Interview with Boston Rock Group The Ultra!
The Ultra, rock ‘n’ roll band from Boston, are coming to The Fire on Friday, November 16th! I got the opportunity to sit down with Sam (guitar), Pat (bass) and Shaqed (drums) and talk to them about creating their sound, what it was like performing at Gillette Stadium and how the last year has been since forming the band. Check out the full interview down below!
Q: What got you all into music? Is this a passion you’ve had since you were young or did you find your love for it within the last few years?
Sa: I think our parents got us all into music. My dad still gives me a hard time about it, I ruined all of his Beatles records as a kid because I would just play them so much. I made my mom made too because I would just steal all of the pots and pans and pretend I was Ringo.
Sh: We all have different pathways that got us into music. I am from Israel originally and my mom was really well known singer there and so I was just born into the industry.
P: My mom got me a guitar for Christmas when I was about 6, a little acoustic guitar, so I was really grateful for that.
Q: It has been a little bit under a year since you guys first became officially The Ultra, how have the last few months been releasing so much new music and just growing a band?
Sa: It has been very exciting and face paced, and very, very busy at all times.
P: Yeah, it’s been a wild ride!
Sh: Initially when we were playing as Alec Mac we were having a lot of fun but there was this very immediate agreement that hey, we’ve got to do something more than we are doing now. Then “Lights Go Down”, our first song, materialized really fast and now here we are.
Sa: Yeah and after a few trips to California and rehearsing a lot, we are pretty immersed in our field right now.
Q: That all sounds really awesome, what has been your favorite venue to play at so far?
Sa: Gillette Stadium, that was last Sunday before the Pats vs. Packers game. That was really something, it was a really fun gig.
P: We were opening for LoCash, we didn’t know this but people were texting us saying we were on tv and that was really surreal.
Sh: I think as of late, that place seems so untouchable and just to be in that vicinity is amazing.
Sa: The next step is being the headliner!
Q: From listening to your latest single “Look Like Kylie” and the EP, I really get the sense that your music is this fantastic blend of early 2000s punk rock and today’s country music. Was that sound something that came naturally when you guys first jammed together?
P: I’ve known Alec for like a million and a half years, we grew up together, and we started our first rock band in like 6th grade so rock n roll has been the goal for us. Then we split ways, he did his thing with country and then we came back to form this band so it is interesting having that country aspect of it. Our music is still heavily punk rock vibes. We were big Good Charlotte fans, I used to wear spikes in my hair because I love Benji Madden.
Sa: I will tell you right now this guy right here [pointing at Shaqed] is the second coming of Travis Barker.
Sh: Oh, thanks man! I think the thing that really makes the combination work is that we do have a center of about 2 or 3 bands that we all love and listen to but then we all come from such different backgrounds musically and it all adds that something extra.
Sa: Exactly and I think the four of us find common ground with our influences because they all have a similar energy.
Q: You guys got to work with producer Courtney Ballard who has done stuff for bands like All Time Low and Good Charolette. What was it like working with him?
Sh: He’s unbelievable, I’ve been buddies with him for about 3 or 4 years now. I met him just before I started college. I was in another band and we were looking to record an EP and we stumbled upon his studio. Then when we formed this band I had this instinctive feeling that he would really like our stuff so I sent him some tracks to see what he thought and he really liked it.
P: His stuff is awesome, we were ripping the new Waterparks album last night, which he produced, and it is just amazing. Anything he does is amazing. When we went to go record “Getaway”, I thought the verse guitar riff was like an All Time Low riff, and when we walked into the studio he asked me if it was cool if he changed it around. I looked up and saw the platinum All Time Low placard on his wall and I told him of course, I’ve gone straight to the source.
Q: What's a song you've written that came out of nowhere? Maybe from just staring at a tree or making food and then think ‘Oh this would make a cool song’.
Sa: “Lights Go Down” was a weird on take thing. It was our Big Bang, we created a real tangible energy with that song.
Sh: I think the random part about it was the way we started the band with Alec coming from Nashville and him coming back for jaw surgery. He hit us all up because he wanted to play and make some money so we kind of just built off the crazy, unique energy that was present from the beginning.
Q: It seems like within the last couple months you guys have been playing a lot of cool places and really growing your fan base. What is your dream venue to play? Is there a place where if you were to headline or play there, you would get that ‘yeah we made it’ feeling?
Sa: We got a little taste of it this summer. We headlined Brighton Music Hall in our hometown, it’s like a 500 person club and we gave them their biggest ticket sales of the summer.
P: In terms of venues we hope to play, in our home town we’d probably say the House of Blues. That’s probably the biggest club in Boston.
Q: You guys hit the ground running with all of the new releases in the last couple of months, can fans be expecting new material soon? Maybe some more singles or a possible full album?
P: We’ve got some things we’ve been holding on to and we are still figuring out the release plan for that. We’re in studio shift right now and we’re cooking some things up.
Sh: Yeah we’re always cooking new things!
Sa: The beginning of 2019 is gonna be pretty loud. I think that is what we are gearing up for! We’ll let people enjoy the holidays before we bombard them with all the new stuff.
Q: Do you guys have any fun stories from being on tour or when creating new music?
P: One time we had a mosh pit to the song ‘Wagon Wheel’, that was really crazy. Fireworks works behind the stage playing a billionaire's estate in Maine.
Sh: Yeah nothing too crazy, we are pretty relaxed but do like to have fun!
And that is what you can expect from the show next Friday! Come by and rock out with this awesome band!
Check out The Ultra on Facebook and their website!
The band are joining Black Tie Stereo and Menace of Canvas at The Fire Friday, November 16th. Link to the event HERE
Stay up-to-date on all The Fire news and events here: https://www.firephilly.com
By Jackie Karlsson
