Cortez interview in Aristocracy Webzine

Posted on October 31, 2024 by scotty fuse

Aristocracy Interview #595 With American Heavy Rockers Cortez

Line Up:
Matt Harrington: Vocals
Scott O´Dowd: Guitar
Alasdair Swan: Guitar
Jay Furlo: Bass
Kyle Rasmussen: Drums
(Drums on this album performed by Alexei Rodriguez)

We are talking again about our newsroom, where in a little while, we will have interview 595 of Aristocracy in all its emotions. This time, we talked to a band that combines the modern and the classic in a very personal and organic way. Of course, given what the band built before we met them, it shows that they do not need to be extravagant, but they do show in a very elegant way, engaging atmospheres and a very intense sound arrogance. Doing so allows the band to see their past without guilt, but showing a modernity that is also not forced, it is done in a natural way and full of direct and precise attitudes that will lead to a work determined to make an impact and show a new story but always being heavy because it is their brand and their destiny to do so. With this in mind and in our ears, Aristocracy talks to the Americans from Cortez and they show us their fourth full album entitled Thieves And Charlatans.

A1: Talk about the composition work on ‘Thieves And Charlatans’?

Alasdair Swan: There wasn’t any real difference to how we wrote with this album over others except for the first 2 songs. During the lockdown, we weren’t able to rehearse for several months and over this time Scott wrote the music for what would become “Levels” and I wrote most of the music for “Gimme Danger”. The difference was that we both made rough demos of the music and sent those out to the other guys so that we’d have something to work off when we were able to rehearse again. After we started rehearsing it was the same approach as always where Scott or I would bring a riff or idea to the band and we’d jam it. If we all feel there’s something there we keep working on it, adding other parts and finalizing the structure over weeks and months until it’s musically complete. During this early stage, Matt will often come up with vocal melodies, but he leaves finalizing the lyrics until the music is finished. The only other outlier in this batch of songs is “Stove Up”, the core music for which was written by the former Cortez guitarist Tony D’Agostino. Unfortunately, Tony died in 2018 and we thought it would be a fitting tribute to take a song idea of his from when he was in the band and finish it. 

A2: How does the band mix a rootsy and modern sound?

Scott O´Dowd: We’ve always been influenced by older hard rock and metal bands, (Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Motörhead, etc.) plus lots of NWOBHM (Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Witchfinder General). Add some 70s punk (Damned) and 80s hardcore (Black Flag, Adolescents), plus 90s Stoner Rock (Kyuss, Monster Magnet, etc.) and Scandinavian Rock (Hellacopters, Turbonegro) and you have the start of some of our influences. We’ve also always sort of blurred the line between Heavy Rock and Metal. We aim to combine our influences into our own thing and try not to sound too much like any of them. We eschew retro production in favor of a more modern sound overall.

A3: Why do you say this album is an anomaly?

Alasdair Swan: Normally,we write songs a few at a time in between gigging,but these songs were all written in one big block when the world went on pause during the pandemic.That gave us the freedom to really focus on the songs and refine them over a couple of years.Because we were not playing any gigs we didn’t have the distraction of having to rehearse our other songs and I think the end result is slightly more complex arrangements and parts than previously.

Matt Harrington: Aside from this one being mostly written over the course of the COVID lockdown in the US, it’s the first one where we didn’t play a single song live before we recorded it. That’s not to say that anything would have changed musically in a song if we had, but I think sometimes that audience feedback can inform the broader musical approach in some ways. Beyond that, we weren’t able to play together for a long while before we got back at it and I think everyone came back into the room with a ton of fresh ideas that really allowed us to expand on our sound.

A4: Did any literature or film inspire the band on this album?

Matt Harrington: Lyrically, I was definitely influenced and inspired by what I was reading, watching, re-reading / re-watching, observing, and playing at the time. For books: I am a Revolutionary: Fred Hampton Speaks, America: The Farewell Tour, Empire of Illusion, Contrary Notions: The Michael Parenti Reader, Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism, Dune, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Oryx and Crake.
For graphic novels: DMZ, Maus, Palestine, Saga, Monstress, and Punk Rock Jesus.
For video / film / TV: Parenti’s “Yellow Lecture,” Black Mirror, The Expanse, Cidade de Deus, Judas and the Black Messiah, Children of Men, Idiocracy, and American Psycho.
For games: Cyberpunk 2077. Certainly everything that had transpired over the course of the COVID lockdown up to the day of recording was an influence as well.

