From Cincinnati to the UK: The Rise of Thorns

SPEAKER_01: What's up, Ohio? Rassanne here with Jred with Rassanne, and I'm bringing to you a really cool kick-ass band out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The name of the band. And I talk with Lou, who is uh does vocals and guitar. We're gonna talk about all kinds of things, including where they been, where they're going, whether they're up there, or they're okay, and just some other sideline conversations that we had along the way. So super cool guy, very awesome big ass band. If you like rash uh groove metal, you're really gonna dig these guys.

SPEAKER_01: So take a listen. And while you're at it, hit that like and subscribe button. Helps me grow so I can keep bringing you cool big ass musicians from the state of Ohio. All right, let's get into it.

SPEAKER_01: What's up, Ohio? She Shreds with Rassan here, and I am super stoked for the guests that I have on right now. I'm talking with Luke, Luke Schwartz with the band Thorns, and they are out of Cincinnati, Ohio. These guys are really killing it. Um, I'm a fan of their uh album that they've got out right now called 60 Cycle Hum. So we're gonna talk about that and just um hear from Luke where you guys are from, where you're going, how you formed, anything and everything that comes up. So thank you so much for being on the show, Luke.

SPEAKER_04: Hey, thanks for saying. We I really appreciate you uh having us on.

SPEAKER_01: Yes, I um been checking you guys out for quite a while. So I'm glad that we're able to make this work and connect for this. Um, you guys definitely have a very solid following. I saw on YouTube that you've got over like 4,000 subscribers.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, the following thing, it's recently in the last year, it's really taken off. I it really took off with Muzzle when we released that back almost a month ago, or well, a year ago this month. I mean, uh, we released it, you know, four days from now on April 30th of last year. And, you know, as soon as we released Muzzle, everything just well, I can understand why.

SPEAKER_01: Muzzle is actually, I was trying to pinpoint if I have a favorite off of uh 60 Cycle Hom, but I have more than one. Muzzle is definitely one of them.

SPEAKER_04: It definitely is a fan favorite, I will say. Every time I do a lot, like on TikTok, every time I do a live, play muzzle, play muzzle. It's just funny.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and the name too is is pretty cool. I like the name of the song. So, one of the questions I always do ask the band is, you know, what went into coming up with the name of your band?

SPEAKER_04: You know, people ask that, and it's really not special. There was nothing special about coming up with the name. We were literally in my friend Ben's basement. And it was just me and Peyton when we started the band in high school. We were seniors, and we're like, oh, let's start a band. So, you know, we're like, oh, what should the name be? And we had like a list, and I think we both had thorns on the list. And we were like, well, let's just do that. It's cool enough. It is. Yeah, I mean, that was pretty much it.

SPEAKER_04: There was nothing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah. Sometimes there's a story behind it, sometimes there's not. So there's no right or wrong answer, but it's definitely a cool name. And I I think it does, it makes you guys stand out, believe it or not. I mean, I'm surprised there's not a lot of other bands out there with this in their name. There's, and I just haven't met them yet.

SPEAKER_04: There's one other band from the late 90s. They're like black metal, I think, but it's been a while since they've put anything out, so okay. I don't know. I don't know about that. We just think the name's cool, so yeah, I do too. Yeah. And who did the artwork for your album? So that was the old drummer Connor. He actually uh so when we came up with the idea, we were like, what the hell are we gonna do for this cover? Like, because we were like, we have no clue. And you know, we sat around, we're like, oh, let's do this, let's do this.

SPEAKER_04: And you know, he would come up with uh concepts of what we would tell him, like, okay, Connor, we want a big tower in the middle, and it's like transmitting the signal, but we don't know how to like articulate that. So what come up with some like you know, concepts or whatever, and you know, he would come up with concepts. And if you watch the making of the album on YouTube, there's actually, you know, at the end, he puts the transformation of the cover on at the end of the video. So pretty much he he pretty much built that he had a 3D builder where he would actually take 3D objects and build this the scene in the frame, and you know, then he would take it to Photoshop and fix all the colors and he would do all the lighting and stuff in the 3D editor.

SPEAKER_04: And I don't know, it was really cool. Like it was a really cool cover, it turned out amazing. Like it couldn't have been a better cover, I don't think. It turned out great. And everybody always comments about it.

SPEAKER_01: So it is, it's pretty cool. Well, you guys like you all four of you seem like you're super smart, dude. So how did you all meet?

SPEAKER_04: Well, I met Peyton freshman year of high school. Okay, Peyton is No, Adam's the drummer.

SPEAKER_01: So Peyton is the same.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Adam's the drummer. Yeah. Peyton's bass, yeah. So Peyton, we were in English class together and we were friends, like we were friends pretty much instantly. Uh, we played Xbox all the time, and we were friends before we started the band. So and then one day, you know, we were like, all right, let's start a band. And you know, we did. And he wasn't really into to to metal or anything like that. We were just fun. Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_02: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: So it it was uh it was pretty weird. Like, I don't know, like it was just me and him. We were like, let's do it. It should be fun. And Connor, I knew Connor play guitar. He also went to the same high school. He was a year younger than us. He's a year younger than us.

SPEAKER_01: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: So I knew he'd play guitar, but it was the year, it was the summer after we graduated high school that we actually asked him to come and play. Because I was like, dude, we need another guitar player. So uh I was telling Peyton we needed one, and you know, he's like, All right, so we invited Connor over. I knew him from before, but not really that well. And uh, we got along great, and that was pretty much that um with him, and then you know, we've been, you know, together ever since pretty much. But um, that was in 2022 when we Okay, when you guys were in high school.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, when we initially started that, yeah. All right and then um Adam, the funny thing is, so our manager Craig actually found Adam on Instagram. He's like, check this guy out, because this was after Connor had uh quit the band. And we were desperately looking for drummers around here, but he's like, Oh, this guy's in California, but he seems like a great fit. And we watched him and we're like, damn, he's good. Let's see if we can uh talk to him at least. And um, so you know, I managed to text him and he was he was interested, but I don't know, like he knew who we were because I guess some people commented on his TikTok, like, oh, Thorns is looking for a new drummer.

SPEAKER_04: And yeah, it was weird. Like, I was like, no way. That is it was weird. It was, and so we uh I just talked to him a bunch, and you know, eventually he was like, All right, like I want to come out and we'll play together and see how it goes. And he came out and man, we gelled amazing. I don't think I've gelled with like a drummer like that ever.

SPEAKER_01: Like his drumming is impeccable.

SPEAKER_04: He is, he's great. I couldn't have asked for a better um dude to join the band, really. He's just a great one.

SPEAKER_01: So he moved to Ohio from California.

