Maryland-based rockers Lionize have a new studio album, Nuclear Soul, coming our way in September.
'Nuclear Soul' follows the band's widely praised 2014 album 'Jetpack Soundtrack' and continues their ever-maturing sound.
It's emotionally-driven and steeped in introspection. Recorded locally in Maryland, USA, it's produced by Clutch's Jean Paul Gaster with J. Robbins and Lionize. It will sound immense. But before you get your grubby mitts on that, the band are coming to Milton Keynes, for a return date at The Craufurd Arms on Friday (July 28).
Frontman Nate Bergman went On Track with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
My first memory of really being effected by music is driving to work with my dad when I was about 6 of 7 - and my favorite tape (1986 Blue Toyota Pick-Up) was Green River, by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It had the single “Bad Moon Rising” - the vocals, the chord changes, the beat - it just hit me in my gut, even at that young age.
That’s my first memory of not knowing why I wanted to listen to that tape on repeat for years to come. My parents had a huge influence on the music I grew up on. Fogerty is a massive influence on my vocal style and guitar tone. He’s so soulful and on pitch - it’s everything I hope to be. Its rock, country, blues, soul - and that moved me immediately.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
It’s apples and oranges to me. I love vinyl. My parents, when I was 11, basically gifted me their vinyl collection and player and I haven’t looked back since.
Motown, Blues, Soul, Classic Rock, Prog, Folk. I love holding albums and reading the liner notes and admiring the art. I have no doubt in mind vinyl sounds better. Its something about when an album is recorded to 2” tape and then pressed to wax.
There’s something warm and live about it. It’s flawed and real - which makes it really the opposite of listening to a compressed little digital file or streaming wav. That’s how we recorded our new album Nuclear Soul. Live to 2” tape - then to wax. It sounds impressively good. Since it’s not over compressed you can turn it up and sounds even better louder, instead of massive compression.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me’
Since the first time we got paid to play a show and made a fan. There’s no better job in the world. There’s better paying work in the sense of actual money, but as far as soul-satisfaction, we are rich.
Your best on stage memory…
Four distinct memories - two are UK related, and two other. I cannot pick one specifically.
Playing the Roundhouse in London with Clutch. This was a moment where I looked out at 3,000 people and realized what an incredible achievement our friends in Clutch had made as far as worldwide recognition as one of the premiere bands in Rock and Roll. The set went off without a hitch and crowd was so real and warm and energetic. The energy was intense.
The next one was playing in Birmingham at our own show and our friends Selwyn and Grizz from Steel Pulse came out to watch us play. It was surreal. We love them so much and having our heroes watch us play was surreal. The show was small but good and they were proud of us. Nothing felt as good as that.
The best show in the USA we’ve ever played was at a show at The Void House in Hyattsville, MD. The show is run by Asher Meerovich who is this genius music curator and creator - and he invited us to a house show. There were 250 people crammed into this small house and the energy was explosive. We loved it. That was the best USA show we’ve ever played.
The last one was playing in front of 8,000 people in Volos at Los Almiros festival in Greece. Hard to explain how magical that night was. We showed up and played a festival in the middle of the forest in Greece at midnight. The crowd was lighting off flares and it felt like I was up watching ourselves from above. It was perfect.
And the worst gig you've ever done
There’s no bad gigs. There’s only good ones and great ones.
What made you take up singing
I actually have no idea. I don’t know if it was the best choice, but I am doing it now. I think when we started the band I had lied to a friend and said we had a band for a party of his. I said I guess I can sing something - never really sang before that. Been an uphill battle ever since. But there is no live auto-tuning - so I have that going for me.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written
“Wild One” by Phil Lynott / Thin Lizzy. It encompasses everything I love about that band and songwriting in general.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
We work on all songs together as a band so there’s nothing I can full take credit for. On the new album we put together a song called “Fire in Athena” and it’s about an experience the band had spending some time in Greece. (around the time of the Los Almiros Festival) that made me really stop and think about the world - and the where the USA is at now because of our current leadership. Greece they don’t take life for granted and they do not believe in their government as a saviour - as much of the rest of the world does.
So spending time there and seeing the protests and how the Greek people are when things go wrong - it made me really stop and think about how much work we have to do in the USA. Racism and Fascism and cheating people out of their basic rights has to come to an end and it can only do that when all the people come together.
So that song is more or less about that - and I love singing it.
Are there any current influences you look to
Clutch and Steel Pulse are constant reminders of how good you can be and get better with age. To be honest I don’t listen to much “new” music - although recently I’ve gotten into Royal Blood. Most of the new stuff I listen to is on the hip hop side of things. The new tribe album, Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels.
Although, Ryan Adams just put out a killer record called Prisoner. I always end up just listening to Thin Lizzy. Reminds me of how good it can be.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Do I get to absorb their powers? Freddie Mercury without a doubt.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
I don’t want to knock any genre. As soon as I say I don’t like something, like pop-country - I hear Sunny Sweeney “From A Table Away” and I’m blown away. I guess I can say that I have not been turned on to EDM. I’ve tried but it’s not for me.
But then again - I’m just waiting to love something. I’ll let you know when I do.
Finally, plug your return Milton Keynes - what can we expect?
Milton Keynes is a fantastic town, and Craufurd Arms is one of the best venues we’ve had the pleasure of playing in the UK. I know this town supports rock and roll - we’ve just never had any exposure here. So if you love Rock and Soul and wanted to a really heavy, groovy live show - come out and bring a friend or two.
We will buy everyone who comes a pint and drink it with you and get drunk and have a blast.
> Never miss leisure news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on Twitter: @thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
