EP #94 - New Way Home - Metal Band

This episode was an awesome yarn with the boys Richie (vocals) and James (guitar) from the band New Way Home. We kick things off talking about the band's origins in the Auckland scene back in 2002, the early days of playing mixed-genre gig nights, and what it was like being one of the only bands in New Zealand doing the progressive metal thing. We get into their hiatus around 2014, the projects that followed which included City of Souls, and what brought them back together with a fresh lineup.

We cover how band sound cohesion actually works, the evolution of the NZ alternative and metal scene before and after COVID, and the real talk around the value of music in the streaming era. We also get into AI in music, what it means for original artists, and how it might actually be a creative tool rather than a threat. Richie and James share their advice for any heavy band trying to make it in 2026, and we wrap up with the details on their brand new single dropping April 3rd and their upcoming support shows with Helmet. 

New Way Home Social Media

Linktree - https://linktr.ee/NEWWAYHOME

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/newwayhomeofficial

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NewWayHome/

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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

And I'm here with Richie and James from New Way Home. Hello, hello. The boys. The boys are back together. We're back together for a little bit now. Yeah, man. I want to tell you guys a story. Okay. I first heard of New Way Home. It would have been back in 2011. And uh my guitar teacher, who's actually also just on the podcast, John Folding, he showed me you guys. Um it was the song called Yeah, Mir Oh no, 2012 actually, Mirror. Oh yeah. And I listened to that and I was like, we have one of these bands in his hands. This is cool.

SPEAKER_06 0:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 0:32

And then um, and I think the drummer of your guys' band at the time was in another band, uh reggae band, um, Yubitsu, if I remember correctly.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Scotty was in Yubitsu, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 0:41

And then because um John played in Yubitsu, he was the keyboard player, and then it was like, Oh, he also plays in this metal band. And I was like, Oh, really? That's it, that's a cool mix. And then I was like, Oh shit. Um, but so yeah, that that's like super random. And then I remember hearing your guys' song at the time, Autumn, which was also out on YouTube, and I was just like, that's fucking huge.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Thanks, man.

SPEAKER_05 1:00

It was a huge sound. I hadn't heard anything like that at the time. Yeah, especially in New Zealand. Like, I hadn't heard that in New Zealand. Like, I think at the time I remember bands like Tesseract, um, uh uh Periphery, and the judge had just kind of come out, and then it was like, I wondered, like, do we have any bands that kind of do that here? And then I heard that and I was like, Oh, that's real cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

With um with Tesseract, I think when we kind of started out, 2002-ish, there wasn't many bands doing the kind of gent thing, but Akel was putting out these demos, and he had saxophone on these demos, man, and it sounded amazing. Like his his mixes already sounded incredible in like 2003, 2004. Like, so it was kind of like that movement was a bit underground in New Zealand. I don't think anyone was doing it except us.

SPEAKER_05 1:41

No, I don't think so. And the other thing is when you guys like first came out, so 2002, like this is like this is just almost like I think New Zealand was still trying to catch up with like new metal and stuff happening overseas at the time. We're always like a bit five years back, if you notice in New Zealand a bit, but maybe not so much now, but maybe back then, maybe a bit more. But when you guys first started, like um with within the scene, and especially in Auckland, you guys are Auckland from West Auckland? Uh no, we're all kind of central, really. Central Auckland?

SPEAKER_06 2:08

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:08

So, like, what was the what did you find with the scene back then? Was it really underground with like a lot of rock gigs?

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Like it was just more a bunch of friends kind of hanging out. We we kind of had this hub of Popper Jacks and um and Pizza Pizza and stuff, and we'd kind of play a show there and then pack our gear down, move to another bar. That whole central kind of zone was a bit of a petri dish of all these mixed bands. You know, we'd play with like a hip-hop band and a tech metal band, death metal, then a grunge band, like it didn't really matter. You everyone just kind of lumped in together and got it done. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:40

That's sick. And then uh, and then you guys, I think, if I'm not mistaken, you it kind of stopped, took a hiatus around 2014. Yeah, we did, yeah. And then you City of Souls, you were in City of Souls. Did you we were in City of Souls as well? No, no, no. I was um just doing another project, it was a sperm. Yeah. I was a little baby, bro. Because I remember when I saw City of Souls at um uh at Storm the Gates 2018. Oh yeah, the biscuit and everything. Yeah, that's a good lineup. Yeah, that was sick, and I just like um I remember just like uh when I saw it, I was like, you guys had like this it was just such a massive, it was kind of like a more I don't want to use the I don't have words to put it, like a mainstream version of New Way Hong Kong.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

It's okay to use that word, man.

SPEAKER_05 3:21

You know, like just like bigger, like I guess poppier hooks, but like still the heaviness, but it's not as like like make people go, ooh, too heavy, you know. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Yeah, it's a it was it it it was a it was a cool band in that respect. I think they kind of um wanted to get to that next level and we kind of did. Um, but yeah, definitely more commercially viable. But I think I think New Way Home's got angles that are more that way as well. But we kind of we dip our feet in both ponds.

SPEAKER_05 3:48

Yeah, you guys have more room to do more things from a new way home. Like the guys' sound is very dynamic and it can be as heavy as you want, or as uh I guess atmospheric light, which I really like. And I think the things I I remember when I saw I saw you guys live at the Crooked Royal show, yeah, and that was really awesome. We had a little chat there, because I was like, I need some singing lessons at some point because I was like, God damn. Oh, that's right. Guys' vocals are out of this world. Um, but I think everything just I just again, you guys have been been around for a bit, you guys have played so many shows um in different projects as well. They're just the professionalism. I'm just like, yeah, I mean, that's just next to none. But I think also what I noticed was how everything's very cohesive. Yeah, and I think with like sometimes with with metal, and that you guys have seen it a lot, it can be quite difficult for I think when you like to get everything to work together very difficult, man, for metal and also live sound. I guess you and you had Zaran, who used to be in um New Way Home as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Yeah, well, interesting you mentioned Zaran because he's kind of the key to us understanding or me understanding that stuff, you know. Like when he first joined the band, he was like tweaking people's amps in the room. And I'm like, what are you what are you doing, man? We're just here to rock out, you know what I mean? And he'd play me nickelback and be like, no, check this mix out, and I'd be like, It's terrible. But I didn't understand how you actually have to care about each individual sound. If you're five people, your sound has to work with the the other guy. If your snare's too boxy or buffy, then it's gonna get lost. If your guitar tone's too harsh, then it doesn't sit. Like you've got to sound like one thing.

SPEAKER_05 5:17

So I've yeah, I'm yeah, I remember even like for me, like when I wasn't playing in a band, I remember like just sitting around with amps trying to tweak it and like just understanding like that's the thing as well. You guys what what tuning do you guys play in with your guitars mostly? Drop B flat, just drop B flat. But heavy. I feel like if you go once you used to get to the seven, eight string territory, yeah, and then you start getting you're competing now with like the bass, the bass drum, and then things get lost quite uh can be get lost quite quickly. 100%. So you and I and I think with like guitar for me, and I it took me so long to understand, it's like it's a mid-range instrument. It is bro, yeah. And then and then vocals, um, I guess it I guess it depends. Maybe it can be it depends on you. Is do you have a tenor voice?

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Would you say that I'd say it's probably baritone if I push it into the a bit higher register than I probably should, but um I think what you were saying before about the our tuning being drop B flat, I think that's about as low as you can get uh before it starts starting. Get not you can get you can get clear when you get to those extended range if you've got a 28-inch plus scale. But I also feel you start blending into everyone else as soon as you go get that like eight-string sound. I think it's been bashed to death. But maybe ten years ago it would have been like, Oh yeah, this is kind of novel, but now it's like man, everyone sounds like they're playing eight strings.

SPEAKER_05 6:34

Yeah, everyone's using the same like amp simulators and the same stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Same drum kit, same everything, man.

SPEAKER_05 6:39

So we've got it was the Joey Sturgis, right? He was a bit of a pioneer, and obviously Misha uh and Ollie, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

I mean they do amazing work, but when it's when everybody was like, let's just do that, and then suddenly copy paste and everything's got super everything's got the kind of um GGD kit on it, and it's like everything starts to sound the same, and you're like, what can we do differently? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 7:02

Very cool. Um, I want to ask, uh, why did you guys want to get back together last year? Like what like after be having a bit of a hiatus, different projects?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Well, it was kind of a timing thing. I think everyone we we needed the break because everyone just popped kids out, and it was just kind of getting too hectic to get everyone together. But then um City of Souls ended, and I uh I had a bunch of demos written, Monk had a bunch of demos written, everyone had a bunch of stuff written, and it just people just started messaging me and being like, What are you doing now? I was like, Nothing. And Rom's like, let's get the band back together, man. And um I'd just been hanging out with James and um just just hanging, you know, having some beers and going out and just playing riffs, and like we became real fast friends. And um, he just started writing these million riffs, and I was like, What's that for? And he's like, I don't know, wanna join the band? Hell yeah. So it was kind of the easiest recruitment, and then and Joe Brownless as well was just super easy. Like, we didn't even audition anyone, bro. It was just like, oh Joe, yeah, oh James, yeah. It was just so easy, craziest, easiest transition into new members, yeah. That's cool. Um, so like how many new members, or is it two new members? We got Joe Brownless um from Cora and Heavy Metal Ninjas, and heavy metal ninjas.

SPEAKER_05 8:17

Yeah, what happened to Ah man?

SPEAKER_00 8:19

We used to tour with them, and he's like such a heavy hitter and like technical as well. And we're always like, Man, that guy's got the source, you know.

SPEAKER_05 8:25

Yeah, that's right. He played with Cora as well. I remember at Riven and Binds a while a long time ago, and I saw them, and I was just like, Oh, that's heavy. Yeah, bro. He's a big is an eight-string band with like this roots gunnery.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Like, this is sick. That's a that's a unique crossover, bro. Boys are pretty rad. That's cool.

