Hiya folks thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
Brandon – I didn’t want to have a 9-5 day job where I hated waking up every morning and I wanted to do something I was passionate about. Music has always brought me peace, happiness, sadness, comfort, inspiration, and everything I need so it was an easy choice.
Paul – Music has always been a big part of my life and I truly believe I was born to be a musician
Jeremy – Music has always been huge in my life, but when I first started playing music, I got an immediate feeling that this is what I want to do. Whether it’s listening to or playing music, it’s always been a space for me to feel and experience something so universal.
Introduce us to all members of the band and tell us a little bit about how your band formed?
Brandon – I play guitar and sing for SØUNDHOOSE. I met Paul in October of 2020 at a mutual friend’s party in the basement where it was just us, and there was a drum kit, a microphone setup and some guitars. We jammed some covers we both knew and when we realized we had the same influences, it was too good to be true. Jeremy came in about a year later and filled in on a show, and from that point on Paul and I were just like, “The search is over, that’s our guy. We don’t want anyone but him.”
Paul – I’ve played music with Jeremy for quite a while and we have a great chemistry together when it comes to making music and playing on stage. I met Brandon a few years ago at a Halloween party and we bonded pretty well knowing that we shared the same interest of bands that we enjoyed listening to. I always knew he was a hard working musician.
Jeremy – I play bass guitar and sing for the band. I had met Paul initially through mutual friends at shows and parties. He and I played together in a previous project in which we played a bunch of shows, recorded a full length album, and ultimately built a strong relationship along the way. As the guys said, the two of them met at that Halloween party. I was there, just didn’t make the bond yet. Fast forward some time and the guys were looking for a bass player to fill in for a show. I loved the music and I had a great time being around Paul and Brandon. After months of filling in, I officially joined the band and it’s been the 3 of us ever since.
Name me your 3 favorite Albums?
Brandon – In order? American Idiot, The Black Parade, Vessel
Paul – American Idiot, Meteora, Take off your pants and jacket
Jeremy – American Idiot, Dark Side of the Moon, blink-182 (Self Titled)
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
Brandon – It would have to be something from Green Day or Linkin Park. Probably American Idiot or anything from the Meteora album.
Paul – Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Jeremy – Unfortunately I can’t pinpoint a single song, but I grew up listening to so much Green Day, blink-182 and Red Hot Chili Peppers so I know for sure that Mike Dirnt, Mark Hoppus, and Flea all steered me in the direction of wanting to pick up bass guitar. I wanted to be so much like those guys.
The music industry is the hardest industry in the world to progress in. What is one bit of advice you can give other independent artists to keep on pushing through?
Brandon – you have to work harder than every other artist out there. The competition is fierce and there’s no days off. You also have to find something unique about yourself that no one else can replicate. Authenticity is everything.
Paul – Don’t give up on your passion and dreams. Do what you love to do. That will truly make you happy in this world. Don’t waste that talent away. You have a gift and that gift is yourself to become something you could possibly imagine.
Jeremy – Persistence is key. You’ve gotta keep on going no matter what. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there or be vulnerable and uncomfortable. Diamonds are forged under pressure, and high risk usually equals high reward in this industry. Most importantly, always be you.
I’ve heard that you like to create a safe space for people to jam out to your music when you do a live show. How do you ensure everyone feels safe and welcome?
Brandon – We try to engage with them as much as possible. We don’t want them to come and “watch” a show. We want them to be a part of it almost as another member of the band and be a part of the songs. If everyone does that, then it might help them realize they’re all there for the same purpose, regardless of their backgrounds, jobs, etc.
Paul – We like to make sure people are smiling, dancing, singing, chatting along to our songs and overall having a great time.
Jeremy – At a Soundhoose show, everyone is welcome, simply put. We ensure that everyone feels this way by listening to everyone and including everyone into our conversation that we’re trying to create. This safe space is absolutely for all of us to share and we continue to strive to make this circle bigger. We love our people and we hope they always know that.
