Posted in Whathaveyou on April 25th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
When was the last time you put on a record that was Slayer one minute and Earthride the next? Well, I guess if you have those particular listening habits maybe it hasn’t been all that long, but that’s a one-two that comes together at the outset of Olde Grale‘s debut five-tracker Blood of Fools just the same, the riffing of title-track duly thickened to warrant being the work of two bands together. Those two bands? Olde and Grale, of course.
I won’t pretend to know when it happened or what prompted it, but at some point, the Toronto-based outfits got together and made this sub-25-minute crusher with no apparent regrets. Intricate and prog-metallic in “Senile Dementia” before the gallop takes off, alternately chugging and pummeling thereafter, with the slower “Unseen Reaper” backing to emphasize largesse, the EP seems to follow ideas from multiple sources but wants nothing for cohesion, capping with a rush in “Faith Healer” that, even if Grale hadn’t covered Entombed before might be enough to make one think they should.
Does is slow to a crushing finish? No! They end with all good speed and do justice to the thrust shown throughout without necessarily giving up the tonal density one would hope for with two bassists on board. If you’re still reading this, I’ll be honest and say I don’t know why. The player’s at the bottom of this post, and Salt of the Earth has CDs — that’s right, kids: compact discs; they use lasers and are from the future — so by all means, dig in:
OLDE + GRALE = OLDE GRALE
WHEN TWO GREAT THINGS COME TOGETHER = BLOOD OF FOOLS
From caveman sludge through hook-laden smoked-out grooves all the way to razor-sharp thrash, OLDE GRALE is made up of 8 Canadians who care little about labels or rules; they only want to crush you.
“Blood of Fools” is a 5-song trip that runs the gamut of all things heavy. 70s riff rock, monolithic doom, speed metal and thrash, OLDE GRALE bring the goods that any fan of aggressive music should appreciate in spades.
A complete celebration of the underground, step up and get knocked down.
Recorded remotely and at BWC STUDIOS (Kingston) and mixed/mastered by Greg Dawson of BWC Studios. All songs by Olde and Grale.
Guitars: Greg Dawson and Chris “Hippy” Hughes Drums: Ryan Aubin and Kevin Farmer Vocals: Doug McLarty and Daniel Allen Bass: Mark Rand and Cory McCallum
Posted in Questionnaire on April 4th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Michael Smario of Monster God
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I love this question because this has been up for debate for some time. Not a huge fan of “genre” labels or categories. Monster God the band started with Kyuss and “stoner” metal as its main influence then morphed into something completely different. My writing style incorporates a lot of different styles from Doom to Stoner to bands like Neurosis who is a huge influence for me. It all comes full circle though because I feel like everything all comes back to Black Sabbath lol. All three of us grew up in the heyday of the bay area California metal scene. Our bass player Mike Kauffman was the founding member of the thrash band Defiance and our drummer Karl and me played in a band called Inhalent with Harald O (now former D.R.I. bassist) all throughout the ’90s. Karl and myself after a 10-year hiatus decided to start playing music together again in like 2017 and Monster God formed from that past relationship.
Describe your first musical memory.
Honestly, I think KISS was the first band I really fell in love with. One of my father’s employees handed me the dressed to kill album when I was like 6 and it was all downhill from there! After that Black Sabbath, AC/DC then on into Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Scorpions etc. When I heard Accept Fast as a Shark that blew me away then I heard Kill Em All from Metallica and that was that. I took drum lessons early on because I loved Peter Criss then that led into playing guitar when I was like 12 I think.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
The first thing that came to mind when I read this was seeing KISS in 1979. Feeling the heat from the flames and that stage show had a huge affect on me.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I was raised Lutheran, went to Sunday school, and took communion and all that jazz. I had a good friend of mine; really cool guy and he was Jewish. One time in Sunday school, I asked the Pastor, “I have a friend who is Jewish, since he does not accept Jesus as his lord what will happen to him when he dies?” The Pastor said straight up, “unless he accepts Jesus as his lord and savior he was going to hell.” It was at that very moment I decided the whole religion thing was not for me and shattered a lot of what I thought were truths.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Enlightenment. Release. Evolution in ideas and thoughts. Growth as a person.