A5: How is Cortez different from your previous bands?

Alasdair Swan: I think the biggest difference between Cortez and previous bands I have been in is that all band members are on the same page regarding what we want out of the band and what our expectations are. When I was younger, there was definitely the goal of trying to make a living off music, but in Cortez we all have separate careers and lives so we can focus purely on the music. I think it also reduces potential stresses and areas of contention; we’re all writing and playing the music we are because that’s what we love to do. And we’re all committed to putting in the time and effort required to gig, write, record, and release albums to that end. 

Matt Harrington: Speaking personally, I’ve never been in a band with this sort of longevity or such a strong idea of who we are and what we do. We’re a close knit band of brothers, and it’s been the most consistently healthy band I’ve been in from a relationship, mental, and emotional standpoint. As a vocalist, I’ve always had the mindset that voice is an instrument and what, I do should serve the song. Cortez generally approaches songwriting in the same way, without involving egos, and we all have the same mindset of playing and writing for the song first and foremost. Songwriting is truly creative for us as a group, because there’s no conflict and it’s a collaborative environment all around.

Scott O’Dowd: Cortez is different mostly due to the fact that every band is like its own living organism. They all have their own uniqueness.

A6: How did the invites to Craig Riggs and Jim Healey come about?

Scott O’Dowd: Craig and Jim are both friends of ours, as well as former band mates of mine in different projects. They are both amazing and unique vocalists, who we thought would lend a different quality to some of the back up vocals.

Matt Harrington: When we started the recording process, I knew I wanted some different vocal textures on parts, and Craig and Jim are two of my favorite singers so I was stoked to have them. Jim had worked with us during the recording process for Sell the Future, but unfortunately the song he was on didn’t make the final album. We wanted to make sure we got him on at least one of the new tracks for this one. Craig was actually in Cortez for a bit before I joined, and one of the songs he sings on was partly written by a former member of Cortez, Tony D’Agostino, who has unfortunately passed on. Craig had been in the band with Tony, and it just felt right to have him sing on it. It was really a stroke of luck for us that their schedules both worked, and all credit due to Scott for making it happen.

A7: Why did Alexei Rodriguez play on this album and not Kyle Rasmussen?

Scott O’Dowd: It usually takes a while for albums to be released once they have been finished. ‘Thieves And Charlatans’ was recorded in late summer of 2022 when Alexei was our drummer. Kyle didn’t officially join the band until May of this year, so that’s why he doesn’t appear on it.

A8: How did the band arrive at Ripple Music?

Scott O’Dowd: Todd (who owns Ripple Music) had been a fan of our earlier albums. When we were looking for a record label to release our album ‘The Depths Below’ in 2015 or so, we approached Ripple to see if they might be interested. At that time, they weren’t able to make it work. Todd asked us to participate in the ‘Second Coming Of Heavy’ split series in 2018, and we have been with Ripple ever since.

A9: What’s the idea behind the album’s artwork?

Alasdair Swan: We worked with Titukh, who is a tattoo artist in Salem and was recommended to us by Ryan and Matthew Murray from Black Veil Studios in Salem, MA. We gave him the theme of corruption (e.g .politicians lying and stealing), basically creepy, shadowy monsters posing as humans. He absolutely nailed what we were after. We all love the final image of the monsters hiding behind human masks, it got the brief spot on.

A10: Any reason that the band felt selfish about recording this album?

Scott O’Dowd: To be honest, we are always selfish when it comes to writing and recording. We are first and foremost concerned with making music that we enjoy. This time I feel that we were more selfish than usual, due to this record being written during the pandemic. We did whatever felt right to us in the moment. We wrote one of the catchiest songs we have ever written, ‘Gimme Danger’ and also one of the longest in ‘Levels’.

A11: Who mixed and mastered this album?

Alasdair Swan: Benny Grotto recorded the album and mixed it. This is the third album we have done with him and working with him is great. He has a knack for bringing out the best performances in us and nailing the sound perfectly. We’ve developed a relationship over the years where we’re able to really focus on our performances safe in the knowledge that Benny is on the same page with what we’re trying to achieve and is instrumental in realizing that vision. The mastering was done by Alan Douches at West West Side Music.

