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Casualties Of Circumstance With RAYMOND ESTES From ...AND WE ALL DIE · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Out, good God doing.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Here.
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: I'm Raymond Astis, I'm lead and We All Die. We're
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: a post punk, post hardcore project. We dabble in hardcore
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: and industrial and other kinds of music. And we just
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: released a four song EP of Misfits covers with two
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: more traditional punk rock hardcore versions and then two industrial
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  Speaker 3: rock versions featuring.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Ghost Beautiful Make Thanks for joining us today.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Thanks thanks for having us.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: My pleasure so as you say, and We All Die
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  Speaker 2: release the four track EP, Static Age Back on October
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: thirty first. So how's the early reception been for it?
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: It's been great so far. It's been the best reception
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  Speaker 3: we've had for any release. It's hard to say why
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: that is. Maybe it's Spotify is actually working for us
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: this time, but we can't really complain, you know, really
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: the project is me, but it's it's everybody who contributes,
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: and and Walter the drummer and Garamauther the guitar player,
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  Speaker 3: are really excited about the volume of people that are
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: checking out the track, and and just the amount of
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  Speaker 3: streams is getting.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Who knew Yeah, and you break your usual trend of
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: releasing music in the spring to dive into Halloween. So
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: there's been a successful experiment.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: I think so Halloween was. It was pretty incredible. It
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  Speaker 3: seemed like it made it out to a lot of folks.
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  Speaker 3: Maybe because of the press, it got to the right
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: folks at the right time, but it's made it a
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  Speaker 3: lot a lot of playlists, and I think that people
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  Speaker 3: are digging it. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Cool and as we say on The EP features two
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  Speaker 2: covers of Misfits songs stay k TV casually. So firstly,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: why Cher's Misfits songs and then why these particular two songs.
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  Speaker 3: I love the Misfits and have for a long time.
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: I like horror punk, and I like really all that
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Danzig has done. But for m we all die. We
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  Speaker 3: don't really do horror songs. We do more conceptual songs
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: or songs about the human condition. And as a hardcore guy,
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: I thought what would be more interesting to do would
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: be to take songs that are dark, have this more
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: science fiction for you know, these more science fiction themes
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  Speaker 3: are more based on the perils of technology and make
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  Speaker 3: those fresh because it seems to be more exciting to
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  Speaker 3: me than singing about ghouls or zombies or something.
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  Speaker 2: True that an eage song was covered twice once once
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  Speaker 2: in a style of life for which And We All
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  Speaker 2: Die is better known for. And now the featuring is
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  Speaker 2: into an artist ghost the more industrial leged approach. So
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  Speaker 2: what was the thought process there behind covering the same
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  Speaker 2: song twice?
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  Speaker 3: Well, that's a great question. Initially when we talked about
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  Speaker 3: doing these songs with the guys, it was, you know,
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  Speaker 3: let's make them heavy, let's make them fun, let's make
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  Speaker 3: them exciting for kind of our each take on hardcore today, Right,
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  Speaker 3: But I think wouldn't it be fun to maybe take
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  Speaker 3: them a little bit further and explore some of the
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  Speaker 3: sonic components that that aren't in the originals but that
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  Speaker 3: are sort of teased out with maybe not the melody,
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: but the sort of vibe of the song. And we
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  Speaker 3: did that, and it's kind of funny because those versions
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  Speaker 3: have received the better response.
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  Speaker 2: And you don't produce carbon copies in the originals either,
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  Speaker 2: like you take liberties and you basardize each version to
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  Speaker 2: firmly plan in your own DNA all over it. So
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  Speaker 2: what was the process of deconstructing the songs and then
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  Speaker 2: reconstructing the many you're image?
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  Speaker 3: So it started out initially where we were just gonna
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  Speaker 3: have keyboards, right, add some sense. We sent him over
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  Speaker 3: to Ghost and he contributed his parts pretty quickly, and
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  Speaker 3: then it was like we sat on him for a
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: long time and it was what to do because his
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  Speaker 3: parts were really much more involved and much more incredible
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  Speaker 3: than we had expected. We thought, oh, we'll just put
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  Speaker 3: some backing sense and we'll see, but it really changed
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  Speaker 3: the tenor of the songs and son then once we
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  Speaker 3: were able to team up with William Faith, we were
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  Speaker 3: able to really turn those into more industrial rotten songs
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  Speaker 3: versus parkcour songs with keyboards or you know, synth wave
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  Speaker 3: songs with real drums or something. But it really was
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  Speaker 3: a group. Ever we were surprised by Ghosts contributions, and
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  Speaker 3: then William Faith was really able to incorporate those and
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  Speaker 3: tie those together with some extra bit of post production
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  Speaker 3: and programming to make them sort of flesh them out
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  Speaker 3: into what they are now.
