WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:07.089 Welcome, everyone, to episode 457 of Signals 00:00:07.089 --> 00:00:10.230 from Mars. I'm your host, Victor. And for this 00:00:10.230 --> 00:00:15.970 episode, we have Nick DeSalvo from the band Elder. 00:00:16.050 --> 00:00:19.890 They are about to release their new album, Through 00:00:19.890 --> 00:00:23.469 Zero. And we're going to talk to Nick about that, 00:00:23.570 --> 00:00:26.190 their beginnings, and everything in between. 00:00:57.450 --> 00:01:01.049 Let me send a shout out to my patrons, Sean Richman, 00:01:01.289 --> 00:01:05.230 Tony Espin, Anthony Mackey, who's the one that's 00:01:05.230 --> 00:01:08.849 behind all of the great logos that I use for 00:01:08.849 --> 00:01:13.049 Signals From Mars, Ed Ferguson, Johan Ederstrom, 00:01:13.230 --> 00:01:17.129 Metal Dan, Chris Vaglio from the Song Swap Showdown 00:01:17.129 --> 00:01:22.450 podcast, Gabriel Ruiz, Mark Striegel of Talking 00:01:22.450 --> 00:01:26.430 Metal and SiriusXM, Brad Dahl from Yarg Metal, 00:01:27.049 --> 00:01:31.549 Mike Jones, Jeremy Weltman, Steve Holker, and 00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:34.370 Steven Saylor. You can become a patron for as 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:37.769 little as $2 a month. Enjoy the Victor M. Ruiz 00:01:37.769 --> 00:01:41.650 podcast with behind -the -scenes banter. Talk 00:01:41.650 --> 00:01:45.810 about life. Talk about pretty much anything that's 00:01:45.810 --> 00:01:51.290 going on. Hard rock and metal news as well. Depending 00:01:51.290 --> 00:01:55.140 on the tier, there's merch. It is a troll -free 00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:58.459 environment. I post videos every day from bands 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:01.780 that you know, bands that you may not know, bands 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:06.239 that you love, so on and so forth. Join us on 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:11.939 Patreon. It is patreon .com forward slash signals 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.639 from Mars, or you can just go to signals from 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:18.340 Mars and check out different ways where you could 00:02:18.340 --> 00:02:30.800 support the podcast, including Patreon. This 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:36.159 is a long time coming. I've been wanting to interview 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:41.639 Nick or anyone from Elder for years, and I don't 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:45.840 want to give too much away from the interview 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:52.039 itself. But the person that turned me on to the 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:56.139 band is someone that I've known since I was a 00:02:56.139 --> 00:02:59.739 teenager. We went to high school together. And 00:02:59.739 --> 00:03:03.300 on my Patreon show, I'll get more into this only 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:09.159 because it's a long winded story. So I'll talk 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.460 about it there. Not saying that to plug Patreon, 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:13.680 but hey, if you want to spend the two bucks a 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:16.479 month to hear me yammer on about that, you're 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:18.719 more than welcome to do so. You would be welcomed 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:24.000 in open arms. Anyway, so Elder is a band that 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:30.319 to me personifies. The album or the art of the 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:36.259 album. Because it's a band that. Again, I'm going 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:40.939 to mention this in the interview. They create 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:45.939 a soundscape. They create an album that is easy 00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:51.120 to digest from beginning to end. And it goes 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:58.110 beyond singles. It goes beyond. Just your usual 00:03:58.110 --> 00:04:04.129 radio -friendly rock, let's say. And you guys 00:04:04.129 --> 00:04:07.090 know, if you've followed the show enough, I'm 00:04:07.090 --> 00:04:13.050 not a huge fan of a lot of progressive metal 00:04:13.050 --> 00:04:15.509 or a lot of progressive rock, but when a band 00:04:15.509 --> 00:04:20.769 hits me and does it right, like Elder, I'm super 00:04:20.769 --> 00:04:24.779 into them. And a lot of that has to do with the 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:26.939 fact that a lot of bands that I've grown up listening 00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:31.100 to, you know, the ones that I'm referring to, 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:35.360 have decided to put out albums with songs that 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:40.920 are chocked full of 11 minute ballads, 11 minute 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:47.240 piano songs, 13 minute songs. 17 minute songs 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:49.920 and when they did it in the past it made sense 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:53.000 and now it just feels like as they say in wrestling 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:56.379 it's a cheap pop where you're gonna get people 00:04:56.379 --> 00:05:00.399 to just oh let's let's do this part because we 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:03.720 can get everyone chanting along to this at a 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:08.500 show and it's like okay yeah this song kind of 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:13.040 meanders and does whatever but just kind of doesn't 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:16.470 do anything for me just my Personal nonsense, 00:05:16.689 --> 00:05:20.870 but whatever. Anyway, I hope, if anything, that 00:05:20.870 --> 00:05:24.269 this interview leads you to listening to Through 00:05:24.269 --> 00:05:28.370 Zero when it does come out, which is actually 00:05:28.370 --> 00:05:33.410 the day, when is it? It's May 22nd, and you guys 00:05:33.410 --> 00:05:35.550 can still pre -order at this time. I'm recording 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:40.189 this on May the 14th, so it comes out in a week, 00:05:40.230 --> 00:05:42.709 a little over a week. I do want to thank you 00:05:42.709 --> 00:05:47.639 for listening to the episode. and like, subscribe, 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:51.000 and share. Everything signals from Mars. All 00:05:51.000 --> 00:06:15.730 right, let's get on with it. Joining me today 00:06:15.730 --> 00:06:19.170 from the band Elder, it is Nick DeSalvo. Nick, 00:06:19.310 --> 00:06:21.769 how are you, sir? I'm doing well, thank you. 00:06:21.790 --> 00:06:25.850 How about yourself? Doing well myself. I have 00:06:25.850 --> 00:06:29.589 to say that I was turned on to you guys 18 years 00:06:29.589 --> 00:06:35.730 ago. It's a relic. Somebody who went to high 00:06:35.730 --> 00:06:41.529 school with me was co -owner of Meteor City Records 00:06:41.529 --> 00:06:45.819 at the time. Her name back then was Melanie Beal. 