A12: This album speaks both of the past and the future. How is this done?

Matt Harrington: So,musically speaking, I think we try to do that with every release. We are definitely the sum of our collective and individual influences from the decades that preceded us up to now, but we also have an evolving musical language that is very much ours as a band, and we always try to push each other to take that and move it forward in a way that sounds like us but brings in new and interesting elements. Lyrically, I think the themes are rooted in elements that have affected people for centuries, but speak to what is happening now and where I think things are headed.

A13: Is the album conceptual?

Matt Harrington: I’m not so sure, I intended to make it conceptual when we started writing, but it’s fair to say that maybe we arrived there anyway. It definitely has cohesive thematic elements across all of the lyrics and songs that are pointed or direct, and perhaps less allegorical or open ended than previous albums.

A14: Thieves and Charlatans continue to exist in our world and I believe they will always exist. Which ones are the most problematic?

Matt Harrington: For me, the most problematic are the ones who pretend to be on the side of the people and a just world. They say all the right things, but their actions very rarely match their words. In the US, we are fooled and goaded into culture wars by media and politicians as a method of distracting us from class war and what our government is actually doing on the global stage and at home. Even if the “lesser evil” were to back up their words with matching actions at home, they still fund and advocate for endless war, genocide, arms sales to regimes they prop up or install, global climate change, and the theft of resources around the world. They pretend this is for the good of the people at home and abroad, but it’s very clearly not. They wield fear and uncertainty as a weapon. They lie, they cheat, they steal, they make promises they have no intention to fulfill, and perhaps most importantly, they inspire false hope that they are not just an ally to the people, but a benevolent savior. To me, this is more dangerous than the people who show me and tell me that they are evil, because they enable and work with that evil, distract from the ongoing class war, and co-opt revolutionary thought and action to funnel it back to a powerless position. They don’t want to change the status quo, because it benefits them.

A15: Does the band feel differences between the albums ‘Sell The Future’ and ‘Thieves And Charlatans’?

Alasdair Swan: I think the main difference for me is that our songs are that bit longer on the new one. While both albums are 8 songs, ‘Thieves and Charlatans’ is almost 10 minutes longer. It’s so long in fact that one of the songs won’t be on the vinyl because there’s not enough room. I think that is due in part to being isolated from playing gigs while we wrote the album, so we spent more time tweaking song arrangements, adding parts here and there, which led to longer songs.

A16: It’s not that we don’t like it, but why add complexity to the band?

Scott O’Dowd: As a band, we’ve always had songs with complex arrangements or twists that may not be evident right away. The key is to make things flow naturally, so that the complex elements don’t necessarily stand out. Ultimately a song has to make sense. 

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Thieves And Charlatans reviewed on The Sleeping Shaman

Posted on October 30, 2024 by scotty fuse

Review: Cortez ‘Thieves And Charlatans’

Having spent a lot of time this year dallying around with post-metal, dreamy, ethereal music and some serious bludgeon, my wandering attention span was clearly craving some old-fashioned, bluesy shit-kicking rock and roll.

Like an austerity-minded Genie (by which I mean the quota of wishes was slashed to one due to departmental budget cuts), Boston-based heavy rock five-piece Cortez slammed into my consciousness with the lead single Odds Are from their fourth album Thieves And Charlatans.

immediate and upbeat with plenty of hooks, the raucous track features killer riffs, a bouncing groove and incendiary lead work that shows off the chemistry between guitarists Scott O’Dowd and Alasdair Swan. Built around a robust chug with rumbling bass, it is the kind of track that can make you feel good about a journey to work on a Monday morning, and Matt Harrington’s vocals grab you from the get-go.

With an anthemic chorus that offers the salient hope and mental health advice, ‘There’s nothing wrong with your crazy thoughts, you’re not fucking up, you’re surviving’, the track was a constant staple in my house long before the promo dropped in for review, such was its ability to put a smile on my face with the life-affirming honesty of blue-collar heavy music.

