An interview by Sam Blanchard (@mantha.maee) at WIIT

 

Sam: I’m here with Tom and Dave the brothers of Way To Go Radio. Thank you guys so much for coming on the show today. 

Q: What was the inspiration for Way to Go Radio’s style? Can you guys talk a little about your musical influences?

Tom : Young the Giant, Phantogram like, stuff like that. So it’s like you kind of almost seemed blended a little bit of like, older rock with the newer sound, you know, probably from the older band as well, I’m sure.

Dave:  Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, we still have the rock influence, but it definitely had more like, electronica influences. Exactly

Tom : How the fans I got started… Can I spin this mic I can’t see your face haha?

Sam: Yeah true lol

Tom :  You’re like I can’t see your face either jerk we’re even!

Sam: Yeah, we’ll get to the glasses.

Q: But like have you seen that your style has evolved from your old band, do you think that’s kind of just because new music, we were talking back in the studio about there’s a lot more electro bass synth bass bands and so do you think that’s kind of changed you know how you see the music, you want to create?

Dave : I think you know so often whenever anybody’s doing anything music and certain bands, you know, even if you have maybe garage bands and stuff and yeah, you can keep that sound forever because it’s just that you got to do different things. So I don’t think it’s so much that you try to do different things or change it but it’s just more of a natural progression and different kind of sound.

Tom : Yeah, whenever the band was kind of, I don’t know like about to die there, we were kind of like I don’t say almost excited…because was there’s something freeing about being able to start something new. When somebody who’s known who you were for like a decade to all of a sudden change it up after six we had that six records with them. And then it was kind of like, you’re kind of sick pigeon holede. You’re really not it’s all in your head. But we didn’t want to alienate a whole entire fan base when we’re just starting fresh. 

Dave : You’re trying to get like different venues or play different things that people know you from that, that name you can’t shake it. So even if you’re trying to do something different, it’s like the way you sound like that. So we can’t put the years like we’re not like

Tom : Yeah, and rebrand is kind of huge because we did a lot of bigger things without like, we got pretty close to popping off. Interested in pop off some of those people kind of like they think your windows close. So like we would headline bigger venues in the city and get on major festivals and get major radio. And when it wouldn’t go to that next level, and it’s been a few years since then they look at you like I don’t know, like older actors or something we’re typecast. So we know what you guys are. So it is more fresh to start now, you know?

Sam: Yeah, so your newest album barriers just came out in November.

Q: How long you guys working on that? What was it like to kind of watch that, you know, the put on Spotify and on Soundcloud and everything?

Dave : There’s like a long process just a lot of things just like between just problems recording different circumstances, you know, so it was like most things you took longer than you thought it were. But I think sometimes in the long run, it’s actually better because instead of being in a hurry and being in a rush, you know, like we have our own recording stuff and all that stuff. So you’re not feeling it one day. You know if you’re choosing a drum tech track or not. But you can like come back the next day and just try to get you down under the pressure of the gun for like hourly you know paying hourly wages

Tom : Yeah so I think that was that was pretty frame but it was like you said everything that previous centers you’re talking about to anything that could have went wrong or like being members of the band leave,  we had other people like fight little demons addiction, one guy went to jail and personal stuff. I mean, I caught viral meningitis and spinal taps that leaked, even we’re getting this record out I got rear ended by a semi truck as well. Anything that could have we thought it could happen went completely bananas and everybody around us was exploding. So it was crazy. So it gave us a lot of material to work with. Yeah, but it definitely stretch that process out a little longer than I would not like the next one to take that one. That’s for sure.

Sam: Yeah.

