Matt Connarton Unleashed 10-19-24 hour 3

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Speaker 14: I will be hearing those sounds in my nightmares. That's pretty epic though. I love that that track is called Fates Mirrored, and that is from the band Questing Beast and we had Questing Beast on in the first hour today we played some of their music and had a great conversation with Shane and Jane, and of course in the second hour we had Temple Mountain here with us live in studio. Great conversation with him and he played a bunch of songs live for us. This is Matt Connorton Unleashed and we are live from the studios of WMNH ninety five point three FM, Inglorious, Manchester, New Hampshire.

Speaker 14: Today is Saturday, October nineteen, twenty twenty four. Welcome if you are listening live on Saturday. So here's what's going on. We are supposed to have guests in the third hour, a couple of guys from the band Dead by Wednesday. They've got a brand new single and I don't know exactly where they are in their trip here. My understanding is Jenny messaged me they are on their way. The problem is they got stuck in the I didn't know it was today, but the Hartford You know, they're from Connecticut and apparently today is the Hartford Marathon and that delayed them and set them back time wise.

Speaker 14: So hopefully they're able to still get here. Jenny had said they're running thirty minutes behind, so that would put them here by eleven thirty if that, If that holds up, so hopefully we'll still be able to have them. Really looking forward to talking to these guys. I haven't seen any of the members of Dead by Wednesday in probably fifteen years. It's been a long time. So we'll see what happens. I do want to and you know, whether they make it here or not. I will play the new single. It's not a world radio premiere.

Speaker 14: It has been on the radio apparently, but but they they did a cover of No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper. I think that's the original artist, same Robert Tepper from Oh geez, what movie is that from? It's It's It's one of the Rocky movies. It's not the first Rocky movie, though, I forget which one it's from. Anyway, they did a cover of that Ain't No Easy Way that song, and it's really good. I listened to it. They sent it to me to play on the show today and I listened to it like five times in a row.

Speaker 14: I loved it so much, so very very cool. So we'll see what happens. Hopefully they're able to get here, uh, and we'll we'll love to talk with them. We might only have a diminished segment with them. Unfortunately it is a live show and we end promptly at noon. But we'll see, we'll see. But uh yeah, but I'll play the track regardless. I mean, even if it looks like, you know, if it's close to the end of the show and they're not here, I'll go ahead and play it because I do want to share it with you. And like I said, I know they're trying to get here.

Speaker 14: But yeah, so here we are on this Saturday morning. Let me circle back to talking about Questing Beast though for a moment, and then I do have another subject. We can use a music industry topic, which is what we end up doing when you know, if something happens with the guests, if they're not able to get here, or if there's a delay, we'll talk about something going on in the music industry, because we know a lot of people in the industry listen to the show, and a lot of our listeners are musicians, and there's always interesting things happening in the music industry, that's for sure.

Speaker 14: But let me mention again. So big show tonight, Big Halloween show at Terminus in Nashua, Terminus Underground in Nashua, New Hampshire, Questing Beast. Let's see if I can do this for memory. Because it's a big show. There's a lot of bands, Questing Beast, Able Blood, the Gray Curtain, the Nagans, Dead, Harrison of course, and who am I forgetting? I think I'm leaving somebody out Horror. That's it. Yeah, because last week it was last week, right, it becomes a blur. Last week we had three of the bands that are playing tonight on the show.

Speaker 14: It was fantastic. We had a Horror and Able Blood love those guys and the Gray Curtain. And so this week we had a Questing Beasts. But they're going to be opening the show tonight. Doors open at five pm. It's a long show because it's a big show, lots of bands. I believe it's a twenty dollars admission, So get there. One thirty four Haines Street in Nashua, New Hampshire, Terminus Underground. It's an amazing place. You should definitely check it out. By the way, as long as I'm talking about it, I'll just forgive me if this is a little self indulgent, but Terminus Underground is of course part of the Midnight Creatives Collective in Nashua, the Great Place, and actually Eleanor and Spelfe I know are going to be They're booked to make a return appearance here on Matt Connorton Unleashed very soon.

Speaker 14: Last time they were here, Andre Dumont of course was with them as well. They're all from the Midnight Creatives Collective and of course Andre plays in the band Dead Harrison. But they also have a business bar there and for listeners who might not know this, I'm a certified hypnotherapist. I help people who quit smoking, lose weight, deal with phobia, as all kinds of stuff. So the business bar at the Midnight Creatives Collective is now one of the places where I'm doing hypnotherapy. So you can actually book a session with me only on Mondays and Tuesdays in Nashua, but those are and it's got to be in the morning nine am to two pm, I think is what we decided for a time frame, because after two pm the building gets noisy.

