Tag Archives: Music In The Age Of COVID-19

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With The Simple Radicals

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with The Simple Radicals.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

THE SIMPLE RADICALS: We’re all doing well. A couple guys in the band got Covid but nothing serious.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

THE SIMPLE RADICALS: We’ve been playing some select live shows around New York City and Chicago and writing new material including a really cool rockabilly-vibe song called “Let’s See What You Got”. Somebody took the song and made it a soundtrack to a kick-ass WWE wrestling video which has racked up a lot of views on YouTube (Let’s See What You Got). You can access all our music and our videos on our website www.thesimpleradicals.com.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

THE SIMPLE RADICALS: We had the privilege of playing the iconic Cutting Room in New York City just before the apocalypse shut everything down. It was such an honor performing on the same stage where other great acts performed including John Mayer, David Bowie, Sting and Sheryl Crow.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

THE SIMPLE RADICALS: Probably not. We’ve been asked to do that but we much prefer to play live.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

THE SIMPLE RADICALS: Hell yes. As Neil Young so eloquently put it… ”hey hey, my my, rock and roll will never die.”

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

THE SIMPLE RADICALS: Absolutely. Go see live music. Be safe and smart but it’s so important now more than ever to show your support. Buy their t-shirt, hat, or CD that they’re hawking at the show. Anything you can do to help bands during this tough time is critical.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Mothflesh

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Mothflesh.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

MOTHFLESH: COVID-19’s global lockdown was a moment of contemplation, reflection and productivity for the band. We took the opportunity to reflect on our past work and future, we put in question the music we’ve put out in the past and its sonic quality; the creative direction we were taking as a band; and priorities as band members. The results were rewardingly tumultuous as the results yielded our release of “Machine Eater” but at the cost of our drummer and rhythm guitarist. We’re proud of how we were able to weather the storm of the pandemic and we’re not out of the woods just yet – the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve had to the album has cemented our conviction to further pursue as a three-piece, which has posed some pertinent challenges such as even finding some suitable session members who could play our songs. Ultimately, we’re optimistic that the future would hold more balance for us as a band and for the general music scene.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

MOTHFLESH: The lockdown gave us that space to go beyond general song-smithing and gave us the breadth of space to focus on everything from composition to even how we played our instruments. Each riff on the album you hear today was a permutation of a prior riff that was put under a microscope and effectively audited. We focused on the intention of the songs, as each song in an album should provide a unique and cohesive sensory experience for the listener. We don’t think we’ve would have been able to have the time to come to this level of meticulous composition have we not had the space and absence of everyday distractions. After the release of “Machine Eater,” we’ve begun exploring the concepts and ideas for our next release which would touch on newer elements like synth leads and ambient textures and the monolithic DROP-E tuning.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

MOTHFLESH: We played in Thailand’s largest punk rock festival, which was an interesting story. The band effectively missed our slot because we were taking a train from Bangkok that experienced a delay in the middle of the travel. The delay was caused by some jackasses who set the forest which the train’s route runs through on fire. The train had to wait until they were able to put out the fire. Once we arrived at the show, the last band was closing the show, but the organisers were understanding enough and added us to a closing bill – any time extension to a show is a cost for an organizer as the backline suppliers would charge for it. It’s this brand of genuine love and empathy, especially from the punk scene in South-East Asia that helps the extreme music scene that helps a band like us do what we do best.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

MOTHFLESH: We did do a livestream concert in the heat of the pandemic. It’s not something we’re necessarily focused on as we’re a performance-oriented band.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

MOTHFLESH: Absolutely, we’re seeing that in Malaysia with small concerts and events, albeit in controlled stages and strict Covid measures.

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

MOTHFLESH: We would like our fans to check out “Machine Eater” which is available now and tell us what you think. The best part about modern social media is that we connect with our fans directly and so forth. As for those who are struggling, the best thing we can do is provide support. The best art has always survived from loyal and convicted patrons. We’re convinced that even though this may be a collective struggle for all artists in all capacities and functions, the fans and supporters wont leave us in the lurch.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With No Restraints

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with No Restraints.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

NO RESTRAINTS: It has been hard, honestly I didn’t use that time in any productive way…drinking, watching movies and things like this, waiting for the end of the pandemic or insanity. I bought a lot of records, more than usual.