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:50.300 Yeah, of course. You know, Mel. Yeah. Yeah. So 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:56.379 I grew up with Mel. Crazy. Small world. Absolutely. 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:59.680 So I'm meeting up with her this summer and I 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.459 will definitely tell her that I spoke to you 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.319 because she was the first person to bring you 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:08.629 guys up to me. She knew exactly what I was into. 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:11.490 We had reconnected through social media. She 00:07:11.490 --> 00:07:13.569 goes, you need to check this band out, Elder. 00:07:13.769 --> 00:07:16.230 She goes, I know that you're going to love this. 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:20.189 Give her my best. We run into her every once 00:07:20.189 --> 00:07:23.329 in a while. She still is around the New York 00:07:23.329 --> 00:07:25.569 area. Sometimes I'll see her at gigs sometimes. 00:07:27.189 --> 00:07:30.949 Yeah, she is. Well, last time when I spoke to 00:07:30.949 --> 00:07:35.370 her last year. Uh, she was a tour guide. So it 00:07:35.370 --> 00:07:38.329 was a kind of a trip for me, uh, all these years 00:07:38.329 --> 00:07:40.689 of knowing her and us going back and forth with 00:07:40.689 --> 00:07:44.189 music and whatnot. Uh, it was cool. It was cool 00:07:44.189 --> 00:07:49.430 to catch up with her. So yeah. Um, where do you 00:07:49.430 --> 00:07:53.029 think you've progressed from this first album 00:07:53.029 --> 00:07:56.970 to today? I mean, that was, like I said, 18 years 00:07:56.970 --> 00:07:59.410 ago, what's the biggest impact for you looking 00:07:59.410 --> 00:08:03.920 back at this first album? or anything along the 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:06.500 years that you feel that you've progressed with? 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:11.399 We, I mean, in some ways we're really not that 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:14.199 different, neither as people nor like musically, 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:16.980 like we're still doing, you know, loud, down 00:08:16.980 --> 00:08:21.040 -tuned, heavy rock, long songs. I think the biggest 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:25.019 singular factor is that we, when we made that 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:27.779 first record, you know, I think like you said, 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:31.620 18 years ago, it came out. 20 years ago, we were 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:34.580 just teenagers hacking away at the first bits 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:37.639 of what would become elder. We really didn't 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.720 know what, we really didn't have an idea of what 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:43.639 we wanted to be as musicians or what we could 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:45.559 be. We were amateurs, you know, and over the 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:48.159 years, we really grew into our roles as musicians. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:53.440 We grew as musicians. We got better at writing 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:55.940 and performing, you know, kind of mastered our 00:08:55.940 --> 00:08:58.200 instruments and also found our voice along that 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:00.289 way. And I think found really what we want to 00:09:00.289 --> 00:09:02.730 do as a band and what we're, what we're here 00:09:02.730 --> 00:09:07.009 to do musically. And I think after we had put 00:09:07.009 --> 00:09:09.370 out a couple of records, it really is easy to 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:12.330 see that elder kind of like finally grew into 00:09:12.330 --> 00:09:16.269 its grew into its pants or something and became 00:09:16.269 --> 00:09:18.210 the band that it was maybe meant to be with the 00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:20.929 people that started it. And yeah, we've been 00:09:20.929 --> 00:09:24.009 kind of perfecting that. that approach ever since 00:09:24.009 --> 00:09:26.190 i always wanted to say formula but i don't think 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:28.889 there is a formula here it's more of like a perfecting 00:09:28.889 --> 00:09:31.909 kind of uh getting better at like what we what 00:09:31.909 --> 00:09:35.870 we do together right i think a real interesting 00:09:35.870 --> 00:09:38.370 thing about what you guys do and and there have 00:09:38.370 --> 00:09:42.309 been so many bands that over the years have maybe 00:09:42.309 --> 00:09:48.830 um transformed into a band that started to record 00:09:48.830 --> 00:09:52.049 long songs or stuff like that. And you guys have 00:09:52.049 --> 00:09:55.009 done that from the start. And I think kind of 00:09:55.009 --> 00:09:57.309 the difference between what Elder does and what 00:09:57.309 --> 00:10:01.009 other bands do, at least to me, is that when 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.309 I listen to you guys do it, it's almost like 00:10:03.309 --> 00:10:06.690 a soundtrack where it's taking you along for 00:10:06.690 --> 00:10:08.690 a ride, where you're going along for a journey, 00:10:08.769 --> 00:10:12.090 where with other bands, I hear it and I'm like. 00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:15.220 This is just nonsense noodling. This is like 00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:18.120 just notes for the sake of notes. Like it isn't 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.320 really doing anything for me. Sure. I could see 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:24.399 in a live setting where you've got people chanting 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:27.539 along to this, but outside of that, if I'm, if 00:10:27.539 --> 00:10:29.899 I'm listening to this on an everyday basis, it 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:36.200 really isn't capturing me the same way. Yeah, 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:38.960 I mean, thank you. I'm glad that that works for 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:40.500 you, because that is definitely the way that 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:43.399 we approach our music, too. And we've always 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:45.360 been into long songs when we when we started 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.519 the band. It was mostly long songs because we 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:51.720 really like, you know, sleep, dope smoker, you 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:55.620 know, hour long stoner rock track or just kind 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:59.519 of sludgy doom stuff that just kind of repetitious 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:04.059 riffy. It not in a very clever way, but that 00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:05.919 was enough. But like that, I always liked the 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:10.740 long song format, but wanted to do better, wanted 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:12.779 to make records