Q: So what is the music making process like? I know you mentioned that, you know, it felt a lot more kind of, I don’t know, just like casual because You weren’t worried about it, like, exact timeline that some record had thrown at you. So what was that part of it like it was

Tom : For me I’ll start it was pretty freeing because I usually always start out with an acoustic and then I work  out tracks even if they’re not going to be ultimately on acoustic I just start with the guitar and sometimes the vocals and melodies come right away and sometimes you don’t but I usually have a pretty good filter where we’ve been obviously brothers forever and in a previous band for so long where I filter all that out and I bring them the songs that I know are good. And then they might kick out a couple of the ones that aren’t going to make it but like I don’t inundate them with like 50 tracks and be like, let’s go through it as a band because our kind of philosophy is if it needs a lot of work it’s usually just a garbage song. Yeah, and you know, I can write one right away I’m like dude, this is it. It’s got to do some magic in it and if you have to keep the work and and rework and rework and I’m you feel like that effort could be spent on a new song that has magic, so usually, I filter that out and then I bring it to Dave here  and then the usually build the jump tracks and then you start bringing in the synth, and then an arrangement,

Dave : You know we never wanted to be like a jam band. You’re like everybody, let’s get together and see what comes out. It was never like that.

Tom :  That’s okay. But it’s also kind of like live by the sword die by the sword. And that’s where I think it’s like sometimes you can get too many chefs in the kitchen, where it’s like what of there is no magic happening in that day. And now it’s like will your song that we just did, it didn’t work and it sucks. So we’re not going to do it. And it’s like, well, let’s just, there’s a time to work on those tracks and then bring your idea to somebody although it’s kind of like the equivalent of word vomit. It’s like yeah, just kind of wait until you’ve got a concise idea if like you’re asking us questions right now on the spot so we’ll work on it but if you’re like hey Tom, I need you to write two paragraphs on what it was like to make this record all these details are getting live right now. 

Dave : Its probably about the equivalent if you’re like you know studio that’s making a movie you know, new director that keeps coming to like the decision to just change your by like, just come back when you have the whole thing. Yeah, yeah. You know, like you have a nice solid piece of working wants to do it the script is kind of the same kind of thing.

Q: Okay, so you start with the vocals and then you move into like adding the synth and the beat?

Tom : Yeah! And sometimes I can hear those melodies. Like while I’m writing the acoustic and the guitar, I work on a pretty tight arrangement. Yeah, even the beats per minute down, you know, yeah. And then I bring him to Dave. And the Dave’s just takes time as far as working on the different parts of the songs. And then a lot of times I’ll write countermelodies even on the acoustic still, and then did I had but it’s not acoustic, but we’re going to find the hot sound and then we’re going to go ahead and put this on synth or piano.  I wrote a whole entire song on this last one, I think it was More Than This, and I was like, man, I was really proud of the chord progression. I had a ton of chords, but like, one chord went to the next and the next and I brought it the day and he’s like, yeah, that’s cool, man. I like it. You know why? Cuz it sounds just like a Green Day track. I was like, I had no idea, I mean I like Green Day, but I wasn’t listening to him at the time. Yeah. And it was kind of a coincidence. And he’s like, it’s not exact, but it’s close. So What we did is we took it and put it on piano and it broke it  away and then we build up synth. So it we had to do something to make it not sound so reminicint. You know?

Sam: Yeah, I do feel like a lot of your songs are kind of a really interesting mix of kind of different styles and genres. So

Tom : Yeah, thanks I think it’s trying to do something new, you know? Yeah, it’s kind of like I shouldn’t keep saying this cuz its always going to come back to haunt me but everyone keeps saying that I since even the old band that I sound like David Bowie and I like the dude he’s cool but uh, I never tried to mimic him or anything but in any kind of reviews we ever had it was David Bowie David Bowie… 

Sam: I could see that like your sound kind of has an like an older feel to it in the best way then converge that kind of with the new electro beat and it’s a really mix.

Tom :  I think it’s kind of Dave and I were always into bands, probably right now listeners dont even know them because they’re huge in Europe but we’re always into like the Kooks, Stereophonics, the sabian. And a lot of those annunciate different in Europe too. So I think that’s where I come from is I make such a conscious effort to make sure everyone can hear every vowel of every verb and so maybe that’s why it sounds European. .

Sam: That’s actually really interesting. Yeah. Kind of reminds me of Phoenix if heard of them. Older style, newer tunes in the background. 

Tom :  Yeah! What was that big hit in the car comercial? It was like 19 something.

Sam: Oh, yeah. I don’t know. I’m terrible with names sometimes (It was 1907, SMH.) Too much information. Too many good songs out there. Can’t keep track. So you guys, like I said, are a newer band.

