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Forged in Nightmare: Ambush Unleashes Evil in All Dimensions

Swedish heavy metal outfit Ambush has returned with a vengeance, delivering their most ambitious and haunting release yet—Evil in All Dimensions, out now via Napalm Records. With razor-sharp riffs, twin guitar leads, and lyrics born from nightmares and global unrest, the album marks a new chapter for the band both sonically and spiritually. We caught up with vocalist Oskar Jacobsson to talk about the inspiration behind the songs, the band's South American tour, and their dream of finally bringing Ambush to the United States. From ghost stories to strongman heroes, this conversation proves that Ambush is as thoughtful as they are thunderous.

Welcome, Oskar! You're now signed to Napalm Records. How did that partnership come about?

Thanks for having me, Ken—it's a pleasure. It basically started when we wanted to record our fourth album. We put together a demo, and the final result felt strong enough to send out to a few labels. We'd been with High Roller Records for a while and felt it might be time to try something new. We reached out, and actually, all the labels we contacted were interested. But Napalm gave us the best offer—and more importantly, the personal connection with them felt right. We're very happy and excited about this release.

Evil in All Dimensions is a fantastic album, and Napalm feels like the perfect home for it. Is there a story or concept behind the title and the song itself?

Thank you so much! The song is basically a ghost story—a nightmare, really. I've had a lot of nightmares in my life. Sometimes you wake up and think, “Damn, Oskar, what did you do?” You feel like you committed a crime or something terrible, even though you'd never do that in real life. But the dream feels so real. So, the song is a spin-off from that kind of nightmare.

The album title also reflects how polarized the world is right now. Every opinion can be seen as evil depending on who’s speaking. So, “Evil in All Dimensions” felt like a fitting summary. Despite that, we’re peace lovers in this band. We love everyone—regardless of politics, skin color, whatever. We just want people to come together and headbang.

Let’s talk about a few tracks. What inspired “Come Angel of Night”?

I wrote the lyrics for that one. It’s about conflicts that seem beyond repair—especially in places like the Middle East, where progress feels impossible. The song is about reconciliation and the hope that someday, even the deepest divides can be healed.

And “I Fear the Blood”?

That one’s about addiction. The twin guitar leads were actually written by me when I was a teenager playing classical guitar. I’d forgotten about it until one day in the studio, I picked up a guitar and started messing around. I thought, “Maybe this could be an Ambush song.” We’re not usually into ballads, but I really liked it—and the lyrics felt relevant. When we rehearsed it, the magic was there. It’s one of the first songs I ever wrote, and it means a lot to me.

Pick another track off the album—what’s the story behind it?

Let’s talk about “Bending the Steel.” It’s about a hero of ours: Magnus Samuelsson, the Swedish strongman who won World’s Strongest Man in ’97 or ’98. We met him at an airport in Germany after playing in Chicago. He’s massive—like, I’d never seen a guy that big. We approached him, and he was super nice. Turns out he’s a metalhead too—loves Defenders of the Faith and early Priest. We gave his kids some records. That was back in 2016. We decided we had to write a song for him. He was just so genuine. I think he’s into arm wrestling now.

It’s always great when your heroes turn out to actually be heroes.

Exactly. We love the guy. Everyone should check him out.

What are you most looking forward to on the upcoming Evil in South America tour?

It’s always a pleasure playing there. The fans are loyal and loud. We’ve played there three times now, and it keeps growing. The people, the organizers—they’re all great. I love the culture. In Sweden, people are shy. You go to a bar, and no one talks. But in South America, you don’t even have to ask—people just come up and start chatting. We’ll be playing some new places, but also returning to cities we’ve played before. It’ll be great to reconnect with friends.

Has Ambush ever played in Los Angeles? Any chance you’ll tour the States with the new album?

We really want to. We played in Chicago once, but that was before the Trump administration made it harder for international bands to tour the U.S. It’s expensive now—you need a proper work visa, and that costs a lot. Back then, we were on a tourist visa and didn’t know any better. Hopefully, we’ll build a bigger following in the States and make it happen. It would be a dream come true.

A lot of Napalm bands do make it here—so fingers crossed.

Yeah, absolutely. Touring the U.S. has been a childhood dream for all of us.

Let’s rewind to March 2020—you released Infidel right before the pandemic hit. What was that like?

It was weird. We released the album and played one gig. Sweden didn’t have a full lockdown, but about a week later, everything shut down. Bars closed, shows stopped. We couldn’t play again for two years. It was sad—we’re a live band, and we couldn’t tour or show the spirit of the songs. But our families stayed healthy, and that’s what matters. The album’s out there for anyone who wants to hear it, and we still play some of those songs live.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Desecrator. What’s it like looking back?

Yeah, we’re getting older—but not too much older up here [points to head]. Maybe a little wiser. We’re still the same guys, and we still love to play. It’s the best thing in the world. Ten years isn’t that long, but we do need to pick up the pace and release albums more frequently.

Any message for Ambush fans in the States reading this?

Stay safe and sound—and when you least expect it, Ambush might be live on tour in the U.S. That would be amazing. I’ve got relatives who moved to America in the 1800s—somewhere in Denver, I think. I’d love to meet them. I grew up with hockey, and Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche was a hero of mine. So yeah, Denver’s on the list. And L.A. too. That would be fantastic.

(Interview by Ken Morton - Photo Credit: Philip Truong/Bläcksquid Inc)

Ambush on Instagram

Napalm Records on Instagram

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On the Fire Escape with Moral: A Conversation with Sean Rehak

Perched on a breezy fire escape overlooking the skyline, we caught up with Sean Rehak—the creative force behind Moral—for a candid conversation about emo revival, shoegaze textures, and the emotional weight behind his rising discography. From Baltimore’s underground scene to his first headlining show at Ottobar, Sean opens up about self-sabotage, sonic nostalgia, and the thrill of chasing momentum in Los Angeles. With streaming numbers climbing and studio sessions booked, Moral is more than a solo project—it’s a growing movement of sound, sentiment, and sincerity.

First off, give me a little background on Moral and how long you’ve been together.

So, I’m actually a solo artist—I just play live with a band. I started writing music in seventh grade, around 14 or 15. I always wanted to be in a band, but I didn’t have friends who were ready to roll with that. So, I just kept going solo. I started out using instrumentals from YouTube, and in high school I recorded a lot more—literally just on my iPhone.

When I got to college, I started going to studios. But eventually I thought, “You know what, I’ll just buy the equipment and record at home.” That’s when I met a producer online named Harrison Witcher, and we’ve been co-writing songs ever since.

For readers who aren’t hearing this live, describe where we’re doing this interview.

We’re on a fire escape. We wanted a quiet spot, and it’s actually really nice. There’s a breeze, you can see the skyline—it’s pretty cool.

What’s the local music scene like in Baltimore?

Baltimore has a super cool scene. I’ve met some amazing acts that really inspire me. There’s a strong post-hardcore and grunge-gaze vibe—bands like Dosser, blisshouse, Paper Lanterns. It’s a tight-knit community. Even if it’s not huge online, people know the bands, they show up, and there’s just love in the air.

How did your recent show in Baltimore go?

It went really well—it was my first headlining show, and it was at my favorite venue, Ottobar. That’s actually where I played my first show ever, as an opener. So, it felt full circle to headline there. I was joined by some of those grunge-gaze bands I mentioned, and it was a super cool time.

Now you’re in Los Angeles. What are you most looking forward to about tonight’s show?

I know the crowd’s going to be pretty big, which is exciting. But honestly, I’m just stoked to play music and have fun with it. It’s my first time out here. We’ve got studio sessions booked this week, so I’m just living in the moment.

Tell me about your latest single, “Ghost,” and the inspiration behind it.

“Ghost” blends that classic emo sound with a newer alt-shoegaze vibe. I pulled a lot of inspiration from “Decode” by Paramore, mixed with Deftones and even The Neighbourhood—especially on the sync claps. Lyrically, it’s about self-regret. Like, you had a chance and self-sabotaged, and now you’re stuck reminiscing about what could’ve been.

Let’s talk about “Closure” with Greedi. What inspired that one?

I’ve been a fan of Greedi for a while—he makes modernized shoegaze. I hit him up and said, “Dude, I really want to do a song with you.” He hopped on it. That track blends Midwest emo with shoegaze. It was inspired by reconnecting with someone from my past—a former love. It reopened a part of my mind, like, “Oh, I remember where I was.” But now I’m out here, and I’m not getting trapped in that. It’s about saying goodbye to a former love for the sake of growth.