Speaker 14: I mean you can book other ways with me too. I also see clients at Birchwood Salon and hooks it. You can do a virtual session with me online. I even do home visits, so there are many options. You can go to Matt Connorton dot com and learn more about that if you're interested in that. But I'm very happy to be a part of the Midnight Creatives collective at the Business Bar every Monday and Tuesday. Like I said, book a session on line or or call me, go to my website. All the information is there. All the information is there at Matt Connerson dot com.

Speaker 14: Okay, shameless plug but no. But it is a great place and they're they're doing great things there and great for the community, not just not just the local community and the city of Nashua, but of course for the music scene. A lot of local talent there also national touring acts. You know, when we had Green Jello or Green Jelly, I never know which to call them on the show, Uh not too too long ago. Jenny helped get that in motion, getting them booked at UH at Terminus, so that was fantastic. So so they're doing a lot of great things there.

Speaker 14: Let's see. So if you are just joining us, if you're looking for dead by Wednesday, they have been delayed in traffic because of the Hartford Marathon. I'd say, I'd say damn you Hartford, but I can't because it's the city of my birth. I was actually born in Hartford, Connecticut. So anyway, uh, let's do this. So I mentioned, you know, there's always things going on in the music industry that we can talk about, and I just realized where that buzzing was coming from.

Speaker 5: I apologize.

Speaker 14: There's always things, interesting things going on that we can talk about, and we always have something we I'd like to keep something kind of in my back pocket in case something like this happens with a guests, especially as we move into cold and flu season, these things will happen. There's a story involving the Pretenders rock legends. The Pretenders. They've been around for decades and decades, of course, and there's a little bit of controversy around the band now, and it's by the way, it seems like these days controversy in the music industry.

Speaker 14: It stems from well, either either AI related issues, which is what we talk about a lot, or issues in terms of the live touring business. We've done a couple of segments on the Oasis tour and some of the issues around that, and then of course there's the limp biscuit lawsuit for two hundred million dollars against UMG Universal Music Group, and I thought about maybe talking about that today and maybe, you know, maybe we will if the guys from Dead by Wednesday don't get here, you know, maybe we'll go to that after we finished talking about this.

Speaker 14: But so the Pretenders, they they have done something controversial, but it has nothing to do with ticket prices or the availability of tickets and all that goes wrong there. This is what's going on with the Pretenders. And I think this is interesting, and this is from what website is this americansongwriter dot com. And I don't know how far we'll get into this because the guys could arrive at any time, but the Pretenders are dividing fans over new live music policy. So here's what it says. With decades long career, With a decades long career under their belt, the Pretenders are no strangers to the dynamics of live performances.

Speaker 14: But in October twenty twenty four, shakeup prompted by frontwoman Chris has left many wondering if she's lost touch with the proper relationship between fans and musicians. Hind made her announcement ahead of The Pretender's October sixteen performance at Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, and in true online fashion, the Internet seems wholly divided over whether Hine's comments were just or unfounded by the way, I intentionally avoided pre reading this, So I'm learning about this with you if you're not already aware of it, because I want to give you my unvarnished, shall we say, gut reaction to this.

Speaker 14: So it says here. The Pretender's embarked on an almost exclusively sold out tour of the UK in October. Stops include Oxford, Bristol, Portsmouth in London, among other large cities cities. But just before the band made their way to Scotland's capital to perform at Usher Hall,

Speaker 14: Chrissy Hind shared a message on social media that angered many fans, and here's what she said. Quote. First of all, everyone who's come to see our shows, we're in the home stretch of this year's tour and it's been a real pleasure. Fantastic cities and fantastic audiences. We've had a great time playing for you. One thing we feel obliged to explain when we go on tour. The whole point is for the band. The whole point of it for the band is that we are playing to a different audience every night. That's why we go on tour.

Speaker 14: So if we're in Edinburgh like we are tonight, we look forward to seeing local faces. This is what makes it new for us every night. We appreciate those of you who follow us and buy tickets for multiple nights, So please don't be offended if we request you to move out of the front row. All we are asking is that you give the local fans a chance. This is what keeps it new for us, especially after being on tour for so many months. Unquote. Okay again, I did not pre read this. I didn't know this is what this was about.

Speaker 14: My gut reaction. And by the way, I'll open the phone line too if you reaction to this six oh three two five six seven, if you'd like to chime in, or of course you can chime in in the chat room, but uh, the studio line is open six oh three two five six seven. My gut reaction to this is what are you doing? Why would you? This is weird to me for a couple of reasons. Number one, why would you go out of your way to alienate your your fans that way, your die hard fans, Because obviously, if anybody is actually going and following the band around buying tickets to multiple shows, you're only doing that unless you're a scalper.