How do you define success?
Waking up on this side of the dirt lol. I battle with depression so getting through the day with a smile is success for me. Enjoying time with the people I love. Musical success? I have already achieved what I consider success, I play music and recorded music. I never wanted to make money or be famous doing this, seemed too far out of reach, especially at my age now!
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
When I was younger, I drove tow truck for a company for while and we had the fatality contract. Basically, if there was a car accident and someone was killed, we had to do the tow. Seen a few dead bodies but one in particular sticks out. An entire family was hit on the interstate, Mom, Dad and two small children in car seats. The car burst into flames, and they were all burned to a crisp. I had to hook up that car with the bodies still inside and get the car to the side of the road where they could tarp it off the do the body extractions. Seeing those kids burned up was really hard and stuck with me.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I have always wanted to write and record an acoustic solo album and let that side of my creativity flow.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Sanity. Music – listening to and playing music, that’s my safe space. Creating and fostering emotions, good and bad. Visual art as well, but music is really my form of expression as well as my release and escape from depression. When I am really feeling down though the number one rule is “DO NOT listen to Alice in Chains Dirt,” that album can send my into a spiral emotional because it is so fucking raw. Down in Hole, Rain when I Die, man those songs hurt to listen to now. Masterpiece of pain and struggle right there.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Some records you just keep going back to. This year marks the 10th anniversary of deep-riffing Connecticut trio Curse the Son‘s second full-length, Psychache (review here, interview here, vinyl review here, also discussed here), and the band are celebrating with a well-earned remaster/limited reissue out Sept. 23 through Salt of the Earth Records. They’ve also got a new lineup around founding guitarist/vocalist Ron Vanacore and plans to record a new album for release next year.
That’s not irrelevant, as Curse the Son look back on Psychache‘s six songs/31 minutes, it’s easy to hear both how they’ve grown in the years since and why they’d look to strip back and re-simplify their sound — the album at 31 minutes and six songs is everything it needs to be. Released first by the band in 2012 as the foll0w-up to the previous year’s Klonopain (review here), it was pressed to CD in 2013 and vinyl in 2014, the latter through STB Records — they were ahead of their time in staggering formats, but also it was very much an organic, word-of-mouth kind of growth — and Psychache continues to resonate to a rare degree these 10 years after the fact with its red-eyed sludge rock, encompassing fuzz and languid rolling grooves. It was everything it needed to be and nothing it didn’t. Most bands never get to put out an album like that. A rare achievement of nigh-on-infinite listenability.
And no, I’m not just saying that because I’m hosting the stream — as you can see in the first paragraph’s many links, I’m not hurting for having covered the album — or because I wrote the intro to the liner notes (shout to Billy from Doomed & Stoned, who did the notes proper) accompanying this reissue. The truth is I do return to Psychache on the regular in my own listening, and at this point it feels like visiting an old friend. Its riffs unfold themselves at the center of each song, and around them dance the hooks of “Goodbye Henry Anslinger,” “Spider Stole the Weed,” the lurching “Somatizer” and the even-slower “The Negative Ion,” that finale a more agonized row that, in hindsight, would preface some of the more doomed fare on subsequent outings, 2016’s Isolator (review here) and 2020’s Excruciation (review here), the latter representing their most complex work to-date.