SPEAKER_04: He didn't move here yet, but he's come here twice already. Uh to he and he's been here, you know, for uh, you know, a couple weeks at a time, pretty much. All right. And then he's coming back again before we go on tour in uh July. So he'll be here for a couple weeks before we leave and just to get everything tight. But yeah, that's how I met everybody pretty much. That's it was just a real smooth thing.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, uh everything, all of your music, every song, I feel like is timed out perfectly, you know, among all four of you. So let's talk about, you know, like I guess what are your interests musically? What were you raised on? What did you listen to when you were younger?

SPEAKER_04: So when I was a kid, I was really into like um I remember watching the first Iron Man movie and hearing ACDC's Back in Black in there, and I was like obsessed with ACDC after that. I used to wear out my dad's CD all the time that he had, and then uh I used to steal his CDs, I used to steal Ozzy's Greatest Hits. My mom had Van Halen's The Best Of Volume One. Um, and we used to listen to them all the time in the kitchen, uh, Van Halen especially. Um those are the bands that really I grew up listening to.

SPEAKER_04: Uh Skinnard. Um the Metallica was a huge influence, but they didn't come until much later. Um they were that was a that was a high school thing for me. I I really I was really obsessed with Nirvana for a long time as well. Uh when I first started guitar, yeah, like fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade. I was really into them. And I don't know, I was getting burnt out of them and like Green Day. I don't know. At the time it was like, nah, I'm sick of it. And then I I get to high school and my dad's like, oh, you should listen to them.

SPEAKER_04: You should listen. I'm like, no, no, I'm not into that heavy stuff like that. I lied. I'd listen to them and I'm like, I listened to Ride the Lightning specifically. And I was like, damn. We're on official. This is really good. And then it was pretty much over from there. I dove into everything. And uh yeah, that that's pretty much the bands of who do you currently listen to? Um, I listen to a lot of the same bands, honestly. I I listened to a lot of Megadeth as well. Okay. Um everyone in the band really has been into like listening to New Wave, British Heavy Metal, Tigers of Pantang, Um Diamond Head, uh Bitches Sin.

SPEAKER_04: Just some uh kind of some obscure bands like that, but uh not obscure in that sense. But some bands like that, they're really fun. Uh Doctor No, just I don't know. Some bands like that, they're really fun to listen to. And covering some songs like that are really fun too, because you just put your spin on some of those songs that aren't well known. And I don't know, it's just really fun. But that's that's pretty much what I'm listening to right now. But I'm also listening to a lot of Ann Halen as well.

SPEAKER_04: Lately, I've been listening to a lot.

unknown: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: Some of the Sammy Hagar stuff. All right, especially like 5150.

SPEAKER_01: Do you have a preference between Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth?

SPEAKER_04: Honestly, I like them both a lot. Okay. I can't pick. I would say Dave mostly, but I don't know. I like Sammy's stuff, and Eddie's playing on everything is just fantastic. So I like them both. I like every air.

SPEAKER_01: Have you checked out Eddie's son? Wolfgang?

SPEAKER_04: Wolfgang stuff, yeah. Mammoth, yeah. I like his stuff. I too. I really would like to meet him at some point. I really would. He does. He seems like a really good guy.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's very talented, just like his father, but he has his own sound, and um I think he's he's doing really good. So that's cool.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I he's he's crazy. Like he's like Dave Grohl off the first uh Foo Fighters album. He just plays every instrument on the records, and it's really cool. I I respect that.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely. So I was checking out the video clip that you guys just recently put out. Um, you're showing up to some dude's house and you're dropping, you're drop, you're serving them basically. And you're going to court, bitch. So I take it that this is for something that's coming out pretty soon. I love the idea behind the clip that you guys did.

SPEAKER_04: So who put that together and whose idea was it for you guys to show up and beating was like, we gotta do something, we gotta do something good. So he's he came up with that the whole thing, and we're like, yeah, this is gonna be funny. And he's like, you and Connor gotta do it. And I was like, all right. He's like, but you gotta dress up, and I was like, All right. And he's like, just say this. And I'm like, all right, we'll do it. But yeah, so pretty much that's in in tandem with coming out with uh so we're working on redoing our first album, uh Sickfit, which when we did it, we had no fucking idea what we were doing.

unknown: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: At all. How long ago was this? Oh, that was 2024 when we put that out. Okay. Well, that's not too long ago. No, no, but we just I don't know. I didn't know what I was doing when we recorded it, and it just sounds like shit to me now. And some of the songs on there we're just not happy with, like, at all. Like it's not really what we envisioned. So we're taking seven, I believe, and you know, we revamped them, re-recorded them, redid everything on them, the drums, all of it. Okay, and we're re-releasing it and replacing that original version.

SPEAKER_04: It's just kind of like a demo. I mean, that's pretty much what it is. A demo.

SPEAKER_03: Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_04: And putting that out. But yeah, so this new single will be attributed to an EP that we're putting out of. So I don't know, this is probably confusing. But yeah, so it's it'll be separate. The new the new version of Sick Fit, the album will be out way later. But we're putting out an EP in advance to our UK tour later this year. So it's just gonna be four tracks, um, revamped bad business, revamped sick fit, and then two alternate versions of Muzzle and Headcase from 60 Cycle.

SPEAKER_00: Sweet.

SPEAKER_04: They're just slightly different.

SPEAKER_00: So yeah, and then, you know, that one's coming out next month.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so that'll be coming out May 15th, and we're calling it uh Ready to Strike, the EP, you know, from Muzzle, the the lyric. But Okay. And then, you know, we're the tour will also be called the Ready to Strike Tour UK 2020 uh six. So yeah, it's just all connected pretty much with that.

SPEAKER_01: So how long are you gonna be in the UK?

SPEAKER_04: Oh man, well it's interesting because we don't really know. Like they're still getting dates together, I believe. And we could be there longer than a month, less than a month. Right now it sits we'll probably be there like three, four weeks, roughly a month, three roughly, probably.

SPEAKER_00: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: So we'll we'll see.

SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, this is so exciting.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, everything's kind of shaping it up.

SPEAKER_01: I have have any of you been to the UK before?

SPEAKER_04: Never. Uh well, three of us haven't, I don't think. Uh Connor's been once, but other than that, no. We've never been out of the country other otherwise.

SPEAKER_01: Okay. Yeah, this is awesome. Yeah, well, I'll definitely be watching from afar from the sweet state of Ohio.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. It's it's it's gonna be exciting. You know, we're finally getting out there to people.

SPEAKER_01: You might you guys are gonna get over there and what if you blow up really big?

SPEAKER_04: That's the plan, pretty much. Yeah, we want that to happen. We we want everybody to be able to listen to our songs. I I think what we're doing right now is is really fun, and the songs that we write are are are great and people like them. So I just getting out there and getting to many ears as possible.

