melodic rock
Song of the Day — Beautiful Divide: “Bend Not Break”
Song of the Day — Asko Argillander & The Blue Flame: “Motorcycle Song”
Song of the Day — Doom Groove Orchestra: “Written in the Stars”
Song of the Day — My Haunted Past: “Summers Kiss”
Song of the Day — My Haunted Past: “Give ‘Em Hell”
Interview: Clay Soldiers
Clay Soldiers hail from the UK and blend elements of alternative, grunge, and stoner rock in their music. Formed in 2020, the band consists of vocalist/guitarist Leon, bassist Stu, and drummer Pablo. They have already seen a few notable achievements, including 16,000+ all-time streams across the various services and listeners in forty different countries.
I recently chatted with Clay Soldiers about their backgrounds in music, influences, playing live, and their debut EP, Life After Death.
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First and foremost, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview. Let’s start with the story behind the band’s name. I always find those interesting.
Stu: Initially, we were talking about Greek mythology and we were looking for names along the lines of mythological beasts and history. However, Leon states that “Clay Soldiers” came from the idea that people are molded in terms of their way of thinking, their resilience – they are not as strong as they think they are and are made to believe they are invincible.
Clay Soldiers’ sound encompasses multiple styles. Who are the band’s influences?
Stu: Our biggest influences are the bands and sounds of the 90s, such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Queens of the Stone Age, and Faith No More. We also take inspiration from classic rock, like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and lately we’ve drawn from some newer bands on the scene, particularly our friends in Dunes, The Grudge, and High Desert Queen, in terms of their performance and style.
So, if you don’t mind, can you tell me how you got started in music? What made you decide this is what you wanted to do?
Stu: We have always been interested in music in a big way. However, truly thinking about it, we lived through the 80s and 90s, where the music was an inspirational element in our lives. So, seeing bands that had grown considerably from the late 80s to the mid-90s and beyond, it was something that we had always felt that it wasn’t out of reach to do. It was a case of finding the instrument that we could share the rocking vibes with and over time, learning what it means to write songs, what it means to write from the heart through our own lived experiences that listeners can relate to.
And now, y’all have released your debut EP, Life After Death, and have garnered some well-deserved attention with it. Can you tell me a little about the writing and recording process? From where did y’all draw inspiration?
Stu: We tried to make music to reflect life experiences and take to heart how the lyrics can resonate to a wider audience. We wanted to write in a more thoughtful way and build connections with people as they find they can relate to it.
In terms of the recording, we often lay down all our demo stems on an app called Bandlab. It is a piece of software that really helped us to lay out and structure our ideas for the EP. The artwork was an awesome piece hand-painted by UK tattoo artist Jeep Bluezone (who is originally from Thailand). Initially, it was painted on canvas, then she offered to let us use it for the EP cover. We felt the image reflected every song on the EP, which is all about death and recovery – hence the name ‘Life After Death’. In other words, the day the world halts and then we start again.
On a personal level, what’s your favorite song on the EP?
Leon: All songs are very meaningful. If there was one overall song, I would choose “Ghost,” as that is the most epic sounding song.
Stu: I would choose “Ghost,” as it was one of the first tracks we actually wrote by accident and became one of our most evolved tracks. It has quite a cinematic, epic sound to it.
Pablo: “Ghost” for me.
I saw that you guys just played a show with Elkapath, Doomicidal, and At War With the Sun. What is your favorite thing about playing live?
Stu: That was a great show. Our favourite thing about playing live is seeing people enjoying and sharing the moments with us where the music is creating a positive atmosphere like no other. In that moment, we are family!
And on the topic of playing live, how is playing live and writing music in the studio connected? When you write, do you think about how it will translate in a live performance?
Stu: Everything we do in the studio is connected to live shows because everything we work for in the studio, it all comes to a conclusion in live shows. We want everyone to get a first glance of our music. For new fans who are seeing us for the first time, it is about how we can connect to those people and make new friends. For existing fans, it is showing how our music evolves and the fans grow with us.
What is next for Clay Soldiers? I saw y’all hinting at new music on Facebook (I say hopefully).
Stu: Social media is a massive tool, definitely, and it is helping us to reach more people and all around the world. New music is constantly coming, new songs and new forms of composition are there, and we are taking all different styles to create our own way to make music.
What do you feel is the ultimate goal for the band?
Stu: The goal is to keep growing, musically and as a band. To be able to perform regularly. It is not about being famous but is about being original and offering something to people where they can identify. We are now at a stage where we are building a brand and we invite everyone to the opportunity to get involved and be a part of that process.
Is there any message you’d like to give your fans, old and new?
