From the studios of w m n H ninety five point three FM in downtown
Manchester, New Hampshire. You are tuned in to the best of Matt Connerton
unleashed. The band is My Last Mile and we have Aaron and Rich from
the band My Last Mile here with us in studio. How are you guys
doing well? How are you very well? Very well? And who are
we missing? So you are actually a quartet? Yeah, we're missing in
our drummer Mike Goslin and our bassis Nick Truist. No rhythm section. I
see now. What what do you guys each do in the band? Well?
I play rhythm guitar okay, and I do a little bit of a
backup vocals okay, very good. And Aaron, how about you, I
do lead vocals and lead guitar. Excellent, excellent. Yeah, I've been
looking forward to talking to you guys because I opened the show with that song
Island, and of course, so we just are at seaside and we'll we'll
play another track in a little bit. But I love your sound. It's
you know, it's it's kind of kind of heavy rock, but it's super
catchy, you know, very melodic, just really good. Jenny. Jenny
really likes it too. She was. She was saying to me, you're
really gonna like this band, you know when when she first kind of presented
presented you guys to me, you know, she does all the book in
it, and I said, yeah, these guys are amazing. Have you
been around a long time? My Last Mile originally started in Upstate New York,
where I'm from, and I had a different lineup then, and this
was back to like twenty sixteen, oh seventeen, and we did a lot
of shows up in that Upstate New York scene. We released the EP The
Storm Is Out, and then time went on. I moved out here when
COVID started, and I kind of hung it up for a little bit.
But then Rich actually and I started jamming together and he's like, you know,
I really liked those songs. Yeah, and I would really love to
play those songs. So we had a couple of guys just you know,
to get a feel for him, and we finally got the lineup that we
actually really want and these guys all love the love the songs and we may
rehearse them every week and also working on new material as well, because like
I can't just say, hey, let's just rehearse you know, all the
old stuff. We also have to make it kind of more. It's also
kind of like a new band. It feels like sure at the same time,
Sure, it's a lot of fun. Rich What was it about the
songs that made you want to be a part of this and to work with
Aaron? Oh? The songs were definitely They're catchy, They're mostly upbeat.
I mean, it gets you bob in your head a little bit, you
know. And I just really was digging the sound and I pulled them aside
and I was like, hey, I think we should, uh, we
should bring this back. Yeah. And I was definitely like like starstruck because
this sound was so like so there, and yeah, that's that's what got
me, uh wanting to bring this back. Yeah. I feel like too.
The sound of this band, it's kind of it's got a certain timelessness
to it and that you know, it sounds contemporary, it sounds comfortable with
things that are out today, but it also, you know, twenty years
ago it would have as well, you know what I mean. There's a
certain there's just a timelessness to it where in any era I feel like these
songs would succeed on that, you know, like you said, getting your
head Bob and all whatnot. You know, it just really good stuff.
Thanks you. I'm a big fan of like old school sounding stuff. I
grew up on eighties rock and metal, Assie, Yeah, Group, Panterra,
stuff like that. To me, all that stuff was more appealing personally
than what I listened to now. But there's a lot of good monitor bands,
So we try to keep bringing like that old school influence, but we
also kind of modernize it a little bit. Yeah, definitely the idea.
Yeah, yeah, and how are these songs recorded? What's the production like,
because you know, like they sound amazing, just not only in terms
of the songs themselves, but sonically they sound really good. It's all the
amps are miked up, all the drums are miked up, and that's really
kind of it. You know. We just we do it in a we
do it digitally, but also try to stay as analog as possible when doing
it. And wow, no kidding, So it's kind of the idea you
do it all yourselves. I do a lot of the tracking. Yeah,
on our EP, The Storm Is Out, I did all the we did
all the tracking. I sent it to a guy named John Felino and Latham,
New York, and he mixed it all okay, yesterday, and then
we got back and then our old drummer, Tyler Shoemaker, who now plays
in a group called The Broken View out of Upstate New York and they're really
talented as well. Him and I did Island that EP together and he did
all the mixing and master and he went to school for it and yeah,
and that was a lot of guitar layers and okay, just weeks on it
and making just six songs. Okay, yeah, because it I mean,
every everything you sent me it sounds great. It sounds like it was,
you know, done in a million dollar studio. So that's thanks. But
we're you know, but with the technology that we have now, we're fortunate
to really be able to I mean, there's so many different ways you can
approach recording and have it sound really good. You know. So has any
of the So have you guys written anything? Are you in the process of
writing together? Because obviously these songs were all already written when you came into
the band. Rich is that all? But so many callers we actually wrote
that together. Yeah, oh cool, Okay, that's the newest one that
we've done together. Is so many excellent? Yeah, yeah, well we'll
play that in a little bit too. I'm looking forward to sharing that with
everybody. But I assume there's more in the works. Absolutely, Oh yeah,
definitely. We are putting our nose to the grindstone and uh trying to
uh you know, gives give some good stuff. Now, what about what
the other guys are they involved in the writing or is that they're gonna they're
gonna be I couldn't imagine them not wanting to be you know. Yeah,
an idea kind of spurs off of one of our heads, like with the
you know, a riff or something or a melody in the head, and
then yeah, we'd present it to them and yeah, absolutely yeah. Is
it weird for you? Is it? Is it weird playing some of these
songs with with a whole new configuration of the band or does it feel like
a normal sort of evolution of things or one thing I've noticed with our new
drummers, he kind of puts a little twist on some of them. He
plays the parts pretty much precisely, but like there's times she might just put
a little twist on things. And also and I'm fine with that. Yeah,
at first it's yeah, I can't. It was a little like this
is a little different. But as time went on, you know, it
didn't feel like it was really any different. It felt real fun. And
also just to add those little twist on the songs, like when we go
and play them live, yeah hear them, and that's that's kind of neat.
I was. I was in a band years ago that went through a
few different drummers, and I always found it kind of you know, every
drummer would who would come in would kind of put their own twist on things,
and I for me, it kind of kept it exciting, you know,
because, yeah, the songs would feel a little bit different, but
it was kind of like, okay, the song we've been playing for five
years now, it feels new in a way, you know. So so
I know what you mean about how it it. You know, you get
used to it being different than it actually kind of sounds good, you know,
with with that little bit of a twist on it. But it must
be surreal, right, some of these songs, who have played them in
the old version in a different not really different part of the country, the
Northeast, but still you know, in New York and then to and then
to be doing them here. It so, but you haven't you haven't recorded
yet with this new with the full band, or have you just a song
so many colors? Gotcha? Gotcha? Okay? Are you guys playing out
a lot to play a lot of shows. We played a little bit on
this this year, and we started playing out a little bit last year.
I know we're playing Swarmy Fest on November fourth at Jewel. Yeah. We
played Jewel a couple of times and we always have a good time there.
Yeah. And and also one thing I remember thinking when was we have a
song called Awakening that we played. I remember thinking to myself hearing it through
their sound system, just that thunderous sound. See playing live too is a
little different than the recording. You hear more of that, more of the
punch and everything. Yeah. So yeah, really excited to do that.
But yeah, once that's done, we'll probably get some more new songs written
and then just keep booking up shows. Yeah. Yeah, we're looking forward
to Swarmy Fest. Uh. You know, Jenny and I will be there
representing the show, and uh can't wait. Really looking forward to that.
Yeah, definitely can't wait. I can't wait to get up there and uh,
you know, have some fun and uh get the crowd moving, you
know. Yeah, for sure. Where are you guys from? Where where
are you Lebanon? We're both from Lebon's. It's actually funny. He's only
like five minutes down the road for me. Oh no, kid, there
are two guys live in Claremont, New Hampshire. Okay for rehearse every week.
Oh I got youa yeah, yeah, yeah, I used to.
I used to occasionally go up to West Lebanon when there was a Strawberries there
years ago, and I used to I used to go to work up there
occasionally to help out. But yeah, so what's that like an hour from
here? Or yeah? Yeah, it's about an hour. Yeah sure.
Now are are there up up there? Like what's the what's the situation?
Like as far as venues up there? Are there places to are? There
a lot of places to play or I find if you're in a cover band
doing like classic rock or a country band, you know, there's saw whole
pub and there's uh, there's probably I don't know a couple of breweries up
there. Yeah, more going toward Vermont. I find that it's it's better
for that kind of thing. Yeah, we do a couple of covers,
but we're not that type of band that plays you know, yeah, three
sets and we had we did start off doing that, but we like playing
our own stuff and incorporating a couple. We like playing with other bands as
well on a line up. Yeah, yeah, that's kind of We find
that that's more funs. You find more people and even if the venues empty,
playing to the band, right, Yeah, yeah, oh I know,
I know all about how that works. That's for sure. That's for
sure. Are the Do you guys have any particular bands that you play a
lot of shows with? You know, sometimes, I mean it kind of
happens organically by accident really, but sometimes bands have certain bands that they just
sort of team up with, do a lot of shows with d Trading Tombstones.
Oh, I love them, but those guys that they're one song I
talked to Alex a lot on Facebook. They're one song caught my eyes out.
That's like one of my go to, like daily songs I listened to
and yeah, I just love it. And then there's a new one he's
just released. But yeah, no, I find we I find we end
up with those guys. A couple of times, I feel like there's another
one I can't I can't remember. H Yeah, I can't remember their name,
but I can I see them right in front of me. I know,
I know. It's green. Tombstones is the one Jay Fad in the
Facebook live chat. He's in Vermont. He says, you live close to
Vermont. Have you ever considered growing beards? Well, Rich, you've got
quite the beard going there. We're gonna say, yeah, not not as
much as Jay Fad is one of those guys with a big long beard.
