I recently had the chance to go down and hang out with the guys from Sevenday Curse, and hear what they have to say about the past the present and the future. I got a chance to hear some of the new material, and see them playing songs like ” Revelations”. I am pumped after hearing the rough mixes of the new material. They have not lost their touch, they are bringing it back, hard. Like they just finished with After The Storm and are picking right back up where they left off. Playing some bad ass metal. So with that said, lets get down to the interview.
Badger – So I am here with the guys from Sevenday Curse welcome back and couple things I wanted to talk to you guys about.
Badger-So how does it feel to be back together, and playing shows?
John- It feels great, this is something that a few of us wanted to do for a long time and we’ve finally all separately felt the need to try to get back together and we started talking to each other and found out that we were all kinda thinking the same thing so we did it. That was the first hurdle, getting back together back in the same room and seeing what transpires. Where this band is actually is at a point right now, where things are starting to be fun again. There was some heavy lifting we had to do re learning our songs and getting somewhat tight. Playing some shows, and things like that. Kinda starting from scratch, but now with the new material that we are working on, you know that whole fun its enjoyable again the aspect of it. Playing together, and playing new shit you know its pretty exciting. Especially after 15 years.
Badger: Does it make you feel kinda like you guys are young again?
Sevenday Curse – No hahaha.
Pat – I wouldn’t say that nope.
John – We definitely aren’t young. I mean you saw us downstairs practising and we played 1 song and 10 seconds into it I’m sweating like a pig.
John – I wouldn’t say ,
Pat – Getting up for work the next morning after our jungle rot show was hell.
John – Chasing your kids around after, band practices before (having kids) playing shows we would just go our separate ways, some of us would go out, or go to bars. Now in between practices my kids are running around.
Pat – Usually my kids are running around,
John – Pats kids are running around my wife helps out a lot, but its like you know we fit it in and we do the best we can with the time and energy but, yea that’s about it.
Badger-So what was that first show back like for you guys, what was it May 2014 right?
Scott – Kinda of nerve-racking.
Pat – Nerve-racking, yeah haven’t been on a stage in a long time.
John – Yea I think were all a little spooked out a little (bit) because after 15 years.
Pat – that was a fun show lot of people lot of people a lot of old friends it was a great feeling that was a good show, people coming from far away.
Scott – A lot of familiar faces,
John – it was definitely, fun and definitely we came out on stage it was a ruckus crowd we welcomed pretty well that was something that stood out to me was the applause from the people who were like, “fuck yea!” you know this is after 15 years it’s about to happen and you know it’s finally happening but yea.
Badger – When you guys first started bands like At the Gates were one of those very influential bands and I picked up that was an influence on you guys as well at the time. Slaughter of the soul was a killer album you know what I mean.
John – One of my top 3 favorite albums of all time
Badger-So you know as far as your influences then, what are your influences now? Do you have new artists, are you guys stoked to see At the gates back together and playing shows? So do you have any new influences?
Scott – I guess in the time in between we weren’t a band um I got into film scores a lot, I really like listening to soundtracks, pretty much everything Hans Zimmer has ever done its amazing, a lot of other really good composers, I’m not even remotely close to being anywhere near their level but I like to dabble, into arranging strings and stuff like that so that’s become I guess an influence for me kinda the dramatic side the music I guess . Bringing a little piece of that into the band it feels good I like it. It adds a different flavor to our music that’s different from what a lot of other bands are doing.
Badger – A whole different dimension being added to it.
Scott – Other influences I don’t know I think we are across the board I think that’s one of the really good things about the band we don’t, were just not all into the same music, and it’s always been that way Dan was always into the more brutal death metal stuff I was into the Swedish stuff Pat brought in a lot of hardcore influence John just straight up metal stuff. I think it’s still kinda that way, just more of it.