Psychache — fleshed out via the atmospheric meds-pun interlude “Valium For” and its instrumental title-track, the latter of which closes side A, the former opening side B — is best heard rather than read, so I’m going to spare you the glut of blah-blah-blah in the hope that you’ll instead take the time to hit play below and experience it for yourself. Its intangible strengths are right there in the music. The interplay of would-be burl tone and Vanacore’s pattern-setting vocals was upon initial release a sans-pretense prediction of a decade’s worth of Sabbath worship to come, and looking/listening back on it now, the vanguard feel is like a proven theorem. How many ways are there to say they nailed it? Front-to-back, that’s all they did. And for an outing that’s as cannabinoid — we called it “weed” back then — as Psychache is, if you find a wasted second in its 31 minutes, you’ll have to let me know because I’ve been listening to this record for a fucking decade now and I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t serve either the purpose of the song itself or the album as a whole.
Dig in. Whether you were on board when it first came out or if it’s completely new to you — all the better, really — the best advice I can give is to just follow the nod and enjoy. This is a celebration of an offering that defines cult classic.
Enjoy:
Ron Vanacore on Psychache reissue and new lineup:
“We have been working extremely hard to recapture and revisit the “original” Curse the Son sound after some years of experimentation. Preparing to play ‘Psychache’ in it’s entirety has been invigorating for us all. Dan and Brian are very excited to be a part of this and their enthusiasm has been infectious. We have already begun to write new songs as well, prepare for the HUGE guitars, fuzzy bass and monstrous drums of the old times. We will be playing “Psychache” in it’s entirety live as a treat for everyone (including ourselves)! Plans are to write this Winter and get back into the studio by Spring ’23 to record the next record. Fans old and new rejoice – we are back!”
Doom metal stalwarts Curse The Son, based in Hamden, Connecticut, announce a new line-up and the tenth anniversary reissue of the album Psychache on Salt of the Earth Records!
Curse the Son has decided to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Psychache with a special reissue on Salt Of The Earth Records. Fully remastered by long-time Curse the Son engineer and co-producer Steve Wytas, the album sounds reborn.
This one-time limited run of 200 CD’s is packed with behind-the-scenes introspection into the songs, liner notes, photos, memories from the band, in addition to newly remastered audio.
“This is a labor of love,” frontman Ron Vanacore admits. “It has always been my favorite Curse the Son record not only due to the tunes and overall vibe, but also because it’s the record that truly put us on the map.”
Psychache is a reflective effort of the time and still feels as valid today as it did when it originally was released. Produced by Vanacore, the record was originally recorded at Underground Sound in East Haven, Connecticut, with engineer/owner Chris DelVecchio. Sessions began in December 2011 and mixing was completed in August of 2012.
The iconic photograph on the cover of Psychache is mysteriously haunting. Taken in the 1930s, this photo “spoke” to Ron Vanacore and was determined to be the album cover before a single note had been written for the record. “I love the menacing vibe as the masked kid walks towards you brandishing an unidentifiable weapon,” he says. The album’s central theme being fear, Vanacore felt it was the absolute perfect visual representation for the music.
Curse the Son live: September 23rd @ The Cellar On Treadwell (Hamden, Ct) CD Release Show w/Joetown and Fractured Reality September 24th @ Keegan Ales (Kingston, NY) w/Geezer and Shadow Witch October 7th @ New England Stoner/Doom Festival Prost Music Hall (Jewett City, Ct) October 29th @ Country Tavern (Guilford, Ct) w/ Alcoholica
More dates TBA
Psychache – 2012 Line-Up: Ron Vanacore (guitar, vox) Cheech Weeden (bass) Michael Petrucci (drums)
Curse the Son – 2022 line-up: Ron Vanacore (guitar, vox) Dan Weeden (bass) Brian Harris (drums)
Toronto heavy rockers Ol’ Time Moonshine release their third full-length, Magic, on Aug. 5 through Salt of the Earth Records. Preorders for the album are open… now.
No, wait.
Okay… now. Yes.
It is the band’s second release through Salt of the Earth following behind 2017’s ambitious and conceptual The Apocalypse Trilogies (review here) and 2014’s The Demon Haunted World (review here), and works off the band’s stated ethic of turning, “lead into gold,” in classic alchemical fashion.