And Aaron you've got somewhat of a beard. I had a full on and
then I'm working. I'm gonna grow it back. No shave novembers around the
corner. Yeah, definitely, So mine will be a little bit bushier,
a little bit longer. Yeah. We all have facial hair in the band.
Yeah, we're all bald except Nick. Nick has long hair. Yeah.
Oh really yeah, Yeah, I got hair. It's there, it's
just undernath my hat. That's what I tell people to. We have Aaron
and Rich from my last mile here in studio with us. Where does the
name come from by the way. Gosh, that's that's a good question.
I think our old drummer Tyler, I think he came up with it.
We were just sitting at a pizza shop one time and he said something along
the lines of if i'd walk, i'd walk some mile or I'd walk a
bunch of miles to do this or something. And then he was like,
oh that, and then the other guy with us he was like, oh,
that'd be your last mile. Then I just smile it. I'm like,
how's that for a band name? And they're like, that's not bad.
Once we got we went through a couple other ones once we got some
artwork back. Oh, I want to say settled. But what were the
other ones? I love rejected band names. That's like my favorite thing.
What like what what my last name? West Fall was one. I remember
that. Okay, I didn't want to do that, really, I didn't
want to play the whole solo artist thing or the Yeah, I mean west
Fall is not a bad name for a band, but but I can see
where, Yeah, you didn't want to you wouldn't want to do that necessarily
rejected. Actually we had deviation for a little bit. Yeah, and what
do we have that for like at least a month, didn't we at least
a year? Was it a year? Oh? Really? Like a month?
Oh wow, I think that. I don't think there were a lot
I can't remember. Yeah, yeah, my last mile is a good name.
Thanks, I dig it. It's got a certain a gravita us.
Now, how many do you guys have a full album or have you just
put out singles? At this point to two EPs? Two EPs came is
out. I came out in twenty seventeen, and then ILAND was twenty twenty.
Okay, has the sound changed over time? I mean, obviously it's
it's had to have changed a little bit because you're you're playing with different guys,
But I mean, has a has it the sound and style overall changed
at all? Or vocally? Probably a little bit because I'm not twenty two
anymore. They're pretty high, but I still but I still like to hit
high notes. I don't like to scream much. But we were trying to
push, like so many callers is a lot. I think that push is
going to push us more into a heavier, kind of a darker direction.
Yeah's just kind of what we want for this next EPH. Where are are
you. Where are you from originally, Aaron, because yeah, you don't
sound like you're from here necessarily. No, I'm originally from Saratoga, New
York, Okay, okay? And Rich did you grow up here? Yep,
I grew up here. I been in New Hampshire all my life.
Okay, well, very good. Let's uh yeah, let's play what was
the name of that song? The one, the one you guys were just
talking about. Uh? Oh, I found it so many colors we should
uh, we should give this a listen. And then so what what should
we know about this track? This is the one you guys wrote together?
Is that correct? Yes? Okay? Cool? And so this is the
first one you guys wrote together, and anything else we should know about this?
This this must be the newest one, right, Yeah, not our
current drummer Mike Goslin, but are We had a guy who was with us
for a little bit, Paul Picard, Yeah, who also plays in Robin
V group around the area. And I think I think there's another group you
might play with. But he actually played drums on this song, oh okay,
And we sent it to a guy named Ian McDonald in New York and
he did the mixta mastering, so we we did all the tracking together and
then Paul did the drums on it. And Paul's also in the music video
for it. Oh cool. And then there was another guy named Chris Rai
Jeski who actually came in and played lead guitar on it. Okay, cool
cool. By the way, with drummers, doesn't it seem like every drummer
is in like multiple like drummers basis five or six different bands. Oh yeah,
I have a theory about that. I think the I think the reason
for that is, you know, when you're growing up and you develop an
interest in playing a musical instrument and you have to talk to your parents about
it, you know, the last thing they want to encourage you to take
up is drums. Absolutely, So that's that's my theory. So every drummer
isn't and bass players are an I demand too, but drummers, like,
it's just it's crazy. Every yeah, every drummer I know is in like
twelve bands. All right, let's give this a listen. This is really
good. This is so many colors. This is my last mile here.
Check this out. They called it Santa, you are the bas on my
dreams, suspect you bess you rest your tellt in not the guy, I'm
an angel show I'm the one who can show you I am, and you
should not save I one ly bad batcher. You cannot be you. There
is nothing you can do for yourself. There's no serving back as you got
you to hell. You should have though the slong go. You should not
before I show your somebody count there's so many sides. This isn't messing liked
Sam given so many count yet this successible place, this says it doesn't like
Dan's rich card. Get about your best friend till the all I stop by
your side with you and not again. It's not my boss. You don't
that sign you are not forgive. There must be some way to say so
till my han you descending to help. I hate to say I told you
so. You're trying to wait here how so far? But somebody come.
It's somebody else. It's just as every days an not so many go you
mississ some thousand like ds not here they do. It's on so many so
many guess says some thousand like that sound down not so many times uses side
says some dos it like the start here they breaking sound where stories. So
it's somebody size this sis a dozen like that? So many cats you pen
socidal things, necess a, that's it that there's a chidden. It's not
so many gass side there's some does it? I'm like the r so many
cats you are my societies, the accessive thousand, there's my Chimney card.
So the rays my Last Mile and the track is called so Many Colors.
That is great, really really catchy. We've got a couple of the guys
from the band here, but we've got we've have Aaron and Rich from the
band My Last Mile in studio with us. Yeah, that's a great track,
guys, So many Colors. And so that's now the newer material that
you're writing together. Is it similar? Is it? Because that's I think
that's the heaviest of the ones that you sent me. Is that Are these
are the new ones kind of heavy like that? Or do they vary?
Or I would say yes, they definitely will get heavier as they come.
Yeah, but if they're still they're in the works, yeah for sure.
And and Aaron, are you writing all the lyrics still? Are you the
Yeah? Primarily? Yeah, I mean I get you know, subject matter,
I'll get him influenced and such. But usually I kind of write like
I'll have a vocal melody in my head and I'll just you know, add
the lyrics to that kind of Yeah. Is there any kind of a theme
to your lyrics, any kind of an overarching theme or approach or some of
it's personal? A lot of it's actually personal, But I kind of just
write. Again for me, like songwritings more of a spur of the moment
kind of thing. If it's in my head, if it's something I can
nod my head to and that I really like, you know, that's kind
of where I think, oh, this might actually be a good song.
And so as far as the theme goes, not so much. It's kind
of just just based on what I'm feeling, you know, certain things I've
experienced in the past, certain things I'm experiencing now. That's kind of where
it all comes from. Sure, Sure, we have a question for you
in the Facebook lot Chata Isaac Banks, who is from I know exactly where
he is in the South Greensboro, North Carolina. He says, speaking of
interesting questions, my last mile, how are you fellas, what's your favorite
hoodie? And the Blowfish song, let her cry, I'm doing great,
it's awesome. Thank you asking that. I don't think I've actually listened to
Hoody and the Blowfish, so you mean recently or ever ever? Fair enough,
but I'm doing well. Thank you for adking. I was waiting for
him to say wagon Wheel. Oh goodness, let her cry. That was
a huge Uh that was a huge song. My god, Yeah they were.
They were the biggest thing out there in the mid nineties. Have you
guys opened for you guys open for any national acts that have come through the
area or not here. In twenty seventeen, My Last Mile did do a
warp tour appearance on Long Island. Oh no kidding. Yeah, it was
like a local you know, we're the local band, sure from way up
north. I got picked and we went. It was like fifteen twenty minutes,
but was well worth it. Oh that's cool. Remember that year they
had Eye Prevail. Gosh, Shape Reed was somewhere nice still maybe Chelsea might
have been August Burns Red. It was a much heavier year for warp for
and then the following year in twenty eighteen, that was the last year they
did it, and then they stopped doing it. I was kind of bummed
about that. Yeah, twelve, So twenty eighteen was the last warp to
her. Huh, I know twenty nineteen they did select shows, but like,
oh, okay, yeah, gotcha, gotcha. Did you get to
see Hate Breed while you were there? Absolutely? Yeah. Yeah. I
used to be in a band called First Shove and we used to play.
We used to cover. We did very few covers, but we we we
would do a last Breath, which was honestly my favorite part of our set.
It's so quick though, it goes by so fast. It's such a
short song. But just the adrenaline of playing that. Yeah, but I've
never seen them live. That must have been cool. That must have been
That must have been cool. Now what so? What? Uh? What
brought you to New Hampshire? Like did you did you guys know each other
prior to you come in here? No, my fiance she lured you here.
Yeah. I was living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the time.
Man, just oh we met and yeah I've been here ever since.
We were still together. That How long were how long did you live in
Myrtle Beach? A year? Okay? Yeah, I have family down there,
and I I thought why not? But then I realized I'm not a
Southern especially this time of year. I'm very I like the seasons a lot.
I like this time of year is like my favorite time of year.