SPEAKER_05 8:42

No, no, I um no, that's that's really cool. Um, what like you guys have played? Have you guys played uh uh four or five shows now since you've been back? You guys got the helmet show coming out soon, coming up soon, I know as well.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

We've done a few ways two crooked shows. You might be like six or seven deep with a new lineup, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:59

Yeah, so like how do you guys find playing shows now?

SPEAKER_04 9:03

I love it. I fucking love it. Yeah, I used to get like real scared, like put heaps of pressure on myself. Oh yeah, but now like we've done it a few times now, and I know how good these dudes are. All I have to do is kind of show up for myself on the night, you know, and like fuck it's good fun, man.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Yeah, I've I've I'm enjoying it more, especially having kind of the renewed vigour with the new members. I actually I'm quite enjoying, especially feeling Joe behind you, like not like that, like he's not like on me. You can like feel it in the everything is hitting. Yeah, it feels cool, man. It's um yeah, we're we're sounding better and better.

SPEAKER_05 9:43

Yeah, because um, I guess I will I I'm really curious of you guys as well, because like especially like being in the band, breaking up, doing other projects, coming back. You've seen a lot of ups and downs in the like New Zealand alternative scenes. Say like the hardcore metal, punk rock, pop punk, whatever you want to call it. Um because I remember like for me, I started playing in bands in like 2009-10. And then like I remember like the scene was like quite big at that time. I remember like uh and a lot of like like the zeal thing was big, and then like uh I remember but there was quite a split between hardcore and rock, I remember at the time. We had like a big split, and then kind of like it sort of died down a bit, and then after after now after COVID, it's had a huge boom again, which is really cool. Yeah. So for you guys, like yeah, what have you noticed about it over like your year over like doing it for a little bit? I'm just curious because the scenes changed.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

I noticed that the crossover shows went away, as you said, and then have they started coming back again, like sh split bills with kind of random genres and stuff. I really and I love that. Me too. It reminds me of the original days when no one really cared. It was just about having a good time, you know.

SPEAKER_05 10:50

I was just trying to put on a show, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah, and you don't get bored when every band's just like different minutes when it's just five death metal bands on a bill, you're kind of just blast beats for like three hours.

SPEAKER_05 11:01

Like, can we do something else?

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Yeah, yeah, so it's it's cool, it's come back, it's heading back that way, I think, because everyone got so split off that now everyone's like, well, if we want to make it work, we have to kind of get together a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 11:14

Yeah, like um well, what are you seeing now that's different within the music scene? And this episode is sponsored by me. Do you struggle with sleeping and particularly struggle with light and sound while sleeping? I think it's time you get the sleep that you deserve. My business Infinity Sleep specializes in sleep well-being products to enhance your sleep quality. I've been using sleep masks and airplugs for the past three years to help improve my sleep, and I'm so stoked to finally have ones that have been created for my own sleeping needs. If you would like to learn more about my business, Infinity Sleep, please visit our website www.infinitysleep.co dot nz. By making a purchase, you are directly not only supporting a local Yi business, but also this podcast. Use the promo code only scot fifteen percent and receive fifteen percent off your first order. Go to w dot infinitysleep.co dot nz to get the sleep that you deserve.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Uh I think since COVID it's smaller, less people are going out for sure.

SPEAKER_05 12:14

Oh, okay. Yeah. So since COVID, you reckon less people are at shows?

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Yeah, and at restaurants and just Oh, just in general. Just in general, it's still it's still coming back, I think.

SPEAKER_05 12:24

Because I I I found shows since COVID to be bigger than they were just before COVID.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Yeah, maybe maybe the bigger shows uh have been.

SPEAKER_05 12:34

Oh no, like local scene, like big fan shows I've noticed, like really pop off. Um I saw Crooked Royals there, it would have been I think I've only been around for like a year or so. And uh because they're all the all ages shows, so the all-ages ones just get packed out. Big fans are great spot, eh? It's awesome. I love it, I love what they're doing. Um but yeah, oh interesting, because I've had like the opposite feeling when I I don't go to Ding Dong much um anymore, but I mainly go to Leaf. It's big, mainly big fans, not too far away from here, so some people I know on there. Or I go like double whammy shows and that. Like I recently went to uh the Boondocks, Hass Hunter, and um no but no no not that one to shoot. Powder shoots, yes. Uh and that was packed, sold out. That was packed, Dave. Fuck.

SPEAKER_04 13:16

I stood down the back and I was like, holy shit.

SPEAKER_05 13:19

So like yeah, I guess and I know for me, every time I go, it's um I haven't been to like a small show in a while. But yeah, maybe it just I guess depends on the bands. It does, yeah. I suppose but every time I got a big fan, it's pretty much always packed up. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

So that's really good. Yeah, Big Fan's a nice little venue that you can kind of keep but keep it feeling full. That's true. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_05 13:38

Um it used to be um you guys get I like you guys would have gone to Backbeat Bar when that was uh Arno, you never went to Backbeat Bar? That was the one above the rock shop. There used to be like a really cool little venue where you could actually hire it for gigs and that. Had to be a little bit careful in there because it had a lot of like you know, expensive guitars and gear around, but it was just really cool because then um generally you get an alright sound there, and it was just like a you know, for a small venue, it was quite nice. Yeah, like a nice environment, um, and it would sound generally, I thought, uh, pretty good. Definitely wasn't a dive bar. No, it wasn't a dive bar, no, no. Um how long ago was that a thing? Uh probably yeah, just before COVID, I think. After COVID, like ever since then, it hasn't opened up again. I don't think they use it for shows anymore. I think they just use it for like uh maybe showcases, yeah. Maybe more corporate things. But for a while, yeah, it was it was cool. I did a show there, did quite a few shows, a few several. I saw Crooked Royals play a show there, that was funny.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

They're busy boys, those crooked royals with lads, eh?

SPEAKER_05 14:32

Yeah, yeah, they um they've done some pretty cool things. They um I always say this, ah, they played their first show with my band a long, long time ago. Um, it's been amazing to watch them develop. Holy shit, man. That band's been so cool to watch. New get Christian and get a new drummer. Then, yeah, they a lot of a few lineup changes over like the first couple of years, and then seeing where they are now. I'm just like, wow, super professional, yeah, and like know exactly what they're doing.

SPEAKER_04 14:56

They're good dudes as well. They like fucking when we flew down to Wellington to play with them, Jet Star kind of Oh, yeah, we got cooked. Yeah, like they fucked us over big time. But they were the the Crooked Royals boys were so because it was their shows, they were so good to us, no stress and shit. We're trying to get down. We literally got to Wellington, walked into the venue and played the show.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Like we didn't, there was pretty much walked on stage and played. And then the same thing happened with the I was I was sweating, bro.

SPEAKER_05 15:22

Just after running from the airport trying to invoke a warm-up so I can't.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 15:28

Walking around vaping in the airport.

SPEAKER_04 15:31

Oh my god. Stress. But no, they're good dudes, man. Fucking really enjoyed playing with them. Yeah, it was cool. Never played Neck of the Woods either. I'd never oh I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_05 15:40

Yeah, you hadn't played it. Yeah, Neck of the Woods um, because that used to be more of like an electronic DJ venue, but they started opening it up a while back um to to rock and metal bands. I think it's a good it's a good space.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

I've been staring at the plant wall in Neck of the Woods before, but never played a show, you know. Oh, I see, I see. Staring at things.

SPEAKER_05 15:58

Yeah, yeah. It's um yeah, because they do like a lot of hip-hop um stuff there as well. And I think that maybe yeah, it's cool that they opened it up to more different kind of shows rather than just yeah, D and B or yeah, that kind of thing. Because um yeah, like it's it's nice that I think venues now in August are just like, please hire our venues. It's like you know, and it's and I feel for them, you know, and I it's it's it's fucking tough.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Well man, what yeah, COVID just scuttled the entire industry, and any anyone that's still standing after that is like pretty impressive.

SPEAKER_05 16:26

Yeah, um, I think times like now are just so important, especially for you guys playing a music. I don't know if that was happened maybe subconsciously for you guys, but I think like heavy music uh in general and music that's got a message right now is really important. It's desperately needed, it's desperately needed. I think it's uh we're in crazy confusing times, obviously, you know, larger, you know, out of New Zealand and in New Zealand as well. And I just feel like uh it's important to have music that can resonate, um, whether it be politically or socially or just emotionally. Yep. And um, I think the most honest music I've always found, I've listened to I love all lots of music, but I always come back to alternative and metal because that's generally the most honest. Yeah, it's not always the most pretty for some people, but I think it I think there's always some beauty in it.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Well, I think that's you're spot on with it's not always the most pretty because you know when we write music, I don't think we ever think of one emotion. Yeah, there's aggression in there, yeah, there's there's sadness, but there's happiness and optimism and all sorts of stuff in there. Because we're human beings are pretty complex, man. You know, like and just because you make heavy music doesn't mean it has to be heavy all the time. I think has been the ethos of New Way Home forever, you know.

SPEAKER_05 17:35

Yeah, no, for sure. Um I learned um a little bit of a fun fact about Richie. I think that was from Zaran. You did the like the rock, you did like the the voiceover for that. Oh yeah, I'm I'm employed at the rock. Oh, you are employed at the rock. Okay, right.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

I was like, do the voice, do the voice. The rock.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

The rock. That'll be 50 bucks now.

SPEAKER_05 17:59

Copyright claiming is taken down. He's not getting like messages.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

Bring me a greep.

SPEAKER_05 18:06

Yeah, how did um how did you get uh how did that come about?