Pat – How am I the hardcore kid? ( laughing)
Dan – Well you were like, I learned about hardcore bands from you, Sheer terror Black flag, and you were in Close Call I think a mistake bands make is that you’re not going to be original from listening to other metal bands especially, newer bands or local bands you either got to dig back to the roots where this all came from or understand its OK to be influenced by music that’s not metal. I’m into everything I love even those early 90’s dance groups like The Real McCoy I like stuff like that I like seventies rock anything, Doo Wop classical music film scores anything dude, I can take that and channel it into metal it doesn’t just have to be metal I can take it from all the other places and when it does come to metal I think my biggest influence is I dig back I’m not going to reference a band like Trivium. They are a great band, but they are never going to be an influence (for me). To me an influence, is going to be Iron Maiden that’s an influence Entombed is an influence.
Badger yea the left hand path
Dan – Right any of them, that’s where metal influences come from. The newest band I’d call an influence would be from the early 90’s you know that’s how I think of an influence should be.
Badger – So what have you guys been listening to lately Scott mentioned film scores, for the rest of you what are you guys listening to lately , you got some old stuff, some newer stuff what are you listening to?
Scott – the newest Dark Tranquillity record
Pat – Nursery rhymes, The Frozen Soundtrack
Badger – But you have kids so that’s what you would be listening to most of the time anyway.
Pat – that’s all I listen to. ( laughing)
Scott – the newest Dark Tranquillity record
John – Scott and I have been , you know like I said I think we were the bigger Dark Tranquillity fans so we were looking forward to the new album and although I’d say Scott is maybe listening to a lot more than me. Its one of their darker albums so sometime its just not in the mood for it, but other times you know I can’t stop playing it.
Scott – Its pretty depressing music.
John – The album is really dark but so yea Dark Tranquillity I also listen to everything and with kids you know your choices change. I have Maroon five on my iPhone because my two kids love that I have to rock that a lot of the time but other than that. I have some old shit I have some new shit I’m actually way into Parkway Drive lately for the past 2-3 years, which is different for me I wasn’t really into that genre of hardcore. When I found Parkway it was something I never heard before and their breakdowns are just so brutal it has a metal aspect their guitarist is a metal guy so it was good that’s pretty much what I’m rocking that new Lamb of God, Dark Tranquillity and Maroon 5 (laughing)
Scott – that’s an eclectic mix (laughing)
Pat – Mostly folk music like the Clancy brothers, Schooner Fare from Maine,I dig them, talk about harmonies you would appreciate their harmonies
Badger – They definitely have their place there something for everyone out there. There is something for everyone out there, and that’s one of the things is that a lot of people think that if you’re in a metal band you have to listen to metal. That’s what what people generally think, that’s one of those things. You (Scott) listen to film scores, Maroon 5 has its place on your iPhone. You know everything you have to get that blend or you have tunnel vision and you’re not focusing on what else musically is out there. You are kinda broadening your horizons.
Pat – Dallas Green I listen to a lot of Dallas Green, check out Dallas Green City and Colour amazing!
John – so yea that stereotype that metal guys only listen to metal, rap only listens to rap punk only listens to punk but that’s not true and that’s proven by any artist you talk to they have several influences. You and I talked about this the other day Scott, Brent Hinds from Mastodon is way into that southern 70’s blues rock, and that comes through in their music.
Pat – I think everyone likes southern rock. You can’t say, the Allman Brothers are not good I dont care who you are. ( laughing)
Dan – I said in an interview years ago, the acoustic folk James Taylor stuff the Carol Cole, Cat Stevens, it all made it into our music. That’s an influence. People were saying it at the Jungle Rot show, that’s part of the gig “no one else is doing what you’re doing” that’s part of the game, doing something that not everybody is doing.
Badger – Back in 1999 when you guys were kinda of doing this there was no Facebook, there was no Myspace I mean there was really, there wasn’t much of anything. So you guys came from a time when it was like putting up flyers at shows handing out flyers at shows you didn’t have Facebook Myspace or anything like that so how has it changed for you guys now getting back into it and there’s just like everything is digital? Has it been an easy transition or…
Dan – I want to say something about this, just to show the difference, you asked if its different now. Just as a point of reference me and Scott were seniors in high school, and I played in a band called Adversary one of the many pre cursors for this band and dude I remember a kid made up a website for my band in 1995 somewhere around there dude I laughed at it, he’s like “this is your website”, he gave me a paper with the address, and when I went to the website it took about five minutes for the thing to load up. I thought “this is never going to take off.” Boy was I wrong. The exact opposite happened. You have to have it (the internet) now.
