THERE’S one sure way to get into San Jose punk outfit Vacant Churches: lie. When husband and wife team Aaron and Melody Tappero—known in the South Bay for their ’90s punk band Ill-Blooded—returned to San Jose a few years ago, they wanted to explore a new direction.
“We always knew we wanted a keyboard player, but it was just so damn hard to find one,” says Melody. “It’s really cool the way Heather came to us.”
Heather Crain remembers when she met the Tapperos at a bar one night. “I said, ‘You need a keyboard player? I can do that!’ I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never played keyboard before. I mean, I played around a little bit.”
“Let’s be fair,” Aaron says. “She gave us the idea that she knew some rudimentary stuff.” Aaron shakes his head. “No.”
Long Road Back
Make no mistake, even with a slightly different musical agenda, the Tapperos’ principles are the same as when Ill-Blooded rocked the early-’90s scene.
“No matter what we do, we’re rooted in punk,” says Aaron, who plays guitar and sings.
Melody handles lead vocals. “We had moved back to the Bay Area after being in Tracy,” she says. “We realized it was going to be a little bit cumbersome, because we tried to reconnect with musicians we knew from this area, and everyone here is in about 12 bands.”
The move out of San Jose in 1995, Aaron says, because things were just getting too hectic for them in the South Bay. They stayed in Tracy for almost 10 years, and then moved back in 2004.
“Before we moved, it was all about South First Street, with the Cactus Club, and things were really happening in San Jose. When we moved back, it seemed as if it had segregated to this one little part of town with a couple bars, so it took about a year to get the band together,” Aaron says.
Bassist Ryan Cook joined the band last July. “I knew them from the scene down here. I’d see them and noticed they always went through bass players. I felt like their band was a band I needed to be in,” Cook says. “I’m only 25 and these guys are about 10 years older than me. I grew up here and I’ve never actually seen that scene I’ve heard so much about.”
With the band now complete, it was time to get down to business. They started to construct a sound that meshed old-school hardcore punk, dark gothic nuances and even a little metal.
“It’s influenced by everything we love, not just one genre. It’s hard to put us in a certain category, which has also been tough for us, because it can be difficult getting shows,” Melody says.
In a scene where those shows are difficult to come by, Vacant Churches do all agree it’s getting better, but it’s been a long time coming.
“Just look at this past summer, with all the touring bands that came through and all the great local bands right now,” Aaron says.
“Back then, there were a lot of people who were willing to work to make something happen. Nowadays, it’s more about drinking,” says Melody. “You have to put more in. At our age, for the people who influenced the scene back then, it gets harder. I’m not sure if this generation of people has the drive to make shit happen. I don’t want to discount what people are doing now. That’s not where my heart’s at. I just wish people would try a little harder. This lifestyle is somewhat of a commitment. It takes work.”
Aaron remembers seeing his first “big” show at One Step Beyond in the late ’80s, and how much it affected him. The headliner was the Ramones, with the Dickies opening. Interestingly, he’ll now be opening for the Dickies himself, when Vacant Churches supports them at VooDoo Lounge on Sunday.
“I was about 13 at the time and I was scared shitless, but I had one the best times I’ve ever had,” he says. “But there was a time if you were punk, there was a chance you’d get your ass kicked. No one gets their asses kicked anymore.”
Vacant Churches is working on a new album which should be out in January. Creative input from the whole band is giving it an organic feel.
“It’s what makes us feel good at the time we’re creating it, based on feelings and emotions,” Crain says.
“Yeah, and friendship,” Melody says. “It’s about experiences with people that we care about and the relationship we have with one another.”
VACANT CHURCHES With Dickies
Sunday, 9pm
VooDoo Lounge, San Jose
$8