SPEAKER_01: Um, you guys are gonna get over there and you're just gonna get eaten up by the Brits. They're gonna love you.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, our manager says that. They're like, he's like, they're gonna love you guys. It's gonna be great. It's gonna be great. And I'm like, all right, well, let's let's get over there. I mean, really, what we've been talking about as a band is we just gotta do our jobs live and which is no problem. I mean, we we've all been playing for a long time at this point. And Adam is professional, like he's real professional. Even though he's not here with us, he he practices every day. He does his homework.

SPEAKER_04: Uh, we tell him, you know, learn these songs, he comes back with them. He's great. And so when he comes back, he's ready to go, and we just jump right in. It's been fantastic with him so far, getting ready for for tour and listening to you know playbacks from live shows. It's great. Like we're we're getting there to where we want to be.

SPEAKER_01: How did he the clip where he was uh eating a chili dog for the first time in Ohio? I forget which restaurant.

SPEAKER_04: It was Skyline.

SPEAKER_01: Skyline, yeah. So what was his take on that?

SPEAKER_04: Uh he said it wasn't bad. Like some people like eat it and dog on it. Like, this is terrible. But they get it to go. You can't get it to go, you gotta eat it in. It's a different experience. And he liked it. He gave it a seven out of ten, which is fair. I've seen people give it like a one. So, you know, I I respect it. He he liked the three-way, I think he liked the conies more. Uh, because we went back a second time. He didn't get onions on anything. And I don't get onions when I go because they're kind of potent.

SPEAKER_04: But he he got onions and he's like, Yeah, these are a little strong. I was like, Yeah, dude, you can't get the you can't get the onion.

SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah, yeah, he liked it. That's a good way for him to get a taste of Ohio, go to Skyline Chili. Absolutely. Absolutely. Sweet. So when are you guys going on tour again? Did you say in July?

SPEAKER_04: July, yeah. July.

SPEAKER_01: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: It's gonna be an interesting lead out.

SPEAKER_01: How did you come across your manager? How did that relationship form?

SPEAKER_04: He came across us, and it was his son did. His son is the one who showed him because he was kind of out of the game, pretty much. Like he's he managed a band, and then you know, he kind of like, nah, I'm done. And he's like, I don't want to do this anymore. And then, you know, his son found us, and then he was like, All right, you know, I kind of like these guys. So he texted us, and then, you know, we just kind of started, you know, uh talking, and it was great. He's a really good guy. Craig is his name.

SPEAKER_01: And uh he's done doing an awesome job getting, you know, getting you guys out there and shit, he's got you going to the UK, so he must be going somewhere else.

SPEAKER_04: He was like, well, that was one of the first things he said. He he was like, you know, you guys should, you know, some point come over. It would be great to have you guys tour here for um a few weeks. And what was kind of crazy is originally it was just gonna be, you know, him doing it, but uh a bunch of other people got involved. Uh, I mean, it was it's kind of crazy like how it happened. Um, he got a label called Republican Music involved. So now we're with them and they're gonna start distributing our stuff, making vinyl CDs, all that stuff.

SPEAKER_04: So we're we're signed to them now, uh, which is great. It's a distribution deal, it's what we want. Uh, it's not like a traditional record deal. We also are working with uh United Talent Agency as well. Um uh his he was friends with one of the agents there named Ross, and he was really, I think he really liked what we were doing. He listened to 60 Cycle, the album, and was impressed. So he decided to to take us up and uh he's been booking our shows and um at this point we really couldn't have fallen into a better situation in terms of where we're at right now.

SPEAKER_04: But it's all thanks to Craig, because without him, we wouldn't have any of that really. I I really am happy that everything has worked out so far with what what we got.

SPEAKER_01: Uh what about his son? Does he uh come out and listen to you guys? Is he gonna be involved when you go on the tour or anything since he's the one that found you?

SPEAKER_04: I I think he'll be at some of the shows. I'm not sure. I I have no idea. I assume so. I know he likes our songs, so I assume he'll be there, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: When you started playing together as Thorns, did you play anywhere outside of Cincinnati? Like when you first started?

SPEAKER_04: So we played our first show as a band with our OG drummer. His name was Peyton. And he was just another one of my friends that played drums, and we needed a drummer, and he's he's like, All right, I'll do it. And um, so when we first started, we never really played outside of the city. It was more like we used to play house shows quite a bit.

SPEAKER_01: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: And I think our first show was in this garage. It was hot as shit. It was like July. Uh it was no, it was May. It was May 3rd, I remember. And you know, the show went really well, but you know, I don't know. We never really played outside of Cincinnati. The only time we've played outside of here, well then, was I think Middletown, which is north, it's kind of by Dayton, roughly.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: Maybe a little past. I don't know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: Honestly, I've never been there, but yeah, I'm familiar with the name. Have you guys ever been to Mansfield?

SPEAKER_04: Never.

SPEAKER_01: Okay. Well, that's where I'm at. So we're situated, yeah. We're about two and a half hours north of you guys. So we sit right in the middle of Cleveland and Columbus. So Cleveland is an hour north for me, and Columbus is an hour south. So we're right in the middle.

SPEAKER_04: Wow. We want to play uh Columbus at some point. We I mean, really, we have a good following in Ohio. I mean, it's it's it's really solid. So uh, I mean, we get people like, come to Columbus, come to Columbus, and we're like, all right, you know, before we go on tour, actually, that's a good time to mention this, I guess. But before we go on tour, we're gonna be playing a couple shows, like some warm-up shows, I guess, if that's what you want to call it for tour before we go. And uh I think we'll be playing here uh and Detroit, I think.

SPEAKER_04: Just a couple like that before we go over. Uh we'll see though. Well, it's not confirmed yet, but I think that's what the plan is. So just to get kind of ready.

SPEAKER_01: Did I see too that you are gonna be playing somewhere in Kentucky?

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so that's gonna be at Madison Theater. I love that place. It's it's uh it's in Covington. Okay, and um in June. We Yeah, June twenty sixth, I believe that is the day of that show. It's up on our band is in town, I believe. Yeah if anyone's interested.

SPEAKER_01: I think I saw it. I was checking out um, you know, your link tree and and everything.

SPEAKER_03: So Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: So who like who films these clips that you guys make? Because they're pretty good. And I'm just wondering, you know, who's the idea behind this? How you come up with, you know, just your short clips that you're making, who films them? Do you guys all put this together?

SPEAKER_04: Yeah. I so the the clips are pretty funny. So we we always think of creative ways to kind of market our ideas. And it's like, you know, sometimes we'll be sitting on Xbox, me and Peyton, and you know, it'll be like two o'clock in the morning, and you know, I'm like, dude, you know what would be funny if we had Connor like look like a drug dealer and opens his jacket or something stupid like that. I don't know. I think that was his idea, but just anybody will say some idea like that, like late at night, and then when we go to do it, anybody will film it.