Q: So do you have any kind of idea of where you see yourself in a year or five years? I mean, what’s the ultimate goal? Do you want to become, you know, on top of the billboards?

Tom :  Yes. I mean, I’ll let Dave take over the rest of it because he had a really good thing, I think he’ll speak a bit more on the goal is obviously like, ultimately, I would say success just being able to tour make a living just doing this. That’s always the goal. It’s kind of almost like if you’re not playing for a championship, why get in the game play? I don’t want to play a coffee shop. Some people do that, you know. But, Dave had a good response more a couple of years ago was like, lowering the expectations is I think we put so much pressure on ourselves from previous fans…

Dave : They can only control what you can control and so as long as you’re doing all the groundwork you can do then it’s like, you’ll see what happens, and usually that hard work pays off.

Tom : It comes with age too sometimes, like, we boxed for years, and it’s kind of like, when you’re younger, you’re going to puff your chest, talk a bunch of trash and then for me sometimes when I was younger, that would help me back that up because I’m like, well, I’ve talked myself into a corner here. I must do something. Yeah, you know, you’re so confident with your skills on what you do. It’s not necessarily like let’s just box or in this case, we’re going to work as hard as we’re going to work. So me telling everybody what our prophecy is. It’s kind of like, dude, I don’t know, you can only control so much. Yeah, you know, work as hard as you can, and sometimes that energy can be better spent…

Dave : So many artists too that get discovered just by chance,not looking for success and they just get successful, you’re like, where’d this guy come from? You know, and you just learn who’s doing that?

Sam: It’s all absurd, It really is there’s no mold for it. 

Tom : And when you’re younger, and you’re grinding, sometimes you kind of like, take exception and you get angry for no reason. And now I’m like, good for them. Like, that’s awesome. Like, I don’t care if your musics horrible, and like, even if your musics horrible, and you’re like super famous, like Oh, man, they’re horrible. I can’t get it. And I’m like, blame the fans don’t blame them because you would do the same exact thing. Like you know, some just like “Dude, your band sucks. Your fan base is awesome.” I’ll be like your I kind of just mailed this and I’m going to take away all the success now and go back to doing what I was doing.

Sam: Yeah, and I feel like everyone just defines success differently, especially with music. It’s like, like you said, I think if you’re able to kind of support yourself and like, do what you love all the time, and that’s enough, you know, to give you a satisfying career with it,

Dave : If you ultimately are trying to be like, you know, the ones that stay forever, they’re like, the very rare minority when you think about, like, over time, like how many bands that were huge, huge, having be like, five years time, and you don’t even think about them again. You know, it’s a time that comes to go, they were huge, you know, and you just deal with “whatever happened, those guys” and you don’t know what happened, you don’t hear from them,

Tom : And they might still be grinding, but like, you know that success is sometimes fleeting. I think if you were to pop off now, I’m glad you didn’t pop off for like 14/15 years old. We weren’t prepared. Like, I would not like if he had a single pop off on here. I wouldn’t know how to be like, okay, it’s happening. Like now we can control this. We kind of know what we’re doing.  And bringing people in to help us guide us and we can make it a career out of it where it wouldn’t be left to chance, you know?

Sam: Yeah, definitely.

Q: I was gonna ask too, do you guys do like other stuff on the side right now? Or is the band  your full time gig?

Dave : We teach So yeah, I play drums he plays guitar then we also teach at music studio stuff too. Actually of the people that we know that goes here.shout out her. 

Tom : Yeah, Quinne shout out to her, weve known Quinn for a long time.

Q: Yeah. What Chicago neighborhood are you guys from, just curious?

Tom : It’s actually West Chicago suburb, which is actually the biggest stupidest name for suburb of Chicago. It’s by like Wayne and St. Charles. Far West, but yeah, we always just played the city because we don’t do covers. I can’t handle that. I don’t have my Bon Jovi wig. Wait till I get like 60, pop off the chest hair, you know.

Sam: Yeah. So that’s actually a good kind of way to move this conversation.

Q: I was curious. What’s the, like upcoming tour looking like I know you guys have a show, I think in Canada coming up or if I saw that right on your website. 