where it felt like there was 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:15.320 no dead air and there was a purpose to everything 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:19.120 you're doing. And definitely the approach we 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:20.879 have towards writing a song is that it should 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:23.620 always capture your interest and feel like it's 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:25.519 going somewhere and where the listener doesn't 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.620 necessarily wants to find out where it's going 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:29.899 to. You know, like this is what this is something 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:32.289 that I love about. my favorite progressive rock 00:11:32.289 --> 00:11:35.110 albums that do the same kind of thing. One of 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:38.149 those being like Animals by Pink Floyd. This 00:11:38.149 --> 00:11:40.529 is a record that I think is kind of like does 00:11:40.529 --> 00:11:42.710 the same thing for me where still when I listen 00:11:42.710 --> 00:11:44.590 to the longer songs on that record, I'm always 00:11:44.590 --> 00:11:46.470 like, oh man, this is so clever and beautiful. 00:11:46.570 --> 00:11:48.590 And I want to know where it's going because it's 00:11:48.590 --> 00:11:51.950 unfolding instead of just, you know, pieces hacked 00:11:51.950 --> 00:11:56.009 together or something. Right. Or just, you know, 00:11:56.009 --> 00:11:59.169 makes the listener curious. hiding enough like 00:11:59.169 --> 00:12:01.730 Easter eggs in the mix and enough clever things 00:12:01.730 --> 00:12:03.809 along the way where it's got kind of like repeat 00:12:03.809 --> 00:12:07.049 listen value as well. And it's also fun for us 00:12:07.049 --> 00:12:09.230 to make music that's this way. And it's kind 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:12.750 of a puzzle for us to put it together. It's interesting 00:12:12.750 --> 00:12:17.450 that you point animals out because I could see 00:12:17.450 --> 00:12:20.490 a correlation there in the fact that if you look 00:12:20.490 --> 00:12:22.830 at other Floyd albums where you've got definite 00:12:22.830 --> 00:12:24.889 singles or you've got things that you got to 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:27.980 hear on the radio. With your music over the years, 00:12:28.100 --> 00:12:32.620 it's obvious that you guys aren't going for something 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:36.879 like that. It just seems that regardless the 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:39.399 length of the songs, they're taking you somewhere 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:43.000 as opposed to, oh, it's got to be this. It's 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:45.919 got to be that because I want it on whatever 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:49.740 station or whatever playlist or whatnot. Where 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:54.100 Animals, as you bring that up, is so different 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:57.220 to kind of what came after that, you know, where 00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:00.259 kind of, they got some success and they kept 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:02.960 kind of trying to go back to the well. Yeah. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:05.519 Yeah. Yeah. And that's, I mean, totally. And 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:09.080 I obviously, I love most Pink Floyd, you know, 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:11.840 or at least canonical Pink Floyd, but yeah, that 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:14.159 album still is probably my favorite of theirs. 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:18.220 And you can do a lot more with one long song 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:20.159 just because you have more time than you can, 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:21.539 you know, you can have a whole universe, you 00:13:21.539 --> 00:13:23.600 know, a whole album summed up in one track and 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:25.570 you can do. you know, in three, four minutes, 00:13:25.610 --> 00:13:27.450 what you'd consider like a normal song length, 00:13:27.529 --> 00:13:30.370 like you're usually beholden to like one general 00:13:30.370 --> 00:13:34.309 theme, one, you know, leitmotif or dominating, 00:13:34.590 --> 00:13:38.389 you know, musical melody or one feeling or something. 00:13:38.470 --> 00:13:41.169 Maybe there's like some bridges that mix it up, 00:13:41.169 --> 00:13:43.509 but I don't think you can, that was never as 00:13:43.509 --> 00:13:46.090 gratifying for me as the slow burn towards something, 00:13:46.169 --> 00:13:48.669 you know, the big payoff feels that much more 00:13:48.669 --> 00:13:51.590 monumental when it happens. six minutes into 00:13:51.590 --> 00:13:53.909 a song or whatever instead of you know right 00:13:53.909 --> 00:13:55.970 off the you know jump straight into the most 00:13:55.970 --> 00:14:00.049 into your hook but different strokes you know 00:14:00.049 --> 00:14:01.889 i don't know what it is i always like even if 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:04.110 it's very repetitive music i find like just longer 00:14:04.110 --> 00:14:08.570 songs very it's just something i i gravitate 00:14:08.570 --> 00:14:13.470 towards okay and you finished saying a few minutes 00:14:13.470 --> 00:14:16.190 ago that you guys are more or less the same guys 00:14:16.190 --> 00:14:21.220 same band uh that said You grew up in Massachusetts 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:26.679 and now you're in Europe. Do you feel that impact 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:29.919 you at all? The difference of the lifestyles 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:32.580 or cultures as opposed to what you grew up with? 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:37.159 Yeah. Yes. I mean, well, one of the biggest like 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:39.120 mind blowing early mind blowing experiences I 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:42.080 had as a as a kid was right after finishing high 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:45.039 school. I did an exchange year in Germany where 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:47.409 I lived with a German family for a year. And 00:14:47.409 --> 00:14:49.710 that's how I got like involved with this country 00:14:49.710 --> 00:14:53.289 at involved with sound strange, but you know, 00:14:53.330 --> 00:14:55.190 that's how I ended up in Germany for the first 00:14:55.190 --> 00:14:59.110 time and just totally gained an entirely new 00:14:59.110 --> 00:15:03.570 perspective on like who I was and you know, American 00:15:03.570 --> 00:15:06.509 culture and society and how big the world really 00:15:06.509 --> 00:15:09.110 is that you don't get growing up in the small 00:15:09.110 --> 00:15:14.029 town that we did grow up in. And so for from 00:15:14.029 --> 00:15:16.029 pretty much from around the same time that elder 00:15:16.029 --> 00:15:18.169 started as a band there's always been this back 00:15:18.169 --> 00:15:20.350 and forth between like the continents and like 00:15:20.350 --> 00:15:23.549 also just traveling as a band you see an experience 00:15:23.549 --> 00:15:28.690 a lot but um yeah already this kind of like expanded 00:15:28.690 --> 00:15:32.549 mind that comes with living abroad uh or you 00:15:32.549 --> 00:15:35.009 know expanded horizons whatever that comes with 00:15:35.009 --> 00:15:37.409 more open -mindedness that comes with getting 00:15:37.409 --> 00:15:38.970 outside of your comfort zone that had already 00:15:38.970 --> 00:15:42.440 been a part of the of well, at least my personal 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.679 life from a relatively young age. And yeah, that 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.200 dealt with like played a big role with the bands, 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:51.139 the entirety from the entirety. The first record 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:53.179 is the only one we made before, you know, this 00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:56.980 whole thing happened. So. Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:00.940 Do you still feel that there's a little part 00:16:00.940 --> 00:16:04.000 of Massachusetts in you when you're working on 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.870 the music? Um, I don't know if the location shines 00:16:08.870 --> 00:16:10.850 through. Like I definitely wouldn't, I guess. 00:16:10.929 --> 00:16:13.750 Yeah. There's more Massachusetts in me than there 00:16:13.750 --> 00:16:16.970 is Berlin. You know, it's, it's definitely part 00:16:16.970 --> 00:16:19.889 of my identity is where I come from. Uh, and 00:16:19.889 --> 00:16:24.870 I still feel like part of my, you know, like 00:16:24.870 --> 00:16:28.269 soul or whatever resides back there on the coastal 00:16:28.269 --> 00:16:31.649 area. Not like so very far inland away from waterways, 00:16:31.750 --> 00:16:37.440 but, um, yeah. Hard to say. I mean, sometimes 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:39.679 I've been asked the question if like, I thought 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:41.460 elder sounds the way it does now because, you 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:43.220 know, Berlin or what the influence of a different 00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:45.860 places on, you know, your music, it's kind of 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:50.620 impossible to say. Definitely. Yeah. You know, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:52.419 when I'm still, when I'm back, when I'm back 00:16:52.419 --> 00:16:54.659 home, it's still back home despite having lived, 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:58.320 you know, abroad for almost 15 years at this 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:01.539 point. Yeah. I hear you. I can, I can definitely 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:05.299 relate to that. Yeah. Take the boy out of Jersey. 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:08.140 Yeah, that's it. You can take the boy out of 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:09.740 Jersey, but you can't take the Jersey out of 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:15.420 the boy. There you go. I've always felt that 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:19.660 the band could have all almost always been on 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:21.680 a larger label. You guys have always been on 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:26.000 like smaller labels, but how important is it 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:30.319 to be on a label that understands your band and 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:36.019 your music? Nowadays, I think there could be 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:40.619 an argument made for any way, you know, depending 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:44.380 on, for me, I'll just back up and say that, like, 00:17:44.380 --> 00:17:47.339 for me, the label question was always closely 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:49.500 tied to, like, my own perception of how important 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:54.359 labels are. Like, I, growing up, even from my 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:55.960 very, like, from when I first started getting 00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:59.430 interested in music. the record label was always 00:17:59.430 --> 00:18:01.430 like the marker of quality was something that 00:18:01.430 --> 00:18:03.109 I really always looked at and kind of obsessed 00:18:03.109 --> 00:18:05.769 over, you know, me and my friends would, we always 00:18:05.769 --> 00:18:07.970 like mail order piggyback together and, you know, 00:18:07.970 --> 00:18:09.869 get, you'd get the catalog out of your record 00:18:09.869 --> 00:18:11.809 or your CD and you'd, you know, fill it out with 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:14.029 money and send it back. And, and the label was 00:18:14.029 --> 00:18:16.950 like part of the identity of a, of a band. And 00:18:16.950 --> 00:18:19.750 we'd also, you know, ignorant kids that we were 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:22.309 label any band that jumped to like a more major, 00:18:22.329 --> 00:18:25.609 major label as a sellout immediately. And while 00:18:25.609 --> 00:18:28.500 I definitely don't think, that way anymore um 00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:30.839 or i've got a more nuanced understanding of how 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:33.720 these things work part of me still very much 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:36.880 you know wants to be creatively somewhere i feel 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.039 that i'm like you know i vibe with the other 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:41.880 artists on the label or you know i know exactly 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:43.960 who we're working with i don't want to be under 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:47.859 a one label manager who's working under 100 different 00:18:47.859 --> 00:18:50.299 people and they only have like their shareholders 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:55.000 interests in mind because um yeah that's Just 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:58.339 not who we are as a band either. And you can 00:18:58.339 --> 00:19:01.119 always do more. You can always, yeah, we could 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:03.220 have, we've, we've had many offers from bigger 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:05.720 labels over the years, but I don't think that 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:09.440 we, that would have ever sat right with us somehow. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.119 And let's be honest in this day and age kind 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.920 of technology has in a nice way, like leveled 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:19.660 the playing field a bit like majors with more 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:22.319 resources. They're always going to have the upper 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:25.410 hand in many ways. But you can also do a hell 00:19:25.410 --> 00:19:28.930 of a lot on your own. And bottom line, we just 00:19:28.930 --> 00:19:31.910 don't want anyone telling us anything. We don't 00:19:31.910 --> 00:19:34.869 want anyone telling us how to look, how many 00:19:34.869 --> 00:19:37.309 music videos to make. The songs are too long, 00:19:37.430 --> 00:19:39.690 too short, whatever. The album cover is ugly 00:19:39.690 --> 00:19:42.890 or, you know, we just want to be able to do our 00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:45.910 thing with full creative control and have support 00:19:45.910 --> 00:19:48.170 from people who believe in us. And that's exactly 00:19:48.170 --> 00:19:51.009 what we've got. So as far as I'm concerned, we're 00:19:51.009 --> 00:19:56.019 happy. Yeah. And that makes sense. We do a monthly 00:19:56.019 --> 00:20:00.319 new releases show. And a lot of times when you're 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:03.759 stuck on what you want to check out next, like 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:07.059 you're saying, you pick out certain labels where 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:08.720 you're like, all right, I know that I'm going 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:11.940 to like what band is on that label because it 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:14.859 fits in with this other band that they have and 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:18.140 that I listen to. And so I get what you're saying. 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:22.019 And with a lot of the smaller. you know, labels 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:25.220 that are doing stone or rock that are doing doom 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:27.220 metal that are doing a lot more of the stuff 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:31.299 in, in your neighborhood per se and what you 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:35.619 guys do. Yeah. A lot of those bands and labels 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:37.880 kind of stick together. So it's got that kind 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:40.279 of seal of quality where, you know, all right, 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:42.660 they're not going to lead me down a path that 00:20:42.660 --> 00:20:46.559 I don't want to go. Yeah, totally. Totally. And 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.420 even now it's like with all of this, you know, 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:52.700 discovering, algorithms that are supposed to 00:20:52.700 --> 00:20:55.920 like, you know, feed us what we want. I find 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:58.920 that a label is still in a better signifier of 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:00.740 something that I'm going to enjoy than any, you 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:03.500 know, computer program is actually able to find 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:07.720 for me the human element too. Yeah. There's definitely 00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:11.240 a lot of that, that believe me when it comes 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:15.339 to all that stuff. Um, most of the times it's 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:18.220 more of a miss than it is a hit for me because 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:22.430 it's, just feeding you whatever it wants to feed 00:21:22.430 --> 00:21:25.029 you as opposed to really analyzing what you're 00:21:25.029 --> 00:21:27.970 checking out. So, yeah. And, and, you know, nowadays 00:21:27.970 --> 00:21:30.650 anyone can upload music to the internet, which 00:21:30.650 --> 00:21:34.029 is, again, I would say as much a good thing as 00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:36.069 a bad thing. We want everyone to be able to be 00:21:36.069 --> 00:21:38.549 creative if you want to be creative. And, uh, 00:21:38.750 --> 00:21:41.609 but at the same time, yeah, there's a lot of. 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.200 bullshit out there nowadays you need someone 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:46.539 to actually vet this and that's the that's the 00:21:46.539 --> 00:21:48.339 people working at the label who you know are 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:50.200 taking the time to actually help these releases 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:53.940 come to come to light yeah yeah yeah it makes 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:56.980 sense i say that about this podcast all the time 00:21:56.980 --> 00:21:58.680 the good thing about the internet is everyone 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:02.400 can have a podcast about the internet is that 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:06.680 everyone can have a podcast so it's kind of the 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:11.559 same thing um you've released the A full length 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:16.140 every so many years. Do you compile music along 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:19.660 the way or do you just sit down and say, you 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:23.079 know what? It just feels right to do new music, 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:26.140 to put a new album together. What's kind of the 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:29.339 process like? There are times where we're definitely 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:35.259 compiling and kind of stockpiling ideas in quieter 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:38.000 periods where I have the time to actually sit 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:40.339 down and make music on a daily basis, which. 00:22:40.919 --> 00:22:44.279 is not always the case nowadays. I'll always 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:47.619 try to, you know, get one idea out there every 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.279 day if I can. And so when it comes time to actually 00:22:50.279 --> 00:22:52.640 make an album, usually there's a couple like 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:56.380 seeds that we can kind of plant in that regard. 