Candamius is a progressive rock/metal band hailing from Peru. They have released two singles – “Patient Friend” and “Visitor” – and are busy crafting their debut album.
Having discovered Candamius via Instagram, thanks to “Visitor,” I soon began to talk with Arturo. We discussed the band’s formation, influences, writing process, what’s next for them, and more! Read on for the full interview.
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Mostly Music: Can you tell us about the origins of Candamius? How did you all come together as a band?
Arturo Jara: First of all, thank you for this interview. I am Arturo Jara, a founding member of Candamius, along with Deyvi Gutierrez Amar. We founded [the band] in 2018 in Ica, Perú. At first, we initially didn’t know what name to give the project. One day, Deyvi and I ran into each other at the university where we were studying. We hadn’t planned to meet that day, but we went to lunch and started talking about the strangest dreams we had ever had. I told him that I had a dream where a friend of mine came to my house and said to me, “You are Candamius.” As soon as he said that, he left, and I woke up. I immediately searched for information to see if this word existed, and indeed, it does. Candamius was a god of the Astures and Cantabrians, associated with the sky, storms, and thunder. Remembering this dream, I suggested this name for our project to Deyvi, and he agreed. Since then, that’s been our name.
MM: And for you personally, what was it that made you want to pursue music?
AJ: Well, I remember the first time I formed a band when I was in high school. It was a great sensation to be there on stage, playing my favorite songs to an audience. However, in terms of finding the band that inspired me to pursue music, it was definitely Nirvana. I remember that I literally copied Cobain’s vocal style when I was a teenager. I wanted to be him, not only in his vocal style but also in his movements on stage.
When I started songwriting at 15 years old, I was thinking, “How would Cobain write this riff?” and I began to write it. Over time, I felt that songwriting was something I really needed in my life. It allowed me to express my own ideas and feelings and create my stories with total liberty.
Despite Nirvana motivating me to pursue music, I feel that I always had this sense of seeing music as a lifestyle. Song after song, composition after composition, there is always something to express and share with others.
MM: Who are the biggest musical influenceson the band as a whole, and how have they shaped your sound and style?
AJ: Our influences are diverse and include Tool, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Meshuggah, Lamb of God, and Celtic Frost, among others. These bands have shaped our sound and style in various ways. Tool influenced us in creating long pieces and meticulously thinking through every aspect of the composition. Alice in Chains inspired our focus on vocals, especially the harmonies. Nirvana’s influence is evident in my vocal style, which is rooted in grunge music—I grew up with their music, so it naturally finds its way into mine. Meshuggah influenced some of our instrumental parts, Lamb of God inspired the groove metal elements, and Celtic Frost contributed to the atmospheric aspects of our music.
MM: Are there any bands/artists you listen to that might surprise people?
AJ: Well, I like Dvořák, Penderecki, Prokofiev, Franz Liszt, and other representatives of classical music.
MM: Are you working on any new music or projects at the moment? What can fans expect from Candamius in the near future?
AJ: Yes, we are working on the album. We are putting all of our effort into releasing a good album, so that is our priority right now.
MM: On the subject of writing and recording, what is your process like? Do you typically start with lyrics, a melody, or a specific instrumental riff?
AJ: Generally, I start with an instrumental riff, then I create the melody, and finally the lyrics. Sometimes, the lyrics and melody come at the same time.
MM: From where (or whom) do you draw most of your inspiration?
AJ: A lot of my inspiration comes from literature. Authors like Dostoyevsky, Oscar Wilde, Victor Hugo, and Shakespeare have significantly influenced the songwriting process and the creation of the stories of Candamius.
MM: Let’s get specific. Y’all just released the single “Visitor” in April. What’s the story behind that track?
AJ: In terms of lyrics, the song is inspired by Poe’s poems, as well as the poem “Negro Sayón” by José María Eguren and ” Los Heraldos Negros” by the poet Cesar Vallejo. It also receives influence from Shakespeare concerning the concept of dawn. However, the song has two protagonists: one of them is Death, personified and taking human form, while the other is a woman struggling with suicidal thoughts and existential questions. At the beginning of the song, Death is introduced as a character. As the song progresses, there is an inevitable encounter with the woman, who reveals her struggles and internal demons through the lyrics. At a certain moment, the music intensifies, symbolizing Death’s chase of the woman to end her suffering. In the part where Death says, “You must invoke the almighty, he will give you the answers,” I mean to convey that often when we cannot find answers to things we do not understand, we tend to seek explanations from a higher entity. The music accompanies Death’s speech, symbolizing its approach to its prey. Eventually, Death succeeds in entering and delivers the following speech: “There´s no exceptions, you all have the same fate. I know the path that you´ll be going through, and I will be at the end.” Later, the music changes, announcing the final part of the song where the woman gives her last words, saying: “Waiting for the dawn, I shelter in the storm now, drifting on the tide, begging for the dawn. The dawn escapes from my arms. Dim lights, all I know.” The “dawn” symbolizes hope, renewal, and the possibility of a fresh start. The storm symbolizes sobbing and pain, and “drifting on the tide” evokes a sense of being carried along by external forces, lacking control or direction. Finally, she says, “Dim lights, all I know,” referring to the minimal hope she has left. Tired of battling in life, she stares toward Death in the final part of the song, and a crescendo ends the song, suggesting that this entire story might have been a dream or that she is now in the afterlife. The listener will make their own choice.
MM: Just for fun, what would be your dream tour lineup that includes Candamius?
AJ: Playing along with Tool and Alice in Chains.
MM: With it being 2024 and the age of social media, how do you engage with your fans and community, both online and offline? What role do your fans play in your music and career?
AJ: At the moment, we interact with our fans primarily through social media. Our fans play a crucial role in our music. Since we released “Patient Friend,” the support we have received has been amazing. I am incredibly grateful for them and have only words of gratitude.
MM: Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans, and my readers, here?
AJ: I want to tell them that the album is coming, and I hope that they enjoy it as much as the first two singles.
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Candamius is a band determined to put their best foot forward. They clearly work hard to only share their music once they are fully happy with it, and that mindset has produced two amazing singles. Check out both of those songs below and find Candamius on their socials, as well as your favorite streaming platform. Big things are on their horizon!
The Lürxx are a self-proclaimed “nature warrior rock” band that have traversed the scene from England to Hollywood. Having been together in some form or fashion since 1990, Xavi and Sabú are basically twins by this point, sharing their love of music and a common goal: to make the world a better place.
I had the chance to speak with the duo about their start, the many transformations the band has gone through, their inspirations, and much more!
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Mostly Music: First and foremost, how did the band come together?
Xavi: Basically, the two of us, Xavi and Sabú, have been in a band together since we were 13 years old! We met at school in 1990 and started our first band, The Collegemates, influenced by early Beatles and 50s rock ‘n’ roll.
When we were 15, we sought out “dirtier” music. The Rolling Stones led us to the blues, and The Collegemates turned into Bloody Blues, the band we performed our first ever gig with! We explored more of the 1960s London scene and discovered bands like The Who and Small Faces. Through the latter, we really got into mod in 1993.
Through the very underground mod scene that existed in the mid-90s, we then discovered power pop bands like the Chords and Purple Hearts. Parallelly, we also started listening to a lot of classic 1970s punk rock. Out of this melange of influences rose our third band, Speed, whose sound we described as “Maximum Rhythm ‘n’ ModPunkBlues” in an allusion to The Who’s iconic Marquee Club poster. With Speed, we released a single on an underground punk label based near London. We thought “London’s where it’s at!” and as soon as we turned 18, we dropped out of school and moved there! This move did not go well: The explosion of Brit Pop had actually led to quite a lot of interest in 60s-influenced music but we were a) loath to jump on a trend, and b) moving on musically.
We had dabbled in Guns ‘n’ Roses and Nirvana before, but now we seriously got into that heavier stuff. Speed turned into Black Lürxx (thanxx Nikki Sixx for the umlaut and the double-x!) Success did not come our way because NO ONE was interested in that kind of music in London in 1995… So we copied our heroes and moved out to Los Angeles…
MM: How did y’all land on “The Lürxx” as the name to stick with?
Xavi: We had this fascination with the German word “Lurch” (= newt). We thought it sounded hilarious and we used to do this weird dance while we were saying “Lurch” over and over again (the “Lurchtanz”) and it just cracked us up (yeah, admittedly we were not often sober during these times…). And we were HUGE fans of Nikki Sixx and the Crüe. And “Lürxx” is basically a merger of all that. Originally, we added the “Black” to make it more dark and mysterious. Our mascots were black newts, and we still do a lot of jokes around the newt-thing, like that we call our newsletter the newtsletter and stuff like that! We thought it was cool to have such a mysterious band name with a word that no one would be able to place. Remarkably few people ask us about it, though! Over the course of time we realized how much sense it makes for us to have a newt in the band name, with newts being amphibians, the connection of life in the water and life on land, and with all life coming out of the water… it fits really well with our whole anti-speciesist, “we’re all one” philosophy. But none of that was intended!