Tom : Yeah. We’re going to start popping off in the summer because we’re brand new. We got some stuff that’s in play now. And we’re going to start booking like, I don’t know, like late summer night, but we want to do like this radio tour. Everything is kind of like bombarded on social media. So like, we kind of decided to do like a grassroots backdoor approach and be like, hey, let’s hit the radio stations. And through that, and now the major radio stations are starting to kind of pick up a little bit. So we want I just think it’s kind of tacky to say that we’re getting played on the radio station on your radio station, but there’s other bigger stations on FM stations that now because we’ve been doing the college circuit and growing and the base and the stangers out there are taking interest. Yeah. So I think that’s like the approach to take

Dave : Its a lot different now too to youre not obviously putting up flyers all around town, trying to people your shows, social media, all that stuff. It’s a lot different even, before was play out as much as you can play here play there and have these venues are shutting down too because this is the only exchange, you know. So it’s like how many people want to go to see live shows and how many bands actually want to drag all their equipment and go there and do what they can do live streams of some 

Tom : And if you can rely on that base, like, you know, you had that base where like, we’re talking to some venues right now where it’s like, ‘Hey, you know, maybe we’ll open up the second on the bill’, but like, I think back in the day, we would get thrown in an uncomfortable position where they’d be like,  we really like a record, you’re headline, and then we would have to like freak out and work to fill the place by any means necessary. Yeah, and that fan base can almost collapse on itself after a while because it’s like you’re trying to pull out as much as you can in the city but like, you kind of burn the draw because you’re not growing organically if that makes sense

Dave : Like you have to make your own really nowadays like because it means just how people are to make a conscious effort if you have favorite band and you really like them and you know you want to go see them. I mean because I mean  anything’s on demand. You know, you have your favorite radio stations and we do too and podcasts with sports radio. I go home at night and I gotta listen to them because busy during the day. Yeah, DVR with your favorite shows at night you know that nobody’s tuned into that exact live moment anymore. So yeah, it’s kind of a different game.

Tom : And because of that that, if you watch a lot of the festivals in the city they’re cover bands and sometimes like they had slots reserved for like, you know, certain street festivals where it was like more original bands back in the day. Yeah, so it’s a little different. Like I don’t know why you would book 4 cover bands back to back.. just have one play for four hours. I don’t know.

Sam: I mean, I’ve noticed that especially, I think Spotify helps because like, I don’t know I always am looking at my bands and that does put when their shows are but I miss concerts all the time. You’re just so like out of tune with it. You’re you know, you’re scrolling through your Discover Weekly or, you know, whatever suggested playlist Spotify has to be that week and you just forget to even take notice of your bands.

Tom :  What you’re saying right now, right? Super accessible. You’ve got it at the tip of your fingers. But there’s so much and it’s…

Sam: a data overload. 

Tom :  Overload. Yeah. Like we’re back in the day, you’d be like, Oh, you pick up a magazine, “guess who’s coming to town?” and you go buy tickets.

Sam: Plus, I just think you have less bands to focus on maybe, you know, in the old days, they had less bands to focus on at once. So it’s easier to just kind of like focus in on that.

Tom :  Yeah, there was a lot there were a lot more of a filter, I think is now it is so accessible. Yeah. Well, you know, sometimes bands have been together two weeks. So like, they’re out there with you, like battling for eyes. And I’m not saying that that’s wrong, but like,  back in the day, like almost like gatekeepers. Those gatekeepers are not here. Now. That’s true, but you know, but there’s like, there’s always a give and take, because if you really grind it and like they would see you playing lower venues, and I’m like, okay, dude, they’re ready, they’re ready and then guide you up a little bit, you know, where now it’s kind of like, you know, you know, three chords, you could take a YouTube video and I actually try to cut through that now on the same platform.

Dave : The record labels mean, it doesn’t mean anything anymore. So it’s like, you know, you just on your own, you know, yeah, like so why would they…

Q: I mean Billie Eillish did it in her room, right?

