It's been a while since we last heard from the band, feel
good to be back in the studio?
It sure does! It’s
been 4 years since we recorded our last record “Isolator”, and to get back into
the comfortable confines of the studio is a wonderful place to be at last. We have returned to Dirt Floor where we
recorded “Isolator”. It is such an awesome facility with great people who are
masters at their craft.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What
comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Riffs always come first.
I have a HUGE back catalog of riffs that I draw from and I’m always
coming up with new ones in jam sessions or just hanging out on my own. From there it’s a matter of arranging the
riffs with the band until we have something we like. Melody comes next as the song begins to take
shape and then the lyrics are the last piece to the puzzle.
What's your approach towards recording the new album?
With this one we have taken a different approach than
usual. The overall approach has been
affected on this one due to the unusual couple years we have endured. We consciously decided to make a different
album compared to the previous ones and really use the studio to it’s fullest.
The last album was essentially a “live in the studio” record. This time we wanted to go much farther than
that. We are pushing ourselves hard and
trying different things. Brendan will be
handling lead vocals in a few spots as well as playing some guitar on the
record. We decided to have no limits, no
boundaries and take chances.
I’ve never wanted this band to make the same record
twice. Our track record shows that each
record has had it’s own personality and vibe, making each one distinct. This is just the next logical step.
You had some deep inspiration for this new album, would you
care to discuss what the band's been through?
To say it’s been a rough few years would be a drastic
understatement. It started with the loss
of drummer Mike Petrucci who had to leave the band due to a very severe case of
tinnitus in 2017. It was a heavy blow to
us being that Mike is such a killer drummer and great dude that had been with
CtS since 2011.
We were fortunate to quickly find a replacement drummer who
came in and toured with us Spring – Fall 2017.
As fate would have it, he left the band after our touring ended in
support of “Isolator”. He was an awesome
drummer and good guy but we didn’t see eye to eye when it came to making new
music.
Drummer auditions lasted from December ’17 – April ’18. We just couldn’t find the right guy! Eventually we found Robert Ives from Massachusetts,who also
fronts his own band “Problem With Dragons”.
We quickly got him ready and played New England Stoner/Doom Fest,
Maryland Doomfest and Descendants of Crom as well as some other sporadic dates
throughout 2018.
The BIG one came on November 2, 2018 when I received a
message that Brendan had been in a very serious motorcycle accident the night
before. He shattered his legs and feet
and broke his elbow. Brendan was in the
hospital for 2-½ month after having multiple surgeries and rehabbing the best
he could.
We had our first practice basically the day after he left
the rehab facility!
Obviously it has been a mental and physical struggle for
him. I fell into a pretty heavy depression
myself that has only begun to lift recently.
These experiences have shaped the upcoming record in overall
vibe as well as the subject matter. It
is a very heavy record emotionally and musically.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the
band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
We are based out of Hamden,
Ct, which is a suburb of New Haven. New
Haven is a pretty dangerous place, lots of shootings
and plenty of crime. Hamden is quickly becoming worse as
well. I suppose when you come from an
area like we do it tends to shine through in the music, whether it is on
purpose or subconsciously. People in Connecticut are usually
not the happiest either. It’s expensive
to live here, and you get nothing for it.
We are perpetually lost in between NY and Mass.
Lots of bands will still skip over playing in Ct even though we have
plenty of great venues here. It is also
pretty cold, grey and miserable here from November – April and that can get old
really fast.
Where'd the band name come from?
I get asked this question more than any other! I prefer to let the individual interpret it
any way they see fit. I prefer to keep some mystery as I feel that is sorely
lacking in today’s music scene. We have
access to everything now and I feel that some of the fun and magic has been
removed due to the Internet and instant access to information. The name Curse the Son DOES have an actual
meaning, but I’m not telling!
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you
and for your fans?
Playing live is certainly a great experience as you finally
get to share your music in person with people who are there to take it in. It
feels so wonderful when you look out at the crowd and they are singing the
words right back to me, the connection is so strong at that moment. It’s funny, after almost 35 years of playing
live shows; I still get the jitters a bit!
You would think that would have disappeared long ago, but it has
not.
We have been floating some new ideas to take our live show
to the next level once we are out supporting the new record. Musically we are pushing the envelope and I
feel that the live show should represent that growth as well. It’s a very
exciting time right now!
What makes a great Curse the Son song?
The short answer is VIBE.
It is important to me that people feel something when they hear our
music. I want them to be absorbed by the sonic illustration that we are
creating. I want the listener to take
the journey with us, wherever it is that we may be taking them.
I feel it is important to have hooks and melodies that
people can remember and maybe continue to hum after they are done
listening. Mixing extreme heavy music
and vibes with memorable vocal melodies and choruses is a good mix I
believe.
What are you trying to impart to your audience with the new
album?
That growth is not a bad thing. Of course there are bands like AC/DC and
Slayer that generally stuck to their basic formula and continued to crank out
great albums for decades. With that
said, I have always wanted this band to continue to grow and expand upon the
“stoner/doom” style that we are known for.
There is only one Electric Wizard.
There is only one Sleep. They are
as popular as they are because of their originality and the identity that comes
with that. I don’t want to continue to
tread on the same musical turf over and over again. I like the challenge of pushing the limits
and setting out to create our own style and our own sound.
Every record we have
done has been a “glimpse” into our lives at the time we are writing and
developing these songs. Each one is a
snapshot in time depicting where we are as human beings. This time it happened to be a very dark and
emotionally trying time for all of us. Creating this music became our
catharsis.
What's next for the band?
We are starting to mix the new record in a few weeks, so
that is pretty exciting. A Spring release on Ripple Music, followed by as many
shows as we can play, to as many people as we can. This is an exciting time for the band and we
are so looking forward to sharing this new music with everyone!!
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our
readers, the waveriders?
As always thanks to our fans that are so loyal and
incredibly patient with us. In today’s
“fast food” world, it is easy for people to quickly forget you. Out of sight out of mind does not apply to
our fans. They have been ultra
supportive of us through these trying times and we appreciate and love each and
every one of them.
I would also like to thank you, Todd Severin for your
continued support and giving us a tremendous opportunity that I could only
dream of.
We are back folks….get ready for the HEAVY!
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