MM: So y’all unintentionally ended up with quite an appropriate name! I can’t imagine having the wherewithal to just…move to LA. What was that like?
Xavi: Weirdly, it didn’t feel scary to us. That might have just been because we were 18 and had the biggest fuck-you attitude ever and were drinking quite heavily, but even taking all that into account, it seems insane looking back at it, how unimpressed we were. We literally just went like “right, London sucks, all our heroes went to LA to make it, we should do that, too.” Then we sold almost all our stuff, spent two months living in our rehearsal room (January / February, no heating, no warm water…) to save money, borrowed some money, and bought plane tickets to LA.
We didn’t even tell our parents we were gonna go there, because we were like “We’re 18, we don’t have to tell you anything!” But we also didn’t hide it, so eventually our moms got hip to it. Safe to say they were NOT happy. But Sabú’s mom, who always supported us, actually agreed to drive us to the airport. We remember that on the ride to the airport, we listened to Mötley Crüe’s “Danger”… We knew close to nothing about what LA in 1996 was like. All our knowledge came from the rock biographies and interviews we had read, so our information was about 10 years off. We even thought that Hollywood was by the sea. It looked like it in the Doors movie. That’s how clueless we were!! We arrived with our guitars, a rucksack, and $1000. To make the money stretch as far as possible, we decided to not book ourselves into a motel; instead, we stayed on the streets for the first two weeks, sleeping on a building site on Sunset Strip. Since we were in the States on a tourist visa (which we threw away), we had no official papers, so we couldn’t buy a car or easily get an apartment. That was nothing we had thought about beforehand. Luckily, we eventually found a landlord who was corrupt enough to not care about papers as long as he got the rent in cash every month. Even though the first months in LA were super tough, we absolutely LOVED it! We were so pleased with ourselves – we were totally living the dream! In fall, we managed to set our life up a little better, found a drummer, recorded a demo, and then in February 1997, we had our first gig in Hollywood, at the Coconut Teaszer. Dreams do come true!
MM: That sounds so scary! But I admire the bravery and determination. How was that first show? And, taking that further, what do you love about playing live?
Sabú: At the time, we had this guy, Leon, live in our little shoe box of an apartment. He helped us pay some of the rent, ’cause he needed a place after his girlfriend kicked him out. He was originally from New York, and one of his past bands had opened for the New York Dolls. He was friends with Arthur Kane and we ended up having a very strange conversation with Arthur in his run-down little West Hollywood apartment, but anyways – Leon was at that show and critiqued us and he told us afterwards that we seemed a little nervous but that it had gone well. We were quite satisfied with the performance – we, of course, did not want to admit that it was our first time, we were always too cool for that, we didn’t wanna seem like beginners. That added a ton of extra, unnecessary stress, but we apparently felt we accomplished that that night. In hindsight, it was super dumb of us to always pretend to be more knowledgeable and experienced than we were, because we could have gotten much more support from people had we admitted that we needed it…
This is gonna sound a bit like we’re dicks, but honestly: [what we like about shows] is the attention! The cheers, the lights, being the centre of attention! And we like the dressing up, putting on the make-up, the full-on stage gear. Getting into this full-on persona is a feel-good moment, really good for self-love and mental health! We also like connecting to the audience and to pass on positive energy – we get that a lot after shows, that people come up to us and say that we made them feel better, and that’s really great!! One dude once told us “you radiate happiness!” and that was beautiful. It’s also fun to confront random people with our weird lyrics and to give them something to think about.
MM: Did you guys always have a similar vision as to what the band would be, or are there contrasting influences in there as well?
Xavi: The two of us are basically twins – we’ve been so close since we were 13 that we feel like we’re a two-headed monster: each has its own head and thoughts, but more or less we are always heading in the same direction. Our vision for the band, actually for all our bands, was always fully aligned. We never had artistic disagreements. Amazing, actually, come to think of it! Our taste in music outside of the band is not always entirely aligned (Sabú sometimes likes to listen to classical music, for example, and I don’t), but these different tastes just flow into the band harmoniously and merge into a thing that we are both 100% behind. It just leads to our songwriting being versatile.
MM: In regard to your songwriting, what is your process? Where do you draw most of your inspiration from? (I know y’all support a few causes, and I’m sure a lot of it comes from there, but I still like to get an artist’s answer.)
Xavi: We draw most of our inspiration from conversations we have about stuff. For example, we’ll see on IG that Nikki Sixx took pictures at a local rodeo and thought it was really cool. We get pissed off about that because it’s no fun for the stressed-out animals being exploited for entertainment there. I remember a story I saw on Facebook about a Mustang sanctuary. We get the idea to write a song about mustangs for people like Nikki, who maybe just never had the chance to reflect on what it means for these horses to lose their freedom. And then we write the song (this will be our next release!).
And a lot of really great ideas actually start out as jokes, just us goofing around and then all of a sudden we’re like “wait, this is actually awesome!”
Because we have been creating together for so long, we have this incredibly natural way of working together. It’s the twin-thing. We just kind of vibe together and bring out the best in each other. Generally, you can maybe say that I’m the guy for the big picture, and Sabú is the guy for the details. I will often bring in a chunk of something, a riff or a picking pattern or even something resembling a song already, and Sabú will listen and then dig in and say “can you try this here” or “can you take this melody up instead of down there” or “this run is nice but can you vary it when you repeat it” and then we take it from there. Also, I only ever write with my guitar in hand – I say the songs are in my guitar – whereas Sabú will also sing stuff into his phone and compose in his head. He says the songs are inside of him.
MM: Still on the songwriting topic, how did “You’re Badass” come into being? I really, really dug it, so I need the story behind it!
Sabú: We’re not a love song band. We’re a bug song and fish song and slug song band. A Lürxx love song is a weird thing. But in late 2022, things went a bit differently.
My mum accompanied me as I was exploring the rural outskirts of Hannover, Germany, with the idea of moving there, which didn’t happen. What put me off most was that I felt like I was zapped back into the nineties. Most restaurants didn’t have a vegan option, getting a coffee with dairy alternative was close to impossible, and every time it WAS possible, it was a huge topic. My mum struggled to understand what I was going on about. I felt I was being pushed in the “impatient and radical” corner when I just tried to continue with my normal habits.
Not long after the trip to Germany, we participated in a songwriting workshop offered by The Songwriting Academy, London. One thing that really annoyed us about this workshop was how focused on love songs everyone was. Can’t people write songs about other topics?! Somehow, though, the Germany trip and the songwriting workshop bonded in my brain and a morbid wish to write a rebel love song emerged. I couldn’t quite convince Xavi of the idea.
We were listening a lot to the first few Van Halen albums at that time. Inspired by Eddie’s awesome rhythm playing, Xavi one night came up with a massively driving rhythm guitar I absolutely adored! Some other night we were joking around while Xavi made dinner. At some point we burst out into a spontaneous Latino vocal jam, followed by an awesome boomy beat. We often do these kinds of things. We have a bit of a background with Latino music. We used to live in Catalonia.
Since I didn’t manage to get Xavi into gear about wanting to write a love song with me, I just started writing lyrics myself. Again inspired by Van Halen, I started out with some funny, joky “I’m hot for teacher” lines. And texted them to Xavi. That was it. He instantly loved them and helped me work them out further. I asked Xavi if he could imagine using his awesome rhythm guitar for the love song. He forgot about my question and some days later had the idea to use his awesome rhythm guitar for the love song. Yesssssss!!!! It fit just perfectly for the verses!
I felt that our Latino thingy would be a great musical counterpart to the verses we had. Xavi was a bit puzzled but trusted me and went into “el corazón me duele….!” I interrupted him. No, I do think we should change the lyrics…. And we exchanged “el corazón me duele todo el día y toda la noche!” to “you offer no excuses for your values and your convictions!” Then we had the idea to sing “you’re badass!” to the boomy beat that had spontaneously burst out after “el corazón.”
Now we had our song!!! By now, Xavi was totally into it, and he started experimenting with his vocal delivery. Again, we had just listened to a lot of early Van Halen, and Xavi was getting inspired by David Lee Roth and wanted to close the song with a cocky, flirty spoken part, so he started to just freestyle some funny pick-up lines. I was roaring with laughter when he first said: “hey, what you got underneath that placard you’re holdin’? Wanna go on a march together?”
“You’re Badass” is a milestone song for the Lürxx, because it’s the first song we’ve recorded in collaboration with [Sixx A.M. singer/record producer/mixer] James Michael. Before we started recording, James gave our home studio a little check through by listening to the sound quality we achieve. He gave us green light for all the electric instruments but sprang into action with an amazing gift for recording vocals and acoustic instruments: a microphone bursting with music history! We still can’t quite believe it, but he gifted us the microphone that was used for recording The Heroin Diaries soundtrack in 2007.
MM: That’s quite a journey you had to go on to end up with “You’re Badass.” But I love it! That’s a great story!
So while we’re on the subject of equipment, what do you guys typically use? I feel like most musicians have a brand – or particular instrument – that they swear by. I could be wrong.
