New York’s all-female rock band Jackknife Stiletto is known for their “aggressive drive and punk attitude with a fresh sound. Think Rancid meets Black Sabbath — with chicks.” Although the band was started several years ago, the current line-up for the trio is Annie Stoic (guitar/vocals), Mel Funk (drummer/back-up vocals), Foxy Roxy (bass) who have been playing together for the last year.
Cover photo pictured L to R: Mel Funk, Annie Stoic and Foxy Roxy
Signed by Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records, Jackknife Stiletto released the first in a series of EPs titled Chronicles of Jane: Vol. 1. Accompanying the EP will be a comic book narrative illustrated by Toronto artist Becca T-R.
RELATED STORY: Album Review: Chronicles of Jane, Vol. 1 by Jackknife Stiletto
The band has performed at SXSW and the Van’s Warped Tour, as well as sharing the stage with Murphy’s Law, Cherie Currie, NOFX, Less Than Jake, Anti-Flag, and Bret Michaels.
Jackknife Stiletto shared with us the story behind their new EP and how they approach the songwriting process.
You have a new EP Chronicles of Jane, Vol. 1 out on Joan Jett’s label Blackheart Records. Tell us about the inspiration and story behind the songs on this EP. Did they come from real life experiences or are they fictional?
The overall story of Jane is a compilation of real life events that have happened to us and then we embellished on some songs.
You cover the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” on the EP. Are all the other songs originals and how did you choose that song to fit in with your story of Jane?
Yes, the other songs are all originals! We have been playing that cover on the road and had a great response. It fit great with the ‘sassy relationship’ theme of the other songs we chose for this EP.
Share with us the writing process for the band…how the lyrics and melodies come together.
Every song is different. Sometimes it starts with us all jamming together until someone hears something they like and yells play that again! Sometimes it starts with a riff or a lyric; it’s very random! It’s always a group effort. We like to write everything together as a band!
The EPs will be released in a series. How many series will there be and when can we expect the next release?
We already started pre-production on the next one! We are thinking 2 or 3 depending on how the songs shake out!
There will also be a comic book released with the EP which is illustrated by Toronto artist Becca T-R. How did you choose her for the artwork?
We wanted to use an up-and-coming comic book artist that would be into the storyline as much as we are. I actually found her on Instagram searching through pictures and loved her work! We were on the same page as far as artwork the whole time and it was a blast seeing her bring our vision to life.
Will you be touring in support of the new EP release?
Yes! Check out our tour page for upcoming shows! www.jackknifestiletto.com/tour
Just a little background on the band. When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
A few years ago Annie and Mel met in college and after a few line-up changes, we met Roxy last year. We took her on tour in October and it went awesome, so we kidnapped her!
Who were your biggest musical influences that developed your style of music?
We’ve all been in different bands over the years and have a varied taste in music. We can’t really say there’s a certain band or influence that started this band. It was more the situation of a few girls who wanted to form an all-girl rock/punk band, work as hard as we could to get our music out there, and tour a lot!
Connect with Jackknife Stiletto:
www.JackknifeStiletto.com
www.Facebook.com/JackknifeStiletto