But in all this excitement, I am getting slightly ahead of myself…

The Beantown natives have been plying their trade since 2007 when they released their debut EP Thunder In A Forgotten Town. Whilst they can’t boast the most prolific output with their three albums coming at a rate of one every four-ish years (2012’s self-titled debut, sophomore The Depths Below in 2017 and 2020s Sell The Future) it comes as no surprise to hear that the DNA for Thieves And Charlatans was built during the pandemic. The vacuum of creating music with no outside feedback has resulted in Cortez diversifying their sound to incorporate a more complex sound than just Black Sabbath worship.

Starting with the high-octane sugar rush of Gimme Danger, Cortex smashes out of the blocks with a crunching party anthem and Harrington soars over the buzzing guitars with an eighties rock-sounding party number. Featuring a catchy chorus and dramatic fretboard pyrotechnics over a muscular guitar riff, cowbell and thunderous drumming from Alexei Rodriguez (who has since been replaced by Kyle Rasmussen), this is rock and roll injected straight into your veins like a drug.

After the ninety-mile-an-hour start, Leaders Of Nobody slows the pace with a long, slow, doom-laden opening that bristles under the mournful air. The main riff rocks back and forth and with guest vocals from Jim Healey (We’re All Gonna Die) the lyrics plead with the listener, especially on the killer line ‘Wake up, don’t you see, we’re wasting all our energy, with all the all-consuming lies’ before the twin guitars rip into a delicious galloping middle section and solo.

“Their latest album has talent in buckets and, in just short of an hour, they demonstrate exactly why Ripple Music signed them…”

Stove Up dips into the band’s riff bank by using material written at the time of the 2007 EP with a more classical, crashing swing. Joined by Craig Riggs (Roadsaw), Harrington continues to raise his game as the band go through a more traditional blues workout that bounces with heavy grooves and allows the individual members to shine with extra flourishes in what feels like a ‘70s stadium rock workout.

The chopping metronome of No Heroes returns to the harder-edged, moodier side of the band. The sawing tempo of the mid-paced stomper gets you nodding your head as Alexi Rodriguez hammers the kit and then somehow manages to put even more energy into the melodic slower section in the middle. Benny Grotto and Alan Douches, who handled the recording and mastering respectively, deserve a nod for managing to make Cortez sound a million bucks on one of the most epic and lively albums I have heard this year.

Levels starts with a gloomy bassline and tapping, brushed drums as the slow-burning track unfolds. Whilst Harrington’s centre-stage vocals dominate the first part of the creeping and sinister atmosphere, the band grow around him and build as the tension and malice increase until they finally let go. As the gritty, sprawling eight-minute number unfolds, Riggs returns once more for the gruff gang vocal as Cortez treats the listener to unsettling harmonies and an exercise in power in this multi-layered workout.

After the gung-ho blast of Odds Are, the follow-up Liminal Spaces rides high on a riff that could be like the bastard cousin of Sabbath’s Under The Sun as they lead you through one of their longer numbers. Thumping toms and fuzzy riffing grab you by the scruff of the neck under the echoing, vulnerable vocals before taking you off on another head-nodding journey. When they slam you into the full-throated passages and machine gun-like pummelling, you are involuntarily throwing horns into the air before being dazzled by the histrionic soloing and the raging climax. It’s quite a ride.

The muted guitar opening of Solace comes as a slight relief, but the band aren’t willing to go quietly and swing for the fences with a big rock finish that oscillates between the thoughtful, restrained vocals and the triumphant bombast. As the band pour every ounce into bringing all their guns to bear in the most emotionally charged moments of Thieves And Charlatans, you can almost feel the swell of confidence in their art radiating through them.

Once in a while, an album comes along that simply demands your attention. Cortez may play themselves off as having ‘a straight-ahead, don’t-need-nuthin’-fancy-when-you-can-rock-like-this attitude’ but that humbling downplaying of their skillset sells themselves very, very short. Their latest album has talent in buckets and, in just short of an hour, they demonstrate exactly why Ripple Music signed them with their career-best release to date.

As the nights draw long and my end-of-year list starts to play on my mind, Thieves And Charlatans just swaggered into my top ten and took a seat.

Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden

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Thieves And Charlatans reviewed on Musipedia Of Metal

Posted on October 17, 2024 by scotty fuse

Cortez – Thieves And Charlatans (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

Boston’s Cortez have been bringing the stoner doom heavy since 2006, but now, in 2024, the band has created their best work with their new record, Thieves And Charlatans, brought to us via Ripple Music. The band has always kicked ass and has been one of the top tier outfits of the genre, but Thieves And Charlatans brings a complexity and a variability in styles that has not been as prevalent on their previous four other full lengths. Add that, with some next level songwriting and their usual killer playing, and you get the best Cortez record till date and an album of the year candidate. 

Opening with the most straight up party rock song (I hear late 80s hard rock) the band has ever done (in the best sort of way), Gimme Danger sets the tone for a different sort Cortez experience. It is not like the band has gone and done some kind of prog concept record and added a brass section, but Gimme Danger is enough of a departure to certainly notice something different here, and I am so here for it. Leaders Of Nobody has an Ugly period Life Of Agony feel to it with a killer riff and excellent vocals from Matt Harrington. I love the tempo changes and how it seemingly crawls to its end. 

Stove Up is the trademarked Cortez rocker with killer riffs and excellent vocals that has always made Cortez so great. No Heroes is a gigantic song. It is huge all around, from the playing to the singing and goes in all sorts of excellent directions. It is on Levels when we really get into the genius of Thieves And Charlatans. This is like the stoner doom version of Jane’s Addiction’s Three Days which is to say this absolutely rules and is my favourite Cortez track ever and one of my favourite songs in a long time. I am not overstating this. Eight minutes and twenty-two seconds of brilliance. 

Odds Are and Liminal Spaces are songs that remind you how much the band understands both the heavy side of things as well as melody, with the latter using some cool vocal effects. The closer, Solace, is almost on the level of Levels and is a huge, dynamic, and intense way to close out a record. It would have been easy and probably still excellent if Cortez put out a record of riff heavy rockers in the stoner doom vein that they excel at. Instead Thieves And Charlatans takes a band almost 20 years in down a path of creating their masterpiece by flexing their creative muscles and taking some risks, with a seriously amazing payoff. 10/10

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Cortez on Invisible Oranges

Posted on October 17, 2024 by scotty fuse

Cortez Cast Out “Thieves and Charlatans” Through Pure Rock Fury

Riding their own underground current, Cortez has consistently made a case for their own unmistakable identity. Born from the New England heavy music scene in the mid-2000s, the Boston five-piece plays rock with undeniable stoner and doom influences, yet each successive album has veered farther from conventions toward what I can only describe as the ideal form of rock’n’roll. The opening track of their new album Thieves and Charlatans, “Gimme Danger,” lays out what that sounds like — tight grooves crafted from warm, blustery guitars that fill up all the sonic space they can, with commanding vocals that can stop listeners in their tracks. It’s a sonic treat throughout — carefully cultivated drum tones keep in all the kit’s sharp edges while providing a punch, and the rest of the rhythm section drives each song toward their powerful conclusions.

Each track on Thieves and Charlatans is melodically compelling, with heavy riffs that seem to tell a new story every time even as they get heads nodding. There’s points on the record where the doom and stoner metal influences come into focus — the grooves get somber, and melancholy creeps in — but interestingly, they’re more of narrative downturns than arbitrary musical diversions. Cortez are out to tell stories on Thieves and Charlatans, and their dynamic, high-volume approach is a hell of a medium.

It doesn’t even take the full album for Cortez to lay out their case for hard rock sovereignty — but take the time to listen to the full album, which we’re premiering a day early here, and get your fill of full-throated American volume.

-Ted Nubel

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Cortez on Rich & Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour podcast

Posted on October 16, 2024 by scotty fuse

Scott and Matt were on Rich And Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour to discuss the new album. Give it a listen!

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‘Thieves And Charlatans’ review on Flying Fiddlesticks

Posted on October 15, 2024 by scotty fuse

Boston stoner metallizers Cortez are back in your neighborhood with a new set, Thieves And Charlatans.

I started listening to Cortez a few years ago when I was living in the Northeast because they are fantastic. Heavy, creative, and imminently headbangable, each and every song will get you one way or another. They have released an EP, a couple f splits, and three previous long-players leading up to Thieves And Charlatans. The band is Matt Harrington (vocals), Scott O’Dowd (guitar), Alasdair Swan (guitar), Jay Furlo (bass), and Kyle Rasmussen (drums). All drums on the album performed by Alexei Rodriguez.