As you develop as an artist, and develop using socials, what ways do you get new ears on your music? Any tips?
Brandon – Having someone help with PR is huge. It gets to a point where you can’t do everything yourself, so having a great team is huge. We’ve also found the most success by meeting as many people possible at shows, and by playing often. Our shows are what really gets people hooked and from there it’s an easy sell.
Paul – Always finding new ways to promoting your music, spread of word, networking, etc…
Jeremy – Like Brandon said, there comes a point where you can’t take care of every aspect so finding an amazing team of people to help push the music into the ears of others is very essential to growing the brand or awareness. It’s something that is constantly changing and shifting so we do our best to keep up with new marketing tactics.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
Brandon – 1. Didn’t start making music until I was 22 because I played hockey competitively for 18 years. 2. I watch the bachelor and other reality tv shows on Netflix and Bravo. 3. I’m afraid of the ocean
Paul – Next question
Jeremy – 1. I produce electronic music under a different artist name. 2. My favorite color is turquoise. 3. Las Vegas is one of my favorite places to visit.
What’s your thought on Spotify’s monopoly on the music industry?
Brandon – It’s a powerhouse in the streaming world and artists need a bigger cut for the work that we put into it, but it’s also a great asset to get new ears on your music. It’s a catch 22
Paul – I think it’s cool
Jeremy – After all is said and done, the Artist is the one creating the product and Spotify is the service that puts it on a platform. I think the monopoly makes it so difficult for up and coming musicians to thrive. Big name artists have brand deals and sponsorship from other companies, but the smaller fish tend to see just a few cents per million streams. I don’t know what the answer is but something has to be done.
Do you buy into any conspiracy theories?
Brandon – Most of the ones I hear are political which SØUNDHOOSE doesn’t get involved with and they divide most people so no.
Paul – I don’t believe in that non sense
Jeremy – In the great words of Mr. Tom Delonge, “We all know conspiracies are dumb.”
Did you buy anything you don’t need now during the pandemic?
Brandon – Disney+, but you can only watch Toy Story and the Mandalorian so many times
Paul – My surfboard because it doesn’t even exist after it snapped trying to attempt to catch a 7 ft wave. Yea probably not one of my best decisions I’ve made
Jeremy – I bought a PS4 which I honestly played so much during quarantine. But now I turn it on maybe once every 6 months and it sits there collecting dust.
What was your worst experience on stage? Your best?
Brandon – Best? Probably seeing people who know the words sing our songs, and the first time I saw that I brought the person up on stage to sing it with us. Worst? We played a show in front of maybe 6-7 people and they weren’t paying attention so I walked over to them, sat next to them and just played the song whilst staring at them.
Paul – Worst experience was when I broke my ankle on stage. Best experience was a tie between playing for my birthday show at the viper and our recent album release show at the whiskey
Jeremy – Worst would have to be one time when I was on tour with another group, we were playing in Tempe, AZ. We were all so tired but we pushed through with the show. There were 3 people in the whole bar, and that includes the bartender and the sound guy. The one patron in there had his back to us the whole time and truthfully, we all collectively played one of the worst shows ever. It was a humbling learning experience for sure. My best experience would have to be our most recent album release show for Craniotomy at The Whisky with these guys. No words for how amazing that night was.
Tell us something about each of you that you think people would be surprised to know.
Brandon – I mix and record all of our music with the guys. No one else touches a SØUNDHOOSE track. We do everything ourselves from start to finish without any outside hands on it. No producers, no mixing engineers, mastering engineers, anything. Everything we’ve ever done has literally been done by us 3 only.
Paul – I’m always hungry as soon as I’m done performing and I just wanna go to bed
Jeremy – I personally struggle with social anxiety way more than most seem to think. I’ve had the people that are the closest to me tell me that I am such a social butterfly and very outgoing around people, but I feel totally different on the inside. I don’t think anyone will ever understand the fear and anxiety I have in social situations.
What makes you stand out as a band?
