Tombstones In Their Eyes | Matt Connarton Unleashed

0:00 Speaker 1: That is another epic track from Tombstones in Their Eyes that is under Dark Skies. Love that track. And let's see, let's see here. We'll bring this mic up. We're gonna try to talk to John Treener from the band.

0:12 Speaker 2: On to one I can eat one too?

0:15 Speaker 1: Hello, Hey John, I can I can hear you? Can you hear me?

0:18 Speaker 2: Yes?

0:19 Speaker 1: Oh beautiful? You sound great? So you switch to a different mic. I guess that's uh, I guess that's all we needed. Wonderful, Welcome to the show. I'm glad we got to talk. I was getting nervous, but I really, uh, I really like this project. This is really good Tombstones in Their Eyes great stuff. We did play the we played the single earlier Alive and Well, and of course that was the title track under Dark Skies and I love this band. Is this your project? Are you kind of the main guy? So you guys are now now you're you're on the West coast?

0:47 Speaker 1: Is that correct?

0:49 Speaker 2: I am Los Angeles, You're you're an LA based band?

0:52 Speaker 1: And are you are you kind of the the main the main guy? Are you kind of the the center of the of the band in terms of of uh steering the project?

1:02 Speaker 2: I am this is my band. I write the songs, formed it originally, and yeah, so that's the deal man.

1:11 Speaker 1: How long has this existed? How long has Tombstones in Their Eyes existed?

1:15 Speaker 2: We're at ten years now, ten.

1:17 Speaker 1: Years, that's a long time.

1:18 Speaker 2: Yeah.

1:19 Speaker 1: I was looking at band camp and I thought, wow, they've got a lot of material. You've released quite a bit over that span of time, which is impressive. Yeah, this is very, very impressive. Now I assume the uh, oh, go ahead, No, you're good. Well, I was just gonna say, I assume the the makeup of the band has changed quite a bit over that time.

1:43 Speaker 2: It has. Yeah, the people I originally did the first recordings with are no longer around. I've got a bunch of newer people. Some been around longer than others. The drummer, Steven has been with me for a long time, and you know, but yeah, things are pretty solid right now.

2:03 Speaker 1: Has it been a challenge to keep this project going for ten years? Because some you know, some people, if they have a band and people start leaving and they have to cycle people out, at some point, they kind of they kind of start to think, oh, maybe I'll start a new project myself. Since you know, people are coming and going. But ten years, I mean, that's impressive. Longevity has been Has it been challenging at times to keep this going? Have you ever been tempted to start something new? Or maybe you're just firmly committed to this and you're going to keep going no matter what?

2:33 Speaker 1: I mean? What's kind of been your approach to that over the years.

2:37 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is my thing and I'm going to keep it going as long as as long as I keep writing songs, you know, that's how I see it.

2:45 Speaker 1: No, that's great. I assume too where you are, obviously you've got a lot of talent around you. So how hard is it to find musicians to bring in when you have to do that, when you have to make a change, when somebody's leaving and you've got to replace them, is it? I mean, do you do you hold auditions or do you just know people already who would be suitable for these various Because at this point you're are you the only original member? I assume you're the only one, right.

3:13 Speaker 2: Oh, yes, ma'am?

3:14 Speaker 1: Yeah, So how hard is it to find people or is it pretty easy?

3:18 Speaker 2: It's not, you know, it varies, right, So I had a search a while back for someone on bass, and we tried some things and I ended up going back to someone i'd used before, a guy named Nick who is still in the band and recently I had the same experience, but it was easier. Our guitar player Paul Bluten passed away a couple of months ago.

3:42 Speaker 1: Oh wow, sorry to hear that. That's terrible. Oh that's awful.

3:46 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, I wasn't really planning on replacing him at this point. We just took some time off. But then I thought of this guy in the studio, an engineer where we record at Kit and Robot studio, and I asked him and is John Miller? And I think he's coming aboard. So that one, that one was particularly easy, But it can be difficult.

4:06 Speaker 1: No doubt, no doubt. Now, what can you tell us about Under Dark Skies because it seems like I was reading something about that you went through a period of some pretty intense personal upheaval that was kind of the genesis of the of the emotional context of the album.

4:21 Speaker 2: Is that correct for sure? Yeah? I mean for me, you know, writing songs is always easier when you're in a sort of a down period. Yeah, And I've had my experience with that, but in twenty twenty three it was particularly bad and you know, some really tough stuff going on, and and that led to a lot of the material and under Dark Skies.

4:49 Speaker 1: Something that comes up a lot on the show with people we talked to is how probably the best form of therapy is taking things that are that are bad, things that are traumatic, and and making that into art, because not only does it help you take something terribly negative and create something positive from it, because it helps you to create art, whether it be music or visual art or writing or whatever it is, but it also has the potential to help other people because other people then can connect with that and it can help them as well.