Talking about the latest music, frontman Harrington said, “This album is an anomaly of sorts because these songs were written and recorded in a vacuum, during a pandemic. Cortez has never been shy about playing new songs before they are released, and this is the first time we didn’t have the filter of an audience. I feel like this is a more personal record as a result. We wrote these songs as friends in a room that no longer exists, holding onto something real in a prolonged period of extreme doubt, and we present them in the same way.”

The coconut is cracked with “Gimme Danger (On My Stereo),” and it is a catchy motherfucker. The riffs are the lure and the vocals are the net that scoops you up. The lead guitar is mesmerizing. “Leaders Of Nobody” presents doom to get your attention and picks up the pace as it goes along, speeding toward the end and slowing as it reaches. “Stove Up,” which is the way I feel every time I wake up, is surprisingly buoyant, given the title. And then we arrive at “No Heroes,” a grinder that will gnaw on your bones. Excellent.

On the backside there is “Levels,” a cautious and powerful metal song that came from granite lands. “Odds Are” sounds simultaneously laid back and serious, while “Liminal Spaces” is duo-thematic as well, being spacey and grounded at the same time. The album ends with “Solace,” which is melancholy and soulful and soaring, going out on a smooth crescendo. This is another fantastic album from Cortez. Highly recommended.

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Cortez & One Condoms

Posted on October 11, 2024 by scotty fuse

We’ve partnered with One Condoms as a part of their ONE® On Stage Program. We’ve got these killer condom tins featuring the artwork from our new album ‘Thieves And Charlatans’. Each tin contains two condoms. We’ll have them at our merch table for free, yup you read that right, FREE! Not only are they free, they are also vegan-friendly (made from natural rubber latex), non-GMO, and paraben free. Rad!

Don’t be silly, wrap your willie!

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Cortez featured on Bandcamp’s The Hotlist, Fall 2024

Posted on October 4, 2024 by scotty fuse

It’s Bandcamp Friday! It’s quite a special one for us as our new album ‘Thieves And Charlatans’ on @ripplemusic was featured on Bandcamp’s The Hotlist, Fall 2024. A new quarterly feature spotlighting upcoming records fans are adding to their collections.

https://daily.bandcamp.com/hotlist/the-hotlist-fall-2024?utm_source=notification

“Released via Ripple Music, the fourth LP from Boston heavy rockers Cortez exudes shadowy, old-school vibes.”

Hit up the Ripple Music Bandcamp to preorder the album. If you’re looking to grab some of our older releases or a swanky black Cortez t-shirt, please visit our Bandcamp page.

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‘Odds Are’ lyric video released

Posted on October 2, 2024 by scotty fuse

The new single ‘Odds Are’ from our soon to be released album Thieves And Charlatans is out now!! Check out the lyric video, and stream it on your favorite platform, and sing along!

Stream it here:
https://lnkfi.re/oddsare

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Cortez interview on Lelahel Metal

Posted on September 25, 2024 by scotty fuse

Cortez’s latest album, Thieves and Charlatans, offers a bold evolution in their heavy rock sound, blending intensity and melody while navigating themes of leadership and personal growth.

1. “Thieves and Charlatans” has been described as a powerful addition to the American heavy rock scene. How do you feel this album stands out from your previous releases, like “Sell the Future” or “The Depths Below?” 

Scott: For me personally, “Thieves And Charlatans” is just a continuation of what we have been doing all along. I’d like to think that we’ve gotten more skilled as a band as far as writing and arranging songs. We always strive to do the best we can, whenever we record or perform. I’m very happy with this album, it has a bit of everything that we have done in the past, longer moody songs, more uptempo rock type songs, catchy vocals, scathing lyrics, and lots of guitars solos.

Alasdair: I think of it as a natural progression of our collectively song writing abilities. The Depths Below was the first album I played on, and while we’ve always written collaboratively, like anything you do over a period of time you make improvements and learn to work together more effectively. For me I think this album stands out by the combination of intensity and melody, often within the same song. We aim for crushing riffs with melodic vocals and guitar leads which support the songs, and I think this has been the most successful album so far in achieving that.

