US rockers LoveSick Radio “bring a distinctive blend of unapologetic rock guitar coupled with pop melodies and a little hip-hop swagger, creating a fresh sound all their own. “ The words of their bio are swiftly backed up by a sound which infests body and spirit and a live presence which has had halls bouncing long before the likes of All-American Rejects, Bon Jovi, Dorothy, Bobaflex, Scott Weland of Stone Temple Pilots, Justin Bieber, Blue October, Kid Rock, Steel Panther, Three Days Grace, Hinder, Twenty One Pilots, Safety Suit, Paramore, Dead Sara and New Found Glory have followed the band on stage.
A short while back we had the pleasure thanks to the guys finding out more with the band, chatting about origins, their sound, songs, and much more…
Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?
David (Guitar): Thanks for having us! We are LoveSick Radio & we play honest rock & roll with a touch of blues/punk. This line-up started when I reached out to Troy, our singer. I asked him if he wanted to sing on a track I had & he was game. Oddly enough we have known each other forever but can’t remember how we met. That song snowballed into bringing in Glenn & the Matts. We’ve been writing & touring ever since.
Were you involved in other bands previously? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now, in maybe style or direction?
Glenn (Bass): All of us have played in a bunch of bands prior to coming together and doing this one. We’ve all brought a lot of what we learned in the other bands, as far as what makes a band work and what doesn’t and what we want out of music, to this band. Everyone’s past musical experiences have really shaped the way this band operates. Being in a band is like a relationship: you have to go through some tough ones to discover what you want.
What inspired the band name?
Matt B. (guitar): Our previous drummer was going through a breakup. Whilst on his way to rehearsal he kept hearing all these songs about heartbreak on the radio & when he got to rehearsal he made a comment about how the radio seemed lovesick & everyone thought it sounded cool so we went with it.
Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
Matt S. (Drummer): I wouldn’t say there were any specific ideas about forming the band. We are just 5 guys who vibe well with each other musically, have an almost obsessive passion for music, and the drive to write and play day in and day out. All of us have differing backgrounds musically, but at the heart of it, we love rock and roll. The sound is a culmination of the individual influences of all of us, but more importantly, we just want to write good songs. A good song is a good song, regardless of the genre. Some might sound heavier, more twangy, or more soulful than others, but that’s all of our personalities coming out.
Do the same things still drive the band from those fresh faced days or have they evolved over time?
Matt B.: Essentially writing great songs that we get off on performing & connecting with an audience has always been the driving force within the band.
As the band evolves the drive to widen our reach & get our music out to the masses becomes stronger & stronger
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
Troy (Singer): “Early days” kinda makes me laugh as I still feel like we are in our “early days”, but as far as evolution I think that honestly happens from song to song. Not just in our sound, but as a band overall…getting more comfortable with one another and for me as a vocalist pushing myself to new places. I think evolution has started since day one for us.
Are those things, that evolution, something organic or more the band deliberately setting out to try new things?
Matt S.: We aren’t afraid to try new things or experiment musically. It just depends on the mood of the song and what makes sense. We don’t just follow a music equation, but obviously we want our music to be accessible to everyone. From the time that someone shares an idea, we build on it, we practice it, and we finally record it, the song could be almost completely different. I’d like to think it happens organically. When we get in the studio, that’s where the fun and experimentation begins. On the current album we are working on, we have instruments which we do not have live on stage (strings, keys, horns), the band plays kazoos and sings gang vocals, we stomp, we clap, we play instruments that we have never played before, just to get the sound and vibe that we hear in our heads..
Presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?
David: Yes everyone in the band love a million different things but I think the artist the inspire our approach are Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Stones, LED Zeppelin, Sex Pistols, The Rival Son & Stereophonics to name a few. These are all iconic bands & that’s what we strive to be one day. So we are constantly pushing ourselves to be the best we can be.
Is there a particular process to your songwriting?
Troy: There are always gonna be some variations, but music usually comes first…typically a killer riff. I’ll take a rough demo and live with it for a while…usually spend time driving around coming up with ideas and bring them to rehearsal where everyone chimes in. So in the beginning it’ a very “isolated” process but as we get things worked up, the band as a whole will bring in all the different influences.
Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?
Troy: Inspiration for me is always life…either something I lived or something I am watching someone go through. The only time it would vary is if I am asked to write for a specific TV or movie thing, but even then I have to draw from personal experiences…As an introvert I spend a lot of my time just watching people. I write what I see.
Please give us some background to your latest release.
Glenn: Our latest release is a song called “Young Hurricane”. It’s written kind of like a poem in the way the vocals are structured. Basically it’s just about sticking’ to your guns and doing what you know is right (kind of a metaphor for playing rock n roll in 2019). A lot of the really cool elements of the song came together in the studio when we had a chance to really sit down and play with different ideas to build the song.
Give us some insight to the collective themes and premise behind songs.
Troy: I think it is fair to say we have some pretty universal themes with all our tracks…def some self-reflection and overcoming, some rebellious middle finger flipping and of course love and loss. I’d say our next release “Bloodshot Eyes” falls in the self-reflecting/ overcoming category but doing the reflecting in some smokey bar if those still exist…haha
Are you a band which goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
David: It happens both ways in the studio. But a lot of time we will have the music done to a certain point & start tracking before the vocals are finished. The bed tracks might influence Troy to do something different then what we had for the rough demo. We are never married to an idea. We are always changing or rewriting trying to get the best out of the song.
Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?
With the live show we want to sound like a freight train going a full speed. So we work on dynamics, power & energy. We want you to feel it when you come to a show.
It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods?
Matt S.: Like any other band, you have to put in the time. We have played for empty rooms, we have played for packed houses, and we have played festivals where you can’t see the end of the crowd. People seek out good music. The hard part is introducing it to them (luckily the internet exists). I feel that we have the sound and energy to lure people in, and to keep them coming back to shows. It doesn’t matter if it is regionally or worldwide. As long as you connect to the crowd, you will build a following. Whether it is a home show or something across the country, we put on the same game face each night and try to win over every crowd we play for. We have found that people like the resurgence of good old fashioned rock and roll everywhere we go, so everywhere feels comfortable and like our neck of the woods.
Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands and talking of the internet how has social media impacted on the band to date?
Glenn: Absolutely. It all comes down to a band’s desire and willingness to push themselves and go outside of their comfort zone to grow and do something cool and original. Social media and the internet are a great thing for bands because it allows us to reach people all over the world as independent artists. Without the internet, we might not have the opportunity to do this interview!
Do you see it as something destined to become a negative from a positive as the band grows and hopefully gets increasing success or is it more that bands struggling with it are lacking the knowledge and desire to keep it working to their advantage?
Troy: I think there will always be both negative and positives whether being the “underdog” band on the come up, or at the top trying to stay there. I think the internet and social media will always have the ugliness and trolls looking to tear you down, no matter what your status….however, the positive of how many people can be reached is hard to argue. Honestly with this band being started in the “new world” of technology, it’s really all we’ve known so is kinda our new normal.
Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
David: Thank you again for having us!!
If you would like to check out us & the music you can go to these links. See you on the road!
AppleMusic: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lovesick-radio/203509719
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/feels-so-good-single/1436316245
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zca83vBdFEDg0119J8thJ?si=4bw6zx7-RL-fbpKajO1aHw
YouTube: Youtube.com/lovesickradio
Instagram: @lovesickradio
Twitter: @lovesickradio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveSickRadioBand/
& anywhere else you stream & download music
Pete RingMaster 03/04/2019
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
A calmer air is brought by TKO, its Three Days Grace meets Chevelle breath and emotive heart nothing less than captivating while latest single, Soldier Boy, whips up an earnest rock ‘n’ roll saunter with energy in its spirit and vitality in its craft. Vibrant melodies unite with warm harmonies, flying beats with an earthy bass rumble, all bursting through ears alongside creative resourcefulness which is as anthemic as it is intimate.
The following Tears Me Apart bursts into life with its own antagonistic yet welcoming blaze next, riffs and rhythms ravishing the senses but equally content to pause for melody warm breaths. The calmer moments still have a shadowy air as the bass of Trevor Miles courts the peace while Jolie springs his own diversity of magnetic attack throughout. With unpredictable essences emerging, occasionally with a Korn like nature, the song leaves pleasure full before Old Habits has its go at exciting ears. Another of the singles tempting anticipation the way of the EP, the song assertively simmers and boils; its robust imagination lined body a raw fire of Three Days Grace/ Bring Me The Horizon like dexterity and adventure.
Was there a particular idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted your sound to offer?
Running Back To Me leaps upon ears next, instantly winding tempting grooves around them as vocals and riffs unite inside. Boireau again commands attention though sharing it with the creative exploits of PC and the firm hand of De Sousa’s energetic beats. Carrying more of a mix of Three Days Grace and Poets Of The Fall to it, the track eclipses its predecessor with its emotional intensity and creative drama; again big surprises absent but enjoyment felt full.
It is a great start which barely waivers over the next stretch of songs starting with the album’s title track. The band’s hard rock bred sound is in feisty mood from its first breath, almost irritable in its sonic jangle backed by attitude lined rhythms. Increasingly fiery yet equally catchy, especially around its sizzling chorus, the track has feet and emotions quickly involved and in time exhausted, though they get a chance to relax with the sultry smoulder of Good Die Young. The fiercely energetic tracks always emerge as personal favourites across an Adelitas Way encounter but as proven here, the band is very accomplished at creating emotively and sonically incisive balladry. Expectantly it does come with a raw edge and dramatic intensity which only helps it make a potent impact as enjoyment flies high.
Sittin’ Heavy is off to a mighty start which continues as Don’t Tell Me How To Live steps up next; its blues spiced grooves and tenaciously pressing riffs offering potent bait as they crowd the robustly snarling tones of Harvey. The song’s air is almost woozy with the melodic liquor fuelling the richly enticing grooving, their flirtation the lead into the suggestiveness of Widerman’s sonic endeavour and imagination. As the first, the track is a magnetic affair pleasing and simultaneously setting up the emotions and appetite for the even thicker weave of spicy textures and sultry invention that is She’s A Witch. As its predecessor, the song has a groove built net which quickly envelops ears as hips and feet are tempted and urged by the funk infused hooks and flighty flames of blues resourcefulness.