aspect of it is way more collaborative.

Andrea: Do you have any shows coming up?

Clinton: November 10 at Rockwood Music Hall! Same day as the EP release day. It’s a free show and a proper lineup.

Andrea: Have you guys played the EP live already?

Clinton: We have, I think the crowds like it. The songs are intense. 

Andrea: What do you think of rockstars?

Nick: They’re awesome.

Clinton: Depends on the rockstar. It’s a lifestyle. You know, just like punks have a certain way of living.

Andrea: So, you play pure rock’n’roll?

Nick: I mean, once you label it, it's dead. 

Andrea: Isn’t rock’n’roll already a label?

Clinton: Yeah, but it's a label that hasn’t died yet.

Shining Faces will be having a free show November 10th at Rockwood Music Hall.

EP Confuse the Enemy will be released same day on all streaming platforms.