SPEAKER_00 18:10

Oh man, I've been doing voice since '97. So since I I think I was 17. That's telling my age, don't do the math. Um, and I went into Soundtrack Studio and Bo Runger was the receptionist. Damn. And I was like, hi, um, I'm here for here to do a demo. And she like her mate cut me a demo, and I ended up finding a voice agent. So I've been been working in that that that era uh area since '97. So yeah. Doing voice acting, that's so cool.

SPEAKER_05 18:37

How do you um yeah, like, because have you done like TV shows, advertising?

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Yeah, it's just mostly advertising, some some kids' cartoons and games. I did um The Path of Exile and things like that, and just some cool shit, man. That's cool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 18:50

Yeah, that's really cool. Do you find like uh like I guess obviously coming from more of doing music and singing, like what like uh what uh I guess do you probably don't need do you need to warm up for voiceover guests?

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Not really, no, because it's not there's no strain. You know, strain on the voice there. I'll warm up for singing, but yeah, I do some singing on ads and things like that. You've got to pay the bills, you know.

SPEAKER_05 19:10

100%. I I understand that. I don't think I could do that. Um I remember I I did a cover band for a bit. Um, and personally for me, I felt by the end I was like, I can't.

SPEAKER_00 19:18

Yeah, I I think if I was singing every day, like it's only a very it's a very rare thing that I'll get to sing on an ad, but I'm always like down for it to do like a six part harmony on a I guess you can get creative with it, right?

SPEAKER_05 19:34

Like it doesn't it doesn't just have to be like in a box. You can kind of like let's just put in like a um I don't know an eight string guitar in there for a lap, you know?

SPEAKER_04 19:43

Didn't you do like a rap song for animals or something?

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Oh god, yeah, I didn't a rap song, man. It's like I don't care no one's gonna walk down the street and be like, that guy did a rap song that's that's actually sick though. Yeah, it's uh it's a low profile. I'm sure they love it. They loved it. It's fun, it can be really fun. You can make anything creative, you know.

SPEAKER_05 20:03

Yeah, no, I I love that. Um how did you um for you uh because I'm gonna get to kind of talk to both of you about your musical journeys a bit, but I'll start with uh Richie with your because with your voice, like I mean you've got a lot a lot of experience now playing tiny venues, huge venues, and dynamics and being able to hit you know crazy screams, melodics. It's a lot, you're doing a lot. Yeah. I recently actually um I went to oh I saw Lincoln Park the other night, and I remember being like, Man, you're kind of like that as well. With um she's a great. I always forget her name. Emily Emily, Emily, yeah. But she's also live stuff because I remember like the first few videos I saw of her, I was like, I want to know about this. Like I was like, I thought you'd want to be a little bit more than a lot of things but then but now she's obviously had time on the road and gotten better, and I was just like, Fuck, yeah, she's sick.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

She's like that for 10 show runs, man. She's she knows what she's doing.

SPEAKER_05 20:47

Yeah, yeah. But it kind of like again reminded me that when I saw you guys and uh because I guess I've seen you play live maybe two, three times. Um so how did you kind of get to that? Because it's that's a that's it's hard to to to achieve what you've achieved vocally there.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Um a lot a lot of it was when I was working at out of the airport and I used to drive this piece of shit, Holden, and I put six by nines and a sub in the boat, and I'd just dime all the music I loved, Alice and Chains, tool, whatever, and I'd try and sing along. And if I couldn't, or if it felt wrong or hurt or something, then I would try and figure it out myself why what's hurting and when try and stop doing whatever that is and try something else. And I'd watch videos and say, Oh, that guy's pointing his chin at the ground, and when he does a high note, he's not going like this. You know, so I learned a lot just from like watching micro movements of people like Maynard Keenan and Elaine Staley. And they never they're never throwing their heads around, they're always pointed at the ground or straight ahead. But you the jaw's always tucked and all of the pressure's coming from inside, which is kind of counterintuitive because you're like, I'm going high, so I'll go high. And it says no, you're going higher so you push more. So there's it's internal pressure. A lot of diaphragm work. A lot of d diaphragm stuff just for the the higher shit, but yeah, that was how it all came about was singing along in my big cart.

SPEAKER_05 22:08

What about doing like you know, deaf growls and for ice creams?

SPEAKER_00 22:12

I used to do that stuff earlier on. Um that was from singing along to Cannibal Corpse um uh the bleeding and um and violin stuff on my way home from work. People would like pull up next to me at the real like face piercing dreads like Bop with a knife, and they're like, whoa, like hi. I'm like pretty mallow dude, but I do love a little bit of death metal, you know.

SPEAKER_05 22:35

So hey, well, yeah. Oh that's yeah, because again, like that would that that that would take some time to again get uh to get good at and also to not blow out your voice. Because if you're doing like an hour-long set and I don't know, you do a lot of things, but let's say yeah, quarter of maybe a third of the set involves harsh vocals, you know. How do you manage that?

SPEAKER_00 22:54

Yeah, I think um that that main thing of realizing what feels uncomfortable, like listening to your body, that's kind of come along over the years. I've been like, oh, when you when when you feel that pain in that certain part of your throat, that means you've you've you'll lose your falsetto for the rest of the set because you've just fried it out, you've fried your falsetto. And I've done that over the years and learned when we've done like long runs. I've been like fifth show and my voice is gone, you know. So you just it's more learning by being in situ. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

Just being on the doing a lot of shows back to back as well. Yeah. Brunt of the road. Yeah. Yeah. What about yourself, uh James, uh, for your for your guitar playing in that?

SPEAKER_04 23:34

Uh yeah. Well, my best mate, he just got given a uh 12-string guitar, and I was like, what the hell is that? And then he taught me the um, you know, Slither by Velvet Revolve.

SPEAKER_05 23:47

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:48

And I was like, I learned it, and I was like, hell yeah, dude, this is sick. And then went home and my old man showed me some shit, and yeah, and then just I got the bug, you know, big time. Found Metallica and Pantera and started smoking more weed. Yep. Blocked myself away. That was it, man. That was fucking it. And uh yeah. But then I kind of branched out and found like One Direction and arc at monkeys in 1975 and shit like that, and opened up a whole new world, you know, and it was like I was I had One Direction number.

SPEAKER_05 24:21

I was like, damn, dude, who would have getted who would have bought? But but I respect I respect the honesty there.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

I I respect his influence pretty broad, it's cool.

SPEAKER_05 24:30

Yeah, but that's that I think that is really important. Um yeah, so I I yeah, I guess how much time were you spending per day?

SPEAKER_04 24:37

Oh dude, like well I didn't really have any friends. I like kind of pushed everyone. I still don't really have any friends. I kind of like to sing But yeah, fuck man, like eight hours a day, ten hours a day, but it didn't feel like that. Like you're loving it so much. You just pick it up and chuck an album on or something and be like, oh, what's that? That's cool, and play along to that 50 times, and then the next song will come on, you do the same thing, and then yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Oh yeah. Two hours, two hours jamming, two hours jacking it. Yeah, two hours jamming adds up to something.

SPEAKER_04 25:15

One hour jamming it, seven hours jacking it.

SPEAKER_03 25:22

Come up with just a flag fucking curtain. Fuck have been jamming so hard out dead. Jamming on the out dead. Oh, I've been working so hard on his guitar. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:47

Damn bro. Hi man. Look at look at you now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:52

Look at the change one. They're coming squint.

SPEAKER_05 26:03

Remember the glass of Jesus Christ. Oh, yeah, he hope he's not watching.

SPEAKER_03 26:11

Dead nose. Uh dead nose. Dead my nose, bro. Yeah, guitar. Yeah. Why can I hate the joke? What's that whimpering noise? Did a guitar effect?

SPEAKER_05 26:33

Why is there so much vibration? Is it is it a vibrator? Oh man, damn. Hey man. Oh, look. Well, I don't know if this goes into my next part, but uh thoughts on uh tube and digital amplifiers? Do you have any opinions on that?

SPEAKER_04 26:49

This is his realm.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Okay. Um I think I'm always gonna prefer a uh tube and live, just feeling that kind of sag and a little bit of kind of feed the natural feedback and stuff. There are ways to do it that I'm you know, if you're if your monitoring's nice and loud and you can face your guitar and have digital, I think it's it's fine as long as you can get some volume on stage. I think digital's cool. But to get digital to sound legit, there's so much more work in the signal chain. Like you've got to get that low end sounding natural, like it would really like be thumping away, and it's just I think there's space for both, to be honest. I like both.

SPEAKER_05 27:26

I guess um, from what I have seen is like for the road, I think digital makes the most sense. Absolutely, because you need to save time, you've got to load in, load out, you gotta have your sounds. All your stuff sounding the same. Sounding the same, and you've got different venues, every venue sounds different. If you can, yeah, I guess do the best you can to make it be consistent.

SPEAKER_06 27:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:45

But at the same time, it's like it, yeah. I understand like with digital, it does get a bit sterile, and you have to play around a lot with trying to tweak the sounds to get them to a point where it's like, alright, this sounds kind of like the tube amp I recorded with or something.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

It's definitely coming leaps and bounds with uh capture technology. I've been using a new angle capture on the quad cortex, and that's been like all that in the airly feels like an amp in the room. Oh, okay. Very very very much getting closer. Um, but in terms of live, what I'd be keen for New Way Home to start getting into that a little m bit more because you're not worrying about a mic getting knocked over or moved, and you you sound great at sound check, and then someone's kind of kicked a mic, and then you go to play and it's like sounds terrible, one of them drops out. And getting a quad cortex on a plane versus getting a 50 kg freaking Marshall, yeah, you know, is like a no-brainer.

SPEAKER_06 28:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

But I do like if you can get a tube power amp or something like those Seamu Duncan power stages sound pretty, pretty good. Okay. The 700s, if they've got a bit bit of grunt, a bit of headroom. They sound cool.