Tell me about “The World Will End For Us.”

Funny story—Harrison made the track and thought no one would like it. He sent it to me as a throwaway, and I was like, “I need to work with this now.” It had that Deftones feel with an emo kick, and I needed that in my life. The song’s about dark romance—yearning, obsession, that “you and me versus the world” energy. I wanted to give it some figurative language and drama to elevate the theme.

That song has 400,000 plays on Spotify, and “Let’s Go” has 300,000. What do those numbers mean to you?

It’s surreal. Sometimes I look at it and think, “This isn’t real.” I’m proud of it, but as an artist, the numbers are always on your mind. A year ago, 50,000 plays felt insane. Now I’m at 400,000, and my brain’s like, “How do we double this? How do we one-up it?” That song launched a growing fanbase and reignited my passion for music. I’ve been hungry ever since.

If you could open for any band—past or present—who would it be and why?

Panic! At the Disco. That’s the band that got me into writing. I discovered A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out in seventh grade, picked up a guitar (was terrible at first), but I wanted to learn. Their dramatic performance style struck a chord in me. That would be a dream come true.

Tell me about the Static Distortion podcast.

It’s a passion project I started with my buddy Grimzlee—we made “Let Go” together. In our alt-shoegaze scene, not many artists talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff: industry challenges, media, song backstories. So, we created a space for that. We’ve had guests like Decaine and Nova Brute—other alt-metal shoegaze bands. It’s a way to demystify the creative process and let people share more of their story. As we grow, I hope the podcast grows too.

If the music of Moral were a donut, what kind would it be and why? That’s such a good question. I’d say an Oreo donut—maybe with chocolate chips mixed in. It’d have to be warm. It’s a swirl of flavors, intriguing and layered.

What’s next after the show?

I’ve got studio sessions lined up—one tomorrow, then Thursday and Friday. I just want to write and record music that resonates with me, stuff I’ve been sitting on. We filmed the “Ghost” music video last week, which was super cool. My goal is to tour next year, get with a booking agent, and honestly, sign a deal. I want to keep making music people connect with. That’s my favorite part—when someone messages me saying a song helped them, or they interpreted it in a way I never expected. That’s the beauty of music.

(Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Vivian Ortega of So FInch Photography)

Moral on Instagram

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Luke Revyn and Mekari.Exe at The Vigil, Los Angeles, CA., September 3, 2025

First of all, congrats to Danny Goo and Fair Fight Productions for presenting the very best local shows in town at some pretty cool underground venues. The Virgil has a homey, retro feel, and it was exciting to see Luke Reyvn presenting his first ever headlining show there. With The Goo Down and the other shows Danny has been booking, and Luke has been involved with, they are created a music scene encompassing pop punk, electronic, hip hop, and beyond. And on the this very special night, Luke Revyn would unveil an epic 15-song set, showcasing both his solo work and his brand endeavor 2GONE.

Luke Reyvn

Luke presents absolutely gripping, deeply personal songs set to pop punk melodics, and what a stunning display of talent he and his many co-conspirators presented onstage deep in the heart of Los Angeles. Opening with the exhilarating one-two punch of Razors and Kiss Me Girl, the room filled up to experience an entire night of tunes Luke Reyvn had in store for us all.

Talking Like This is Luke’s latest single – a supremely emotional power ballad which the artist performed with a ton of passion and conviction. And then soon the first guest of the evening would arrive onstage – the devastatingly captivating SHVNNON SIN who would join Luke for the tempestuous Devil In Disguise. At the end of the song, SHVNNON would place a mask on the kneeling Luke’s head, and just like dark magic, the artist would merge into his alternate 2GONE persona.

Joined onstage by co-vocalist Huntuh, the mask duo of 2GONE performed a trio of post punk / darkwave selections that set the imagination in flight, including So Gone, Death Race, and Wanted U. And while the devil heads were meant to mask their identities, the power and emotion of the songs seeped through and enveloped the room.

For those who have always wanted to see Luke Reyvn and Danny Goo collaborate on a song together, this would be the night it was to finally happen within the hallowed walls of The Virgil. The song was entitled Closure – one of the many highlights of the set. Here’s hoping they release their wondrously catchy tune on Spotify soon.

After the seductive and sassy sounds of Sunday Service, Trophy Boy Poems would join Luke onstage for a rambunctious rendition of Round N Round. And then the last two songs of the set would happen where the amazingly talented Grant Kemp would join Luke onstage – the shirts would come off – and the passion and sweat would seethe tenfold with the closing numbers Falling Away and Reason To Hate Me. 15 songs went by fast, and what a treat it was to thoroughly explore Luke’s inspirational world through an absolutely unforgettable performance.

Mekari.Exe

I had been wanting to see Mekari.Exe ever since I met him outside the notorious 1720 club at the Taken By Tides / Against The Sun show a few months ago. And what a perfect addition he was for the Luke Reyvn headlining show. Opening with the super intensive refrains of Sin & Self Destruction, Mekari.Exe instantly captured the audiences. Sonically, Mekari.Exe presents a rapturous amalgamation of sounds and styles – emo, screamo, deathcore, electronica, and hip-hop genres all mesh together to create a unique soundscape that is wondrous to behold. As an artist, Mekari.Exe is absolutely fearless with expressing himself onstage.

Rage and Saint up next, a two-song combo that reeled the audience in – sounding quite fierce and impassioned within a live setting. And just when you think it all would be obscure and inaccessible madness, Mekari.Exe would unleash Casualty Of Love – a very melodic track that could be all over the radio airwaves while still exuding the rebellious intrigue the more harder edged songs exuded. New Highs New Lows was chill anthem showing yet another creative side of the Mekari.Exe auditory adventure.

In addition to the charismatic Mekari.Exe on vocals, joining the artist up onstage were Scott on guitar and Luke on drums – both culled from the infamy known as Hollywood Nightmare. The trio would conclude with an amazing cover of Shadow Moses by Bring Me The Horizon, which had quite a few in the audience singing along.

In Conclusion

You can bet this reviewer will be checking out Mekari. Exe, 2GONE, and Luke Revyn in future days. Thanks again to Danny Goo and Fair Fight Productions for putting together such an amazing show, which also including standout sets from Lil Crimes, 2Flights, Gonzxo, 11Harro11, Fl3sh4Fantasy, and a very special appearance from SlaughterMouthh just right before Luke Revyn’s performance!

(Review by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue)

Luke Reyvn on Instagram 2GONE on Instagram Mekari.Exe on Instagram

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Into The World of Rohan and A Song called Fizzy

Rohan is an indie alternative artist based out of San Francisco via Australia who is beginning to make a name for himself all over the world. His latest single Fizzy is super infectious, and the video is directed by Mark Kohr who is best known for his iconic work with Green Day. Also featured performing drums on the song is none other than Thomas Pridgen from The Mars Volta! A visit to Spotify finds a whole musical world of Rohan to enjoy, including recent releases such as I Wish I Could Tell You, Brittle Babe, and Bruises. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Rohan to find out a whole lot more about this amazing artist on the rise...

Where are you based out of now, and what is your music scene like there? I think it’s San Francisco, actually. I’m in SF. I definitely visit LA a lot, so I just tell people I’m in California. But yeah, my main base is in SF, and I’m from Australia, so I go back and forth between Australia and California, basically. Yeah, music scene-wise, I have a bunch of friends out here. I have a band out here who I play shows with, and I have a lot of collaborators here. I mean, drummers and session musicians, and my main mixing engineer is all based out of here. So yeah, I guess SF’s definitely where I’ve been making, I’d say, almost all of my music, since I started really making music.

I actually went to a club that you played at, Brick and Mortar, which was a really cool place. I went there like maybe a year and a half ago and saw a band called TX2, and that was a pretty cool club. What was the experience like playing that club for you? I’ve actually played there a few times, but the last time I played at Brick and Mortar, it was like in March, and it was a sold-out show. It was opening for an artist called Devon Again. It was like an artist that I really like. That show was really fun. There was like another artist as well from SF who I found on TikTok, who I brought into the show. And I mean, it was sick. I just had all my friends there, and then we had a bunch of people who got to discover my music through that. It was probably my favorite show I’ve ever played, actually.

And who was the artist that you brought in? Let’s name check this person. Her name was Julip.