And I felt like when I was down there, just you know, the
leaves never change, like at Christmas time. It's cool, But at Christmas
time you'll be driving through like a neighborhood and you'll see like all the Christmas
decorations and then just a palm tree and grass. It's just not the same.
I mean, seeing the snow and decoration. I guess see, I'm
the opposite. I would love that. I love that. I love it
a spring and summer my times, I I don't like. I don't like
fall because well because of what it leads to the winter and dragon that is
true. Yeah, it gets colder and then yeah, I don't want to
do this. Yeah, Like I think I think I would do fine down
south. How about you, rich, you think you'd you do all right
down there? No, because I'm in New Hampshire too, I'd probably like,
yeah, me too, That's why I think. That's why I think
I would do well down there. No, But I do love New Hampshire
too. There's a lot to there's a lot to love here. Oh yeah,
definitely a hunting fishing. That's that's my game toward this time. Yeah.
See, I don't hunter fish. I don't do any outdoorsy things.
I'm terrified of deer ticks and there's wild animals. You know, you could
be eaten by a bear or a mountain lion or something. It's true,
the blair Witch is out in the woods. I think I saw a movie
about that once, and that's that's very frightening. But no, in the
winter, I'd like to be able to just teleport from one room, one
warm place to another, you know, I think that'd be great. But
no, But in the summertime, it's it's beautiful here certainly. Now everything
every everything that the band has is all it's all up on the streaming services,
right, it's on Spotify and everything, Modify, YouTube, iTunes,
gosh, I haven't even looked at iTunes, and it's on Ideas, yeah,
I think, yeah, we use a distro kid and yeah, it's
all on every streaming service now for those who don't know, so distro Kid
obviously, how do you find them? Is that a good service. I
hear mixed reviews from people. I've never personally had a problem with them.
Yeah, it's just you know, you pay X amount a year, Yeah,
and sometimes you might pay a little bit more if you want it,
like you know, if you want your EP, your album or single or
whatever out on a certain day. Yeah. Yeah, I personally have never
had a problem with them. I mainly only use it though, to just
upload tracks and maybe check stats and little er things. But yeah, I
personally never had a problem with them. Now, do you guys have any
physical copies of your CDs? I get I get such varied answers on this
because it seems like to a lot of artists that physical media is still really
important, which surprises me sometimes. And then to a lot of artists it's
like what what physical media? Why what y're with? So I encountered very
different attitudes about it. So I'm curious how you guys feel about it,
and if if you have any actual physical discs, I'd say they will be
coming at some point, but we normally just have our stuff on Spotify and
yeah, YouTube and iTunes and all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, I
think the storm is out back when that was when we released that we did.
We did a couple of gigs in Albany and sarah Toogua, New York.
We I think we made a couple of copies and yeah, I think
at the time, gosh, you might have used CD baby maybe and they
they made all the copies and a little of the artwork and a sleeve and
put the disc in. But yea, Honestly, I'm a big fan of
physical music. I'm actually really a big fan of DVDs. I collect horror
DVDs, like that's my collector's item. I love horror films and DVDs,
and that's my that's my thing. I love a DVD. Yeah, especially
if like your Internet goes out or something. You have your player, you
can plug it in, you know what I mean, You're not just sitting
there bored in the dark. All yeah, you know. But for us
though, I at the moment, no, we don't have any physical anything
physical. Yeah. It's interesting how how different artists approach it differently. I
mean a lot of some artists now too well. I mean obviously all the
majors, you know, they put everything out on vinyl. But I've I've
even met the local artists from the area who will do like a run of
vinyl. But it's apparently, from what I'm told, it's extremely expensive to
do it. It's really cost prohibitive. Yeah. Yeah, it's the biggest
mistake I ever made. I've had a whole bunch of vinyl records, probably
about the size of the desk. I'sit in front of it. Yeah.
I shipped them all to my friend in Texas and for three hundred dollars,
and I was just some all of those things. They're heavy and they pick
up space. It's just one of those things I wish I never got rid
of. Oh really yeah, yeah, how much did it cost a ship?
About one hundred and fifty I think I did one hundred, So yeah,
it was very expensive. Yeah I can imagine. Yeah. Yeah,
they're just heavy, right, Oh yeah, yeah absolutely. I was shocked
a few years ago. I was on band camp and uh, when I
real this was maybe five or six years ago, so this trend may have
already passed. But I was shocked to see some artists selling cassette tapes like
cassettes were back, you know, and and and it's like, I I
mean, I guess if you're a fan of tape hissts. You know that's
cool, but but I was. I was just shocked. And the first
one I found, I was like, oh, is this a joke?
Is this? Like I realized, I know a lot of these artists are
are are selling cassettes, and of course most people who buy them probably never
actually play them. They're just buying them because they like that artist, and
oh it's cool to have a cassette, you know. But it's it's just
it's fascinating to me to see what technology comes and goes, what what sticks
around that you don't think is going to stick around, and and what does
end up going away that you think is going to be here forever. You
know. It's it's it's very interesting to me. But uh, now,
so as far as so you've got you've got two EPs, and then do
you have any singles that are not on that are only singles that are not
on one of the EPs as of right now, it's uh, it's so
many colors. We did a shine Down cover a couple of years ago,
and that I think also we released maybe as a single. Yeah, oh
okay, but we uh yeah, so many colors that will probably go on
to our next EP, may not if we have a different if the songs
are in a completely different theme than that, yeah, or if they're even
if we decided to go a different route with mixing or whatever, then obviously
we would probably just leave it as a single and go on go forth with
that. But as of right now, mainly So Many Colors is the only
one that's a single. Our songs are on what what shindown song? Did
you cover? Sound of Madness? Okay, Oh that's a great song.
Yeah. I I when Shineedown was really big, I got I got pretty
sick of them because what was the really big song? Second Chance? Right?
Oh? Yeah? Was it that one? Was it that one?
Or was there? Was there another one that was really big? No?
I think it was Secon Yeah it was second Chance. Oh god. I
grew to hate that song because I heard it so much. But then I
heard Sound of Madness and I was like, Okay, I like them again.
That's a great track. That's a good album, the whole album.
I've never heard the whole thing. Is it good? Yeah? But I
can I can imagine you guys doing that song, because I can. I
can hear it in my head with your voice. He's a hard guy.
To replicate, is he yeah, really hard? Yes? Are they still
around yes? Shine down? Yeah? Yeah. Sometimes it's hard to keep
track of who's still. Like I just found out the other day the Godsmack
is is going to be uh playing I think at this SNeW arena And I
was like, I didn't even know they were touring. That's news to me
too. Yeah, No, I had no idea. Let's uh, well,
let's play another track because we still have Let's see, oh every Night
that's the other one. Anything anything we should know about this twenty seventeen just
a band written song. No, I guess really really yeah, it's colorful.
I like, uh I wrote that about I get asked, like we
were talking about this rehearsal and somebody's like, oh, it's every Night,
I think that. Isn't that a relationship song? I said, no,
it's not. It's not you. It's written to make you think that,
but it's really not why I personally wrote it. Oh okay, yeah,
all right, all right, do you want to tell us why or is
or do you want to keep that a mystery? It goes kind of in
the lines of like alcoholism issues, addiction issues and all that stuff. So
that's kind of it's basically like kind of being on a amster wheel. Yeah,
yeah, gotcha. Thing, so something a lot of us can relate
to. Certainly, all right, let's give this a listen. So this
is called every Night. This is the band My Last Mile. Check this
out. I can't believe if you said that you to recycle, you're nine
this. I feel less spell seeking after your agree agree says my days my
song play and I have sat shore sa good times. I can't. But
you said that you to side cold. You know this? I feel this
the band is my last smile. That guys, it's been wonderful to have
you here. I love the music. Uh, And I was Aaron,
I was sending you off air too. I love the solo on that.
That's that's really good. That's really good. We should uh. I Obviously
you're very googleable, as I like to say, if you if you google
My Last Mile, actually, if you google my Last Mile band, I
think that's probably the easiest way to find you. But of course you're on
all the social media right and everything. And yep we have a Facebook page.
Yeah, so if you find us My Last Mile on Facebook and subscribe,
that'd be great, yep, follow us YouTube and then we're in the
midst of making a website. Our basis is a cyber guy. I don't
know what he does, he's an engineer. Oh yeah, we're going to
work with him and getting that all getting all situated in coming weeks. Oh,
very good, very good. Yeah yeah, And now what do you
have coming up? So you're gonna be a swarmy fest obviously that's coming up
in November. Do you guys have shows before then leading up to that or
no, we're kind of getting we're kind of just getting everything tight for that,
and we're in the midst of making some new music. Yeah at the
moment. And do you have probably too soon to know, but you have
any kind of an et a on when we might hear some new stuff for
oh really oh Christmas time? Oh fantastic, fantastic. Well, we'll have
to have you back when when that's ready, because I definitely want to definitely
want to play and talk to you guys. Yeah, we love to come
back. Yeah, it's great, absolutely, absolutely, And guys, thank
you again Aaron and rich from uh from my Last mile. This has been
great. Guys from the studios of w m N H ninety five point three
FM in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. You are tuned in to the best
of Matt Connerton unleashed. Let's go ahead get those mics up for you,
guys. We're going to introduce our great musical guests. So we have on
the couch H Matt Collier and you are from the band Witch Trot. Yes,
and is it by the way, is it one word or two?
