What do you consider to be the darkest piece of music you’ve ever heard?
Kasey: The song “Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis” by Brand New. When I was first getting into the band, a friend shared with me what the song was about, which is very clearly laid out in the lyrics. It would always fill me with dread whenever I listened to it, to the point where I would often skip it when listening to the record because it made me uncomfortable. Learning about the terrible accusations regarding Jesse Lacey’s behavior years later during the peak of the Me Too movement brought the subject of the song into sharp focus and a pit to my stomach. Sometimes a song is just a song, but sometimes it’s a confession.
How would you characterize your own music?
Patrick: Dynamic, loud, and dense!
Kasey: “Hey! Wake up! Come dance with us!”
What are your musical aspirations?
Patrick: I don’t want to be boring – I hope that whenever anyone experiences our work, whether at a live show or from a recording, that it’s relatively novel and they find it at least a little interesting. At least a little!
What are your main musical inspirations?
Kasey: All over the map, similar to most people I’m sure. For our music sonically I would say it’s bands like Failure, A Place to Bury Strangers, Nine Inch Nails, Ringo Deathstarr, Sleater Kinney, and Paramore. But most recently we’ve been drawn to ways to incorporate more pop inspirations into our creation of melodies and vocal lines with some faves like Carly Rae Jepsen, Japanese Breakfast, and the new Halsey with NIN. Personally I really love the unexpected melodies and moods created by Jay Som and Snail Mail who I often keep on repeat.
What are your main goals in life?
Kasey: To find joy in how I spend my time and with the people I surround myself with.
What motivates you to create?
Patrick: Lately I’ve realized that I’m most motivated to work on a creative pursuit when I think of something that I wish existed but doesn’t, because I think it’s really cool or conjures an emotion. Like a part of a song, an image, or a noise. Then it’s a problem solving exercise to work backwards on how to make the “thing” come to life and have the same effect on others that the original idea had for me in my head. For me, that’s an interesting challenge because it’s like trying to learn a guitar part from a song by ear, but the song doesn’t exist, and I have the farthest instincts you can have from perfect pitch.
Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?
Kasey: I would prefer to be a night owl and can hang well enough if I keep moving but I think at my core I’m at my best when I wake up early.
Besides music, what other art forms would you like to explore?
Kasey: I used to dance when I was young, I really miss it and enjoy the opportunity whenever I get the chance to do it but would really love to take a class again. Sometimes I think about just buying a pair of tap shoes and just seeing what I can remember but our downstairs neighbors probably wouldn’t love that.
Which is the very first record that had a big impact on you?
Patrick: I remember that the first record I purchased with my own money was The Strokes’ Is This It, but the first to have a huge influence on my guitar playing was Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Fever to Tell with Nick Zinner’s personal style. The way he performed left a huge impression on me in high school.
Kasey: Surprising to no one that has met me, discovering and buying Paramore’s Riot was like a paradigm shift for me. I was so instantly sucked in that I remember this CD was on a constant replay for probably a month straight. I still get excited listening to it now and feel like I’m starting to fulfill a dream that bloomed from the first play through of that record.
What is the best decade for music?
Patrick: Without much hard evidence, I would say the ‘60s. From beginning to end, with the Beatles, Otis Redding, Stooges, the Yardbirds, and Velvet Underground, that’s like the foundation of all the guitar based western music that exists today.
What do your future plans include?
Kasey: To bring this new record to as many people as we can and share our love of community and rocking out with whoever will have us!
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A Very Special Episode
EWEL Records Hidden Home Records
Video directed & shot by Jen Meller-