SPEAKER_04: So like sometimes it'll be me if I'm not in it. Uh Peyton likes to film the videos. See, me and Connor are mostly in it, like, actually. We haven't had Adam in any yet, really, besides the the Skyline video, which is him just reviewing it. But recently we've tried to increase the uh the amount of those that we've been doing. And pretty much the ideas come for like everybody chips in most of the time. So, you know, Peyton will say, you know, you got any ideas? And I'll be like, Oh, this would be this would be hilarious if we if he said this or Connor did this, or and he's like, Yeah, and then you should do this and this.

SPEAKER_04: And then and that's pretty much how the the video uh ideas come about. And then and then we just go and do it. Like so the photo shoot we did with Adam, the day, the new one that we posted uh back at the end of March, I believe is when that was. I don't remember, but we actually that same day we filmed that video of Connor, you know, being sketchy in the uh the old uh car garage.

SPEAKER_00: They're all clever.

SPEAKER_04: It's it was pretty funny. Uh that idea came about through I think Peyton had the idea, and then we're like, oh, you know, you should do this and this, and that would be funny. So I don't know, just just some pretty funny ideas like that just come about through uh just sitting there talking.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a lot of creativity among you guys, for sure.

SPEAKER_04: Uh we try to think of like some stuff that uh I don't know, that that's kind of funny, like How do you like when you're coming up with these ideas too?

SPEAKER_01: You know, it sounds like you've got, you know, among all of you, you've got a lot of just flowing creativity going. How do you remember these ideas that you come up with?

SPEAKER_04: You know, I always tell the guys, you know, if it's good, you'll remember it. And I I I I stick by that. You know, if you have a good riff, if you have a good video idea, um, we remember it every time. It just works out.

SPEAKER_01: So okay, I'm gonna tell you, for somebody that's a little older, you might have to find a way to record some of these as you start to age. Just saying. For sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: But that's cool. We record like in terms of like riffs and stuff, like I always record them anyway, just so I have them. But yeah, I mean, we do. But the video idea is now. I mean, we just like, yeah, that's a great idea. And we never forget it. And it's just like, all right, we gotta film that.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: I don't know. It comes in handy.

SPEAKER_00: Time is on your side right now.

SPEAKER_01: So it is. Definitely take advantage of it. I feel like uh I've got post-it notes all over the place, and even at work, you know, people say, you know, you don't want to have to use the post-it notes and get rid of them and use this and that, and there's an app for that. But sometimes, you know, I just need a pen and paper, you know. Right. Right now, I've got my notebook sitting right here in front of me, and I've scribbled all over it. So I, you know, a child that grew up and we still learn cursive, everything was done by paper.

SPEAKER_01: So yeah. Generational thing, I guess.

SPEAKER_04: Right. Well, I mean, we use paper, like, so I always keep like so. When we're doing albums, the past two at least, I've always kept a studio notebook. Uh, you write down everything. I mean, you know, volume, what settings are what, you know, what's here, what's there, how this is the layout, what's happening. So in in in these the professional sense of actually doing a production, uh, an album production, the 60 cycle was really complicated to do in that sense. I it just the way it was different than Sigfit.

SPEAKER_04: It was a lot more in terms of everything. So I made sure, you know, I wrote down stuff for SickFit, but 60 was much more important for me to actually keep a note. Okay, this volume's this. So when you do the next song, you actually know what the last song was and you know how you got the tones and everything.

SPEAKER_01: So sweet. What um I was gonna ask earlier too is so when you do return from your tour in the UK, do you have anything lined up?

SPEAKER_04: So not yet, but we're up for some interesting things. I I don't know if I'm allowed to say.

SPEAKER_00: Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_04: I have no idea. A couple tours with some bigger bands.

SPEAKER_01: Oh goodness. Okay. All right. Are we talking um international tours? Yes. US? Okay.

SPEAKER_04: Yes, international tours, I believe. It'll start in Europe. There's one in November. One in August, I believe. So that would be right after. We would stay over there if we got on that. United talent put us up for those tours. We'll see what happens if we get any. I think Ross was saying stuff like that, but I don't know. We'll find out. But uh but there's one in next February, I believe. We'll see. We'll see. There's there's a couple, there's quite a few.

SPEAKER_01: So we're about to get out of place.

SPEAKER_04: Right.

SPEAKER_01: So how do your friends and family feel knowing that you guys are you know getting out there? You're gonna be going over to the UK for these.

SPEAKER_04: You know, it's interesting. You know, when we first started the band, it was it was mostly for fun. And then, you know, as time went on, it's like, all right, well, I guess people like this. So I guess we've got to keep going. And then, you know, we keep going and keep going, and now it's to a point where it's actually getting you know professional. Like we'd be considered professional musicians. And you know, my parents, all of our parents are very supportive of what we're doing. My family is very supportive.

SPEAKER_01: Will anybody be going over with you, or is it just gonna be, you know, the band?

SPEAKER_04: So I think Connor's parents are coming for a show or two, and then I think Adam's parents. I I it was kind of fun. It's kind of crazy because as soon as he told them, I guess they're they're all, you know, really excited about it. I I I was like, yeah, let's awesome.

SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04: So yeah, it is. It was really cool. And I think they're I think him, I think his family some of his family and some of his friends are coming. Uh it's gonna be it's gonna be fun. I I'm gonna go.

SPEAKER_04: You know, and um, but yeah, I mean, everybody's parents are really supportive. You know, when Adam comes to stay, he stays at Peyton's house, and Peyton's parents are like, you know, do whatever you gotta do, use whatever you gotta use, do whatever. You know, it's great. Like, you know, we practiced over there. I mean, we practice anywhere. I mean, we could go anywhere, really. Anybody's parents, they don't care. You know, it's like, yeah, you know, you guys are if you guys are gonna do this, you're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_04: And, you know, once we got to that point, you know, they're they're really, yeah, I mean, you're you're there, just go and do it, you know.

SPEAKER_01: So uh something else I typically ask too is, you know, what what do you want, let's say your established fans, what do you feel that they are taking away from your music?

SPEAKER_04: I want them to know that we put everything into the music because that's really what it's about. It's not about money, it's not about the way we look, it's not about anything else, it's about the music first and foremost. And I think some bands kind of get conflicted with image and you know, other things, but the the fans should really listen to the music and be like, yeah, they they put everything into this, and that's the way I feel that we've done with every album. You know, even Sick Fit, if I'm not happy with it, I I think people understand there was a certain attitude with it, like, yeah, you know, we want to make music, and this is our first time really doing that, and uh, there's an attitude to it.

SPEAKER_04: And, you know, with 60 Cycle, it was a level above that. Like we were hungry to achieve things, and I think it shows. So that it's it's an attitude thing, and it's okay, you know, we want to make good music for everybody to listen to.

SPEAKER_01: So what is the feedback that you typically do receive when, say it's a new fan, they've just heard your music.

