Hifi Handgrenades frontman-guitarist John Speck and guitarist Tony Vegas approach life the same way they approach their music — they strip it down to the bare essentials. Their Ferndale bungalow is an ode to minimalism. The living room has a couch, TV, a few DVDs, classic Leni Sinclair photos of the MC5 and Fred "Sonic" Smith, two milk crates of records (mostly '80s punk) and a few concert posters. That's it.
Other walls in the house are mostly bare. The only thing in the refrigerator appears to be booze that they snatched up during their just-finished tour with Foo Fighters.
The heart of the house — the cozy basement practice space — sports vintage wood paneling covered in foam acoustic insulation, which can barely contain the roar of the Handgrenades' twin goldtop-model Les Pauls.
You can hear them practicing a few doors down, but that doesn't seem to faze the neighbors. One of their neighbors told Tony that his other bands' practices (the Grande Nationals) actually helped their kids fall asleep.
John Speck sums up the appeal of their pad: "I prefer a spartan lifestyle. We're here for practice, sleep and showers. That's it." Oh, and drinking beer and listening to Misfits records.