And then you mentioned Devon Again. What was it like opening for Devon Again, and how did you wind up opening for Devin? It was really fun. Devon’s really nice, and her fans, her crowd were really great to us. I got in touch with Devon’s manager online just by putting myself out there and everything. And I got on Devon’s manager’s radar. They wanted to do a show in SF, and I told them I’d help them make it happen. It was really fun. And I’m a huge fan of her music as well. I mean, I love that kind of like electronic pop punk vibe thing. I’ve had a lot of good memories listening to her music. So it was really cool to be on stage playing, opening for her.

Your latest song is called Fizzy. What was the inspiration behind that song? Fizzy is about a relationship that keeps fizzling out. It’s about, I’d say, like a pretty toxic on and off dynamic for me with a girl that inspired that song. The lyrics are pretty straightforward, right? It’s like, we fight, I guess it’s all right. But it wraps it in that really upbeat, sarcastic, nonchalant vibe, because I think that was like the point of it – is it’s like way dysfunctional, but I’m kind of celebrating the dysfunction. And I’m enjoying it for right now in my life.

How did Thomas Pridgen from the Mars Volta wind up on Fizzy? He’s actually close friends with Scott. Scott’s the guy who mixes all my music, and Scott is a partner at a studio in SF. And so I just met Thomas through Scott. I actually asked Thomas for a drum lesson. And then while he was teaching me drums, I was like, dude, you should just like drum my track. And he was like, yeah, I’m down. So yeah. That’s how it went.

The director of the video, Mark Kohr, I looked up his credits, and he’s done quite a few iconic Green Day videos. What was it like working with Mark? And how did you wind up working with him? You know what? Green Day is my favorite band of all time. And I have an American Idiot tattoo. I’ve been to so many of their shows. And Green Day is how I got into music. And when I knew I wanted to start doing music videos, I just literally typed in Google, who made the When I Come Around video, because I really liked that one specifically. There’s just something about that nonchalant, Billie and Mike and Tré just walking around and looking all cool. But at the same time, it was the whole voyeurism angle was really interesting. I could tell whoever made it was really cooking.

So, I just typed in who made the When I Come Around video, and I saw Mark Kohr, and then I found his email, and I just emailed him. And I think like a month later, he replied. And he was like, I listened to music, and I really liked it. And Mark and I have just been friends ever since. He and I just have been working on videos, working on more videos. I’m going to his house this Friday to discuss some videos. And he’s a really nice guy. He’s a really awesome guy. And he’s been like a big supporter and a big fan of the music. And it’s been really fun working with him.

Fizzy Artwork

Let’s talk about a few of your other recent songs, and the inspiration behind them. I wish I Could Tell You is a recent release. Give me the inspiration behind that song. That song is more of a breakup song. So I went through a breakup in October of last year, like a pretty volatile, pretty crazy breakup. And I wrote that song, I think within the first few days of me grieving that relationship. I really liked it. I thought it was going to be a folk song at the time. But I ended up going back to Australia for Christmas. I built out a little home studio.

And I didn’t want to do an angry song. None of the breakup songs that I’ve been doing are angry. It’s always like either graceful or longing or sarcastic. And I wanted to say, hey, what we had was real. I wanted to say that what we what had was real, and I respected it. I was back in Australia, so I was listening to a lot of Aussie bands like Skeggs and Hockey Dad. I didn’t plan it, but I was like, you know what, I really want to combine this hip hop beat, with sort of a 90s, kind of indie rock vibe that a lot of these like Aussie bands I listened to sit in. And that’s like the sonic, I’d say, inspiration behind the song.

Tell me about Brittle Babe and the inspiration behind that. Brittle Babe is an interesting one. That’s a different vibe entirely, actually. That one’s funny. My sister came and visited me. My sister lives in Australia, and she came and visited me in SF. She was dating this guy who was like a producer in the city. He’s like a really, really deep hip-hop trap producer. And our vibes were way different. But I was always like, we’ve got to get in the studio sometime and just make something.

And so I brought a guitar over to his studio, and he just really wanted to work on a song that had a guitar in it. So I started laying down some, I’d say Steve Lacy chords, and he threw in these really sick synths and these really sick 808s. And we just riffed. But I wasn’t even in a breakup at that point. I was just pulling from different experiences that I had. But that whole thing was like, hey, I want to make a really hip-hop song. I want to add that to my catalog.

And then the last song I’m going to ask about is Bruises. Tell me a little about that one. Yeah, that one was interesting. I feel like it’s a bit under looked in my catalog. That one, when I made it, I had done a lot of songs were very, very, I’d say layered, like grandiose songs. And lots of different sounds. And I was really going hard in the studio with production and learning new tricks. And I wanted to just strip it back down to me and my guitar. That was the point of that song to me was like, can I go back to basics a little and just reach into my songwriting and into my emotions. So that that song is about trying to be graceful to the other person in your relationship and trying to mend things when they’re broken. Really, it’s almost like an apology, in a sense, that song.

Photo credit: Keny Bastiany

If you could open for any band or artists, either now, or from the past, who would it be and why? Honestly, I think it’d be awesome to open for Dominic Fike. I love his music. And I think his fan base is really cool as well. So definitely, that’s high on the list.

I thought you were going to say Green Day. I would, but the thing is that I love Green Day, but I feel like when it comes down to it, it’s a different vibe. There’s definitely a little bit of Green Day in my music. And there’s a lot of Green Day in my heart. But it’s like when it comes down to the music that I make, it’s not the same.

Have you ever played out here in the Los Angeles area? Or is that something you’d like to do? I haven’t. I definitely want to. I’m planning more shows in the Bay. I think I definitely have to plan a show in LA. That’ll be a big next step for me, honestly.

And we’re not very far. Yeah, just got to get my band in a bus and drive down for a weekend.

What’s up next for you after Fizzy comes out? I have a song coming out at the end of this month. It’s about my dog.  I was like, I wanted to not write a song about a girl. But I wanted to write a love song. So I said, I’ll write a song about my dog.

And what is your dog’s name? His name is Kosta. It’s a Greek name. Because he’s an Australian shepherd, and I’m Australian. And this is really random but Australia has the highest population of Greek people outside of Athens. So I was like, I want to give him a Greek name. But we have a music video with that as well with Mark. I took Kosta to the to take a really cool park in Berkeley. We got it all on tape. And yeah, we got many more songs coming after that. Throughout the rest of the year, and an EP as well, that I think I cannot really talk fully about yet. But basically, lots of music, lots of videos, lots of content, lots of shows, just keep it ongoing is my motto, really.

And do you have any advice for any younger artists who are reading this now who are looking to get their music out there? Yeah, I think it’s really just keep going and push past the cringe. That’s what I tell myself. Because I think with looking back at the things I did 3, 4, 5 years ago, I’m not proud of it. I’m like, “Oh, that song wasn’t very good. That picture that I put up on Spotify wasn’t very good.” But I’m proud that I did it because it was all learning to figure out how I wanted to present myself – how I wanted to refine things.  And learning every time I make a song, and every time I write a lyric, it just gets better the next time. So, I just say keep going. And I’d say also keep living life and enjoying life, because that’s where you have to pull the inspiration from.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Rohan on Instagram

Into The World of Rohan and A Song called Fizzy - Highwire Daze

Into The World of Rohan and A Song called Fizzy Rohan is an indie alternative artist based out of San Francisco via Australia who is beginni

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Rocking Out with Sawyer Utah and the new single Where Do U Go?

Fast-rising singer, songwriter and producer Sawyer Utah has released his new single “Where Do U Go?”. Oozing with 2010s pop nostalgia, the new track is for all the overthinkers out there. Written alongside Zhone (Troye Sivan) and Sophie Simmons (Leah Kate), the new single shows off an angstier side of Utah while still saying true to his own unique sound. The journey of Sawyer Utah began in his home state of Wisconsin, and would include both sides of the States before finally landing in the legendary musical city of Nashville. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Sawyer Utah to find out more about this amazing new artist well on his way into the big leagues…

We’re here with Sawyer Utah. First of all, you recently played at The Ryman in Nashville. What was that experience like? That was a dream come true for sure. I went to Nashville originally for the first time when I was in high school in my senior year – and one of the main things I was saw The Ryman. I was thinking it’s such a legendary place and so many amazing artists have played there. It was an honor to have a chance to play there and to hear the music coming from the speakers as you’re standing onstage. There’s not much like that opportunity, so I was just grateful to be there – and I had an absolute blast.