SPEAKER_04: You know, every day we get comments on TikTok about wow, this is insane, this is crazy. I finally found a new band to listen to. Things like that. Wow, I added it to my playlist. I love this song. And you and you know what, we have a high retention rate for for a band of our size. We're not big really, like in the grand scheme of things, but in in terms of our retention rate for similar artists' size on TikTok, I think we have an amazing fan base that comes back and listens and engages in everything.

SPEAKER_04: It's it's it's really great. I'm really grateful the the people who listen to our songs. It's crazy. They always come back, they always comment, they always like our stuff. So they're always back in the comments. And new people do the same thing, you know, once they listen to us. You know, you get people who just heard of us yesterday. I was I'd recommended you to all my friends. This is great. This is great. Some dude commented the other day. He was like, I got my whole football team hooked on this song.

SPEAKER_04: I don't remember which one it was, but it was funny. I I was like, Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: I told you earlier when we were messing trying to set this up that I'm definitely uh a new fan, and I've got I've got the whole album on my Apple Fades. And muzzle is the one that really got me. I do like the the 60 cycle hum also. Um, where you're talking about nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and just the uh the riffs. I mean, just the thrash alone is drew me in. I mean, I god, I love it.

SPEAKER_04: That I appreciate that. I thank you. Uh that song the 60 cycle was one of the ones. I came up with that one one night, you know, just riffing on, you know, I downtuned a C sharp. And I was like, you know, let's just write a riff. And that was the riff that that came out, and and that song especially was a special one to write. It was really it came together really easily. It was it was one of the easier songs to write. I I think I didn't have really an issue coming up with the riffs in that song because it was just so it flowed everything.

SPEAKER_04: I don't even know where some of the riffs came from. It just kind of happened. It was kind of like that for that song. I I don't even know how to explain it, but Peyton came up with some of the most of the lyrics for that that song. And you know, we were in we were in the studio, you know. Me and him kind of collaborate on the lyrics. So All right. I was gonna ask. Right. So in in terms of studio collaboration, me and him do a lot of the lyric writing. I think it's just me and him pretty much. Um the other guys, they can, you know, say whatever they want about the lyrics, and hey, you know, you got an idea?

SPEAKER_04: Sure, sure. We we'll take anybody's idea, but me and him mostly contribute to the to the lyric writing. So, you know, he might write 60 cycle most of it, and then I'll come in and say, Okay, this line here, this could be better. What if we put this line here? And then he'll do the same thing with me. You know, I wrote headcase all the way. He'll come back and say, Okay, this line could be better. What if we change that? And you know, we did that with every song, and um, it it just works fantastic that way.

SPEAKER_04: Uh it's just so smooth when we write songs because everything just kind of comes together and works out. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01: Well, uh, he's definitely uh a beast in the Born and Two Chains. I love the uh the bass, you know, right at the beginning of the song.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he's a beast. That's that's an underrated song. I I that that that doesn't have many streams. I'm really sad. We that song was like he was I remember he came to to practice one day. He's like, guys, I got this bass riff I want to use. And you know, I was like, I was like, I don't know. I like I don't I didn't know how to feel about it at first.

SPEAKER_03: On this card, are you sure?

SPEAKER_04: And you know, we put it together and it worked out. It was cool. So when we did that, when we recorded that song, it was interesting. So the we just we took the first, we recorded it separately and then put it on the intro. And then we also did the um when all the drums come in, did that separately as well. Okay, and it's actually a couple different bass tones. Like the intro is different from when they the rest of the band kicks in to back to the normal tone we used on the rest of the album. Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_01: See, that's something I would not have picked up on, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's it's definitely not the same. I it's just I don't know. I don't know what I was thinking at the time. I can't remember if we just said it was too muddy or what, but we just wanted something a little brighter um and a little more punchy, and I think it it worked out, but it it it just did the service to the the intro because I really like it. It's not a song that we would have typically written, I don't think. It it wasn't a song that we were like, I don't know how to explain it, but it wasn't a song that we would write before, I guess, if that's what I'm trying to say.

SPEAKER_04: Because actually that was the first song we started on, besides Muzzle. Those were the first two songs. Yeah. The first two songs we did for the the new album. We we started working on them first, those two.

SPEAKER_01: Okay. So yeah, that um Born on the Chains, 60 Cycle Hum, and Muzzle, those are I would definitely my faves off of this album.

SPEAKER_04: Those are solid picks. I I am really proud of how it turned out. Everything flows to me. I I think it's what we wanted Sickfit to be. But it just wasn't. It wasn't. It just didn't work out that way. It wasn't there. Right. It it wasn't.

SPEAKER_01: And well, you gotta start somewhere. So you guys have had um you know a pretty solid good start. I mean, uh you guys you formed when you're in high school. 2022.

SPEAKER_04: Okay senior year of high school. And back then it was just me and Peyton messing around. And it w it was interesting because my my parents I really wanted a home studio. Well, this is when I was starting to really get into music.

SPEAKER_01: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: And I I really wanted a home studio, and I was like, my ba we just moved into this house that we're in now, and my parents were like, the basement was unfinished. So we go down, and you know, this is a great place for a studio, you know, are you gonna let me build one? Uh and they're like, you know, you get a corner. So I I picked out the corner in the basement, and they're like, if you pay for it, you know, you can do it. And so I saved up pretty much that whole year before we built it. And uh my parents were redoing the base but finishing the basement anyway, so you know, I just paid for, you know, you know, drywall insulation, the framing, the the wood, all that.

SPEAKER_04: And who did the work? Uh my dad built it. And then we had some guy come and do the drywall. But other than that, yeah, my dad did it mostly and I helped him out.

SPEAKER_01: So and how did you come up with the idea on how to design the studio?

SPEAKER_04: It was uh me and it was my freshman year of college, and you know, I I not paying attention, just sitting there, all right. I want this to be this long, and I want to put a door right here, and then you know, let's have a window right here. That this will be the on look into inside, and pretty much just me in class not paying attention, daydreaming about what this studio would look like. Yeah, I mean that pretty much awesome. Yeah, yep. It was pretty much designed right there, and then you know, my dad was like, Yeah, that's fine.

SPEAKER_01: All right. And then when you guys get together and and practice, is it there at your studio or do you have other places? All right.

SPEAKER_04: And then practice anywhere at uh Peyton's house is the other place that we've practiced. He has this really cool like garage bar thing, but he's got enough space in there for for the whole band. So, you know, we just sit in there and and jam and for that. But otherwise we practice here, yeah. But you know, it's interesting though, this will probably I mean, well, I was telling the guys, you know, this last album might be one of the last ones that we do here because, you know, we're 22. At some point, I can't stay in my parents' house forever, you know.

SPEAKER_01: Uh so it's like, you know, pretty soon we're hoping to make enough money to where we can either, you know, buy a place or rent somewhere that we can actually practice and do the albums and so am I hearing you say that you don't want to be the 40-year-old son that's living in your parents' basement?