Badger – So has it been a whole learning lesson for you guys or did you guys transition into it pretty easy.
John – Fortunately for us Scotty and I are both in the IT industry. And it was pretty easy we’re very technology savvy so it comes easy to us like the other two guys not so much, but….
Scott- I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and how were using those tools, is part of what were working on now.
John – The whole social media thing were going to try to step up our game but with the internet now a days of course its one thousand percent better you know the whole heavy lifting thing getting in your car driving around putting up flyers, making calls. Just one example Facebook and the events page. You know you can make an event age and invite as many people as you want, as many people your friends with. And now a days everyone has at least 4-500 friends. Especially if you know you have an objective. You’re in a band or something like that. We share different mixes of our songs via social media. We have immediate access to each other via a text message or a face book message. We have been since day one, we have this one Facebook message, that is probably, fourteen thousand pages long now.
Scott – A thread
John – A thread of constant back and forth of what time are we meeting for practice, just wanted to check in what’s going on with the shows hows the new song coming? Here’s a new mix listen to it tell me what you think, maybe some making fun of each-other.
Scott – A lot of those last two. (laughing)
John – The purpose of my statement is just showing just how much of course it is a different age and its much easier to get.
Badger – You guys are embracing it.
John – Yea getting our music out there and getting our name out there.
Badger- so you guys recently put up After The Storm up on bandcamp, are we going to see the new material on there as well?
John-YES!
Badger- Bandcamp so far you have only had it up for about seven days today I think. How’s that turned out for you guys, in one week what would you say. Have you had positive results?
John – its been positive actually after about three days I went on and checked the statistics and our first song was streamed 54 times and second track was 43 times and I think that’s good for 3 days.
Badger- I’d say so definitely.
Pat – I haven’t seen it
John – We know you and I.T. (laughing)
John – After The Storm the goal is to have it available, but have it at a drastic price cut because its our old stuff. I actually have anxiety about it, but we have to make some money you know.
Badger- I think it would be something if it was one of the earlier demo’s or and E.P but it is a full length album.
Scott – It is a legit record.
John – I’m not denying that.
Badger – It was on Tortuga recordings you know what I mean so I definitely think its something that you have priced accordingly, I mean you can’t even find this album in most areas either. If I didn’t still have my disk I would buy it on here
Badger – when did you guys decide it was in fact time to get back at it?
Scott – That would have been November, December 2013 that’s when Pat started organizing everybody and at first you (Pat) contacted me about just playing guitar in a new band.
Pat – That was way before that
Scott – I’m talking about this time around.
Pat – Well I called a lot of you guys cause I just wanted to play, and I didn’t think you guys wanted to play Sevenday Curse stuff, I thought you guys were way beyond that at first it was hey you guys want to just jam and then it was I was getting like, “like Sevenday Curse? Or jam?” And I said let’s get together and see what happens.
John – In the back of our minds I know myself and Pat I told the story earlier, it was like the girl who got away we always wanted to try to resume and see what would happen and I think the other thing is I know like for myself I don’t know about anybody else. If I jammed with somebody else it was weird I always thought in my head that if I jammed again I just wanted to jam again with the same guys even if we didn’t do Sevenday Curse as long as if it was with them I thought the musicianship it would be on point we have an understanding of each other we worked together in the past and as far as musicianship these are the best that I know it’s why I wanted to put it together, it’s obviously one of the reasons we got together. Dan is one of the nastiest guitarists , Pat was nasty on the bass. And when Scott came in that day at practice we were like “ Dan you gotta get him in the band” the musicianship , I’m probably the worst drummer they’ve played with, but I don’t feel the same hahahahah.
Badger – So what musical direction are you guys going in? Are you guys trying to be more modern with the sound, or almost like After The Storm got released you are picking up right back where you would have?
Pat – That’s how I feel.
Dan – Yea that’s how I feel.
John – That’s the attempt; you know we feel like our music now, the new music were writing is a much more structured matured, engineered…. (form)
Badger – So you could say it’s the single barrel scotch of Sevenday Curse?
