Ike’s Wasted World – Heavy Genealogy

One of the cool parts of doing interviews for RadioRadioX is that I’m finding all kinds of great music for my lawless joyrides. And as I daydream of launching Molotov cocktails at polite society, I hope that Ike’ Wasted World will be on rotation.

Hard-driving and in-your-face, Ike’s Wasted World is fronted by Eric Joseph “Ike” Baestlein, a veteran singer in the metal scene. Joined by Chris Adamson on bass and Sean Teeter on drums, this band spits in your face and records a laugh track. We sit down with Ike Joseph to discuss, you know, things…

RRX: Ike, I don’t want to list all of the bands you’ve been in because I’m lazy, and the fact that my laziness keeps me from doing it is a testament to all the bands you’ve been in. If you don’t mind, take us through your resume. Is there anything that people couldn’t find on the band’s Facebook page?

Ike: Liam, I’d like to thank you and RadioRadioX right off the bat. You guys have a great channel happening. My first band was Black Juju. We formed in Colonie (Albany, New York) High School around 1981.We stole the name from an Alice Cooper song, because we worshiped Alice and still do. We were about as loud and noisy as you can get, but we made up for that with theatrics. We had fake blood and generally smashed things up.
In 1983 we formed Blind Legion and became pretty well known in Albany. We played QE2, NYC Cafe 2, JB’s Theatre and some bars, too. We opened for Trouble and Anvil and did an album which was released finally a couple of years ago on vinyl by Blood and Iron Records, and a single “Nice Guys Finish Last/Used to Be Blind” which did well and now is worth some bread on the internet.

In 1987 we moved to LA and formed Lost Breed. The Sunset strip was magic at that time and although we despised glam it was a rock and roll wonderland. Absolutely the place to be if you wanted to make it in a band. Lost Breed went through some changes and had several singers. We recorded a demo with ‘Wino” from St. Vitus and The Obsessed and did some shows with him as well. That was released a few years ago on vinyl on “Death To False Noise Records” as the Lost Breed “Wino Daze” album.
We really started to kick ass on the Strip when Gary Tocco from Blind Legion moved to LA and joined the Breed as lead singer. We were playing good shows at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Blvd and got an offer from Hellhound Records in Germany. However, Gary quit and although I consider us to be grunge before it was a thing, grunge and Seattle killed L.A.. It was no longer the place to be and the city never really recovered, but like good little headbangers we soldiered on and recorded for Hellhound, doing two albums for them: “The Evil In You and Me” and “Save Yourself “with Pat Lydon our recording engineer on vocals.

After that we formed The Vengeance Brothers. The lineup was myself on vocals and guitar, Vinny Augustine on bass and Jamie Silver on drums. It was really Lost Breed without Pat.

At that point we couldn’t get arrested in LA, really not much was happening on the street and we went from clubs to dives, but Blood and Iron records did release the Vengeance Brothers album as Lost Breed “Bow Down” a few years ago. We still do several songs from it in the Ike’s Wasted World set. Also, Blood and Iron released Lost Breed, “World of Power” with Gary Tocco and Chris Roseberry on vocals a couple of years ago.

In 2002 I moved back to Albany and formed Blackjack Blades with Chris Adamson on bass and “Cousin” Vinny Renzo on drums (RIP). We had a blast playing bars and biker rallies and released “The Way of the Blade” album on Helltown Records. In 2007 we formed Cardiac Noose (Wayne “The Beast” Grippin on vocals, Johnny Rapp on drums and Dino “The Hawk” Ferrerase on bass”) and did two albums on Helltown and one for Blood and Iron. The titles are “Bled to the Bone,” “Get Back Home” and “Girl Named Misery.” We did well playing bars, biker rallies, and several Lisha Kill Jamfests which drew great crowds. Some of them topped a thousand people and it was always for a great cause. Well, that brings us to Ike’s Wasted World.

RRX: I guess this question is simple, but it lends itself to stock answers, so if you can dig deep for specifics, that would help. What’s the perfect show for you? And can you name a show that came close? What about it made it close to perfect?

Ike: I don’t think we ever played a perfect show, but we’ve played a ton of great ones. There always seems to be a mistake somewhere in the set, but I don’t really worry about the band. We know what we’re doing, but I always fear equipment failure.

RRX: I’m sorry I missed you guys when you played the Black Friday show with The Erotics and Blackcat Elliot. Now you have a show coming up with Michale Graves and Bad Mothers, the Xmas Strings acoustics show at the Hangar on the Hudson. As I said in the beginning, you guys have a very hard-driving sound, so I’m trying to picture you guys doing an acoustic set. How can a band keep their rock/metal feel when they “cut the cord.”?

Ike: I don’t think you can keep a rock/metal feel when you play acoustic. It is a totally different thing. I started playing acoustic shows at Valentines in Albany when I moved back from LA. I didn’t have a band, so I would work out a set and do it at open mic night. I’d get there early and practice in the park and quite often I’d wind up crashing in my car, because we played and partied all night. I wish I could remember the dude’s name who ran it. More often than not it was just us. I’ve been doing acoustic shows ever since.

RRX: I noticed that Chris Adamson came from your former band, Blackjack Blades. Considering how many bands you’ve been in, I imagine it’s common to work with the same people in newer projects. But in that case, was it difficult to maintain a balance between having a former band member, and incorporating a new member like Sean Teeter? Is how long each person’s been around a factor, even if it’s not meant to be?

Ike: Chris and I have a long history now. It helps because we have many songs to choose from. Also, we’re great friends and there is no BS to deal with. Sean is working out nicely. He’s a great drummer and it is cool to have some young blood in the band. Also, he’s a vet so once again the BS level is at zero.

RRX: I watched your videos on Youtube. Pretty kickass. I love videos, cause it’s yet another way to communicate your message. Let’s say you robbed a bank and got away with it clean. You can pretty much make any video you want, but you gotta spend all the money on a video, so no skimping out. Think ridiculous production values. What are we going to see on Youtube in six months?

Ike: If I had endless cash for a video, I guess we’d blow shit up. My videos are made on no budget, but I think they came out pretty good. I think they represent the music pretty well. Leather Forever was a fun one to make. Mindy and Jenn were great to work with and it still cracks me up when I watch it.

RRX: I always reserve the last question for shout outs and propers. We’re trying to get the word out about other musicians, bands, venues, etc. – especially ones that don’t get the press they deserve. So, names – fire away.

Ike: The band we do the most shows with is The Erotics. Mike Trash and I have become friends and we hang a lot. It is always a good time. The King’s Inn in Schenectady is our home base, so stop in and have a drink. Ralph Renna has always helped us for which I’m grateful. See you at the show.

Be sure to check out Ike’s Wasted World at the Xmas Strings concert at Hangar on the Hudson on December 15, starting at 8 pm, along with Bad Mother’s, which Michale Graves headlining.

And as always, be sure to keep one tab on your laptop or phone set to RadioRadioX.com, the station that makes a cold Capital Region eight hour day feel like five.