There’s no denying that when a band clicks in terms of sound, chemistry, dynamic, even just personally, there’s an a-very-good-thing-is-happening serotonin release, or as the long-player puts it, a kind of Magic. Ethereal as the notion might be, if their intent is to convey these more-than-sum-of-parts aspects of what happens when the jams work, well, they’ve got the right jams. And the ethic holds, from the Deliverance-era C.O.C. burl of “Chrononaut” (premiering below), “Dark Clouds of Doom” and “Hexslinger” punching through the opening salvo, to the later hooky nod of “Sweet Black Angel,” the momentary letting loose of the seven-minute “Higher Learning” (longest track and presumed end of a vinyl side A), or the head-down shove that caps the penultimate “Transmissions” (shortest track at 3:30), which moves from highlight vocal melodies and open spaces into one of Magic‘s most physically urgent progressions and still leaves room for “Where Giants Rest” to close out with pointed structures encased in a slower, more languid flow and just a moment’s break before the last, swirling solo takes hold to lead the way out of the album.
Along their many-riffed and delightfully crunchy path, the four-piece of guitarist/vocalist Bill Kole, bassist/backing vocalist Jesse Mackowycz, guitarist Chris Coleiro and drummer Adam Saitti are united in their purpose toward both sides of the style in which they reside — they’re heavy and they rock — but there is more character in their delivery and songwriting than a simple aping of genre tropes would imply. Truth is there always has been, but the John Critchley recording and Greg Dawson mix — the latter crucial since it brings a harder edge to the presentation than the band has had previously — as well as the fresh take on groove of Saitti and Mackowycz, who are both new to the band as of this record, creates a combination of elements that seems to bring it all together such that by the time Angela Neatby of well-kept-Québecois-secret Muffler Crunch sits in alongside Kole on vocals for “Please, Please” after the first four cuts, the very arrangement of the album itself becomes part of the richness that continues to grow as “Sweet Black Angel” rolls out languid after.
As you listen to “Chrononaut” on the player below, keep in mind not only it as part of a first-of-three as it seems very much intended to be in the company of “Dark Clouds of Gloom” and “Hexslinger,” but also how some of the later instrumental melodicism will manifest on vocals as well as guitar, Magicproving able to evoke mood while also going about its tasks of craft with a we’re-just-a-band-playing-riffs-man-shaped void where pretense might otherwise be. Like the record as a whole, “Chrononaut” reveals more depths of tonality and mix on subsequent listens, and really, going through a couple times will only get the song stuck in your head, which after listening once is where you’ll likely want it to be. So have fun with that.
Band comment, album preorder links and other info follow.
Please enjoy:
Ol’ Time Moonshine, “Chrononaut” lyric video premiere
Ol’ Time Moonshine on “Chrononaut”:
“Chrononaut” opens the album strong and was an easy choice for the first single with its heavy groove and big chorus. The lyrics tell the tale of the Chrononaut, a time travelling scientist seeking to find the beginning and end points of history to help them understand their place in time and space. Gabby Vessoni created the official lyric video for us, and did an amazing job.
Ol’ Time Moonshine have dabbled in the dark arts of riff alchemy with their third album, “Magic”. A rockin’ & rollin‘, dynamic exploration of all that is heavy, these 8 tracks are loaded with hooks and full throttle groove. Lead turned into gold.
Recorded and engineered by Juno award winner John Critchley and mixed and mastered by Greg Dawson (Grale, Olde), Ol’ Time Moonshine have never sounded better, expanding on the sound of their first two releases to deliver their darkest, most dynamic album yet.
Less conceptual than their sophomore release, “The Apocalypse Trilogies”, but still layered in meaning (and riffs!), “Magic” is a much more melodic album than their previous releases, but certainly no less heavy in execution.
“Magic” sees Ol’ Time Moonshine welcome a new rhythm section: Adam Saitti (Gypsy Chief Goliath, Georgian Skull) on drums and Jesse Mackowycz (Bad Blood, Quarter Tank) on bass.
