The Paybacks

No doubt about it, life is hard.

Fortunately, some things are better when they're hard. For Detroit rock 'n' roll outfit, The Paybacks, it's best when its "Harder and Harder."

It's with that philosophy that Detroit's "defenders of the rock," return with "Harder and Harder," their second album for Get Hip Records. Brimming with the pummeling riff rock, buoyant, revealing pop and three chord punk pounders that defined the band on its much-heralded Get Hip debut, "Knock Loud," "Harder and Harder" is testament that cutting your own path through the mediocrity of fad, fashion, creeping hipster-ism and music industry brainwashing is its own reward.

Love for love's sake, sex for pleasure's sake, self redemption and the repudiation of those who hunger for your failure - these are all themes, tales and truths that find their way on to "Harder and Harder." Delivered with the band's trademark hell-bent optimism, "Harder and Harder" also features guest appearances by founding guitarist and Paybacks patriarch, Marco Delicato (who drops in for two tracks that he co-wrote: "Superider" and "Can You Drive") and Detroit guitar legend and one of the fathers of the "Sacred Steel" slide guitar style, Calvin Cooke, who joins the band for a blues-by-the-way-of-punk number called "Jumpy." Engineer and co-producer extraordinaire John Smerek, of Detroit's famed White Room studios, ties the whole thing together in one magnificent, loud, unruly platter. It's been a long wait, but it can't be contained any longer -- "Harder and Harder," is fixin' to bust out.

About the band:
Wendy Case: Singer, guitarist and primary songwriter for The Paybacks, Case -- a native of Akron, Ohio and reared in the Carolinas - cut her teeth in the San Francisco punk scene of the early '80s before coming to Michigan in '89. By the early '90s, she had formed garage punk party band Ten High in Ann Arbor. Signed to Bomp!/Total Energy Records in Burbank, CA, Ten High was one of the early progenitors of what would later become regarded as the "Detroit garage scene." In '97 Case moved to the Detroit area and by late 1999, formed The Paybacks with Rocket 455 guitarist, Marco Delicato.

John Szymanski: Bassist for The Paybacks, Michigan native Szymanski (aka Johnny Volare) also fronts Detroit's legendary Hentchmen. 10+ years of making brilliant records and touring the country and the world have made The Hentchmen legends in the international garage community - and for good reason - THEY DO IT RIGHT! The Hentchmen played numerous shows over the years with Ten High and Rocket 455 and it was through their mutual, longstanding friendship that Szymanski joined ranks with Case and Delicato for The Paybacks.

Mike Latulippe: Drummer for The Paybacks, Latulippe also serves double duty in The Hentchmen (where he is also known as Mike Audi). Mike joined The Paybacks shortly after John, making him the final component in what was shaping up to be a family of friends. Also a Michigan boy, Mike played in a number of local outfits (including a few with John) before signing on full-time with The Hentchmen for 1997's "Broad Appeal". He and John both joined The Paybacks in 2000.

Danny "Muggs" Methric: Lead guitarist for The Paybacks, East Detroit native Methric joined the band as a permanent replacement for Marco Delicato -- who stepped away when The Paybacks became a full-time touring outfit at the top of 2003. Already an established and respected member of Detroit's musical community via his hard blues-rock trio, The Muggs, Dan's humor, skill and powerful guitar style have made him a vital part of The Paybacks' equation.