You recently moved out to Nashville. What has that overall experience been like? It’s been awesome! I’m from Wisconsin originally, so it definitely reminds me of home – kind of midwestern. It’s close to home, but it’s a great base of my career for being able to go to New York when I need to or fly to L.A. when I need to. It worked out well in so many ways.

You were based out of here in Los Angeles for a while. What did you think about our local Los Angeles music scene? I was out there for a little bit. I was bouncing back and forth between New York and L.A. at the time. I would really come in for a couple of weeks at a time and just do sessions. I really got my writing sessions down during that time, and kind of built my network out there in L.A. I didn’t play too many shows while I was out there, but now as I’m building my project and it’s coming together, I’m so excited to go out there and play shows in L.A.

Where Do U Go cover art

Let’s talk about your music. Where Do U Go? is the upcoming single. What is the inspiration behind that song? I wrote that song originally a couple of years ago in the summer – and I wrote it with Sophie Simmons and Zhone – shout out – just two awesome creatives. And we wrote that song about – I think so many people go through it when they’re either meeting someone for the first time or they’ve been seeing someone for a while and are interested in them. And they always wonder when they leave them, where do they go? And I think there’s also so many other meanings to the song – just the overall fact of where does everyone go when they’re not together? So that’s kind of where it came from.

tears & wishes is the current single. Tell me a little about that one and the inspiration behind it. That one was cool because it was a different creative process for me. A lot of times I start with my production and just kind of hash out the song – whether it’s on my own or with other producers. And that happened to come from a producer who just reached out on email and sent me a pack of three different beats. And they were all kind of similar to each other, but this one was titled tears & wishes – and it had no lyric yet. But as soon as I played that beat that he had sent me, I started recording that chorus.

You have a recent EP entitled Wherever U Are. Tell me a little about the EP and the title. So that – speaking of L.A. and New York _ I was kind of bouncing around for a while where I was writing those songs. I was travelling so much and just experiencing so many new things – and I think that played so much in how I wrote those songs. And just my everyday experience, whether I’d be flying to a new place and meeting new people. I think it all came into kind of how these songs came together – and I think it has multiple meanings for me. Just overall, wherever you are, wherever you’re listening, whoever you are – I hope you could relate to these songs. From that to the actual titles of the songs – San Fran, TEXAS – a bunch of different locations – there’s kind of multiple meanings to that title.

I notice that you’re good with the many different locations… …yeah, and my middle name is Utah. There’s all sorts of stuff going on there!

One of your songs Nights Like This has half a million plays on Spotify. What does a number like that even mean to you? Just the fact that the song has been played that many times – and that so many people have been impacted by it, and the messages that have come in – people enjoying it, whether it be a summer night with their friends or being with their loved ones. I think it’s so inspiring for me to keep going whenever I see that reaction and just the overall impact a song like that could have.

Your song San Fran with mxrgan. Tell me about that song and how the collaboration came about? We were in New York – me and mxrgan – and we were making a bunch of songs about a year and a half ago or so now. And we just kind of got together to make a bunch of songs for his EP / his project. And we had just been making so many songs. And we had made that song one night and it was a super fun experience of making a song and we were all pumped in the studio. And then that night I went back – and originally it just had just his vocal on the whole song. And I went back home, and I was listening to it, and I was like “this could be kind of cool to do together.” So, I called, and I was like, “Bro, what if we did this together?”  He was all for it, and I ended up cutting all these vocals with him. We just had so much fun shooting a video for it and promoting it. It’s been so fun to perform – I can’t wait to perform it with him as well.

Another artist you’ve collaborated with was Zach Hood. Tell me about that collaboration. He has some crazy numbers on Spotify too! We’re roommates in Nashville and I’m the guitarist for his band – and so we do a lot together. We do so much writing together for his project. When we made the song Neon Skies was the first day that we met in L.A. – we just happened to be put together for a writing session. And that song ended up coming out on his project – and the rest is history – and we’ve been going ever since.

The director for your videos Orchee Sorker – I had not heard of this person and I looked them up. A female video director – yes! Yes, totally, yes!

Give me a little background on Orchee and the videos. She had reached out to me back in October on direct message on Instagram. I remember seeing her stuff and she said, “Hey, I love the song San Fran and would love to work with you sometime.” And I quickly hit her back and was like, “Yeah, let’s do it sometime for sure!”  And then a couple of months later, I came back to Nashville, and I was thinking I need to do some more video – I need to work on some stuff. And I remembered that she had messaged me – and so I hit her up and said, “Hey, let’s do a content shoot.”  And the first one went great! And it just kept going, and we ended up bringing her on to the team – and now she does all the visuals with me. She just takes what I have in mind and brings it to a whole other level. She has been such an integral piece of the puzzle here to put the project together.

You directed a few of your own videos as well. Is that something you would like to do – maybe video directing for other people? You never know. I do love just the visual kind of connecting the song to the visual content. I feel like with that with other artists that I write songs with or end up producing for. There’s been some instances already where I’m involved with helping the vision of the song visually as well. I have a blast doing that for sure!

If you could open for any artist either now or from the past, who would it be and why? I would say the band Lany. I have always loved their music. I went to their concert about a year ago, and it was such an inspirational experience. I just made me further think that I love this and I want to do this. And just seeing the impact they have live on people is pretty special. I think that would be one of mine for sure.

You’re a successful young artist and you’ve produced successful young artists. What message would you give to a young artist reading this right now who is trying to break their music though? I would say one of the biggest things – and I have so much to learn forever. I never feel like I know everything I’m doing and it’s always a learning experience. I would say keep learning more and working on your craft. If it’s something that you love, just keep diving into it and teaching yourself how to do it. And if you love it, keep driving forward with it.

If the music of Sawyer Utah was a donut, what kind of donut would it be and why? I love this! I would say like a cream filled donut with sprinkles on top. That does happen to be my favorite donut, so that’s partly why. But also, because you never know what’s coming. There’s sprinkles to kind of distract you – and then you’re getting inside and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, all this cream!”  You never know what’s going to happen – the unpredictability – and I always like to keep the listener on their toes.

What’s up next for you? Where You U Go is the single we’re putting together. I’ve been working on video content with Orchee a bunch, getting that all set. And then, just starting to roll out this project and lining up the new songs. I’m so excited for people to hear the new stuff. And I’d like to play more shows and get this music out even more.

Do you have any messages for your ever-growing fan base who are reading this right now? I would say there is so much music coming so soon. I just can’t wait for you all to hear it, because it’s stuff I haven’t even touched on yet in so many ways. I’m excited for everyone to hear it!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Sawyer Utah on Instagram

Rocking Out with Sawyer Utah and the new single Where Do U Go? - Highwire Daze

Rocking Out with Sawyer Utah and the new single Where Do U Go? Fast-rising singer, songwriter and producer Sawyer Utah has released his new

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Introducing Izaak Thomas: Rock and Metal Solo Artist from the UK

Izaak Thomas is a 20-year-old independent solo rock/metal artist from London/Essex. The multi-instrumentalist is one hundred percent self-produced, blending sounds from modern Rock to pure Metalcore with elements of Electronica and EDM. Drawing inspirations from bands such as Linkin Park and Bad Omens, Izaak has amassed an impressive collection of tunes. At press time, Izaak just released an amazing cover of Atlantis by Seafret – placing the pedal to the metal with his own very unique interpretation of the song. Originals such as insane, judas, and carousel are dynamic and memorable – destined to bring Izaak a good amount of attention well beyond the UK. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Izaak Thomas to find out a whole lot more about the compelling artist on the rise...

Introducing Izaak Thomas: Rock and Metal Solo Artist from the UK

Izaak Thomas is a 20-year-old independent solo rock/metal artist from London/Essex. The multi-instrumentalist is one hundred percent self-produced, blending sounds from modern Rock to pure Metalcore with elements of Electronica and EDM. Drawing inspirations from bands such as Linkin Park and Bad Omens, Izaak has amassed an impressive collection of tunes. At press time, Izaak just released an amazing cover of Atlantis by Seafret – placing the pedal to the metal with his own very unique interpretation of the song.  Originals such as insane, judas, and carousel are dynamic and memorable – destined to bring Izaak a good amount of attention well beyond the UK.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed Izaak Thomas to find out a whole lot more about the compelling artist on the rise…

We’re here with Izaak Thomas. First of all, Izaak, where are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there? So I’m based in London/Essex in the UK. The music scene in London is pretty good. There are a lot of underground bands playing around in places like Camden and stuff. Yeah, not so much Essex, but London, yeah, it’s pretty good.