Brandon – We don’t limit our sound to one specific thing and our shows are something else. It’s an experience for everyone and we seriously try to make everyone leave the show happier than when they got there. Mental Health is a HUGE part of who we are and we want everyone to know they have a place at a show with us.
Paul – Were just so damn cool to be around with
Jeremy – I think our shining star is that we are always authentically us and we passionately fight and advocate for things we believe in. Like Brandon said, we push heavily to normalize the stigma surrounding mental health, especially for those who feel that they aren’t heard or seen. We want to continue the conversation and help validate each and every person’s feelings. Not only do we make kick ass music that makes you wanna get up and dance and scream out your favorite lyrics, but we are doing it with a genuine purpose and goal in mind.
So you mentioned you have a new album called “CRANIOTØMY,” what can you tell us about it?
Brandon – It’s a culmination of everything that plagues our minds every day. We wanted to dive into all the emotions one can feel and really have a conversation with the voices in our head. There’s happiness, loneliness, doubt, seclusion, confidence, anger, curiosity, pain, everything.
Paul – It’s catchy, emotional, uplifting, and everything you could ask for.
Jeremy – The definition of “craniotomy” is a surgical opening in the skull. The procedure may be done for many reasons, but one reason is to take a sample of the brain for testing. We wanted to take the idea of looking into our heads and investigating what goes on up there. We ended up discovering that we all have a lot of emotions, which is so exciting and powerful, but also really fucking scary. We wanted to hone in deep on those emotions and ideas, and it ultimately influenced us to write this album. I don’t want to go so far to say this is a “concept album”, but when you listen through Craniotomy in full, you absolutely get the sense that the main theme or concept is mental health from front to back.
Talk me through the thought process of making these new tunes? What was the recording process like?
Brandon – It was much easier having the guys record their parts and provide their take on the songs. Everything prior was done entirely by me, and as a result, these new songs are more fun to play and they mean more to us. I’d usually come up with an idea, record a rough draft with the parts I’d play and sing certain parts on it, and send it to the guys. From there they’d play around with it until we all came to an agreement on the final sound.
Paul – Pain in the ass but very rewarding
Jeremy – Craniotomy felt like the first opportunity for the 3 of us to fully collaborate on a project. Everything prior was written by Brandon and then brought to Paul and me to throw our flavor on it for the live shows. This album gives you a taste of each of us individually and collectively. One thing that I’m proud of is that each song’s process felt like a full project on its own, and then ultimately what we have is something for everyone on this album. The recording process was countless hours and hours of working to make sure everything was exactly as we wanted, which was thrilling to have full control, but also taxing to exhaust so much of our efforts into this one thing. I’m very proud of our hard work put into this. There’s no visible representation of the time and efforts we put into this record. You’ll just have to listen and enjoy, and of course come out to a Soundhoose show!
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Brandon – Trying to not sound the same. I personally have a lot of insecurities in my playing and it can be difficult to try and come up with new material after having made so many songs already. I never want to sound the same and be complacent.
Paul – Making our stuff sound original and not sound like other artists
Jeremy – For me, the most difficult parts of writing new material in general are 1. Remembering not to force anything and 2. Finding the inspiration to begin with. For example, our new song “Phobia” was written completely in one day because we had a very clear idea on the inspiration for the song and where we wanted to take it. I think we executed “Phobia” perfectly and I couldn’t be any more proud of how it turned out. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to force a song to be made in one day if I didn’t know exactly what I was feeling or what I wanted already. I don’t think it’s possible for a good song to be forcefully written.
Would you change anything now that the album is finished?
Brandon – Abso-fuckin-lutely not.
Paul – Nope. Next question
Jeremy – Not a single thing. We spent so much energy in making this exactly what we wanted to share with the world.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Brandon – You’ll probably hear it in the new music we’ll make. It’s the only way I share myself
Paul – The sound of my drums getting louder and louder
Jeremy – There isn’t enough love in this world. Tell the people you care about how much you care about them while you can because tomorrow is never promised.
PS Hi Mom and Pops I love you
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