5:19 Speaker 1: And then you've taken something negative and made something very positive out of it that not only helps you work through it and the process whatever it is you're going through, but can connect with others. And I'm curious, have you experienced other people kind of reaching out to you when they hear the album and say, you know, I relate to this song, or I relate to the themes that are here, or this connects with me on a level that maybe I didn't expect. But then I listened to it and I got it, and I kind of know what you're feeling.

5:47 Speaker 1: Like, do you hear from people about that?

5:50 Speaker 2: Oh? I definitely, Yeah.

5:51 Speaker 1: Yeah.

5:52 Speaker 2: I had one particular instance where I wrote a song about super simple song about basically being on drugs during a period where I had, you know, had a relapse, and then the guy wrote in and said, I've never I've never done drugs, but after listening to your song, I completely understand that the you know, the depths to which he might go or the way he might feel, you know, And yeah, that was kind of interesting, you know, but yeah, definitely. You know, most of the music I listened to is a little sad or whatever you want to call it, and so I connect with that, you know, it makes me feel not so alone.

6:32 Speaker 2: And I think the same goes true with you know, some of the songs I write, right, So no doubt.

6:38 Speaker 1: Yeah, And can you tell us kind of circling back to Paul Button for a moment because the track we played it earlier, the single Alive and well, is that is it true that that's dedicated to Paul?

6:51 Speaker 2: Butten it is? It is? It was written before he passed away, so it wasn't you know, written after that in relation to his passing. Yeah, but yeah, it was one of his favorites and he plays on it. And you know, when we released it, I had a tough choice to make right he had just passed away. The single was coming out in a couple of weeks, and I wrestled with, you know, do I want to release a single called the Live and well after my guitar player has died, you know, and my friend and I decided to go ahead with it, you know, and dedicated to him because really the song is about coming through tough times and coming back right and and Paul had experienced that kind of process in his own life.

7:38 Speaker 2: Sure, so we both had that in common.

7:41 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, And we should talk to about where this was recorded because and I always like to make sure we give credit to producers and engineers and whomever you work with. When I hear something that I think is really striking sonically, and I really love the way I mean, I enjoy the songs. I like what you're doing. I also really love I'm kind of a recording nerd, and I love the production. I think it's I think it's really good. And I feel too that this genre that you're working in the production has to be really good.

8:14 Speaker 1: You have to be able to create something epic. You know, you can't have guitars that sound small and you know what I mean. So where did you record this and who did you work with?

8:26 Speaker 2: We recorded a place called Kitt and Robots Studio and we've been recording there since. Really our first record we mixed there and then everything else since then we've recorded there. And there's a friend, a producer, Paul Rossler. I think the spelling is probably in the press kit, but you know, he's an LA fixture. He's been around since the late seventies. He played in a famous early LA sort of synth punk band called the Screamers, and since then it's been you know, in many other bands. And so we've been working together for you know this ten years, and he really gets what we want to do.

9:06 Speaker 2: We have a great working relationship and and we learned together, right.

9:11 Speaker 1: So yeah, when you say you've worked with him for this ten years, does that mean every single thing that you've recorded for Tombstones, in their eyes, it's all been with him.

9:25 Speaker 2: Our first record we started off at a place locally, but when it came time to mix that record, I found Paul, So technically we recorded something elsewhere, but ever since then everything has been recorded there.

9:40 Speaker 1: Okay, Oh that's awesome. Yeah, obviously it's it's working for you. I'm also curious about this, So this is I don't usually see this, and maybe we're getting into the weeds, but we do have a lot of industry people who listen to the show who might also find this very interesting. So this is a dual label release, so it's out on Little Cloud Records here in North America, but it's also on a completely separate label, Short Dive Records in the UK. And I'm curious about how that works and how that came about, and are there any challenges to effectively You've released this on two separate labels, which is very interesting to me.

10:20 Speaker 2: Yeah. I wish i'd discovered I could do that sooner, actually, because we have fans in Europe and you know, around the world, but particularly in Europe the UK, and so shipping over there is incredibly expensive these days, oh, shipping from the US. So what happened is that when we when we got with Little Cloud Records for this record, I noticed that on one of their previous releases, one of the bands had done a similar thing. Actually, they do it quite regularly, I think, And so I had the idea, and I already knew Nico from Short Dive Record, so I asked him, I asked Little Cloud if it was fine, and they're They're all fine with it.

11:05 Speaker 2: So so what this does is, like I said, it gives me a chance, or it gives us a chance to get our stuff out to those fans over there without them having to pay a million dollars for shipping.

11:14 Speaker 1: That makes sense. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Have you had a chance to tour over there? No? No?

11:22 Speaker 2: Uh yeah, being being a little older and having quite a full life, and you know, same with the band, right you know, right now the band has seven people. So gathering those seven people and getting us all in a place where we could do that is pretty tough, right now.

11:39 Speaker 1: No doubt. Yeah, that's so so seven people. So that's interesting. I did notice that the picture that I saw too in the press release. So what I mean, what what do all these people? What do all these seven people do? Like? Do you do you have multiple guitars? I mean, what can you just kind of take us through that? What the lineup looks like in terms of of what everyone's doing in the band.

