Rat Rod is the father/son duo of Mark and Brice McCarty on lead and rhythm guitars respectively, Jeremy Hugo on vocals, LJ on Bass. and Harry Rosa on drums. Formed in the fall of 2016 when a brokered meeting of 2 like-minded musicians, Mark McCarty and original lead vocalist Mike Smith culminated in an extremely productive writing session.
The duo decided that what they needed to do is share with the world these first 9 songs plus a smoking cover of “Marseilles” by the Aussie group The Angels. The completely self-produced "Do You Remember Rock and Roll" debuted in 2017 as an initial effort consisting of only Mark providing all the instrumentation (no sequencers or drum machines) and Mike on vocals. To attempt to capture the sound of the era, the duo took a minimalist approach to production as if they themselves were at Albert Studios in Sydney in 1976. Suffice to say, these Philadelphia area musicians have a true love and respect for old-school rock and roll. But, rock-n-roll and R&B as passed through the conduit of Australian stalwarts AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, The Angels, Jet, and Airbourne. with a dose of GnR thrown in just for good measure.
Following the recording of “Do You Remember Rock and Roll” the duo then proceeded to build the band with Brice initially on drums before migrating to rhythm guitar. LJ came in to play bass and Elliott Howard became the band’s young phenom drummer. The group played all throughout 2017 and 2018 in every music joint, concert hall, or strip mall in the Philadelphia metropolitan area that would have them. 3 shows in 2 days was not unheard of for these guys.
Song ideas were once again built up by Mark and Mike and in the fall of 2018 the band began to arrange the next batch of 11 songs that would become the 2019 release “Light Em Up.” Prior to the recording, Brice made a temporary exit to pursue his interest in the fire department, though he stayed around to assist in production. This opened the position for Delaware’s own Matt Flanigan who played rhythm guitar on “Light Em Up” as well performed in the video for the album’s first release “Lightning Strikes” The videos for the “Light Em Up” album have accumulated over 40,000 views combined on Facebook and YouTube, with the video for “Lone Wolf Rider” getting over 9000 views alone on YouTube.
In early 2020 Elliott left to pursue other interest. This created a spot for a longtime friend, former bandmate of Mark’s and former Starkweather (Candlelight Records) drummer, Harry Rosa who brings a new energy to the group. When Matt left the group in late 2020, Brice fell right back in where he left off.
Toward the end of 2020 with COVID being on everyone’s mind the boys did something some would consider unthinkable. They recorded a live album! Released in February of 2021 “Rat Rod Live” was a collection of their greatest hits to date and 2 brand new songs recorded at 2 of the hand full of shows they were able to perform in 2020.
Throughout later 2020 and all of 2021 the boys kept working, playing where possible and writing new music while doing preproduction at the Rock-n-Roll bunker in Southern New Jersey where they've recorded the previous 2 albums. In the fall of 2021, the group travelled to Studio E in Westminster, Maryland to record the basic tracks for 15 new songs. Those 15 were whittled down to become “Four on the Floor,” the band’s 3rd studio album.
In January of 2024 Mike Smith left the band and by April of the same year Jeremy Hugo had joined the boys.
2025 saw the release of the 1st single with Jeremy titled “The Highway”- an upbeat rock track that has garnered rave reviews by all who've heard it!
You will find in Rat Rod a band of individuals who pay homage to the music by staying true to the formula yet adding their own twist and sensibilities. If you are looking for soft, heartfelt ballads, look elsewhere because with titles like the opener of their debut, the fast boogie "Knock ‘Em Down", the crowd favorite "All or Nothin', and the upstart "Hella Ride” you won't find them here! The boys in Rat Rod have big plans and a strong work ethic so If you have an itch for rock and roll the way it's meant to be, Rat Rod is the cure.
-Interview- (2/8/26)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound?
Mark: I first started playing guitar at age 10 but really got serious at 13 when I first heard Back in Black. My sound was developed by intensely studying Malcolm Young’s playing in all of those AC/DC records. My lead style was developed as a combo of Angus, Ted Nugent, Ace Frehley, and so many of the great blues players in the past.
Brice: I’ve been playing music as long as I have been able to hold a guitar. Growing up I was free to listen to anything and that allowed me to find my favorite artists from all genres.
