It has been 25 years since the world was introduced to Disturbed’s debut album and the infamous “Ooh, ah, ah, ah, ah!” (Admit it, you imitated it.) To celebrate The Sickness reaching this milestone, Disturbed is hitting the road in early 2025. The band will be performing two sets each night: The Sickness in its entirety and the greatest hits. Special guests vary by city and include the pairings of Three Days Grace/Sevendust and Daughtry/Nothing More.
Alt-metal band Carbonstone is back with new music. The Maryland-based outfit is set to release their latest single, “Echoes,” on October 26th, and after my first few listens, I have to say this one hits hard.
Carbonstone has never been a band to shy away from the darker side of self-reflection, especially the negative views we as humans often have of ourselves. “Echoes” puts words to that moment we peer into the mirror with complete honesty. It dives unflinchingly into the feeling of being trapped in your own head, succumbing to the belief that you are not enough and have failed in some immeasurable way because things didn’t work out as planned.
According to front man Corey James, the song is about heavy reflection and looking back at “fucked-up tragic events, or ‘echoes,’ that ultimately shape us into who we are.” For better or worse, life happens, and we are molded by external factors beyond our control. “Failed dreams, failed goals and aspirations, failed relationships,” James lists. “Substance abuse, and so on.”
The track is penned as a note to oneself. “You take the time to watch me bleed/Over and over/It’s like you love my suffering/This pain is contagious…” It is only too easy to spiral into the abyss once the narrator begins listening to those internal voices. “I see my ghost, it’s echoing/Repeating my failures/When I’m alone, it’s so haunting/The shadows consume me…”
“Bury me underground, I’ll lie with you/’Cause alone I’m nothing/Searching for anything to get me through/I’m so self-destructive.”
“The hook/chorus is basically about just giving in and submitting to everything, as it’s the only alternative to facing yourself alone,” James explains.
“Echoes” is a juxtaposition of hauntingly melodic singing and heavy, gritty music: an audio presentation of the emotions poured into the song. The choice of clean vocals for the majority of the track works on multiple levels. James was able to masterfully color his lyrics with the pain and resignation expressed in the words. Raging screams threaded throughout are the cries of hopelessness. Meanwhile, the other band members – guitarists Josh Provencio and Steve Junkins, bassist Eric Dee, and drummer Ted Hile – intricately weave together a sonic manifestation of anger and frustration. One final scream and the closing chorus are the last ounce of fight poured forth before our narrator ultimately accepts his/her fate and throws in the towel.
“Echoes” hooked me in from the first note and is a song that is well-crafted, relatable, and holds its listeners in thrall from start to finish. Carbonstone nailed it on all fronts. The song will hit streaming platforms at midnight. Meanwhile, the official music video drops tonight, October 25th, at 8 p.m. EST! Make sure to tune in to the band’s Facebook live at 7 p.m. EST for some drinks and other shenanigans.
If you haven’t already, visit Carbonstone’s socials and follow them on your favorite streaming service so you never miss a release – starting with “Echoes.”
Underøath is touring this fall in honor of the 20th anniversary of their fourth studio album They’re Only Chasing Safety. The band will be playing the record in its entirety, along with a fan voted set. With support from Static Dress, the 54-date run starts September 18th in Norfolk, Virginia. You can get your tickets and VIP at underoath777.com!
9/18 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
9/20 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
9/21 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square (New date!)
9/22 – Wallingford, CT – The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
9/24 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
9/26 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
9/27 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
9/28 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
9/29 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!
10/1 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
10/2 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
10/4 – Milwaukee, WI – The Eagles Ballroom at The Rave
10/5 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
10/6 – Birmingham, AL – Furnace Fest 2024
10/8 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
10/9 – St. Paul, MN – Myth Live
10/11 – Denver, CO – Summit
10/12 – Denver, CO – Summit (New date!)
10/13 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
10/15 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
10/16 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
10/17 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall (New date!)
10/19 – Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young 2024
10/20 – Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young 2024
10/21 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theater (New date!)
10/22 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
10/23 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory (New date!)
10/25 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
10/26 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades (New date!)
10/27 – San Diego, CA – Soma
10/28 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
10/30 – Dallas, TX – South Side Music Hall (New date!)
11/18 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
11/19 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
11/20 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
11/22 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works (New date!)
11/23 – Newport, KY – MegaCorp Pavilion
11/24 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
11/26 – West Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom
11/27 – Green Bay, WI – EPIC Event Center
11/29 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
11/30 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre and Ballroom
12/1 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
12/3 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks
12/4 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
12/6 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
12/8 – Richmond, VA – The National
12/9 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
12/10 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
12/12 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle (New date!)
