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00:00Do you ever get stage fright? What is it like when you go on stage?
00:02It's terrifying. Every night is terrifying. You don't know how it's going to go.
00:05It's a challenge. But that's what live music is, right? That's why you're going to see it.
00:09We're literally alive right now. We might not be alive tomorrow.
00:14Rock, metal, frog, and everything in between.
00:17Welcome to this episode of Talkin' Rock with Meltdown.
00:21Don't forget to follow the audio-only Talkin' Rock podcast on all podcast platforms.
00:25And now, it's time for today's conversation. Here's Meltdown.
00:30So you're coming through town here on April 18th.
00:33I see that you're going to be celebrating a big birthday coming up the day before.
00:36What do you do for your birthday? Is there anything special or anything planned?
00:40I'm going to try to hook up with some people I haven't seen in almost 50 years in the Ravenna,
00:49Akron area.
00:50Oh, okay. I was going to say, yeah, because you have a day off that day.
00:54I guess that's just lucky, eh?
00:57Um, yeah. I mean, I haven't really been back to the place I went to elementary and junior high in
01:04decades.
01:06So it's going to be an interesting little stop.
01:09Yeah. So anyways, yeah, you're coming through town with Puss for the Normal Isn't Tour, like I said, April 18th
01:14at the Fox Theater.
01:15Man, what a diverse record. For somebody that's never listened to this record, how do you describe it to someone?
01:22Um, well, you don't really. You have to just listen.
01:29You know, there's a lot of stuff out there nowadays.
01:33We just did an interview with Rick Beato, and one of the things we were talking about off camera was
01:38just how the last couple decades,
01:41everything's just kind of been homogenized.
01:42And the way people are writing, they're like using algorithms to appeal to, I don't know, shoppers, I guess.
01:49But it's rare that you have people that are still trying to reinvent and push the boundaries at the risk
01:59of, you know, not bringing fans with you.
02:01But you can't really, you can't really think about that.
02:04You have to have to push the boundaries.
02:06And Matt Mitchell is all about that.
02:10You know, whatever he's laying down for for pieces, he's he's honoring the song.
02:16He's honoring the instrument, the synth.
02:19And we're just, you know, trying to trying to break rules.
02:24Now, I remember back when I was watching the Metallica, some kind of monster documentary.
02:29I remember somebody just brought this up to me the other day where Lars said, this is too stock.
02:34Do you ever do you ever get in that situation where you're like recording something?
02:38You think maybe this is too stock?
02:40Yeah, I mean, that's that's that's what you know.
02:44If that's how you think and that's how you write, then it's not stock for you.
02:49It's just it's just kind of how you it's that's what you do.
02:52I get it. It's just not what we do.
02:55None of my projects are that.
02:57That's it's just the kind of people that we we gravitate towards that just don't think rhythmically in the box.
03:06We always think outside the box.
03:09So I think if you listen to this record, that's what you're you're signing up for a whole piece.
03:14You're not just signing up for a commercial.
03:16You're you're signing up for an entire film.
03:19Yeah, it's definitely got a lot of flavors and a lot of a soundtracky like soundscape type things as well
03:25from this record.
03:26And I did see that interview we're talking about with Rick and you and Matt and Karina.
03:30You guys you guys work well together.
03:32And I guess with the other projects as well, you kind of try to do what what fits best for
03:37the song.
03:38Do people ever give you ideas?
03:39You're like, I don't know if that fits best.
03:41How do you how do you work that?
03:43I just have to honor the song.
03:44So you and you you're you it's conversation going back and forth and you just have to you're we're reacting
03:53to each other's reactions.
03:57So you just put the pieces one in front of one and one behind the other one in front of
04:02the other back and forth to serve the song.
04:06I know that sounds I'm not being dismissive, I swear.
04:11It's it's just it's just a process.
04:13And until you're actually in the middle of the process, it might not make sense.
04:17I was going to say, is it one of those things where where it's kind of hard to verbalize, but
04:21you know it when it's there?
04:22Yes, absolutely.
04:23Yeah, you're you're there's a little tingle when you get when you get it right.
04:30Yeah, it's it's magic.
04:32It's it's where we're we're we're not magicians.
04:36We're just we're just witnessing magic.
04:38And, you know, I've talked to some bands before and stuff, but it's like you can't be afraid, I guess,
04:43to hurt feelings or whatever.
04:45Right.
04:46Yeah, that's you have to get over that shit and and and realize it's not about you.
04:53It's about the song or it's about the whole collection of songs.
