Scanner is Joe Brady (Lead Vocals and Bass), Junnie Fortney (Guitars), and Ray Hawkins (Drums).
Scanner has been rocking old school roots and punk inspired rock and roll since the 1970s. The band was formed by me (Joe Brady) and Junnie Fortney, and we can point to influences from a wide range of musical styles, including the pioneers of 50s rock and roll, 60s hard rock and surf, 70s glam and punk, and even traditional country music.
We love bands that were involved in the formation of new rock music movements, especially the more radical ones. 1970s punk rock had special appeal to us. Our punk inspirations are Iggy and the Stooges, Cock Sparrer, Stiff Little Fingers, Dead Boys, and The Ramones. Other influences range from Dion and the Belmonts and Dell Shannon, to Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep.
Being social outsiders, and having sardonic and pessimistic natures made perfect fuel for creating the kind of music we have on the Scanner albums. Additionally, Junnie and I are of the same mind on many levels, so we click and can read each other when putting together Scanner music.
We like to think of our music as an extension of our love for all kinds of music, vintage horror and monster movies, motorcycles and drag races, old comic books, and a variety of other weird and off-the-wall stuff.
2. What's the origin of the band's name?
We went through a few names and personnel changes in the beginning, but the final band name "Scanner" was used when I read an article in a monster magazine called “Fangoria” back in 1980 about a new movie coming out called "Scanners" and I liked the imagery of heads exploding, and imagined it being the effect of hearing our music, so we dropped the plural and went with Scanner!
3. Where is the band based, and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We come from various small communities in Central Pennsylvania, between York and Gettysburg. Very few clubs, to this day would hire us, as there is no real audience for our kind of sound, except for bikers and a few fellow outcasts. Playing punk rock in Central PA during the 70s and early 80s was very interesting, to say the least! When playing out, we often had stuff thrown at us, and we were simply shut down by some clubs. Those were some the best gigs and memories!
So, the best places to play, are Harrisburg and York in Central PA, and a fairly short drive to the Baltimore/Washington D.C. areas, where there are much more opportunities for bands who play original music.
Local to us, most bands are cover bands, so I couldn't recommend any.
4. How do you describe your style?
We generally go with "roots and punk inspired rock and roll". However, we've been called "stoner punk metal", which I kind of like!
5. What have you released so far, what can someone expect from your works?
Scanner’s very first release was called “Exploding Heads in Harrisburg”, which is a collection of live tracks recorded at a show we did in 1982, and taken from an old cassette tape. To date, we've released four studio albums: "One foot in the grave, and more pissed than ever", "Splat", "Under the Devil's Tail”, and most recently, “In Your Head”.
Our works run the gambit from hard and fast punk rock, to some plodding horror rock, and even creepy surf instrumentals. Even though our music is basic hard driving rock and roll, you won't find our songs sounding the same.
6. Do you have any music in the works?
We always have music in the works. We just recently released a 5-song EP, entitled "In Your Head", but like I tell my band mates, I still have about 687 new songs in my head!
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We are always open to playing shows, but have no organized tour planned right now.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Keep on creating new tunes and keep getting weirder and weirder!
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Apple Music:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-your-head-ep/1396838850
CD Baby:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/scanner13
Amazon Music:
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Head-Scanner/dp/B07DM7MSG4/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1529607735&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=scanner+in+your+head
ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/scanner
BandCamp: https://scanner1979.bandcamp.com/music
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkSe9hr1Q9fF5zg3erdut7eVD57gCANOY
10. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I'd like listeners to remember that they are hearing sounds created by guys who have been a part of old school rock and roll and punk scenes, and have been playing music since the 1970s. Sure it's basic, gritty, and raw, and not over produced, but that's the sound we like for ourselves. We don't pretend to be anything else.
Joe Brady
Lead Vocals and Bass for Scanner
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scanner1979
Website: http://www.scanner1979.com
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