I can't. I can't figure out online if it's one word or two depends
on the month. Yeah, it is one word, but is the Is
the second syllable also capitalized? Yes? Oh? Okay, so I got
it right then in the Facebook post I made earlier. That's good. That's
good. So we have Matt Collier is here and Edward McPherson. Am I
saying last name correctly? That is how it's pronounced. Very impressive. You
got it right the first time, because a lot of people don't. Why
what do people usually say McPherson. They usually say McPherson. As far as
I understand it, I think McPherson is the Irish way and mc person is
the Scottish way. Oh, I think so you're Scottish of Scottish descent,
and Scottish people get upset if you say things the Irish way, right and
assume it's the same, because it's not the same. You're different. At
that point, you're in over my head. See I'm Irish, so I
I understand these things. But by the way, you guys are getting some
love in the Facebook live chat already. Let's see, we have Adam Jocelyn
from able Blood. We were talking about able Blood off air a little bit.
Uh. He says, Hello, Matt ce and hello witch Trot.
What's up? Fellas? And Isaac Banks in the chat room says witch Trot
rocks all right, yeah yeah, and I thought there was another and Malcolm
Sols says, says witch Trot rules. Let's see. I think there might
be some other people in here too. It's a very very busy chat room,
which we love to see. And now if you're watching online, you
can see that Matt has an acoustic guitar with him, so we're gonna hear
some music. Matt's gonna play something for us from the band, and we're
also we have a brand new and I think it'll be the world radio premiere
right of this newly remastered song that we're gonna play it a little bit.
Yes, very nice. We like the world radio premieres around here, very
very good. But I don't should we go ahead and and have you play?
I'm dying to hear you play. But but but before we do that,
can you tell us what it is that you're gonna play? Is this
a is this a witch trot song or a solo thing or what have you
got for us? Yeah? This is a witch trot song. It's one
of the ones we recorded at off a Maker studio. We just got it
mastered, so this will be the first time anyone would be hearing it really
Yeah, very cool, Yeah, very cool. All right, well yeah,
if you want to uh now, what is this called parallax? Parallax?
Okay, all right, yeah, if you're ready, Matt, I'm
dying to hear you play. Morn the absence of oh your restless peaks to
the place off and swander, scrounging of what I'm indifferent to, motivated by
survival, I never want to miss this, remember ants, could you just
leave me alone? No play some melody? Why should I tie all of
these vacancy and give a fuir new life? Taking the shape of limitless blight,
A fly to run slow, sound, a pushing paul, the papering
off affection, glyss sins through worried about recluse, A carry the fire in
the road so I can fly kite through humanity? Was our business taking turns
for a wetness to catch up mantista clean or ground a never on a shrug
this tantarness. I could you preach through my pous ah, playback this melody
and climb new heights away from the smell melody. Let's give it a try.
Break for v sipity or showers shits bite, A fly to run slow,
a fly to run slow, A fly to run slow, fly to
run slow. I portrayed some for you today, and I play some for
melody. Where should I tie all of these vacanciason. Let's give it a
try. Break forth the melody or showerish shits bite, fly to run slow?
Very nice, very nice. I like that a lot. I like
that a lot. Adam Jocelyn in the chat room, of course from Abel
Blood says, such a unique voice. You do have a unique voice.
Your your uh, your vocal delivery is very raw, but but I like
it. Thank you how I mean, is there anyone who inspires you vocally
that you kind of try to sound like or or or who has influenced the
way that you sing because it is it is unique. Yeah, it's definitely
a lot of the grunge nineties music like Kirk Obain, Kevin Rossdale. Yeah
yeah, Pete Hamilton from Helmet, those are my vocal influences. Yeah,
yeah, very cool. Now now the two of you is is are the
two of you witch Trot? Or are there other members? Because I know
I saw I saw at least one video online, a live video where it
was just the two of you. Yeah, right now, it's the two
of us. We've had my girlfriend Ed's sister Meghan fill in on bass for
us for some shows. Yeah, great band. Yeah, so but for
right now, like just the two of us. And uh now, how
long have the two of you been in the spand like, are you both
original members of Witch Trot? No, but I've been in the band for
about four years now. Okay, so but no, Matt's been. Matt's
had this thing going since he was like god sixteen or something. Yeah,
okay, okay, And then how did the two of you meet and come
to work together through the Stone Church. Yeah, it was through a through
a mutual acquaintance the guitarist of a band that was formerly in called Marvel Prone.
Oh, Marvel Pro. Wait a minute, have you been here before?
I have not? You have? You have not? They have?
I left that band a year age ago? Okay, this is I'm like
because you said that, I'm like, wait a minute, have we have
we met before? No? It's funny, how you know the scene,
it's like this, It's ah, so many people move around in different bands.
Okay, so you were in Marvel Prone. Interesting, I was in
Marvel Prone, and I believe Rayner, the band leader of Marvel Prone and
Matt met each other at the Stone Church sometime and Matt mentioned that he needed
a drummer. So okay, put us in contact with each other. Oh
cool cool? And then so now what about so you had a bass player?
Did you have a regular bass player before Megan or yeah for a while?
Yeah, ok yep, okay? And then how long were they in
the band? Two years? Two years? Yeah? So now do so,
but you guys do some shows where it's just the two of you if
Megan's not available or how does that work I think we have done that before.
Yeah, because I'm pretty sure, Like I said, I'm pretty sure.
I saw a YouTube video where it was just the two of you,
and I think somebody whoever posted it put in the description something about, uh,
even even without a bass player, these guys were or something, or
maybe it was one of the comments in the video. But I feel like
that happened once. It's kind of I feel like you could say playing with
a bass player is a is best practice. Yeah, but I think once
in a pinch, we did do it, just the two of us.
Yeah, yeah, I mean there's there's others that have that have done it
and and made it work. But yeah, there's there's nothing quite like having
you know, you want to have that bottom end if you know, if
you can't, you know, like I saw Local H once in Boston years
ago, and uh, but it's obvious, you know, it was just
the two guys, but it was obvious that I can't remember his name for
the life of me, the guitar player. You know that he had an
effect that you know, gave him extra bottom end. And and I've I've
I've seen bands do that, not very many, but now so, so
how long has the band been around total? Because because you said you've been,
you've been doing it for it. But was there another drummer before Edward?
Yeah, there were some other projects a little different from which tr that
I had started up, but witch Trout was fairly new when ed joined.
Okay maybe six months Okay, yeah I didn't even know that. Yeah,
yeah, so I had it was. It was pretty much similar genres but
just different band names. But I I separate witch Trut from that. Yeah,
it's different. Yeah, Fredo was in the Facebook live chat. Uh.
Yeah, I was gonna say, you guys, bust know Alfredo everybody,
right. I do enjoy, oh, absolutely absolutely. Fredo has been
on the show a number of times. I do enjoy saying his full name
when I see him in the chat room Alfredo Enrique Benavitez. But yeah,
Dank Sinatra, Cosmic Blossom, great great stuff, you know, and he
posts a lot of solo videos too. That it's just such a such an
enormously talented guy, really good on the show too. We gotta get him,
get him back on. Yeah, Ronda Favera, you know when I
was asking you about your vocal style, Ronda from our friend from California.
She said, kind of minds are of Nirvana, So that makes sense.
Yeah, are you are you self taught vocally or what about? Now?
What about on guitar? You ever take lessons or are you self taught?
I haven't take lessons that Yeah, I'm self taught. Wow. Yeah that
always that always impresses me. How about you? Edward? On the drums,
I had drum lessons for like two years, like the first year I
played, and then I went a few years without. Yeah, then I
took lessons for another year. I've been playing for like eleven years, so
I had lessons for two of them. Okay, Okay. I like to
think I'm pretty good at self teaching. Yeah, like like actually working on
things and not just screwing around. Right right, that's good. And are
you in any other bands? Because most drummers I meet are in like ten
different bands because there's just not a lot of drummers around. I've been their
homie. Yeah. I'm currently in one other band, a metalcore band from
New Market called Proelium. Actually, the guitarist of Proelium, a dude named
Darius, was the drummer of witch Trout before I was Oh no, kidding.
Yeah, oh wow, So it's all so it's the music scene.
It's like incestuous in a way. Yeah, but not in that way,
you know what I mean. I mean we are in the Northeast after all,
so but no, but yeah, so that's interesting. So the reason
I say that is the reason I asked that is there's just been a trend
where, like I have these bands on and everybody's drummer is in like multiple
bands. And I have a theory about that. I think it's because when
you're growing up and you first start getting interested in playing a musical instrument,
and you have to kind of have the talk with your parents like, hey,
I want to take up an instrument. If you express an interest in
the drums, your parents are probably going to try to talk you out of
that and say, well how about guitar or something, you know, something
where you're not going to be making a lot of noise. So so what
that ends up happening is you end up with just not a lot of drummers
around because you know, parents don't want their kids growing up playing drums and
making all that noise. That's my theory. Anyway, bass players tend to
be in high demand too, but I think drummers especially, Yeah, I
think your theory is pretty spot on for drummers. I think for bass players
it's just because everybody wants to play guitar, guitarists get the glory. Yeah,
yeah, you know most bands have a guitarist playing bass. Really right.
Well, it's funny because I so I'm a bass player, but I
started out on guitar when I was a kid. I took guitar lessons and
never took a bass lesson. But I took guitar lessons. But unfortunately,
I was one of those kind of lazy kids that if I wasn't good at
something really fast, I would get discouraged. And so I was getting discouraged
with the guitar and I wasn't putting the work in to really practice it.