Stu: We would wholeheartedly like to say a massive thanks with much love and respect for all the love and support everyone has shown us. Absolutely everyone is welcome to come and see us, no-one should be left out, regardless of pronoun, gender, sex, where you are from, etc. We just want everyone to be united in the moment, take care of each other and enjoy good times again! All we ask is just come and support local artists, local music! Keep the dream alive!
And a fun question I always ask, just to wrap this up: what would your dream concert lineup be? Clay Soldiers and…?
Stu: Dream lineup… to play an international open air festival, with bands who would love to play
with Clay Soldiers! We would also absolutely love to be on the same lineup as the bands which have inspired us
from the start of our musical inception, such as Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters. Would be nice!
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Clay Soldiers are on a steady upward trajectory, earning new fans and followers with every released single and live show. They bring the best of rock in everything they do. From what I’ve seen, the band will be giving us a taste of their darker, heavier side with their new music. Be sure to find them on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, etc., and check them out! Here is the track that the trio voted as their favorite from Life After Death.
The Lonely Ones Announce 2023 Summer Dates
Tickets: thelonelyones.net, or via the venue’s official site.
- 6/22 – Frederick, MD – Cafe 611
- 6/23 – Hallam, PA – Tourist Inn
- 6/24 – Mount Holly, NJ – The Union Firehouse
- 6/25 – Stroudsburg, PA – Shaman Theatre
- 6/28 – Floyd, VA – Dogtown Roadhouse
- 6/29 – Virginia Beach, VA – Scandal’s
- 6/30 – Wilmington, NC – Mad Katz
- 7/1 – Piedmont, SC – Tribble’s
- 7/2 – Birmingham, AL – The Nick
- 7/5 – Nashville, TN – Cobra Lounge
- 7/6 – Knoxville, TN – Preservation Pub
- 7/7 – Bristol, VA – Old Post 32
- 7/8 – Columbus, OH – A&R Bar
- 7/12 – Cadott, WI – Rockfest 2023
- 7/13 – Cedar Falls, IA – Octopus
- 7/14 – Rockford, IL – Whiskey’s Roadhouse
- 7/15 – South Bend, IN – Cheers Pub (New date!)
- 7/21 – Glasgow, KY – AJ’s Restaurant
- 7/22 – Springville, IN – Lawrence County Rec Park
Interview: Viktor Vetika
Viktor Vetika is an artist who enjoys several creative outlets. Starting in thrash/metal bands, he has since ventured into writing a comic book, making music videos, and fronting a more rock-oriented ensemble that bears his surname. It seems he can do it all!
I had the fun of chatting with Vetika about music (mostly), though we did touch on the subject of his other endeavors. Read on to learn more.
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Thank you so much for talking with me! Let’s start with my standard opening question: what made you want to pursue a career in music?
VV: I was at the end of a relationship after college and I was really depressed, this was 1992. I was listening to a college radio station and heard a song that was very powerful called “Inner Conflict” by Carnivore, and it hit me differently than any other song I’d ever heard. I made a decision right after that song that I would start singing for a band. I knew I couldn’t sing to save my life, but I knew I could shout and scream like Peter Steele in Carnivore.
How did Vetika get its start?
VV: I’ve been in many bands since the early 90s. Each band I’ve been in has been a headache. I got divorced and stopped playing in bands in 2010 to get my life back on track. I enrolled in a masters in fine art degree and achieved it in 2015. Then I was slowly feeling the music bug again in 2017. I decided this time I would be the boss and enlist musicians and play in the direction I want to go rather than letting the fate of a democracy make the decisions. I’m drawing a comic book called “United Forces” and one of the main characters in the book is me. So to push my comic, I named the band Vetika, my last name.
I’ve had 7 guitarists for this band so far, starting with Tom Wills with a thrash song. Then Angel Lee, the singer/guitarist of Devils Envy, wrote a few of the songs off the Skull with Magic EP. Then there was Brian Ballas and Jeff Fernandez. They wrote songs for the EPs She is Magic and Power of the Pit. My old bandmate, Jason Parke, shot me over some songs, and I’m still working with him. I worked on one cover song with Ben Johnson. I have a new guy, Neid, who’s been writing songs for this newest EP.
You’ve been doing this a really long time, then. How do you stay inspired? What keeps you excited about what you do?
VV: The creating aspect of making a song, and making a music video. Every band you make music in is going to be different. I knew this would be the case for this band. I’ve worked with different guitarists in this band and each time there’s a new sound, it inspires me.
I’m also an artist, and the new thing about my musical career is the technology I haven’t had in the past to create music videos affordably. Since making music videos during Covid, I wasn’t able to bring my band mates together to film, but I did have myself. I painted a wall in my living room green for a green screen and started filming myself as different Vetikas. In the music video “One Regret,” there are multiple Vetikas, and this started an idea that has even crossed over to my comic book “United Forces.” Using this idea of the multiple Vetikas, I incorporated the idea into the music videos “Power of the Pit” and “The Sunrise of Nothingness.” There’s a good Vetika, a bad Vetika, a scared Vetika, you get the point. Some are in this dimension, some are in other dimensions.
