You’ve just released your Wall Street EP – was it fun to write and record?
It was extremely fun to write and record. We travelled to Orlando, FL. to work with producer Brock Berryhill and his business partner/engineer Evan Coffman, after having crafted the basic skeletons of the songs in our hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Both Evan and Brock are very talented industry veterans and brought the best out of our band. The whole experience was pretty eye opening on a lot levels.
We took a more organic approach to the songwriting and recording process. Most, if not all, of the instrumentation was tracked using vintage gear. A lot of the overdubs and production ideas were crafted with real human hands, not just plugins, etc. For example, Sellin’ My Soul makes use of a mandolin and a ukulele during the bridge – that was very interesting to say the least!
How would you describe your music for people who don’t know you?
We like to avoid the trappings of genre classifications and definitions, so we typically tell people we’re a rock n’ roll band and to simply listen to our music for themselves and make their own mind up.
What’s your favourite song from the new EP?
I can’t speak for everyone, but for me personally it’s Sellin’ My Soul. The overall vibe of the song is something we’ve never done before. It blends a lot of genres such as pop, rock, reggae and infuses them into this brilliant melting pot. The lyrical content is great as well.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
This is tough one… In Our Hands is probably my favourite one to play live off this new release. It’s a rocker with a lot of epic and fun guitar licks.
Who’s your ultimate musical icon and how have they influenced you?
I have a very broad range of musical influences – everyone from The Beach Boys, The Beatles to Iron Maiden. I think in some way, shape, or form it’s all influenced me, from either a guitar playing stand point or the way I view songwriting.
What made you get into music?
A desire to create. The guitar was always intriguing to me as a kid, so I decided one day that I wanted to learn and I haven’t put it down since. There were several musicians in my family so it’s probably just in my blood at this point.
What do you hope to do in the next year?
To continue our journey; write, record, and to carry on with pretty much what’s become business as usual for The Upset Victory.
Any plans for the next EP?
We just wrapped a music video for the lead single Fake This – that’ll be out very soon. We’ll also be playing many shows this summer (including Bunbury Music Festival), so keep an eye out!