John – Yes!
Badger – It’s more refined you guys have had time to you know mature as adults.
Dan – It’s picking right back up but still relevant to what’s happening. Obviously we will be influenced by what’s going on around us in music, were up with the times but we’re still Sevenday Curse, and doing what we were doing back then.
Scott – I don’t think anyone ever creates something artistic in a way that’s free of influences everyone is always influenced by things. With that said I feel like for my part of the song writing, right now; I feel like the connection between what I’m writing and what I feel and want to say is the strongest it’s ever been for any music I have ever written. It just feels like it’s coming straight from inside.
Badger – Yea.
Scott – Not really when I’m sitting down to write and arranging there’s very little thought in my head in terms of I want it to sound like this or I want it to impress this type of person anything like that it’s really just what feels right.
Scott – I feel like that’s something every band says, it hasn’t been that true for me in previous bands that I have been in, or other times, it’s true for me now.
Dan – Brian there’s something we talked about this when we first got back together. There is a peanut butter and jelly thing that goes on with his guitar and my guitar. You know we played some of the stuff down here, and I was adamant that I wanted you also to hear one song predominantly Scott and one song predominantly me. When you put those two together because we acknowledged it, we build around the guitarists first,. That’s still there that’s what built the band in the first place. There’s still that contrast of his guitar versus mine and that’s no matter what that’s Sevenday Curse’s vibe. It’s going to be there whether we like it or not, it’s all still there. That’s how we wrote stuff After The Storm, it’s a series of songs that we glued together as a band at the time.
Badger – That leads up to my next question, is one member doing the primary writing, or do you guys jam and come up with the ideas and pick and choose? Or is it like I’ve got my idea, you’ve got your idea. Lets see if they both work or if they’re two individual songs.
Scott – I there’s been some of each of those things there’s been some parts where Dan brings in a riff and I listen to it and I come up with an idea for something to do in conjunction with the riff that he wrote. There’s a song that I wrote completely from start to finish before the band even got back together that’s the one you heard. That was written about three years ago and we re arranged it a little bit but it’s primarily still what I wrote. So its kind of all over the place
Dan – That stuff that I was playing , those riffs I mean the other night we had this riff for a while that I had that we like a lot and Scott was like “ we need to build a new song” a fast song around that so right away I started doing riffs again and this morning I was playing them for him that you heard. That was just done last night, in my head you know, so I mean I might come with that whole idea, and like Scott said he may come up with a whole idea and I feel like as a band we review it and listen to it and go back. And with Scott’s got the recording equipment, so we are putting a lot in his hands just because of convenience. He’s got the recording equipment, were not going to fight it, he’s got it let Scott work on some of this stuff on his own and then shoot us back the demo’s he came up with for it.and say you know “what do you think”
Scott – It’s a highly highly iterative process I put a raw collection of parts together and John will say why don’t you change this. Or why don’t you make that half time beat or whatever and a lot of stuff changes we have had about thirty different mixes of a song by the time we are done with it.
John – This is something that the way we wrote in the past (you know before the breakup) After The Storm would be a lot of it would be done. Either done in person or me and Scott over the phone or Scott would bring or Dan would bring something to practice but what’s different about this is a lot of this is done remotely its uh Scott putting his ideas in pro tools and getting Dan’s idea, putting that into pro tools and coming up with ideas and going back and forth on what’s good and what’s not.
Dan – A large majority of band practicing now is done over the internet we have band practice through emails Facebook messenger and I have no problem with it were all cool with it, these three guys each have two kids a piece, and a wife, and a house all that. OK this is how were going to have to practice now times not through the week we’ve got busy schedules. Times not on our side. With scheduling , I mean we’re OK with all of this. This is how were going to have to practice now.
Scott – And its working!
Dan – And its working, its great!
Badger – Have you guys had some positive feedback since getting back together as a band. You had mentioned your first show you have a huge crowd, got a lot of and response on the Facebook page that you guys are back at it?
Scott – Lot of excitement people commenting saying “ I can’t believe this is real!”
Dan – Yea I cant either! (laughing)
John – Pretty much what I said to myself.
Dan – It’s very surreal.