SPEAKER_04: Yes, yes, correct. We've got goals. Yeah, right. Well, and you know, the other thing is Adam, you know, we can't expect him to be at Peyton's house for months at a time. You know, it's just inconveniencing his parents and all that. And we don't want to do that. I don't think they care, but it's just our like, okay, you know, out of respect, yeah, you know, we need to get our own place.

SPEAKER_01: And that's that's it will happen all yeah, all in time for sure. But we're not rushing. But it sounds like you've it sounds like you guys are motivated. I'm not hearing that you guys, you're you know, expecting to crash in your parents' house homes forever. No, we have everybody out there that that's that's how they get by.

SPEAKER_04: Right. Which is which is mom's basement. I get it. This profession is not one that, especially when you're in our position right now, it's not one that you make a lot of money, but you can if you know how to do it. And that's just not what we want. We don't want to be a burden to our parents anymore. Uh, we want to do our own thing, get our own place. And you know, anywhere we go, we're gonna build another studio because I'm not going, I'm not spending all that money at and having, you know, the company say, you know, you gotta add another song here, you gotta do this.

SPEAKER_04: We like the creative freedom. And that's it's really what I was inspired, I think, by Eddie Van Halen when he built 5150, the studio. It's like, okay, have our own place to figure things out and do it our own way instead of having a set time in a studio.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: Now I have time on my own hands in my own studio to get sounds that I want.

SPEAKER_01: You've got that experience now where you put together, you know, what you have and even just uh the recording process that you've gone through. Um yeah, you'll definitely you'll have that, a new studio set up in no time.

SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, I it's it's definitely a necessity. Uh me and Peyton have talked about, you know, oh, because he for his job, like uh, because he's not in college, but for his job, he actually does, you know, renovations, fixes things, you know, frames, does drywall. So, you know, me and him, uh pretty much the whole band probably could could build a a pretty sick studio anywhere we go.

SPEAKER_01: So and well, you mentioned the um a time when you were in college. What did you study?

SPEAKER_04: So I'm at the I'm actually about to graduate. So I studied history. I'm at history. Was that yeah, yeah, this year.

SPEAKER_01: Oh, congratulations. What college?

SPEAKER_04: Thank you. Uh Xavier University.

SPEAKER_01: Okay. So you studied history.

SPEAKER_04: I did, yes. It was, you know, people ask me, you know, why didn't you do music? And it was kind of history's kind of an escape from that, you know, like I want to do something else that's not music. I didn't want it to be everything that I did. I wanted something else to keep me engaged. And history makes for good song choices. So, you know, any idea that you know I get from reading some story or something like that, it it, you know, oh, this would be a really cool song idea. Or anything like that.

SPEAKER_04: I don't know. Just just it kind of an escape. But yeah. Um and then Connor's also, he is a uh junior right now, but you know, I don't know if he's gonna be going back next year.

SPEAKER_01: What is he studying?

SPEAKER_04: He's studying to be a pharmacist.

SPEAKER_01: Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: Okay. And then what about the other guys? Do they have any interest outside of uh the band?

SPEAKER_04: Adam, he's actually significantly old. Well, not significantly. He he's 26. So he's been out a while. And then Peyton, he went his first year, but he didn't really like college. So his dad ran ran a, you know, dumb like business already. So he just joined up with him and then he's been doing that ever since. I mean, what my parents told me is get your degree and then you can do what you want. So that that was the rule, and uh, I've done it, so now it's time to take advantage of what we've done in the meantime while we've done that.

SPEAKER_01: Which is a lot. I mean, how do you plan to celebrate your graduation?

SPEAKER_00: Um That's a big achievement.

SPEAKER_04: Probably go out and drink with the guys, probably.

SPEAKER_00: Nice.

SPEAKER_04: That's probably what it'll be. And then, you know, obviously we'll go to my uh my parents will go to dinner sometime and we'll Okay.

SPEAKER_01: So no no big party, no no big blowout or not really, no. I mean, maybe I don't know what they have planned, but I I personally I don't it's just you know it's no right or wrong way in how you celebrate, but at least, you know, have some sort of celebration and pat yourself on the back. That's that's a big achievement, especially along with the work that all of you guys are putting in for the band and the music.

SPEAKER_04: So it was it was hard sometimes. I I'm not gonna lie. Like, you know, between sometimes it's really like, you know, we we talk about this all the time, at least me and Faden. It's like, you know, he's like, he was telling me one day, he was like, you know, man, I really do not want to work this job. I really want to play music full time. And I was like, you're telling me, man, you know, I hate school right now. I I really don't want to be doing it, but you know, I'm a senior at this point, and you know, to finish out, but it's like we there's nothing else that I'd rather do than to play music.

SPEAKER_04: Just over the years of of doing it and and really building a fan base and actually making albums, it's really what I want to do. And that's what everybody else, you know, before before we decided to go with Craig and all this crazy stuff happened. When it happened, we were like, all right, guys, you know, this is a an insane choice that we have to make. Are you in? Because if you're not, you know, no shame in it. If you don't want to do it, you know, but we'll find somebody else and we're gonna do it because this is what you know we want.

SPEAKER_04: And everybody was like, Yeah, you know, we're ready to go. We want this really bad. Yeah, and you know, we're full send. And that's the way Adam, you know, he came on and you know, we were telling him this stuff, and I think he he's like, it was hard for him to even believe some of the stuff we were telling him. Like, oh yeah, you know, we got this tour offer, and you know, uh, we just signed with these guys, and we're doing this, and we want you to come out and join us. And, you know, he's in California.

SPEAKER_04: Never in my mind did I imagine when we first started the band that we'd have some dude who would fly and we would be able to afford to fly him out multiple times, like from the band. I mean, it's just crazy the the amount of things that we've been able to accumulate as a band and just bring everything together through the music and all that, just to have him come here and play. It's crazy, like to even think about that. We even have this opportunity. We're just really grateful for it, and um, we really want to do it, like I said.

SPEAKER_01: So well, you can hear in the songs, you know, just how everybody is you're all collectively on point. I guess is the best way I can describe it. Impeccable. Just it's when I hear your music, I would guess that you guys were at least in your 30s.

SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I I, you know, I show my family some of the songs or some of the people who aren't maybe necessarily in the loop of what I've been up to, and they'll say, like, that's not you, is it? Or uh, yeah, this sounds really professional. It's really just it's crazy that we've been able to do what we've been able to do here, especially at my at my house. I mean, that's pretty much getting everybody to come here and just record, and it's been really uh a great experience. But it it's crazy, you know.

SPEAKER_04: You tell people what you've been doing and kind of the way that we've done things and the songs that we've done. I I understand, you know, like it's not something that I thought would sound like that or the way we started.

SPEAKER_01: Um how do you feel about the influence of AI in music?

SPEAKER_04: Are you a fan of it? Not at all.

SPEAKER_00: Okay.