12/13 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
12/14 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live (New date!)
12/15 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live (Newdate!)
12/16 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live (New date!)
RedPrint is a rock band from The Netherlands formed in 2012. They started as a cover act, but in 2023, they released their first original EP, entitled The Plan.
I was given the opportunity to talk with them and find out all about the band’s origins, influences, writing process, and more!
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Mostly Music: First and foremost, thank you for your time!How did the band form, and what’s the story behind the name “RedPrint”?
RedPrint: I used to play bass in another band, but that band collapsed in 2012 so I asked the rhythm guitarist and the lead guitarist if they would join me to form a new band. We searched for a drummer, and the 2 guitarists knew a girl from a local bar that sang karaoke very good. So The Plan – original band name – was formed. We were to be a blues band, play Chicago and Texas blues. We got our first gig pretty soon and played what we knew. A second gig shortly after turned us into a cover band.
Fast forward to (I think) 2017, and our lead guitarist decided he could not combine his work with the band anymore. We then found Ronald. As we rehearsed with the new guitarist, we felt we could get back to gigs, and our singer decided she didn’t want to continue. The search for her replacement took much longer, but we finally found Selinde. Then, in 2020, Covid hit. We’d had a great year in 2019, playing a lot of gigs, and were ready to get ourselves in venues for real, but lockdowns and Covid rules had us down.
During this time, our rhytm guitarist and singer did a little project, and “Stop Running” was made. On a computer, Selinde did the vocals, and at home we all thought what we could do with it. Finally, our drummer sent a drum part, I came with a bassline, and Ronald had to do the solo. But because it was made on a computer, there originally was a synthesizer part, so our rhythm guitarist got himself a synthesizer and after the lockdowns (or in between a couple), we started working on “Immersion.” Soon after that, “Herd” came to be, and we realised we needed to rethink “Stop Running.” That track was slow and a bit boring compared to the other 2 songs. So we spiced it up a bit. You can still hear it is a softer kind of track now, but it fits.
Jump to August 2022. Three tracks ready and we wanted another so we could record it as an EP. The first three were heavily influenced by our guitarist/synthesizer player. But it all came together as a band. We all wrote our own parts based on the ideas that formed. But now we all had ideas. And in a rehearsal where he could not make it, we set up two new tracks. One was already in progress, and one was new. But the direction we took on it was something different from his views. After a couple of months, he decided our views were too different and after a decade he left the band.
Again, a major setback, three tracks done and two concepts in progress, but a band member down. How were we going to replace a band member who did synthesizer in two tracks and rhythm guitar in the other? So we decided not to replace him. The lead guitarist also does rhythm, and the synthesizer is replaced with violin. Luckily, Selinde can play violin very well. So one of the concepts became “Telephone,” and shortly after, we recorded it all. “Colour Me Insane” was just there. I came with a bassline, and this progressed very fast. We didn’t think it was complete, but it was also too good not to record.
After we released the EP, we changed our name because there are so many “The Plan” or similar band names on the streaming services. I took control of the socials and stumbled into the community. Vox + Stix and Paul Harwood shared our profile, and the rest is history.
About our band name: we knew it needed a change from The Plan. A whole lot came past, we even let chatgpt have a go. But it was our guitarist that said a blueprint is also a sort of plan. And our logo is red, so why not RedPrint? This was the first name in months where nobody objected. So, I guess it is the best out of all the bad names that came along.
MM: The band name is unique, and it makes y’all easy to find. That’s always good for fans and bloggers, etc.So, who are RedPrint’s major influences?
RedPrint: Of course, all four of us have our own influences, but I think the biggest are the covers we used to do. And they were a large pool of artists that you would normally not put together. We did covers from AC/DC and ZZ top to Tom Petty and Black Sabbath. We also covered The Animals and even Bill Withers and Bruno Mars. We even did a cover of “Addicted to You” from Avicii. We through in Duffy and Etta James, but we did change some of those tracks so they would fit the set we played at that time.
At this point, I guess none of those are to be heard in our music, or not all of them. We try not to put ourselves in any specific subgenre. We are a rock band, but for the rest, our motto is: We play what we like and hope you like what we play. The funny thing is, we got reviewed a couple of times, and they compared us to bands and artists we never covered or really listened to before we got compared to them.
MM: That is an eclectic mix! This question almost seems redundant, but is there anyone you listen to that might surprise people?
