A Dirty Dozen with WEATHERWORN – June 2021

According to a recent press release: “Northern Virginia’s WEATHERWORN have just released their sophomore LP Postcards. The album features the recent single “Jets To Muncy” (featuring AJ Perdomo of The Dangerous Summer). Pulling influence from bands like Saves the Day, the Get Up Kids, and Taking Back Sunday, Weatherworn introduces a new spin on the early ‘00s music scene: a dual vocal style, with rich, rhythmic dynamics capsulizes a balance in polarity.” We get the band to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Postcards (LP) is our second studio full-length and it’s very much a continuation of first album Still Frames from 2019. Both albums tell a continuing story revolving around the main character. Diehard fans may be able to recognize this across run themes within graphic artwork (See Still Frames album cover and Jets to Muncy digital cover). A few of the songs on Still Frames (LP1) have context clues that lead into the theme of Postcards (LP2). The first major one is in a song called “The Bluest Thing in Heaven Was the Car That Drove Us There” where the lyrics read “You better start praying if you want to get to Heaven when you go.” The opening track for Postcards (LP2) is an acronym… “Debt. Error. Action. Display.” This album is essentially a ghost story, told through the perspective of a ghost.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Joey: I’ve been singing song melodies from as early as I can remember. We have a decent number of performers and musicians within my extended family. I was introduced to saxophone in 4th grade, and around 5th grade a few of my friends wanted to start a “band.” Only two of us followed through with buying an instrument: mine was guitar. Playing music always seemed to click, so I’ve stuck with it.

Dylan: When I was two years old I would play with a plastic toy guitar and a plastic mic taped to a plunger. Music has always just naturally connected with me and one day I wanted to play guitar and my parents got me one and I have been playing music ever since.

Steven: I was a band geek through middle school, and played clarinet. Guitar Hero came out in high school and I got decent at it. My mom asked me why I didn’t just pick up a real guitar. So I sold my Xbox, bought a very cheap Les Paul, and learned “You Shook me all Night Long” out of the back of a guitar magazine. That opening riff was like a drug, and I’ve been hooked on guitar since.

Jack: I started by playing violin throughout elementary school, from there I played drums in middle school and high school and then bass/guitar after college. I didn’t play music at all during college and I missed it, so after college I picked up the bass and went from there! I think a part of me always wanted to be a musician since I was born.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Joey: As far as albums go, Taking Back Sunday’s Louder Now, and Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge from MCR.

Dylan: When I first started playing I was constantly listening to Brand New, Finch, The Early November and more so they pretty much guided me.

Steven: I grew up on classic rock but I listen to literally anything. As long as it’s music that sets out to do something new, I give it a real shot. In the last few years I’ve listened to a lot of music with disco sensibilities, revisited with modern synth textures. Also, I’ve been really into a lot of drab post punk bands that are pushing the genre with modern production.

Jack: The first concert I ever went to was to jiffy lube live to see MCR and Blink 182 play. They were my first big influences. From there I got really into alt rock and bands like radiohead, smashing pumpkins, and LCD Soundsystem. Throughout late high school and college I got into hip/hop and then nowadays I continue to branch out and listen to any new music. I like almost any genre as long as the music sounds good to me!

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Dylan: I’ve been lucky enough to record music with Ace Enders (The Early November) and that experience was life changing for me to have someone you grew up listening to help fine tune songs you wrote was amazing! I would love to call him in to be on a track one day more than just producing.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Steven: I kayak, snowboard, fish, hike and really just try to be outside doing something enriching, spiritually and physically.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Dylan: I rarely find comparisons cringe worthy because to that person that might be their way of connecting to our music. But lately I have been getting Green Day and that’s great and not so great at the same time.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Jack: Dylan I would say, he has some sweet acoustic guitar skills and a good voice for singalongs!

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Steven: I hung out with Alex Frankel from Holy Ghost! outside of U Street Music Hall. I tried to play it cool and just smoke a cig with him but I was probably a total nerd about it.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Dylan: Being a musician is my identity so not being able to play music would rip the very fabric of my being away. So I would have to say artist development or management. I would always have to do something with music till the day the lights go black.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Jack: I never get interviewed so I can’t really answer this question haha.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Joey: Honestly, no. I believe that every situation leads us to where we are now. Missteps are necessary for learning; they too provide guidance.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Steven: I would love to have been in the same studio to watch Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr. get recorded. It’d be cool just hang out and watch J Mascis create a masterwork of indie rock guitar.

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Category: Interviews