A Chat with Jarrett Adlof from Offended By Everything (11.01.19)
Instead of kicking back and enjoying his Friday night, Jarrett
OSR: Thanks so much for taking the time out to speak with me. I know you’ve just returned from a tour, so you’re probably tired and don’t want my annoying questions. I promise, there aren’t that many. Firstly, who am I speaking with and what part do you play in the band?
JA: Sure! This is Jarrett and I play
OSR: How did Offended By Everything come together?
JA: Actually, I had been working on songs for a while and started searching for a singer. We put out ads online for a singer and just got super lucky with Zak reaching out. We’ve had some lineup changes full of great dudes, but we hit the lottery when we found Andrew and Josh who were a part of other sick local bands from our area.
OSR: What about your band name, Offended By Everything? How did you land up with that?
JA: I have a marketing and business background, and honestly the name is all pop. If you think it’s funny, or if it bothers you, it makes you want to stop and listen. It’s simple.
OSR: You recently released your EP Evergreen. What has the response been like?
JA: Oh man, it’s been incredible. We can’t thank all the fans, or our label (Standby) enough for the support and helping us have our most successful week as a band.
OSR: Do you favour any tracks from the album, or are you a fan of all of them? If you do have a favourite, why is it a favourite?
JA: I know bands say this a lot, but I truly love all the songs. My personal favourite is ‘You Call It Normal, I Call It Monotony’. It offers a little bit of everything. However, ‘Deadweight’ has had the most response live with our fans, so that’s been super exciting considering it’s a little heavier than we normally are.
OSR: What inspired Evergreen and does each track have a separate meaning or is there a central theme?
JA: This is probably a better question for Zak lyrically, but I know it’s mostly about his struggles and perseverance through relationships. Musically I wanted to write catchy music that sounds right. I know branching out is important, but I wanted to have repeatability with every song.
OSR: What was the recording process like for Evergreen? Were there any challenges during the production?
JA: Typically, I would have music written and go into the studio with our producer Scott (of the band Nerv), and we would make it make more sense. Zak would then do the same with vocals. Scott had a way of making us comfortable being uncomfortable. Multiple times we’d hear, ‘you can do it better!’
OSR: Evergreen is your second EP after releasing Never Too Late To Start Again in 2017. Did you find it easier to create an album after already going through the whole process before? Sort-of having the knowledge to draw on.
JA: Yes and no. Recording was easier because we had done the process so recently, but writing was more difficult because we all wanted to have a piece of that process this time around.
OSR: Evergreen is released, but is there anything you’d like to change on it?
JA: HAHA! Believe it or not, YES! We wrote a live version of our acoustic song ‘Evergreen’ that has the full band. It’s been so fun to play that we wish it were on the album. MAYBE we will record that as well!
OSR: You have just finished a promotional tour for the EP. How did it go?
JA: The tour, for what it was, good not have gone better. People turned out every night. Also, we brought our friends in Nu-95 on tour, and they were so fun to watch and hang out with every day.
OSR: Everyone talks about high moments in tours, but did you experience any low moments?
JA: Nothing majorly bad happened. The worst thing that happened was lack of sleep, and honestly, that comes with the territory.
OSR: ObE has always placed importance on promotion, so what tips can you give new bands on building their brand?
JA: For new bands, my biggest advice is to make sure you put work into your brand (band name, look, attire, live show, social media).
Know that you are not any better or worse than the people listening to your music, so treat them that way.
Don’t play too many shows until you are able to draw consistently. It is not worth sacrificing relationships with promoters and having a perception that you can’t draw.
OSR: What is the most stupid thing you’ve done because someone dared you?
JA: I’ve done a ton of dumb things when playing with fireworks. Play with fire(works); you will get burned.
OSR: What is the most stupid thing you’ve done of your own free will?
JA: Got married before I knew what love was. While stupid, it taught me a ton, and I’ve since remarried, and this time to the absolute love of my life who is so supportive of ObE.
OSR: If your food is bad at a restaurant, would you say something or would you suffer in silence?
JA: Dude, I am the most picky eater. So, I would definitely say something, but I’d feel awful about it because the service business is such a thankless job. Shout out to all the waiters and waitresses out there!
OSR: What makes you smile?
JA: My son. Watching him grow up is amazing. I’m not perfect by any means, but he is.
OSR: You have your new album, and there was a tour, but what else does 2019 hold for Offended By Everything?
JA: We have another tour in March with our homies in Chin, Up Kid, that we are stoked about. We also get to play with a couple of bands I can’t announce yet that we are pumped for. Finally, writing a full-length!
Thank you to Jarrett for speaking with us!
To engage with him and the other guys, check out their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