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  Speaker 2: And even that the two songs that you guys did,
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  Speaker 2: like the industry ones are great, but the two ones
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  Speaker 2: that you did, they were a bit faster and they
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  Speaker 2: had more urgency, I think than the originals. Like how
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  Speaker 2: it how does it feel to take classic songs like
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  Speaker 2: that and change them in a way that people can
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  Speaker 2: actually notice.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know, I guess to our take. Initially, well,
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  Speaker 3: really where we got started was we thought we were
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  Speaker 3: going to cover some Black Flag songs and we realized
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  Speaker 3: that trying to to do some variations on Gregan's guitar
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  Speaker 3: work is kind of hard, right, You either have to
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  Speaker 3: do it right or ignore it or do something completely different,
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  Speaker 3: and we realized we probably couldn't do justice in the
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: time frame we were working with, and so we settled
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  Speaker 3: on some misfit songs and we thought we would then
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  Speaker 3: try to maybe take a Black Flag approach to those,
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  Speaker 3: and they just sort of evolved into being these really
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  Speaker 3: more heavier, kind of post pump versions. You know. They're
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  Speaker 3: not chuga chugga hardcore heavy, they're not metal. They're very
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  Speaker 3: like we leaned into the rockabilly elements, but we just
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  Speaker 3: simplified it and took out some of the some of
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  Speaker 3: the more soulful bluesy elements and just leaned into the
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  Speaker 3: heavy rhythms.
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  Speaker 2: I'm glad you actually mentioned that about Black Flag, because
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  Speaker 2: I'm in the review that I did, I also said
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  Speaker 2: that it sounded very Black flaggersh So I was on
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  Speaker 2: the right track.
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  Speaker 3: No, absolutely, the one of the things that I've tried
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  Speaker 3: to do is not doctor my vocals so much. And
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  Speaker 3: I because I like that early approach to hardcore, but
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  Speaker 3: that's how they came out of these songs. I don't
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  Speaker 3: know if they're working. It seems like as at people
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  Speaker 3: from listening.
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  Speaker 2: So I stop so as a lover of all that
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  Speaker 2: sort of music, mate, like when you're taking songs like
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  Speaker 2: this and changing and like, are you conscious that you
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  Speaker 2: don't want to go too far in case the original
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  Speaker 2: artist listens to one day and goes, what the fuck's
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  Speaker 2: he done with my music?
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely? We were. We recorded these songs a long time ago.
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  Speaker 3: They've been sitting on the shelf waiting for the right
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  Speaker 3: you know, post producer, mixer, partner. And to be honest,
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  Speaker 3: I was terrified of releasing terrible covers of Misfit songs
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  Speaker 3: because there to many people they are cannon right. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: you grow up listening to the Misfits. It doesn't matter
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: when you get in when you For many people, it
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  Speaker 3: doesn't matter when they got into punk rock or hardcore
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  Speaker 3: or even metal. At some stage you're exposed to the
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  Speaker 3: Misfits or Sam Ain or Danzy, and those songs have
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  Speaker 3: a special meaning to a lot of people, and so
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  Speaker 3: we were worried, you know, if we did a terrible version,
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  Speaker 3: it might be bad for us for a long time,
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: so we sat on them. We finally I think we
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  Speaker 3: got it right, or were right enough. I don't. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I could have tinkered with these for another several years,
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  Speaker 3: right until I was maybe more comfortable. But I think
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  Speaker 3: they're good enough and the team's happy for sure.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Man now study ages and we all Die's first release.
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  Speaker 2: It's twenty eighteen. It's modern day Privateers. So what's changed
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  Speaker 2: through the band in between releases?
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  Speaker 3: Quite a bit? In twenty eighteen, I started working on
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  Speaker 3: demos for an album and pulling up old demos that
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: had been sitting around to see if they would work,
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: and sort of did that for about a year or so.
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  Speaker 3: In twenty nineteen through twenty twenty, we started doing pre
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  Speaker 3: production and basic recording for the album and completed it.
