ROCK IN DETROIT’S
SEPTEMBER 2025
BAND OF THE MONTH:

THE STRAINS

 

Rock in Detroit‘s September band of the Month is The Strains. Recently scoring top slots at the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival and The Hamtramck Blowout, The Strains have to be regarded among the leaders of the Detroit rock scene. Today, we’re talking to Paul Grace Smith of The Strains.

ROCK IN DETROIT: So let’s get some quick background. Prior to The Strains there were two bands:The Damagers and Dumbell. What were they all about?

THE STRAINS: I started Dumbell around 1996 in Germany and they existed until 2013. We never officially broke up, but after 20 years of constant touring and lineup changes I kind of just felt like it had ran its course. The Damagers was started in the early 2000s as a German “supergroup” with members from the Cellophane Suckers and Havana Rag Dolls when I broke up Dumbell briefly, but the guy from the Rag Dolls dipped out before we recorded, so we became a trio, released one album and a 7-inch, did 2 tours, one with Mika Bomb from Japan. I don’t recall why we split up exactly. There was a bit of confusion because around the same time as The Damagers were rolling, I had a new lineup for Dumbell and we brought out a double LP that kind of obscured the Damagers debut release. At least I think that’s how the drummer felt about it. I think a bigger problem was that The Damagers debut was only released on CD at a time when CDs were going the way of the dodo. It’s a shame too because in hindsight I feel that The Damagers’ record held up better than the Dumbell double LP. It was more focused in a way. Not that the double LP is by any means bad. But with seventy minutes of music, it’s quite long-winded. I was, in my heart of hearts, trying to make an album that had the same width and diversity as Zen Arcade from Hüsker Du, but I’m no Bob Mould or Grant Hart. It’s got some filler in it.

ROCK IN DETROIT: No one is Mould or Hart, unless you’re Lennon and McCartney–and even The Beatles (“The White Album”) has some filler. But speaking about filler, how about filling us in on who is in the line-up of The Strains?

THE STRAINS: It’s me obviously, Jamy Holliday on guitar and backing vocals, who is/was in Mystery Addicts, Haunting Souls and Luxury Pushers. I’ve known him since the mid 90s. We met in Europe on a grueling tour with Wanda Chrome and the Leather Pharaohs. Gretta Smak also plays guitar and does a massive amount of background vocals. I’d be happy to tell you more about her. Her son Kellen was 6 or 7 at the time when I met him in 2011. He’s 22 now and he plays bass and sings loads of backing vocals. On drums for the last year, we’ve had Alex King. He was in Powertrane, Gorevette, and Mazinga and a load of other sick-ass bands. On the upcoming album, it’s my friend from Amsterdam Lionn VanDer Horst on drums. Been working on shit tons of new stuff with Alex.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Rock music arguably suffers from a paucity of women rockers.  Can you tell us a bit about Gretta and her role in the band?

THE STRAINS: I met Gretta back in the days of Dumbell. She ran merch for us when we toured in the USA. I recorded her band from Dayton and initially asked her to join The Strains as a merch person for a Euro tour, but upon farting around with her musically, I thought it would be best to turn the lineup into a three-guitar beast. It ended up to be the best move I could’ve made

She has coined herself the queen of monotony. As I started writing with three guitar parts in mind and wanted to do more intricate guitar hook stuff, she was very good at latching onto my repetitive licks and putting her own spin on them. She is also the queen of sparkle in the studio, as she has great percussion and piano ideas for putting some color on the tracks. Very effective for butt-shaking grooves. In addition to this, her vocal skills are fantastic, we found quite quickly that we can get these creepy Appalachian harmonies going in rock songs. The kind of stuff that sends chills down your spine.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Are you guys a Detroit rock band, a Dayton rock band, a Detroit-Dayton rock band, or something else?  To the extent you have feet in both cities, how would you compare the scenes?

THE STRAINS: I’d say we are a Detroit rock band. Although that could easily be contested. The band started here and was strictly Detroit musicians, but as the need for more extensive touring became evident, I decided to bring in folks that I’ve toured with in the past that I knew were road worthy. It takes a special breed to survive the mayhem. Jamy was involved with Dumbell and I’ve known him since 1996, and spent a lot of time on the road with him. So when Greasy Carlisi became less and less available, I knew I needed an old road dog on my side to fill the void. It just ends up that the people that best fit the bill for this task are from Dayton. Oddly enough, Gretta’s son Kellen was hanging around when we were recording the new record, and our bass player Pete had quit. I was just gonna play bass on the album. I’ve known this kid since he was seven, but had no clue about his musical skill set. He just kinda softly said, “I think I can play that song” and so it went for the whole record. He just kinda kicked the ass outta the bass parts. The new unit was born right then and there. Kinda by accident in a natural flow of disasters turning into a happy victory.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Why do you say your characterization as a Detroit rock band could be contested? Do you think you play Detroit-style rock music (however you want to define it).

