Interview with Jess Scutella: Deadhorse - Crescendo

Band: Deadhorse
Album: Crescendo
Release Date: August 28th, 2017
Genre: Post Rock, Punk Rock
Rating: 8.5/10
Bandcamp: deadhorse.bandcamp.com

We’re about to kick off the “Week Of Evil” tomorrow, but I didn’t want to slam right into that this year. Instead I want to give us a calm before the storm, and for that I can’t think of a better album that Crescendo by Deadhorse.

See, we’re not just gonna review it though, we’re gonna have an interview with one of the band members. You may or may not remember him as the artist of literally all of my tattoos, the one and only Jess Scutella.


Noah: Jess, how’re you doing today?

Jess: I am feeling creepy. I am feeling long. I am feeling wild and driven, depressed and annoyed. A lot of things on my plate and a lot more to come, but I am doing well. How are you?!

N: Not too bad at all man. So tell us a little about yourself, what do you do?

J: I found it is easiest to just rattle crap off like a grocery list:

• Tattooist at Steadfast Tattoo Parlour 
• Write and author of Reflections from Waterford’s Woods and The Heat of High Noon.
• Touring and studio percussionist
• Comic-con artist and guest
• Philanthropist 
• Actor
• Activist
• Asshat

I just love life and chase it to all ends of the Earth. I know that sounds egotistical, but it is what it is.

N: Nah man, that's the best way to list off what you're up to at this point, and that's a solid mission of sorts as well.  So after we talked a couple weeks ago I finally checked out Deadhorse’s album. Gotta say, it wasn’t really what I was expecting from you with that Punk Rock background you have going on. What’s the inspiration behind Crescendo?

J: Now, to be honest, I didn’t do any of the writing for this album, but this album was meant to be the antithesis to the wall of sound out right now. The calm before the storm...but it is the storm, too. All previous albums were action and movement, loud statements. This one we wanted to be a whisper to a god. Now, I get poetic too easily, but truly the album is a collection of a lot emotions and years of repose. This is our first album in some time, my friend.

Further, we wanted to redefine punk-rock, even post-rock. Listen to the album. It is meant to be listened to loudly.

N: It was super freaking chill, not gonna lie. I was expecting some drums to kick in at some point, but the whole thing was just really floaty. With my prior expectations it made it a borderline tense experience.

J: Honestly, there is rage. There is hurt and confusion. There are upturns and chaos, but you have to listen to it fully. Sometimes, full-bodied albums can miss the target. We wanted something with no ego, just bare bones. When you listen to Satie, Bach, and Beethoven you feel a flurry of emotions, no? Surely, these are the gods of classical, but they were punks, they were revolutionary and wanted change to be heard in their music. We wanted to emulate that, in the smallest form. We believe this was achieved. We believe Crescendo is a punk album. We want you to feel the world change as you listen.

N: One of those times when it’s like, punk in attitude, even if not in conventional style? Love it. So you guys were supposed to tour China for a few months. Actually you were supposed to be gone right now, what ended up happening there?

J: Ah, yes. This was a huge upset for not only us, but our fans and the company we were working with. It was a very convoluted arrangement, but I will try my best to simplify it here. We haven’t toured professionally in nearly 5 years. So the tour offer from China was huge for us. We spent months rewriting songs, prepping a long, live performance, and organizing the tour itself. However, there was communication problems with the manager in China. Be it language barriers or cultural differences, we just couldn’t get the necessary info we needed at the appropriate times. It was frustrating and scary. China is an extremely bureaucratic country, it requires detailed personal information, trackable travel itinerary, and evidence of housing just to visit the place. It was that exact information that we required to get the proper visas and we did not get it in time, sadly.

I say these things while not blaming the manager, but just drawing attention to the fact that tours, especially internationally, can be extremely stressful, difficult, and expensive for both bands and managers.

N: That sucks man, that would have been a fantastic experience. On the plus side though, you guys still have this the full rework you’ve put together, in addition to an emotionally powerful album. As a heads up to anybody interested, you can buy this album on Bandcamp at the link provided in a name your price fashion. It’s worth at least a listen, but please consider supporting local music and buying it.

Jess, you have anything you want to close with?

J: Life is Beautiful. Watch that movie.

Check out and support your damn local scene. Appreciate and love the bands that bring you the music they do. Often times it is the only thing keeping them going in their lives.

Also, be active politically. Vote locally, write to your representatives and realize your dollar is a voting system. Be aware of what you buy.

Lastly, listen to more XTC, Johnny Cash, and Bowie.

N: Thanks man, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me here.

You can find Jess, his tattoos and his ramblings, on instagram as @MrScutella or online at strangeoperators.com. Take some time to treat yourself to his poetry and art, it’s worth your time.

