Deadweight – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

Deadweight – “Thanks for Asking!” – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Every comic book hero has an origin story. What is the origin story for the band? (points if you tell it like a comic book origin.)

RG: I’m high school I was bitten by a radioactive mosquito that gave me the ability to yell really loud and make crazy noises and I met my friends who wanted to make crazy noises as well and we formed an alliance. Initially the alliance consisted of some cover songs and a bit of a different sound than the current one but through a few lineup changes we eventually became the heroes you know today.

RRX: Every band’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?

RG: So the first record was written years ago when we first formed and you can definitely tell the difference in song writing compared to the record we just released (Unhinged). The way we write songs has kind’ve always been the same in that we practice every week and that usually just consists of the boys jamming and me sitting there going “yo that was sick let’s use that” and next thing you know we have songs. We will have someone set a phone down and just hit record and listen back to the jams throughout the week and if something stands out we might single that part out and try to make something out of it. And I will listen to the recordings and write my lyrics around that. We have pretty much always written that way it’s only just gotten more collaborative and finely tuned with the current lineup.

RRX: Like songs, every band has a unique feeling about their first show. What was your first show like? Was it your best show? If not, what was your best show like?

RG: Well we played a couple open mics and a grad party in the early goings but our first “show” per say would’ve been a basement one we threw in our old guitar players house. A bunch of people shot over in a blizzard to come see us play some covers poorly and a couple early iterations of our songs. Was a ton of fun at the time and I look back on it fondly and love that we had people who cared even then. Our best show though would have to be one we played at empire underground in Albany. We have always wanted to play the venue so it was a real dream come true and the crowd was great along with the entire bill crushing (Wisdom and War, Hard Target, Cold Kiss, and Edict were on the bill). Also Wrong Move. I forget all the bands we have played with sometimes because there’s been so many good ones.

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some bands. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

RG: So we definitely have some strong influences in our music but we definitely don’t try to stay in any lanes if that makes sense? We quite literally just make the music we wanna make there’s no real rules. Having said that like I mentioned we have our influences so obviously our sound is going to come from them a lot and in my eyes we are pretty much just an amalgamation of metalcore, hardcore, and some deathcore elements sprinkled in. We love the Acacia Strain, Terror, Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan, Stick to Your Guns, and Bodysnatcher so we think there’s some of each of those bands to be found in our sound but it’s also very much us through and through.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

RG: The goal or dream at least as far as Deadweight is concerned has always been to make it our career. And not simply to have a career but because, and I’m speaking for myself but I know my bandmates can say the same, believe that if you’re to have a career in life I would want it to be in a field that I love. So that I’m not wasting my life away in pursuit of money through a means that I’m miserable in doing. I love music and this music specifically. Always have always will it’s my life. Going to shows and being around it. Playing it. Listening to it. Meeting people who share that same love and making lifelong friendships in the process. That’s where I wanna be. So with Deadweight being my creative vessel so to speak we want to just play shows man. Tour and see the world. We know and have heard that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows on the road but nothing is really that’s life man lol it’s what I’ve wanted since I was a kid. To be in a band. To make music and have it be heard. And to play that music with my friends. So to answer your question I guess of where I see us in the next year? Or five? Hopefully exactly that. Bringing Deadweight on the road, making records (hint hint that debut full length), and playing more shows with the boys!

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow bands. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

RG: We absolutely have gotten so much support from a lot of our loved ones and friends over the years which is such a blessing. People that consistently take time out of their schedules to come see our dumb asses whenever we play and we have never and will never take that for granted. And without this scene we have been so lucky to be so close to in Albany, which has been another huge blessing in these early stages of our band and have given us so much amazing opportunity to play We wouldn’t be doing this today.Such as Upstate Black n’ Blue (Mike and Dan are the absolute best dudes), and all the amazing bands  that we have either shared those stages with this passed year or have seen play ourselves over the years. Many of which we absolutely fuck with and have in heavy rotation on our respective streaming services. Bands like Mira, the legends in Brick by Brick, Unbound which are dudes we’ve known since this band first  began, Cold Kiss, Intrusive, Nailed Shut, Edict, and Wrong Move. As well of course some of the bands  that we’ve gotten to know over the years who are killing the game Like Oakheart, or bands in this scene that we are just also massive fans of like Downswing. We really do admire a lot of the people around us and are never not inspired by the talented humans who make up this local music scene and help it to thrive.

-Ryan Gillen, vocalist of Deadweight

EPs Dead Like You, Iceberg, and latest release Unhinged (as well as several singles) are available on streaming services and Bandcamp.

More by Liam Sweeny…