Speaker 14: You're only doing that if you're a die hard fan. So why would you want to alienate your most dedicated fans like that. That's bizarre and I think really self sabotaging. It's really strange. Another thing that I find very odd about this is are you trying to tell me that when you're on stage and you look out at the crowd. First of all, I mean, you know the pretenders, they're I mean they've they've got to be in their seventies at least, right, Well, I shouldn't say at least. I'm sure they're not in their eighties, but they have to be in their seventies, if not late sixties.

Speaker 14: I mean, are they actually able? Like is Chrissy Hind Maybe she wears contact lenses in a correct or vision in twenty twenty. I have no idea, but I'm just saying, is she able? To actually look out at the crowd and see as she's performing, look at the faces, look at the people she sees in the front row, and look at them, see their faces clearly enough to identify, Hey, these are all the same people I saw at the previous show. And even if she can do that, I find it really hard to believe. Look, I know they're a legendary band, but is this really a problem, Like, is it actually all the same people in the front row of every show?

Speaker 14: I just find that hard to believe. Yes, there are people who will if they really love a band, if they're a die hard, if they're a super fan, they'll buy tickets and try to go to as many different shows as they can. I mean, you know, look, I'm a Kiss fan. Kiss is my favorite band of all time. I know plenty of I never did it, but I know plenty of Kiss fans who you know, when Kiss would go on tour, especially the Farewell tour, because it was in theory the last time you'd see them, right at the end of the road tour, you know, people would, people who had the money because it's expensive.

Speaker 14: You know, people would buy tickets for multiple shows and kind of follow the band you know, and of course as bands that are legendary for having those kinds of fans that would do that kind of thing, like The Grateful Dead is probably the epitome of that, right, the classic example of you know, you had all these dead heads who would actually sort of go on tour with the band, and that they would follow, and the band would go on tour, these people would follow. I don't know how anyone affords it, but how you know, would follow the band on tour and and go to all the shows and and you know, it gets to a point where the band gets to know the fans, gets to know these super fans by knows them by name, develops relationships with them because they see them so much.

Speaker 5: You know, But.

Speaker 14: Do the pretenders as they're doing these shows? Is it literally the same people in the front row. I just find that hard to believe. Isn't that a little that seems like a stretch. Again, I'm not knocking the band in terms of, you know, their place in music history and their fan base I'm sure is even in twenty twenty four. Obviously these shows are selling out, so obviously their fan base is enormous. But I find it, I just find it hard to believe that Chrissy hind is actually looking at the front row and seeing the exact same set of people every night.

Speaker 14: And even if she is, why do you wanna why do you want to do this to those people? Why do you want to talk to them that way? Why do you want to alienate them? You know, It's it's bizarre to me, And and what in her mind would make her think that this was a good idea to say this publicly and to I mean, you're chastising people. Really, it's very I mean not to sound cliche, but if this even still means anything in twenty twenty four, but it's very un rock and roll. I would say, you know, telling telling people, well, you know, if you buy a ticket, you know, I don't want I don't want to see you in the front row more than once.

Speaker 14: I mean, it's just I find this very bizarre. I find this whole thing very strange. Let's see. So here's the next part of the article. This ought to be good fans react to the band's request.

Speaker 5: Uh uh.

Speaker 14: Now, I again I did not preread this. So I'm going to make a prediction, and I'm going to predict that the reaction was not positive. But let's see, well again, if you're if you're just learning about this as I am, will learn together. But so it's not a spoiler. But I'm guessing that the that there was a bit of a negative pushback on this, okay, it says Chrissy Ian's announcement divided fans across several social media platforms. While some praised the singer and guitarists for her thoughtfulness and willingness to prioritize local crowds, others condemned the message, saying it was disrespectful to her most devoted fans.

Speaker 14: These fans, the dissentered argues, deserved top priority. By the way, let me stop there for a moment. I don't even think of it in those terms. I don't think of it in terms of who deserves Nobody deserves top priority.

Speaker 5: This is uh.

Speaker 14: You know, touring is a business operating in a free market. You know, whoever buys the tickets buys the tickets. Whoever's going to the show is going to the show. If you buy a front row ticket, you get your front row seat. That's it.

Speaker 5: There's there's no.

