Texas Rockers, Blacktop Mojo, are rattling the masses with their heavy-hitting bundle of intense songwriting and powerful instrumentals that speak of the emotively rich lives of five guys who are telling a story that is entirely their own. Through molding an electrifying and polished style and sound throughout their two studio albums that are full of howling vocals and soul, Blacktop Mojo is set to make an even bigger splash over the years to come. I caught up with Lead Vocalist, Matt James, to discuss his favorite Tool albums, the incredible support of their fans, the meaningful bond shared amongst the band members of Blacktop Mojo and more.
You guys have a really cool campaign going on on PledgeMusic for your upcoming third album. Tell us about your experience so far and anything that you can about the upcoming release.
We ran a campaign with PledgeMusic to fund our second record, ‘Burn The Ships’, which went really well. We liked how we were able to interact with people on there and how it was sort of like having them with us making the record, so we wanted to do it again for this next album. I’m really glad we did because our fans really got after it and help us hit our minimum goal way faster than we ever thought we could, which helped us to be able to concentrate more on writing songs and have a little less to worry about on the business side of things. We’re very excited to get to work tracking the album. We’ve got what we feel like is a great group of songs, and we’re chomping at the bit to lay them down. I think we’ll make the folks that got behind us for this go-around proud.
What is the most personally meaningful track that you have ever recorded with Blacktop Mojo? Tell us about what it means to you.
I think one of the more meaningful tracks for me was “Where The Wind Blows”, not necessarily because of the content of the song, but because of how we recorded it. We were fortunate enough to be able to record the song at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL with Jimmy Johnson and his engineer Steve Melton who were at the helm of some amazing records from artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, and so many other greats that we look up to. Needless to say we were kind of intimidated going into the session and we didn’t lay down the final vocals until toward the end of the day, so I kind of had to just sit and wait with butterflies in my stomach all day until it was my turn to get in the booth and sing. I sang through the song a few times and wasn’t sure if I was hitting it right. We got to the end of the pass and they hit the talkback mic in the control room to say something and before anyone said anything to me, I heard Jimmy say to somebody, “Damn would you listen to that voice? That guy can belt it!” It was the first time I can remember feeling like that was where I belong. We ended up releasing the song as the first radio single from the album and it hit the top 30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart on our first tour. The last show of that tour just happened to be in Muscle Shoals and Jimmy ended up coming out to check out the show. When I walked up to him to shake his hand, he had a big smile on his face and he said, “It feels good doesn’t it?” Then he turned to one of his buddies and said, “These guys have them a hit up on the charts right now.” It really felt cool to have someone I look up to like that be proud of us.
Showcasing the human in you, what is a challenging thought that you recently had and were able to overcome over time?
Very recently, in preparation for this album we’ve been writing a lot of songs and I got to a place where I felt like nothing I was writing was good enough. I thought, “What if I can’t do this? What if we can’t get this done?” Luckily I had the guys in the band to lean on and kind of pull me out of my funk. They helped me remember we started doing this in the first place because we love it and that it’s supposed to be fun. It’s alright to put pressure on yourself, and sometimes it can be good, but you can’t let that overwhelm what you’re doing.
If any of our readers have never been to Texas, tell us about three of your favorite restaurants that you recommended to check out.
Texas has a lot of great food, so it’s hard to choose just three. La Chappara’s in our hometown of Palestine has my favorite breakfast tacos, Stanley’s BBQ in Tyler, TX has some of the best BBQ on the planet earth, and I have to give it up to Salsa Limón in Fort Worth for some of the best Mexican food one can get any time of night.
What is your perception on the digital world that we live in and social media culture?
I think it’s something we’re all still figuring out as we go along. Overall it’s a great thing. No one has to be alone. There is a group of friends out there for everyone no matter where they come from or how they think. You can immerse yourself in all kinds of different art that you would have never been able to find otherwise. In our case it’s helped a band from the middle of nowhere in Texas connect with people all over the world over our music. By that same token, it lets people group up over negative things and spread hate and shame as well, which is never good. I still don’t think the negatives outweigh all the positives. It is an awesome tool that makes the world smaller every day. It will be interesting to see what the next generation creates with all this awesome power having been immersed in it from birth.
No career path or amount of followers negates the fact that you are a human being that has feelings. Tell us about some parts of you beyond being a musician that you take pride in.
It’s kind of hard to separate music from the rest of my life. All the guys in the band live in the same house, so we’re kind of always doing something for music in one way or another. I think the thing I most take pride in is how close we all are. Any one of these guys would take a bullet for me and I would do the same for them. A lot of bands say they are “like family” and that might be true, but in our case these guys are my brothers through good, bad, and everything in between.
As you are exposed to tons of stimulus, how do you proactively take care of your mental and emotional health when you’re out on the road?
