They reckon women get off on their southern-fried, chargrilled rock’n'roll. They reckon people like you can save rock ‘n’ roll. And frontman Adam Joad dreams of a threesome with Joan Jett and Lita Ford. Intrigued? Find out more now about Scattered Hamlet – today’s Track Of The Day. Click here for previous Tracks Of The Day.

Yes, their name does sound like breakfast, but that’s about the only cute thing about Scattered Hamlet. Otherwise, it’s all whiskey bottles and black eyes.

Formed from the ashes of LA chug-rockers 286, Scattered Hamlet whip up a tasty omelette of southern-fried strut rock and Sunset Strip sleaze, slathered liberally with radio-ready hooks and hillbilly swagger. They are currently hard at work on their debut album, but already the west coast buzz is deafening – and it should escalate into a full-bore roar before the year is out.

We’ve got three – count ‘em – Scattered Hamlet tracks for you to try out today, but first, an eventful Q&A with SH frontman, Adam Joad.

What’s the Scattered Hamlet origin story? Is thunder and lighting involved?

AJ: Well, we are a bunch of dirty rockers that found each other in LA. With the exception of  our bass player J. Cole, we are all from back country kind of areas originally. I really wanted to make a band like this for a long time, and when 286 split up, I started writing and searching for banditos to make it happen. No thunder or lightning, but many a good Dio and AC/DC songs have thunder and lightning in them, and that’s important.

How’s the progress on the album? Has there been any fistfights in the studio yet?

AJ: It’s going well. We have all the rough tracking done so we pretty much know what it’s going to sound like. We’re stoked about it; there haven’t been any fights or anything, we are all too pumped about it right now. I hope during the process someone throws a bottle off the wall and calls me a ‘dick’ at least once.

Can Scattered Hamlet get you laid?

AJ: It can… there’s something about that dirty country swagger that ladies strangely are attracted to, even if they don’t want to be. When we play Hillbilly Harmony at the end of the set it’s like a sonic orgasm for our non-penis wielding brethren. I will say the audience at SH shows is much more attractive than both of my previous bands, which is happy.

Have you ever had a gig from hell?

AJ: Not with SH, but we’ve all had some terrible ones. The worst one recently I can recall was probably the last 286 show at The Roxy in West Hollywood. We had already broken up, I wasn’t speaking to half of the band, and we were opening for Corey Feldman’s band. Yeah, the Corey Feldman from The Goonies and Lost Boys. I used my time on the mic to air some dirty laundry and, well, that was the sound of a band broken up. It sucked, but if I had to do it again I would have done it way worse – that’s rock and roll though, where chaos is encouraged and expected. Fuck the high road. Corey Feldman was really cool though, and even tolerated my drunk ass coming into his green room and discussing his role as Teddy Duchamp in Stand By Me.

What’s there been more of in the band so far, puke or blood?

AJ: I’d say puke, Kenny [Dale, drums]  and Clay [Davies, guitar] caught a nasty flu, I think it was swine flu, but it unleashed a bubonic-like plague on our asses. No blood yet, but there first SH member who gets in a bar fight wins the prize. I don’t know what that prize is, but it should be something cool. Maybe another Jack Daniel’s belt buckle from Circus Liquor.

Joan Jett or Lita Ford?

AJ: Well, Lita Ford was my first concert, but Joan Jett was in an episode of the Highlander television series. I own all the seasons on DVD, thank you. They both were in The Runaways, but I have to go with Joan Jett. Actually, when I think about it, I’d actually like to a make a sex tape with both of them at the same time and call it Back To The Cave: We Don’t Give A Damn About A Bad Reputation.

Last celebrity encounter? ‘Encounter’ does not mean sex. Unless it does.

AJ: Clay and I were talking to Tom Morello on Friday. He was opening for Steve Earle at The Troubadour with his Nightwatchmen solo act. I wanted to see Steve Earle really bad, and I only realised he was in town after the show was sold out. On the day of the gig Tom saved the day and put us on the guest list, so I could stand up front and sing Copperhead Road at the top of my lungs. Tom works tirelessly to save the world from oppression, but still has time to make sure we get to see Steve Earle. For that I am eternally grateful.

Please name three bands you all like that nobody’s ever heard of.

AJ: Sure, Artimus Piledriver, I think they broke up [They did – Ed.] but they rule. Go to YouTube and watch their video Swampdevil. Lightnin’ Bill Woodcock And The Bad Mother F**kers [BMFs] – it’s some delta psychobilly blues punk. Destrophy, if you haven’t heard them yet you will, they are releasing their album on Victory this month – I heard the early versions and it was killer. Ari, their singer and guitar player, produced the first three SH tracks and also made some guest appearances on them.

What’s the future hold for Scattered Hamlet?

AJ: We want to get this album done, film some videos and take some time off during the holidays and hit the road next year. That’s the plan. Hopefully we’ll be hitting the festival circuit and also some non-conventional venues like bike rallies, strip clubs and rodeos.

Finally, who will save rock’n'roll?

AJ: All of us, folks like you at Classic Rock magazine, the people who are reading this. People who think outside the box and who don’t give a shit that all the major labels imploded, because they wouldn’t switch an outdated business model. These are the people that will keep playing, writing and listening to what they honestly like and not what someone else tells them is cool. People that work their ass off for what they love and don’t expect someone to hand them the world on a platter, no matter how talented you are; no-one owes you shit. Lemme tell you, there’s a shit ton of us out there, and we all need to support each other and casually walk around or push aside folks that say, “You can’t do something”, or that get in the way. It’s like the Bob Dylan, get out of the way if you can’t lend a hand kind of thing. I did two interviews this week and managed to work in two Dylan references, that’s killer!

Right, so you get the idea. Now, let’s get to the rock. Here, courtesy of the band [the line-up also features bassist Jeremy Cole], are three sweltering choons from the upcoming record. Download, enjoy, share with friends. If you dig ‘em, the requisite links for more info will follow.

Shelter: http://www.scatteredhamlet.com/Shelter.mp3

Warning: http://www.scatteredhamlet.com/Warning.mp3

Can’t Change Me: http://www.scatteredhamlet.com/CantChangeMe.mp3

For further info, go to http://www.scatteredhamlet.com

– Sleazegrinder