Speaker 14: It's not a matter of priority. It's a matter of first come, first serve. Now, I know that it's not a perfect system, and we've talked a lot on the show again with the Oasis debacle, with the tickets and the dynamic pricing, which is very controversial. I don't want to take that side street right now, but I get it. But look, it's not a matter of I mean, if you really, if you really want to quote unquote prioritize local crowds, then maybe maybe if you can, maybe you devise something. This might be too convoluted and complex, but you could do it.

Speaker 14: Devise a system where when you buy a ticket, if you show residency. Sounds like I'm talking about voting, but we don't. We don't do politics here. But if you show residency, maybe if you're buying a ticket to that local show, then you get a free meet and greet. Right, that's part of the you know, because that's a big thing now with these and I don't know if the Pretenders is doing anything like that, but you can, you know, on a lot of big tours you can buy a meet and greet package and you get to meet the band and have them sign things and say a few words to you.

Speaker 14: I don't know, I mean, you could do something like that. You could do something special. If somebody proves their local residency, they get to meet you. I don't know. I mean, if you're really that serious about this. But this is just strange. This is just strange. Okay, So here's an example. Here's some examples of some of the reactions. One angry fan posted on Facebook. Quote talk about how to kick your biggest supporters in the teeth, and I suppose you don't want your photo taken either. Get off the stage if you can't appreciate the people who have kept you there.

Speaker 14: I just found this statement really insulting. Talk about taking your biggest supporters for granted. Sorry, we're bored of your quote. Sorry, we're bored of your faces unquote Yeah, I mean again, Chrissy hind is not clearly it is not her intention to kick pretenders fans in the teeth. But she just doesn't want to have to see your teeth. You know, she doesn't want you close enough. She doesn't want to have to see your teeth on more than one night. I guess other self described uber fans stood by Heine's request.

Speaker 14: Okay, so there's an example of a supporter. One comment or said quote, It's not always about you at this point in time. It's about the band who wants to keep things fresh at the end of a long tour for the benefit of all those who attend, and for local fans, ninety nine percent of whom this is their only and maybe last chance to see the band. You don't own the band and shouldn't own the front row experience, and well done Chrissy grabbing the guts to courteously point that out. Unquote,

Speaker 14: But the commenter says here, this commenter is saying, well, you know, ninety nine percent of these people this will be their only chance to see the band, So that kind of undercuts the point, doesn't it. Okay, Dead by Wednesday is here, so I'm gonna go let them in and I'm gonna play this the new single, their cover of No Easy Way Out.

Speaker 5: Check this out.

Speaker 14: This is really good.

Speaker 10: We're out in the struggle.

Speaker 6: Boom Baby, better get that stream.

Speaker 10: I think it's a bedive her boat.

Speaker 15: How you get into the hands of beets and something going fad about some feelings never time. I'm not asking about now the jeez, I just want to know how.

Speaker 13: There's a wisy way out there's no short time out. There's a rasy way out.

Speaker 15: Jimmy, I don't wanna passify you. I don't wanna track you down.

Speaker 13: Let him being like a friend.

Speaker 5: That's a stranger, you know.

Speaker 16: B Why by y'all, Why y'all whys I house my bright I y'all by y'all wild, B's like y'all out wi wild? Why y'all bide like God?

Speaker 6: All Wow?

Speaker 11: Why y'all all?

Speaker 13: There is a way se way out. There's no show talking.

Speaker 6: There's some ways be way out.

Speaker 11: Kimmy, kid, that's.

Speaker 13: So easy, way I say, all white sky, Why I so shot down?

Speaker 6: God?

Speaker 13: So easy anyway else?

Speaker 10: Givenything can be, maybe maybe a wee can ship.

Speaker 11: We can say out we.

Speaker 10: Sn't doing doing?

Speaker 13: Then it is true.

Speaker 15: Any ford.

Speaker 10: It's something's doing a bay a bone.

Speaker 15: It's a basic time about I ask him about that change.

Speaker 11: I just want to know why.

Speaker 13: This is no easy ways out? Why I why I shot time? Toddise not wise?

Speaker 11: I why out.

Speaker 17: I go.

Speaker 6: Not wise?

Speaker 7: I not wise?

Speaker 8: I not wise?

Speaker 6: I w.

Speaker 14: Oh so good? No easy way out. You might have heard that song before. A gentleman named Robert Tepper had a hit with that in the in the eighties. But that is Dead by Wednesday and that is a brand new single and we're spinning it here. And we have two of the members from Dead by Wednesday here with us live in studio. We've got Mike and Esteban here. How are you guys?

Speaker 5: Hey An, That.

Speaker 14: Damn Hartford Marathon delayed you guys, but I'm glad.

Speaker 11: You made it.