SPEAKER_04: Not at all. I I just think it's disingenuous to I agree. Yeah. I we feel about that with fans that use AI posters or it's just like, come on, guys, you know, like you can make a flyer from nothing. Like you don't even have like when we started, AI was not big at all. Like it was well, it started roughly around that time. And when we started, we we d we just made we just downloaded an app and and it was like, okay, we're gonna put some text here and we're gonna put a picture here, and we're gonna put our show here.

SPEAKER_04: It's not that hard to make your own stuff. No, it's not, it's not. And I just think it's disingenuous to to actual artists who actually do it. And then on top of the music portion, not just the you know, the generate generative AI for like posters and stuff, but I just think it's um for music, that's not fair to actual people who who actually make music because that's not a real person. That's not anybody who sat there and went through a process. Yeah. Like there's no there's no thinking in it. It's just generating a song.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't even understand why AI is being used to to create songs, you know, from scratch.

SPEAKER_04: Because it's just taking things from other people anyway.

SPEAKER_01: What's the idea behind that, you know, other than yeah, make making people think that it's a a true person.

SPEAKER_04: Right. It's I don't know. A cash grab, I have no idea. I I have no clue. I just think, you know, yeah, you know, you can generate a song, but you're not gonna have a band like us on there.

SPEAKER_01: Like we it's four separate people coming together to create a song that might take months to make instead of pressing, typing in a prompt, doing this and that, and then oh, we got a song, you know, just not well, yeah, and like back in the day, you know, say like 20 years ago, I thought it was stretching it just to have um a hologram of say a a performer who's passed away, to have them, you know, come on stage and and have that presence, you know, as a hologram. It was pretty cool. I've seen it before.

SPEAKER_01: It's you know, it it can definitely give you a lot of emotions and things like that. But the idea behind it was still a little odd, and now we're, you know, on the total opposite end of that and just creating something from nothing that is human.

SPEAKER_04: Right. And well, I liked what Skinner did. What they have done is, you know, instead of instead of doing any of that, because none of I, you know, I have my opinions on that whole situation as well.

SPEAKER_01: But in terms of what's Skinner done. I'm not familiar with that.

SPEAKER_04: Well, they have no original members anymore, but what they used to do instead of you know, they you do you just bring out a another singer. You don't you just leave, and they had, you know, Ronnie Van Zant's on his uh microphone pole. That's that's all the tribute you need, and you're still singing the song. He's he wrote the song. You don't need you know, some hologram or some AI to to sing the song or anything like that, especially live, but I I just mean in general, like you know, no hologram, anything like that.

SPEAKER_04: You just the the simple, you know, hat on the stand, that's that's a tribute enough. You're still playing the song.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: That's that's my opinion on that. Um it it and I think I don't know. I think people are just gonna use it for things of that nature, you know. I I just think it's disingenuous.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_01: It is. So before we head off of here, I'm gonna uh mention this is something I always put into all of my podcasts for my audience, and that is parents and guardians. If you have children that show an interest in the arts and music, help them explore that, get them involved, you know, whether, you know, you're just helping them pick out musical instruments, enrolling them in music lessons, let them join the band, you know, help them pursue that because where would we be without music? Um, music, it saves lives, and it's it's good in so many ways that, you know, sometimes it's even harder for us to comprehend.

SPEAKER_01: But that's a plug I always put in support your kids and um, you know, help them pursue that. We definitely want to keep the the rock and metal alive as well.

SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: And one question, too, I keep forgetting to ask is were any of you guys in band throughout school?

SPEAKER_04: No, this is our first band.

SPEAKER_01: But you never played in the high school band or joined band? None of you guys did.

SPEAKER_04: Nope.

SPEAKER_01: Really? You're the first band I have talked to where uh nobody uh was in band throughout school.

SPEAKER_04: No.

SPEAKER_01: But it sounds like you were playing guitar at a young age.

SPEAKER_04: Oh, I think everybody well, except Peyton. Everybody played their instruments for a while, I believe. Connor started roughly when I did. So if that's funny, the first time I met Connor for real, really, was we we went to the same guitar teacher when we started. So I knew him. He had the lesson after me with uh with our guy Chris. So, you know, that's how I knew who he was. That I knew how that he played guitar. And um, so yeah, I mean that was that was funny. Peyton, no, Peyton um, he he started on guitar when we first started the band.

SPEAKER_04: He started on guitar, and then he's like, nah, it's this feels too small for me. And so he picked up a bass, and you know, that's pretty much that.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, him and the bass go perfect together.

SPEAKER_04: It suits him. I I I think uh that was really what he was meant to play. Better than guitar for sure. Uh it worked out. It did.

SPEAKER_01: Oh, I just had something too and it left me.

SPEAKER_00: See, I told you. Post-it notes.

SPEAKER_00: Damn. Passing fleeting thought.

SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, have you had anything crazy that you can uh share with uh any of the shows that you've played so far?

SPEAKER_03: Anything crazy.

SPEAKER_00: Anything that stands out?

SPEAKER_04: Well, I'll tell you about a show. It was it was really funny. Uh not really, but you so we were playing a show and the the worst thing that can happen is I broke a string in the middle on the E-string, and it was it was terrible. So I'm going to play and I'm like, what is going on with my guitar? And then I just see my E-string like out, and I'm like, so I have to like sit there and pretend for the rest of the song like I'm hitting the E string, but I gotta go ahead and hit the other chords. It was funny.

SPEAKER_04: I was like, man, improvise. Right. I was like, wow, this is great. This is great. And you know, I don't have anybody that would run back and get my extra guitar, so I'm just up there. It was, it was, it was hilarious. But other other other than that, we did meet Eddie Trunk from Trunk XM. We did. He came to one of our shows out at uh in Middletown. That was the Middletown show, and we met him, and he was filming like some documentary on his career, and we got to talk in it for a little. I I don't remember exactly what it was about, but we just talked to him about Van Halen and you know how long we've been a band and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_04: So it was really fun.

SPEAKER_01: Have you ever watched um his shows that he did um a while ago where he would have like uh stump the guest, you know, that he'd have the the musicians on and they'd be interviewing. That metal show? That metal show, yes. Yeah, did you ever watch those?

SPEAKER_04: I yeah, my my mom actually used to watch those all the time. And I've watched a few clips, but nowadays I always watch him. He always interviews people um on like YouTube and stuff on like XM on stuff like that. And you know, I see him talking to Michael Anthony and all these other people. So I'd I just tune in and watch because I like his interviews. I like the questions he asks. So yeah, but that was probably the craziest thing that's happened to us. Meeting him was really cool. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04: I remember seeing he was in like Wyoming or something, I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01: Down here, I wanted to be crew, but yeah, he's definitely um a really cool guy. I've always liked uh his show, that metal show. I used to watch it. And um, I thought it was just cool then, you know, you just let the the audience ask questions and try to stump him and the other guy that was on it with him. It was pretty cool. I don't remember his name. They need to bring it back. That'd be so sweet if they did.