Jeremy: I got started on music at an early age. When I was about 4 years old, my dad gave me an Old best up acoustic guitar that he pulled out of a dumpster behind a school. It was missing a string or two but I remember sitting on the floor with it flat in my lap, strumming and sing along, even though it wasn’t tuned. A couple of years later (around 7 or 8 years old) my mom started teaching me how to play concert snare( she played in high school). And by age 18 I was playing drums and percussion in the school band. I learned how to sing in church, singing hymns, but didn’t start performing as a vocalist until college.
LJ: Seeing Kiss on tv and my Cousins giving me Cheap Trick live at Budokan.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
Mark: A smile! Our music is about having a good time. Yes there can be some serious topics in the lyrics but the underpinnings are optimistic as to say “yeah it’s a bad deal or tough situation, but it’s going to be ok”.
Brice: I only want people to enjoy the music that this band creates because we enjoy it.
Jeremy: I want people to enjoy themselves and have a good time!
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
Mark: We are basically a 3-chord rock n roll band with a touch of punk. If you were to compare us, we are kind of a musical mixture of AC/DC, The Cult and Kiss.
Brice: Blues hard rock, with a slight southern influences.
Jeremy: Hard rock!
LJ: Good old Rock n Roll with a hint of punk.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Mark: I am a big fan of a lot of Australian bands so I think it would be really cool to tour with Rose Tattoo, The Angels in their heyday or Airbourne.
Brice: AC/DC (1975 era), Airbourne, Molly Hatchet, Deep purple (Machine head era).
Jeremy: Dead Daisies, Faster Pussycat, Bad Marriage
LJ: That’s a hard one - Michael Monroe, The Backyard Babies, The Supersuckers
5. What's your thoughts on AI generated music?
Mark: It’s an uninspiring, unreal, non emotional collection of 1’s and 0’s that are arranged in frequencies that are pitch-perfect, meter- perfect, and appealing to some people—Not for me.
Brice: I hate it, I don’t think it should be consider music. It takes away from the real artist that uses all their time crafting music.
Jeremy: Ai music is an abomination! It’s pure garbage!
LJ: You do you ... not for me!!! But some of the genre switches is kind of cool!!
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
Mark: In popular culture it’s nearly nonexistent. But it’s far from dead. There are a lot of great talents out there but you have to seek them out.
Brice: I think it could be better, there is no hope for any sort of variety on regular radio or satellite radio since they sill play the same 20 songs over and over again. But if you dig deep enough you can find some really cool bands.
Jeremy: I think rock is making a comeback.
LJ: Hanging on by a thread but there are so many cool non-famous or local bands out there gives me some hope.
7. What’s the current music scene like there in Pennsylvania?
Mark: There are pockets where there is still interest and support for live original music but again, you have to seek it out. Live original music is not mainstream but Top 40 pop cover bands still do pretty well.
Brice: Not very strong in my experience. We do better in Delaware and Maryland.
Jeremy: The Philly music scene has changed and shifted over the years but I think it’s alive and well.
LJ: Nonexistent.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
Mark: Financially streaming is a joke! It pays little to nothing and it seems like they set the rules about what they will pay. I was just looking at a royalty statement yesterday. On one of the line items, 400 plays some of them had 0 pay but in total: $.02; 2cents—2 pennies!! The USA no longer even makes the penny! So we’ll make sure and not spend that all in one place!!
Brice: You might as well toss circus peanuts at me, at least that would prevent me from starving if I didn’t have my day job lol .
Jeremy: I think artists need more royalties.
LJ: They pay????
9. What’s next for Rat Rod?
Mark: A new album is currently in the works. We are releasing singles (for streaming-go figure lol) every 1-2 months and they all will be put together for the 4th Rat Rod studio release (5th overall) later this year with the title still yet to be settled on. We have a number of shows set up with the goal this year of new towns and venues to explore.
Brice: We have tons of new material in the pipeline, and a couple of shows coming up.
Jeremy: New album, new videos, and hopefully a tour!
LJ: A new album, more shows, trying to break into new regions we haven't played yet.
10. Any shoutouts?
Mark: Basically we want to shout out to everyone one you around the world who follow us, share our stuff, buy our tunes, stream our tunes, or in any way support what we do! We love all and thank you!!
Jeremy: Shock Records, Deb Madonna Rocker, and all the diehard Rat Rod fans!