Speaker 5: Excuse me. At the highway, I was like, oh my god, I was.

Speaker 14: Gonna I was gonna play the song regardless, like if if you if for some reason you didn't get here I was just gonna play it anyway at the end of the day. But no, that's that's really really good now. Mike, So we were talking when you were in the other So you're an original member, you've you've been here the whole time. How long when did that By Wednesday start?

Speaker 5: Probably?

Speaker 14: Oh, pull up, pull that mic up. I'm sorry, sorry, those mics are probably there, you go.

Speaker 7: Okay, So wow. I think Opus and I met probably

Speaker 7: late three. The idea conjured up around oh four and made it official two thousand and five.

Speaker 14: Okay, yeah, I thought it had been about twenty years. Yeah, wow wow, yeah, gone in the blink. Of an eye. Right, it goes, it goes quicker than we then we know that is true, and asked abound, how long have you been in the band?

Speaker 5: Now? This January will be five years, five years, five years already Mike, Yeah, I know. Wow.

Speaker 14: Does it seem longer to you or does it seem quicker like that?

Speaker 9: Yeah?

Speaker 5: Yeah, in a way, it seems longer, but then when you think back at it, you're just like it went by super fast.

Speaker 14: Yeah, yeah, no doubt. What went into the decision to cover this song? It's it's not I don't think I've ever heard anyone cover No Easy Way Out, but it's but I was, I always like the song as catchy as hell, and it's it sounds great, like why did you guys pick that song?

Speaker 7: You want to ticket?

Speaker 8: Uh?

Speaker 5: So Opus is a big like uh karate kid and Rocky fan, and I mean who doesn't like Rocky right right?

Speaker 11: Right?

Speaker 16: Yeah?

Speaker 5: So yeah, it was. I think it originated with Opus and Dave. Well how did how did it come about?

Speaker 7: It was Opus presented the idea and usually I say that, but I do recall when I when I watched Rocky four as a kid, I heard that song and I was like, Wow, I bet this song could take off like the previous, like Iya the Tiger, the previous, like the Rocky series, always had a hit single.

Speaker 14: Yes, yep.

Speaker 7: So I was like, Okay, this will probably it, and it never It just kind of fizzled out. So when he presented the idea, I was like possibly, yeah, and then we just kind of toyed around with it and he kept pushing it. It's like, hey, you know, try it, listen to it. Yeah, So he kept pushing it and it just morphed, you know.

Speaker 5: Well, then we jammed it that one time in the space and then we were just like, oh, it kind of really good.

Speaker 14: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's excellent, and it's already getting played like on serious.

Speaker 5: Yeah, it's actually been playing there I think since uh it's been a week, third or seventh, I know it's been a week. Yeah, at least a week.

Speaker 14: Yeah, excellent. I assume this is part of the live set. Now you guys playing this live.

Speaker 7: We are going to introduce it into the set in two weeks.

Speaker 14: Nice Swarmy Fast Yeah, yeah, excellent, excellent. Yeah, looking forward to Swarmy Fast and seeing you guys. It's been a long time since I've seen you guys live, so really looking forward to this.

Speaker 7: Yeah, it's we what we The last time we were on stage was May.

Speaker 5: Okay, yeah, June. June, yeah, June too, June.

Speaker 7: Yeah.

Speaker 10: Yeah.

Speaker 7: So yeah, it's been a minute for us.

Speaker 15: Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 14: And then now you've got a big in uh well next year, right, there's a big tour.

Speaker 5: Yeah, we got a tour that's happening in January, starting January seventh in Brooklyn and then ending January twelfth, I believe in Albany. And we're running with Skin Lab.

Speaker 14: Oh very good, Yeah, very good. Have you toured with them before?

Speaker 5: No, No, it's exciting. It's the first time. I mean we we've hung out with some of those dudes, like out in California, Yeah, out in Nam, but this is our first time actually jamming with him. So yeah, pretty excited.

Speaker 14: Yeah.

Speaker 7: So then we've got another run in March with Category seven. Okay, that is the new supergroup. I know John Bush is the vocalist. Oh, it's like who's who of I'm trying to pull up the members, but Jason Bittner is on drum, John Bush on vocals, and then.

Speaker 5: Uh a former member of Exodus. I believe.

Speaker 7: So, yeah, it's a it's a great lineup.

Speaker 14: I'll still look that up.

Speaker 7: We're doing a few shows in March supporting their tour. Yeah with them and ex order exorder okay, someone who else? Ex order hand of the Tribe, had of the Tribe category seven?