John – That one night after we got back together was “I cant believe this is happening I cant believe this is real” and we have people approach us and say that. Dan is still somewhat plugged in to the scene the metal and hardcore scene.
Scott – I’d say very plugged in.
John – Yea he doesn’t have kids and he is able to do that and he gets feedback every time that he goes to a show, any time he plays with his other band you know.
Dan – I feel like I get interviewed like” so what are you doing you got stuff coming out when are you playing etc. I tell them whatever they want to know. I can see from a fans view I would be asking the same questions.
Badger – What can the fans expect for the rest of 2015 ? Booking a few more shows?
Scott – Our main focus is getting this recording out I think we are hoping to do that by November that’s the goal that were at right now as soon as we’re done with the actual mixing and arranging and its moving to getting pressed we want to book some shows. So I’d say winter we want to play a lot.
Badger – So looking at beginning of 2016 you guys want to be playing some shows?
Pat – I want to do that metal night in Worcester.
John – It’s three things, mainly finishing the record we have new merch ideas we want to get out a couple of shirts maybe After The Storm on vinyl maybe some pressing of After The Storm maybe vinyl for the new album I don’t know we just got a lot of ideas and three is just getting on a lot of good shows for the end of 2015 and promoting that record and getting that new music out there.
Badger – So something I had talked to you guys earlier is that you worked with Kurt Ballou on After The Storm when it comes to the mastering it sounds like you are going to do as much as you can independently as you can and then you are going to leave the mastering up to someone like a sound engineer someone who does mastering?
Scott – I think it’s an intelligent decision, none of us know about mastering so.
Badger is there anybody in particular that you are looking to work with or are you not at that place yet.
Scott – We have only vaguely begun to research that.
Pat – Who did we use before.
John – We went to nine west.
Pat – When we went in there the guy was mastering Nuno Bettencourts new solo album.
John – We were very taken care of by Tortuga it was great to have the backing because studio time we’re not paying for record pressing were not paying for cd distribution were not paying for. The only thing we needed to worry about was finding ourselves some shows.
Dan – Even mark helped us out with that he got us shows with Isis( the band) Soilent Green
John – So then the mastering was great because the label paid for that and I feel like mark, when Tortuga was around mark had a lot of bands on his label but he had two that was his heavy hitters Scissorfight and then us. And I felt like he did extra work for the two of us and when it came to mastering I was taken back when he said that we were going to Nine West . Nine West is A+ for mastering, you look on the back of albums.
Pat – You look on the back of Nuno bettencourt’s album and you see Nine West.
John – Looking at that and then looking at our situation now its completely 180° were looking to do a lot of our stuff DIY. We’re trying to raise some money with that the mastering. We’re trying to take care of the recording the mixing ourselves and maybe, maybe were looking to try to get some help I don’t know but the mastering thing were just now starting to talk about it. We definitely want to do that we just want to see what depending on the funds, and what the avenues are.
Badger – So is Scott going to be doing the majority of the vocals just like After The Storm?
Scott – We haven’t arranged much of the vocals yet but I think its going to be the I’m not sure I’d agree that I did the majority of the vocals, I guess yea maybe I did two- thirds of the vocals but these guys.
Pat – That’s the majority hahaha
Scott – I think its probably going to be the same kind of mix, I’m the lead singer, but……
Badger – So you’re not labelling yourself the lead singer, just the guitarist and handling vocals as well while Pat and Dan are doing vocals too.
John – What you never heard my vocals?
Badger – (laughing) I have not heard your vocals no.
Scott – So I mean I guess I am the lead vocalist by default but I don’t think of myself as a singer.
Badger – You’re a guitarist that also handles vocal duties.
Scott – I am a guitarist that sings I think the mix is probably going to be the same (to address the original question) Pat and Dan are will still have some prominent vocals I guess the difference there is their not just doubling my parts they have lead parts they always did and that’s going to continue.
John – They have individual parts/ assignments
Badger – So are you guys planning on trying to get a label, get on a label rather?
Scott – We haven’t strategized a lot on that, we have a little but that’s definitely a goal.
Pat – That’s a main goal.