And then when I was in high school, I picked up a bass,
you know, just hanging out with some friends playing music. And bass players
hate when I say this, but it's it's just the reality of it.
I picked up a bass, and I said, oh, too, fewer
strings and I don't have to learn any chords. I think I found my
instrument and and but yeah, I mean it worked out. I went on,
you know, I played in a bunch of bands and and uh so
I did find my instrument. But it kind of sucks that it happened the
way that it did because it was out of my own laziness. But it's
true though. And bass players hate when I say that because it, you
know, it makes it sound like, oh, the bass is easy and
to play. It's not easy to play the bass really well, but if
you just want to be you know what I always say. I was never
good, but I was always good enough. And bass players being in not
as high demand as drummers, but in sort of high demand, you know,
you end up playing you can you can be just okay and end up
in a bunch I was in a bunch of different bands at once, actually,
But but yeah, drummers, I mean so many drummers who were just
in just in tons of bands. Uh So, maybe we should maybe we
should talk about this more after we play the single. But I don't want
to forget to ask you this in terms of influences, Edward. I when
I was listening to the you know, because Matt sent me the single earlier
that we're going to play in a couple of minutes, well, first of
all, overall, I got kind of a Sabbath vibe from it, and
I definitely got a bill Ward vibe from your drumming. And I'm curious,
is he an influence of yours or that's a that's an interesting question. I
think your your pills, your drum fills remind me a lot of Bill Ward,
and he's one of my favorites. So it's you know, it's please
take it as a compliment. Oh, I absolutely do. I love Black
Sabbath, Yeah, always have. I don't consider bill Ward specifically an influence,
but I do consider that kind of music and Black Sabbath's contemporaries to be
a great influence. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, Well what are tell me
about? Who are some of your influences? Really? I'm just a sucker
for all of the great prog rock drummers. Yeah, Neil Peart, Phil
Collins, those are probably the biggest two. Who else? I always my
head always goes blank when people ask me things like that. Yeah, that's
okay, that's all right. It kind of puts it on the spot.
Phil Collins is a surprise to me though, because I don't know, I
never really hear anyone say so. Is Phil Collins? I know this kind
of an ongoing debate that I've seen online in some forums. Is Phil Collins
a great drummer? In your opinion? Phil Collins is the man, no
kidding, But you have to listen to the early Genesis albums to figure it
out. He also has other bands. He has, like a jazz fusion
band that I haven't listened too much from. Yeah, but honestly, if
you like bill Ward, yeah, you would probably dig Phil Collins drumming on
the early Genesis albums because that is a very similar, low jazzy, feely
style, if you know what I mean. It's not rigid at all.
He's very much just like sinking into the music. See that surprises me because
I guess the more commercial Genesis stuff that came out later, I feel like
his drumming is very rigid. But but I have but I have heard some
early Genesis with when Peter Gabriel was singing, and now that you mention it,
yeah, his drumming was different. I know what you mean. Yeah,
I'll have to go back and listen to some of that. Yeah,
you're getting some support on that in the chat room, right, DJ Midas
as Phil Collins is a phenomenal drummer. Malcolm Salz says, any Genesis album
he wasn't allowed to sing on was incredible. That's a great way of putting
it. Although I love Phil's voice. Phil's got a great voice. But
I but I understand. I understand what he means, because that makes sense
if you're talking about the earlier stuff before Phil took over on vocals, and
Fredo says, uh, brand X. Actually, let me read these in
order. Fredo said Phil Collins was a masterful drummer. Check out his fusion
band. His fusion band brand X. Brand X is Phil Collins displaying his
jazz prowess and crazy Prague chops. Interesting. Interesting. Oh, and Malcolm
had said earlier Phil Collins and early Genesis is some of the best Prague you
will ever hear. Interesting. Yeah, I'll have to I'll have to go
back and give that another listen. Okay, Yeah, it's coincidentally several months
ago I happened to hear I cannot even remember what album it's on. It
was on one of their really commercially successful albums, Genesis with Phil on lead
vocals. But the song is Domino. Did you know that song? I
do not know that song. Yeah, it's it's from It's it's again.
It's from their really commercial period. But but I just remember listening to that
song and I'm listening to the drum track, and I'm thinking, you know,
this, this song would be so much better if the drums weren't so
you know, they sound it sounded like programmed drums. I don't know if
it was actually him playing or if it was all programmed, but I remember
thinking, this song would be so cool if you know, it was Phil
Collins without drumming, without all the effects and everything. But it was,
you know, it was like the mid nineteen eighties. You know, I
lived through it. It was. Everything was very sort of overproduced in that
way. But I'll have to go back and listen to some early Phil Collins
or some early some more early Genesis, and I'll have to check out Brand
I didn't even know about brand X, so that must have been the band
he was in before Genesis maybe, or I don't really know. There might
have been some overlap. Yeah, yeah, interesting, No, I'm very
curious. Now Now how about you? How about you, Matt In terms
of influences, I mean, we talked a little bit about your vocals,
but how about guitar or just the overall vibe. Like I said, I
get a heavy Sabbath vibe from Witch Trout. Yeah. I really like the
Melvins. I can hear it. Yeah, I like Houdini. That's probably
my favorite from them. Stoner which is another one I really like. Of
course, Nirvana and Utero is one of my favorite albums. Yeah, and
I love Black Sabbath as well. Sleep is a cool band. Electric Wizard,
a lot of that doomy type rock and as well as the grunge stuff
I've always been a fan of. Yeah, yeah, oh, Fredo and
the chat Room says regarding Phil Collins, he didn't need to, he didn't
need to give us his all on the Tarzan soundtrack, but he did.
Yeah, when the Tarzan soundtrack, I remember when that came out, and
I remember kind of thinking, yeah, he's definitely entered his Uh, he's
moved from his rock face to his adult contemporary face. Actually he had probably
done that long before that. But yeah, I understood. He can't even
he can't even really, it's hard for him to stand up now, Phil
Collins, like you see do you see any videos from that last from the
Genesis Farewell to her. It's kind of it's kind of heartbreaking. You feel
bad for him, you know, although miraculously his voice still sounds pretty good.
Oh his voice is great. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, just a
poor guy. He can't it's hard for him to move around. And you
know, but drums is such a physical instrument too, that you know,
if there's anything you're going to get injured playing, it's that. I suppose.
Well, we should get to this track since we've been talking about how
you guys sound. Now again, is this noms Thomas? Is that how
you pronounce it? Yes? Okay, now what does that mean? No
more Thomas. So I have a friend named Thomas, and he's I can
tell it's this will be a good story by Edward's reaction. Well, he
he's very unpredictable and like he's always he always does very like wild things,
like I've always and like he's younger than me, so I've always kind of
been like I've acted like the older brother in some ways. So I'm always
like Thomas, no, don't do that, especially in public, or he's
gonna watch this and be like right. But yeah, so yeah, that's
that's why I called it no more, Thomas, and I've told him that
and he thinks it's pretty cool. That's cool. I thought maybe it was
Latin or something very cool. All right, let's give this a listen.
Where was this recorded, by the way, Alfa Omega Studios. And where
is that that's in Massachusetts? Some town in Massachusetts I've never heard of before.
Okay, all right, cool, Let's give this a listen and then
we'll come back and we'll talk some more with these guys. Check this out.
This is witch Trot. This is brand new, newly remastered and world
radio premiere. Mm h muss spots, subsos, m hmm. By Heaven,
why your pass way, the new ass came, the fast, the
sacrifice, surpass the holy exercise, please the Holy One who will win a
job on the jars. Mm hmmm, oh that is so good. No,
miss Thomas, am I saying that right? Mats no mos no no
Moss Thomas, Yes, from the band Witstrot, and we have Matt and
Edward from the band here with us alive in studio. That is the world
radio premiere of that track. And I love it. You know what's cool?
Is it? Kind of the song fools you I'm sure I'm not the
only one who's made this observation, But when I was listening to it for
the first time, I was like, Oh, it's an instrumental. And
then the vocal finally shows up, but it's so far into the song,
but it's like a cool surprise when the vocal comes in. I was like,
Oh, it's not an instrumental. I like that, Like, did
you do that intentionally or is that just kind of how the song developed?
That was actually done intentionally. A lot of the stoner rock doomy stuff band
Sleep does that a lot. They'll have a lot of instrumentals and then they'll
sing, and then they'll stop and do a lot of long instrumentals and then
continue back into singing. Yeah, yeah, no, I like that.
It's cool. It's kind of a cool twist. Yeah, Fredo in the
chat room says long intro. Fredo also said too earlier, you know,
the Melvins came up as an influence, and Fredo said, up, Melvins
are one of the most influential badass bands ever. They did more for grunge,
sludge and underground music in general than any of their contemporaries. Yeah,
definitely, the Melvins, very very influential, but kind of unsung heroes.
And you know one of those bands that you know, musicians know the Melvins,
but non musicians never even heard of them. It is one of those
kinds of bands. Yeah, so we've got the guys here from witch Trot.
By the way, so where does the name come from? Witch Trot.