Tom : Yeah, and you get the tour support.  The only thing that’s kinda nice about them is like the huge marketing, right? I mean, they can get eyes on you really, really quick, right? You know, I’m not saying like, I that was always the people were like, younger bands, but dude, like, Bruce, record, I’m like, I’ll do that all day, man. Like if somebody came in, right, I was like, Hey, man, we’re gonna sign you and put you on tour open it up for Fitz and the Tantrums for 8 months… like, I’m fighting man, like a coffee shop down the street.

Dave : Because you want to do but then when you started having bills when you get older.

Tom : Yeah, exactly.When you’re 15 years old, and you fly that punk flag, but when you’re like older, and you’re still making sacrifices to keep your dream alive, like, I don’t want to see you compromise, but you are you never compromise the art, but the delivery system, you know, like sometimes you have to, you know,

Sam: yeah, and I think people have a lot more focus on smaller bands than they did ever before because of streaming services. It’s like I pay as much attention to the strokes as I do to the shins are like us really smaller band has a way lower fan base. I think that really helps, you know, newer bands.

Q: Have you noticed that like marketing strategy wise between your first band in this one it’s just there’s less focus on trying to be the biggest because you know, you can still make it?

Dave : Like I think because everybody was always like looking for the up and comers, you know, like everybody we look for, like,  that new band and something coming out, check out this track, they’re going to be huge. And I think it’s so like, different now and try to find that, that I think it’s more of a hunger in different ways for people to try to find these different kinds of bands that they can attach themselves.

Tom : Yeah. And with, you know, the technology like Dave was saying earlier, we have our own recording studio we have for years and we even in the previous band, I think I did like the last five records, we engineered mix, produce them, do them all. So it’s like to have that at your fingertips. Now. I think when you come with the quality, you can get pretty close visually if you take your time to make what a major label we put out so bad it’s like what you’re saying you can be on an even playing field just like yes graphics look cool and you know there’s…

Sam: your album art is cool like… I like the name of your you know album. 

Tom : Yeah, exactly different logo. Like, if you really take the conscious effort like that’s kind of like I don’t know like how to say something like cringy early school negative but I think just because like you have the platform to speak or in this instance like releasing music. You should have, we talked about earlier, that concise thought and product first. Like if you had to present some kind of presentation for an internship at something that may be your job, you’re not going to walk in with like sticky notes and be like, well, “hey, what’s up like, yeah, my name is blah blah, blah let’s get to it” and like drop a water and be like lets go they look at you like you’re crazy. So like, if you’re doing art, it’s kind of the same way like just have your like your package together if that makes sense.

Dave : Yeah, simple things like in YouTube like with the kids we teach you know it’s like that same stuff a lot of times they’re not even exposed now you know to music because a lot of times they’re not listening to certain radio stations. Every day everybody gets their stuff differently you know that’s like how you consume your drug kids, but I’m like some kids you know they’ll go on YouTube and they’ll come in and think they discovered something completely new and it’s something so old. Some kid want to learn like a Low Rider, and I’m like, ‘have you heard of this song” like I think everybody has but congratulations you just discovered it…

Sam: That’s super interesting. And I think too just because you has access to so much if you don’t have like the best most compiled looking and you know, looking album, then it just gets swiped to the next you know, and so it’s hard to because you have to be visually appealing or whatever.

Dave : Like even things like services, so like even like you with Spotify and I got Apple Music, and like I’ve only had it for probably like four months to finally get through, you look at it like, ‘that’s like $8.99 a month!’. But then when you look at how much money would you spend when used to go to the record store, you know, 10 bucks here 10 bucks here a month, you know. So it’s like you look at it, you’re like, yea.

Tom :  See, I’m still so old school. I buy all my albums on iTunes so the band makes the money.

Sam: I feel terrible. I feel so bad because I know that they’re not getting that money, but like, it’s just so easy to use (Spotify).

Dave : I didn’t even buy our own album, I’m listening to on Apple Music. 

