Category Archives: Music

New Q&A with Derek Jordan

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Derek Jordan

Musician Derek Jordan has kept a close relationship with X-Static Radio with several years and has had multiple interviews with us.

He recently quit music for several months until he gained drive and passion for music once again. Here’s an all new Q&A about the former decoded frontman.

Q: First of all, I know you’ve taken some time off from music for a while, what has been the reason for that?

Derek Jordan: Yes, I took a period of about eight months off from music.  I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever get back to it.  It was something that I always loved so much and all of sudden I started to push it away.  

I went through some personal things that left me feeling depressed and music just started making me even more sad.  I started to resent music and felt like I had missed out on things in life because I spent so much of it on music.  I really had to strip everything away and rebuild myself all over again.  

Q: Did you work on any other kinds of projects on that time off?

DJ: Well I started working out a lot.  I did the Insanity and Body Beast programs and got in the best shape of my life.  

It inspired me to start sharing fitness tips with fellow musicians.

Q: Did you have a set time for when you wanted to come back to music or did you just let the drive for it come to you?

DJ: I thought I was done for sure because the spark was completely gone.  It was like it just switched off.  But then I started watching old videos of decoded and found myself talking about who and what I use to be like in terms of my perseverance and work ethic when it came to music.  

I didn’t like talking about what I use to be like as if I’d become a shade of what I once was.  The most important factor was that I had just started my relationship with my girlfriend and she encouraged me to start playing guitar again.  Once I started logging in the hours playing around, I started writing again and then I started getting excited again.

Q: As you reflected on your time creating and playing music before your hiatus, which were your favorite moments of that time? Mine was actually being able to  premier one of your songs worldwide Did that help drive you back into the music?

DJ: I think my favorite moments were some of our last Viper Room shows when we were really packing the place.  Ever since I moved out to Los Angeles in 2007, I had busted my ass trying to get people to shows.  I was never nervous about playing but I was always nervous about the turnouts.  

Finally, all that hard work was starting to pay off as we were building a solid following. Seeing so many familiar faces singing and moving to my songs were my favorite moments.

 

decoded playing at The Viper Room

Q: You shared a new song with me called “This Will Be My Year,” and I love the song and can’t wait to play it on our statin X-Static Radio. Can you talk more about it and the positive message it brings?

DJ: Thanks!  I original wrote the foundation of the song in 2014 and had planned to record and release it in 2015 but that ended up not being my year as I left music.  I really thought 2015 was going to be a big year for decoded and that was the inspiration behind the song.  

As I started playing again, I started going through previously unfinished works.  “This Will Be My Year” was a song I definitely wanted to finish.  I love its positive and motivational message.  The premise behind it is that you start every year with practically the same resolutions or goals, only to find yourself slip behind and having to restart and make those same goals year after year.  However, this year you swear its going to be different.  “This Will Be My Year” will be released on June 28.

Q: Do you have anymore details on upcoming projects? Maybe a record, more music, a new tour?

DJ: Right now I’m focusing on releasing a new single every month through Patreon.  My page url there is patreon.com/derekjordan.  I’ve been recording all of my releases on my own.  Even the song artwork I’m doing on my own now!  I have some goals listed on that site that show if I reach a certain amount per month then I will tour.  

Q: Thanks once again for the taking the time of best of luck. Any further comments?

DJ: Yes.  X-Static Radio had been playing decoded’s music since I started the group.  Once you leave music, its really hard to get back in the game.  Re-establishing momentum and picking back up with relationships that I disappeared from are daunting challenges.  Having said that, I’m just really grateful to still be connected with X-Static Radio and for you to hang in there for me.

 

 

Exclusive Q&A with Australian rock band Kobrakai

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Kobrakai

It was in March of 2013 were we talk to an an Australian hard band Maiden Tonne. They talked about their grungy influences. Four years later the band is now called Kobrakai, and here is a better update on the band with an all new Q&A as answered by guitarist Neil and the rest of the band. You can also listen to the album here as you’re reading.

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1737219357/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/

Q: Last time we spoke, you guys worked on band named Maiden Tonne…how did it all turn into Kobrakai?

A: Maiden Tonne had essentially become a covers band with a couple of original tunes. Our singer (Matty) had an ongoing dislike for drummers, and during this period we had actually recorded a few demos for new songs with an old school friend of Cloudy’s called Smokes….these demo’s would later feature on our first Kobrakai album titled ‘Snuffbox’. Cloudy still jams with Matty from time to time (as Maiden Tonne) and he may make a cameo in a future Kobrakai recording.

Q: Is Kobrakai’s music still influenced by 90’s grunge? What other type of music is it influenced by?

A: Definitely man. I think we are melting pot of grunge, desert rock (Kyuss, QOTSA, Brant Bjork, Fu Manchu etc….), and 70’s riff driven madness such as Led Zep, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Kobra Fuzz (bassist) has some eclectic musical tastes and is right at home strumming along to the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Doors and then some Blind Melon. Gonzo (drummer) is a surprise packet. He too loves his grunge and desert/stoner rock, but is equally at home listening to some of the heaviest metal out there. In recent times he has also formed a metal trio made up of old school mates from the 90’s called the Blood of the Lannisters. He is primary composer and also offers up lead vocals as well as his drumming duties in this outfit. As a result, his presence in Kobrakai is a heavy one.