Xavi: We both love Floyd Roses – all our guitars absolutely must have floating bridges!! The three guitars we currently have are a Schecter, a Steve Vai signature Ibanez, and a Jackson. We swap these amongst ourselves – like true twins, we share everything. Xavi plays a Taylor acoustic guitar, which he adores, and Sabú plays a selection of plastic recorders – sounds trashy, but they’re actually pretty good! His soprano recorder is actually Xavi’s ancient and apparently indestructible recorder from primary school!
Our recording mic for vocals is probably our most exciting piece of equipment: the mic James Michael gifted to us.
Generally, because we try to be as sustainable as possible, we try to buy all our equipment second hand.
MM: What are the band’s plans for 2024? Maybe a new album…? [I ask hopefully, haha]
Xavi: You’re in luck – we have quite a few releases planned for 2024!
At the moment, we are working on two songs with James Michael, “Mustang” and “The Streets Are Paved With Stars.”
“Mustang” – a song about mustangs having the right to roam free! – is earmarked for release in late June, and our autobiographical Hollywood-anthem “The Streets Are Paved With Stars” for late July. Also in summer, we will release these two songs together with “Weeds” and “Badass” on CD as an actual physical EP!
As we go into fall, we’ll be recording another bunch of songs with James – as long as he doesn’t lose interest, we’ll keep going – there is absolutely no shortage of songs! The next two songs after the summer EP will probably be the punky “We Got It All”, a song we mostly wrote when we were 16, and “Salmon (New Self),” which uses the picture of salmon migration as a metaphor for starting anew in the middle of life.
We’ll also parallelly work on an acoustic project with two producers we know in London. That acoustic project will be a three-song EP that takes the listener on a journey of self-discovery and bonding with nature.
So loads to look forward to!
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The Lürxx hit the ground running and haven’t stopped! With so much on the horizon, be sure to follow the band on their socials and your favorite streaming service to ensure you don’t miss anything.
In the meantime, you can check out the latest singles, “You’re Badass” and “We Are The Weeds.” For those who enjoy “You’re Badass” as much as I did, there is an e-book series available that takes a more in-depth look into the creation and meaning behind the track.
Alchemy Within is a musical project based out of Bel Air, Maryland. His work is described as alternative rock that harkens back to the early 2000s, but there are no boundaries for him and the other musicians who contribute to the songs.
Having just released the new EP The Story Thus Far in March, Alchemy Within has hit the ground running in 2024. I was lucky enough to be given the chance to chat with him about how he started, influences, guilty pleasures, what’s next for the project, and more!
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Mostly Music: How did you start this project? What was it that made you want to create music?
Alchemy Within: I originally started writing solely to maintain my own mental health. Therapy helps, but it wasn’t getting the job done on its own. When I first made Alchemy Within, I had every intention of it being a full band, but I got tired of waiting for people, so I started on my own. I play a little bit of keyboard, but most of the instrumental parts you hear are by cowriters.
MM: What is your songwriting process?
AW: The process usually starts with the lyrics. I’ll have 3 or 4 lines I really like, then build the rest of the song and melody around them.
MM: Do you have regular contributors, as far as your cowriters, or do the other musicians change each time?
AW: I like to have 1 main collaborator, and then if I have someone in mind or someone shows interest, I’ll have them join in, too. Like “Troubled Waters” and “Like A Bullet” have different drummers. I love hearing in the end product how different musician’s influences and stylistic choices blend with mine.
MM: Why call your project “Alchemy Within”?
AW: It’s probably not what you would expect. I was watching something on the History Channel or Travel Channel, something like that, and they were talking about alchemy. I was like, “Huh. That’s kind of like what music is, right?” I wanted the word Alchemy in there, but I didn’t know how to use it, so I used a band name generator. Lol. I typed in that I wanted the word “alchemy” in there, and Alchemy Within was one of the results.
MM: It’s NEVER what I expect! But the generator did you a solid, because that’s good! Who are your major influences, musically? And what is it about that band – or bands – (or artists) that inspires you?
AW: Thank you! My biggest influences are ANYTHING Chris Cornell, Blue October, and Maria Brink. I feel like Chris Cornell is pretty self-explanatory, he’s Chris Cornell. Blue October inspires me because they just kind of do whatever they want and it sounds great. Like one of their songs has an opera singer in it!? I never would’ve thought of that, but it works. Maria Brink is hands down my biggest influence. Especially her Blood and Black Widow eras. She faced SO much adversity and showed so much growth as an artist and a person that I immediately became a fan.
MM: It is inspiring to watch someone face adversity and come out stronger on the other side, especially when much of the judgment is…unwarranted, I guess you might say? Like, it wasn’t that she did shocking or offensive things to draw attention; she just existed in that scene and caught shit for it.
AW: Yeah, she definitely caught a lot of flak that was uncalled for. Those circle pits she would start herself were CRAZY.
MM: Is there anyone you listen to or draw inspiration from that might surprise people? What’s your “guilty pleasure”? (Not that you should be guilty over anything that makes you happy. Lol.)
AW: Usually, Maria Brink and Blue October are the ones that surprise people, but I think they’d also be surprised that I draw inspiration from Dorothy as well.
My guilty pleasures are usually one-offs by different artists, but I think it’s a tie between “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera and “Breakaway” by Avril Lavigne.
MM: I love Dorothy! Saw her (them) with Shinedown, and it made me so happy! Okay. One more of the digging-into-your-tastes type questions, then I’ll get back to the music. Lol. What would be your dream tour lineup that includes Alchemy Within? Be as realistic or unrealistic as you wanna be. I’ve had some fun answers to this one.
AW: Oh crap, that’s a tough one. Unless all of their publicly known personalities are a lie, I think touring with In This Moment and Black Veil Brides would be fun. Maria Brink’s bodyguard kind of scares me, though, not gonna lie. Haha. Myself and a few other people thought he was Jason Mamoa at first glance.
MM: I met BVB in 2018. The VIP was…very controlled, but I got to talk to Andy, Jake, Jinxx, and CC after the show. CC is just as animated as he seems. Lol. And Andy was actually very sweet. My favorite comment he made was “Don’t worry. I’ve been cried on before.” (It wasn’t about me.)
Okay. Back to the music. So I don’t wanna ask your “favorite” song you’ve written, but do you have a track that you connect with more than others?
AW: I think I connect with “Shady” the most because it’s not really about a specific event that’s come and gone, it’s about the ongoing process of self-improvement.
MM: So it’s ALWAYS relatable. You just released “Like a Bullet,” which is how we came to be here. Lol. Can you tell me the story behind that song? You mentioned it was one of your “fun” songs. What was the process when writing lyrics/composing for it?
AW: So the fun part is more the melody and overall sound than it is the lyrics. In a nutshell, it’s about trying to resolve trauma and navigating the consequences/damage. The process was pretty cut and dry. I wrote the chorus lyrics/melody, and my cowriter wrote the instrumentals, then we built off of that. I have no idea why I decided to make the song as high as it is. It only made things 10 times harder.
MM: I would say it paid off. I love the song. I think a lot of people don’t believe I listen to all the music I find, but I do. So, what are your plans for the rest of 2024 from a musical standpoint?
AW: Thank you! I’m just kind of rolling with the punches as far as 2024 goes. I’m branching out a bit and starting to work with different producers and musicians. The production aspect of my music might sound a liiiiiittle different from here on out, but it’ll still kick ass all the same. Hopefully, 2024 is the year I finally find some bandmates!
MM: And if you get a band together, you’ll book shows, right??? Because my little neck of the woods would just be so happy to see you!
Is there any message you want to give your fans (and my readers)?
AW: I will absolutely start booking shows and I’d love to come to your town! To fans and readers alike, I’m always working on something, so at any given point, there is always something new around the corner. Like I just recovered from having Covid and I was still working on music that whole time. It never stops.
MM: I think my last question would be, where all can my readers find your music? Are your songs available on every major platform, or…?
AW: The vast majority of streaming platforms, yeah. The only big one I’m not on is SoundCloud. My distributor doesn’t work with them, and I haven’t made a SoundCloud account yet.
MM: Thank you so much for your time! This has been a lot of fun. We’ll have to do it again soon!
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Listen to the latest Alchemy Within single, “Like a Bullet,” below and be sure to follow his socials so you never miss an update!!!
Serpent Rising is a new heavy metal/rock project hailing from eastern Pennsylvania, comprised of members from various local acts. So far, the band has shared three singles, and they have a fourth on the horizon.
I was lucky enough to be given the chance to talk to lyricist/frontman Bradon Marshall! We dove into the members’ musical histories, their shared influences, what’s coming next for Serpent Rising, and much more!
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Mostly Music: Tell me about how Serpent Rising formed, and what’s the story behind the name?
Bradon Marshall: So the band was formed by two members (Josh & Clint) of an old punk band called Cold Blood Creep after they disbanded due to issues with their singer. Then, they found Seth, the guitarist, after seeing him cover a Lamb of God song. Finally, they met me about 3 months ago, before I left the group Two Dollar Horse. I stepped down as lyricist and frontman for TDH, and am filling the same role for Serpent Rising.