Tom : First day I bought it on iTunes! What I find kind of interesting is like, the dichotomy of that and even like they were saying, you know, even though everyone has the ability to be connected now more than ever, most people are isolated and depressed and they don’t have social skills. And it’s like you have that ability. It’s kind of the same thing with the music like there’s so much, I sometimes, if everyone’s going left I’m on is zigzag and go right. So we’ll go to the radio stations. Now we’ll get those people that aren’t in that maybe willing to get 20% up. But that 20% is that niche group that you can grow a fan base from? Instead of there’s 1000 voices in there.

Sam: Yeah, that’s cool. Alright, so your glasses have been blinking at me this whole time.

Q: So Tom over here is wearing these super cool I guess you call them like holographic LED glasses. And so yeah, what’s the deal with those? 

Tom : Yeah, it’s like, 

Sam: I’m sure you get this every interview. 

Tom : Yeah which is ok. I think it was like from the last band we’ve set on a few years both obviously we’ll keep saying it was a jerk. But uh, I don’t know we had like a different look to us like a little bit more clean cut. So like they would, even though we’re not covered in tattoos and stuff, there were kind of times when they would review our album, critics and stuff, like two columns on how you’re all about looks, and we’re pretty boys and this that and the other like, dude, like, you’re the one I can like, take like, an album cover with a bowl tying my shirt off like, dude, you’re the one that’s commenting on it. No one’s bringing it off. Our bass player in the previous bands was a good looking dude too, you know. So it’s like, they would go after that, for some weird reason. So when we were going to this album and start all over, I told Dave, I was like, dude, I’m kind of done with that. I want to take it out of the equation. I was like, I wonder if they make glasses that can put images on them? He’s like, he thought that somebody’s done it. So I looked them up and grabbed on and now at first I wasn’t too sure about wearing them. And now it’s kind of nice, because when people see them, they automatically know who we are.

Sam: Yeah, yeah, that’s just unique. 

Tom : Yeah, I think I don’t know about yourself because obviously we’re a little older but it’s like, I still like retaining my privacy in a world where everything is 24/7 available. Like I am not comfortable with telling people you know, my workout routine, Who im dating, like that’s my stuff. You know, like I’m at a concert, like let’s say the three of us are at a concert and I want to know that I was there with you guys. I remember who bought the beer and we’re all sitting there watching this taking in with our eyes instead of our phone. And if you were’t there, it’s almost like well, then you missed out, man. That’s our little secret memory.

Sam: Yeah, that’s cool. I like that. No, I feel that. I hate there’s nothing I hate more than a concert where there’s someone in front of me or like even someone I’m there with who just records the whole damn show.

Dave : Everything the band’s just always had, like, you know, you have legit concerts filmed and all that. And then once everybody had two phones, what’s the purpose of money to have your concert filmed, you can just look at it from your phone, so it’s pointless.

Sam: Yeah, it really annoys me. But just kind of a caveat on the glasses. I think there’s something really big like to be said about kind of separating your physical appearance from your art. I think. Like, I’ve seen that a lot in music. I think I’ve SIA, I think at the Weeknd for a little bit. 

Tom : Yeah, we always talk about the Weeknd. The word I’ve been using to a lot is like how we wanted to inject some imagination back.

Sam: Yeah.

Tom : Hey, like if it is all about the music like then it should be all about the music, you know, like, and that’s other stuff just kind of like frosting on the cupcake. But if that cupcake is disgusting, you know, nobody wants it. So like you said, SIA, we’ve heard that, the Weeknd, Daft Punk. Yeah.We couldn’tdo the rubber masks route. That was just…

Sam: Too much work at that point. Too much hassle.

Tom : And who likes the latex anyways

Sam: I always think it’s cool to I mean, I’m assuming you wear those when you perform live or planning to but I always think it’s really interesting when I go to see a band live because  I only listened to them and then when I see them live, you had no idea what that looked like. And it goes against everything you imagined. 

Tom : Yeah. And even like, now, which I always enjoyed us on radio, right? Yeah, like right now. They don’t have any idea what you look like but they’re imagining based on your voice ehat you may look like that’s kind of cool and so and then when they do meet you look like a holy cow either it was just like I pictured or it’s not but like they are like being creative right now listening.

Sam: I like how music is just solely a kind of like how you interpret it has nothing to do with physical side, like it shouldn’t. 

