A Chat with Call In Dead (11.11.22)
Drawing together the natural musical talent, four US-based veteran rockers came together to produce unique, intriguing and downright awesome music. Bringing old-school punk and rock to modern-day psychobilly and metal styles, Call In Dead is something inimitable. We speak with band members Mike (bass) and Scott (drums) about their album Deepest Condolences, creative processes, greatest achievements and celebrity crushes.
OSR: How did Call In Dead come about and how did you come up with the band name?
Scott: I moved from DC to FL in 2008 and took a few years off of rockin’ to work on being there for my daughters born in 2008 and 2011 and getting my masters degree. But soon enough the itch to play became irresistible, so I would go to shows at Will’s Pub, the Social, Lou’s, etc. and randomly ask people if they needed a drummer. One night at Will’s I heard Jaeh mention to friends that he used to sing in a punk band, so I promptly introduced myself, and said we should form a band. He agreed. He was a co-worker of Chris’s, so Chris joined, and we took forever to find a bass player that fit with us, but eventually, I broke down and placed a Craigslist ad that was answered by Mike. Unfortunately during that time, Chris had left to handle family issues, but once he saw a video of us jamming with Mike, he came back with a vengeance and months later we were playing shows.
In the nascent stages of the band, we were still searching for a guitarist to replace Chris who had moved far enough away that he briefly quit the previous incarnation of the band. One brief potential guitarist had texted that we should all go to a Darkest Hour show, but like the ageing punks we are, we all said we had work in the morning. He responded to “Call in Dead”. Since we have all spent time in jobs where we have felt like we’d rather be dead than go to work, we thought it was a perfect name.
OSR: What inspired you to start making music?
Scott: I think all four of us can agree that playing music, particularly punk, came from a need to be part of an accepting community and as a backlash against the conformity and non-acceptance we felt in the mainstream cultures of the world. Punk being more an idea than a specific form of music allowed each of us to express who we are and find a voice.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Scott: Music means community and connection. The type of music I love has always come with the added positive of inclusivity in a community of people that act as a family.
Mike: It’s everything from an outlet to a therapist to peace and mental stability. Anything from something to do to a learning experience to (sometimes) a lifestyle. “This music is the glue that holds the world together, without it, life would be meaningless “
OSR: What can you tell us about your debut album Deepest Condolences? Is there a backstory or a theme?
Scott: There is no backstory other than that we recorded, mixed and mastered it during the pandemic so it took forever since three of the four of us got sick and delayed our progress. It is the culmination of our first 3-4 years together and while it has our old singer, Jaeh, on it (love you buddy!), we still stand behind it and are proud of it. We are also stoked with how Ripley has been delivering and reinterpreting the songs live and how her more politically minded lyrics are coming forward in some rewrites of some old songs and in new songs.
OSR: What was the creative process behind Deepest Condolences?
Scott: Like most of our songs, Chris, our guitarist, brings in a few riffs, and he and I jam on them to figure out a pattern. Often the riffs change a bit to match the drumbeat I come up with or he has a more specific beat in mind. During the same process, Mike, our bassist, plays along with Chris to learn what he’s doing and come up with his own parts that may accompany or complement the song such as the intro that he came up with. There are a couple of songs that were written by Mike before joining that
Chris put a killer spin on. And finally Jaeh, and now Ripley, would sit there listening and writing down ideas for lyrics or looking through a notebook of lyrics to see if anything fit.
OSR: If you could change one thing about the album, what would it be and why?
Scott: The honest answer is nothing. I could say we’d like to have Ripley sing on it, but then we would lose that honest representation of all those years with Jaeh and the band we were with him singing. Plus without Jaeh the band would have never started, and the idea of cutting him out would just seem like a dick move. I’d much rather look forward to what new songs we are going to write with Ripley.
OSR: Describe Call In Dead in one sentence.
Scott: We’re the hardcore punk band that’s always the heaviest band on a punk show or the lightest band on a metal show.
OSR: What is your greatest achievement?
Scott: I’d say not being in a band with people that are assholes. Not only do I get to be in a band that makes music I dig, but I get to do it with people I love and respect.
OSR: If you had a celebrity crush as a teenager, who was the celebrity?
Scott: Does Firestar on Spiderman and His Amazing Friends count even though it’s a cartoon? Hmmm, that just sounds weird. I’ll just say Alyssa Milano from Who’s The Boss, but the true answer is not really. I can’t speak for the rest of the band.
Mike: Still to this day would be Danielle Harris. I’m a huge horror fan. But back then, growing up I’d say Topanga (Danielle Fishel) from Boy Meets World, and probably Alicia Silverstone and Empire Records Liv Tyler.
OSR: Do you have any future plans as Call In Dead?
Scott: We’d love to keep recording and releasing new songs with Ripley, like the 7″, we released with ‘Patriarchy’ and our cover of ‘Religious Wars’ by the Subhumans, and hopefully another tour this summer. The latest summer tour was dope.
Many thanks to Scott and Mike for speaking with us. For more from Call In Dead check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