The funny thing is that I know that for many “normal people” things didn’t change a lot, they work and watch TV, but for me not being allowed to play music, perform live, go to gigs and meet friends it felt like jail, like being dead inside… basically it is the only thing that give sense to my life, and without that…

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

NO RESTRAINTS: Barely, but surprisingly right after lockdown we’ve been extremely productive with music, we wrote many new songs in relatively few time and the most of those will be on our album coming out in April.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

NO RESTRAINTS: The last one we played was January 2020 in Biella, the party ended at 7 in the morning and it was totally crazy.

The last I attended instead was in December 2019 when Me & Dave (the drummer) went to Germany to see Last Resort, it was great!!!

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

NO RESTRAINTS: I’m not sure about this… I saw a few stream gigs during the first lockdown, but most of them weren’t really interesting. Unless you have a proper direction and sounds engineering the result is not good. Basically the only really good one I saw was Dropkick Murphys.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

NO RESTRAINTS: Sure, at the moment it still looks hard since there are restrictions in several countries, but when this situation will be definitely over I see no reason why the situation shouldn’t go back to the way it was…maybe even better.

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

NO RESTRAINTS: Well basically the way is always the same, make them feel your support sharing their music, getting in contact on socials, buying music and merch… shorting the distance until we finally meet again at a concert.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With pMad

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with pMad’s Paul Dillon.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

DILLION: Great, thankfully, rural Ireland is the place to be and without the pandemic, I would not have gotten the time to put all the pMad and The Greeting project together. So a blessing in disguise in that sense!

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

DILLION: Again thankfully, I don’t have much downtime, pandemic or no pandemic. Keep busy with real life, family and now music. All the music is new and getting it out there, leave absolutely no time for downtime. The easy part I am finding is making the music, the tough part is getting the music and word out there. Starting from a full standing start and a full unknown, the work has been to get the pMad name out there. I can understand how PR and Record companies earn their bucks, it is not simple. They have built relationships over the years and pMad just does not have that chamber to go into. But thankfully there are so many radio shows & stations, blogs, magazines, podcasts, etc. willing to take a chance on an unknown that I am slowly getting there.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

DILLION: Created in pandemic, Covid has scuppered the few opportunities that come the way of pMad for some large big gigs, but I am prepared to wait and get the set up great for the audience. It will happen in good time. The last show before Covid was a beaut, what a night. I am a huge music fan even without pMad. It was three hours in the company of Therapy? Just amazing how great a show they can put on, three hours just flew. Have so many rescheduled gigs to go to when times open up a bit better again, Bob Vylan, The Chats, The Undertones, Lebanon Hanover, The Wedding Present and lots more. Looking forward to getting back to a bit of normality.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

DILLION: Not planning any concerts in any format so far, want to get the music out there first. ‘Medicine’ the follow up single to ‘Who Am I’ is out on the 1st February and it will take a lot of time and effort to get the song out there. As the musician, promoter, PR, HR toilet cleaner and everything in between, that is the main focus at the moment. Would love to get pMad and The Greeting out on the road together. They would be some great nights not just for me, the band but also the audience, I hope.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

DILLION: Oh yes, the hunger is there from the public, as long as things are done correctly, why shouldn’t it. There is a new generation of people out there that have not seen as many great artists as they should have and will be eager to see them and then there is the likes of pMad, The Greeting and the new artist that want to get out there gigging and hopefully the public will want to see the new acts also.

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

DILLION: Definitely, of course there is the purchasing of music, merch, etc. but so many free things that the fans can do to help – share my music on socials – actually comment on the posts (helps against algorithms) – pre-save music – subscribe to newsletters – email me (only delighted to chat) – watch and share my music video’s – add my music to office/family/group playlists – follow on all platforms – share images of merch/cd’s. Most is all free, just interact with the acts and you will be surprised how grounded we are. Hugely flattered by all fan interaction, a huge boost and shot in the arm to keep going! Until we meet in reality, let’s stay together and let Hope be the Medicine.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Fire The Humans

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Fire The Humans.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

FIRE THE HUMANS: Doing okay. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to make some life changes during this time, like many other people did. I love being with my family, so that was awesome. We know people that don’t like their home environment, so being stuck together was more of a punishment. It was during this period of time that I came to the decision that Fire the Humans needed to start moving. I was writing and planning during this time. As bizarre as that time was to us and others, I found many gifts and blessing in the pandemic time off as well.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

FIRE THE HUMANS: Absolutely. “Vanish”, my first released single, was written during the pandemic. It didn’t get recorded & released until the beginning of 2021 though. I had also started on “Can’t Stop”, my new single. During the down time, I came up with melodies, then string together lyrics based on events in my past or others’ experiences. During the pandemic, came reflection. These first two singles tap into that vein.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