2. The album features guest appearances from Craig Riggs and Jim Healey. How did these collaborations come about, and what do you feel their contributions added to the final product?

Alasdair: Craig co-owns the studio we recorded at, Mad Oak. He was previously in the band for a brief period at the same time as former Cortez guitarist Tony D’Agostino, who Stove Up is dedicated to. So that just made sense to have him lend his voice to the tribute. Jim has been a long time friend of the band and it was a no brainer when we were thinking of adding different vocalists to do a few tracks. Both contributions added an extra level of depth to the music. They are two very talented singers and what they brought to the table was a perfect compliment to Matt’s voice.

3. You’ve mentioned that this album was written and recorded during the pandemic. How did the isolation affect the writing process, and do you think it led to a more introspective or personal record?

Scott: The isolation really affected the writing process, as we usually collaborate heavily. The first few songs were written (musically, at least) during the initial lockdown phase. I wrote “Levels”, and Alasdair wrote “Gimme Danger”. We did demos and sent them out to the other guys. Once we resumed rehearsals in July of 2020, we started on perfecting those two songs, then writing the rest over the next year or so.            

Alasdair: The main difference with the writing of this album was time. We didn’t have gigs or other band commitments to focus on so we wrote all 8 songs with a singular focus that we haven’t had previously. We tended to write songs in batches of a couple at a time, maybe plays some gigs, come back to them, write a few more, etc. But for this album we basically stopped playing our other songs and focused purely on creating these ones. It also gave us more time to tweak arrangements, and for me personally it meant I had more time to write my solos. Finalizing those is normally the last thing I do before going in to record, but for this one I had time to write them, play them at rehearsal over several months, and edit them over a longer period of time to fine-tune them to my liking.

Matt: We played a show the weekend prior to the COVID lockdown, and that was it for a long time. We were gearing up for a full summer and fall leading into the “Sell the Future” release, and we weren’t really in writing mode at the time. I don’t think any of the songs on this record, other than “Stove Up,” were pre-pandemic tunes. When everyone came back into the room, it felt amazing to shake the rust off, and with everything shut down it gave us the freedom to really explore and focus purely on writing. Thankfully, Scott and Alasdair came back with several solid ideas, and we dove head first into what became “Thieves and Charlatans.” In that way, I think it’s a very personal record. At the time, who knew if we’d even play live again? We made a record for us, rediscovering who we are as a band, and I think it reflects that. I can say that this album is lyrically more personal and introspective. There are through-lines that naturally evolved over the course of writing, and I think the extended isolation and finally returning to focus purely on new music fostered that.

4. The track “Stove Up” is a tribute to your former guitarist Tony D’Agostino and is rooted in your earlier days as a band. Can you tell us more about the decision to bring this song back and how it fits into the overall narrative of the new album?

Scott: When we were in lockdown, I (like most others) suddenly had lots of extra time to do things. One of the things I did was to go through all of the old rehearsal and demo recordings that I have. I came across an old rehearsal from 2007 with a song called ‘Running On Empty’. I remembered the song, and that we had actually played it live a handful of times with the original lineup of the band. After Tony left, we put the song aside. Later in the summer of 2020, I was thinking about Tony and some of the good times and ridiculous stories on the anniversary of his death. The idea popped into my head that it might be cool to rework that song as a tribute of sorts. We relearned how to play it and made a few slight tweaks musically. Matt then wrote some melodies and lyrics. It was a nice reminder of where we started and how much we’ve progressed. Plus, it felt cathartic in a way, the death of a friend is always a difficult thing to deal with.

5. With songs like “Gimme Danger (On My Stereo)” having a more catchy, upbeat vibe, while others like “Levels” are darker and more complex, how did you balance the different moods and styles on this album?

Alasdair: We don’t pre-plan the riffs and ideas that are brought to the band, so I guess the different moods and styles reflect the varying musical influences we all have as a band. It’s not even that one member brings the darker riffs and another brings more upbeat ones, when the inspiration for a riff happens it just happens and we let it flow naturally. As a band we enjoy the variety of songs, it makes it more interesting for us and can help when putting the album track listing together.

6.Boston has always been known for its strong rock and metal scene. How has the city influenced your sound over the years, and do you feel Thieves and Charlatans captures any specific essence of your hometown?