Prior to doing your solo music, what other bands or projects were you involved with? I was in a band at this youth club in Essex, but that wasn’t really going anywhere. So I’ve always played music from when I was very young. When I was seven years old, I started playing bass guitar then that transitioned into guitar. Then, when I got into my teenage years, like 14, 15, I really wanted to start writing music and producing. So that’s what I dived into headfirst and have just been working on my craft a lot.

You’re 20 now, is that correct? Yeah.

Let’s talk about some of the songs. What was the inspiration behind your current single insane, and how did the collaboration with lostboi come about? The inspiration behind it is… sonically, it’s very, very much what I grew up on, like the nu metal – Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit type sound. Like a lot of music I made is very current metal, so I wanted to make a song that was just straight up like classic nu metal. So that’s sonically. Lyrically, it taps into more mental health awareness.  I always like to be brutally honest with my lyrics. The collaboration came about… he’s my friend. We were at university together, and we just decided to do a track together. Yeah, that’s it really.

I want to talk about a few of your other songs. judas, let’s talk about that and the inspiration behind it. judas is definitely my heaviest song I’ve made. It’s very much inspired by bands like Bring Me the Horizon and Bad Omens, and it’s just a big, angry anthem. Lyrically, it taps into themes of betrayal. I like to make music that’s relatable to everyone, no matter what the song is. I feel like everyone can relate to judas in a way.

broken, tell me about that one. broken is what I believe to be my best song. It’s got pretty much everything in it from a rock standpoint. It’s got new metalcore, emo electronica, so it got played on BBC Radio 1, which I was very happy about, and I just I’m very proud of it and I think it’s my strongest piece of work.

Then carousel, one of my favorite songs of yours. Tell me about that and the inspiration behind it. Before that, my releases were quite slow before that. They’d be like a year apart, and my production wasn’t the best. I was 16 at the time. So, carousel came about when everything elevated; you can hear the production is so much better from the previous releases before that. I feel like carousel was the start to this new era that I’m in now. I’m proud of that song as well.

You have an EP out called a catastrophic ending that you released in 2021. First of all, let’s talk about that, the title, a catastrophic ending. What are you referring to? It’s quite like a concept record. I just thought it sounded cool to be honest. But that EP, I made that when I was still in school. It was the first ever thing I put out officially at SoundCloud, stuff before, and that was the first piece of music that I uploaded to streaming services like Spotify. It was just everything I needed to get out in my teenage years. I just put it into that EP, and it’s personally not my favorite, but I am still very proud of it, and from how young I was doing it.  It’s always something to look back on.

Have you had a chance to play live yet? If so, what was the experience like? That’s currently the process. That’s the next step. I have a full band ready except the drummer, so I’m looking out for a drummer. Then once I’ve got one, I’ve got quite a few contacts for live shows. So yeah, that would be the next step.

If you could open for any band, either now or from the past, who would it be and why? That’s an easy one, Linkin Park. Just because they’re literally the reason I’m doing music now. It sounds cliche but genuinely are. If I hadn’t heard Linkin Park when I was seven years old, I don’t think I’d be sat here doing what I’m doing now. So yeah, definitely opening for Linkin Park would be an absolute dream come true, and I’m hoping one day that will happen.

You actually met Chester from Linkin Park? What was that experience like to meet Chester? It was just the best. Still doesn’t even really feel real. It was 16 days before he passed away. It was in London. We saw him at the O2 the day before. I was 12 years old at the time, to put it into perspective, and they were playing Brixton the next day, and we managed to wait outside the venue because Brixton’s obviously a lot smaller than the O2 Arena. Yeah, we were lucky enough to meet. Waited five hours and it was an absolute dream come true.

If you were able to appear on a Linkin Park tribute album, what song would you do by Linkin Park, and why? If you could choose one song, what would it be? That’s so hard. There’s two ways of looking at it because obviously I love their heavy stuff. It’s obviously the best, but then I love their melodic stuff as well, like Leave Out All The Rest and everything. I think if we’re talking heavy, I’d love to do Faint. If we’re talking softer, I’d love to do Waiting for the End. If I had to pick one, though, it would probably be Faint.

What do you think about the new vocalist of Linkin Park, and were you surprised? I was surprised. I think she’s amazing. I think it’s great. I’m just happy that I get to go see my favorite songs played live again.

I’m going to go ahead and ask this question anyway since you’re from the UK. If King Charles invited you to play one song at a Royal Command Performance, what song would you do for the King and why? It’s one that’s not out yet. It’s going to be out next month, I’m hoping. It’s an acoustic song, which might be a bit more appropriate for that setting. Well, maybe I’ll just play judas and just go full blast.

Izaak Thomas via Zoom!

What’s up next for you in the next few months? You mentioned a new single about to come out. I’ve been working really hard on just getting as much music done as possible. I’ve got five new songs ready. I’m dropping the next one, hopefully at the end of the month. I’m editing a video for it right now. We filmed it yesterday. It’s a cover of an acoustic song, a well-known song. I can say it at Atlantis by Seafret. But I’ve rocked it up and everything, so it sounds like one of my songs. Then after that, there’ll be an acoustic song, then I’m dropping this rock/metal/hyperpop song, which I believe is one of my strongest, probably in August sometime. But yeah, just loads of new music.

You mentioned acoustic. Is that something maybe you’d like to do, is maybe an acoustic EP or maybe a few acoustic shows? Yeah, 100%. I definitely want to do an acoustic EP. I feel like my voice suits acoustic very well. Obviously, I’ve done metal my whole life and everything. But yeah, I also love acoustic music, so yeah, definitely.

Do you have any messages for music fans who are reading this right now, who are discovering you for the first time? Thanks for supporting, and stay tuned because there’s a lot of new music coming. I hope you can relate to the music because that’s one of the biggest goals for me when I’m writing and everything. Thank you so much. I appreciate you.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Izaak Thomas on Instagram

Introducing Izaak Thomas: Rock and Metal Solo Artist from the UK - Highwire Daze

Introducing Izaak Thomas: Rock and Metal Solo Artist from the UK Izaak Thomas is a 20-year-old independent solo rock/metal artist from Londo

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Editor Ken with The Marvelous Acceptance and Mia Lee at The Corbin Bowl. Such a fun show tonight. Interview coming soon to Highwire Daze Online!

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Scarlet Bandit live review now at Highwire Daze Online! Review by Ken Morton and Photos by Jack Lue!: https://highwiredaze.com/2025/07/07/scarletbanditlive1/

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Editor Ken with Joseph Dockery at Hotel Ziggy for WFNM! Review coming soon to Highwire Daze Online!

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SPEED OF LIGHT live photos by Jack Lue from The Roxy Theatre now at Highwire Daze Online: https://highwiredaze.com/2024/12/28/soltheroxy1/

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Editor Ken of Highwire Daze - Hollywood In Winter - December 2024

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Editor Ken with Cameron Foley, vocalist for Last Night of Solace at Trees in Dallas, TX 12/02/23. Looking forward to seeing them on tour this week at DNA in San Francisco and Chain Reaction in Anaheim!

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Editor Ken with Last Night of Solace at Trees in Dallas, TX 12/02/23. Looking forward to seeing them on tour this week at DNA in San Francisco and Chain Reaction in Anaheim!

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BACK INTO THE GAP WITH TOM BAILEY OF THOMPSON TWINS

Tom Bailey and the Thompson Twins are about to hit the road on the Totally Tubular Festival – including a local stop at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood on June 29th!  Also featured on the tour are Thomas Dolby, Modern English, Men Without Hats, and a whole lot more!  Recently celebrating the 40-year anniversary of the iconic Into The Gap release, expect Tom Bailey and the Thompson Twins to perform selections from that album as well as many other fan favorites from a vast and epic career in music.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed Tom Bailey to discuss the forth coming Totally Tubular Festival, the 30th anniversary of the first Babble album, a look at his solo Science Fiction endeavor, and other topics of intrigue.  Read on…

We’re here with Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins.  You recently completed the 40th anniversary of the Into the Gap Tour. How did that go, and what were some of the highlights? It went very well, thank you. And it was an amazing thing to do after 40 years. Some of those songs, I hadn’t performed for 40 years. Some of them had never been performed. I think one of them was never performed live. So, it was something of an undertaking, and we enjoyed it so much. It’s a new band, of course, and the interpretations of the songs were contemporized, you might say, but very recognizable. And they get a big response because the people who come to those shows remember that album, and they’re mentally, if not vocally, singing along with it.