THE STRAINS: Well, since I’m not from here originally, it could be contested. But c’mon. Television was considered an NYC band, but really Richard hell and Tom Verlaine were from Kentucky. The Stooges weren’t even a Detroit band. They were from Ann Arbor, right? MC5? Lincoln Park. But they are what DEFINES Detroit rock. And logically so. We certainly make Detroit style music, as Detroit has defined to me and many others to be the epitome of soul and rock thrown into the crock pot together and stewed to savory magnificence. Most of the great history of American music was born HERE. I think it will continue to flow out of Detroit after we are all long gone.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Where do you guys see yourselves situated in the Detroit rock scene?  Obviously your not the White Stripes (yet) or even the Cobras (who were breaking into a national act), but your definitely doing better than a lot of bands.

THE STRAINS: I’ve never been into the exercise of fitting in anywhere. That’s why I have always been a lone wolf. But I guess we fit somewhere between malignant and benign. We can keep up with the normies and the squatters and everything in between. Probably because we have collectively been inadvertently influenced by pop shit like Abba, Wham and the spice girls to Motörhead, Discharge, The Dead Boys and everything in between those two extremes. I’m manic in my approach to music. It’s like a living fever dream. It’s very difficult to manage perspective on normal things in these times. I can only think of the riffs, and this was dormant in me for quite some time. In living in Detroit after retiring Dumbell, I was technically DONE with music. I was burned out and didn’t really play much for a few years. But something snapped after playing a bunch locally with the original line up of The Strains. We were kind of glued into the same set for a few years. It was comfy. But I was rotting on the vine. I felt like by starting new that my mind was refreshed again. The songs started pouring out. Like I had a backlog. I felt the yearning to tour again. The only way to get outta here is to get in the van and play everywhere you possibly can for better or worse. I wouldn’t say we are doing better than others–we are just taking a medicine show approach to our attack. This is the only way Ive ever known how to do it.

ROCK IN DETROIT: It’s working well for you. What are some of the bigger shows you’ve done or bigger played with?

THE STRAINS: I don’t know if I’d say bigger shows. We are playing FINER shows. With bands that we like and that we feel a kinship to. We have the same message: Do it for the Rock and Roll. We must do our part to keep original rock and roll alive and real.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Fill in the blanks with band names: Musically, The Strains sound like the illegitimate child of ______ and ____, baptized with a bucket of beer held by ______.

THE STRAINS: Okay. Musically, The Strains sound like the illegitimate child of The Damned and Abba, baptized with a bucket of beer held by Ron Asheton.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Alright! For folks not familiar with your “strain” of music, could you cite a song of yours think is representative of your sound and which you wouldn’t might us providing a link to?

THE STRAINS: “Depression” kinda sums it up. It’s on the new record.  [To listen to “Depression” just click below.]

 

ROCK IN DETROIT: You guys put on a great live show.  When you go into the studio, do you have as much fun or is it “work”?

THE STRAINS: I actually have more fun in the studio than live. Writing songs is a catharsis for me. The only way I stay sane. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle that at times, I feel I have no control over. Like, ok, I wrote these tunes and recorded them, I guess I gotta put them out now. Shit, now we have to sell them, I guess we gotta go play live now. In many ways, I’m satisfied with just recording and sharing with a few dozen friends, but it’s a necessary evil to tour. At my age, it’s quite exhausting, but it’s what I’ve been doing my entire life, so I just keep going until I can’t.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Do you have any shows you look back on as high points or favorites?  Why?

THE STRAINS: I’ve played a few shows that felt especially good. There was one in cologne Germany booked by my friend Rösel. Pete, Greasy, Nik Savage and my old Dumbell cohort Illy played that show. It was a moment of redemption. Many old friends from Cologne were there and it felt like a homecoming. The vibes were fantastic. I felt like when that show was over, if it was the last one I played, I would be able to go to my grave with a smile on my face. The other one that stands out was a tribute show for my fallen comrade Tony Slug from the Nitwitz. We co-wrote some songs for his solo album on Alternative Tentacles and cancer got him before the album came out. We did a show with many friends in Amsterdam and I felt that we did his memory justice. It was bittersweet.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Do you have any shows coming up that you are particularly looking forward to and want people to know about (and which we will be sure to get listed on our Calendar)?

THE STRAINS: I’ll share the tour schedule with you. We are going all over the place.  [See flyer below.]

ROCK IN DETROIT: Do you have any unfulfilled rock ambitions? Where do you see The Strains five years hence?

THE STRAINS: My unfulfilled rock ambition? To be able to do this forever with my friends.

ROCK IN DETROIT: Rock on!