I assume you came up with that, Matt, because you're the like,
the original, the founding member. Yeah. Yeah, Well there's several
wits Trout roads in Maine. I noticed that. I noticed that when I
googled you guys, and I was like, oh, this is a common
thing in Maine. Yeah. Yeah, And well the name came about was
Maine was part of Mount to Choose. That's during the Salem witch Trials,
and they brought down a preacher or parson from Maine, and the road is
called witch Trot Road. That was trotting down, which which is on horseback.
They would commonly do that and and pick that name because it was it
signified like judgment and symbolized the road to judgment when those witches were crossing over.
Yeah. Yeah, I thought that was cool. Yeah, No,
it's a cool name. Now, how many songs have you? Is this
the only Is this the first song that you've done in that studio in North
Reading or do you have others that you're working on or we would like to
go back soon. We have two other ones I played. Parallax was one
of them, and I played the acoustic version of that. Yeah, we
have a song called Hello Dmitri that that's also was recorded at Alpha Omega.
Oh okay, Yeah, we're gonna We're gonna sorry, we're going to release
those hopefully tonight tomorrow. Oh okay, yeah, oh okay, Yeah,
I'd love to hear Hello Dmitri. So that'll be so at some point this
weekend that'll be available, yes, online. Very cool, Very cool.
And what's the writing process, like, do you guys write together or do
you come up with the ideas initially and then bring them netword or how does
that work? It's sort of they always originate with Matt. You know,
I like to consider myself a valuable part of the band, but it's always
been Matt's songs that we're playing. Yeah, he sometimes he comes at me
or me and whoever former basis was in the band at the time with a
completed idea, But usually it's just like, you know, an intro of
verse and a chorus and we jam on it for a while. Someone might
make a few suggestions. Yeah, they come together very organically and as a
consequence, somewhat inefficiently. Sometimes it kind of takes a while for them to
reach their final form. Really yeah, like, how long like, uh,
to develop a song does it take? Does it take days? Weeks?
A couple practices? Yeah? Okay, yeah yeah yeah, because Edward,
what what you're doing on the drums that that that winds up becoming you
know, even if the idea doesn't start with you, I mean you you
are really kind of contributing to how the song forms because your drum patterns are
complex and you know, it's it's not it's not like, you know,
you're not the guy from ac DC sitting over there. You're actually really you
know, not nothing against a c DC, but you're really you know,
you're really helping to form and shape that song with what you're doing on the
drums. Yeah, so I scer them, you could say. Sometimes sometimes
it's something as simple as like a bro, what if we like this?
Right? But it's being humble. But like for especially Nomas Tomas. That
song, the breakdown at the end, that wouldn't have happened, you know
without the drums. A lot of the drum definitely, the drum carry like
all the songs. Yeah, it's just you know, I have a rough
draft really and then it forms into something. Yeah, I wouldn't have expected
right right now now in studio? Now, who's playing bass in studio?
Are you doing that yourself? Or is Megan doing that? Or who's our
friend? Tony Woodman played bass on that actually? Oh okay, Yeah,
he has a band, Black Headdress. I drummed for for that band and
he helped us out a lot. See. Now that's a twist on this
whole drummer thing. So there's this other band that you play drums in.
See is it what's your first instrument? Is drums your first instrument? Or
or is a guitar? It was? It was drums was the first thing
I learned. I gradually went to guitar and I've been playing that. That's
kind of like my main instrument. Oh I gotcha, I gotcha a Black
head Dress. That's the other band. Yeah, it's a cool from around
here? Is that is everybody from around here? Uh, yeah, there,
Tony's from Sandford, and then Josh is from he's the guitarist and the
band. He's from Alfred and then so it's kind of kind of all over
the place. Alfred. Where's that It's it's in New Hampshire or no,
sorry, Maine. It's a Maine. Oh, it's in Maine. Yeah.
And I know Sandford is in Maine. Yes. Yeah. The only
reason I know that is because that's where I almost dround when I was a
kid. My dad had to save me. So the Sandford, Maine is
uh is forever etched in my brain. So you're now you live here now,
but you're from Maine originally? Is that York Maine? You're from York.
Okay, that's a nice area. Now about you, Edward, do
you live in the area here or or do you have a commute? I
live in Rochester currently. Okay, I grew up in Portsmouth. That's where
I was living when I joined the band. Oh okay, yeah, yeah,
so you guys got a little bit of a commune between you. It's
half an hour. It's not bad, it's not bad. Yeah. Yeah.
Now are you playing a lot of shows? Do you play a lot
of shows or are you focused on recording or we have a couple of shows
coming up. We have a house party on the twenty eighth, and then
we're playing at the Stone Church on Halloween. Oh very cool. Yeah,
we're playing. We're playing with Proelium. They're headlining. Yeah. Yeah,
it's gonna be Prollium headlining witch Trout before them, and then a band called
green Eye before witch Trout. Yeah. And does one of you play drums
and green Eyes? No, we've reached the limit. Okay, understood.
Speaking of drums, I wanted to mention something. Yeah, a lot of
the older Witch Trot songs, like from when I first joined the band,
I actually learned from demos that Matt posted on YouTube again when he was like
when he was like seventeen or SOHK. And on all those demos he's playing
drums. Oh wow. So the way I played drums in the band was
influenced by what Matt played oh way back in the day. So it kind
of like it's sort of like a it comes full circle. Yeah, so
you you committed to learning, but do you play the parts now the same
as when Matt put them in those demos originally? Or do you or do
you even still play those songs, because obviously those songs go backways some of
them we do it kind of it depends on the song. Sometimes. I
sometimes I liked what he played and and I would more or less stick to
that, and if anything changed, it would again change like subconsciously and organically
over time. Other things it was more of a like, hey, I
have an idea for how else this could be done? Right, Yeah,
makes sense. I definitely think even even of the parts themselves have changed the
way Matt plays drums influenced how I choose to play drums in the band.
Now, Okay, okay, interesting, So are your styles now today on
drums somewhat different then? Or or are they similar very much? So we're
completely different drummers? Really? Yeah? Yeah? In in in what way?
I mean? Cause I kind of have a vibe of how you play
obviously from listening to that track, But like, what, how how are
your drums different, Matt? If it's something you can put into words,
maybe it's not the easiest thing to verbalize, but I'm curious now. Uh.
Well, with Black Head Dress, a lot of the songs are kind
of tribal, like a lot of a lot of toms. It's pretty heavy
on that rather than a lot of a lot of crack or fills or it's
just kind of sets the tone for because I follow, like with Black head
Dress, I follow Tony and Josh quite a bit. I just go back
and forth, and they're really the ones who are setting up the structure,
and I'm and I'm yeah, it's just kind of tribal like, I mean,
that's kind of how the songs felt. Yeah, no, that makes
sense. Yeah. I was actually just looking up Black head Dress online and
maybe we'll maybe to end the show, we'll play Do these have swears in
them? Honestly, it depends on the song like Disconnected that shows up on
the website. Do you know? If you don't know, we just won't
risk it. But I was just thinking if if you did know, we
could play something, because I'm curious to hear here it now. But if
not, I'll just wait till later and we won't risk it. I can't
remember, honestly. Yeah, no, that's fine. That's all good.
By the way, Melanie in the chat says high five for not being a
part of Massachusetts anymore. Now have you guys? Obviously you you play shows
around here. Have you have you toured anywhere outside of the area. No,
we've never been on tour. Okay, We've played mass a little bit,
New Hampshire, a little bit, Maine a little bit. Yeah,
but I think that's it. Okay, yeah, okay. And are there
are there any other bands in the area that you kind of team up with?
You know, I mean it tends to happen organically, kind of by
accident, you know, bands will have other bands that they wind up playing
a lot of shows with. Do you have anybody in the area like that?
Oh? Yeah, well Wired for Sound Yeah, yeah. I played
with Marvel Prone a few times back when I was in that band, played
a few shows with Proellium. We're about to play another show with Proelium.
Yeah. Who else? Who are like some of the Charlie's Hill bands we
played with Sauce on the side, I was one on the show. Yeah,
Yeah, they're They're fantastic, Yeah they are. Ye, they're great.
Able Blood of course, able Blood, love able Blood. We had
them on the show. We have sophisticated adult martial law. There's a lot
of I found that in the more of the Seacoast area. There's a lot
of more metal type bands, hard rock band, yeah, like metal core
type bands. Yeah and yeah, so we kind of get placed in in
those types of shows, which is a lot of fun, a lot of
the mosh pits and whatnot. Yeah, no, no doubt, no doubt.
And uh so this, uh this weekend is a Stone Church? Is
that this weekend or next weekend? That's Halloween Night, Halloween Knight. Yeah,
that's very cool. That's a good that's really good. I haven't been
to the Stone Church in forever, but that's a really nice that's a nice
place to play. They're actually a not normally open on Tuesdays, but Halloween
is a Tuesday this year. Yeah, and so they figured they'd throw a
little shin dig It's gonna be a full on costume party. Yeah. Three
bands, good fun, very cool if anyone's interested. Wish Front, Prellium,
and Green Eye, not in that order. Yeah, the Stone Church
Halloween Night, come in costume seven pm. Yeah, very cool, very
cool. Well, listen, we're going to uh hope we have a call.
Oh, looks like this is Malcolm Souls who we saw in the Facebook
live chat. Hi, welcome to the show. Hey man, it's Malcolm
from Abel blood. Hey Malcolm, Oh that Malcolm. Hey, what's up?