FIRE THE HUMANS: December of 2019, the band I was in at the time was doing a “studio sessions” show. In St. Louis, MO, we have an awesome venue called “Gaslight Studio”. It’s a unique place where there’s a bar but also a studio. You literally record in the studio, video recorded as well, but there are people watching as they sit in the bar. That was the last “show” I had been a part of. 2020 and 2021 there weren’t any shows. In 2022 however, I’m planning show dates to get Fire the Humans out into a live performance.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

FIRE THE HUMANS: Nothing planned as my focus has been on releasing “Can’t Stop.” As the 2022 show calendar rolls out, I’ll definitely put that on there to do though.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

FIRE THE HUMANS: Not only do I think it’ll recover, I think it’ll be bigger. We are already seeing this in the United States. People are salivating to get out and take their minds off of “real life”. To be with other groups of people. Even with ticket prices through the roof, people are still getting out. 2022 will be a monster year for live entertainment.

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

FIRE THE HUMANS: Great question. Most people don’t understand everything that goes into writing music, recording music, surrounding yourself with amazing talent, marketing, promotions etc. People usually have a 3 minute musical backdrop to what they’re currently doing. To have someone take the time and actually listen to 3 minutes of your artwork feels complete. It might only be 3 minutes to them, but this was months of work for the artist. Knowing that there are people that still appreciate music, truly listen and share it with others feels great. We make very little money for our talents, but there’s fulfilment that comes with people appreciating what goes into this.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Joan Avant

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Joan Avant.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

JOAN AVANT: I’ve been holding up pretty well all things considered.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

JOAN AVANT: At the beginning of the pandemic, I didn’t have more free time. I ended up with less time as I had to full time home school my kids. But, I did still continue to plug away when possible at my music.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

JOAN AVANT: Hmmm… I attended the Garbage 20 year anniversary concert of their debut “Garbage” album.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

JOAN AVANT: No, being that I’m a one woman band… the logistics don’t work for now.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

JOAN AVANT: I hope so!

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

JOAN AVANT: Absolutely! Buying physical or digital merch is extremely helpful for struggling bands. If they have a Patreon, go see what you can do. And if you can’t, then share their music with friends you think will like it.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Catching Mangoes

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Catching Mangoes.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

CATCHING MANGOES: Pretty good thanks, lots of time to work on the music! We were initially planning on recording an EP which was cancelled because of the pandemic, and this gave us more time to work on more songs and turn it into an album. So it worked out pretty well for the Mangoes.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

CATCHING MANGOES: Yeah we wrote our album “Kevin’s Town”. It’s a concept album about a young boy called Kevin and the adventure he goes on. We wrote an entire mini-book as well alongside the story as we had so much time on our hands! It’s available on our website. Hope you enjoy!!

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

CATCHING MANGOES: We played a gig a while back at the Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden which was basically the week before the lockdown. This was when we were still playing as a 3-piece, so lockdown has changed us drastically.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

CATCHING MANGOES: We tried one or two but it doesn’t quite have the same energy as a proper live concert.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

CATCHING MANGOES: I think it’s well on the way! We’ve been gigging quite a bit recently and they are getting back to where they should be, we’re loving it.

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

CATCHING MANGOES: Grab a piece of merch from our store!! All helps us fund our Mango adventures and we’d love you forever xxx

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Death In Paradise

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Death In Paradise.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

DEATH IN PARADISE: Besides almost turning into a full blown alcoholic…I managed to direct a lot of attention into doing art and writing…I must’ve did about fifteen paintings…I was also staying alone in a cottage in the countryside of Portugal, really basic living…..I managed to write most of an entire follow up album plus some! Everyday, I had a couple bottles of wine, smokes and focused on the songs and writing….and when I hit a bump, I would switch to painting…then back again…that was pretty much it…besides the occasional window to get out of the house for supplies and such, whilst coping with miserable loneliness and bouts of depression.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

DEATH IN PARADISE: Yes, like I said earlier, I took advantage of it…turn what seemed to be a bad thing, into good and milk the situation for what it’s got.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

DEATH IN PARADISE: Must’ve been when I did a show at Hard Rock Cafe Lisbon…but for the most part prior to the pandemic, I was in the studio laying down the final guitar tracks and vocals for the Death in Paradise “Sacrificing the Goat” album.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