Pre-release On Sale Date: July 18th, 2022 Album Launch: August 5th Available on CD and digital
In Canada: http://www.oltimemoonshine.bandcamp.com US & International: http://www.saltoftheearthrecords.com
Available on all major streaming services on or shortly after launch date.
Ol’ Time Moonshine: Bill Kole – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar Chris Coleiro – rhythm and lead guitar Adam Saitti – drums Jesse Mackowycz – bass and backing vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 1st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Oakland sludge rockers Monster God will release their upcoming album, Clouds of Grey, through Salt of the Earth Records, and if I told you how many days it’s been that I’ve been trying to get together a news post to say so you would rightly laugh in my fucking face. The Connecticut imprint and California trio join forces at the behest of label honcho Scott “of the Earth” Harrington, whose passion for the music he puts out is as infectious as ever. Dude believes, in a way few I’ve ever met have believed, and backs it with hustle. I’ll support that every time.
Even if it takes a few more days than I’d prefer.
But there’s no set release date that I’ve seen, so I only feel somewhat behind the times on the signing announcement, at least as much as usual. More to come.
And while we’re here, I’m not sure I agree with the point of view in their 2017 single “Respect the Fire,” as we’ve now pretty much seen that burning in action, but I definitely get where they’re coming from.
From the PR wire:
MONSTER GOD SIGNS WITH SALT OF THE EARTH RECORDS
With the belief that one good turn, deserves another SALT OF THE EARTH RECORDS has the esteem honor to announce the signing of Oakland CA’s Doom Filled Sludge Metal Band, MONSTER GOD.
A 3 piece powerhouse who deliver some of the heaviest riffs this side of the San Andreas Fault… something wicked this way comes, and MONSTER GOD is its name.
“Clouds Of Grey” will be the second release from Monster God, and the bands first to come out on all formats, including vinyl. The band did extensive preproduction work before entering Trident Studios with Juan Ortega at the production helm. Music this heavy, is not rushed. It’s forged. It comes from deep hardships and perseverance. And that is evident in this deeply personal collection of songs.
Monster God: Mike Smario – Vocals / Guitars Mike Kaufman – Bass Karl Casolari – Drums
Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 2nd, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Kudos to Thunderbird Divine on beating me to the obvious joke that their rehearsal room clip of the new song “Cerebral Tides” looks like it was shot on a security camera. The VHS filter only enhances that impression. Fair enough. You’ll always have my heart, Philadelphia.
Check your Way-Back Machine and you might recall Thunderbird Divine putting out the righteously-funked The Hand of Man EP (review here) just as humanity was beginning to burrow itself into the ground and hope it survived the asteroid slamming into the surface of the earth… or something like that. Either way, the EP r-u-l-e-d, and made a killer follow-up to 2019’s Magnasonic (review here), and it seems the group aren’t content to rest on those laurels, as their space-heavy cosmic sludge groove has expanded once again. What the hell does that mean? Means they got a keyboardist. Keep up.
And what exactly do we know about our new friend Jack? Well, it’s safe to assume he has a last name, though I don’t know what it is — I could ask, but that would be totally unlaid-back of me and the vibe in “Cerebral Tides” is directing me otherwise — and we know he makes Thunderbird Divine‘s rehearsal space one more person plus one keyboard’s worth of crowded. And from listening we know he rocks it. That’s not exactly nothing to go on.
But though more info will presumably be revealed in good time about their intentions/surnames, I’m glad to see Thunderbird Divine are working on new stuff. Even in this grainy form, you can hear “Cerebral Tides” has its groove on lockdown like there’s been an outbreak of nod, and the who knows whether it’ll stay instrumental or get some vocals later on. Whatever, whenever. These dudes have earned my trust to this point to the degree that, whatever’s coming next, I want to check it out.
Enjoy:
Thunderbird Divine, “Cerebral Tides” rehearsal video
Top secret security Thunderbird Divine cam footage has been leaked, revealing a new instrumental track called “Tides” and the presence of a ‘Bird named Jack, who seems to be playing keys.
Stay tuned for things to come, friends.
Thunderbird Divine is Erik Caplan: electric guitars, vocals, theremin Flynn Lawrence: electric guitars, Mike Stuart: drums Adam Scott: bass Jack: keys
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 23rd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
So just to make your life confusing, here’s a remixed track from a remixed record. But the remixed track is a bonus track that’s not part of the remixing process the rest of the record underwent, instead an outside collaboration. But the rest of the record, Until it All Collides — originally released in 2016 on Salt of the Earth Records — has been remixed and remastered. When the Deadbolt Breaks, in sound or style or method, have never taken it easy on the listen. It’s just not the way of founding guitarist/vocalist Aaron Lewis or the Connecticut outfit that’s been his destructive, extremist sludge vehicle for 15 years.
To wit, the premiere of “Floyd’s Machine (Remix)” below is one of two Juno6 remixes included on the forthcoming new version of Until it All Collides is fascinating and unlike anything the band has done before. Think Godflesh or some of Napalm Death‘s techno experimentations and you’ll be on the right track. When the Deadbolt Breaks have always been able to harness an atmosphere of threat, and certainly “Floyd’s Machine” keeps that as part of the foundation from which it builds, but it also takes an unexpected — and effective; like, Lewis might want to consider doing a whole record like this — turn with the outside reinterpretation of the band’s work.
When the Deadbolt Breaks have a new LP in the works for Desert Records in 2021 and a new lineup as well. Lewis updates below and “Floyd’s Machine (Remix)” premieres down at the bottom:
When The Deadbolt Breaks will be releasing the album Until It All Collides as remix on Friday Nov. 29th via Desert Records along with the songs Floyd’s Machine and Just Before Twilight. The band will also release a new full-length album in 2021 on Desert Records.
“WTDB was the first band I signed to the label in 2018,” says Desert Records founder Brad Frye. “I couldn’t be happier to help them release these two albums. The remixes are dirty, grimey, filthy and disgusting in the best way possible and will be released on Black Friday 2020, as a digital album for ‘name your price’ on Bandcamp. I heard one of the new songs from the upcoming album…killer stuff. Get ready for new music from the Psychedelic Doom hailing from the woods of Connecticut.”
Aaron Lewis on Until it All Collides remixes:
I was never really quite happy with the way the Until It All Collides EP sounded, which, I can only blame myself for since it was recorded at my studio like all of our records have been. But, I probably wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be working on that project at that time due to personal issues I was facing. So, I wanted to give the album the proper mix and master that it deserves. However this time, we removed the live songs and have added two remix versions of older When the Deadbolt Breaks songs as remixed and reimagined by our friend Juno6.
Those remixes will include ‘Floyd’s Machine’ from our 2018 album Angels are Weeping… God has abandoned.,. and ‘Just Before Twilight,’ from our 2010 double album The Last Day of Sun. Juno6 first sent us the remix of Floyds Machine close to two years ago now, and we wanted to wait for the right time to release it. Now is that time through Desert Records.
Over the past few months, we have also been working on a new record, which honestly I couldn’t be more pleased about. With the addition of Charlie Platterborze on guitar and Rob Birkbeck on drums, a whole new pathway has been opened for our music. The new music is more extreme, more diverse and more crushing than anything we’ve done in the past.
We are extremely excited to welcome both Rob and Charlie to the band, and to work with Desert Records on both of these releases.
The ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the varied responses of publics and governments worldwide, and the disruption to lives and livelihoods has reached a scale that is unprecedented. Whatever the month or the month after or the future itself brings, more than one generation will bear the mark of having lived through this time, and art, artists, and those who provide the support system to help uphold them have all been affected.
In continuing the Days of Rona feature, it remains pivotal to give a varied human perspective on these events and these responses. It is important to remind ourselves that whether someone is devastated or untouched, sick or well, we are all thinking, feeling people with lives we want to live again, whatever renewed shape they might take from this point onward. We all have to embrace a new normal. What will that be and how will we get there?
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Willy Rivera of Spiral Grave (Stafford, Virginia)
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How have you been you dealing with this crisis as a band? As an individual? What effect has it had on your plans or creative processes?
At the moment, Spiral Grave is on hold with everyone focusing on their work responsibilities and trying to stay healthy. We had begun writing new material since the debut full-length is already recorded and we had begun talking to labels for an official release but we had to pump the brakes once the restrictions and curfews came down being that I live in Virginia and the rest of the band resides in Maryland. All things considered, everyone’s in good spirits but itching to get back at it since we were making a lot of process and building some serious momentum for the band prior to the pandemic hitting.
How do you feel about the public response to the outbreak where you are? From the government response to the people around you, what have you seen and heard from others?
I’d say piss poor,at best. They were completely unprepared for what we were dealing with and the magnitude of the effect it would have on the citizens of this country. From the medical supplies,their inability to make effective&competent decisions in a timely manner, providing the public with the right information,being more concerned with the economy than the safety of the American public and the mishandling of the stimulus program… not to mention, how is $1,200 supposed to counteract people’s ever mounting financial issues considering most Americans live paycheck to paycheck and probably had little if any money put away?
The media has also played a hand in not providing the public with the pure facts, choosing instead to sensationalize and push an agenda of fear. Don’t get me wrong, you should respect the power and impact of this virus but choosing to focus on the number of dead and having little to almost no coverage of those who’ve recovered from it surely shakes what little faith I already had in corporate media. On the flipside, I do believe that some on the local and state levels have done more to keep their citizens safe than the Federal government by enforcing restrictions,curfews,social distancing,supplying those in the emergency fields with the required PPE and only having “essential” businesses open but some of the public is still choosing to stretch the rules when they can or try to ignore them completely.
There’s a difference between having your rights stripped and having your privilege inconvenienced. Our actions have repercussions and choosing to be flippant about your safety is one thing but when it endangers the health of those around you, that’s a problem. Trust me, I hate wearing the masks and I want my life back but this is our current reality so we just gotta push through it and do the right thing.
What do you think of how the music community specifically has responded? How do you feel during this time? Are you inspired? Discouraged? Bored? Any and all of it?
It was a serious bummer initially because music AND creativity got tossed aside and all I could do was work. I was working crazy hours and I was trying to take as much overtime as possible because we didn’t know if we’d be shut down as well and we’d have the rug pulled out from under us. You can only keep that pace for so long until it starts to wear on you and you don’t have your usual outlet to channel your angst through. Not to mention,not being able to see my friends, express myself or follow through on building something fruitful with a great girl that I’d just met because everything was put on hold besides work. So all of the things that would bring me joy were traded for working a thankless job… but in hindsight, I’m grateful for the paycheck because I know a lot of people who are struggling right now with greater financial responsibilities than I. I’ve started writing again,now that my head is clear again and I’m getting my chops back up so we can hit the ground running when this blows over finally.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything? What is your new normal? What have you learned from this experience, about yourself, your band, or anything?
I would just ask people to have patience and be kind to each other. Unfortunately,this pandemic has shown both the best and the worst in people as is usually the case but I think what we need right now is a little bit of empathy so that we can think of someone other than ourselves. It’s easy to be self-consumed and get bogged down in feeling sorry for yourself. I was incredibly happy with my life right before this pandemic struck. I had started a new position at work, the band was doing great and I had met an amazing girl and then that all went to pot once this thing struck but compared to what others are dealing with, I can’t really complain. I’ve had a steady check coming in,a roof over my head and my health so once this blows over, I’ll be ready to pick where I left off with everything and live life as fully as I can.
