Baltimore rockers Cinder Road may not be headlining arenas just yet, but it’s not because they lack the sound for it.
In fact, the well-traveled band cites the arena rock heyday of the 1980s as their main influence (think Aerosmith, Def Lep and Ozzy.) There’s more going on in their music, though, namely alternative rock and metal.
The quintet will open up for Tesla at Pop’s on Saturday.
For lead singer and guitarist Mike Ruocco, who once found himself in the top 50 of Rockstar Supernova, the band’s main message to fans is to have a blast at shows and leave the politics at the door. I spoke with him last week as he grilled out with the band at a Petaluma, Calif. Kampground (must be nice.)
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RC: Do you grill out often?
MR: We started doing it in the summertime and fell in love with doing it. We call them ‘dysfunctional family picnics.’ We were getting tired of staying in the same old motels and my dad said, ‘try taking your bus to an RV park.’ We invited Candlebox who we were touring with and they loved it. From then on, we’ve been occasionally pulling buses into campgrounds and taking turns cooking. We always try to outdo each other with the menus.
RC: What bands did you grow up liking in Baltimore?
MR: I really dug Kix and actually was able to take vocal lessons from their singer. I also liked Def Leppard, Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. One of my first albums was a cassette Def Leppard’s “Hysteria.” My mom not a hard rock chick, but she liked “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” I confiscated it and fell in love with it.
RC: How long have you been a group?
MR: There have been different guys in the band, but the core lineup has been the same for about 10 years since we were kids. We took it really seriously and wanted to be the biggest band in world when we were in sixth grade. We didn’t know to do that — and still don’t — but we’ve been able to travel the world and put a few records out.
RC: What was it like touring with Daughtry?
MR: Touring with him was a whole different beast. Chris Daughtry was a TV star so the security was insanely different. The security team was extremely strict about who got to go where. The cool thing about the tour was that we were kind of discovering everything together because it was their first big tour also. From there we went to touring with Candlebox and the vibe was a million percent different.
RC: What is your live show like?
MR: We try to take from the arena rock influence that we all grew up on. Back in the seventies and eighties, rock and roll was all about having a good time. You’d drink beers, stare at girls and listen to music. Loud music! We’re not political or religious on stage, we try to keep our views personal.
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Tesla with Cinder Road
Saturday at Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Ill., $25