When we’re traveling around, I always like to go on random walks through whatever city we’re in and go explore. Most of the time I will turn my phone off and only use it to find my way back if I get lost. It’s always refreshing to just kind of wander around and see if you can find anything cool. Also, The guys in the band and I are always good at taking care of each other. If someone has something going on, everyone is pretty good at helping them out. It’s hard to hide in the 100 or so square feet of space on a bus.
I’ll throw you a random bone. What is your favorite Tool album and why?
I mean if it’s Tool, I’m a fan. They haven’t made a bad album. I always liked ‘10,000 Days’. “The Pot” and “Right In Two” are some of my favorite songs they’ve done and the sardonic attitude in the lyrics of “Rosetta Stoned” is absolutely incredible. I love reading through that one after I’ve listened to it once and then going back to listen to it again to try to catch everything in there.
Last but certainly not least, any closing messages for your fans?!
Thanks for helping us live the life we always dreamed about. Can’t wait to see all of you again next year!
Iowa Indie Band, The Penny Serfs, maintain an elusive appeal throughout their artistry and musicianship that is appealing to the idiosyncratic mind. Through lyrically translating intricate thought into a work of art within their latest album release, ‘Politics in the Time of Heroin’, The Penny Serfs have relit their fire. I caught up with Mikey Loy to discuss the release of ‘Politics in the Time of Heroin’, creative activities that inspire their musicianship, upcoming show plans and more.
Congrats on the release of ‘Politics in the Time of Heroin’. Tell us about the creative and recording process and some key things that you learned along the way.
Thank you so much. We couldn’t be happier to be sharing this record right now. The politics record is a very important one in the band’s life. It represents our growing stage of the band. We are really diving in and putting as much musical information inside of a pop type of song we can, as well as getting even darker with the lyrics. I usually write a shell of a song and then share with the guys. They put their vibe and style into it and it then becomes what you hear on the record. For me, most of my ideas are sitting in my kitchen, maybe on the counter with an acoustic over a couple drinks experimenting with new sounds. The biggest thing I have learned from the writing process is to let people in and celebrate their ideas. Kyle Stu and Aiden’s ideas are so very crucial to how the record sounds; things I would have never thought of. These guys write equally as much as I do, so I’ve learned to take idea changes and stuff and to understand that it makes for a better tune.
Tell us about the songwriting process. Is there a certain individual that spearheads the writing or is it a mutual thing that you all tackle together?
I am a songwriter by nature. I love to weave dark lyrics and esoteric vibes through chords and counter melodies. It makes me happy. I could lock myself in a room for years just doing so. Mostly musically we all come together and find a vibe collectively to keep us all in the song. So I’d say musically it is mutual, and the lyrics come from me.
What does your ideal day off look like to you? What creative activities do you spend time on that serve to inspire your musicianship?
A day off for us is nothing but rest and family time. We spend so much time on the road working on tour, and playing our own shows that we really try to use our days off as full decompression so we can be fresh and energized for the next go round. A good shower, a comfort food meal, and some creative writing makes for a nice day off; with a lot of naps of course.
What is your perception on the digital world that we live in and social media culture?
It’s interesting because the 90’s kid in me believes in the internet paradox. Example: How can something that makes us all connected make us feel so alone? But musically I think it is a good thing because it challenges us to constantly be releasing new material and writing better music and really pushing ourselves through the massive overflow of material out there.
No career path or amount of followers negates the fact that you are a human being that has feelings. Tell us about some parts of you beyond being a musician that you take pride in.
I take pride in my family. I love coming home to my wife and kids. My 11-year-old son just designed a concert poster for the National for their Kansas City show a couple months ago. Nothing better than watching them grow into awesome people. I also love to build things. I bought an old Catholic Church in LeClaire IA my hometown and turned it into a recording art space for myself and the band. It took three years of building but it is finally finished. I am very proud of it.
Photo Credit: Harry Walker
As you are exposed to tons of stimulus, how do you proactively take care of your mental and emotional health when you’re out on the road?
For me, I am probably the worst person in the band to ask! I drink too much, I am always feeling a dark cloud over my head. But when I am working and playing I live by a code to force myself to look around and be thankful, that my mental health can just be an inside existential issue. I do not let it affect my family and band. Exercise is the one thing that helps fuel my positivity and energy. It doesn’t happen as often as it should but it really is the wonder drug.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old that you were?
My body is like 58, but I always joke that I peaked young. I’d soberly say I act like I’m 21, at least I drink like it. But who knows. I wish I were more mature.
Any upcoming tour or show plans that you can fill us in about?
We are planning on a March 2019 US tour. We Are working on getting some confirmations in Europe as well so we will announce hopefully in the next month. We can’t wait.
Last but certainly not least, any closing messages for your fans?!