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:58.980 With this record more than in some in the past, 00:22:59.059 --> 00:23:01.859 it's been, been more, more of a focused effort 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:04.500 to, to actually make a record kind of within 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:08.500 a timeframe. There were some like preexisting 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:11.619 ideas, but a lot of this was like very fresh 00:23:11.619 --> 00:23:16.720 material, which nothing wrong with like pulling 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:18.640 from an older stock of ideas. But yeah, this 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:20.440 one maybe feels a little bit more like fresh 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:22.640 in that regard for me, because I think, yeah, 00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:24.480 just as time gets shorter, there's more and more 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:26.599 tours and everyday life just kind of bears down 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:28.960 on you. There's less time for me to like, you 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:31.640 know, kind of build up that stockpile of ideas 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:38.539 too. Right. Yeah, that makes sense. Through Zeroes, 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.660 the first album that you guys have produced and 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:46.700 mixed, why was now the right time to do that 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:50.599 on your own outside of working with an outside 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:54.799 producer? Well, I guess to be accurate, we've 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:59.160 never really had a producer in that sense. We've 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:02.359 always produced our own records in so much as 00:24:02.359 --> 00:24:05.220 we have the idea of exactly what it is we want 00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:09.470 to make. Depending on the level of enthusiasm 00:24:09.470 --> 00:24:11.970 for the project, the engineer sometimes steps 00:24:11.970 --> 00:24:15.509 into that role more or less. And we worked on 00:24:15.509 --> 00:24:17.829 this record with our buddy Richard Behrens, who 00:24:17.829 --> 00:24:20.890 owns a studio here in Berlin. I've done quite 00:24:20.890 --> 00:24:23.009 a few records with him with different bands over 00:24:23.009 --> 00:24:26.609 the years. And he's like, I feel like we make 00:24:26.609 --> 00:24:28.930 a great team and we understand each other very 00:24:28.930 --> 00:24:31.849 well. So, you know, when I told him that we want 00:24:31.849 --> 00:24:35.000 to also have a like. a bigger hand in the in 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.980 the actual production like mixing the record 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:40.759 um that was from the get -go we had to like kind 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:45.000 of just redefine the roles a little bit um i've 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:46.660 always wanted to have more of a hand in the mixing 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:49.220 process but just due to like technical limitations 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:54.039 like how uh how a studio might work what software 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:56.880 they use uh versus what you've got at your own 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.799 like home setup you know we've all got our own 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:00.819 little home studios here but it's very much like 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:06.700 So we had to kind of streamline that. I often 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:13.180 had the feeling at the end of a record that it 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:16.420 got good, but I feel like we could have done 00:25:16.420 --> 00:25:19.240 a lot ourselves. I wish that I had had more of 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:22.220 a hand. I wish we didn't have to give this to 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:24.140 a mixing engineer and then come back with notes. 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:25.980 I wish I could have been the mixing engineer. 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:32.339 are certainly not as knowledgeable as, you know, 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:34.299 Richard, for example, he's a trained professional. 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:36.960 He's awesome. But like the combination of being 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:39.859 able to like work on the mixes ourselves and 00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:42.980 then also work with him in studio and have him 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:45.400 kind of like translate our ideas or like refine 00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:48.000 our mixing ideas. I think we really got closer 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:51.440 than ever to like the sound we were chasing. 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:53.319 And I think this is the best sounding elder record 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:57.210 that we've ever done by far. Yeah. And that's 00:25:57.210 --> 00:25:59.509 not to say that any of your other releases have 00:25:59.509 --> 00:26:03.930 sounded bad, at least not to me. No, they all 00:26:03.930 --> 00:26:06.390 sound different. And I think that's nice, but 00:26:06.390 --> 00:26:08.670 there's always been something for me personally, 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:10.890 that's been lacking in a production where I'm 00:26:10.890 --> 00:26:13.450 like, Oh, the guitar sound this way or the drum 00:26:13.450 --> 00:26:16.109 sound that way, or this is too much in the back 00:26:16.109 --> 00:26:17.930 or the front. It's always something, you know? 00:26:17.930 --> 00:26:20.589 So, but, and maybe in five years time, I'll feel 00:26:20.589 --> 00:26:23.759 differently about this one too, but. Right. And 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:26.900 it's different for a listener as opposed to you 00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:30.599 guys as well, because you know all the various 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:33.960 intricacies that went into recording the album. 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:35.700 I mean, there can be an album that I'll think 00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:38.640 is great, and then you'll be talking to the person 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.019 that recorded it, and they'll say, I hate that 00:26:41.019 --> 00:26:44.680 album because I had a blown speaker in my amp, 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:47.460 and we didn't have the money or time to fix it. 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:50.740 So, you know, anytime I hear that album, I'm 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:53.869 hearing that bad amp. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I can 00:26:53.869 --> 00:26:59.710 totally relate to that in particular. Yeah. So 00:26:59.710 --> 00:27:02.329 how is that back and forth between you and Richard 00:27:02.329 --> 00:27:04.289 when it comes to mixing things? I mean, is it 00:27:04.289 --> 00:27:07.630 more of, you know, you picking his brain or him 00:27:07.630 --> 00:27:10.849 throwing ideas out there with how to kind of 00:27:10.849 --> 00:27:13.089 get things in the sweet spot for what you're 00:27:13.089 --> 00:27:15.750 telling him or how do those conversations go? 00:27:16.970 --> 00:27:20.309 He's, you know, he's got a really good ear and 00:27:20.309 --> 00:27:24.140 ideas about. how to do certain things. And I 00:27:24.140 --> 00:27:26.220 have my own ideas about how to do certain things. 