Was it a challenge to actually learn some of these songs that you’ve hardly ever played or have never played? Well, of course, it’s a challenge. Challenge is a good thing, but I have a band of amazing musicians, and we got stuck into it, and the results were very good. We were happy.

When you look back on Into the Gap and the fact that it’s been 40 years, what do you think of the album now in retrospect? Well, it’s one of the ones that I’m most pleased with, from the catalog of output over the years. I think we were at the peak of our abilities in one way or another. And it was also, strangely enough, quite an easy album to make, in the sense that it just flowed out without great disputes or lack of direction or anything. It just was really clear what we had to do, and the focus was there. So, yes.

What are you looking forward to the most about the upcoming Totally Tubular Festival? We won’t get the chance to play at such length because our set length is much shorter on the festival. I think there are 7 bands, so that’s going to be exciting. We’ll start… I think we’ll have to start fairly early in the evening to get 7 bands through, and whoever’s on stage management will have their work cut out for them, I think.

But anyway, one of the big thrills for me is co-headlining Thomas Dolby, which is an idea that’s been a long time coming. We worked together on my 2nd album. He played some synthesizers on that. And so, he was kind of instructive. He’s one of the early synth guys in the UK. And so, he was influential in getting me going there as well.

But we’ve never actually been on the same stage. And in fact, for years, we’ve been out of touch with each other but bumped into him at an ’80s festival a couple of years back, and the idea of doing something together came up, and here we are. It’s come to fruition.

In Los Angeles, she’ll be performing at the YouTube theatre. I was wondering, what are some of your favorite memories of playing here in Los Angeles? Well, of course, Los Angeles is a beautiful and crazy place. So, my memory of arriving there for the first time was kind of unbelievable. I think after an overnight journey in the snow going through the mountains and then arriving on a sunny day, and Sunset Boulevard, I could not believe the kind of dream come true of Hollywood. But it’s also an intense place to be. It always seems like one of the important gigs of the tour.

And I think also, because of some of the radio stations that supported us there, like KROQ, for example, some songs were famous there that didn’t create so much of a wave elsewhere. And that’s interesting, isn’t it? That of the songs you write, sometimes 1 is a hit in one place but not another, and there was a particular B side that got played a lot on KROQ that people wanted to play live, which we never do. This is a strange thing.

I tend to remember that they were playing like Passion Planet and Tokyo. That’s right. Yes.

I love those songs. Did you even play those songs live anymore? No. No, not at all. I think, I referenced a little bit of Passion Planet just because so many people have asked me about it, but I don’t do the whole song at all. And elsewhere in the world, no one ever mentions it, but in Southern California, they love it.

You have another anniversary that’s happening this year. It’s a 30-year anniversary of The Stone by Babble. When you look back on that and the fact that it’s been 30 years, what do you think of that album now in retrospect? And strangely enough, by coincidence, that was the other album, as well as Into the Gap, that just kind of flowed out of the process so easily. I love that record. It was never destined to be a hit because it’s essentially an underground project, but I think creatively it was very satisfying. And I love to hear it now. And it’s a different kind of music; it’s long form. The songs are much longer; they have long introductions. These days, people write pop songs starting with the chorus. Back in the day, in the days of Babble, we would take 3 minutes to even get to the first verse.

Let’s talk about Science Fiction that you released in 2018. For people who haven’t heard it, how does Science Fiction and your solo work compare to what you do in the Thompson Twins? I’m working in the kind of mainstream pop area again on that record. So, it kind of picks up where I left off with The Twins. And it was relatively easy to make that move, if you know what I mean, because of The Twins. Because of the way we divided the tasks in the three-piece twins, basically, music was my responsibility.

So, it was me doing it and me doing it again on my solo record. So, there’s a great similarity in the process. Science Fiction is a solo record in as much as it’s just me playing anything. No one else is really involved apart from some backing vocals. And yes, I enjoyed writing those songs. Again, it flowed fairly easily. It doesn’t always happen that way, but you’ve actually picked 3 records that were (fun to do).

I believe you are performing Science Fiction live, or you did on the Into The Gap tour. Tell me about that song and the inspiration behind it. Yes, we often include the song Science Fiction. Well, it’s a funny thing because, as I’ve said in the past, I’m not particularly a fan of science fiction as a genre, because, to me, I don’t read or watch those movies that people would suspect from that song. To me, science fiction is a way of looking at the present because it re-contextualizes the problems of now.

And so, in that sense, I’m a big fan of science fiction or the perspective that it brings. But as you may know, the song really has another level, another meaning, which is about dragging someone away from their obsession with science fiction and bringing them back to now. That’s really what the song is about.

Would you like to record any other solo music or even Thompson Twins music in the future? I’m always writing and recording, so there’s all sorts of stuff in the can in various states of repair, and whether or not we make another album, I don’t know. It won’t be this year because Into the Gap is being re-released. It’s been remastered and is coming out in various formats like Dolby Atmos, and stuff. So, I don’t want to get in the way of that. And that’s going to be the big thing for me this year.

Another one of your albums is about to celebrate 40 years, and that’s, of course, Here’s to Future Days. Any plans to do any kind of tour with that? No, some people have mentioned, “Hey, why not?” But they don’t get much time off these ideas; people do that, but it’s like, we’ll see. I can’t imagine that, performing the whole of the Future Days album would be as easy or as satisfying as it was with Into the Gap, but we’ll see. I’ll have a look at some of that material again and try and include it.

Do you ever hear from Alannah Currie or Joe Leeway from time to time? Yes, but partly because of the re-release of Into the Gap, there’s been a lot of email discussions going on about how best to do that. But I also caught up with Alannah in New Zealand about a month ago. We had coffee, and she just moved there again, and I was just about to leave to come out on tour. So, we had a meeting and everything was cool. Everything’s good. She seems in great shape, and I think Joe’s happy as well, so it’s good.

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of what you’re doing now? Not directly at this very moment, but always part of me is as a gun for hire. I like to do that from time to time. I just played on a couple of other people’s records. One actually interestingly enough, an original Thompson Twins member made an almost kind of an Americana country record. And he said he wanted some keyboards. And so, he sent it to me, and I played piano on it. So, things like that are always great fun.

Tom Bailey, gun for hire. I like that. Occasional gun for hire, we should say.

Ken: Occasional gun for hire. Okay, there you go. All right. Do you have any messages for Thompson Twins fans out here in Los Angeles who are reading this now? Absolutely looking forward to seeing familiar faces and new faces when we get there. It’s going to be wonderful. Touring these days is a big deal for me, and I love doing it. So, to be performing anywhere is a dream come true, but LA is one of the big ones. Let’s have a party!

(Interview by Ken Morton – Live Photos by Jack Lue)

Thompson Twins on Facebook Totally Tubular Festival Official Home Page

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THE DAYS AND NIGHTS OF AMERICAN TEETH

American Teeth is the sonic alter ego of Elijah Noll, who collaborates alongside producer Colin Brittain (All Time Low, A Day To Remember, ONE OK ROCK, Papa Roach) and this meeting of the minds has resulted in quite a journey into the realm of pop punk and beyond. Hailing from Portland, Maine but currently based in Los Angeles, American Teeth recently signed to Fearless Records and plan to release his debut album later this year.  With singles such as Barred Out and One Of These Days already making a lasting impression on all types of music fans, American Teeth is slated to open the Aftershock Music Festival in Sacramento and has other live shows in the works as well.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed Elijah Noll find out a whole lot more about the up and coming American Teeth and their absolutely exhilarating, imaginative songs!  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in American Teeth and how long you’ve been doing this project. I am the singer, writer, co-producer of American Teeth. I started the project – we’re coming up on two years in June actually. So, it’s a fairly new project that came out of a session that I had with my now frequent collaborator Colin Brittain – who’s a great producer. We had a session with Munky from KORN actually – that was kind of put together and we really ended up hitting it off the two of us and started writing songs for fun – and that’s kind of how it all started.

How did you wind up signing with Fearless Records? That was after a couple of different meetings – Colin and I together ended up going around meeting a couple of different record labels – Fearless was one of them. Colin actually knew Andy Serrao the President of the label – so we ended up popping in there after one of our meetings in the area out here in LA.