Q: What’s new in the recording of your music?

A: We are actually in the process of swapping riffs and song ideas for our next album. Rehearsals and the fleshing out of ideas will start later this week. Gonzo will be on ‘new dad’ duty in August and September of this year, so we hope to have the majority of this album in the bag before then. We are also looking at making another video for a song called ‘Alver’ which we released on our second album (Zodiac) last year. If you haven’t already, check out the video that we made for our song ‘Spaceage’ in February of this year. You can find it on youtube and Vimeo.

Q: What has been the best part about performing your songs live in recent shows?

A: It is always good to get some comments after your show from people who genuinely enjoyed your music. Seeing a few people singing along to the words of yours songs is also pretty awesome…..I can only imagine what it must feel like to have a whole venue screaming along with you. Personally, I love the tightness of our sounds when we all lock in. That is the essence of all that we do.

Q: What inspires your guys to go out there and do what you guys do?

A: Some of our songs have an openly political slant (Merdeka and Spaceage for instance). Basically, we like to go out there and have fun, and play our grooves to the best of our abilities. If people like what they see and hear, then that is a mad bonus as well.

Q: Do you guys plan on playing in other countries?

A: Man, we would love to if the opportunity was there. It is a definite possibility at some point.

Q: Tell us about your upcoming shows and why rock n roll fans should be there.

A: Our next show is supporting our good friends from the Byron Shire who are called Fly Agaric. Do yourself a favour and give them a listen. They have their debut album coming out in mid May. There are some teasers on their facebook and reverbnation pages. This gig also takes place in a town called Lismore which recently copped a hell of a lot of water from tropical cyclone Debbie 2-3 weeks ago. The venue was damaged, but gigs will still go on. Incidently, we will also be playing a benefit gig at this venue in early June to raise funds for the repair and ongoing maintenance of the venue.

Q: Any further comments?

A: Not much man, apart from please give our Spaceage single and video a look and listen.

Thanks for your time!

Kobrakai: Thanks again for the opportunity man. Cheers.

 

Exclusive Interview with SNAKEFIST drummer

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LA punk band SNAKEFIST drummer Joey Cotero joined Eriq for an exclusive interview about the band.

Snakefist performing at The Viper Room

Joey speaks about the release of the band’s EP, live performances at the legendary Viper Room, the bands being influenced by Motorhead, Joey being influenced by Dave Grohl, plans to coming back to the studio with the rest of the band to play an acoustic set and more!

Find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter at SNAKEFISTMUSIC!

Exclusive: Q&A with New Jersey female-fronted band Roulette

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Photo credit to Kris Night of Night Productions

Photo credit to Kris Night of Night Productions

Roulette is a female-fronted rock band based in New Jersey. With the recent release of its new EP “BrainDead” the band is gaining huge momentum in the unsigned scene.

Eriq: First of all, how has it been like since the release of your debut EP “BrainDead” and how do you guys feel about the reaction of your fans?

Roulette: A lot of doors have opened since the release of BrainDead. When you have an album, it makes it easier for potential fans to connect with the band.

There’s something tangible they can grab and hold. They can see the artwork and get a sense of what they’re about to hear when they listen to the BrainDead EP. The initial reaction to the EP was actually a little bit funny.

We don’t think anyone expected it to come out as good as it did. Fans know to expect a great sounding live show from us. So, we also recorded the BrainDead EP the same way. It’s a live recording from beginning to end.

We wanted the energy of our live shows to come through. Based on reactions of listeners both new and old, we’ve achieved that goal.

Eriq: What are some inspirations for the Ep and some songs like the single “Fact or Fiction” (which absolutely rocks by the way)?

Roulette: The BrainDead EP is our first official release, so the album is made up of the first songs we’ve ever written together as a group. The band started off as group therapy sessions more than anything.

We primarily wrote all the songs out of anger and frustration growing up as millennials. As we kept on writing, we realized we created an overall idea, and the BrainDead EP was created. Most of our songs have a double meaning. For example, “Fact or Fiction” at first appears to be about someone who is being led on, but its really a metaphor about how we feel about our entire generation. If you’d like to know more about songs and their meanings, check out our apologue on our website here: http://www.roulettemusicnj.com/#!braindead-ep/c1yy9 


Eriq: How did the band form?

Roulette: It kind of turned out to be really good timing for everyone. Jess (singer) and Joe (drummer) were in a local band together for a few years that  split up. Around that time, Joe’s little brother Gregory (rhythm guitar) was getting good guitar and wanted to play in a band. Greg’s high school friend, Mike (lead guitar), wanted to start playing with Greg because his past bands had also went their separate ways around that time. Then shortly after Mike and Greg’s high school friend, Anthony (bass) joined the lineup. It took us a little while to figure each other out, but once we did, we realized we were all on the same page. 