Speaker 14: Yeah, Oh, very good, very good. I'm curious, Mike, because you've been you've been there with Opus from the beginning. Has the has the approach changed it all over the years in terms of the of the live show or even even recording?

Speaker 5: Uh?

Speaker 14: Like you like you said, you know, with no easy way out. He had to kind of talk you into it. Like has that has that process changed over the years over twenty years.

Speaker 7: Or not really? I mean you're going to have some you know, as members change, you're I don't know, ideology, your approach to writing and performing changes, but again it kind of evolves. So you know, at the end of the day, you're three guys, four guys working together. So once you can gel, once you can communicate and get along. The music part, the composition and the creativity isn't all that It's not that.

Speaker 5: Hard, right, right?

Speaker 4: Is it?

Speaker 14: Is it challenging? When you know, because you and Opus have been, like I said, from there from the beginning, the core of it, like having all these changes over the years, is there ever a point where you go, well, you know, we've we've had we've had a lot of changes, and you know, I don't know if we can keep doing this. I mean, do you ever kind of second guess at or are you just so committed to it?

Speaker 7: The maybe the last two we're like, oh man, because we had written material, we had another album, like we had we had the timeline laid out for a year. We had like six songs in the camp like we were on a roll. And then when you have these lineup changes, then it's like, okay, well you can't use this song because you know, once you throw all that stuff into the mix, then it's like turmoil and then you gotta So the last one of those, I was like, man, you know that's tough because but again, when the right personnel is in play, then you know it you rebound quicker.

Speaker 7: But yeah, it can be you know, you're building something then all of a sudden just rpe sorry.

Speaker 14: Yeah, and then it's like again again, yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah. So Estemon, how did you come to be in the band? How did you become the singer.

Speaker 5: So it was right before Covid, I believe January of twenty twenty. The band had gotten a call we were going to go on a thirty day tour and yeah, it was like four. It was a four or six weeks.

Speaker 4: It was.

Speaker 7: I think it was slated for six, but realistically there was no way it was going to be six. I didn't buy into that, but I think we had at least a solid at least three or four.

Speaker 5: Yeah, it was, it was, it was long. I knew we had to take like a week and a half off because they had to break into Canada and another band was going to hook up, but it was the band had gotten Slater for that and the vocalist before me had just picked up a new career.

Speaker 9: Oh.

Speaker 5: So it was like one of those things of like what do I do? Do I go on tour? Pass up the opportunity? So I mean, no, hey, I mean anybody would have taken the opportunity he did. So Yeah, and at that point I was with another band, a smaller local band, and Opus had given me a call and he was just like, hey, come down an audition, and uh, I think, what was it like? Two three days later I came down and auditioned, and then like uh, three days after that, I got the call and they were just like, hey, come aboard, Yeah, if you want to come on this tour.

Speaker 5: I'm like sweet, request the time off of work and everything. And then dune dun dub.

Speaker 4: Yeah.

Speaker 14: When you auditioned, did you know, like did you get because sometimes you know, guys will say, you know, I auditioned for the span and I just knew it felt right, like did you did you know it?

Speaker 5: Or for me if it felt really good as soon as I got there, like just the energy when we when we jammed and everything it was it felt right, yeah, fuck good.

Speaker 14: Yeah. Did you know Mike right off the bat that he was the guy?

Speaker 7: Yeah?

Speaker 14: Yeah, I mean I know he's sitting right next to.

Speaker 7: Put it on the spot. No I remember, I don't remember. I remember feeling like, all right, this is like a seamless transition. Yeah, like I don't remember any like I don't know. Yeah, like we clicked like that.

Speaker 14: Yeah. Yeah, And that's nice when that happens too, when you can have a scene. You know, because I've been in bands, not at the level that you guys are at, but I know, like when there's changes and it's like you know, when someone new comes in and they're just the right person right away, it's like, oh, thank god, you know this is gonna be easier then.

Speaker 7: And prior to him, we had a couple auditions. We had some you know, and like you knew within the first two minutes they're like, all right, I'll give the guy the benefit of the doubt, and then five minutes later.

Speaker 14: You're like all right, no, yeah, yeah, what like like when others would audition, like what would be the prop?

Speaker 7: Like were they just not up to the the material or we had well, we had one dude, Like I want to say, I didn't hear I didn't hear what he had done before. I think I knew he was in a band. They told me, l right, he's singing in this band, and I think I heard a song. I was like, Okay, sounds great. He comes in and I don't know, maybe he just doesn't audition well. But he was nervous. Is I don't know if I can on this. He was nervous is anything, And he to compensate for that, he had been drinking, So he shows up like freaking about alcohol nervous.