As far as the name goes, we bounced around on a bunch of names prior to Serpent Rising, but none of them felt right. Once the name Serpent Rising was put on the whiteboard, we knew it was the one. It sounded cool, rolled off the tongue, and represented our heavier tone, from the words to the drop tuned instruments.
A simpler way we all look at it is, as Josh put it – before this band, we were all kinda lost in music. Once we were all together, it felt collectively like we rose above the water and started treading.
MM: Did you all have a mutual direction at the beginning, or were you working from different musical backgrounds/influences?
BM: We definitely have different musical backgrounds, I think each member is all over the place; but we totally have our favorites.
Clint, the drummer, is old school. He really likes Motorhead. Josh, the bassist, really loves Dream Theater. So clearly, there’s a beautiful disconnect between all of us, where we as a team can pull from different styles to create.
MM: Who are the band’s major shared influences?
BM: I think if you listen closely, you can hear the best of different rock/metal subgenres come into play. Some honorable influences are as follows: Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Periphery, Korn, Sleep Token, Lamb of God, and Acid Bath.
MM: That list definitely runs the gamut of subgenres! So, what is your writing/recording process? How do y’all bring it all together?
BM: Our writing process is currently pretty streamlined and fit so that each member can add their defining piece of the puzzle separately. The main songwriters are Josh and Seth. We are all pretty comfortable with audio engineering from a studio standpoint.
They [Josh and Seth] are really good at creating hook-based riffs with emotional transitions. Basically, they create the whole instrumental portion of the song on their own, then they send it to me to add my lyricist touch. Once the song is pretty much 100%, we bring Clint up to speed.
MM: On that same topic, what is the story behind the latest single, “Asphyxiation”?
BM: Another great question! “Asphyxiation” has done really well; better than any of us expected for the start up of the project. The song has its highs and lows instrumentally as well as lyrically.
In our mind, it tells an abstract and sad love story paired with the words, which is why when Josh and I laid out the script for the music video, we wanted it to not be too on the nose.
I can’t speak for the band as a whole or anyone that pulls a meaning from the words, but personally, I have dealt with a lot of difficulty with love and put my faith in a lot of things and people that have burned me. Or it is as simple as just not being able to see eye to eye repeatedly, to the point where it creates a jaded “not where you belong” type of feeling when it comes to actually getting close to anyone. Almost suffocating, in a sense, hence the title.
MM: As a lyricist, from where do you draw most of your inspiration? And what made you start writing? Did you begin in a different medium (poetry, perhaps)?
BM: I think I draw most of my inspiration from things I’m too afraid to say not in front of a microphone, as funny as that sounds. It’s always personal for me, but I try and keep the words abstract. Someday, we could dissect the lyrics of a song to fully understand the meaning I put behind it.
I’ve been writing poetry for most of my life, and I have always looked at it as just poetry on top of music, but once I started playing instruments, I had a place to put the words & it opened up a whole world for me.
MM: Y’all have released 3 singles thus far. When can we expect an album or EP? Or does the band prefer to upload tracks to a streaming service and not actually put them into a collection like that? I know several bands are going that route with the decline of the demand for physical copies of records.
BM: As far as releases go, yes, there are currently 3 out of the 13 songs we have lined up for possible release. But I wouldn’t expect an album. It just doesn’t work like singles do. Albums are great, in our opinion, but there is a decline in desire for them and with us trying to also do music videos and cinema content for the majority of the songs, singles make it much easier to do so piece by piece!
Two of the three songs currently have music videos and an unreleased (as far as streaming services are concerned) track called “MUD” has only a video on YouTube.
MM: I am from the generation that set a lot of store by music videos, so I’m really enjoying this resurgence of artists who like to express their music visually as well. So, what are the band’s plans for 2024?
BM: As far as our plans for 2024, we’ve booked shows to fill out most of the year, and we’ll be focusing on recording songs to be released and content for music videos and things of that nature. Our plan is to be a little more than just a band that makes and releases music. We’re still planning out ideas for our next big music video adventure! Everything we do, we want to keep DIY. It seems to keep the creativity natural and we are cohesive together more than we’d be with an outside party.
A collaboration or two with another local artist/musician would be cool, though!
MM: What would be your dream collaboration?
BM: It would be really cool to work with an off-genre band to create a mixture of sounds that weave well together but not to be expected!
MM: Taking that a step further, what would be your dream tour lineup (that includes Serpent Rising, of course)?
BM: I always loved the idea of keeping it close to home. There are a ton of great bands locally. Just to name a few that I’d love to travel and share music with – The Stone Eye, Hannibal, People Food, Ben Grinder Group, Ephraim, Die Tired, The Spyders of HBG.
That’s just a few, there’s many more! The music is there, you just gotta look for it!
MM: I love when bands promote other locals! It helps me spread the word as well. Still on the topic of live shows, what’s your favorite thing about performing?
BM: I think collectively our favorite thing about performing so far since we’ve started is after a show we get to come off stage and talk to people who heard us for the first time, maybe have a drink with them, and just talk about the music and various other things. Short of the connection we get with them on stage, there’s nothing else comparable!
MM: Last but not least, is there any message you have for your listeners (and my readers)?
BM: If we could say something to those who listen and anyone who reads this, it would be to always try to create something each day, even if it’s just a little happiness, check out our new single “MUD,” releasing March 30th, and come say hi to us & have a beer or six at our up and coming shows!!!
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Serpent Rising is truly just getting started. If you are a fan of the heavier styles of music, I would highly recommend looking them up right now! Make sure you follow the band on their socials so you never miss any news in regard to upcoming releases or live shows. You can listen to their latest single, “Asphyxiation,” below, and don’t forget that “MUD” drops on March 30th!
Faceless Objects is a psychedelic/doom/stoner metal project from Austria that came together in 2020. Since then, the band has released ten singles, each with a coinciding video, which will make up their debut album, Confused, when it drops later in the year.
I discovered Faceless Objects last year, and after following them on Facebook (and adding bassist/vocalist Ella Baphomet on my personal profile), I knew I wanted to interview them. So we made it happen!
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MM: Thank you so much for your time! Let’s dive right in with a basic two-part question. How was Faceless Objects formed? And what’s the story behind the band name?
FO: Faceless Objects was formed in 2020 by Ella Baphomet and Mike Seed (on Mike’s birthday, to be exact). We both always wanted to do something new and different but never found the right people to start. We wanted to combine classic doom metal, stoner metal, and psychedelic sounds, and each song should be a journey on its own – accompanied by a video to make the story of the song visible.
The name Faceless Objects is describing how we as artists see other people. It is more about collecting biometric data than actually seeing the whole face like other people do.
From the beginning, it was only two people who ran everything – composing, playing/singing, recording, mixing & mastering, video shooting & cutting, as well as promotion. And it still is. The only exception is for our upcoming live gigs – playing four instruments at the same time is quite impossible – even for Mike. But finding the right people for our music was a bumpy road.
MM: Y’all have both been involved with previous projects?
FO: We both have our experiences with prior bands or projects of different kinds..but like our lyrics in “Reborn” say…“no turning back, the past is gone”…
MM: Are there any particular bands/artists that inspired y’all to go down this path, as far as creating for the doom/stoner/psychedelic subgenres?
FO: We have a lot of influences…different music styles, bands, artists..but can’t say that there is a particular one that made us go this path. Maybe a mixture of different artists and something that just always was inside of us waiting to surface. But if you want some names…Mike loves Pink Floyd and Rage Against The Machine, and Ella’s favourites are Judas Priest and Alice Cooper.
MM: I love Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd! And I can definitely see where the stoner/psychedelic inspiration comes from if y’all are listening to those artists. Lol.
FO: Nice, we like the same music 🙂
MM: We do. Y’all are from Austria, right? Is there a big metal scene there? (My familiarity with music from Austria is limited, but the few artists I have heard are industrial or electronic. Lol.)
FO: Yes, we are all from Austria, though from different areas. Me and Mike founded the project in 2020 and have been looking for musicians who wanted to share our goals and the love for the music.
The metal scene in Austria got a lot bigger than it was once. There are many bands now, mostly in the genres of death/thrash or speed metal. Not so much in the classic heavy metal or melodic metal genres. But there are still more rock bands than metal bands – and it is very difficult to reach people with original music. So there are a lot of cover bands as well.
MM: I saw a recent post about your upcoming album, Confused. Can you tell me a little more about it? What has been the writing and recording process for this album?
FO:Confused tells a story like a book, and each song is a chapter in that book (each song also has a music video on YouTube). We are telling our stories and experiences, but it was always very important to us to leave enough room for the listener to find themselves and their own meaning in our songs. We always have a journey within the song – it starts out in a certain way and then changes into something completely different, and many people told us how cool it is because you don’t really realize it when you listen to it. You just get taken with the story and the music.
