"We're a bag of Skittles in a world of M&M's"
Rock and roll is dead. At least, that's the rumor. But in the words of Classless Act vocalist Derek Day, “If rock is dead, it’s a zombie.”
Classless Act is a 21st-century rock band, and a blooming rose in the garden of music. They’ve exploded onto the scene with youthful exuberance, raw energy, and a fiery determination, which has earned them a spot on the long-awaited Stadium Tour. Sharing the stage with rock legends like Joan Jett, Poison, Def Leppard, and Motley Crue is no easy feat. To also receive their elusive stamps of approval is extraordinarily high praise. For Classless Act, however, this came almost as easy as drawing their next breath.
The band released their debut album in June of this year, solidifying their lineup with vocalist Derek Day, guitarists Dane Pieper and Griffin Tucker, bassist Franco Gravante, and drummer Chuck McKissock. The album, aptly titled Welcome to the Show, features everything from luxurious harmonies to pounding drums to distinguished featured guests. The band’s anthem track, “Classless Act,” features perhaps the most notable name - Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe. Between the primal roars of Derek Day and the band’s heavy, hammering instrumentation, they squeeze a verse in for Neil, his pitch reminiscent of the days of Too Fast For Love. A king among hard rock front-men, Neil passes the torch to a new generation of heavy rockers, allowing Classless Act to take center stage as he watches approvingly from the wings.
I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with band members Derek and Dane about all things Classless, but the question of Vince Neil’s appearance on their debut album was one I had to get the answer to.
So you guys just released your first album, Welcome to the Show, and there’s one notable song on there that features Vince Neil - how did that even happen?
Derek: So, the chain of events was actually: first, we worked with Bob Rock. He produced Dr. Feelgood, which is like one of the biggest Motley Crue records ever. And so when we worked with Bob, Bob was like, let’s record it in Tommy [Lee]’s place. So we went there and that kind of put us in the Motley ether. You know, Tommy would come down and like peek over when we were recording - it kind of helped! I mean it takes a lot of moving parts, and we got into management and that’s how we got on the tour, but other than that, like once we were on I think Vince just, you know, the chorus is “Welcome to the show.” I think Vince wanted to welcome us to his show by singing on it because we just sent it to him - we were like, “This sounds like you, this feels like you, it’s kind of a perfect circle for us, it would make the song sound better - it would help us! But it would make the song sound better.” So he was just like - dude, he did it like in a day and sent it over and it was really quick and easy.
Dane: Yeah, it’s one of the most exciting things I’ve done ever in my life, releasing a debut album and having Vince Neil featured on it. What was pretty surreal about, like, all that experience was - because you’re so used to hearing like Vince Neil’s voice and hearing like Nikki [Sixx] and Tommy [Lee] and Mick [Mars], like, all around him. But now, it’s like us around his voice - like it’s my guitar playing the left channel, and then Griffin, and then Franco, and Derek’s singing with him, and Chuck!
Derek: It’s cool to harmonize with him - it’s cool to have him sing lyrics that we wrote, too! It’s like *gasp.*
Attempting to make it in the music industry can feel like placing your head on the chopping block, and some classic rock stars & fans do not hesitate to bring down the ax. Regardless of how talented these musicians often are, young musicians attempting to emulate an older sound is blasphemy to them. Many territorial rockers also seem to align with this absurd belief that rock is dead. Gene Simmons of KISS brought down the hammer, or possibly the five-inch platform boot, in a 2022 interview, stating: “I stand by my words: rock is dead.”
To see Vince Neil not only give Classless Act his seal of approval but also actively collaborate with the band reaffirms the idea that rock isn’t dead, it has taken on a new life. Music is constantly evolving, and although rock may not sound quite the same as it did back in ‘79, bands like Classless Act are a breath of fresh air, reviving the genre with ingenuity and originality.
We spoke a bit at the beginning about the notion of rock changing, but I still wanted to ask you guys, what are your opinions on this idea floating around that rock is dead?
Dane: I kind of have an interesting take on this. So, I think it’s what adds the extra quality to music, [which is just] like sounds hitting your ear waves, is just kind of the association you have with it, right? Like, when you think of a certain band, you think of all these external characteristics about this person. You think of who they are and I think a lot of that contributes or is directly from the icon status that rock bands had, you know? Bands like The Rolling Stones or [Led] Zeppelin, or even more mid-tier bands in the 70s and 80s - you knew who was in the band. You knew the guitar players, you knew the singers, everyone. And because they’re all iconic and they had their style to them, they all had what made them special. And now in rock music, you have all these fantastic bands but I think a lot of the icon status is gone. I think people like the individual characters. You still have Dave Grohl and like Jack White, I think they’re some of the last remaining rock icons, but I think it’s important to have that personality and character and that will help carry a band. I feel like everyone in this band has very interesting little quirks and all that, where everyone can latch on to a member. Derek compared it to the Avengers, right? So yeah, that’s how I feel, we’re the Avengers! We’ve all got our own little iconic personalities.
Derek: Lately, I’ve been saying the Power Rangers, too. Because the Power Rangers, they make that big robot - the Megazord, and that’s the only way you can defeat the space aliens.
Author’s note: kicking myself for not asking who Classless Act’s space aliens are.
Dane: So, like all these the genres are still alive, but I think that kind of fun aspect where people have that kind of extra little feeling with music, that’s definitely transferred to other genres. But I think that rock music as a whole, the passionate energy is still there, but you need to have that little zing to it, that little sprinkle of salt or that special sauce or whatever - I think that’s what you need. And I think that’s what we’ve got.
Derek: Like Frank Zappa said, “Jazz isn’t dead, it just smells funny,” you know? Maybe that’s kind of what’s going on right now, too. It’s like, if rock is dead, it’s a zombie, you know? It’s got this crazy, weird “ew don’t touch me” thing to it. Which I kind of like.
Dane: I feel like the people who say rock is dead, I feel like that’s kind of like on their high horse. You kind of have to, like, dig in the weeds a little bit, because I feel like just saying “rock is dead” is kind of losing the humanity and not even giving people a chance.
If you’ve seen Classless Act live, you know they have enough energy to galvanize rock back to life while simultaneously powering an entire city. The moment they hit the stage, they perform as if their lives depend on it. A cross between rock stars and acrobats, they glide across the stage, bending over backward or leaping into the air while shredding their way through guitar licks and scorching vocals. Day’s prowess as a vocalist is refreshing in today’s world of vocoders and whisper-singing. He rips through each song with an ineffable energy, encapsulating the spirit of rock in every note. Watching Classless Act perform is like capturing lightning in a bottle, and their passion is practically palpable.
While we may not know the future of Classless Act just yet, it’s safe to assume that if they continue down the path they’ve forged for themselves, even greater success is on the horizon.
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