SPEAKER_04: Well, he just posted a video the other day talking about, you know, the the the all the the good things people have to say, especially like for my generation about his his shows and he's he's he's like surprised that people still watch it. I'm like, yeah, man, I like hearing what these people have to say. It's it's really cool.

SPEAKER_01: Definitely. Yeah. Uh so he came through and then uh Ricky Rockman came through too. Um a tour um that I wanted, I wish I had gone to see, but hopefully he'll uh continue to to do tours um here and future because yeah, that is one dude I would really like to meet. And if I can't meet at least in person, because he's got some killer stories, you know. He's absolutely he was the the life of Headbanger's Ball. So he was. Definitely was it's just kind of sad to see that, you know, it's everything's social media now.

SPEAKER_01: So, you know, MTV and VH1, things like that that I had, you know, and pretty much was yeah, that's how we got our music. So just totally different ways now. Um, like TikTok. I've I've discovered so many awesome people just through TikTok alone. It's and that's the thing.

SPEAKER_04: There is a a genre of band out right now that refuses to use social media to their advantage. And and to me, I think it's ridiculous. Just in general, I think what are they using then?

SPEAKER_01: Are they just going the traditional old school route?

SPEAKER_04: It just doesn't work like that anymore. It's it, you know, it's not how it was. And our manager tells us that all the time. He says, you know, it's not the 80s anymore. You know, that's not the way things work. It's through social media. That's how you get out there now. It's not necessarily it's a combination of both shows and social media. But social media is so important to being able to communicate that out into the world. It is so much easier to be able to do that. But it's just weird to me that that the bands choose not to use it because that's how we got out there, that's how we got our music out there, and that's why we're in the position that we're in.

SPEAKER_04: So I recommend to anybody listening, please, as a band, use social media to your advantage. It's it's so important now.

SPEAKER_01: I would add on to that too, don't let it replace the connection that you need to have with fans, you know. Absolutely. Yes.

SPEAKER_01: You know, be be available for the fans in in one way or another. Don't let the the social media replace all of that, those connections for you.

SPEAKER_04: Right. Because they're they're the reason you're playing, you know, the fans in the first place.

SPEAKER_01: Right. Yeah. Yeah. It's not like um one of those shows. Um, again, back in the day, it was uh God, it was they had um, I can't remember the name of the show, but it was basically like a competition. You know, they had all these uh bodybuilders and people with muscles and things like that. And they would go and do these ridiculously crazy obstacle courses and things like that. And to make it look like they had a full audience, they went and used cardboard silhouettes and placed them in the seats around the arena, yeah, to make it look like they were playing to a full audience.

SPEAKER_01: It's crazy. Yeah. Insane. I can't remember the name of that right now, but it was funny because I was just watching a documentary about it. And uh when they they brought that up, I was like, oh my god, they really did it. And they didn't care. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: Nah, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01: You know, the one thing I was gonna mention to you too, this is what I had forgot earlier. So uh a recent episode I did with um this guy Tony from Inoculation, he makes guitars. He makes his own guitars. Yeah, super sweet. So it's that is cool. Yeah. Um I was like, yeah, when you, you know, when you're out there traveling and you know, in your free time, that's what he works on. And I was like, you never know, you could kind of, you know, make that a side gig and get out there, take that with you and sell it to other people.

SPEAKER_04: So it's yeah, you know, I I I've made a couple, I well, I've made one guitar before. It's my explorer that I have in my my basement that I never play because the electronics are bad, but I gotta replace them. But yeah, I I I enjoy, I would like to build guitars. That's that's an interest of mine that I've never really explored that much. I've made one. Yeah. I I have so many cool ideas that I think would be really cool, but I just don't know how to do it. But I'd I'd just research it probably and figure it out.

SPEAKER_04: There's a speci I have a guitar that I'd love to make that that I would probably make the guitar that I would play all the time. Like it would just be my signature guitar, I guess if that's what you want to call it. But I I just there's just they just don't make it. Like they they don't make a guitar like that. So I would be interested in possibly exploring that option. That's so that's funny that you brought that up. But yeah, I'd love to pursue that at some point for sure.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'll give you his contact info if you ever want to reach out to him. Um they have a they're like a um uh death metal band, uh but their their lyrics and songs uh evolve around sci-fi. So that's their passion. Yeah. So they've got some pretty cool, pretty cool music. They're out of Cleveland. Oh, but I was like, yeah, this is this is why I love doing the podcast because you know, I'm meeting um some kick-ass musicians, but learning about the skills and passions and and what drives you behind the music.

SPEAKER_01: And it's really cool to be able to share that with other people too.

SPEAKER_04: Absolutely. That is great. I mean, that's that is the great thing about now. Like the time we live being able to do this, it's just great. Great.

SPEAKER_01: Where do you see yourself in five years? From touring.

SPEAKER_04: Touring with the band, yeah. That's that's the only thing. That's option A and only. There's only one option. The band is is number one. Playing out, playing festivals, getting on tours, making great records. That's that's where I see us as a band and me. I I want to be at playing and doing that professionally for as long as I can.

SPEAKER_01: Well, it definitely looks very promising.

SPEAKER_04: It does. It does. I'm really proud of the band. But thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01: Well, as we head off of here, thank you again so much. It's been awesome to actually get to talk to you and learn more about the band as a whole. And uh yeah, I'll definitely be paying attention here from the tiny, tiny state of Ohio. Actually, the tiny town of Mansfield, Ohio. A lot of people, you know, even just like with people I've connected with on TikTok and stuff, you know, if they see that I mentioned Mansfield, they're like, oh, Mansfield, let's see, there's a couple different towns in uh Mansfield.

SPEAKER_01: There's like a Mansfield, Texas. Um, another state has a Mansfield, and then I tell them where I'm at, and they're like, oh, never heard of it.

SPEAKER_01: But you'll have to do it. We can't all live in the metropolis.

SPEAKER_00: It's true. It's true.

SPEAKER_01: Are you born and raised in Cincinnati?

SPEAKER_04: I am, yes.

SPEAKER_01: Okay. Yeah, born and raised in Mansfield for me.

SPEAKER_04: Are you? Yeah, nice, nice. Yeah, a lot of my family though is from uh uh Kentucky, like very southern, like near um Middlesbrough. So down there. Uh that's where my my family's mostly from. But everyone's here now, obviously. But yeah, Kentucky and here. Okay.

SPEAKER_01: All right. Well, Ohio, you heard it first from Luke with the band Thorns, and you'll have to check them out. I'm gonna link their information when this gets posted, and keep an eye on them. These guys are definitely uh a kick ass band. You've if you're into the thrash groove metal, this band is it. So, Luke, thank you again so much for being on. And until then, keep it loud.

SPEAKER_04: Thank you, appreciate it.

Tonight's Episode