KM:  Hey Beau.  Welcome to Tru Rock Revival Magazine.  I appreciate you taking the time to speak with us.  Let’s get going.  Tell me a bit about yourself.  

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BL: I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. Started playing local bar gigs when I was 15/16 and then from there grew into playing venues and festivals.  Eventually, I came to Nashville on vacation, and ended up moving here a couple months after.

 

KM:  When did you start making a name for yourself in Nashville?  Did you do solo gigs or did you put a band together?

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BL: I moved to town and we started practicing and writing immediately. We had our first show about 2 weeks after I got to town on February 14th.  

 

KM:  2020 was a pretty bad year for a lot of people, not just in the music industry, but in all walks of life.  In what way was 2020 the most difficult for you?

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BL:  The hardest part of 2020 for me was seeing the entire summer pass without being able to do any tour dates.  It felt like we missed out on an entire year of advancing our career.

 

KM:  Even though you couldn’t tour during 2020, did the band continue to write and record?

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BL:  Yes. We had weekly writes and got in the studio with Nick one more time. 

 

KM:  What things are you taking from 2020 and using to your advantage going forward, not only musically but personally?

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BL:  I won’t take for granted the energy of the audience and band interaction.

 

KM:  That’s for sure.  During the pandemic, what’s the longest you and the rest of the band were isolated from each other?  Or, since you’re all in Nashville, was that a non-issue for all of you?

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BL:  We still got together once a week to write and stay tight as a band.  When it first hit, we were probably apart for a couple weeks max.

 

KM:  Who in the band took the whole pandemic and isolation from the stage the hardest?

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BL:  Umm, nobody comes to mind. I’d say all equally. 

 

KM:  The new song and video, “Dig Your Grave.”  Very cool song.  Do all of you take part in the songwriting? Take me through the writing process.  

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BL:  Every song has a different writing process, but for the most part, it starts with a riff.  We get together and play through different riff ideas while I sing melodies with no words.  Once we think we have the final form I start working on lyrics. Matt and Greg also help with the lyrics sometimes if they have a specific idea.

 

KM:  How do you guys agree on which songs make the cut, which ones to record and which ones to shelve?

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BL:  Now that we are working with Producer Nick Raskulinecz, he makes the final say.  We usually come to him with a group of songs and he tells us which he thinks have the most potential.

 

KM:  Have you ever vetoed one of his decisions about a song and found that he war right, or you were right?

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BL:  No we have found we both agree on the same songs being our favorites. We must have a similar taste or vision. 

 

KM:  How long has the band been together now?  How did you guys all come together?  Any interesting or crazy stories there?

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BL: We established this final line up about 3 years ago. Matt (Drummer) and Tim (Guitarist) met in LA while attending MI.  Eventually, they both moved to Nashville and reconnected here.  They met Barry (Bassist) on a road gig and thought he would be a great fit for the band. I was actually living in Minnesota at this time, and I found the band through an ad on craigslist that they had created.  Greg (Keyboardist) had played with Tim on a side-man gig and eventually we convinced him to join the band and we became a 5 piece.

 

KM:  Who’s the “take charge” guy in the band?

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BL: Tim and I for the most part.

 

KM:  Who’s the most laid back?

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BL:  Probably me.

 

KM:  Take me back to the first show you guys did as a band.  How was that?

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BL:  It felt right immediately. Sadly, the venue we played in is now gone.

 

KM:  What have you learned from the first show to your most recent show?

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BL:  We've really upped our image, and we have become a lot tighter as a band.

 

KM:  How did you up your image?  Was that important to all of you as a band?  

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BL:  We just found our own styles more, and how to match them to one another’s image. We think it’s important to portray an image. People want to see superheroes, not every day Joe’s. 

 

KM:  That time you guys were on stage and you look out and see ____________________ in the 

Audience and it blew your mind.  Who’s that person?

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BL: Tyler Bryant 

 

KM:  Tyler Bryant.  A Nashville guy.  Very solid guitarist and songwriter.  And, pretty good guy too. Did you get to speak to him after the show?  

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BL:  Yea I spoke with him before and after the show, and we ended up getting a local opening slot with them for one of their album releases. 

 

KM:  When is the time you really felt that True Villains was going to be something special?

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BL:  After our first show.

 

KM:  No doubt?

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BL:  For real 

 

KM:  Who in the band gets the most intense or most nervous before going on stage?  

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BL:  I don’t think any of us get nervous.

 

KM:  Who’s the peacemaker in the band?

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BL: Tim or Matt

 

KM:  Who’s the one most likely to pick up a guitar or part off the drum kit, and toss it if he’s having a bad day?

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BL:  None of us.  LOL! We all use our brains enough to not do stupid shit like that.

 

KM:  Yeah, that could be a bit costly.   If it ever happens, let the label foot the bill. Speaking of labels, are you guys still Independent?

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BL: Yes we are independent.

 

KM:  Any thoughts about trying to get with a label?  These days, you really don’t have to be tied in if you have a solid PR team or can do your own PR well.  Thoughts?

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BL:  If the right deal comes around anything can change. We have a great PR. 

 

KM:  Now that the pandemic is hopefully coming to an end, are there any shows scheduled for 2021?

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BL:  We are playing regularly in town right now. And we are picking out some tour dates right now for this summer with a bigger rock band.

 

KM:  Get some S. Florida dates on the calendar.  If you need some venue names and contact names, let me know.   Your first show back from the pandemic, what’s going to be the opening song?

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BL: "Cut Me Loose"  

 

KM:  Perfect!  Any one you want to thank or give a shout out to?

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BL:  Big thanks to Adam Embank & Craig Archer 

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Rock N Roll forever.

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For further information about True Villains, follow these guys on Facebook or on their website.