John – He perfectly said it we haven’t really come up with a game plan on that yet but that’s a goal so we somehow would like to in a perfect world would have our new material and get it in front of record exec’s and hopefully we find someone who is willing to work with us. Were not looking for the world were just looking for a little help.
Pat – Like I had said with these guys were not going to be a touring band.
John – There are bands out there that don’t tour.
Badger – You know there are some labels that do, do that.
Scott – Also we might be a low investment band, if we’re self producing and mixing that its really just the mastering and pressing, promotion.
Badger – So you guys recently did crowd-funding on the www.gofundme.com site, hows that working out for you guys?
John – There’s been some good response by a lot of close friends and some of the older fans it’s not where we would like it to be. We’re not really near our goal.
Badger – Well this is all new for you anyway, doing a crowdfunding thing.
John – I think our game plan is to release a new track before the album comes out, planning on try to use that to drum up some money / attention to the page.
Badger – So are you guys holding off on new material at the shows until the new E.P. is released?
Pat – I think we would like to play some a new song but ..
Scott – I think in general I am personally not a fan of playing stuff that is not released. However I am a fan of pre releasing a song or two before the E.P. or album is out.
Badger – So maybe not playing it at a show first , because you don’t want that dead crowd reaction. Actually releasing it (via Spotify, Bandcamp, blog, etc one of those avenues) just to get people to hear the new material, then playing it a show after.
Scott – Once its out for about a month we can play it at show.
Badger – You don’t want to be playing a show have a pit for the last three songs and then drop this and all the people are just staring at you.
Scott – I think in general, it works better when some people have actually heard the song before the show.
John – I got a different opinion on that were a band that hasn’t put anything out in fifteen years. So I think we owe it to the little bit of a fan base that we have now especially at this Revocation (September 3rd )show where we would like to try to play a new song People know our other album, and maybe they are sick of it and what to hear a new song. So we’re hoping that we can début it Scott song the one that you heard at the Revocation show, because it’s a good show it will be a great crowd there, and it will be a great platform for us to get back at it.
Badger – It is a badass tune definitely!
Scott – I’m hoping to release the song before that show.
Badger – How many tracks is the E.P. shaping up to be so far?
Scott – So I think it might end up being six or seven realistically something like five full band new songs, one instrumental and then possibly one of the songs from After The Storm re-done.
Badger – Cool re-done like not just remastered I mean playing it fresh?
Scott – Playing it with the new sound completely redone playing it.
Badger – That’s great to hear!
Badger – I just want to say welcome back! I can’t wait to hear the new material! I’ve been a long time fan . So is there anything else you guys want to say to the fan let them know what Sevenday Curse has for them?
Scott – That’s a good damn question.
Dan – I just want people to know that these little clips we’re releasing its one tiny piece of this big idea we have for these new songs.
John – We have something for you, so stand by.
Dan – It’s coming it’s going to have all the elements from the past those are going to be there as well as the new stuff the teasers we’re putting out we’re glad people like it we’re getting a great response from it I am more than confident that any people who have liked us at any stage of our career past, present or even the future fans it’s all going to be there. Your going to dig it, whatever you liked about us in the past. You’re going to like it, all those elements are going to be there.
Badger. So this is just something that I like to do, but with the new material just give me five words to describe it.
Sevenday Curse – Engineered, energetic, dramatic,brutal, melodic!
So with that said I did get a chance to hear some new material. Seeing them play their old material was great. If you have ever been a fan of these guys. Get ready to be blown away. Sevenday Curse is back, and they are ready to pick right back where they left off. Playing some killer metal, with some creative melodies, and having fun while delivering only finely crafted New England metal. Check them out their last album on Spotify and Bandcamp. Then stay tuned because they have new music coming and it’s sounding pretty bad ass. Just to get you into the swing of things check out a clip from their album After The Storm titled ” Revelations. this is a personal favorite of mine.
And check out a little teaser of the new material.
Sevenday Curse on Facebook
Sevenday Curse on Bandcamp
Sevenday Curse on Spotify
Sevenday Curse on iTunes
Sevenday Curse on Amazon, Amazon MP3
Sevenday Curse on Go Fund Me
-Badger \m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com
The Metal Breakdown 