I’d love to thank everyone who gives our music a chance, and thank the people who have stuck with us through the few years we have been a band. Our fans our really sweet and we enjoy being able to interact with everyone. It’s nice to know there are people out there. I’m humbled when I hear that anyone in the vastness of the internet has played one of the songs we have written. It’s truly a special moment for the both of us that we will have shared that no one can take away.
London Rockers, Puppy, are swinging for the fences with infectious riffs that sink into the skin of their growing global fanbase. Having signed a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records, Puppy is slated to make some noise throughout the world of Rock early on in the game in 2019. On the brink of what is to be an exciting year for the band, I caught up with Vocalist, Jock Morton,to discuss the upcoming release of ‘The Goat’, how the band is overflowing with cooking prowess, the bond between the three of them and more.
Congrats on the upcoming release of your debut album, ‘The Goat’. Tell us about the creative and recording process and what you learned along the way.
Thanks very much. It was a long process in particularly in terms of recording. We were lucky enough to work with two very different and talented producers in the form of Tom Dalgety and Neil Kennedy, both of whom we learnt a lot from in terms of what they brought to the table during the recording process. From a writing perspective I felt we’ve grown a lot since we recorded the ‘Vol II’ EP, and thinking about groove was a big element to a lot of my favourite songs on the record like “Black Hole” and “World Stands Still”. Another one of my favourites, “Bathe In Blood”, has a real washed out shoegaze feel to it too which is a side of our songwriting we hadn’t really had a chance to explore before.
Tell us about the bond between the three of you. How did Puppy come alive?
Well our Drummer, Billy, and I have been playing together in various bands since we were about 12 or 13, so musically we have a really good chemistry. We were both really into rock and metal growing up, but as we got older we ended up playing in more indie leaning bands, so when we hooked up with our bass player Will, his background playing in Doom and Stoner bands really helped bring our love of bands like Black Sabbath and Metallica back to the fore. We were able to mix that with the Dinosaur Jr/ Teenage Fanclub elements of what we were doing before to help create the sound of Puppy, and knowing that the music really comes from the bond between the three of us is a pretty cool thing to share.
Your new music video for “World Stands Still” is hilarious and full of punk rock energy. Tell us about the concept and what you desired to express throughout the video.
Our Drummer, Billy, directed it, so it’s his baby really. We wanted to come up with something which really represented the band visually without having us in it too much, and the idea of this sweet little girl made up like a goblin terrorising her neighbourhood really seemed to fit our music; I think at their heart the songs tend to be pretty sweet and fun, but with all these gnarly hallmarks of classic metal like big riffs and guitar solos. That’s pretty much Puppy in a nutshell.
Tell us about your experience so far being signed to Spinefarm Records, one of the most well-known and respected labels in the game.
It’s been great. Dante, our A&R, was completely invaluable during the recording process in particular. We were so used to just chucking together the first bunch of songs we had, and he really encouraged us to take our time and think about what we were doing. Without him songs like “World Stands Still” wouldn’t even be on the album, and I think the fact that it’s pretty much all of our favourite track from the album says a lot. He’s our heavy metal Buddha.
No career path or amount of followers negates the fact that you are a human being that has feelings. Tell us about some parts of you beyond being a musician that you take pride in.
Yeah, I think that’s actually really important to keep in mind in terms of not getting overwhelmed by the pressure of it or anything too. Billy is big into football and loves playing whenever possible. Me and him are big Arsenal fans and try to watch every game when we’re away on tour. I think if it came down to them winning the premier league or us winning a Grammy it would be a very tough call to make; Will and I are very into gaming as well, so we spend a lot of our van journeys boring Billy with our discussions about Metal Gear Solid. Besides that all three of us are pretty keen cooks and have a not so secret war going on as to who’s the best. Obviously it’s me though.
As you are exposed to tons of stimulus, how do you proactively take care of your mental and emotional health when you’re out on the road?
Yeah it’s hard, but for me I try to let go a little in terms of what you’d expect from home comforts and take joy in the simplicity of just having to turn up and play shows and not worry about a day job for a couple of weeks or whatever. Once you get into the rhythm of that, then small things like finding a good place to eat or listening to some cool music or a podcast in the van all become nice little moments. I think the biggest thing you can do is pay attention to how others are doing around you and try to be there when they need it or give them space when they need that too.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old that you were?
I’m pretty sure I’m still 16-years-old and playing at being a grown up, but then when I get a hangover I’m reminded very painfully that I am not.
If you could hop on tour tomorrow with any three bands/musicians, who would you choose and why?
That’s a real tough one. We’ve been listening to Hallas a lot in the van lately and we’re all very into them, so they’d have to be there. We also went to see Ghost recently at the Royal Albert Hall which was incredible, so to be able to see that show every night we’d have to put them on there. Lastly I’d have to say Dinosaur Jr from a personal perspective. They’ve been my favourite band for years and I want to try and play a show with them before the original trio decide to break up again. Bit of a weird line up but hey-ho.
Last but certainly not least, any closing messages for your fans?