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: So there's twelve songs that were recorded in that timeframe
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  Speaker 3: for a more industrial rock, sort of heavier dark album.
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  Speaker 3: Then once those were sort of in the phase where
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  Speaker 3: they just needed to go to post production, we started
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  Speaker 3: working on an EP of Cure covers and we recorded
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  Speaker 3: five of those different people contributing to each song, so
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: they're really like five different bands doing five songs. And
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: then those were kind of ready for post production, and
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: then comes two thousand, late twenty twenty, twenty twenty one,
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  Speaker 3: I started work on a rock album and that includes
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  Speaker 3: a bunch of different folks and that's about halfway done.
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  Speaker 3: So in between twenty eighteen and now there's we have
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  Speaker 3: nearly thirty songs ready for release. We just got to
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: get those through post production and sort of final tinkering.
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  Speaker 3: But that should that should start at the end of
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  Speaker 3: the year beginning of next year.
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  Speaker 2: So it sounds to me like you guys put a
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  Speaker 2: lot of time and effort into making sure these all
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: sound right. Like you say you finished it in twenty twenty,
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  Speaker 2: it's four years later now, and you're not rushing to
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  Speaker 2: get them out like you're waiting until they digest, I guess,
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  Speaker 2: and you're fully happy with everything.
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: It's it's good, right, And you know, there's been different
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: things have happened. You know, COVID was a bit of
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: a challenge with some things, and things have happened over
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: the past few years to kind of get in the way.
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: But now we're able to focus on that, and everybody
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: that's contributed to those is happy with where we are
• 10:39
  Speaker 3: with them. You know, I obviously don't want my teammates
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: for each project to be disappointed or dissatisfied with what
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: they've done. So it's really raising the bar for every release,
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  Speaker 3: and I think the standard for this album is pretty high.
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  Speaker 2: Which one is coming out next?
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  Speaker 3: It'll be a dark, heavier, dark record called Dark Places
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  Speaker 3: and it'll have twelve songs, and I think you'll be surprised.
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  Speaker 3: It's it's definitely there's been a lot of progression in
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  Speaker 3: the sound from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty twenty one,
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: when when that album was basically completed.
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  Speaker 2: Have theyre all original songs?
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: They're all original? Yeap?
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: Very cool? So it is, and we all die a
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: touring band or are you more of a Stdio project?
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  Speaker 3: We are not a performing project at all. We've talked
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: about that and we had started to put together a
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: live band down in Austin, Texas, but it just didn't happen.
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  Speaker 3: So it's possible that can happen in future. There's members
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  Speaker 3: that have been on different releases that are excited about it.
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  Speaker 3: But now we're in we're living in different states across
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: the US, and I don't know how feasible that is,
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: but it's something we'd like to do. How we get there,
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: I don't know, but right now we just want to
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: get these records out.
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  Speaker 2: So if someone wants to know more about the band
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: or to keep up with what you're doing, what's the
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: best place to find out.
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  Speaker 3: Right now? Probably Instagram. We're updating our website, really getting
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: that prepared for the album, so it's not a reliable
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: place for news right now, but I'd say Instagram would
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: be the best place, or just shoot us a message
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: and happy to answer any questions.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: But in the meantime, Static Age is out now via
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: download from band camp and from Spotify, streaming all usual platforms,
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: and I've got a review automate it. It's a really
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: really solid effort. So congratulations, well done and check it out.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: What God do about the start? I like going abound
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: the light day? Hey guys, on the day Mary gotam die?
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: We're all right? Day by God? On the day, bag
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: gotcha day? My west sake? What what's that on the dough?
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Would I make up a god? There's a corner where
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: I always go. I like the bag the fly that
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: I love my lag.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: Don't bag my dollar is a strag play to bag
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: my dollar as a drag blag to bag dollar, that's
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: a drag right down, bag like dollar, that's a drag.
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: Day he got on today, Ray gotcha die, We're all
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: right today.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: Bag got something to day.
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: Mag got a day by hey, No Brad, I like
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: god wl n got I b row bad on the.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: Down stocking me long brag dack.
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: Wait at a dollar a bad John after fella die.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: Gott a laugh right after ray day. Right now, I
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: go rag stout eggs right there.
• 14:27
  Speaker 4: I go ride day.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: God's on the day, Bay Jael Diag, alright, day.
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: Guys on the day, Man Jael Dago, all right day,
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: day guys on the day.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: May God die