Writing and recording was a step by step thing. We thought about what the next chapter would be about, wrote the song, and recorded it. After that, we made the story visible with a music video. So we did this song by song – and the order the songs were released is also the order the songs will appear on the album. The last song on the first album – “Crossing” – is kind of a cliffhanger. The song fades out..and the first song on album no. 2 will fade in at that exact point, making “Crossing” into “Crossing…Over The Bridge,” a song more than 9 minutes long, full of surprises and changes. The album will also include a previously unreleased bonus track called “Void.”
MM: I like the idea of a coinciding video to visually tell the story. I don’t think bands take time with music videos the way they used to, and I’m the generation that was all about videos. I understand it can be costly, so I’m not complaining.
FO: Absolutely true. Many bands don’t have the money for cool videos, others think it’s not worth the effort as no one watches videos anymore because it’s all about streaming music nowadays. But we still believe that a video helps putting the music on another level.
MM: So y’all have planned the way you want to do the release. I assume the album is going to drop this year? Any other plans for 2024?
FO: Our plans for this year are doing some live gigs with the new band and releasing the album in March/April. We are also working on new material – the first song of the second album is done and we’re gonna shoot the video for it soon.
MM: I like the concept of storytelling. Maybe it’s because I write short stories, but I just really enjoy the full experience of music and imagery.
I have a few more questions, kinda just for fun. What would be your dream tour lineup that features Faceless Objects?
FO: Dream lineup… Well, Judas Priest and Rage Against The Machine, lol. But seriously, we are looking forward to meeting cool and interesting new artists and bands..and if you find some you really connect with those would be the ones for a dream lineup.
MM: Are there any bands/artists you guys listen to that you think would surprise people? “Guilty pleasures,” so to speak.
FO: Guilty pleasures… I think to some it might be surprising that Ella likes Glenn Miller a lot and generally 1930/1940s music. Mike’s hidden treasure is Kraan, a former DDR jazz-rock band.
MM: That is one of the more surprising answers I’ve gotten to that question. 30/40s music. Most people throw out a pop or rap artist.
FO: Haha, yep! 30/40s might not be the first guess with a metalhead, but it’s so soothing and the melodies are so beautiful. They also take you on some kind of journey.
MM: I should probably wrap this up, but I’m curious – are you guys self-taught, or have you had any lessons?
FO: Well, Ella and Mike are self-taught. Mike has been playing guitar since he was a little kid and taught himself to play the other instruments over time. As for the rest of the band, Zoka had guitar lessons and also started playing as a young boy, Mexx had coaching and has his own drum school, and Martin is a classically trained pianist.
MM: Is there any message you would like to give your fans, both old and new?
FO: We thank all our fans for their support and love they continue to give us (and some have been with us from the very start). Receiving feedback like “this song really helped me,” “those lyrics just hit my current situation so well,” or just “I love your music and videos, there is so much to find in there.” But we also wanna say..believe in yourself and your dreams. Don’t let anyone decide what you can do or not. You can do what you allow yourself to do.
And thank you, Melia..for this wonderful opportunity to express ourselves and the really good picked questions. It’s been fun and a pleasure, and I hope we’ll do this again sometime!
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Faceless Objects will be releasing Confused in the spring of this year – and hopefully album #2 will quickly follow. In the meantime, you can immerse yourself in the story via the tracks on Spotify, or the visual side on YouTube. And be sure to follow the band’s socials for news and updates!!!!
The Androgen is an industrial black metal project based in southern California. They have released two EPs thus far, both in 2020 – Insomnia and Words Are Knives – and are preparing to drop a new album entitled The Cave in 2024.
I was given the chance to have a conversation with front man Vincent Thorn. We discussed the project’s history, influences, writing/recording process, and more!
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Mostly Music: First and foremost, tell me about the formation of The Androgen.
Vincent Thorn: The formation of The Androgen is a long and drawn out story, with many twists and turns. But, to sum it up, the band has gone through three main stages thus far. Originally, the band was just me, then we had the introduction of its second permanent member, Angel Nightmare, and we cycle in other members for live performance.
The long story – When I lived in Culver City, California, I would do vocal covers in my room every day on a shitty little PA system. I had been doing that since I was thirteen. I am thirty-one now. One day, far in my past, I came across a song called “I Am Halloween,” by Midnight Nightmare. The vocalist, Angel, had a YouTube channel, and I watched some of his stuff. Time flew by…
Then in 2018, I bumped into him at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood. He had just moved out to L.A. Crazy!!!
A year later, I was trying to put together a small underground show in Northridge, and I contacted my friend who I used to practice with when I was on the streets of L.A. (a whole other story). It was a crazy coincidence – he was in Midnight Nightmare, doing keyboards, and the band performed at the event.
After beers and many war stories, Angel would wind up helping me produce Insomnia, Words Are Knives, and the long-awaited third album, The Cave, and playing live guitar in the band.
MM: It sounds like lucky coincidences brought y’all together. That’s definitely one of the better stories I’ve heard behind a band’s formation. What’s the story behind the name “The Androgen”?
VT: The story behind the name is, an androgen is a human hormone in everyone, responsible for aggression, sexual behavior, and masculine and feminine traits. The point being a philosophical take on the humanity of the band and the reflection we provide of the public as a whole.
MM: Who are the band’s biggest influences?
VT: We at The Androgen listen to a lot of international music, mostly jazz, black metal, and aggrotech/industrial. There are too many bands to mention, but a few include Shining, Dark Fortress, Dir En Grey, Dissection, and Rose Funeral.
MM: And for you, personally, what was it that made you want to pursue a career in music? Was there any specific moment, such as hearing a certain song or discovering a particular artist/band, that made you think “That is what I want to do”?
VT: Well, I wouldn’t call it a “career” in music. Most artists work multiple 9 to 5 jobs to be able to afford the luxury of taking the stage and sharing their art. It is a struggle to get shows, but I enjoy every second onstage.
If there was one moment that made me want to do this, that is a hard one… a genuine hard one…
I wouldn’t say there was a certain song, but just like everyone else, I found an album at a low time in my life – Rose Funeral, The Resting Sonata, 2009 – and I decided to try to do that type of music as an outlet for severe anger that needed to be channelled from within myself.
MM: I know these types of things aren’t always explainable in words, but can you tell me why you think The Resting Sonata resonated so deeply with you?
VT: At the time I was sleeping on a park bench, and I used to go into the public library to listen to CDs on their computers. I eventually found an old CD player at a donation place to listen to it on repeat. The reason it resonated with me was, it was a challenging piece of art and I liked that. It was a new language musically that I had to learn, and it was like a gateway to a whole other genre of music.
MM: Switching gears just a bit, what is the writing process for The Androgen? From where do you draw most of your inspiration? (I know you mentioned channeling emotion, so I imagine that answer might be “from within.”)
VT: For Insomnia, I drew most of the lyrical writing from my experience living in Culver City, California. The EP alludes to fatalistic and defeatist ideals, referring to the city’s penchant for hedonism and overworking. The name of the EP refers to the way in which the city seems to never sleep, and I myself didn’t seem to get much sleep while living there. The guitars, synths, and drums are brainstormed in the studio by me and Angel. A typical song is usually created with a foundation of synth and guitar, followed by vocals and then finally drums and bass.
Words Are Knives was written at the very beginning of the lockdown, and was the band trying to push itself farther and is higher quality than what we had done before. The songs were more philosophical than anything else. The writing process remained the same, but we wanted to bring more polish.
The Cave is a testament to the band’s/my struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, depression, ostracization, homelessness, adoption, and disassociation. The name of the album is drawn from a sewer tunnel that between the years of 2011 and 2014 was the residence of myself and many others. Most of the lyrics, if not all, were written on random pieces of paper while living in those conditions that survived up until now.
The writing process is about the same as before with the instruments, but the mix is completely different and the mastering process is also more drawn out, using upgraded technology compared to the previous works.
The date of the release of The Cave is TBA at the moment.
MM: With the varied inspirations and approaches, do you have a track you’ve written that is your favorite? I almost hate asking that, since I imagine viewing your own art objectively might be a difficult thing. Lol.
VT: Yes. But the track is not released yet… It’s off the unreleased The Cave album. Stay tuned.
MM: You mentioned how much you love being onstage. What is your favorite thing about live shows?
VT: Overall, the best thing about live shows is that it is a rare opportunity to drop the mask of pragmatism and be more authentic; while performing I fancy myself an actor, so depending on how you look at it– jumping into another character, or dropping the mask and being myself. At least, I find, if done right.
MM: Piggybacking off that, what would be your dream tour lineup (that includes The Androgen, of course)?
VT: Dream lineup would be (in no particular order) – Dog Fashion Disco, That Handsome Devil, Igorrr, Pensées Noctournes, Watain, Shining, and Rose Funeral. And, obviously, The Androgen. I would love to open the show.
MM: In your dream lineup, The Androgen would open? I feel like that’s unusual; most artists want to be headliners. But I can see the benefit to playing first. (Now that I’m in my late 30s, the openers get all my energy. Lol.)
VT: As a band that has not paid their dues, as the other acts that I mentioned have, being able to play on the same stage, in this theoretical scenario, would be awesome for us. I’d love to be an opening act for a show with that lineup, and being an opener allows for the ability to watch all the other acts without the stress of having to prepare for your act.
