A Dirty Dozen with ZAK COX from UNCURED – March 2023

According to a recent press release: “New Jersey rock band Uncured releases its new single “Let’s Break Out.” The song comes from the band’s upcoming EP My Design, which is slated for release in the summer on June 2, 2023, via Pavement Entertainment. The single “Let’s Break Out” is a story of empowerment that encourages individuality and freedom. It starts with a synth lead and trashy beats that pulse to get the listener moving. A groovy verse pushes the song into a memorable chorus that feels like a classic arena-rock sing-along. As always, Uncured’s guitar work shines, culminating in an epic breakdown that gives the polished composition a unique edge. Uncured is founded by brothers Rex Cox (vocalist) and Zack Cox (lead guitarist). They are joined by bassist Micah Smith and drummer Zachary King.” We get guitarist Zak 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?

We recently released the single “Let’s Break Out”, a rock anthem with fun hooks and big choruses.  That said, we toss in a crushing breakdown and ripping guitar solo in the second half of the song for all of our old-school Uncured fans.  Our new EP titled My Design is scheduled to drop in June of 2023 and we’re pumped to share our new music and get on tour.

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

Rex and I started playing guitar when we were around 8 and 10 years old.  At first, just learning the basics and practicing rudimentary skills was the opposite of fun!  We went through several guitar teachers in the first few months, and basically hated guitar.  Then, we had our first jam session with our dad on drums and sister on bass.  Hearing live music and being part of a band made everything click.  We started writing our own material and everything accelerated quickly from there.  It wasn’t long before we fired our dad and sister from the band!

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

Early in our musical development, we focused on guitar-centric music and progressive compositions.  Our favorite artists when we were learning guitar were bands like Dream Theater and Opeth, who not only influenced our playing technique, but also our writing style.  Today our tastes are more varied, and include everything from country to death metal.

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

Rex takes the lead on most of our writing, and he says “Morgan Wallen, 100%.”  There’s always a great story at the core of all Morgan’s songs, and his lyrics paint a picture with memorable details.  We’ve tried to incorporate that kind of story-telling in our writing, and several songs on My Design push us more in that direction.

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

Other than music, our favorite activity is weight training.  Rex and I hit the gym nearly every day.  In fact, on some tours we brought a weight bench, Olympic bar, and over 200 pounds of weight!  In addition, I like to go rock climbing and Rex trains at an MMA gym.

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?

While Uncured is a heavy, hard rock band, we try to write songs with a story or meaning that can reach people on a deeper level.  Although Uncured we’ve been making music for 5 years, Rex is still just 22 and I’m 24.  So we’re still developing our sound, and our music is always evolving.  We’ve been compared to a wide variety of acts – even when a comparison surprises us, we usually understand the comparison because of the varied content and influences in our music.

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?

Rex and I split the shopping and cooking duties, then argue about who cleans up!  We tour in a Sprinter van, and Rex has gotten pretty good at helping out on the late-night drives.  I’m good for about an hour behind the wheel before I call it quits!

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

As kids, Rex and I were lucky enough to play with a wide variety of top professional musicians at Conclave Studios in NYC.  So the concept of “starstruck” never really registered with us.  That said, some of our biggest influences are John Petrucci and Oliver Sykes and to meet them would be incredible!

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?

Being in a band with my brother is my dream job!  Rex and I both left high school early to pursue a career in music.  There is no Plan B!

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?

Surprisingly, no interviewer has ever asked if Rex and I, as two brothers who work together 24/7, ever have disagreements or fight.  Well, the answer is surprisingly, no.  We have a shared vision of the band and our future.  Hard to believe, right?  And we aren’t tired of any questions – at this point we’re happy to speak with everyone who wants to help grow the band and get exposure for Uncured.

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?

Rex and I started writing together when we were just 13 and 15.  As we progress, we always look back at our songs and see things that we could’ve done better.  It’s a continual learning process.  But even now as we look back at our newer material, we see things we wish we had done differently.

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?

That’s easy!  Rex and I would both choose Linkin Park’s 2000 release Hybrid Theory.  In many ways, it’s a perfect album.  But given the chance, we would’ve added shredding guitar solos in all the right places – tastefully of course!  In fact, we cover our favorite Linkin Park song “One Step Closer” on My Design, and it’s a song that we will be playing on tour all throughout 2023.

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Category: Interviews