You’re originally from Portland, Maine. What was the music scene like in Portland, Maine and were you involved with any bands up there? The music scene was definitely small. I was more involved as a fan of the emo scene up in the area. I don’t know if you know the band Sparks The Rescue – I went to some of their shows. We had a few venues like The State Theater. The Cumberland County Civic Center was kind of like our arena-type venue. I specifically remember seeing My Chemical Romance and Green Day there, which were pretty pivotal moments for me at the time. I used to play mostly house parties in kid’s basements and stuff like that. I definitely didn’t explode on the Portland, Maine scene. I was more kind of a fan within the scene.

And now you’re all the way across the country in Los Angeles which has a legendary music scene. What did you think of the music scene out here prior to the pandemic? I think that it’s actually growing because of the ability to connect virtually and all of that. I feel like people are just more driven to connect whether it’s through Zoom or Facetime. You could just do a quick meetup to see if it’s worth working together. It’s different than when shows are happening, but I do a lot of stuff on the writing side of the music scene out here, so I’ve been able to really connect with a lot of people – not only in Los Angeles but all over via Zoom. I’ve personally found that my network has expanded pretty quickly throughout this strange time.

What has it been like to write and release new music for American Teeth in the middle of a pandemic and all this social unrest in the world? It’s definitely helped fuel my creativity and the creation process around that. As far as releasing, it’s been interesting because it’s really kind of this thing where you’re putting it out and you don’t get to go play it live like you usually would. Like you’re just putting it out there. I’m focusing more on getting the song out and really making sure that I’m creating visuals that match the story I’m trying to tell or the vibe that I want people to feel. And I’ve been getting into TikTok too which has been an interesting journey.

Let’s talk about your new song One Of These Days and what inspired the lyrics for you. That song is essentially about acceptance honestly. It’s about waking up and just feeling terrible right off the bat. A lot of times when I’m feeling down or I’m going through a bad day, I’ll try to deny that that’s happening, or try to convince myself “It’s fine. I’ll be fine…” and just push through. But I found recently with some trial and error that sometimes often when you just accept that you’re having a shitty day, and allow yourself to feel that, you can move past it quicker. It’s really kind of the meaning behind the whole thing – let go and accept that you’re having a shitty day – and by doing that, most of the time you’ll be able to move forward that way.

You have another song called Barred Out that you did with Twin XL – Cameron Walker who used to be in Weatherstar and The Ready Set. How did that collaboration come about, and tell me a little about that song? Yeah, that was a fun one! That one came out of a co-writing session that we had with Cameron. I brought him in with the intention of doing some stuff for American Teeth. And while we were writing, he was singing the pre-chorus part that he’s featured on. Colin and I heard him singing on it and he just killed that performance of it! I got up on the mic and sang the same thing, and it just didn’t feel the same. There was something about his take that felt really natural and perfect for it. And we told him if you want to be on this track, it would be a great way to cross our worlds. And he was down and that’s how it all kind of came together. It was pretty natural.

You also did something with the band Dreamers called Still Not Dead. Tell me how that came about. That was actually another situation where there was another co-writing situation with Nick from Dreamers and I and Colin. That day the intent was to do a Dreamers song, so I wasn’t intending on being on the song. But it was the day a little over a year ago that Kobe Bryant passed away – and Nick had just gotten back from a trip from his hometown in Seattle – unfortunately one of his childhood friends had committed suicide, so he was coming back from that funeral. It was really a dark day for everybody in general. I’ve had plenty of loss and death in my life, including my dad when I was like 12 – and a lot of family members over the years. So, we just kind of decided that we were going to write a song about how we were feeling in that moment. It was kind of like glaringly obvious that that’s what we needed to get out. So, we kind of each told our story about our experiences with death and loss – and wanted to put a bit of a spin on it that was hopeful in a way – like a celebration of life amongst all of the loss.

Your producer Colin Brittain – he’s worked with bands such as All Time Low, Papa Roach, 5 Seconds Of Summer – the list is crazy! What is it like working with him? It’s really fun – we have a good thing. He’s so incredible. His track record shows how talented he is. I think that when you bring both of our talents together, we have something that I feel is really unique – and we just have so much fun creating together.

Providing live shows actually start to happen, what are you looking forward to the most about your appearance at Aftershock later in the year? It looks like you’re playing the same day as My Chemical Romance… Yeah, it’s crazy man! It’s a dream honestly. I think about Aftershock frequently, and I can’t wait. Performing is my all-time favorite piece of music, and being an artist I just can’t wait to jump around on a festival stage. It’s going to be so amazing!

If you could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why? I would say that number one would be The 1975. I’m a really big fan of that band, and I think the band has really developed this awesome fan base that I would really love to perform for. My Chemical Romance is one of them, but I happen to be technically opening the stage for them, so that’s going to be Step 1. Step 2 would definitely be being a direct opener on a My Chemical Romance tour. That would be just completely insane. I’m a big fan of Gerard Way and his artistry and his creativity – and I just think that would be so cool!

If the music of American Teeth was a donut, what kind would it be and why? Oh, that’s a good question because I love donuts. This isn’t my favorite donut, but I think this represents us the best – a rainbow sprinkle chocolate donut. The sprinkles for me represent the many colors – the many dimensions of the sound that American Teeth has. And maybe it has a soft cream filling because the music a lot of times has a hard outer shell, but there’s a softness and warmth in the middle.

What do you hope the rest of 2021 brings for American Teeth? A lot more live shows – I want to manifest that now. More live opportunities and the ability to connect with real people in person – and to meet new people that way. An album is happening this year, and that’s exciting. And I’m also experimenting with some visual stuff with creating little, short films and things around the music – so definitely more of that as well.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

American Teeth on Facebook

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GYPSY WOMAN BY GRIFFIN TUCKER & THE REAL ROCK REVOLUTION (GKT MUSIC LLC)

Griffin Tucker & The Real Rock Revolution are a guitar-driven, hard-hitting rock & roll band from Dallas, Texas ready to break the rebellion out of the massive confines of the Lone Star State.  Griffin is best known for his amazing solo work as well as for an appearance on the iconic American Idol competition – and with the formation of The Real Rock Revolution, Tucker and his brigade of musicians are destined for even greater glories ahead.  The band has just released their debut Gypsy Woman single upon the world at large, and it’s a dynamic rock and roller that leaves the listener craving a whole lot more.

Griffin Tucker on vocals and guitar delivers his most stunning performance to date, channeling all the rock and roll legends while bringing his own charismatic personality and flair to the song.  And what a thunderous band Griffin has assembled, with the Real Rock Revolution in the making featuring Patrick Smith on rhythm guitar, Cameron Cianelli on bass, and Joshua Sloan on drums. With a song as deliciously rocking as Gypsy Woman, it will be exciting to see what Griffin Tucker and The Real Rock Revolution has in store for us all above and beyond these pandemic days.  Stay tuned as this modern-day rock extravaganza is absolutely on fire!

(Review by Ken Morton)

Info: www.griffintuckermusic.rocks

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THE REAWAKENING OF SUNSTORM

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Maurizio Del Piccolo 

The melodic hard rocking sensation Sunstorm has been reactivated, featuring longtime member Alessandro Del Vecchio as well as new vocalist Ronnie Romero.  Taking the place of the legendary Joe Lynn Turner, Ronnie Romero’s amazing vocals have been featured in bands such as Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group – and within the realm of Sunstorm, Romero’s performance is absolutely mesmerizing.  Del Vecchio is best known for his membership within the ranks of Hardline and Edge Of Forever, as well as countless other projects and endeavors throughout his glorious tenure with Frontiers Music Srl.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed Alessandro Del Vecchio to discuss the mighty reawakening of Sunstorm, their brand new album Afterlife, his longtime association with Frontiers Music, and many other epic topics.  Read on…

Hi Alessandro. First of all, congratulations on the amazing new Sunstorm album! Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Afterlife? First of all, thank you very much! I’m excited as you are for the new album. Yes, so Afterlife was the first song that we wrote for the album literally after the day we decided to move on, and we got involved with Ronnie Romero. The title I guess says it all, because it’s just to show a new chapter and new step into our future. Afterlife has this concept of getting one foot in the past and one foot in the future, because obviously we were changing our singer and we were moving forward to rebuilding the band and the brand as more of an actual group of people and not something built around Joe Lynn Turner or around somebody else’s songwriting or things like that. Like an Afterlife, a life after the actual life the band already had – so like an evolution into something brand new.