Man? I just want I just want to chime in here and tell
you that these guys are like they're like having a reaction video at your show,
because every show we play with them, we always like to watch people
milling about before they start. Yeah, and as soon as they start playing,
everything stops and everybody's like, holy crap, who are these guys?
I believe it. That's awesome, very cool, very cool. Yeah.
They make a lot of noise for well three piece technically right when you've got
when you've got a bass player with you. But uh, yeah, that's
cool, have you well yeah, go ahead, Malcolm. I was gonna
say they can reach out to Adam and I because we have bass issues too,
so we're splitting bass duty now. Oh that's right, that's right.
Yeah, that's right. We talked about that when you guys were here.
I forgot about that. You're you're one of the bands I was I was
thinking of earlier when we were talking about the bass thing. Yeah, that's
funny. That's why I call it, just to remind you. Yeah,
hey, I still play uh geez, maybe I'll play it at the end
of the show today. I want to have time to play the whole thing.
But mental note, man, that always goes over a big when I
play that on the show. People go crazy for that in the chat room.
Awesome. So glad to hear, So glad to hear. But I
gotta I got to run because I have my daughter with me. Thank you,
Malcolm. Yeah, I love you guys. Can't wait too to do
a show again soon, all right, Malcolm, Thank you for the call,
my friend, take care all right, bye bye, all right Malcolm
from Abled Blood. Very cool, very cool, such a great band.
Well listen, guys, we got to wrap up in a moment. Where
should people go online? What's the best way to go online to find you?
Guys? Just Google? Because if you google Witch Trot, I guess
Witch Trot band, right, because otherwise all those roads come up in Maine?
Yeah, yeah, on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Yeah soon,
every screaming platform that matters. Yes, yes, yes, And the new
single comes out this weekend. What's it called again? Yes? Parallax okay,
yeah, and then followed by shortly no Mas Tomas and hello Dmitri very
cool, all right, hello Dmitri. That was the other one. Yeah,
and thank you for playing live for us. That was phenomenal man.
All right, Matt and Edward, thank you guys so much. Witch Trot
and good luck with the Halloween Show. That's amazing. Good for you guys.
From the studios of w m n H ninety five point three FM in
downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, you are tuned in to the best of Matt
Connerton unleashed. My name is Ash and I am a slave. As close
as I can figure it. The year is thirteen hundred a d. And
I'm being a dragon my death. It wasn't always like this. I had
a real life at once a job hardware I'll twelve shop Smart, Shop Smart.
I had a wonderful girlfriend, Linda. Together we drove to a small
cabin in the mountains. It seems an archaeologist to come to this remote place
to translate and study his latest fine acranamicon Ex mortis, the Book of the
Dead. Found in human flesh and inked in blood, This ancient Sumerian text
contained bizarre burial rites, funerary incantations, and demon resurrection passages. It was
never meant for the world of the living. The book awoke something dark in
the woods it took Linda, and then it came from me. It got
into my hand and it went back, so I locked it off at the
wrist. But that didn't stop it. It came back big time. Ya.
In nineteen eighty one, a little heralded independent supernatural horror film about a
group of college students camping in rural Tennessee that find the Necromonicon otherwise known as
the Book of the Dead, and unwittingly bring forth demons from al that take
their lives captivated audiences. However, at the end of that film there was
one survivor. That survivor would go on to start in two additional sequels and
a cable television series. It is the third film of the series that is
most known and our subject for this week's Classic Film review. Directed by Sam
Raimi, released in nineteen ninety three, Army of Darkness is the third film
in the Evil Dead series. The film continues directly where nineteen eighty seven's Evil
Dead two left off. Our everyman hero Ash Williams. Bruce Campbell, in
his career defining role, is transported through a demonic portal to medieval times.
We're in order to get back home. He must retrieve the Necromonicon, but
in doing so unwittingly on Leashan's demons of Hell onto the land and must help
the Kingdom ward them off in a climactic final battle. Our opening clip was
the voiceover that starts this film. Ash explains the story of the past two
films and where he is at now. Our next clip sets Ash up as
an unlikely hero of the Kingdom after defeating the infamous Pit Witch, where he
was thrown into a pit to die. He uses his unknown technology to the
people a shotgun lovingly known as his boomstick to ward off the Witch and gets
the people of the Kingdom to rally behind him and get him home. For
that arrogance, I shall see you dead. Yeah, all right, Two
primitive screwheads, listen up. See this. This is my pool mistake.
It's the twelve gates, double belled Remington s Smart's top of the line.
You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right. This week
baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan retail for about one hundred and nine
ninety five. It set a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel and a hair
trigger. That's right shop smart shop s Smart, you got that? Now,
I swear the next one of you primates even touches me. Now,
let's talk about how I get back home. It could be argued, and
I would even get behind the argument that the original Evil Dead is one of
the greatest cult classics ever. A great deal of the credit has to go
to Campbell and his performance of Ash. This is because, in a way,
like many great movie characters, Ash can be seen as all of us.
We have all been in positions where situations of possible heroism or the requirement
to help have been thrust upon us, and we have to accept it against
our own intuition. That is Ash in a nutshell. Our next two clips
show this. First is a short clip that has Ash being given specific instructions
on what words to say by the village wizard, the great Ian Abercrombie better
known as mister Pitt from the great TV series Seinfeld In. The words are
a homage to the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. Ash proclaims he
will remember those words. But then our next clip shows us that despite Ash's
best intentions, he once again, through his own inability to do things the
right way, brings deadites unto the world, and that is due to his
own dim witted nature. This path will lead you to an unholy place,
a cemetery. They're then Ecronomica awaits. When now retrieving the book from its
cradle, you must recite the words platu verrata nickto, clattu verrata nickto.
Okay, well repeat them clattu verrata nickto again. I got it, I
got it. I know your damn words all right now. Ash attempts to
recite the words when he retrieves the necromonicon. Wait a minute, the words
right, right, right, say the words plato verrata, necktie nectar.
Nicol said word, it's differently inward. It's definitely an inward class veranda.
Okay, then that's it. Hey, wait a minute, everything's cool.
I said the word. I can't do no like whoam the This film is
such a phenomenal array of genres. It has comedy. This is largely due
to Ash and his many quotable one liners. It has horror, science fiction,
fantasy, action, and even old style special effects that will even warm
the heart of the most hardened cinemmaphile. With so many elements of film at
play, It's easy to see why so many, no matter what they are
a fan of, simply adore this film to this day. This film lives
on you. Hear ashes quotes regularly. Hail to the King, Baby,
groovy, you got really ugly really quick, that was only pillow talk,
baby, and this is My Boomstick, among many others, are a part
of pop culture vernacular to this day. Campbell is one of the most highly
regarded and best beloved B movie actors of all time, a role he relishes
and welcomes at comic book and film conventions to this day. That is why
this film is a classic. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It doesn't
allow itself to get put into one genre. Forget about talking about awards,
box office numbers, or even critical analysis. If you want a great film
that serves anything you're in the mood for, this is that film that will
do that for you. It is one of the best films to watch,
and much like all the films covered this month, the time of year does
not matter. I hope you join me next week when we conclude our Halloween
slate of films. Within my opinion, the greatest slasher film of all time
John Carpenter's Halloween. To close this week's review and a rarity for classic film
reviews, I want to share the final scene of Army of Darkness and let
Ash have the final word, and for you the audience, to hear how
once again Ash is ineptness brings doom to the world. For WMNH and Matt
Connorton unleashed, this has been a classic film review with Eric Pilcher. I
thought about Stag. They offered me the chance to lead them, to teach
them to be king. But my place is here. So I swallowed the
Jews said the words, and here I am. Did you say the words
right this time? Well maybe I didn't say every single tiny little syllable no,
but basically I said him, Yeah. Basically. You know that story
about how you could have been king? I think it's kind of cute.
Yeah, lady, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the
store hood Ahi, name's that Housewares. I'll swallow your soul, come get
some Sure I could have stayed in the past, could have even been king,
but in my own way, I am King. Hail to the King.
Baby from the studios of w m N h ninety five point three FM
in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. You are tuned in to the best of
Matt Connerton unleashed and as promised, we have a great musical guest in studio
with us, Lou Antonucci, and I am saying that correctly, exactly awesome.
That's a that's a big relief. I try to I try to get
names correctly. Very very Italian, very Italian. Yes, So welcome to
the show. It's uh, it's great to meet you. Finally. I
love your sound. Uh, great, great voice and the guitar work and
everything. We were kind of talking off here a little bit that one of
the songs that that I played, Closed the Door, you were talking about
some lead guitar work on that from Jerry Putnam. Is that his name from
Jerry Putnam up at Cedar House Sound, Yeah, and that that name has
been coming up on the show so much recently. In fact, the guys
I had on yesterday from the band Pointless Culture, that's where they record,
and I hear nothing. I don't I don't know Jerry personally, but I
hear nothing but great things. Yeah. No, it's a it's a great
studio. I'd suggest it to anybody that's looking to do to do some recording.
