Urgency, passion and bravado provide the blueprint for all great rock and roll. With over two decades as a musician under his belt, Todd Youth has studied that blueprint and constructed an incredible career. On The Chelsea Smiles' Acetate Records debut, Thirty Six Hours Later, the singer/guitarist injects his experience and charisma into every track. Rock has flowed through the NYC native’s veins since childhood, constantly fueling an endless flame to perform and record. At the ripe age of 15, Todd handled guitar duties for Murphy’s Law as they embarked on a U.S. arena tour with The Beastie Boys. Todd looks back with a smile, “We were basically a bunch of crazy kids from New York who had never left the tri-state area and we were suddenly playing arenas. It was my first tour!”

After touring and making records for almost ten years with Murphy’s Law, he desired a change of pace, and he picked up the axe for D-Generation. They immediately embarked on national tours supporting Green Day and Todd played on their major label releases. “At that time, New York was really hot again, D-Generation was happening and all of these other bands came out in their wake. No one ever blew up out of it, but it was a really cool and very decadent time.” Even cooler, after parting ways with D-Generation in 1999, Todd riffed for the legendary Danzig until 2003. During his downtime, he managed to play with everyone from Debbie Harry of Blondie, to Motörhead, to Johnny Thunders’ old partner in crime, Walter Lure. However, with The Chelsea Smiles, Todd has crafted a record that draws from every influence that drove him to pick up a guitar in the first place. “In between Danzig tours, I put this band together to have fun and play some high energy rock and roll.” That high energy rock functions as the catalyst for a tangible explosion of energy live and on the album.

Todd delves into the music's essence. “It’s all about immediacy. It’s about capturing the moment. It’s not about “pro-tooling” it to death. We went into the studio where we did our demos and we did this record the way that we wanted to. We recorded and mixed it in 36 hours. That’s why it’s called Thirty Six Hours Later. No one was overanalyzing anything. The final record was just what this band is.” The resulting album melds the fire of gritty old school punk a la The Stooges with the metallic bombast and hooks of early Kiss. A lesson in hard rock, cuts like “Nothing Wrong,” “Built to Last” and “Heart Attack” bear the marks of The New York Dolls with a newfound vitality. The riffs pack a prize-fight punch and the solos expose a bluesy soul, while the rhythm section grooves along infectiously. It's a complete step up from the band's first Capitol Records 4-song EP. At heart, “It’s rock and roll, man. It’s not supposed to be serious. It’s made for people to have fun and let loose.”

Todd has made sure that The Chelsea Smiles rekindle that fire of early punk and gutter rock in every aspect: from their live show, to their work ethic, to their image. “We’re a hard working band. We rehearse hard. We play hard. We’ll play anywhere, anytime. Everyone’s heart is one-hundred percent into this. They believe in everything right down to the way the band looks. I was always drawn to bands like The Ramones or The Clash. Those bands looked like gangs to me. I wanted something that just had the whole package.” Guitarist Skye Vaughn Jayne (Ex-Bullets and Octane), bassist Johnny Martin and drummer Karl Rosqvist all round out Todd’s gang of 21st century rock outlaws.

The band’s chemistry in the studio and onstage is undeniable. Johnny anchors down a propulsive low end as Karl steers the songs with the pounding rhythms of a man possessed. Meanwhile, Skye swaps leads, licks and vocals with Todd. The band’s tight musical bond stems from one common influence. “In this band we have one link between all of us and that’s early Kiss. Everybody in this band completely worships Kiss, up until the Dynasty record. To me, Kiss is a classic, dirty New York City rock and roll band. You need to come from that musical background to really play it.” Opening up for everyone from Social Distortion, The Von Bondies, The Datsuns, New York Dolls, and a U.S. tour supporting Swedish Rockers Backyard Babies, The Chelsea Smiles continue to deliver their own brand of "dirty rock and roll" at each and every gig, continuing that legacy.

Ultimately, Todd reveals, “Playing music is all I’ve ever done, all I’ve ever wanted to do and probably all I ever will do. I’m totally o.k. with that.” Once crowds catch The Chelsea Smiles, everyone will agree that’s all he needs to do. – Rick Florino