Ronnie Romero is obviously an amazing vocalist. How did he become involved with Sunstorm and what made you decide to go with Ronnie? Well, I’ve got to give kudos to our Frontiers president Serafino Perugino. I was in Florida back then. I woke up and had this message on What’s App saying “I want to move on with Sunstorm. Do you think that Ronnie Romero would be good?” And I totally jumped on it! First of all, Ronnie and I were friends, and promised ourselves to do something together as soon as we could. And to me honestly, it was the right occasion because we knew that Joe Lynn didn’t want to be part of it – he never responded to our communications about doing a new Sunstorm release. So, it was the perfect combination of our songwriting and our style – some kind of a newer voice – like a new generation sound and voice so we could project our band into the future.

What do you think of Ronnie’s work with Michael Schenker Group this year – and have you ever met or worked with Michael Schenker? I met Michael Schenker. We played I guess 3-4 times with MSG in Spain with Hardline and then we did the 70K Tons of Metal Cruise when we were with Archon Angel with Zachary Stevens. I met very briefly only once Michael, but I’ve never worked with him. But I’m very happy for Ronnie to be one of the new singers for Michael Schenker. I mean it’s kind of ironic and cool that both Joe Lynn and Ronnie are with Michael Schenker (on the new MSG album Immortal). It’s a strange twist of fate, but cool. Ronnie is my friend and my brother, and I couldn’t be happier to see him to succeed and even be more out there. I support the guy – even before he became the singer that we all know him to be.

Tell me about the inspiration behind Swan Song and that video. The video is obviously a pandemic edition of what you would do with a whole band in a field filming all together. We had to film it separately – like four different locations and put it all together. And it’s Ronnie’s wife in the video. The video is obviously related to the lyrics, and the lyrics just tell the story of what we’ve seen in this very trying challenging time. We’ve seen lots of people just fall apart and go separate ways. I don’t know how many friends of yours have broken up, but I’ve seen lots of friends of mine, and they just couldn’t cope with the times – and they had to change everything they had around them. And that song is about your swan song – your last moment into a relationship, into your friendship, into your job, into something that you love – and you have to lose something somehow. But it’s also a hopeful message into everybody’s karma, into everybody’s who is in that moment. Well, you know, the swan song is never the last chance that you’re going to have in your life – it’s always a metaphor for change for something that’s coming next. The album is kind of a personal, spiritual, hopeful message – and just to say that whatever we’re living through right now, it’s not going to be forever, so we’ve got to learn at adapt. Things are probably never what we want them to be, but we’ve got to adapt to the challenges and possibilities that life is throwing at us.

What has it been to like to record this album in the middle of a pandemic and so much social unrest in the world? The only thing that really changed was that I had more time to write. I had more time in the studio just because I wasn’t on tour. I was supposed to go on tour March 15th and stay on tour until the end of the year – and probably I would have written the Sunstorm album on the road like in the past. Like taking advantage of long flights and long travels and tour buses and countless hours around in hotel rooms. Normally I’m a natural writer and I always write. But recording, I guess musicians were the most pandemic ready, working class in the world to be socially distanced thanks to the Internet and have been making records like that for years. We probably would have done most of the process together, but it’s not the first album where musicians like myself or other producers do in the distance. I really like to embrace what is the good side of technology. The pandemic obviously hit us for the video, for pictures, for the fact that we couldn’t do the vocals and the drums all together, so we had to be separated – but you know, we took the good out of it. We had more time – that we weren’t on tours – Ronnie was supposed to go on tour as well. So, we turned a negative happening into something positive with this album.

Frontiers Music Srl is celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year. How did you initially meet Serafino and become involved with Frontiers? So, the first time I got in touch with Frontiers was around 2002 when we were shopping the first Edge Of Forever album. Then we ended up signing to MTM Music, which back then was Frontiers’ competitor, but Frontiers was also distributing them through their distribution in Italy. In 2004, when we released the first Edge Of Forever album, Frontiers was distributing us in Italy, so I met them back then. And then we stayed in touch for the years because I had record distributed by them. But it was in 2011 – almost 10 years ago – I sent them an email because I was doing successful albums for other labels and I knew they had Dennis Ward and Erik Martensson working a lot with them, so I was like, “Maybe they don’t need another producer – maybe they don’t need another songwriter. But let me challenge my destiny.”

So, I sent Elio an email saying “How are you? It would be so great during this year to work together. I was guessing maybe we could get to a closer relationship. Maybe you need songs or a producer or a mixing engineer?” And he was like “Well, we’re looking for songs for Robbie LeBlanc and Find Me. Do you have songs?” I never have songs – I’ve got to write in the moment. I was like “I don’t have it, but I could write it and get back to you very soon.” And I don’t think they expected to hear from me for a few days, but the same day I sent them the first Find Me song. Then the asked for a second one, a third one, a fourth one, a fifth one, a sixth one – and then I got an email from Serafino himself saying “Well, I like what you’re doing. Tell me more about the way you operate. Do you have a studio or whatever is your way to getting these songs to us?” And I told him what I was doing and during that conversation, he was like, “Well, would you like to write and work with Johnny Gioeli?” And I was like “What!?!” He was in Hardline! Out of one email I sent, I got a job as a songwriter – and now I’m in freakin’ Hardline!?! Everything in the matter of a few days.

Back then, when I sent in the Danger Zone master by Hardline, Serafino asked “Who would you like to work with?” And I was like “That’s kind of a strange question from the person you’re committed just to produce.” And I sent them a list with Joe Lynn Turner, Fergie Frederiksen and so many others. And we still laugh at it, because we did everything that I sent in that email. So, our relationship started like I’m not that kind of musician – I’m not a good feature on myself – but I knew I had talent and qualities – and I knew what I could do in a label like that, because I knew I could do really great for the label if they gave me an opportunity. And thank God Frontiers is always open for opportunities. If you see all the new signings and the younger acts that they sign, it’s crazy. So out of one email, I got this amazing adventure with them – with 100 or more records and I don’t know – maybe 400 songs – it’s crazy! We’re still trying to keep the numbers, but it’s been a very fortunate, great creative 10 years together, and we’re pushing to more!

On the same day as the Sunstorm release, you have the new ISSA CD coming out – two new releases in one day… Well, it’s actually three new releases, because I wrote three songs, and I recorded all backing vocals for Secret Sphere too. So, it’s three in the same day.

How does it feel that you have three albums coming out in one day (March 12th)? It’s challenging on the one side because I would like to give promotional wise the same amount of push to all the albums, but obviously Sunstorm is a band that I’m a part of – so now what do I do? We always talk about it and “obviously your priority is on Sunstorm because ISSA is going to promote the album, herself.” And Secret Sphere – they don’t need my promotion. It’s more about me, because I like to give 100 percent to everything I do. But tomorrow I’ll come out and say “It’s another multiple release day and enjoy the albums. They’re all out there. Just love the music.” That’s the only thing I can do, but it makes me feel very grateful. I feel that it’s a luxury nowadays – with all the struggling musicians, I have found a way and a balance to put out all these great records and to somehow unleash this creative fury and strength and force that I have in me. So, it’s more like a good mirror of my person – a very creative volcano. It’s a little challenging on one side, but I feel very grateful, and I feel energized that I will do even more – and that’s a good push for myself.

What do you hope 2020 brings you for and for Sunstorm and for music in general? For Sunstorm, we’re hopefully working through these challenges to bring the band on the road. So, we will do our best to turn Sunstorm into a touring entity as much as we can. For music in general, I really, really hope that 2021 is going to be a year where we can at least start to see some live activity because records are cool – and we’re all grateful that we can still manage to make records and produce – but the energy that you get onstage playing your songs, and seeing what your songs are doing to the crowd – it’s unbeatable! And it’s a bond that’s created between the audience and the musicians – and there’s nothing that could replace that. I really hope that the future is not online shows, because the interaction with the crowd is what makes concerts magical and unique. And I want to see the tears in somebody else’s eyes, and I want to hear the shouts. I want to hear the lyrics – my songs – our songs – loud through their voices. I don’t want to play for a screen – for a camera – that is fake to me. There’s no difference between that and a playback. Hopefully we will see concerts very soon. I know it will come back – I don’t know if it’s 2021 or 2022, but hopefully it will come back soon.

Sunstorm is: Ronnie Romero – Vocals Simone Mularoni – Guitars Alessandro Del Vecchio – Keyboards, backing vocals Nik Mazzucconi – Bass Michele Sanna – Drums

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