RedPrint: Personally, I listen to a whole lot of various music. Lately, it’s a lot of indie artists. However, I used to be into house music a lot when i was young and still enjoy it. But I have to admit most of what they call EDM these days does not get me anymore. Faithless is a personal favorite, but also artists like The Prodigy and The KLF. Later, I discovered the older rock bands, and that seems like an infinite pool of inspiration. But disco, funk, and even hip-hop are appreciated.
But that’s just me. I am sure if all four of us would input on this, it would be a long story. We have a lot of similar interests but also a lot of different interests in music.
MM: You’ve already given an overview of how your originals came to be, in a general sense. More specifically, what was the process when writing and recording The Plan?
RedPrint: The first three (“Stop Running,” “Immersion,” and “Herd”) are started with ideas from our old guitarist/synthesizer player. But we all did our part in those. Basic concepts and a complete track are different things. He would not come up with the different bass parts in “Immersion,” for example. Also, the drums and bass are composed in the verse of “Immersion,” more than any other of our songs. “Herd” had the same chords in the verse and chorus, and only the bass and drums play a different part, so it sounds different.
But “Telephone” started with a bassline, Selinde came up with a vocal line, and the chorus was worked out pretty fast. It took one rehearsal to set up a basic song.
Of course, it takes a lot longer to structure it and make it into an actual song. Our guitarist played a heavy riff one time, and I really liked it. So I practiced it at home and somehow got back into the verse of “Telephone.” But to go from the verse to that riff (what is now the instrumental part) took some creative thinking. “Colour me Insane” also started with a bassline as did “Runaway” (not yet released, but you can find it in a live show on YouTube), so I guess now we start with a bassline. But our most recent project came to be after an acoustic session, and the vocals dictate the rest of the music. So it is not set in stone. If one of us has an idea and we can work with it, we work with it. It always stands or falls with if Selinde can sing in that key and find the right vocal line.
MM: What is your favorite song from the EP? Or perhaps I should phrase that question this way – is there a song that resonates with you more than the others?
RedPrint: Hmm, hard to pick a favorite. And I guess we all have a different opinion about it. For me, it would be either “Colour Me Insane,” because it’s a banger, or “Immersion,” because of the ending and the amount of work that went into it to reach the end result. But I know Selinde has a soft spot for “Telephone.” So opinions could be different between band members.
MM: What are RedPrint’s plans for the remainder of 2024?
RedPrint: At this moment, we can provide a date for when we will hit the studio again. We will record at least two tracks and maybe will do a surprise along with it. But that is still open for debate. The date is August 17th. Of course, we will need time to have it mixed and mastered, but it will probably hit the streaming services this year. We did talk about releasing it to Bandcamp first, and maybe having the indie radio stations that support us and many others spin it before it is available for streaming. We won’t be releasing all the songs at once this time either, but one every once in a while.
And if we run into any gigs, we are sure to take them. That is what we like to do most. Play in front of an audience is just the best.
MM: Is that – the audience – your favorite thing about performing?
RedPrint: Good question. Yes, the interaction with the audience. When they respond to us in a positive way, we will somehow get better. If it is because we get more confident or maybe magic, I cannot tell. But we do give that extra effort, so if we get a good audience, they get a good performance. When we get a great audience, they get a great performance. Not that we wouldn’t give our best if we played an empty room or watch the backs of a crowd, but it does help when they are enthusiastic.
MM: I definitely get how a great crowd can give you that boost. I’ve always heard that it’s a mutual thing: you feed off the audience, and they feed off of you, so everyone has to give energy and enthusiasm.
For y’all, how is playing live and recording in the studio connected? Do you think about how the songs will translate in a live performance?
RedPrint: We rent a rehearsal room. At home would disturb the neighbours too much. But this is certainly connected. We do think about things we add and how this might resonate with the audience. But also, we try not to overthink it. We are a band that tries to give that organic feel. We don’t overcompose individual parts, but do think about how a song flows as a whole and how an audience might experience this. Even when recording, we try to keep it as real as possible and not over produce. We won’t Sergeant Pepper our music and want to sound as live as possible. All our tracks are recorded as they are with the exception of some parts where we dubbed the guitar to give it a little extra and some ad libs in “Stop Running.” That’s the only thing we can’t duplicate live, but those parts are picked up by our bass player that gives it a little extra drive.
MM: Well, I look forward to the new music, and I envy those who get to see y’all play. Good luck on all your future endeavors, and thanks again for talking with me!
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You can keep up with all of RedPrint’s goings-on by following their socials, and be sure to check out their debut EP, The Plan, on your streaming service of choice!
Mostly Music 