MM: That makes sense. So I guess we’re nearing the end of our chat. I just have to ask, what are the band’s plans for 2024?
VT: We have a new single, “Awaiting the Apocalypse,” that is available for streaming, and a music video for it on YouTube as well. [We will release] the album, The Cave, but the date is still TBA. We also have multiple shows in September, and are working with various other bands in our industry to possibly bring more shows before then.
Thank you for the interview, it has been quite refreshing to have such a professional interview. And thank you for your time, and god speed in your future endeavors.
MM: Thank you so much for your time and patience! I look forward to all that is coming from The Androgen!
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Check out the latest single from The Androgen, “Awaiting the Apocalypse,” and be sure to follow them on all their socials so you never miss an update!
The Lucidia Project is a metal outfit hailing from North Dakota. The band stands out with their unique blend of hard-hitting riffs, atmospheric stylings, and orchestral elements. Thus far, The Lucidia Project has released a self-titled EP (2022) and The Requiem EP (2023).
I recently chatted with lead vocalist/pianist Chase Baldwin about the founding of The Lucidia Project, their purpose, influences, and writing/recording process, as well as what’s next for the band.
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Mostly Music: First and foremost, thank you for reaching out!!!! Tell me about the formation of The Lucidia Project, and the story behind the band name (it’s rather unique).
Chase Baldwin: Thank you so much for interviewing us and for following us on Facebook! We really appreciate the support you are showing us!
The Lucidia Project was an idea that I had been thinking about for 15 years, so… a very long time, I know! I wrote songs for a demo EP back in the spring and summer of 2022, because I felt like in order for me to describe what I wanted musically for this band, I needed to provide sort of a template before showing it to anyone else. I met Benjamin Jacobs (our bassist live, but he plays guitars for us in the studio), through a website called Band Mix. I showed him early versions of the songs I was working on, and he loved the idea, and the two of us decided to start working together. I’ve been waiting a long time to find the right person creatively to collaborate with on original songs, and Ben has been amazing to work with!
The name kind of has a deeper meaning for me. Lucidia is a name that’s derived from the Latin word Lucida, which means “light, brightness, clarity,” and “distant star” in some translations. Our lyrical content focuses on some pretty heavy and dark emotional topics. These topics include trauma, addiction, wider political issues, abuse, darkness, depression, etc. The goal for me lyrically is to shine light upon these topics. Through our music, I am not only healing myself but also helping other people from their own personal struggles (at least that’s my hope). That’s where the “project” part comes in. “To shine light upon darkness” is, in essence, what The Lucidia Project is all about.
MM: Y’all definitely blend a plethora of subgenres in your music. Who are the band’s biggest influences? Do y’all come from similar musical backgrounds, or did you have to bring stylistic differences together in order to find your sound?
CB: We are a fusion metal and alternative rock project. Stylistically, it’s a mix of dark metal (gothic, doom, and some death metal), alternative rock/metal, indie singer/songwriter influences (think Tori Amos and Natalie Merchant), as well as symphonic and orchestral influences as well.
Ben and I kind of approach things from two different angles. I’m more influenced by the metal and sort of the darker elements of this project, Ben brings in a lot more of the alternative rock side (think Primus, Placebo, early Tool, Stone Temple Pilots), so we try and create this juxtaposition with the darker elements of metal and alt rock with the more vulnerable and sensitive piano singer/songwriter moments. The orchestral elements are there to add emotional depth to our music. All of this is meant to carry the lyrics and add deeper meaning to the project as a whole.
Ben and I are both classically trained musicians and have taken collegiate level music theory and composition courses. So we are able to construct pieces while speaking the same musical language, which helps us communicate our differences stylistically as well. Dan and Chris, who are both on guitars (lead and rhythm, respectively) step in usually once Ben and I have laid down the ground work or the blue print for the songs, and they help us figure out things like riffs, phrasing, and such.
MM: So I’m curious if you’ve had vocal classes of any sort? Because you do some really cool things with your voice, and have moments that are almost…operatic? It sounds so beautiful with the piano.
CB: I was training to be an opera singer when I was in college. I really wanted to just be a composer, but I was encouraged to go the vocal performance route. I almost finished my bachelor’s of music degree, but I switched to nursing before my final year of study.
MM: I can certainly hear that training.You guys just released The Requiem EP in September. What was the writing and recording process for that record?
CB: The writing process was mostly a collaborative effort between Ben and me. Chris also contributed melodic ideas, as well as the spoken word part in the song “Requiem.” We wrote and produced that EP before Dan became part of our group, so unfortunately, he’s not on it, but he has contributed to future music.
A couple of songs started out with just me at the piano completing the structure and then arranging them for the band to then add additional riffs, bass lines, and melodic ideas. We had two songs (“Eventide” and “Deliverances”) that were only fragments. Ben stepped in and helped me to complete those two structurally. And then I wrote the interlude by myself.
We recorded it out of my home studio. I did the initial engineering on it and then sent it to Danny Meyer of the German metal band Oversense to help with the post production on it.
MM: Do you have a song from the EP that is your favorite, whether because you connect to it more than the others or because it’s just a cool track?
CB: Ben and Chris love “Requiem” (the lead track) because it’s fun to play. I know that Dan has a handful of favorites, so he doesn’t have anything specific. My favorite is “The End of the Lies.” Because I get to be loud and angry, LOL. It was a very cathartic release for me lyrically.
MM: Did you always want to be a musician? (That may seem like an obvious question, given that you’re classically trained and studied music theory/composition, but some people use those studies for other paths in the musical world.)
CB: Ben started taking being a musician seriously at around 14 or 15 and knew this is what he wanted to do. His dad was in a band and he wanted to be part of something like that.
Me, I’ve always sang, and while I started playing piano when I was 9, I didn’t want to start being a musician professionally until I realized I could write my own songs when I was 16 years old.
MM: Do you remember what made you want to play music for a living?
CB: I remember wanting to write songs that touched people’s lives, and expressed who I was as a person. The side of me that most people don’t really get to see. I am really good at being fake happy, and pretending to be ok when I’m actually not. Music and lyric writing has always been my way of confronting myself with the truth. Then based on the messages in my lyrics, making choices in my life that lead me to a better place. So it’s more therapy for me than anything else.
Ben has always had a major passion for music, and playing it, so it’s just been natural for him to progress down that road. Ben also plays multiple instruments from guitar to piano to bass, so he can see things from many different angles musically. He’s kind of this musical polymath and his love for it shows in his dedication to his playing.
MM: What would be your dream lineup, if The Lucidia Project could play with anyone?
CB: It can be hard to find people who you love playing music with and who are good people to boot. The people in this band are talented and well trained musicians with big hearts, I couldn’t ask for better people to play with. As far as drummers go, we are without one, so my fantasy drummer would be either Will Hunt from Evanescence or Markus Hirvonen from Insomnium.
MM: I see that y’all have been added to a lot of playlists this year, as well as doing interviews and being picked up by radio stations. This may be a generic question, but how did it feel the first time you heard yourself on the radio? How much does it inspire y’all when you see these representations of your music reaching people and catching on?
CB: Scary! I’m a very private person but decided to start putting myself out there last year vocally, so it’s kind of surreal that so many people have heard my voice and my lyrics. And all of our playing as well. It was weird hearing myself on the radio. Exciting but still weird. I’m still getting used to it. It’s validating, though. It means that the vision for this band is strong and that people get it.
MM: And last but not least, what are your plans for the rest of 2023 and into the new year?
CB: Writing! We are working on a lot of new music and making plans for 2024 and 2025!
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Do yourself a favor and check out The Lucidia Project on their various socials and your favorite streaming platform. If you are a fan of Evanescence, Apocalyptica, Nightwish, and the like, you will definitely enjoy this band. I will share links and include my favorite songs below!
Naked Sunday is a hard rock band from The Midlands. The quartet formed in 2012, but their lineup wasn’t settled until 2018. They have since released two albums – Signs of Insanity (2020) and Home (2022) – and one EP, 2021’s Skeleton Keys. More recently, Naked Sunday’s track “Lilith” was featured in John Williams’ film Tales of the Creeping Death.
I was fortunate enough to have the chance to talk to bassist Corty Lou about the band’s inception, influences, the latest singles – “Vilified” and “Shine” – and more!
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So tell me, how did Naked Sunday form? And how did y’all decide on the band name?
Corty Lou: Naked Sunday formed around 2012 but became the established lineup it is today in 2018, after much hard work and the release of our first album, Signs of Insanity. The name was based on the Stone Temple Pilots song “Naked Sunday” – we enjoyed how the two words just fitted well together, and of course, it leaves a lot to interpretation.
Who are Naked Sunday’s biggest influences?
CL: As for myself, it would be Motley Crue/Sixx AM, [vocalist/guitarist] Martin’s would be Guns N Roses, [lead guitarist] Alex loves UFO, and [drummer] Liam loves the Foo Fighters, but collectively we all love Queen. We don’t like to make the same record, and much like Queen, we set out to be different from everyone else (especially on our local scene).
