The Hormones rage through Jon Stefaniak

“Important papers say that my major is Graphic Design,” said Jon Stefaniak, a sophomore. What some may not know is that on the more exciting side of life Stefaniak is a member of the band The Hormones.
Stefaniak has been playing guitar and bass for a little over five years and The Hormones have been together for close to three years.

“We play simple punk rock that is deeply rooted in the golden years of Rock and Roll. I like to call it punk n roll,” said Stefaniak. He explained that a lot of their influences stem from the early Ramones stuff and have a heavy influence from the Misfits.

By Bethany Merryman

Staff Writer

“Important papers say that my major is Graphic Design,” said Jon Stefaniak, a sophomore. What some may not know is that on the more exciting side of life Stefaniak is a member of the band The Hormones. Stefaniak has been playing guitar and bass for a little over five years and The Hormones have been together for close to three years.

“We play simple punk rock that is deeply rooted in the golden years of Rock and Roll. I like to call it punk n roll,” said Stefaniak. He explained that a lot of their influences stem from the early Ramones stuff and have a heavy influence from the Misfits.

Courtesy of Jon Stefaniak
Courtesy of Jon Stefaniak

Stefaniak and fellow band member Kayla Slicker write both the lyrics and the music they perform. “Usually the person who wrote it [the song] sings it and gets the most say over the direction of the song overall. Once we actually get together and work it into a full-band song, everyone puts their two cents in on the direction of it,” explained Stefaniak.

“I have been in three other bands,” said Stefaniak. Eric and the Generics got the furthest out of any of his bands, but he also played in Buffafetus Elephetus, which was a fake British band and he hopes to be a part of a CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) cover band, “to get the old people going this summer.”

In his spare time Stefaniak likes spending time with friends and learning about what is going on locally with music. “There are usually guitars on our laps; it’s the way we work,” said Stefaniak. “I also dabble in art and snowboarding. Video games aren’t nerdy,” he said.

While talking about different shows he has played, Stefaniak said that certain shows were better than others for many reasons.

“Playing at home is always fun because we get to see all of our close friend, which always makes for a good show,” he said. All his fellow band members went to Kiski and came from Westmoreland County.

“Distant shows in new locations mean weird situations and atmospheres. You don’t know what to expect,” said Stefaniak.

When determining what is a good show, he said, “Our favorite shows have always depended on good crowds. For all I care, we could have a basement filled with people who know our music, or at least can get into it for their first time listening for it to suffice.”

Last spring The Hormones performed for Spring Thing, and Stefaniak hopes to play again this year. To learn more about The Hormones and Jon Stefaniak and to check out some music, visit their Myspace Music page.

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