SPEAKER_05 28:48

Oh right. Wow, that's awesome. Have you been talking with Zaran about this as well?

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Uh yeah, Z Z firmly in the in the digital camp he's but but he's also like he'll always want to be able to mic up an amp if he can. But then sometimes he does it, and then he's like, Well, here's this new like quad cortex patch I've been working on, and then it obliterates the mic'd up guitar. So it's really doing this now, man.

SPEAKER_05 29:09

Like I think it's catching it, it's caught up a lot from just being on like the old pods. Yeah, uh, oh man, the pod XTs or the line, the line the line sixes and stuff, and now it's at a point where it's like, oh shit. Yeah, yeah. It was kind of like um, yeah, because I I've I've still got my Hughes and Kitner Triumph around here somewhere. I've had for a lot long. It's mean with the blue lights, yeah. The blue lights, yeah, it's cool. But um, yeah, it's a bitch to luck round with and then and it's just like it's a price of a secondhand car. Yeah, but um it's mean, sounds mean, but um, I just don't use it as much as I well yeah, but then I remember like going around playing, and I'm just like fuck. It's punish. Yeah, just like uh and then like yeah, but I think yeah, it's I I think now we're at a point where like the digital has just gotten it has like all like almost there, unless you're like an absolute purist. But then if you play most shows, no one's no one's gonna care.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

I I put a quad cortex with the cab sim termed off through the power amp of my 5153 at practice, and it sounded like killer. Me. Like it's like but it's that's got a natural power amp thumping it through the cab, so yeah. But if you took a feed out to the front of the PA and they take that and then you get the onstage sound, it's like it's a win-win. So traveling around with a quad cortex and just borrowing tube amps when you're in that city and using that as a power amp, I reckon, is probably the way of the future.

SPEAKER_05 30:28

Yeah, no, that's sick. Um, alright, um, let's have a look. Um, you guys also have done a lot of like recordings in that. Um, so I want to ask about recording experience. Uh, love, what do you love and hate about it?

SPEAKER_04 30:42

Tuning my fucking guitar, dude, every every 30 seconds. It's two cents out of it.

SPEAKER_00 30:49

Oh man. And then you realize, oh, you've you've tuned it perfectly, but then as soon as you hit hard, then you're pushing it out, so you've got to actually drop it later.

SPEAKER_05 30:56

I I hated that with um I remember doing a recording like a guitar, like having even then drop D, but you don't have like the right gauge string, so then it just gets hit it and then it's like a little sharp. It's just fucking hate it.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

Yeah, James will just be pouring sweat, but he still gets his takes down, man. He's he's good in the studio, yeah. Pretty pretty solid.

SPEAKER_05 31:14

So tuning guitar, that that's that's a fair gripe.

SPEAKER_04 31:16

That's my number one.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

What about yours? Um, I think the main thing I like uh dislike about recording is trying to capture something well but not overthink it. There's that fine line of like you still need to tap into whatever emotion it is you're trying to get to. And if you get if you use your bra uh the wrong side of your brain too much, it's quite difficult to use the emotional side of your brain. And I remember Tom Larkin, because Tom Larkin from She Head used to manage um City of Souls, and he gave me the best piece of advice. He said, if you're doing anything technical, do it all. Get everything set up and sounding right, tuned, fresh strings, your amps, you get your drums tuned, everything done, and then bugger off, and then come back once your brain's cleared, and then play and write. Oh, that's not good enough. Because then you've got the correct side of your brain, the the play side, the creative side is working instead of you being like, Oh, I don't know about this reference. Could have a little bit more of that. No, you've got to actually relax and just go hear it like pour it out. So that's the common battle with with recording is writing that line of getting things sounding good, but then getting the heart out of the chest and the technical to the the emotional, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:30

I find I find uh worrying like yeah, in the studio, and even like sometimes, even like a simple podcast setup, sometimes I'm like, oh shit, yeah. Um but it just happens, like and then it kind of ruins the flow, and then like you're now like I don't want to do this anymore because I'm now like all fucked off at my technical setup or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

And also if things are not sounding good, it's not an inspiring environment. So you've got to put the work in with that other side of your brain first and then come back with the creative side and hit it.

SPEAKER_05 32:59

Yeah. And what about favorite part? Favorite part of studio? Well, everything, I love it, man.

SPEAKER_04 33:04

Like even writing in the studio, yeah, just in the studio, coming up with ideas, figuring out the puzzle, yeah, pieces putting the pieces of the puzzle together is how do we get from here to here? Like, what's this bit here? Sorry, what's this bit here? You know, like and figuring that out.

SPEAKER_05 33:20

How do we get a complete track? Yeah, yeah, and have it sounding the way we want.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

And then the happy accidents for pulling something out of the way. Or take something away rather than add something, or you know, I I love that process as well, man. I think it's it's um it's what keeps you alive, it's the creative process.

SPEAKER_05 33:41

Yeah, because I often I also talk to you guys about like in the studio, like uh with how many tracks you do. Because you did City of Souls must have had like 200 tracks per song. How much is too much? Um, you can just get so lost in that to doing like a hundred guitar overlays and like sending and then it can get. I don't know. Because I've I've kind of dabbled a little bit in that and I'm just like fuck, like I almost I'm not very good at recording on my own, I just kind of need someone else to help when I was doing music because I found that I would get too lost.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Yeah, bro, yeah, yeah. I think it goes back to what we were talking about before. If if what you are presenting sonically is getting in the way of what you're trying to say from the chest, that's when it's too much. Like if there's if there's too much conflicting information, I think if it's all sitting in the right place and it's serving the song, then you can go for a hundred layers if you want. But as soon as it starts to take away from the fundamental push of emotional push of the song, that's when you've gone too far, I think. So you've overcooked it. Yeah. And I've done it a million times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 34:47

I think especially with like uh with trying to record metal or alternative music well, I think it like it is quite easy to you can either undercook it a shitload or overcook it a shitload. And the balance is like incredibly difficult. And it's also band to band as well, right? Some bands might only need like 20 tracks to sound good, but some might need 150.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

And then you get people's different senses of time and stuff. So if you have two rhythm guitar players with a different sense of where the one's at, you know, like fortunately in New Way Home, both these guys have a similar feel. Monk might be a little lazier than you in it in the monkey slinky way.

SPEAKER_04 35:23

Yeah, he's a little more slinky than I am. I'm a bit more anxious. I'm like, oh god, I gotta play this perfectly. And he's just there, like laxing.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

Yeah, it's out of time. So that's kind of that's another little little battle that needs to be overcome, but there are plenty of ways to kind of solve that, and it's um it's cool, it's part of being human, you know.

SPEAKER_05 35:40

Yeah, no, that's cool. I love getting into like the little like little details of recording because I just find it um such you can make it as complicated as you want or as simple as you want. Yeah, and that's something that I think like uh I've been on both ends, but I haven't been back in the studio again. I had like last time when a few years ago, and I think I was trying to sing, and then Zaran was just like, this isn't good. I was just like, that's fair.

SPEAKER_03 36:03

Zaran's got the most autistic way of just I think I think the the first time I recorded them.

SPEAKER_05 36:09

It's funny if he's listening to this, it might be. But when I when I first recorded him, I'm like, You gotta be like, because it was just us two. So I'm just like, you've gotta be straight up because he's such a nice dude. He is, bro. And then he was like, and then he was and then he was just like, you probably need to come back and think about that part, and I'm like, that's fair.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

He'll go silent and then just blitz something out of his that's fun.

SPEAKER_05 36:29

Um I guess another uh I guess on a it's kind of different subject now, but it's curious because uh you know the AI chats, and so it's pretty hot at the moment, but for you guys, what uh and and when it comes to music specifically, what what what do you guys have much opinions about the AI music in a sense, or like the how it can be used for creativity, or how it's taking over parts of the creative process, or how like obviously there's the music AI slop that's there, but then there's obviously things it can help with in the production sense.

SPEAKER_00 36:58

I initially was a little stressed out about it, and then I realized that the only people in danger are the people that aren't original. Yeah. That's it. If you are writing music that is uninspired, and it can be pop, it can be metal, if you're just writing the same riffs you've heard a million times and doing the same lyrics you've heard a million times, AI is gonna get you and it'll write the exact same shit you just wrote and you'll get spat out. But if you're writing interesting stuff that's a group of minds that have come together and it's different, until AI catches up with that, which I don't think it ever will, to be honest.

SPEAKER_05 37:33

No, I don't think it will. Because it can only use what's in the database to pull off. So if you're original and it's like there wasn't, they didn't used to be got like yeah, so many bands and artists that they weren't there and then they were there.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

Yeah, I think electronic music is probably easier to replicate and hip hop and things like that, but it's still man, when you've got mojo, you just can't replicate the mojo, man.

SPEAKER_04 37:54

And the soul and that human kind of connection that you feel to you know your favourite songs and shit.

SPEAKER_00 38:00

I mean, I've heard a uh um AI song that did actually move me emotionally, but that I'd found some really emotive vocals and combined them and it got me. But I was still like I wouldn't listen to it, you know what I mean? It's nothing new, it's just something that's just it's just done well for what it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:18

But it's not like oh wow, that's something I haven't heard or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

Nothing has ever made me go, oh, this is becoming by Pantera, and I'm hearing gig-gadly giggly-giggy gly-gat, and I rub rub. That's the most bizarre approach to heavy metal ever. You know, there's nothing that AI has ever done that's made me go, wow, yeah, completely flip things on its head.

SPEAKER_04 38:37

Unique, you know. There was a uh an um you know the unforgiven by metallic yeah, yeah, it was a reggae version of that. That's me. I spent like three days driving around in my car being like, New blood.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

And quickly he's gon' tuned. It was rad. Check it out. Drew cans the being on the screen.