Speaker 7: Now that combination you can't sing, you know, and then it was like, look, guys like so we said, look go home, let's try this again.

Speaker 14: You to say, let's yeah, pretty generous.

Speaker 7: He came back still you know better, but no, you know, so we had like stuff like that, or people who tell you they're going to come down and then they don't, you know, stuff like that. Usually the best I found is through word of mouth or like bands who know other bands or approach other people. The way I met Opus site ipproached him and I was like, look, dude, you and I should start a band. I never met him, no kidding, Yeah, I was like, I'm a better bass player than the guy that you're playing with right now, and we need to start a band.

Speaker 7: Yeah, you know, so sometimes you gotta just like, you know, talk to people.

Speaker 14: Yeah exactly exactly. Was that intimidating because he's an intense guy, I think, I mean, from when I've met.

Speaker 7: Him, he's I was at a point, Yes, you're right, and it was. But I was at a point at the time where I was looking for something serious and all the bands that I auditioned for at the time they were not They weren't serious, they weren't on it, and he was yeah. So I was like, you know, I've got I've got nothing to lose exactly exactly. Yeah, yeah, to take it. But yeah, you're right, yeah, it's you know, he had a big mohawk, he said, so you know he you know, you know everyone. Yeah, so yeah, it was like this, who is this guy?

Speaker 7: Larger than life like personality? But you know, but yeah, you're you're.

Speaker 14: Did you saband like other bands that you've played in were they similar in terms of the you know, your vocal approach. You know, obviously it's it's intense, and did you sing that way and other bands prior to this or oh yeah, I mean my.

Speaker 6: It was.

Speaker 5: I think that was probably the I mean, it was still difficult to transition, but the easiest point of the transition was the vocal style was still the same way. I went from you know, scream singing to scream singing. Yeah, so it was pretty accommodating in those terms.

Speaker 14: Yeah. Oh, it's fascinated by that by singers who can do that. Do you do you have to do anything to kind of protect your throat? Like, do you do you have any kind of a regimen.

Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, just like any other vocal list, you have to you have to watch what you do, you know, prior and post, you know, performances. You have to make sure you're hydrated, you know, tease things like that. I normally steam my face and my I take like the normal vapo steamerly use like when you're sick. So I use that and it's like an instant hydrated or my voice and like nasal passages and stuff. So I do that, and I normally drink some tea beforehand, I do some warm ups and then get into it, and then afterwards, I normally try to steam my voice, like when we're on tour especially, I try to steam my face before I go to sleep.

Speaker 14: Oh okay, sure, so if you do that before you go to sleep, when you wake up your.

Speaker 5: Yeah, a little little bit, because I mean it all depends on the the atmosphere of the club too, because they may be using steam machine fog machines. Like when we were in Europe, smoking was allowed in clubs.

Speaker 14: So that was really that was that was rough, I can imagine. Yeah.

Speaker 5: The thing is we haven't been used to it here in the twenty plus years, right, going over there, just like, oh, I forgot about that.

Speaker 7: They stuck us in the back the smoking room as our keep your gear and all your cases and everything, and you can hang out here in the smoking room. Yeah maybe a window. Horrendous rut.

Speaker 5: I mean, no fault to them, surely the.

Speaker 7: Culture we weren't prepared.

Speaker 5: Yeah, it's like, oh my god, I'm gonna die.

Speaker 14: By the way, where do you guys record? Does Opus? Does he have a recording studio or so he did.

Speaker 5: Or depending Like during COVID we were we were all able to individually record on our own. Yeah, so we can be able to record tracks like at home. But during COVID we did that, and then we still went in a little bit and did some in studio stuff with Nicky Belmore with Dexter's lab down in Milford, Connecticut. Oh okay, yeah, and we worked with him and most of the time we cut our tracks at home.

Speaker 11: Okay.

Speaker 7: COVID it forced us to, you know, utilize this technology that was already there. But a lot of the tracks on our last album were done like I would record my bass tracks on my computer, like while I was on vacation with my family or something, and I'd send in bass tracks for a couple songs. Did you record yours?

Speaker 5: Yeah? No, No, I mean I only recorded a few live, but most of the time I recorded them at home.

Speaker 7: Dave did some tracks at home. Yeah, so we just sent him sent the stems to Nikki. He'd mixed them together and that would be the track. But this last one no easy weigh out. He and I recorded the bass like I recorded at his place, okay, okay, and then we sent at least for the bass, and then we sent that in.

Speaker 14: Yeah.

Speaker 7: So yeah, we've been It's like, I don't know, there isn't really a There doesn't need to be a central location for everything, you know.