In the “The Sunrise of Nothingness” video, Vetika is walking through this foreign land. The foreign land is photos of ripped foam laying on a styrofoam sheet I bought from Joanne fabric, lol. The video making really gets me off. I’m not too fond of the filming and acting out parts of the story, but I love editing and seeing the story come to life. My barometer for if the music video is working or not is when I laugh out loud at how silly a part of the video is, when I do that I know I’m on the right track. After shooting this video, I took a photo of myself in the foreign land to create the album art.
Another area that keeps me inspired is that I’ve been inviting musicians from the central Florida area to collaborate with us. I’ve had Bobby Koelbe (Death), Ken Andrews (Obituary), and Adam Phillips (Indorphone, Pro-Pain) play solos on songs; Meka (Meka Nism) sing a duet with me in a song, and Angelo “Crisco” Miceli (Seven Nations) and Kevin Collado (In This Day) play drums on a few songs. Currently working on a few songs with Russel Ray (Reddstar), who is a drummer/producer. The Vetika camp keeps growing.
In your own words, how would you describe your music? If you had to categorize it, what genre would you be?
VV: The first few EPs started off as thrash/metal, but I’ve recently been slowing down and trying to sing a bit and go in a hard rock & classic rock direction.
What bands/artists inspire you?
VV: I listened to unsigned bands from the 90s when I was starting, which inspired me because those bands were coming up with their own thing and learning how to be a band. Their music is unorthodox. Bands like Dissolve, Implode, Shaman Mary, Sheldon, Nothing Face, and Stuck Mojo. These were bands I saw live when they were just starting.
I’m also inspired by top 40 ’80s music because it sounds nothing like what’s being made today. The funny thing is, I grew up in the 80s and hated top 40 then, but have a huge appreciation for it now.
That happens. I like alternative rock from the 90s much more now than I did when living through it. Still on the subject of what you like, is there anyone you’re a fan of that you think would surprise people?
VV: My newest song “The Sunrise of Nothingness” was inspired by David Gilmour’s guitar playing. I love how he plays guitar. Go have a listen to his album About Face. It’s amazing.
What is the story behind that track?
VV: It’s about contradictions and hypocrites.
Tell me a little about your songwriting process. From where do you draw your inspiration?
VV: My process is I hear a song that I like, and it inspires me to write one that is similar. Now that I’ve put out a good supply of songs, I’m leaning more on the mix/master part of the song production, which I hadn’t really focused on before. I’ve been inspired by the mixing of these newest songs and listening to the richness of the production quality.
That leads directly into my next question. What has been your writing/recording process for the tracks on this new EP?
VV: My process is always hearing a song and telling my guitarist this is what I want to do next. He’ll take the idea and make it his own. He sends me a sample and I’ll tell him if he’s hit the mark or not. If he hits the mark, I tell him to keep going. If he misses the mark, I’ll give him directions on what to do next. When we’re done, the songs sound nothing like the songs I got the inspiration from.
This has been the most rewarding band for me because of what I mentioned already and technology. Every band I was in up until Vetika we could never record easily, it took a lot of money. But with technology now I can get my guitarist to put together a few riffs and plug in some electric drums, get my bassist to record his tracks and then I sing over it at my house on my computer. Send it off to get mixed and mastered. I come up with the music video ideas, film them, and edit them in Adobe Premiere Pro.
What is coming next for Vetika, and what is the ultimate goal?
VV: I’ll be putting out the next music video “Overturned” and wrapping up a few other songs for the The Sunrise of Nothingness EP. My ultimate goal is to play some shows and get word out about the band to more people. We were about to play live, and then Covid happened. I currently have a drummer and bassist from a previous band I was in, but the guitar part is hard. The guys I’ve been using are not able to play live, so I’m trying to recruit some guitarists.
What would be your dream tour lineup?
VV: Play with Metallica. Why not play with the best to get the word out.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans, new and old?
VV: If you’d like to know more about me, pick up the comic book titled “United Forces” at www.monarchcomics.com. The main character is myself and Phil Foulder. Also watch my music videos on viktorvetika.com. They tell my story as well. For the foreseeable future, all of the music videos will be about me in an insane asylum, making music videos in my head.
And by all means, send me fan mail. It’s lonely in the asylum. My email is victor.vetika@gmail.com
Last, but certainly not least, where can my readers get their hands on your music?
VV: All streaming services.
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It seems that Viktor has his proverbial plate full, his excess of creativity finding its outlet on multiple fronts. Be sure to check out the comic book, stream his music, and follow his socials for news on all his endeavors!
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