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:31.579 And sometimes we are at odds with those opinions, 00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:37.240 but he's a very patient and very like, um, very 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:39.380 willing to always, I think this is what's important 00:27:39.380 --> 00:27:41.380 if you're working with someone, but be them a 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:44.640 producer. Well, especially with a producer, you 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:47.210 know, you've always got to. ultimately chase 00:27:47.210 --> 00:27:49.470 what the artist wants. And so sometimes we'd 00:27:49.470 --> 00:27:51.170 have these, you know, lengthy discussions about 00:27:51.170 --> 00:27:52.690 why something should be one way or the other 00:27:52.690 --> 00:27:54.670 way, but the other, at the end of the day, you 00:27:54.670 --> 00:27:56.369 know, if I'm hardheaded enough to think something 00:27:56.369 --> 00:27:58.990 needs more one direction, that's what's going 00:27:58.990 --> 00:28:00.690 to happen because that's the vision of the band. 00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:06.289 But, you know, he's, I think the best thing for 00:28:06.289 --> 00:28:08.190 working with someone who's a talented proper 00:28:08.190 --> 00:28:10.609 engineer is, you know, if you don't have the 00:28:10.609 --> 00:28:12.650 know -how yourself about how to achieve a certain 00:28:12.650 --> 00:28:15.910 effect, they can help you do that. And also when 00:28:15.910 --> 00:28:17.710 it comes to just, you know, when I talk about 00:28:17.710 --> 00:28:21.410 co -mixing, I'm not talking about the nitty gritty, 00:28:21.450 --> 00:28:25.750 like drum gates and like needling out specific 00:28:25.750 --> 00:28:29.170 frequencies. Like I don't have any clue about 00:28:29.170 --> 00:28:32.150 that. I just like to, you know, explore effects 00:28:32.150 --> 00:28:35.369 panning and, you know, I'll be the one who's 00:28:35.369 --> 00:28:36.890 always, you know, behind and say, no, make this 00:28:36.890 --> 00:28:38.910 sound beefier, you know, make this sound spacier 00:28:38.910 --> 00:28:41.740 or whatever. I mean, having someone to help you 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:44.559 achieve that and also with no ego in the process 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:48.200 is very important because that can happen. But 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:51.839 here, no one's no one's there's no pissing contest. 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:53.579 You know, everyone's in it for the same reason. 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:58.319 Yeah. Is there ever a an instance where in the 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:00.299 heat of the moment you think something should 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:03.000 be one way he's trying to direct you in another 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:06.319 direction and maybe a few hours later, a day 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:09.789 later, you're like, shit, he was right. Yeah, 00:29:09.849 --> 00:29:11.769 definitely. That that's happened over the years. 00:29:11.789 --> 00:29:13.670 So many times I can't even count where you're 00:29:13.670 --> 00:29:17.950 like, you're making this dumbest, you know, microscopic 00:29:17.950 --> 00:29:20.410 adjustments to something like the, the volume 00:29:20.410 --> 00:29:22.529 of one element. And then that's all you can focus 00:29:22.529 --> 00:29:24.349 on. And then two days later you come back and 00:29:24.349 --> 00:29:26.309 say, Hey, remember we did this? Like, can we 00:29:26.309 --> 00:29:28.690 change it back that one decibel? And like, we're 00:29:28.690 --> 00:29:31.529 talking about the most minute bullshit, but you 00:29:31.529 --> 00:29:33.809 know, when it's your pet project, it's, it's 00:29:33.809 --> 00:29:36.869 more meaningful to you. And that's just. it's, 00:29:36.869 --> 00:29:38.529 these are the things that would keep me up at 00:29:38.529 --> 00:29:40.589 night, you know, listening to a record I've done 00:29:40.589 --> 00:29:43.029 and wishing that I like had just addressed that 00:29:43.029 --> 00:29:46.109 one thing instead of saying, it'll be fine. And, 00:29:46.150 --> 00:29:48.809 uh, yeah, it's, but that's, I think that's how 00:29:48.809 --> 00:29:52.289 like most people are. Most musicians are. Right. 00:29:52.390 --> 00:29:57.230 Okay. Uh, is there any song that you felt was 00:29:57.230 --> 00:30:00.089 kind of challenging to find the, the right mix 00:30:00.089 --> 00:30:03.529 to it or for the most part? when you're going 00:30:03.529 --> 00:30:07.970 into it, you've got a set idea, and then you're 00:30:07.970 --> 00:30:11.890 not varying that far from your original idea, 00:30:12.049 --> 00:30:15.609 or as you're trying to work things out with the 00:30:15.609 --> 00:30:18.529 songs, do you go in other directions than what 00:30:18.529 --> 00:30:23.279 you originally felt was good for the song? Yeah, 00:30:23.339 --> 00:30:25.359 I think it's important to explore along the way 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:29.700 when you're making a record in all aspects. And 00:30:29.700 --> 00:30:32.220 that also goes down to like the production where 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:35.920 I think it's nice to I think I used to have this 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:38.880 idea that like an album should be streamlined, 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:41.480 like the drum should sound. one way all the way 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:43.039 through and the guitar should sound this way 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:44.920 and consistency and actually now i've come to 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:47.519 like feel very differently about that where it 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:49.400 wouldn't bother me in the slightest if you know 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:51.640 10 songs on a record all sounded like they were 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:53.960 recording different studios each song has might 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:56.240 have different needs and i would find that refreshing 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:59.200 even so we we definitely kind of had that approach 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:01.779 with this the songs have a consistency but it's 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:06.079 a very organic um kind of organic inconsistencies 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:08.799 to it as well so the song that challenged me 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:12.119 in that regard was The fourth track on the record, 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:16.079 just because we, I think I struggled both in 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:18.359 the songwriting and in the production side to 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:22.180 get this song to gel because it starts with this 00:31:22.180 --> 00:31:27.220 very kind of slow atmospheric builds, very kind 00:31:27.220 --> 00:31:30.759 of like groovy drums against washy guitars and 00:31:30.759 --> 00:31:34.319 a lot of like keyboards and, and then matching 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:36.619 that to the higher energy of this very riffy 00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:39.019 second section and like this kind of big buildup. 