SPEAKER_05 39:03

I love I love those. I think the the one that was my favorite was when someone did um psychosocial by Slipknot. I think they did it with Baby by Justin Bieber. That was the best. There was like the backing, like the baby instrumental, like the full instrumental, and then just like, oh I did my top of the bigger. Yeah, and I was just like, This worked, bro. And it was magic.

SPEAKER_04 39:25

There was another one a few times I'd just chuck the headphones in and be like, yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

Yeah, that's sick.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

I I do think it can help with uh certain things like if you're a little bit lost in, for example, I'll I'll sometimes use the an EQ match on a master chain. If I'm mixing something and I'm a little bit lost as to get it where I need it to go, for I'll get the last couple of percent by doing an EQ match on a song I do like, and that's I guess that's AI, but I mean then you then it's kind of like maybe every plugin is AI when you think about this.

SPEAKER_05 39:58

Oh yeah, yeah, it's machine learning or whatever you want to call it as well. Yeah, because with plugins, like yeah, some some things like with like the like the the it's been a long time since I've done it, but I guess they have like a way you can like analyze what you've done. But that's been a that's not new, that's been around for a long time.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

Now, but it's kind of almost in the same automation, yeah. Because essentially it's pulling from something else. But I mean we are all pulling from something else. Exactly. I just shit myself out. That was my guts. Yeah, guys, check this out. It's and I kind of like the idea of AI and that man, if I hear really cool music that either some of these guys have done or I've done or someone else has done, it has no video, I sometimes get these really intense visuals and I see stuff that I could never film or create without hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'll see a fucking giant spaceship coming down or something like that, I get very visual responses. But the one thing I'm excited about AI is uh uh giving artists that have no money the ability to bring something they've created to life visually without 200 grand, you know?

SPEAKER_05 41:09

Like true question for both of you. Uh for twenty in 2026, if a heavy band wants to try and take their band seriously, what do you think is the most important thing that they should do?

SPEAKER_04 41:22

Rehearse. Rehearse and write and rehearse and write.

SPEAKER_00 41:26

Yeah, I agree. Just play, write together, look each other in the eye. Don't get too caught up clicking squares and just get together. Make music together.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

Hang out, hang, and just write shit.

SPEAKER_00 41:41

Hang out, connect with each other and don't expect anything.

SPEAKER_04 41:44

Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_00 41:46

Right to kind of excite yourself and your mates and don't really think about anything else. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 41:53

It's for you at the end of the day, isn't it? Because you're the one who's got to play it. Correct. Yeah. I think there's kind of this interesting balance from like how selfish you get with it, to then how much is for the audience and the listener, right? Yeah. It's a it's a balance.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

I think it's it's I mean it's definitely for ourselves, but I also, of course, I'm aware how powerful music is for other people and how powerful it's been for me. So I guess in a sense, I think part of the MO is to give back to someone else what I got. That would be part of it too. I don't think it's completely selfish. I think it's if you can write about stuff that is honest and that's affected you in your life, and someone else can use that as a stepping stone to get through something, I think that's worthwhile doing. But you can't obviously can't do that with that intent. You have to do that with your own intent and then hopefully it helps someone.

SPEAKER_05 42:45

You guys must have had people come up to you, talk to you about your music and say how it's helped them over over time. Probably even like, yeah, I mean, plus you've I mean City of Souls is pretty big, but yeah, I guess like even like before that with New Way Home, like you you can impact someone from just a tiny gig of ten people.

SPEAKER_04 43:00

Well that's how we like that was like the first thing I said to Richie when I when we met one night. I'd been out on the piss and he'd been out on the piss, and I was like, oh damn, that's the dude from New Way Home. So I just went up to him, I was like, bro, I love City of Souls, but New Way Home is the the band for me, like the New Zealand band, that's the best band. And then we just started kicking it and drinking beers, and we were I was working on uh in another band, and Richie produced one of the songs for us, and then we just yeah, started writing this other stuff. But I was the biggest New Way Home fan, bro. Like fucking Tides and like Tides was like my anthem when I was you know, my anthem. It was a bit lame, wasn't it? Tides was my anthem. What a lame ass steps down to the cowboy header, CO late. What a lame um, yeah. I I love that shade. Like the mirrors album for me, like was just like, what the hell is This like like you were saying, you know, I'm like, I didn't know this shit was in New Zealand, you know?

SPEAKER_05 44:04

Yeah, I d I yeah, I just remember I was just like, since since when? Yeah. Since when did we kind of do that sort of thing? Because everything like um I remember like uh I remember I think what was the first heavy band I ever heard in New Zealand. Like like heavy, I think the first one might it must have been um and dread response. I think that was the heaviest band I'd heard. I was just like, wow. And I remember the production, I was like, I had that was pretty good for like deaf core death metal. I was like, that was pretty that was pretty cool. Yeah, IDR was legit.

SPEAKER_00 44:29

They had, I think, Zoran mixed them early on. Oh yeah? Yeah, yeah. Damn, he's done everything that guy. He's the mantis.

SPEAKER_05 44:36

The story of how he got into recording people is so funny. It's like real casual. Yeah, yeah. It just makes me laugh, and he's just like one of the probably the best producers in the country.

SPEAKER_00 44:43

Yeah, and we when he first started, he was at his folks' house, you know, and we'd be we'd be recording, and his dad would like poke his head through the door and be like, Can you keep it dumb? That's right, we're at Zaran's parents' house. It was cool. He's come so far, man. Like that is just he's awesome, absolute legend.

SPEAKER_05 45:01

Yeah, yeah, that's that's that's I love that.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

I love that.

SPEAKER_05 45:04

It's just all it's sort of humble beginnings, though. Right. Like, and I think that kind of what makes it. I mean, in New Zealand, it's just like it's just like as humble as it can get, like just a couple of guys in the garage, like nothing big, and then you just try and just work away at it. It's just work, bro. You just chip away.

SPEAKER_00 45:19

That progressions, everything.

SPEAKER_05 45:20

Yeah, that's the other thing as well. I um want to talk about in here, because I kind of uh have themed this podcast kind of around the dream chasers, and you guys are dream chasers, chasing what you love, chasing what you really want to do. But also, like there's this kind of like trade-off, I really love what I'm doing, however, you know, it's every day. You know, you're probably practicing your vocals every day, you're probably playing guitar every day. Like it's there's there's no such thing as uh you know time off or not really or whatever that may be, but then it's what it's what your calling is and what you want to do. And I suppose like for a band like New Way Home, you know, was been together for a while, then and then hired us, then come back together, like there's obviously something that still draws you guys to chase whatever this is. So yeah, it's gotta be something real special.

SPEAKER_00 46:02

Yeah, I've never actually really thought about what it is that much, but it goes back to what we're talking about before, in that if you if you make an impact on someone else's life for the better, then I think you're doing something right. It doesn't matter what field you're in, if you're a visual artist and something you've made to make someone's day brighter or helps them through something, then I think that's an honorable thing to to purchase. I think it comes down to how you affect the world around you. If it's positive, then it's something worth well doing.

SPEAKER_05 46:40

Definitely. Definitely, and I think like like now, like there's a you know the the conversation about the value of music, which I find quite interesting because we're in a point where music is I don't want to say disposable, but it's so easily accessible. There's like tr I mean there are probably a million songs uploaded every day on Spotify and all the other platforms, and it's just sort of like oh, it's just something I like, you know, go on the app and push play on. It's not like get the record out, get the CD and put it in the thing, and then you got the physical copies and you read the story. That kind of stuff has been I mean, there are people who still do that, but it's just not as common. It's not, you know, it's convenience and stuff, and you know, there's positives and negatives to it, but I do feel like a part of like the experience of music has been distorted in some ways like negatively, but I do believe that people still always want the connection. I mean, music concerts at the moment are like cute, I mean, the a lot of shows are still selling out, huge, yeah, popular. So there's obviously you know, music is not just something that is just like you know, gonna be thrown by the wayside and AI takes over or whatever. Yeah. But we're kind of in this like interesting point of like, well, what is the value of of music?

SPEAKER_00 47:42

That's the real problem. It's a it's a it's a massive issue, you know. We've we've got to pay for ourselves to get places to play and we've got to pay for our recordings and things like that. There's no big there's no major label money there now.

SPEAKER_05 47:53

No, it's all gone, you know. So it's unless you're already making money yourselves, then a label's like, yeah, we'll just pick that up. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

Yeah, so it's this it's kind of like it's a bit of a stressful scenario to think about, but it's also like it does weed out the people that used to be in it for the wrong reasons. Right. I think I think it's almost streamlined the more legitimate people to be like, well, I really still want this, even though there's no money in it. So I'm gonna do it the way I want to do it, and I'm gonna make an impact. Yeah. Whether I get paid or not. You know, it's hard. It's hard. Especially for a fringe fringy band like us, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 48:33

But it's kind of funny to say, but it's just like interesting. Like if I I kind of like started, I can't remember who I was talking to about like with like the like the the tiers of like, you know, like pop music, and then some you write a song that's you know everybody and you know can listen to uh, you know, everything's very smooth and you know easy, you know, probably in like a major scale or something. Like it's no difference really to anything. Makes no difference, but it's it's appealing to everybody, but it doesn't really do anything, you know. Because all the changes always come from the underground music and happens in every genre. Yes. But um it's kind of like interesting to think like, and then you suddenly put like a distorted guitar in there, and it's like, all right, this is getting a little you know, some people be like, don't know if I like that. Probably because even like you mentioned One Direction. Um, but even like what was that song, uh their most famous song they did like years ago that like blew them up off that show?

SPEAKER_04 49:19

Would you like me to sing their top 10 on the title? Yeah, I'd love him prepping for the whole lot. That's actually what I want to get to.

