We asked The Outside Kids to come inside and answer some questions. Luck for us, Matt obliged! Let’s see what he has to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
The Outside Kids name came about sort of naturally. I was thinking about my career in music (I’m an audio engineer and editor), ruminating about how I’m often on the outside looking into the creative fire of all these great bands I’ve been privileged to work with. And I know many others, in their own situations, feel the same way.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
My dad stored his friends drum kit in our basement when I was three and the rest is history. I’ve been making noise pretty much as long as I can remember. That drive to create sound led me to audio engineering school, and an internship at a scoring stage in LA when I was 19. The school of hard knocks and hard work took over from there. I edited and tuned about 2 songs a day, while writing music for, performing, and recording for another two, almost every day for 6 months. That was a kick start to my chops and technical skills that I couldn’t have earned any other way.
Throughout all of that, songs would come to me at random. I would work on them between studio projects, fleshing out feels and ideas, and eventually, that culminated in the first EP this band put out, Are You O.K.?
How would you describe your sound?
We’re what would happen if Green Day wrote Blink 182 songs and Frank Turner sang some of them. Our roots are firmly planted in the soil of drum driven pop-punk riffs and grooves, but as a general rule of thumb, we no rules to our sound. Whatever we’re trying to say with that song, that’s what decides the sounds we reach for. Sometimes we know what we’re trying to achieve, sonically, but often it surprises us.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
For me (Matt Clayton), Green Day, My Checmical Romance, and Blink 182 are my biggest influences as far as songwriting goes, Travis Barker is my biggest influence on drums, and Slash is the reason I wanted to play guitar in the first place. For Sam (Halote), the more silent member of the band, Against Me!, Frank Turner, Nirvana, and the Foo Fighters rank high on his “most played” lists.
What’s the last song you listened to?
I just listened to the new Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Tippa My Tongue.” Somehow, those guys manage to sound exactly like them while exploring completely new ground. And Chad Smith + Flea might be the best rhythm section alive right now.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
Combing through Spotify can be fruitful, but honestly, my musician friends are my favorite source of new tunes. They’re always plugged into something new and exciting. Also, I run sound for venues and bands; hearing new bands live is ALWAYS the best way to absorb them. Shout out to Dead Marthas, Modern Folklore, Camp Comfort, and The Cottonwood Boys, a few standouts from the local scene here.
Who is your dream producer?
Oooo this is a tough one. It’s close between John Feldman and Rob Cavallo, but I have to lean towards Cavallo, as long as Chris Lord-Alge is mixing. That duo did two of the best records of my generation: Green Day’s ‘American Idiot,’ and My Chemical Romance’s ‘Black Parade.’
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I would love to write with Billie Joe Armstrong or Mark Hoppus. Just feeling out how they wrap their heads around a new song concept and then execute would be so instructive. And probably highly entertaining.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
That’s a deep, core identity level question. It’s not really a choice. Music is a force that I feel has been around so long that’d you’d have to be led away from it, not to it. I will always be making songs in my head, and that’s probably part of what keeps drawing me back to it. The more I practice the process, the more readily formed it pops into my head. I’ve heard stories how Michael Jackson would show up to session with the entire arrangement of a song in his head, top to bottom. Then he’d just beatbox parts to the musicians and producer, and keeping going until everyone had the song down. I aspire to that level of mental musical powers. Superhuman.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
Some songs pop out almost fully formed, and some begin as a tiny little nuggest not even reconizable as gold, and then time passes and it shines a little brighter and a little brighter and then catches my eye at the right moment and becomes something. Regardless how it starts, Sam brings a level of discipline to editing down lyrics to reveal the true heart of the matter. Then we track the basics of the song, and that marks the beginning of potentially months of studio experimentation, seeing what tones work, how much embellishment is too much or not enough, and generally just enjoying bathing in sound.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
This is an ongoing project. We really hit our stride writing during the pandemic, but obviously the opportunities to play out were severely limited. Because of this, we’re still sorting out what we have to share. But I think this record speaks volumes where my words fall short here.
What’s next for you?
Next, we get out on the road! These songs are meant to be thrashed about in a venue with a bunch of other writhing, sweaty bodies. Music is communal by nature, and we’re long overdue for a little sonic seance with likeminded weirdos. We hope to see you all out there!
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
We are already 14 songs deep into the next record, and we actively planning out shows for 2023. If anyone wants us to come play near them in the near future, reach out on Instagram or our website’s contact page and let us know! We’d LOVE to come play for you, if you want us there.
BIO:
The Outside Kids began as an idea in the back of multi-instrumentalist/producer Matt Clayton’s head around 2015 while working on other artist’s recordings. Around that time, he formed a friendship with Sam Halote based on martial discipline soon developed into a fully shared set of values: Gender/race/sexual equality, acceptance, accessibility. Their similar tastes in music (Sam quickly introduced Matt to his favorite bands, Against Me! and Frank Turner) and an ease of communication gave birth to lyrics, song ideas, demo recordings, and the inevitably obvious choice to include Sam in The Outside Kids. Together, the merged the happy-go-lucky nostalgia of immature pop-punk with a socially conscious edge, while exploring mental health, personal relationships, growth and setbacks through gritty lyrics, pop-punk production, and heavier sounds. The Outside Kids were finally plural.