00:31:40.280 --> 00:31:43.259 It feels like that song just took twice as long 00:31:43.259 --> 00:31:45.640 as any one other to get right. And that was one 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:47.740 I kept, you know, coming back to over and over. 00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:50.880 But I think also because, you know, it's the 00:31:50.880 --> 00:31:52.619 fourth song on the record. There's a lot of heavy 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:54.240 moments, a lot of big guitars. You're always 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:56.839 thinking about like, what's the flow of an album 00:31:56.839 --> 00:31:59.059 and how do we keep this from getting exhausting? 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.200 How do we keep this compelling all the way through 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:04.740 on a sonic level? By the time you've hit that 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:07.359 like 40 minute mark, that's, or, you know, 35 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:09.019 minutes, that's when it starts to get critical. 00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:16.599 Right. Okay. The album comes out later this month. 00:32:16.660 --> 00:32:19.200 We're recording this on May the 5th. It comes 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:22.500 out on the 22nd. You've already got certain variations 00:32:22.500 --> 00:32:26.480 or certain variants of the album that are sold 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:32.940 that are sold out. Jesus. How. much of a big 00:32:32.940 --> 00:32:35.619 deal is that for you guys to have that much of 00:32:35.619 --> 00:32:40.460 a, um, a groundswell of, of fans following the 00:32:40.460 --> 00:32:42.859 band that they're already selling out different 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:45.720 iterations of the album before it's even released 00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:50.400 to the public. It's crazy. We're just, um, I 00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.019 mean, part of that speaks to like the effectiveness 00:32:52.019 --> 00:32:55.740 of these limited vinyl campaigns. You know, people 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:59.039 are vinyl collectors. I also am a vinyl collector. 00:32:59.140 --> 00:33:00.640 So I totally get that. If there's something, 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:03.119 you know, special, I, might want that myself 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:06.400 and be happy to pre -order it. But just the fact 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:08.799 that we, I think the fact on any level that we 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:11.880 do music and people listen to it is still not 00:33:11.880 --> 00:33:15.200 something that we take for granted. And I mean, 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:17.700 to put it in perspective, these sold out records, 00:33:17.799 --> 00:33:19.660 these aren't, you know, pressings of 10 ,000 00:33:19.660 --> 00:33:21.660 copies, you know, probably a couple hundred records 00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:24.160 that are sold, but for anyone to give you their 00:33:24.160 --> 00:33:26.740 money without having heard a whole record, it's 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:29.990 a huge statement of faith. in you as a band. 00:33:30.049 --> 00:33:31.609 And that makes you feel great. That makes me 00:33:31.609 --> 00:33:33.549 feel like in general, I think that we have an 00:33:33.549 --> 00:33:37.849 amazing, like really cool fan base that is highly 00:33:37.849 --> 00:33:41.390 supportive. Even when we choose to do different 00:33:41.390 --> 00:33:43.349 things with new records, you don't always know 00:33:43.349 --> 00:33:45.609 what the new elder record is going to bring or 00:33:45.609 --> 00:33:48.289 what direction it's going to go in. And we have 00:33:48.289 --> 00:33:50.490 open -minded fans that are just like happy to 00:33:50.490 --> 00:33:53.869 come along for the ride. So I feel very happy 00:33:53.869 --> 00:33:58.829 that we're in the community we're in. Okay. And 00:33:58.829 --> 00:34:01.990 where should people go to pick the album up through 00:34:01.990 --> 00:34:05.349 zero and ensure that the most amount of money 00:34:05.349 --> 00:34:09.610 gets back in the band's pockets? Always direct 00:34:09.610 --> 00:34:11.909 to the source, you know, with any with any bands. 00:34:11.989 --> 00:34:14.349 And for us, it's no different. Go straight to 00:34:14.349 --> 00:34:17.409 the record labels. We work with three small independent 00:34:17.409 --> 00:34:19.949 record labels, one in North America called Blues 00:34:19.949 --> 00:34:22.710 Funeral, one in Europe called Stickman Records, 00:34:22.989 --> 00:34:25.550 one in Australia called Birds Robe. These are 00:34:25.550 --> 00:34:30.110 all great people who are. Putting enormous effort 00:34:30.110 --> 00:34:34.489 and energy into small artists and keeping independent 00:34:34.489 --> 00:34:37.150 music alive. And the best way is to buy directly 00:34:37.150 --> 00:34:41.230 from them. Or support your local record store. 00:34:41.489 --> 00:34:44.909 That's also a great way to make sure money's 00:34:44.909 --> 00:34:47.469 getting back to everyone. And you can keep these 00:34:47.469 --> 00:34:50.710 businesses alive too that we all love. But fuck 00:34:50.710 --> 00:34:54.389 Amazon, fuck the big box stores. Keep it local 00:34:54.389 --> 00:34:56.730 and just go straight to the source as humanly 00:34:56.730 --> 00:35:00.260 possible. Okay. And where should people go to 00:35:00.260 --> 00:35:05.019 keep up with elder? We're on social media. I 00:35:05.019 --> 00:35:06.980 wish we didn't have to, but it's the best place 00:35:06.980 --> 00:35:10.360 to, the best place to get nicer news is our newsletter. 00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:14.119 You know, if you don't want to be part of the 00:35:14.119 --> 00:35:17.639 content, you know, feed economy, we do have a 00:35:17.639 --> 00:35:19.320 newsletter you can sign up for on our website 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:22.739 and kind of old school, but Hey, otherwise, you 00:35:22.739 --> 00:35:25.280 know, the usual suspects, evil, evil platforms. 00:35:25.340 --> 00:35:28.090 We wish we weren't part of, but. We're easy to 00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:29.829 find. We try and shout it from the rooftops when 00:35:29.829 --> 00:35:33.150 we have something to shout about without being 00:35:33.150 --> 00:35:37.030 too obnoxious. Awesome. Nick, I want to thank 00:35:37.030 --> 00:35:39.869 you for your time. It's been awesome to finally 00:35:39.869 --> 00:35:42.550 be able to interview you after all these years. 00:35:42.789 --> 00:35:46.769 And I really did enjoy Through Zero. And I mean, 00:35:46.789 --> 00:35:48.929 I can't say that there's any elder album that 00:35:48.929 --> 00:35:52.130 I haven't enjoyed over the years. So I do thank 00:35:52.130 --> 00:35:54.849 you for your time and for your music, sir. Cool. 00:35:54.949 --> 00:35:56.920 Thank you, Victor. I appreciate that, man. All 00:35:56.920 --> 00:35:59.400 right, man. Have a good one. All right. You too. 00:35:59.500 --> 00:36:15.239 Bye. Bye. You can subscribe to the show on all 00:36:15.239 --> 00:36:18.500 your favorite platforms like Apple Podcasts, 00:36:18.500 --> 00:36:22.219 Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon, and more. Go 00:36:22.219 --> 00:36:24.659 to signalsfrommars .com for more information. 00:36:24.920 --> 00:36:26.139 This concludes our show.