SPEAKER_05 49:25

Can you sing all their topography? The biggest one direction fan. No, but I've I've got the name of the song. What makes you beautiful? What makes you beautiful? There we go. When's the new way home coming?

SPEAKER_00 49:42

We do have to do a cover.

SPEAKER_05 49:43

You guys got to do a cover of that. Yeah. But my point is in that song, it's even got like a little bit of distort guitar in there. But like enough where it's not like uh, I guess in your face invasive, right? And then from there, then you kind of get like a kind of rock bands. And then it gets like and then that gets a bit that's like a bit niche, and then niche and niche and niche. And I just I don't know, I find it like interesting of like what people decide in certain moments of time to be like pop or uh to be appealing, like what sounds are appealing to everybody.

SPEAKER_00 50:13

Well it used it's it used to be that the bands were the taste makers. You know, you had the top five was Nirvana, SoundGuard, and Pantera, and and you know I mean Pantera was top in charts, number one.

SPEAKER_05 50:24

Yeah. I mean it's interesting now to think like how did that happen, but uh but it's like yeah, it did.

SPEAKER_00 50:28

That was a that was a fan-driven thing, but I mean the yeah, the the that rush of of grunge, that if that can be top of the pops, then anything can, you know. It just it's just a case of the movement happened as a petri dish. We don't have the petri dishes anymore because of the internet.

SPEAKER_05 50:44

So everyone's in their own echo chamber.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

We don't have that anymore. So you just never know, something might just pop out of the ether and we might be back on track.

SPEAKER_04 51:02

But I feel like bands like Sleep Token, for example, like they put everything, like every genre is in their music pretty much. Yeah, it's kind of like you you often like I often wonder, is that because you know, like they just they're trying to like find, you know, people in the pop area, people in the rap area, people in the jazz people, and kind of bring everyone together, you know, and like it's kind of like half the people are like this sucks, and the other half are like this is the best thing I've ever heard. You know, like it's I love them. Which half am I? I love them. Do you worship, brother?

SPEAKER_00 51:39

Honestly, Vessel is just wild when he gives the gift. I worship it. Yeah, I don't like them. The law is the law. I don't know. I I don't know about all that stuff, man. I I yeah, I I respect artists, but when it turns into that weird thing, I'm like, yeah, something's wrong here. It's a cult. Is it a cult? It all feels wrong to me. James loves it, but we're from it, bro.

SPEAKER_05 52:06

We're from different eras on that one. No, that's uh yeah, I sleep tokens like uh I I find them like uh fine. But it's been I think I can't remember the last band I really got into is probably Turnstyle. Yeah, I love Turnstyle. I really got into them. It's probably but I went just I went and sold them at the power station, that was sick.

SPEAKER_06 52:21

Yeah, great.

SPEAKER_05 52:21

But um, yeah, that was a really good show. Yeah, because um because they've also been around for like you know, I thought oh, it's a new band. I'm like, oh no, it's not that new. Yeah, they've been around a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 52:30

It's always new to other people, you know. Yeah but it's like they've been a hardcore band for a long time and they've always been a great band.

SPEAKER_04 52:35

Yeah, the front man's a drummer, eh? Yeah, he was a drummer in a another hardcore band.

SPEAKER_00 52:39

They've been a DIY style hardcore band, they're legit Airs, man. Yeah, and then they just went.

SPEAKER_05 52:44

Suddenly suddenly it just like popped off.

SPEAKER_00 52:46

Well, I think they just wanted to write more hooks. I don't think they were trying to crack it. In all honesty, like every hardcore cat on the comment section is like, you sold out, you're not hardcore anymore. I I actually don't think they did it on purpose to sell out. No, I think they were probably gonna do something different.

SPEAKER_05 52:59

I mean, if you're playing like the same like hardcore beats and like you know, just power cord progressions, it's just like we need a it's it does get boring, man.

SPEAKER_00 53:07

And I feel like they were just like, let's write, we've got other influences, let's use them, and then it just popped off. I think it was very natural to turn style thing.

SPEAKER_05 53:15

Yeah. Yeah, that yeah, yeah, that was that was cool. They did a song with um what's that cause what was that album called? They mystery. Mystery was it called? That's it. And there's one song on there with I haven't listened to the album in the mind and I'm done. But there's like some like almost uh pop artist collaboration there on the. I love that. But I'm like, yeah, it doesn't happen too often that stuff. And I think it I wish it would happen more. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:41

What'd you think of the Denzel Carey one? Do you like that? Did you hear that one? Oh wait, no, that was Knock Loose, yeah, yeah. Have you heard?

SPEAKER_05 53:47

No, but um I know Knockloose, but I haven't heard that song.

SPEAKER_04 53:50

That is pretty interesting.

SPEAKER_05 53:51

I like the video. Yeah, can I tell you something about Knockloose? I have seen them live and I walked out. Yeah, I understand. Yeah. Do you want to know why? That voice, I can't do it. Yeah, I love it, eh? I think it's one of those things, you love it or you hate it, and I I heard it and I I listened to the musicians, I'm like, I get it, they're good. Yeah, and then the voice I just I just couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_00 54:09

I like I I'm in a weird up the middle with it. I I like the voice in the sense that it's full of emotion, but I don't like the sound of it. Right, yeah, the the tone. I like the delivery so I can listen to it because I feel it's honest, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:25

Yeah, yeah. No, that like totally get that. And I I was I'm in the minority, I know that, but I just yeah, I just couldn't. It does sound pretty grating, bro.

SPEAKER_00 54:33

Like you can see why people are like fucking turn this off. 100%, 100%, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:39

But they also did a song with Poppy, was it? And then they played like at the Jimmy Fallon show or something. I was just like, fucking good on them, you know.

SPEAKER_04 54:47

Hey, yeah, that's got what that song's got one of my favourite breakdowns, eh? The fuck it's so sick.

SPEAKER_00 54:55

What is that Brazilian two-step Brazilian like dance beat or something? Oh, that's cool.

SPEAKER_04 55:00

Makes me want to shake my ass, eh?

SPEAKER_00 55:03

Soft line simple to doing that shit, right? Yeah, it's just a big thing. Yeah, it's cool.

SPEAKER_05 55:14

Zero and one, so on the guitar. Oh, yeah. You just need to know two notes and have four. Didn't like um what's his name, Max Cavali Cavalro? Four strings. He's just like, you just need four strings, bro. You don't need anything more than that. And I'm like, alright, bro. Fair enough. I think he had his guitar, you like cut the two strings up, and I'm like he only needed four for SoulFly.

SPEAKER_00 55:33

Yeah, I think he needed all six for Sepultura, but yeah.

SPEAKER_05 55:36

Fair play. Hey man, whatever hey, if it ain't broke, don't let me don't leak, don't let me come in. Uh and tell you how to do it. Um what would you guys say the your um biggest influences uh musically? A common question in these interviews, but we've got to we've got to cover these things.

SPEAKER_04 55:53

Uh my old man's up there, bro. Like he he is a huge reason why I write the way I write and play the way I play, you know.

SPEAKER_05 56:01

Like maybe not the heavy stuff, but was he in um uh some bands?

SPEAKER_04 56:05

Nah, nah, he just played the acoustic guitar that sang, you know, and like but he he taught me all the finger picking stuff, you know. But he also hates heavy music. So when I started to rebel, I was like, Well, fuck you, dude. I'm gonna learn all this shit.

SPEAKER_05 56:19

So so Metallica, we got Pantera, um, and then your your father, but then yeah, anything that would got one direction.

SPEAKER_04 56:26

Love one direction, bro. I'm proud of that. Like, I don't give a fuck if people, you know, being in like a middle band or whatever, you know, you kind of say that and you see people be like, what dude?

SPEAKER_00 56:36

But it's like, nah, like what he's 6'4 with head tents, like no one's gonna be like, no, no one's gonna be like, oh yeah, bro, that's cool.

SPEAKER_01 56:44

Or you're not so bright to have another one direction.

SPEAKER_04 56:49

But yeah, vocal just go, ooh. Yeah, but like uh like vocal melody-wise, I think the guy's name's Julian Bonetta, he's the guy that writes a lot of their stuff. Like, I take a lot of inspiration from his writing, kind of for my like uh lyric, like vocals, I mean, you know? And then you know, like Dave Grohl and all that kind of stuff, you know, main the basics, you know. Sepultura, love that shit. That's sick. How about you, Richie?

SPEAKER_00 57:17

Um, I kind of grew up on um I used to go to the tip with the old man and he'd put on um bit of kind of Pink Floyd a lot of um the wall and dark side and it used to be but I think it initially frightened me because it was so dark and the themes were so kind of dark, and I was just like six or seven years old, and I'm like, Dad, why do you listen to the sad stuff? And he's like, Oh, one day you understand that it's this kind of beauty in it. So I always remember that little quote from him. Um so yeah, all of that stuff led Sabbath, all that stuff was on the way to the turtle. And I can remember just looking at these massive machines and listening to this like heavy, emotionally heavy pink floyd the wall while looking at these giant diggers, you know, it burnt into my brain. So that's where it started. And it was initially fear, then it turned into fascination. I got the records and would put his headphones on and immersed myself. So I started there. And then my sister got me into um the the early grunge movement before it kind of popped off. And around 90 uh 89, 90, she was giving me like um Jane's addiction records and stuff, and then and Alison Chains, I think she had as well. And then Nirvana popped off, and that was I was listening to like Vanilla Ice and and like um Gantush just do do do do when I was like 10.

SPEAKER_05 58:36

Have you have you heard Vanilla Ice's new metal album?

SPEAKER_00 58:39

Yes, bro, I have on Halloween, hella hella.

SPEAKER_03 58:42

That is it.