Eriq: Which have been some of the favorite shows you guys have played so far?

Roulette:  We recently played a really fun show at our home venue, The Brighton Bar with a band called “Hookers and Blow”. The band consists of members of bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Danzig, Quiet Riot, and WASP. The show was also hosted by That Metal Show’s, Don Jamieson. It was so great to be surrounded by these veterans of rock/metal, and actually getting to talk to them in a small setting was even crazier.

Jersey Shore Festival 2014 was a great time too. We played the Aztec Hotel Pool stage. It was our first time playing the event, so we didn’t know what to expect. As we were playing through our set we noticed we were getting an amazing response. People were coming out of the bar, their rooms, off the boardwalk and stopping to watch us play. There was one guy who walked up to the foot of the stage and started doing the ‘Wayne’s World’ “We’re not worthy!” bow at Jess’s (our singer) feet. A little boy  with his father came up to Mike (lead guitarist) afterward and wanted to take a picture with him. So yeah, that had to be one of our greatest moments as a band.

 

Eriq: Which are some of your rock n roll idols?

Roulette: We really love Trivium, Megadeth, Halestorm, My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, Metallica, and Periphery. All for various reasons, but these are bands we consistently look to for inspiration. So much so, that you can probably hear any of these bands influence come through in our own music.

Eriq: If you guys can open for any band still currently around, which one will it be?

Roulette: I think we all agree that we would love to open for Halestorm! We share the same attitude and besides…we both have kickass female singers! Hopefully they read this.

Eriq: Are you guys planning to tour outside of New Jersey anytime soon?

Roulette: Yes! We are hoping to play outside of New Jersey and do East Coast stuff for the rest of this winter/spring. If we play our cards right, we’re hoping to get on a national tour for the summer. 

Eriq: What else is in the future for Roulette?

Roulette: We are definitely ready to take that next step and start touring as soon as the perfect opportunity arises. Also, we already started writing our second album which will be a follow up to the BrainDead EP. If our funds are in order, we are hoping to record a full length album this time around.

 

New Q&A with Irish rock band Seneron

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From the Seneron Facebook pageBy Eriq Rivera

We’ve last interviewed Seneron in March of 2013 when they released its EP “Order Restored.” Now they guys are getting ready to release its newest album, “Parasites & Poets” so we caught up with lead singer Ivor Ferris.

Eriq: With the release of the third album, you guys took it up a notch with 8 tracks and they all sound awesome…can you guys talk about the making of the album?

Ferris: This record is our lives for the past year; it was a very hard record to finish as we had a lot of things that halted us getting into the studio.

Then when we were able to start recording the actual process was very simple.

We all knew the reputation Neal Calderwood of Manor Park Studios had as we’ve heard a lot of his work so we chatted to Neal about what we were looking for and we wanted to capture the power and energy we generate when we play live, he knew exactly what was on our minds and set about doing just that and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome he did a fantastic job.

We broke the recording sessions to 4 two day sessions over about 5 months in order to concrete on how each song sounded and spent extra time on developing the melodies and song arrangements. It was the best recording experience as musicians we have ever had and Neal was a fantastic engineer and producer.

Eriq: Talk about your first single, “Don’t Cave In” what are the themes of the song?

Ferris: The song’s main theme is about addiction may it be alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sex addiction, you name it it’s all been analyzed in that song. We like people to read into the songs in their own way and relate to them with their own experiences.

But this song like all of them has been written with an honest pen.

Eriq: Last time we did the Q&A, you guys expressed to tour around Europe, how did that go?

Ferris: We ran into a few road blocks and not able to get to Europe this year which is disappointing but we are looking at it for mid 2015 so watch this space. We have had a few requests to visit the US and Japan so we hope that can become a reality very soon.

A band like us our main audience would be in Europe, US and Asia so we are focused to get out there very soon.

Eriq: Is there a tour coming up to promote this album?

Ferris: We will be doing select shows in Ireland and the UK till the end of year. Like everything touring costs money and it’s cheaper for us at the moment to go into those markets.

We have a good strong following in the UK and with this album we hope to get featured on mainstream radio to elevate our status. So anyone local to us who may be reading check out our website for tour dates.

Eriq: Any music videos coming up?

Ferris: Yes, along with the launch of our new album we will be releasing Breathe as our lead track and a video for that song will follow. We think that it’s important to do music videos as it puts a face to the music that people are listening to even if we are not that good looking ha!

Eriq: Anymore plans on ways to promote the album?

Ferris: We have a lot of international press and radio lined up for the next 3 months as we are promoting this album world-wide.

We are launching the album in a local music store called Trash in our hometown and along with the new video out in late September and our third single from the album will be out mid March, then it’s back into the studio to record the next album!

Eriq: Anymore comments?

Ferris: We just want to say big thanks for featuring us on your website, you have supported us from day 1 and really appreciate your kindness towards the band also do an interview live on the air with us for your podcast! It would be great!