Speaker 14: So it's amazing, doesn't it to live in a time where we have all these technology, we can do all this stuff easy.

Speaker 2: You know.

Speaker 14: It comes up a lot on the show too, about how you know, the pandemic was terrible, but you have to find these silver linings where you can. And once big silver lining is it did kind of force people to be creative in terms of how they do things and find ways to be creative they maybe hadn't considered before.

Speaker 7: It created a new industry.

Speaker 4: You know.

Speaker 7: It's amazing, Like and people unless you grew up in an era where that was not possible. It's just to me, it's it's crazy that I can record a track that can literally like no easy way out. Like when I was recording it and when I was coming up with my base parts, you're not thinking of that. You're thinking an end process, but you're not thinking of But it's just crazy to me to record this in a house or a basement.

Speaker 16: Yeah.

Speaker 7: Have it broadcast globally, Yeah, and sound pristine.

Speaker 10: I know.

Speaker 5: Mike and I have talked about that many times, Like on tour.

Speaker 7: It's like, I love it.

Speaker 5: We have the ability to be able to record anywhere we want. Back in the day bands the lock that solves away for.

Speaker 7: Big, big artists that could afford the equipment, you.

Speaker 5: Know, yeah, exactly having an in home studio was like a super privilege at that point.

Speaker 7: Oh yeah, available to anyone.

Speaker 14: Yeah yeah, absolutely. Oh time goes quick. I wish we had more, but I want to make sure. So uh November two, it's the event is at Tafada and Lowell. It was originally supposed to be a Jewel but for anyone who doesn't know, it's at Tafia and Lowell Swarmy Fest Jenny and I will be there. Really looking forward to seeing you guys.

Speaker 5: I am so excited, Yeah, super excited, Thank you.

Speaker 14: Yeah, absolutely, The's gonna be a bunch of great bands there. What should people anything you want people to know about? Obviously you want them to know that the new single is out, your cover of No Easy Way Out? And what should people know else about? About what you guys are doing?

Speaker 7: Wow? Check us out on our social media feeds. We've got some shows coming up that what the uh.

Speaker 18: You got a couple of tours coming yeah, yeah, the tours with skin Lab, the skin Lab Tour, Yeah yeah, that's going to be Northeast show January seventh, Northeast Region, and our final date is January twelfth.

Speaker 5: Is that the one in Albany. That's all one in Albany. We start in Brooklyn on the seventh. We go Brooklyn, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and then back up to Albany. So hopefully listeners out there can be able to link up with us at some point in one of those shows that I'd love to have you guys come out.

Speaker 14: Yeah, excellent, excellent, and well we'll close out with Wasteland and this you say you're an offer too. This was this one an Awarder was nominated for.

Speaker 5: Oh yeah, we we were Actually we got nominated for two categories. We got nominated for New England Best Metal Band and also Best Music Video in Wasteland. This is the one we filmed out in the Mojave Desert, California for Wasteland Weekend.

Speaker 14: Oh the video is wild.

Speaker 5: It looks like that was it.

Speaker 14: I mean, was that as big a production as it looks like. I mean, it's like it's like watching a mini movie.

Speaker 5: We were we had hooked up with another festival that was happening. We're playing, yeah, and uh yeah, our videographer she you know, happened to be there. We got the permissions and the rights to be able to film and wow, everybody was with it. And it was kind of like it was the last minute, spur of the moment thing and everybody was on board. So we just ran with it and oh that's good. It just it was a per It was a happy accident. Yeah.

Speaker 14: Yeah, that's that's that's amazing. That's amazing, great job. Yeah, I recommend people check it out. The video for Wasteland. All right, we gotta go, guys, thank you so much, Thanks.

Speaker 5: So much again. Sorry for being in the little bit late, but we love you guys, and check us out and we.

Speaker 14: Will see you on November at HAFA and lolat Swarmy Fest. All right, very good, and uh if you missed any part of today's show, it'll be up in just a little bit. But we will leave you with this. Check this out. This is wasteland.

Speaker 19: This is dead by Wednesday, him on the crisis, falling food and rising me the.

Speaker 20: Flows Simons come to really yucky.

Speaker 10: Along the lady, I'm down dog.

Speaker 20: John's way.

Speaker 5: I don't care what you're saying.

Speaker 10: That he said to me, wats on because I don't care about stuff.

Speaker 6: I s's on time that waycut sometimes.

Speaker 10: Just side that time.

Speaker 11: All this time the.

Speaker 10: Bupp set on like that.

Speaker 5: Time, best that time.

Speaker 10: That's a lot.