SPEAKER_05 58:42

Hella Halloween. I just love it where it's like ice, eyes, burned.

SPEAKER_00 58:47

So that was me at Halloween. Have you heard it? No, you gotta you gotta listen to it, bro. That was me at 10, and then she kind of she pushed me off to this other area, um, and it was grunge, and it Nirvana was the one that absolutely like hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the way he the note choices he'd use with the riffs. He was singing these kind of dissonant harmonies, and then I got obsessed with that at like 11, and then Alice and Chains absolutely blew me away around the same time. I think they just released Dirt. So I was kind of like immersed in all of that, and that was the gateway to heavy metal, but then she gave me like Sepultura, and she had like I think she had like early deer side records and stuff like that. So she was a little bit of a bogan. And um that got me into the heavy metal, and then I discovered Pantera through a radio station called Gulf FM and they were playing Becoming, and it had that, and I rang to request, I said, Can you play that heavy metal band that's got the castanet player? And the DJ was like, What? And I was like, You played it last night, it goes like the And he's like, Oh, Pantera, Becoming. I was like, Yeah, that one. So that was that clicked for me. And then I remember going to a Fear Factory show, I think it was, at Power Station. Oh yeah, and um someone, some guy was like playing it in his car. He was playing Shedding Skin, and I was like, That's scary. And he was like, Do you guys want some mushy caps? And we're like, 15, and we're like, Yeah, man. So we got in this car listening to Shedding Skin and took these mushy caps, and I was like, fucking, I was like a Pantera fiend from then on, man. Damn, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:29

So that's a met that's a that's a that's pretty metal right there.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:32

It was it was um Pantera that Pantera and Tool would have been the the first equal biggest influences. Absolutely. I heard Undertow when I was 13 in the playground, wagged the rest of the day off school, and just listened to Undertow over and over again down by the basketball courts with my mates Walkman. And that like another there was another moment like Nirvana where it was like he was singing the wrong notes, but they were right, and it didn't sound like it shouldn't make sense, but it does. So it was Nirvana, Allison Chains, and Tool, and then obviously Metallica and Slayer and all that shit is part of the DNA, but those three were the ones that really made my whole eyes light up. But I'll never forget my first experience of listening to those bands.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:13

Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:13

It must have been so cool being there when it was like all being related, dude. My head would have been.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:19

Living through it as it was happening, you don't man, it's like anything. You you're like in the moment and you're like, oh, this is just how it is, and then you look back and like you should have enjoyed that more, motherfucker. Like, what are you doing? Like for the release of these records, you're going to these shows, you're watching Smashing Pumpkins when they're on their fucking gish show. On the on the big come up in there, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:37

And it it's yeah, that is so that is so interesting. Like you just in the moment don't appreciate it. You're just like, oh, this is just how it is. This is normal.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:45

We'll just go to a Pantera show, you know, we'll just go to watch Tool on their anima tour, and it's like, yay, and take some mushrooms and be some spastic kids, you know. But now you look back and you're like, oh, that was history being made. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:55

I'd probably be dead if I was late in that time, man. The amount of fucking party. I think we've spoken about this before. But we're glad that we're kind of like we're different ages, because if we were together back then, bro.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:12

Bunch of creatures is dead on the side of the road.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:16

Bunch of creatures. Yeah. That's that that's but that that that's sick though. But yeah, I I've like you don't have um yeah, you don't appreciate it in the moment you see it in there. It's like uh for me, like I never saw Lincoln Park or Chester, unfortunately. And like I think they came here once, but it was like they released um I think it was After a Thousand Sons they came or something, and I was like, I don't like that album very much. Always play that music, I don't want to go. And I'm just like, oh Scott, you dumbass. That was one of my favourite bands growing up that got me into metal.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:44

I think I saw them when they played with Blind Spot, like 2001, maybe. Oh, that would have been a special band. It was Town Hall. Oh, sick. That would have been that would have been. They I was I went into that being a hater. I was like, no man, it's like not real metal, bro. It's not real metal, and like fake metal. I think Pantyra had played the night before. Jesus Christ. Oh, what a weekend. What a weekend. Pantya had played the night before, and then it was Slinken Park, and the night before fell, and someone was like, hey, don't worry about all that bullshit rat metal.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:12

He's like, We're the real fucking cans of metal.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:14

And like I was like, you know, my little fucking puffing up my little 17 year old 21-year-old chest. And so I'm like, you know, and someone hit me with a ticket. I think I can't remember how I got in there, but I got a freebie and went in, and I was like, Yeah, this is gonna be shit. And man, they blew me away. They sounded so on point, like tight and loud, clear. Chester's voice was just impeccable, man. They were amazing.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:42

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I reckon he's one of the best singers in like metal rock ever. I reckon ever, bro. As well, he's just brutal. You just can't, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:54

Like the fact that he would do that for an hour and a half, like what we were saying earlier. It's like, dude, that's ridiculous, you know. Like, yeah. How I sing one of their songs in the car and I'm like, and your head explodes, eh? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:08

One eyeball dangling out. I remember I remember learning, I remember learning learning quickly, like there's always eye flapping about doing circles.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:21

It always comes back to winking. Childish. But um with with the Lincoln Park though, when you're s when you're saying about um like singing the songs or my like karaoke Lincoln Park is very dangerous, other than that. Um I put I'll play for the Lincoln Park for the boys, and I'm like, this is a hard one. That's a game. I've got a lot of beers, I don't have much oxygen anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:43

I'm just like, I've big on some.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:47

Trying to sing them into Soundgarden or those higher Lincoln Park songs is like game over, not not happening.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:52

Yeah, it's like yeah, and everyone like at that time had like this uh not not Soundgarden, maybe like 2000, like Lincoln Park, and some of those bands had like this kind of like tenor, like high tenor, yeah, sort of sounding voice. So it was like a really popular thing at the time. Like the emo, pop punk, everyone had like this high tenor voice. Oh, I gonna do that. I'm like, fuck that's high.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:09

Yeah, I could never do it, eh? Like, I could know man.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:13

Oh geez, you can do that high belt singing though pretty good, bro.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:16

But the like super high Chris Cornell kind of when he when he's getting full power falsembo, yeah. Jesus Christ, man. They're real high singing, man. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:28

Different breed types. A lot of a lot of practice, that stuff. Yeah. Alright, we'll uh we'll I know you guys gotta get going in a bit, so we'll just run up with some fun questions. Um, all right, so who smells the best and the worst in the band?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:44

We're gonna ask the important question. You go. Um I probably smelled the bit. It depends though. Do you like the smell of sweat and cigarettes?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:00

See, you're the heaviest dart smoker.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:01

You're probably the Yeah, I smell the worst because of all the cigarettes I smoke.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:04

Nah.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:05

I don't know. I feel like there's no win in this answer.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:11

I think no one's really that stinky in this. No one no one's too stinky? Yeah. I think we're all too honest with each other that if if someone came to Bamboo. And really smells, you're like, bro, you fucking sting, dude. You ever heard a link's average jack? Just spray it in his eyes, you know?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:26

Blind.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:28

Sting motherfucker! I think we're too honest with each other to let that happen, man. But man, some people are stinky, bro. I've told someone that's got real stink breath that they should get a piece of chewing gum or something before, man. I'll I would want someone to tell me if I was stinky.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:44

Same, same, yeah. Yeah, I know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:47

I've been meaning this thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:49

By the way, Scott Smell like shit. So you can't get rubbed into it. No, that's fair. Now I'm all self-conscious. Yeah. So am I. Oh, vagina? No. What the hell?

SPEAKER_02 1:07:10

No.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:13

Holy fuck. Oh man. Whatever happens at the Simpson household, uh. Jesus. I'll stay there. It's a little uh little Simpson character. My um He's cute. He looks well. It's like Mish Homer on a put a jock strap on.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:32

Maybe not for a week.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:35

Yeah, um, I think my missus knitted that one. Oh, there's got a few Star Wars ones in there. Yeah, I love it. But my my favourite one should have the BB8. Oh, sorry. That's cool. Yes. Yeah, check that out if you want.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:48

Yeah, I'll just stand Homie back up.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:49

Honey. There we go. Yeah, I think you get some a few more little bits and pieces for the studio. Oh, that's cool, man. Um but you'll put him in there.

unknown 1:07:58

I'll put him there.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:59

Um, okay, so okay. So who smells the best? We didn't figure that out. Who smelled the best?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:06

I smell the beast. Everyone just drawing for it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:14

I wear the all.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:15

No, I love I love smellies. I've got I've got I've got a little uh a bit of a thing with smells. Alright, yeah, the fragrance man. I love the I love smellies, it's a bit of an art form to me. Whiskey making and smelly making, I think's uh an art form.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:29

Smelly making. Yep. Smelly, making the smellies, yeah. Um what is uh what is the the best food to eat after a gig?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:38

Beer. And cigarettes. It's a theme kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:43

In all honesty, yeah, cold beer after a show, after a show, maybe a Marlborough, but more often just whatever's going around the venue, man. Like we eat all sorts of slop when we're on tour.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:57

It's really hard to eat well when if you're if you're on the road a lotto.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:01

Bro, it's kebab, bro. Kebab on rice or something like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:05

Doesn't it it doesn't feel as bad as like a um mecca's or something, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:09

Yeah, kebab on rice is usually pretty good, man. Yeah. No, okay, fair fair.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:13

It was like 2 a.m. in Wellington here when we played with Crooked Royals and we were at this kebab shop.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:17

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:18

And they just like piled our plates.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:20

They were trying to get rid of the last of it, and we get that it's just piled up like this, and we just sing that was yeah, overwhelming feed that.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:30

Um you guys have been to a lot of shows. Um and it could be a show you've done, you've played, or that you've been to, but I like asking this one to use those. Like, what's the s what's like the strangest gig experience you've had? Like something happened that was just real bizarre, and you're like, How does that happen at a show? Why didn't they?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:46