04:58And then how do you honor that and how do you translate that?
05:04Alive, you know?
05:05Yeah.
05:06So how does Pussifer like fulfill your like your creative and artistic ambitions as opposed to some of the other
05:13projects?
05:13Or is it all kind of like the same?
05:15It's just different conversations and, you know, the ones that are the ones that are in front of you.
05:21Right.
05:22Of course, harvest comes when harvest comes.
05:25So I'm off, you know, I'm off the road when the grapes are ready because they're ready when they're ready.
05:30Right.
05:32And then, you know, but I can still be writing during that period of time.
05:36But as far as actually being out there performing the songs, it has to happen after the grapes have had
05:43their way.
05:44Yeah.
05:46Yes.
05:46Yes.
05:46Speaking of that, I see you're you're you're you're on you're on the road right now, right?
05:49A hotel room.
05:50Yeah.
05:50Which is where you record some of your stuff, isn't it?
05:53Yeah.
05:54I got the mic set up and a lot of it.
05:57That's that's the beauty of working in in in logic is I can do it on my laptop and and
06:04kind of fire off files to whoever.
06:08But, you know, the real work ends up happening once those napkin sketches are more realized.
06:16Yeah.
06:16I go back to the poster for studio or my studio in in Arizona.
06:22Yeah.
06:22And you were talking with Rick as well about one of the songs, I think, seven, one where you actually
06:26recording it and you were trying not to, like, I don't know, disturb the neighbors in your hotel or whatever.
06:31Yeah.
06:31Does that happen quite a bit?
06:33Oh, yeah.
06:34There's quite a few napkin sketches that end up being like that or they're a lower register.
06:38And I have to keep that in mind because you can't necessarily sing that live if it's too low.
06:44What do you mean you can't sing it live?
06:45Did the fans just if I'm if I'm singing way down here?
06:49OK.
06:49Like that won't translate on the stage.
06:52So you have to have to keep that in mind.
06:54Like there is there is a range that's perceptible with live music.
06:59So even though I'm having fun, like singing some super lower bass rather than baritone vocal, that's not going to
07:08translate live.
07:09That's going to be a recorded vocal.
07:11So do you go into to the writing sessions and write a lot of these songs with the stage in
07:16mind?
07:17Not necessarily.
07:18You just have to keep it in mind so that you're not you're not painting yourself into a corner.
07:23Right.
07:23And if I'm doing harmonies, I have to I have to remember that I have to remember if that's in
07:29Karina's range.
07:31All right.
07:32So sometimes I don't write harmony.
07:34I just let her write it.
07:35That way it's I know she can do it because it's it's in her range.
07:40Now, now you're you're traveling a lot.
07:43You're doing all sorts of stuff with different projects and whatnot.
07:45So when you're recording, like you said, when you're traveling, you're you're going to hotel to hotel, to studios and
07:49whatnot.
07:49How often do you listen to the stuff like in earbuds or like in your car or something not to
07:54finish product, but maybe those demos and ideas?
07:57All the time.
07:58That's that's kind of the.
08:00If it's something that Matt's handed to me and I'm trying to find my way through it, I'll listen to
08:05it, you know, a hundred times without.
08:08Without, you know, trying not to react to it at all.
08:11Just listen to what's happening.
08:13And then that way, my my reaction is.
08:19It's seasoned.
08:20That makes sense.
08:21I can I know where the pieces are going.
08:24And then when I'm actually putting a vocal down, I've I've exhausted all the I guess what you were saying
08:30before about it being, you know, to stock.
08:35You have to keep in mind what reactions I've had in the past and not have those.
08:41And when you've written, you know, 200 songs, that's hard to do.
08:46Yeah.
08:47To listen to that piece over and over and over again to find what that piece wants me to do.
08:51Not what I would do.
08:54Right off the right off the cuff.
08:56Is it kind of like putting an audio puzzle together, so to speak?
09:00Yeah, absolutely.
09:02It's you have to see it almost in three dimensions.
09:06And are you are you working on this this whole record is puts for record.
09:09But it's by the way, on normalism came out in February.
09:11Are you working on different songs all the time or is it just kind of just focus on one song?
09:19It depends on who I'm working with.
09:21If I have a couple of songs in mind, Matt can generally he'll only focus on a song for the
09:27day.
09:28Right. But he's working on several and I'm working on several and we're going back and forth.
09:33If it's another like, let's say if it's Billy and I want to get the thing finished, I have to
09:38focus on the one.