11:59 Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, So myself I do vocals and guitar. We have a guitar player named Phil Cobb does yeah, and then we have it We had Paul Bouton who passed away, and now we have a John Miller who's going to be also you know, playing guitar. So that's me, two guitar players, a bass player named Nick, drummer named Steven, and then we have two other vocalists. One is Clia Cohen and the other is Courtney Davies. Yeah. Courtney's been with us a little a little while and Cleia is a little newer. But we started getting into harmony so much on the records that it made sense, you know, to try and do that live.

12:40 Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, has has that been some Is that something that's unique to this record in terms of the harmonies or did you do that on.

12:51 Speaker 2: It's been starting to happen. It really came into bloom on the last record, Asylum Harbor, and has sort of can okay, okay, just an evolution, Oh.

13:03 Speaker 1: Interesting, Okay, very cool. I want to ask you too. I want to make sure we touch on you know, so people don't get the wrong idea in terms of in terms of the album and the context. You know, it's not all it's not all doom and gloom, right, There's there's sort of a theme of defiance and overcoming these challenges and dare I say even hopefulness to it? Right? I listen to the whole thing, and that's that's kind of what I took from it. It's you know, it's not just you know, because people hear, you know, doom rock or whatever term you want to use, and they think, oh, it's it's just all down, it's all negative, but it's really not.

13:41 Speaker 1: And and what do you want people to take away from this, you know, not just when they listen to say Alive and Well the single, but when they listen to the whole album. What do you want people to take away from from that when they hear it?

13:56 Speaker 2: Yeah, I hear what you're saying for sure, and it is not all doom and gloom, right, And I want people to take away that you can make it through tough times, you can find strength and there is hope, right. And that was sort of you know, the place I was in. I can't believe I made it through it at some points, right, And So the songs are they're not wallowing in self pity right there are, like you said, sort of a defiant like I'm gonna make this happen, you know, I'm gonna make it.

14:33 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, that's what I got from it was the defiance and I really like that it connected with me. I think the album is fantastic. We should imagine too, how new it is too. This just came out December fifth, right, so this this just came out earlier this month, so it's very new and obviously it's on all the streaming services. And you did you get physical copies of this as well? Do you have physical copies?

14:55 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh yeah, it's on vinyl, MCD. Vinyl can be you know, purchased through our band camp, can be purchased through Short Dived Records band camp in Europe and the UK, and also on Little Cloud Records website. So it's available.

15:10 Speaker 1: Oh, fantastic, fantastic. Where is the best place to go John for people to keep up with everything that you're doing with tombstones in their eyes? Where should people go online to keep up with everything?

15:23 Speaker 2: I would say these days, either Instagram probably Instagram would be the best place because I had some help with that, and we're making sure the content is flowing there with news and other things. I handle the Facebook myself, so that's you know, there was a period where I was trying to manage every social media and I've had to concentrate on just a few. Yeah, you know. Yeah, i'd say Instagram is a good place to go.

15:50 Speaker 1: Yeah, excellent, excellent. In a moment, we'll let you go and then we're gonna play I want to close out the segment with another track from the album under Dark Skies, but I'm going to kind of put you on the spot a little bit. I'm gonna ask you to pick it because we already played We played a live and well and we played the title track under Dark Skies, you know, while we were kind of working through our tech issues. So what would you like us to play to close out the segment?

16:17 Speaker 2: Wow, we might throw you a curb on play. Have you play an instrumental?

16:23 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, absolutely, absolutely, whatever you want.

16:29 Speaker 2: The song is called the Beginning.

16:31 Speaker 1: The Beginning. Oh yep, I see it. Excellent. So yeah, so we'll finish out with that. That'll be interesting. Okay, Well, John, thank you so much for joining us here. Today. Like I said, I love the album. I'm going to go back to and listen to some of your earlier work as well. So far, I've only listened to Under Dark Skies, but i really enjoyed it a lot, and I'm glad that we were able to work through our tech issues and get you on the phone. And it's been interesting talking to you and I'm sure we will definitely do it again in the future.

17:00 Speaker 1: As you're are you already working on new music? Are you just kind of focused on the current project right now now that this has just come out.

17:08 Speaker 2: There's always stuff in the works. I mean we have a lot, a big backlog of songs that have recorded over the last couple of years. At the same time, yeah, I'm kind of focusing on this right now and trying to, yeah, you know, get us into a good live thing.

17:21 Speaker 1: Oh of course. Yeah. Well, we will definitely have you back in the future as when you do have new stuff, because like I said, I've become a fast fan of your work. We're gonna hit this track, so we'll let you go for now. But John from Tombstones in Their Eyes, thank you so much for joining us today.

17:37 Speaker 2: I appreciate it. Thank you and sorry for the sect problem.

17:39 Speaker 1: Oh hey, no worries. We got through it all right, all right, John, take care of you. Bye bye, all right. That was John Treeener from Tombstones in Their Eyes and we will close out this segment with this. This is an instrumental from the album Under Dark Skies. This is called the Beginning.