Cheap Time

A combustive mix of glam rock riffs, power pop melodies, and lots of punk energy, Cheap Time are the brainchild of <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Jeffrey Novak</a>, a Tennessee native who began playing in punk bands in his teens. His groups include <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Jeffrey Novak's One Man Band</a> and the ultra-raw Rat Traps; when the Rat Traps retired in 2006, <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Novak</a> formed Cheap Time with <a href="spotify:artist:60oPm94IK14iPqnGwkbw8x">Be Your Own Pet</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:2ok5DUsn1kaXSpXoiOMDIn">Jemina Pearl</a> on bass and Nathan Vasquez on drums. This version of the band was heavily influenced by <a href="spotify:artist:5eTq3PxbOh5vgeRXKNqPyV">the Runaways</a> and early <a href="spotify:artist:1USc9u5yL4tUaQKhGWNuvj">Redd Kross</a>, and released its debut 7" on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sweet+Rot%22">Sweet Rot</a> in 2007. <a href="spotify:artist:2ok5DUsn1kaXSpXoiOMDIn">Pearl</a> and Vasquez left the band to concentrate on <a href="spotify:artist:60oPm94IK14iPqnGwkbw8x">Be Your Own Pet</a>, and were replaced by bassist Stephen Braren and drummer Jon Sewell. The band's sound also shifted: <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Novak</a> took some songs inspired by glam and power pop acts like <a href="spotify:artist:64FKJFUVRdDPojgMNgfNSp">the Quick</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7pwjGKaqnfkvS7eQbHaqyH">Sparks</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5AUo69X7duU857S6tdpiVw">Milk 'n' Cookies</a> -- which were intended for another project, the Peoploids -- and turned them into Cheap Time songs. Early in 2008, the revamped Cheap Time issued another 7" on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Douchemaster%22">Douchemaster</a> in advance of their self-titled full-length on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22In+the+Red%22">In the Red</a>, which arrived that spring. Ryan Sweeney replaced Sewell on drums starting in 2009, when the band issued the "Woodland Drive"/"Penny & Jenny" single and toured with <a href="spotify:artist:5hAhrnb0Ch4ODwWu4tsbpi">Yo La Tengo</a>. Cheap Time returned with Fantastic Explanations (And Similar Situations), a slightly more structured and complex set of songs, in 2010. <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Novak</a> and crew resurfaced in 2012 with Wallpaper Music, an attitude-heavy set of songs recorded in <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Novak</a>'s home studio; the album introduced another new lineup of Cheap Time, with <a href="spotify:artist:5PZxyxYeaPACaJRriJDlwr">Novak</a> and Sweeney joined by bassist Jessica McFarland. Cheap Time stepped out with a fourth album, Exit Smiles, in 2013, followed by an extensive tour of Europe. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi