Get in the head of one of the most handsome writers in the blog, Matt Novak!
When is the Medicated Robots Album Coming Out?
A great question! God I suck. I have no idea man. It's been done for a while, but then I re-listen to it and re-do a drum part, or revisit the vocal tracks, blah blah. At this point, I'd honestly say Winter of this year. Mainly for the format part of it.
What will be the formats?
I've done a lot of thinking on this. Way too much actually. I want the music itself to presented the fullest it sounded in the studio, which for this sound is CD. The artwork and idea behind this album is a little bigger physically than what CD sleeves can hold, so I'm going to hand make a few box sets with a booklet of 10x10 prints/artwork. This album took a lot out of me and I would hate to just toss it up on Apple Music with a link on a shitty Instagram post. BUT! I have to understand the reality of what I'm making and how awful I am at promoting it. I'm not going to spend $5,000 to make some big elaborate thing 15 people will buy; hence the hand made approach. Plus, I really like the idea of getting something from an artist that stands out a little. Isn't just a link or a burned CD in a blank sleeve.
What is your new band?
My new band is called Cerulean! It's a 3 piece that I'm playing guitar and singing in.The idea behind it is to write songs on guitar or bass and have Ty (bass) and Andrew (drums) turn it into something cooler. It might honestly be the most rewarding but challenging band I've ever done. I hate describing your bands sound just as much as the next guy, but I guess most people would throw it in the shoegaze category. Real wide, delayed, fuzzy guitars with sad, usually higher pitched vocals over it all. Adding Ty to the mix was incredible because his pedal board was as big as mine. So I originally thought the bass would sort of stay linear in the mix, but at many points it's just as wide as the guitar, giving the entire band a much bigger, much cooler sound. The vibe when we play is the perfect blend of hard work with easy going personalities. You'll (actually) hear this stuff soon, both live and online!
What is on your playlist right now?
I've been listening to a lot of old Skinny Puppy. Too Dark Park by them has been listened to all the way through at least once a day for the past few weeks for some reason. Also this band Tobacco. A lot of the stuff that comes from the Rad Cult label is pretty cool. Not typically stuff I'd be into which I think is the appeal.
Do you lay vocal patterns first and lyrics second or the other way around?
It depends. I obsess over lyrics. That's a huge reason that Robots album isn't out. It's a selfish and delusional thought to think anyone gives a shit at all to listen to them enough for me to care, but yeah. Usually patterns first though. Some songs on that Robots album are just nonsensical sentences but with enough delay and reverb sound like "real" lyrics.
Favorite Megadeth record?
Ride the Lightning
Any bands recorded lately at Obese studios?
Unfortunately nothing in real life. I've been slacking big time with promoting that. We're recording the Cerulean material and my email is always full of plans to work with people, but they usually flake.
Best microphone for live performances?
Shure-SM58
Favorite Burger Toppings?
Ketchup