Absolutely, and he does all the mastering there too, right Oh yeah,
yeah, that's that's that's amazing. Yeah, and you'll even you'll even
even do a little guitar for you for you, if you brought him enough,
and he's a great guitarist. So yeah, yeah, it seems to
me too, like I get the impression that he kind of becomes like a
de facto producer, which which usually happens by accident, but it sounds like,
you know, he's somebod who really knows what he's doing and he has
a lot of good ideas. Oh yeah, absolutely, yeah. And he
produced the uh the CD that that uh that that song that you played was
on as well. Yeah, let me hold this up for the cameras over
here, so let me hold this up for everybody. So, uh,
Lou brought brought me copies of for Jenny and I. It's called an almost
perfect Flight and uh, no way to really zoom in, but I'll hold
it up there if some people at home can see, or people listening or
people watching on their computers, I should say, or on Channel six.
But uh yeah, that's a cool cover. I like that. Yeah,
if if nothing else, they make great coasters. But you know that's the
I still give those out, you know, at performances. And yeah,
you know, it's interesting because the one thing that I miss about the days
of of vinyl albums, even though vinyls come back, que are the liner
notes? Yes? Yes, and so we courted incorporated quite a bit of
liner notes in there about the different stories behind the song. Oh cool,
cool, very cool. Yeah. Yeah, and yeah people still buy CDs
certainly too, you know that for that reason. You know, people like
to have the liner notes. And of course Vinyl, someone had told me,
I think in twenty twenty two it was the first year that Vinyl had
actually outsold CDs. Really. Yeah, well, you know with Vinyl too.
I mean a lot of people, you know, they'll buy vinyl of
their favorite artists and then never open it. You know, they just buy
it to collect it and then they'll leave it sealed, but they'll you know,
put it on their bookshelf or whatever it is. So but I had
read an ordic where actually there's less homes now with CDs in them. Yeah,
it used to be like that's really going to you really only find CD
players in people's cars, yep, And I figure those are probably go by
the wayside in the next year or two, probably already. Yeah. Yeah.
It's interesting to see over time, what what technologies go away, what
technologies stick around, because it's it's often hard to predict, you know,
like cassette tapes stuck around, probably about five or six years longer than I
expected. And then a few years ago I was on band camp and even
cassettes were back. I couldn't believe it. I saw I saw local independent
artists putting out cassettes. Wow, yeah, did you Yeah you know,
yeah, no, I didn't even know you could buy a cassette player anymore.
Yeah, the high end stuff, I guess. Yeah, you can
get them online and uh but yeah, people, I mean, I don't
know if anyone actually I think it's I think it's an idea similar to with
vinyl. You know, you buy the cassette, but you don't necessarily listen
to it, you know, like he really liked the sound of tape hiss,
why would you? But if you really like an artist. But yeah,
you can go on band camp and there's artists selling cassettes, limited edition
cassettes. It's it's wild, so you just never know interesting. Yeah,
yeah, but Lou, I'm dying to hear you play. And I know
we were talking off air during the break about this up this song message from
Harry, and I don't know if you want to tell us about it before
you play it or sure. Yeah. Well, actually recently I've put together
a small stage show that we've been doing called You, Me and Harry and
what it is. It's a very intimate solo performance, just me doing quite
a bit of Harry Chapin's music. And you know, he's well known for
his story songs, right, songs like Taxi and so on. Yeah,
well, this particular song, it's the only Lou Antonucci song in the show.
Oh, but it was kind of inspired out of an inn that happened.
You know. I play all around southern New Hampshire, and I was
before I had written this song. I had just gotten back into performing because
I had worked in high tech for a number of years right sold the company
finally had the opportunity to retire earlier, just get back into music, and
so I started playing again, picking up my old repertoire. And I hadn't
had a complete yet right by just adding songs from my past and working.
Run. One night at the Copper Door over in Bedford and I'm just finishing
up a song and I see a gentleman. He gets up from the bar
and he walks over. He's got a napkin in his hand, and he
hands me the napkin and I see there's one word on the napkin, and
I immediately look up at him and I say, oh, you must be
a Harry Chapin fan, because the word was taxi. He wanted to hear
taxi. And so he said, hey, can you do this song?
And I said, well, you know I haven't. I haven't performed that
song probably for twenty years. Wow, you know I might be able to
figure it out. He says, well, I'll tell you what. If
you can play the chords, I can sing it. Well, Matt,
I don't know if you've been out performing anywhere, but the last thing you
want to do is when someone is missing at the bar for two hours walks
up and says he can sing, the last thing you want to do is
give him the microphone. So I quickly ran through some chords and I figured
out the song and I did it, and I blew myself away because I
didn't. I didn't screw it up. I remembered all the words, remembered
all the chords. I must have played it thousands of times when I was
younger. So and that's not even that's not even the craziest thing that happened
that night, which kind of comes at the end of the song. So
I'll leave that that little opening. But I went home that night and the
next day and I wrote this song. Okay, it's called message from Harry,
all right, wonderful. Playing Friday night at the Copper door, I
got a message from Harry when one of his fans walked across the floor ANDed
me a note, just one we'd heard on a paper napkin. Took me
back to when I was young. I must have played that request one thousand
times back then got a single note. And now the man stood there with
his drink in his hand, asked me if I could Glad said it's his
favorite song. He could sing along if I could figure out the tune.
It's been two men in miles on the ould guitar since I last sang those
words. Boda told this guy, I'd give it one good try if I
could get me up the nerve, Harry, will I do it? Justice?
Harry? Will I make you prowl? Not every body's looking call that
story song? But there's this one man hit the crowd. I could have
said, I'm sorry, haven't played that one he needs, But something told
me to give it a go and became my feet. Now I started slow
as it goes. I was a million miles away. His story has had
a way of doing that even to this day. Well, the lyrics flow
black satin of the tale that Harod spun. It'd been twenty odd years since
the sang those words, but I remembered everyone. Yeah, I surprised myself
form memory. And about three or four minutes in that man he made his
way back to the bar with a whiskey in his hand, and I could
see him mouth in every word and it didn't miss me. It made his
night. It made mine too. However, a bitter sweet herod did I
had too with justice? Harod? Did I make you Proud? Not everybody's
looking for that story song, But there's this one man in the crowd.
I could have said, I'm sorry, I haven't played that one. In
me, something told me to give it a go and overcame my feet.
As I was leaving full evening, perried out the door, this limo pulled
up. This couple jumps out, just trying to make last call, but
the door headlocked behind me, bolted for the night. They looked at me
and I said, yeah, they're closed. As their limo drove out of
side and as I packed my car, they stood there in the chili win
to frost. I could see they had disappointment, wondering if that night was
lost neither war and overcoat. So I offered them arrived, but they said
thanks, we'll take a taxi. That's when I got all choked up inside.
Howrod did I do it justice? Howrod did I make you proud?
Not everybody's looking for that stories song. There's this one man in the crowd.
I could have said, I'm sorry, I haven't played that one in
me. But a guy a message from Harry and my feet. Yes,
I got a message from Harry, and overcame my feet. Oh very nice.
Wow, that's that's incredible, and uh, you know it's a true
true story. Yeah, to this day, I wonder why the guy said
we're taking a taxi right, versus like an uber or a lyft right,
but it's just kind of it kind of what with what happened earlier in the
evening was kind of crazy. Yeah, yeah, wow, that's fantastic.
H If you're just joining us. Lou Antonucci is here with us live in
studio. He is on the couch and he's playing some songs and we're talking
and having a great time. I also see Gary Smith from Fox and the
Flamingos and Jam Tomorrow also in the Facebook live chat, and my old friend
Jay Bellow from the band Chasing the Devil also in the chat room. So
we got a very busy, busy chat room today. A lot of musicians
in there, which is good to see. Do you always fingerpick? Do
you ever use a pick? Or do you always? Oh? No,
I probably more often than not use a pick. It's just just depends on
the particular song. Yeah, yeah, I'm always I'm a bass player,
but I use a pick. And I'm always amazed at how people are able
to fingerpicking. It just kind of fascinates me watching it, like how do
you even make your fingers do that? I didn't know where they go,
They just go where they want to go. Yeah, have you have you
put out other albums prior to this one. The now Actually, this was
really kind of the first one I'm done in a long long time. I
didn't there's there's a song on this album called Living in My Fantasies, yeah,
which I think you have a track of. Yes, And there was
an album I had done back in I believe it or not nineteen seventy nine,
when I was just a lad and Chip was a pup, and the
name of the album was Fantasies. If you were to if you were to
google Fantasies Lou Antonucci on Google, you'd come across this album. It was
probably the worst piece of recording I ever had done in my life. Yeah.
Yeah, because we were young. We did it in the studio where
the guy was like the engineer was really into polka bands, so he knew
nothing about what he was doing. But it was just, you know,
we did it. But that album was really the only other album I had
ever done. Wow. But the interesting thing about Fantasies, that song on
the album is completely different from what the song is today. Yeah. Yeah,
I kind of rewrote it after so many years and put it on this
CD. So but yeah, that's really the only thing I'd done a couple
of singles way back when forty five's were big, and I lived in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania Outsiue of Pittsburgh. Yeah, and this is definitely a full length.
There's geez, how many songs around here? Like fifteen tracks? Thirteen
fourteen? I think there's thirteen? Wow. Yeah, and you did this
all at Cedar House, the whole thing. Yeah. You know, I
told my wife at one point and here this and this was several years ago,
that I wanted to take, you know, my original material that I'd
written over the years and kind of put them all on a CD. Yeah,
And she says, no, what you know, what would that cost
you to do? And I said, probably about five hundred bucks, go
into the studio and do it. She just, okay, I'll get that
for you for your birthday. And two years and about five thousand dollars later,
I had I had an album.