09:41Yeah. And, man, I'll tell you what, just watching an interview you did with Rick, it's like you put a
09:45lot of trust and a lot of faith in Matt and Karina, don't you?
09:48Yeah, absolutely.
09:49You know, I trust him with all those decisions.
09:55And we have to just kind of we have to listening.
09:58It's a hard skill for egomaniacs to to learn.
10:03So when you get a couple of people that.
10:07Listen, as well as you do, you should trust that.
10:13I know that I was also listening to another interview you did recently where you said that you have a
10:17lot of self-doubt.
10:18Do you ever get stage fright? What is it like when you go on stage?
10:22That's terrifying.
10:24It's really every night is terrifying.
10:26You don't know how it's going to go.
10:31Yeah, it's a it's a challenge.
10:33But that's what live music is, right?
10:35That's why you're going to see it.
10:36We're literally alive right now.
10:38We might not be alive tomorrow.
10:39So that's why I would encourage you to come to the show because you don't know what you're getting tomorrow.
10:45Live music.
10:46We're alive today.
10:47Come see us today while we're alive.
10:49Would you think that is live music and the live environment for you kind of like a little bit of
10:55an adrenaline rush?
10:57I guess.
10:58It's yeah.
11:00Equal parts fear and excitement.
11:04And, you know, it's you're literally having to pay attention to every second so that you don't fuck it up.
11:11Was there a part of you that thought that maybe you'd get over this early on in your career?
11:16I didn't really thought about it.
11:18I just kind of just I don't want to call it my job because that sounds cold.
11:23I'm like, I don't want to be here, but I do want to be here.
11:27Job is not the word.
11:29Responsibility.
11:31If I'm going to take on this task and I'm going to I'm going to write these things, then it's
11:35kind of part of the package that you're going to in some way share them with someone.
11:40And I would I would think that the goal is to to to do them accurately.
11:47Yeah, I was going to ask you, like, what your main objective is when you get on stage, but I
11:50guess that's it.
11:52Part visual, obviously, audio and entertaining.
11:56Yeah, you have to remember that you are an entertainer.
12:00But the reason they're there is because you did a thing and you're going to have to you have to
12:07honor the thing by not screwing it up.
12:12But you are, you know, but it is live music.
12:14And that's kind of where you go is you're almost there for as much of the chaos and mistakes as
12:20you are for the accurate presentation of the art.
12:25Yeah, I guess that's got to be part of it, too.
12:27You know, being an artistic and creative guy like you like yourself, have you seen a show at the Sphere
12:32yet?
12:35No, no, I would imagine that would give me vertigo.
12:38I can't even I can't even handle Universal Studios.
12:43Like the Minions ride makes me want to vomit.
12:46So I don't know. I might be able to handle the Sphere.
12:49I know my kids always want to go on roller coasters and my dad used to force me on them
12:52and I never did until they were old enough to go on the roller coasters and I had to go
12:55on with them.
12:56So I guess I had to push that aside.
12:58So I'm looking forward to going to see a show at the Sphere.
13:00It's got to be it's got to be unbelievable.
13:02I'd imagine.
13:04Yeah, I would imagine.
13:05Yeah, I'm more concerned about the Fox Theater at the moment.
13:09Yeah, the Fox Theater.
13:10Yeah.
13:10So that comes up, like I said, the Normalism Tour on April 18th.
13:13You've played there before.
13:14Joe Bonamassa calls that he called it one of the nicest theaters he's ever played in.
13:18I love that place, man.
13:20And I love Detroit.
13:21So even though we kind of considered Detroit Northern Ohio, no offense.
13:27So did you come here as a kid and watch shows?
13:30You know, our Western Michigan roots, we kind of talk a lot of smack about Detroit.
13:38But no, I spent more time going to shows in like in college in Grand Rapids.
13:45I would go to more things like the punk rock clubs in Muskegon and down to Chicago.
13:53And then, you know, St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, like all the older punk rock days.
14:00Wow.
14:00And then you had a chance to play at all those venues as well.
14:02So that's that's really cool.
14:04Well, Maynard, first of all, happy early birthday, April 17th.
14:08You're going to be 61.
14:09Last year, you spent the year on tour celebrating your birthday.
14:11And this year, you're going to be, like I said, down in Ohio.
14:13But Normal Isn't is out.
14:16And that's April 18th at the Fox Theater.
14:18Maynard, a privilege and a pleasure to talk with you again.
14:21Thank you so much for the time.
14:23Thank you so much for the time.
14:24Appreciate it.
14:25Check out Talking Rock with Meltdown on all podcast platforms and WRIF.com.
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