I used to we used to play shows with this band that used to bring pig's blood onto stage and drench themselves and uh they had a chick. Is this a black metal band? Uh yeah, I forget the name. Okay, but we used to play shows with them because we just play with anyone, it doesn't matter. And um, yeah, the name escapes me now, but man, she used to just drench herself with this pig blood, everything stang like blood. Just like that's a memory that I'll yeah, that was bizarre, bizarre.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:11

Yeah, that's that's weird. That's weird. What about yourself?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:15

Uh I played an all ages show with my old band, and it was like four o'clock in the afternoon, so there's like all these like children in the front. It was a big fan. So these kids just up the front, like, cool. And I used to do this thing where we'd start the show where I'd play like a little kind of acoustic thing and then scream, and then the we'd kind of go, you know, into it. So I'm like playing and I'm like looking at these kids like back up, man, and then just scream, and then all of them just turned and just they burst into tears. The dad's like ding ding ding. Yeah, after the show, I was like walking around. You could see them being like, it's a big scary man. Yeah, no, I'm not, I'm a nice guy, I swear to god. They uh that's probably the weirdest for me. That's bizarre. I just I knew it was coming, and these poor children were just like, This is cool, this is so scary. And they just went wow.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:14

That's good. Um, have you guys ever had a um never meet your heroes moment? Maybe when you met someone you idolize in music, or I don't know, doesn't it doesn't have to just be music, but I've I fortunately haven't, but um a friend of mine met Chino uh after their around the fur show at Power Station.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:35

Oh wow, and he said, Hey man, around the around the first really good, and Chino just goes, Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:42

And just what a flex.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:46

I think that's kind of funny, like some little grom, like you know what I mean. I th he was probably tired or something, who knows? And that story might even not even be true, but yeah, it sounds I always thought that was really funny. I always remember that little story from Josh Juggum. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:03

I reckon that's cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:05

That's the best thing you've ever heard.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:07

What about with Vinny when they fucking stitched you off?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:09

Oh fuck, that was a cool that was like the opposite of don't meet your your heroes. I met Vinnie Paul with my friend Brandon from Blind Spot, and uh we'd just been at the show and we're we're playing Paul, and Vinny Paul came down with his with uh his security big skinhead guy, a massive dude. And we're playing pool, and we just invited Vinny to come and hang and choose a pool and shit, and him and his bouncer came over and we were like chewing his ear a little bit. And then I said, Um I had a Mashugar t-shirt on, and I said, Do you do you listen and have you heard of Mashugar? This is kind of 2001, so they weren't that big. So you know, Swedish metal band that'd probably take a little bit of influence and and Vinny goes, Yeah man, they ripped us off. They ripped us off, dude. And I was like, Whoa. Okay, and then and then his security guard goes, Yeah. He was like, fuck my sugar or something like that. And then and then Vinny goes, Nah dude, I'm joking, I'm just pulling his fucking dick, bro. And then the security guards, ooh, that's gory. And then we had his like shop pull with Vince, so it's sweet. He was cool, man.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:11

Oh, that's funny. Yeah, I really don't get I mean I can see here's some influence, I guess, of Mashugar, but I haven't heard the niney stuff.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:18

Yeah, I think there's some in the in the nanny pee, you can hear a little bit of it. I'm I know that heard them, but I don't think it was a direct lift. He was just taking the pistol. Having a bit of a laugh with it.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:26

He was just having a true, sure. Yeah, I heard a funny one. Um I remember it reminds me, I think uh Corey um uh oh gosh, he's gonna hate me for not remembering his last name. The drummer of Said of Yourselves. Oh, yeah, Freelander. Freelander, yeah, yeah, I had him on here and he was saying, I think Dave Mustaine, I think, was one. Oh, really? I think, yeah. I can't remember what the story exactly was.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:44

You'd expect Mustaine to be on the Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:47

For some people's character, you can say, like, yeah, bro.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:50

I'd be scared to meet Mustaine, bro, because I know at some point I'd be like, dude, you were the guy in Metallica, bro. And he'd be like, shut the fuck. You wouldn't even say that. I wasn't thinking I would have dude, you're in Metallica.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:02

I'll tell you what's I'll tell you what's I'll tell you what's funny is to re-watch. I haven't I want to rewatch it again because I haven't done it. But last time I rewatched the St. Anger documentary, and I'm like, this is just sad. It's horrendous. Like everyone looks awful. And also Dave also being like, oh it's been a long time, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:20

It's a weird one, ain't it?

SPEAKER_05 1:14:22

Everyone, I mean, good on them for putting it out because fuck they all look bad.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:26

But like oh, it spoke like that. I didn't want to leave it singing.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:34

Imagine that'd be amazing, dude. That's true. I I I that was funny. Jumps off the plane.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:47

What's for lunch today?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:49

Hello me.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:51

Hello lunch today.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:52

Like, look at the drive-thru.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:54

I like to listen to the music and I'm like, oh, this is really cool. And then someone like took the piss out of the voice, and I'm like, fuck, I can't unhear it now.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:00

Bro, it was Lane Staley. You ever see that? It's because they they got a bit hazed on the Megadef tour, I think, and and Lane was like dissing him on camera, you remember?

SPEAKER_02 1:15:09

Um my chicken becoming Hetfield that like mocked him and then he attacked Dave Mustang.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:15

Did he? Something like that.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:17

Hetfield was mocking old um, I've seen that one. That's that that's funny.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:22

Bits of ham down his fucking little chicken neck. That's funny.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:25

He's like, look at this writer, it's like, what is it? He's got a bed through. Why is there a bed at the beat? So good, bro. Yeah, that's uh that's cracking. Oh, at least you guys haven't had anything anything like that. I think the most star-struck one I've ever had was I met Dave Grohl. I shook his hand and I was just like, uh he would have been cool. He was like, How's it going? He's like, Oh, my name's Scott. He's like, How's it, Scott? I'm like, it's good. He would have been cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:46

Dude, I'd shit my pants if I met him. Him and James Hetfield, they're the two dudes. I'd be like, whoa.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:52

And Dinebag, but obviously.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:53

I was very lucky I got to see them when they played um, well, unfortunate incident, but after the Christchurch earthquake, they played the Auckland Town Hall. That was fucking um, it was loud.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:02

Holy shit. They sounded great, man.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:04

But it was um Are you there as well? That was an amazing show. Fantastic show. Yeah, so um that was that was really special. But it's it's cool when you get to catch some of those bands, those crazy big bands, play some small if they get on those tours and that or play some smaller venues. So that was that was really special. Yeah, um, alright. What do you guys have? Do you guys have a preference for small headline or festival shows? Do you guys have a preference?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:28

I always like the mediums. Okay. Like my ideal show would be a packed out power station. Power station. PA still sounds tight. Pretty perfect. The room sounds tight, you know, and it's intimate. You still you can still grab the crowd if you want. You know, I I love that. That's that's the perfect size for me.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:47

Yeah, it'd be the same as well.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:49

Awesome. Now that's cool. Yeah, I think some some people like really love. I think the festival one's interesting, what I hear. Like, I've never done it, but I've heard obviously play a lot of festivals. And I think what's hard about that is probably the pressure to convince the crowd that you're actually good. Yeah, right. And the sound and obviously the sound's all scattered and that. So that's like a quite a challenge. So I've heard, unless you're, you know, probably near the end of the night, or or maybe not even because people are just waiting for the headliner. So that's also everyone's just there, like, yeah, right, where's my favorite band? You know. Um, but yeah, have yeah, so yeah, okay, cool. Medium-sized shows, power so indoor, outdoor, always indoor, always indoor, sounds more controlled, right? I like it.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:27

I like the sound when you're not like and you can actually monitor out from the room as well. You can listen to what the room's doing and uh and adjust your performance a little bit accordingly, and yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:36

Mean. All right, cool. Uh, and then last one I have for you guys, got a new single coming out. Give me the deets!

SPEAKER_00 1:17:43

Yeah, man, give me the deets. A little bit of a kind of group effort that one. We have um we did the drums out at um Old North Studios, both interestingly, Bo Runger's studio with um Cobra. Damn, full circle. Yeah, full circle moment. So we um tracked those drums out there, and we've just been tracking the rest at my studio at my house. So um did all the guitars and bass and vocals at my house, and then Zarans mixed. So it sounds like old new way home and new new way home and like something completely. New new way home. Yeah, it's like it sounds like us, but it sounds evolved, I think. It's uh you can hear the new influence in there, and you can hear the two new members in there, and I really like that.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:23

And then I'm excited to hear it.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:25

And obviously, having uh having being a part of writing the single is like yeah, the seed was James's the the first lead you hear, it all came from that. So pretty cool, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:35

It's just a cool experience to watch, like watch a blow. Yeah, you know, like it's fucking I love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:42

Just put it in the pot and then everyone else throws their stuff in there, and then yeah, there's something that's that you never expected from that one idea, you know. It's it's it's good vibe.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:50

That's sick. Awesome, dudes. Well, we're now at the uh kind of at the end. Um before we go, is there anything you want to shout out or anything you want to let the people know? I have chewed you guys your guys' ears on part of that. It's been great, bro.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:06

I reckon come along to the helmet shows if you're in Auckland or Wellington, 11th and 12th, come and check that shit out. We're playing with our childhood idols and um check out the new single on April the third. It will be already out when you see this podcast, so go and look it up and have a jam.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:20

Let's go. All right, thank you guys so much for coming on. It's actually been really fun because for me, obviously I've known the band for a while too, and it's it's really cool. So really happy you guys are back together and doing your thing. And it's a good time to be in a heavy band.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:32

Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:33

Sweet. Thank you everyone for listening. Bye.