Do you remember the moment you realized you wanted to play music for a living? Was there a specific band/artist that made you think “I have to do that”?
CL: I think the second I heard Queen and picked up a guitar, I wanted to perform and make music. It was an instant callin. The first time I could play a few chords, I was writing my own songs, and that love of music and creating is still with me.
What is the writing/recording process for the band?
CL: As a band, we do all write together. Sometimes Martin will come in with some chords and lyrics and it’s almost a full written song, but the band put their stamp on it, myself and Alex usually write riffs and then at rehearsal, Liam will piece them together and we will structure the song as we see fit. A lot of the time we will work a song, such as a new one we are working on at the moment called “LEGION,” by road testing them, and doing demos so we all have structures to work to, or that we can edit and say this may work better. We also share Whatsapp videos of riffs, etc., so Martin can start writing lyrics, or Liam has a heads up so he can develop the feel of the track on the drums.
I want to talk about the latest singles, “Vilified” and “Shine.” Can you share the story behind each of those tracks?
CL: They sit like a brother and sister track to us. “Vilified” is definitely Martin’s baby lyrically. It is about others trying to turn people against you because you have passion or drive. Martin faces a lot of criticism because he is driven and gets great results. It’s a middle finger to the high school bully, the rogue workmate that isn’t a mate, the people in the pub who laugh behind your back but are friendly to your face – it’s a song for the working man.
“Shine” is a different kettle of fish. It is about wanting someone to succeed, totally the opposite of “Vilified.” It’s about rooting for the one you love, wanting them to be the best possible person they can be and the best gift to the world they can be. It’s a delicate number with some of Alex’s best guitar work, and we have to give credit to Miguel Seco, who produced these songs. Without his help and love, especially with “Shine,” we feel he got the best out of us (our fifth Sunday member).
With your full library in mind, do you have a song you connect with more than the others?
CL: I think “Home” for us is something we all connect with. It was the title track to our second album and featured on Fireworks rock and metal magazines CD. It, for us, is just something that we all get lost in, and the audience loves singing the ending. It is a song about our sleepy home town of Stafford – you want to leave, but inside your head there is no place like home.
What is your favorite song to play live?
CL: “Lilith” is one that I think we all dig. It started out as a song I wrote on bass at a rehearsal at Neon Sound Studios in Burntwood. (Martin has a connection of writing a UK 16 Chart song here with Mike Newey the owner.) We even went back to the studio to record it. It’s a brooding dark builder with a very metal ending and the start of us moving into heavier territory. Liam helped with the structure of this, and it just is an absolute blast to play live. The song also features in the film Tales of the Creeping Death by John Williams.
That’s really cool, that you guys had a song in a film! How did that feel, when you learned it was to be used?
CL: So the director John Williams heard “Lilith” and used it in this incredible werewolf scene. The werewolf was designed by Gary Pollard. The film features legendary English actor Ricky Tomlinson. For us it was a dream come true, being massive horror fans. I remember Martin taking the call and jumping around being super excited, then we learned they also added “Unbreakable.” A very surreal and beautiful moment.
Last but not least, what are the band’s plans for the rest of 2023 and into 2024?
We have one final gig of the year left at The Dog House Stafford. It’s our normal Christmas Bash with our good friends Lungdren and Guns for Girls. Then it’s getting the mix back for our single “Web Around My Grave,” which again is a heavy number, followed by a new photoshoot and then recording the final track of our EP Rise, which is a beautiful Tom Petty style song. Then it’s back to gigging straight away around the UK, spreading our wings and following up album number 3. We also have a video to film with the talented Mr Nick J. Townsend of WEAK13, who filmed “Vilified.”
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Things are moving fast for Naked Sunday! You can keep up with all their news, gig announcements, and music by following their socials, and be sure to give “Vilified” and “Shine” a listen on your favorite streaming service!
We Are The Virus is a project from Louisiana that spans metal and all of its subgenres. Front man, and sole permanent member, Ryan Henry brought WATV to life in the wake of Covid, as a way to vent the emotions of everyday life.
I was given the opportunity to talk to Ryan about the beginnings of We Are The Virus, the inspiration behind the music, the latest album, Civil Disobedience, and more.
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How was We Are The Virus formed, and what’s the story behind the name?
Ryan: The, let’s call it “project,” of WATV formed in early 2021, basically out of a Covid-ridden landscape. I had played guitar for most of my life – close to 25 years – and never really attempted a project “solo”. I was 2 years out of a divorce, and my (now) wife had been pushing me to really get back to my musical roots. Really connect back with the music again. We had made it a huge part of our relationship, and she could see how much playing and creating meant to me. She pushed me back into it, and I dove in head first. The name was actually a suggestion from one of the collaborators on the album, Mike O’Brien (Texas Murder Crew; who is also a firefighter as I am). The name really RESONATED crazily with me – I’ve worked in hazardous material response for most of my adult life and was an extreme zombie movie fanatic for years, so it truly fit.
Who are your major influences? Did you and the others involved all come from similar musical backgrounds, or did you have to blend different influences into the sound y’all have created?
Ryan: The collaborators on the album Civil Disobedience have SIMILAR backgrounds; however, the difference in proximity to each other has for sure played a huge influence. I collaborated with Mike O’Brien and Aaron Bazen (Truth and Tragedy) on the album. Both had the heavy musical influence, but the direction was different. Mike being from a Slam/Deathcore background and Aaron being from a Hardcore background brought a few different flavors to the mix. I am the sole constant member in the band, but I feel like it’s very important to fill in my gaps with someone able to express their 100% creative freedom. And I’m lucky to have worked with these two because of the sheer ethic and drive they both have.
Speaking of Civil Disobedience, it was released back in August. Can you tell me a little about the writing and recording process for the album?
Ryan: The writing and recording process for Civil Disobedience was a huge hurdle for me. After being guided into the musical process again by my wife, it was a gateway of emotional sputum. I did not realize what I had inside after my career of firefighting and going through life changes that needed to come out. My writing process was pretty erratic. I didn’t know when or why; however, when it felt as if it needed to come out, it was TIME. There were many times my wife and I were having a normal day together, and I would tell her, “Hey, I need to play, it needs to come out.” Most of the songs were put together quickly, like when it was time to happen, it got spewed out onto the page.
How do you feel your career as a firefighter influences your music?
Ryan: My career, as much as I hate to admit, probably has influenced my music quite a bit. There’s a lot of really dark shit to deal with in emergency response. I’ve seen a lot of death, sometimes natural, sometimes not, but on the contrary, I’ve also been a part of saving lives. It’s an extreme polar bounce of emotions thinking of how it could have influenced. There was one really particular incident where my music and response crossed inadvertently. Years ago, without giving too many details, we worked a fatal car accident involving a young teenage driver. While I had been into heavy music most of my life at this point, I noticed in the deceased’s vehicle there was an album in the back seat, an album that I also owned at the time. That call has always haunted me for many reasons, but the connection of music between the driver and us trying to save them has really stuck with me. Sorry for being vague! It’s out of respect for the patient.
Let’s talk further back. What was it that first inspired you to create? Was there any particular band/artist, or a moment you remember thinking “that’s what I want to do”?
Ryan: To create, I feel like the best answer to this is the feeling or need to express. Behaviorally, I do feel I’ve always been reserved and almost empathetic or too in tune with how others are feeling or have felt. Creation and expression of the music reverses that for those moment and makes me feel powerful. Mentally, it’s helped me considerably to each day take time out to work on music and gotten me back on a track where I’m feeling confident and as if I can take on the world. Growing up, there was a turning point as far as artists that really inspired me. I grew up listening to my dad’s vinyl collection of Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ Top. These bands paved the way for me to get into Black Sabbath and the darker aspects of music. But two bands really solidified me and inspired me to play, and those were Metallica and Korn. These two bands made me want to pick up a guitar every day and play, particularly Metallica’s The Black Album, and Korn’s Life is Peachy.
While we’re discussing your musical tastes, I have to ask, just for fun, is there anyone you listen to that you think would surprise people?
Ryan: Well, as a teenager, I would never have admitted any sort of guilty pleasure. You know, the older I get – I really start to feel like none of my musical pleasure should be guilty (although it could be slightly embarrassing). I love the band The Police. Copeland was an amazing drummer, and I focus on it each time I hear the music. Also, country artist, if you would really call it that, Cody Jinks. Cody Jinks has some really deep stuff. He has very obviously been through some shit in his life, and his song “David” always strikes a cord with me because of my emergency response background. Essentially he, as a police officer, responds to the death of a childhood friend. Listen to the song and really explore it lyrically, really great stuff.
As far as songs that resonate, which one of your own tracks from the new album do you connect with the most? (If there is such a song.)