Scott: Boston has always had an amazing music scene. There’s so much talent that it is incredibly humbling to be a part of it. We are lucky to have so many great bands just within our little slice of the heavy rock world, like KIND, Blood Lightning, Worshipper, GOZU, Sundrifter, not to mention the countless other amazing bands playing on any given night. It has influenced us as far as just generally making sure that we always do everything to the best of our abilities, whether that’s a live show, writing songs, or recording. I would say a specific essence of Boston that makes its way into “Thieves And Charlatans” is a strong work ethic, along with a healthy dose of questioning authority. 

7. You’ve worked with producer Benny Grotto once again for this album. What was the experience like this time around, and how did his influence shape the direction of the record?

Alasdair: Benny is a pleasure to work with. This is our third album with him so there’s a comfort and trust that has been built that really allows us to focus on our performances, knowing that he’s going to capture the sounds we’re after. Benny is also a great sounding board for ideas we may have but aren’t sure about, and his excellent ear for music has proved invaluable for bouncing around ideas for guitar harmonies.

Matt: We’ve worked with Benny quite a lot now and each session has been a better experience than the last. He gets what we do, he gets what we’re going for, and there’s a sort of shorthand between us all at this point that just makes the process fun and chill.  I always have a good time recording vocals with him, and he’s got great insights and ideas as far as textures, effects, and backing vocals. We’ve got him back on this one too helping us out with some percussion and synth. It feels like that sort of tradition at this point.

8.”Leaders of Nobody” and “No Heroes” convey strong statements about leadership and identity. Can you talk about the themes behind these songs and how they reflect your views as a band?        Matt: Both songs are rooted in the broader themes of class consciousness, imperialism, capitalism, and I don’t know… human puppetry? The title “Leaders of Nobody” is a reference to a Fred Hampton speech from November 1969. It’s a powerful speech, and at one point he calls out “ideological servants of United States fascism” and how the media and manufactured leaders are nothing but apologists for it. Nothing has fundamentally or materially changed and many of these people are lionized as heroes. There’s a media feedback loop, impressing and imprinting this upon us, but they keep supporting the most evil, destructive, aggressive, and imperialistic policies to feed the endless hunger of private capital. The rest is all theatre, a distraction to keep people focused on anything but class struggle and what these monsters, and the masters they serve, are doing to our world and its people. 

9. As Cortez marks over 15 years since your debut EP, what have been some of the biggest changes in your songwriting process or band dynamic since those early days?

Scott: In our 18 years as a band, our songwriting process has barely changed. We usually start with a few riffs or parts on guitar. We bring those to the band and will usually come up with at least a verse and chorus structure from that first idea. We collaborate on arrangement and ideas to flesh out the song, whether it’s an intro, bridge, solo section, etc. Matt will usually come up with some initial melodies while we are working on the genesis of the song. Sometimes they come together quickly, and other times we get a song partially finished and put it on the back burner for a bit. As for band dynamic, we’ve gotten better about listening to each other and working together to make the best song / album we can. We try to leave our egos at the door.                                                      

Matt: I’m not sure the songwriting process has changed much since I’ve been in the band. We work collaboratively as a group on the vast majority of our songs, trying to make the song the best it can be. The players have been different at times, but the approach has been the same. I like to think we’ve learned a lot about songwriting as a collective and as individuals while working together, and that we’ve found a path where every song we write sounds like us. As far as our dynamic, we’ve had a few lineup changes over the years, and new people are bound to prompt a change or two. We’ve got Kyle on board now, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next round of writing takes us.

10.With Thieves and Charlatans releasing on vinyl, CD, and digital, how important is it for you to offer multiple formats for your fans, and what are your thoughts on the resurgence of vinyl in the heavy rock and metal community?

Scott: It’s extremely important to offer multiple formats. Everyone has their preferences on how they want to own and listen to music. The more available formats, the easier it is for people to access and listen to your music. I think the vinyl resurgence is great. I have been a record collector since I was a kid and prefer to listen to an album on vinyl. I love the ritual of it, grab a drink or smoke and put the needle down, read all of the liner notes and check out the artwork, flip the album. It’s relaxing to me, and I find that I concentrate and absorb the music more than when streaming on my phone in the car. 

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