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2nd Interview with Johnny Crowder, vocalist of Dark Sermon and Prison

Band:  Prison
Song:  The Knife and The Dying Dream
Album:  N.G.R.I. (2017)
Genre:  Nu-Metal, Metalcore
Johnny's Website:  notatherapist.com

As I mentioned yesterday, we're gonna talk about depression in the music industry really quick.  To start that, I really can't see any better person to interview than Johnny Crowder, the most outspoken

Q: With Chester Bennington having committed suicide I've been thinking lot about how depression is ignored in the music industry. I feel like a lot of people try not to think about it since a general thought seems to be that the best art comes from tortured performers.  Thoughts?

A.  I’ll try to keep this brief to prevent myself from going on a rant. Basically, my whole life, I thought that I was able to write music because I was so upset. But as I’ve gotten healthier over the years, I’ve realized that my illnesses only clouded my mind and my heart. They siphoned energy out of my creativity, and I didn’t know that a healthier lifestyle would lead to a more streamlined, fulfilling writing process. When you’re sick, you start to develop Stockholm Syndrome. You justify the way you are and say that you are more creative that way, without ever having seen the other side. When I was younger, I would have bet you money that my frustration helped me write. Now that I’m out of that darkness, I can clearly see that it only held me back.

Q: As an individual who is incredibly outspoken about your thoughts on mental illness, what was your initial take on it? 

A.  I cried. I don’t know what else to say. It didn’t feel like it was about me, though. I didn’t think, “That could be me.” I thought, “That could be any number of my friends who tour full time.” That’s what killed me. I loved Chester like a brother, and his death hit me harder than expected, considering we never met in person.

Q: Prison's purpose seems to be a unifying point for broken people to come together and become stronger through their problems. Would that be correct in your opinion? 

A.  Your illness, trauma, past, or anything else negative doesn’t have to define you. All of these things qualify us to minister to others and bring comfort to people who are struggling. Every single person has some serious stuff going on in some corner of their life, and I’m just trying to bust the stigma and get people to be real with themselves. You’re not perfect, so stop pretending you are. On the other hand, you’re not broken beyond repair, so stop pretending you are. We are all in the same boat, and we need to start acting like it.

Big thanks to Johnny for being so open for this.  I'm gonna do my take tomorrow, and hopefully a couple of my friends as well.

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Interview with Johnny Crowder, vocalist of Dark Sermon and Prison

Band:  Dark Sermon
Song:  The Eyeless Needle
Album:  The Oracle
Genre:  Death Metal

Yo, so today is a fantastically special day.  We managed to snag an interview with one of my favorite vocalists, Johnny Crowder.

I'm crazy pumped to have had this happen, so I apologize about any formatting issues since this would be the first interview we've run on the blog before.

Noah: What were some reasons you originally decided to get into performing metal music?

Johnny: There is a level of honesty and transparency in aggressive music that you don’t see very
often in the outside world. I was very frustrated and confused as a child, and every time I
listened to heavy music, it felt like I was seen and heard. It felt like there were other people
out there that understood me, and I didn’t have to go through it alone.

N: Dark Sermon's live show was straight up fantastic. What were some of your main draws when planning what the show would look like?

J: Thank you! My focus usually centered around making it feel like more of an experience than a concert. Everyone goes to shows all the time, but when’s the last time you referred to a concert as an experience? I wanted fans to fully invest and just feel captivated and included. I wanted everyone in the room to feel like they bore witness to something unique and individual, like they were a part of something that no one else will ever get to see. Above all, I valued that personal connection.

N:  What was your reason for pouring so much passion into your shows and music?

J:  There’s really no other way to write or perform. If your heart’s not in it, art stinks to high heaven. It’s only when you’re showing your scars that anything artistic can inherit its true value.

N:  What would you say was your favorite tour you were on, and why? 

J:  This is such a tough question! I really enjoyed the Cattle Decapitation tour, as well as the Thy Art Is Murder run last year. There’s something about touring with bands that you listened to in grade school that reminds you of the value and efficacy of hard work and dedication. I love sharing the stage with older musicians that haven’t lost their onstage zeal.

N:  What was your favorite thing about performing in a band as theatrical as DS? 

J:  Being onstage was such a deep, spiritual, ephemeral, visceral feeling. It was so unlike the world around me. I could fully cast aside all of my inhibitions and allow my body move exactly as it was led. For a half hour, I let myself feel comfortable in my own skin. There’s really no other feeling like that, and I’m trying to carry that sentiment with me throughout my daily life now that we’re inactive.

N: Will that level of showmanship show itself in Prison's shows as well? 

J:  Prison is a much different band than Dark Sermon. The honesty meter is cranked up to 11. There’s a deeper, more liberal sense of connection with the audience that I couldn’t achieve through DS because so many people were too scared or put off by the candles and bones to come up to the front and spend time with me on a personal level.

As requested, here's The Eyeless Needle as our featured song of the day.  Enjoy guys, and thank you Johnny for such a solid bunch of answers.

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