Ryan: “One Dark Highway,” without a doubt. Musically, the song was written at a super low point. It was my droning song to myself about being in the middle of a dark intersection in the middle of nowhere. Looking in all directions with no headlights, just darkness and a chill in the air. Lyrically, I had given Mike O’Brien the name of the song, and he wrote the corresponding lyrics without any sort of prompt from me other than the name, and the lyrics just sent it right home. “So I walk on this highway, searching for a change” gives me chills and is my favorite, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
What are your plans for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
Ryan: The rest of 2023 is getting used to the live performance aspect of the album. Generally I’ll just play the guitars live with a backing track. I’ve lined up some shows and am hammering out all of the kinks of performance like that. It’s still absolutely crazy to me when I see people vibing to the music I’m playing because it seems surreal. It was selfishly in a way written for me to get my emotional crap out, but people are resonating with it, and it’s odd to get used to it, but I love it.
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We Are The Virus dropped the debut album Civil Disobedience on August 18th. You can stream it here.
Sever Red is a rock/metal band that is just getting started. Having begun their formation in spring of 2023, this heavy-hitting quartet has made the most of the intervening months. Two singles, “Forever Changed” and “Desperation,” were released this fall, and their debut EP, Sick & Tormented, will be dropping in January 2024.
I recently had a chat with the band, which consists of front man Kevin Riner, guitarist Josiah Wilder, drummer Kenny Shillingburg, and bassist Stephen Mauk. Buckle up, because here’s your crash course on Sever Red!
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First and foremost, how did the band come together, and what’s the story behind the name “Sever Red”?
Kevin: The band started with just me having a vision and wanting to write the best EP possible to give myself a real shot at chasing my lifelong dream of being a professional musician for a living. I wrote everything myself, got some demos together, and sent them to a producer named Josh Schroeder, who is absolutely one of the best producers in the United States. (Just my opinion!) Long story short, a 5 song EP was created, and then came the time for me to look for band members so I could get this thing really going. I feel like you have to play live to really get your name out there. In my opinion, there is no better way to grow an organic growing fanbase than playing live shows and connecting with real people.
That being said, my great friend Caleb got me in touch with Josiah, who knew I needed a guitarist, and after a 45-minute phone call discussing our visions and goals as musicians, we agreed we would love to meet up to jam and see what happens. That jam session went great, and then the guitarist spot in Sever Red was filled!
Stephen and I used to play in a band together about a decade ago, and after not really keeping in touch, I decided to see if he would be interested in joining the project. After a couple of conversations discussing details, the goals and aspirations we both had, everything aligned, and then the bass position was filled!
As for Kenny, he always told me he had my back when I was ready to get this project going. Like Stephen and I, Kenny and I go back about a decade as well, and we used to also play shows together. He was in another band, and I always admired his drumming skill, and I knew he would be my go-to guy whenever I was to start my own project. Not only is he a great drummer, but he is a solid dude and friend. Fast forward to now, the project started up and he agreed to be in the band. That is a quick summary of how Sever Red came to be about!
As for the story behind the name, it simply was one of the least cringe band names I could think of that didn’t completely suck. But it also did sort of have a meaning to it. My thought process was it means to not hold onto anger in life because nothing but bad things can come from that. Hence, the name “Sever” and “Red” which is usually a color metaphor for anger. Nothing too deep with the band name. It just sounded halfway decent compared to all my other ideas!
Who would you say are the band’s major influences? And when y’all got together, were you all headed in the same direction, or were you working with different musical backgrounds/influences?
Kevin: I definitely would have to say one of my biggest influences to even start writing music was Shaun Morgan from Seether. I always admired his style of songwriting, and most importantly, his genuine and sincere approach to writing music. His vocal delivery I always thought was honest, and you could feel what he is trying to express to you in his songs, whether it’s pain or sadness. It’s real. I have so many other influences besides that as well, but I would say he’s my biggest influence.
Josiah: I can hear a variety of influences from bands such as Red, Seether, and sections of Bullet For My Valentine. I believe we all have separate musical influences. My own inspirations come from both classical and modern genres. I believe Kevin has a similar background as well. Even with broad influences, we seem to have a cohesive approach to writing music.
Kenny: Bands I would say I am influenced by are Avenged Sevenfold, August Burns Red, and After the Burial.
On a related note, is there any band or artist you listen to (are influenced by) that might surprise your listeners?
Kevin: Good question! An influence that might surprise people is I really love a lot of heavy music as well. I am a big fan of Knocked Loose and The Color Morale. I also am a huge fan of Black Stone Cherry, and I would say they are definitely an influence. I have always admired how they can be so heavy at times while also making you cry your eyes out with other songs they have written. The soulful voice of Chris Robertson is an example of one my favorite types of singing voices. I also have recently been diving into Otis Redding and his discography. It’s good stuff!
Josiah: Anytime I would go to write, there tends to be a visual in mind. Additionally, I’m a huge Mark Tremonti and Brian Haner Jr. fan. The nuances in my playing favor them both pretty often when writing.
What is the writing and recording process for Sever Red? From where do y’all draw most of your inspiration?
Kevin: The writing and recording process is usually demoing in my little home studio. Usually getting the bones and basic idea of what the song will sound like. I have always written the music first, and depending on the mood of the music, that dictates the lyrics and what they will be about. All of my lyrics come from life experiences. Since Josiah has joined, he and I will send back and forth files or voice memos and then collaborate in that way.
Josiah: Voice memos. Lots of voice memos. I have an in-house studio for writing and recording, and I believe Kevin does as well. If an idea comes to mind, I’ll typically just send Kevin the thought and bounce ideas back and forth.
Y’all have released two singles this year, “Forever Changed” and, more recently, “Desperation.” Can you tell me the stories behind these songs?
Kevin: “Forever Changed” was written about my dad. He died when I was 15 due to alcoholism. The song sort of tells a story of watching him grow up, and watching him struggle with alcoholism, and then the aftermath of losing him. It’s just an acknowledgment of the realness of addiction and the consequences, while also being an acknowledgment that I just miss him so much.
“Desperation” was written from another sort of dark place, if I’m being blunt. It is sort of a cry for help, I suppose. I am acknowledging my own issues with substance abuse, depression, and anxiety and feeling that there is no way out. Hence the song name.
You mentioned that you feel playing live is the best way to get your name out there and grow a fan base. How do you feel that playing live and writing music are connected? When you write, do you think about how it will translate live?
Kevin: When I write, I don’t necessarily think about how it will translate live. When I’m writing lyrics, for example, I am usually just in hyperfocus mode trying to get my genuine feelings out of whatever I’m feeling at the time, and I don’t like to force anything. When I’m writing the musical parts, I do sometimes think to myself “Damn, this could sound really sick live,” but that is definitely not the main focus. My main focus when writing is to just write the best song that I can while keeping it raw and genuine. So, to sum it up, I don’t really think about how it will sound live in the initial creation process. It’s hard to tell how it will sound live until you get together with the guys and feel the energy of the song in rehearsals. That’s when you can really tell how it will translate into a live setting.
Josiah: For me, it’s the delivery. When someone connects to a song or part of a song, it delivers something specific to that person. So, to experience that live is quite surreal considering there are numerous other people in the room feeling the same thing at the same time, just amplified. However, I don’t consciously consider the live performance as a part of my writing process. I try to really focus on the purpose of the song to express it accordingly. The live experience is to share that purpose and energy of the song in person.
Kenny: If you can get a special feeling while you’re writing a song, you just know it’s going to translate live. The energy behind the feeling of the music really shines through to the crowd and hopefully makes them feel something with how passionate you are.
All of you seem quite passionate about the live aspect. What is your favorite thing about performing?
Kevin: My favorite thing about performing is to see the reactions of the crowd and how they react to something we created that means so much to me. When you see people really vibing to the music, it really gives you a sense of accomplishment and makes everything worth it. All the days and nights, trying to write the best songs we can, it all comes together once we see the reactions from the listeners. When people tell you how much a song means to them, it’s honestly a feeling I can’t quite put into words. It’s a great feeling.
Josiah: To witness the reactions. Seeing the faces of the crowd and their response to the music. It’s as much of a payment as anything to know the audience is really connected with the experience in that moment.
Kenny: The best things about performing are seeing how everyone is enjoying all of your hard work, and the looks on faces when people can relate to the lyrics or when they’re just feeling the groove of the song. It’s very rewarding.
You guys have an extensive list of influences, and it seems y’all could fit in with several different genres, so I have to ask: what would be your dream tour lineup? Sever Red and…?
Kevin: Sever Red, Staind, Seether, 3 Doors Down and Breaking Benjamin
Josiah: Sever Red, Tremonti, Breaking Benjamin, and Seether.
Kenny: Sever Red, Bring Me the Horizon, Breaking Benjamin, and Spiritbox
And last but not least, what are the band’s plans for the remainder of 2023 and into early 2024?
Kevin: Play as many shows as we possibly can and to have as many people as possible listen to our music! Also, a lot of writing, and then hopefully to keep the momentum going with new music!
Josiah: I believe we will have continued rehearsals to keep sharp for future show opportunities. I plan to write with Kevin and the group and keep working on new material.
Kenny: Rest of 2023 to rehearse and tighten up/gel as a band. 2024? World domination.
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You can check out “Forever Changed” and “Desperation” here, and be sure to follow Sever Red on all their socials to keep up with what they’re doing!
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