Tom : it does when it gets to that major level obviously but you know, like when you’re on the up and up and if you’re going to try to let your music up through like I said, Sometimes if there’s like 100 people screaming in a hallway I’m gonna walk through the library like I want to take a different path to try to get maybe more attention to voices there’s just too much going on. 

Sam: Right. That’s just deterring them from actually like, figuring out what the music is supposed to mean. 

Dave : A lot of bands were, I remember, trying to do soundtracks for movies. It was another avenue to try to get your song your music on a soundtrack and and that’s how some of those bands would explode real soon, like oh, this is how we got big was they had a song from this movie. It was on the soundtrack.

Tom : So we’ll see as long as I keep making you know Triple-A batteries.

Sam: I think you you’ll be good for a little bit. Yeah. Um, I kind of want to mention one of the songs The album is I was listening a couple days back I just thought one pretty interesting. I’m from Southern California so I was curious as to what the inspiration was behind your, I would say more psychedelic ish, maybe like Pink Floyd ish, track Letters to Southern California.

Tom : This one’s actually kind of unreveal all that it’s like a plot twist. We had a member of a friend that was in a band in the previous project, I wont say what happened under weird circumstances, he went to jail for a little while. So the Southern California is actually the name that the street it’s off of downtown, for all you people that have never been to jail, but just informative. I visited, we visited and so what I did is I purposely kind of mashed it and made it sound like I was talking about The letters of South California the State but I used to write him every Sunday while he was locked up until he got out.  If you listen to the lyrics it gives a little bit more of us just kind of like trying to tell him ‘hey, man’. It wasn’t really his fault a little bit into what happened. Yeah, he stood up for a family member that ended in a blind tool. Then he kind of caught the bad end of it and they don’t have a relationship anymore because of it. We kind of felt bad because he’s a really good guy. So far from his nature. Like if you would have put us on a lineup, no pun intended, point to the one that’s going to go to jail he would’ve been the last person. But uh, yeah, so he did. And that’s more of us just trying to tell him hey man everything will be okay when you get out. And then he got out. 

Sam: That’s good. But no, I do think it’s interesting though, that even though it’s not about Southern California, I still feel like there’s kind of that LA alt vibe to it, I can tell. So it’s kind of cool you did like a little play on words.

Tom : Its a little bit more synthy there’s a couple of songs inspired it. Like, there’s a band that we always liked called stereophonics. This album called like, Language, Sex, Violence, Other. And that it was one of the best records. Because he like they were so ahead of their time. They were like fusing these modern synth patterns with rock music.  And I think like that song has that kind of inspiration from, it’s kind of floating.

Sam: …dreamy. And you get a lot of like beachy bands these days.

Tom : Yeah, and then like, guitars flipped backwards. Yeah, I always like that. So I’m not like really ever consider myself like a guitar soloist even though like, it’s like we talked about earlier just because you can shouldn’t mean you should like yeah, trust me. I can move my hands and shred when need be. But like, I think sometimes four notes or seven notes in the right spot, hit somebody who’s not a musician, which most of your audience is not a musician. So I think if you’re kind of playing in like for musicians and doing finger gymnastics, I think you’re kind of misrepresenting unless that’s who you’re making music for. It’s not really like a contest to see, you know, just kind of listen and serve the song. And it takes time.

Sam: Yeah.

Q: And I think, too, with all the different stuff you guys try out and your songs, you’re just kind of trying to see what you can come up with in terms of like, does this sound good together? 

Tom : And yeah its the challenge 

Sam: Which is cool

Tom : Yeah, thanks. 

Sam: All right. Well, that is all the questions I have for you today. So thanks so much for coming out. I’m gonna play their whole album Barriers on the air right now. So definitely, you know, buy it to support our artists and stream it if that’s too much to ask.

Tom : Yeah and thanks for playing the whole album, ususally its one, two, three songs, but to play it from the back of the album. I mean, that’s, that’s really cool.

Sam: Yeah, I mean, like I told you guys, I’m such an album listener. I think, you know, I’m going to try to force everyone else to be to today, so hopefully we get some people to listen to the whole thing that’d be pretty cool so let me just throw this up but thanks for coming out again guys.