DEATH IN PARADISE: It’s funny that you asked, I did a full unplugged livestream set via Facebook, it was great to share some new material with all our friends and supporters…they loved and appreciated it I believe.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

DEATH IN PARADISE: It will take a while, but certainly…as long as we do what we have to do to get over and passed this…. music will always be a part of the human psyche. Sharing a togetherness with music as a platform is something tribal and primal etched in us…

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

DEATH IN PARADISE: Support the artists…. just knowing that we haven’t lost the support, the people who love the music who are waiting to attend shows…who aren’t completely disenchanted with it all, knowing that you are still out there..means a lot. Thank you.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Malacoda

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Zak Stulla of Malacoda.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

STULLA: The band has been doing well, we have released two EPs so far and a cover song, and we have a third and final ep of the year being released December 3rd that will act as the final power metal ep we put out.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

STULLA: Yes, especially more recently as we have began writing new material already and are directing it in a more permanent direction that we can also maintain. I love writing new material and COVID although has negatively impacted our industry has really given us a chance to take a step back and really analyze where we want to go direction wise musically, and as a result has actually benefitted us greatly in figuring out a permanent direction.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

STULLA: The last show we played was at the Rock Pile in Toronto during October of 2019. This was the biggest venue the band had played at and it was an experience I’ll never forget, that set flew by so quickly and I’ve never had that much fun before in my life. I’ll always remember getting disoriented on the venue’s large stage because the lighting guy queued the fog machine when I was running by it which completely camouflaged me so I couldn’t see anything, then when the lazers went off all I could do was keep my head down, play my part, and enjoy the moment.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

STULLA: At the current moment we are just focusing on the release and writing new material. However we do have some ideas relating to a livestream concert that may happen in the future, although I can’t put a date on it or what we would be performing from our catalog

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

STULLA: I think it will, however, the road to recovery will vary depending on the scene. In Toronto I think the entertainment industry is already recovering rapidly outside of the metal scene. I don’t think this means that this is the end of metal entertainment in Toronto, I just think it’s going to take a lot longer to recover with certain blurred lined restrictions being put in place that limits the smaller venues that cater to the metal scene.

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

STULLA: I can’t emphasize this enough, support your favourite local bands through buying their merch. Not only does this financially help with creating a new release during this time but also shows that you are all still alive and want to hear something new from your favourite band.

Metal Anarchy’s Music In The Age Of COVID-19 Series: Interview With Dead Venus

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Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Seraina Telli of Dead Venus.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

TELLI: Actually we’re holding up pretty well. But we really want to go on tour now. Not only because we need to sell some CDs and merchandise (laughs).

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

TELLI: YES! We did a lot during that time. First of all we recorded our second studio album ‘Flowers & Pain’. We also already released three singles including a videoclip for every track. Go check it out on our YouTube channel. 🙂

Furthermore we had a very special idea for our fans: Until the new album will be released, a four-piece-EP Package including four new songs as well as four special tracks is available and can be ordered (only) through the band! In case anybody is interested in ordering the physical EP-package please don‘t hesitate to contact us on FB, Instagram or write us an email to deadvenus@gmx.ch to order your copies. We still have some left ✨.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

TELLI: The last (partial) shutdown in Switzerland was about a year ago so it isn’t a big issue anymore at the moment. In our case the problem is that we have planned to be on tour since the end of 2020 but it had to be postponed two times. Therefore we were not planning any single shows. And now the venues we could have played at are full with all the bands that should have been playing there last year (laughs). Anyway now we are preparing for the tour which now finally should take place in March/April 2022. Wish us luck!

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

TELLI: Is there another shutdown coming I haven’t heard of? (laughs) In case this question addresses the past: We have made a live concert film together with “Punchline Studios” which was released in April this year. We’re not planning for livestreams at the moment. If we would do something like that we would want to have a great quality speaking of sound and picture and that would be expensive. So we decided not to do that. But who knows what the future will bring. Maybe we have to overthink that again – stay progressive right? (laughs).

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

TELLI: We hope so! Maybe it will not be the same as before but I believe that music and art will never stop finding a way to get to the peoples ear or eyes. 🙂

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

TELLI: Just never stop listening to music and searching for new acts. There are some pretty cool bands out there who haven’t a big audience yet but they’re already great! And if they have, buy their CDs and merchandise instead of only listening to them through Spotify or similar streaming platforms. Like for example our EP package. ✨