What have been your musical epiphany moments?
I grew up digging through my mother’s record collection. I loved albums by The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Cat Stevens, and Neil Young at an early age. In middle school Nirvana blew up and I, like most kids my age, got into all the Seattle bands. Soundgarden, AIC, Pearl Jam, etc. I clearly remember by older brother bringing home a Metallica CD at some point. I’m pretty sure it was “Master of Puppets” and it scared the shit out of me. I was drawn to it though and soon sought out even harder bands. I started finding a lot of local metal music as well Acid Bath, Crowbar, Soilent Green, Eyehategod etc. This made the idea of playing music seem like it could be achievable. Around that time I was also getting into a lot of punk rock. Bands like Guttermouth, NOFX, No Use for a Name, Rancid, and Hot Water Music. Right after high school as I was playing in my first band and landing shows around Louisiana I discovered Kyuss and went down a stoner rock rabbit hole. I soon discovered bands like QOTSA, Fluidage, Archie Bunker, Grand Magus, Dixie Witch, and Slo Burn. That had a huge impact for sure.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Usually the riff comes first especially if I’m writing on electric guitar. I’ll be jamming around and something will stick out. Then I usually try to find something to go with that riff. Once I have two riffs together I begin thinking about vocal melody. If I’m playing acoustic it oftentimes starts with the vocal melody over some simple chords and expands from there. Lyrics usually come last, but not always. I have notebooks of lyrics and if I am particularly drawn to a few lines or a phrase I will attempt to write around them.
Who has influenced you the most?
The people I’ve played with over the years have probably influenced me the most musically. Matt Dupre`, who I play with currently in Big Frank and have played guitar with in one band or another since I was 19, and Ben Ryland who I play with in Chemical City Rebels have been my biggest influences on guitar. Ryland and I basically learned how to sing together and he, along with Shawn Cleveland, have been my biggest vocal influences.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
It seems, at least for me, that my creativity sparks when the seasons change. I’ve noticed I always seem to write more around the time that summer is moving to fall, winter to spring, etc. If I’m really focusing on something and feel like I’m stuck, I’ve found that taking a walk outdoors often helps as well.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
We’re from all over south Louisiana. Our drummer Ben Fridge and I grew up around Gonzales, LA which is located off I-10 between Baton Rouge and New Orleans slightly closer to Baton Rouge. It is known as the “Jambalaya capital of the world”. They have a jambalaya festival every year, but unless you play covers or “Swamp Pop” music, the chances of playing it are slim. If you don’t play cover songs or “Swamp Pop” the chance of playing anywhere in Gonzales are slim. That is probably the main influence of our hometown. We have to travel to Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette and other areas to play shows. Baton Rouge and New Orleans have a rich history of underground punk/rock/metal and some of that is definitely evident in our music.
Chemical City is a nickname for Baton Rouge due mainly to the large Exxon refinery located in the city. There are also several chemical plants and other refineries located in the area up and down the Mississippi river. My friend Jason Ogle and I had a short lived podcast/radio show called Chemical City Radio. I liked the name, and when we stopped doing the show and I needed a band name, I decided to use part of it. Chemical City Rebels rolled off the tongue well so I went with it.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Those movies always have interesting soundtracks.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
Catamaran by Kyuss. I love that song. It’s perfect for driving down a deserted road at dusk with the windows down. It has a soothing almost hypnotic vibe to it. I find myself going back to it constantly.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments? When I was playing in my first band Slaves of Freedom , we got an email about playing a festival at the Mississippi gulf coast coliseum. We were stoked! I had seen Pantera and Soulfly play there a few months earlier. We loaded up the gear in the van and drove down. When we were getting close we drove past what looked like a small bar with a circus tent next to it. We joked that we were glad to not be playing there as it was July and hot as hell out. When we got to the coliseum though they were having what looked like a garage sale in the parking lot. No one we talked to knew anything about a show. We found a pay phone and called the promoter. We were playing at the big top. Our ego’s deflated; we made our way back to the tent and then had to sit around all day as the promoter kept bumping our slot time further back. I almost got into a fight with the guy when he told us that we could finally play but only for 10 minutes because the headliner, a Lynard Skynard cover band, didn’t want to push their time slot. One of the guitar players for the Skynard cover band came up to me after their set and told me that what the promoter had told me was not the case and that he respected that I stood up for our band. It may not be the most Spinal Tap story, but it definitely was a learning one for me.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
I think playing live is a way to connect with your fans. Our music is diverse and we try to treat each show as a journey through different emotions. Our fans have described the shows as eclectic and fun. I’ve been told that we look like we are having a good time on stage and I think that energy transfers to our audience.
What makes a great song?
It could be any combination of things. I think great songs are ones that get stuck in your head. Whether that is from a killer vocal or guitar hook, a really interesting musical passage, or a clever lyric.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
I can’t recall what the first song I wrote was.I’m sure it was terrible.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
The song “DLTBGYD” off of our upcoming album is probably the one I’m most proud of. I think it’s a really tight, well crafted, song. I like all of it. Fridge’s drums are slamming. I love the space the bass leaves on the verses. Ryland’s lead between the first chorus/second verse is cool as hell. I like the melody/harmony of the vocals. I feel like we were firing on all cylinders for that one.
I’m sure that I’m a bit late on this as I believe the album came out in 2015, but my wife recently introduced me to the Lord Huron album “Strange Trails”. I think Ben Schneider from that band is a killer songwriter. Really good hooks, melody and lyrics.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Digital and Vinyl. I love vinyl when I’m at the house. I have a record player in my kitchen/dining area and I really enjoy playing records when I’m cooking or hanging out with friends and family around the dinner table. On the go you can’t beat having most of your musical collection in your pocket so digital is definitely more convenient even if it sounds shittier.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice.
I will have to pick beer in this case. I live in south Louisiana. Most of the year here is hot, humid, and miserable. There are few things more refreshing than an ice cold beer after you’ve been working outside in the summertime. Also, with the craft beer boom of the past decade and local Louisiana breweries like Tin Roof, Gnarley Barley, Parish, and Urban South delivering some of the best tasting varieties in the nation; beer is definitely edging our whiskey in my book.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
Pop Shop records off of Government St. in Baton Rouge has the best selection of vinyl around the area in my opinion.
What's next for the band?
We will be releasing our debut album “A New Plague” independently on April 19th 2019. After that we plan to set up some tours to try and bring the music to as many places as we can.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
I enjoy reading all of the posts in the Waveriders Facebook group and I hope you all give our album a spin and give me some feedback on it.Thanks.