American Standards told us about their musical act and how they write songs. let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
12 years ago I made a joke about a toilet manufacturing company. I had no clue that the punchline would follow me for more than a decade.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
Honestly, there was zero musical history in my family. I always had the desire to travel, meet new people, and experience different things though. Music became the perfect vessel for that. I started off playing guitar in Arizona local bands like Kinishba Fire, Movie Script Ending, and Vera Lynne. When those fell apart, I started recording solo material. Eventually some guys came across the music on MySpace and we formed what became The Hostage Situation. That was my first time on vocals. After the project ran its course, I thought I was done with touring. As life does, I stopped looking and somehow quickly found myself fronting American Standards.
How would you describe your sound?
American Standards is a punk band. Nothing more. Nothing less. Over the years we’ve somehow managed to belong everywhere and nowhere all at once. We’ll get grouped with the mathcore, metallic hardcore, or chaotic hardcore bands, but we really aren’t focused on time signatures or technicality when writing. We just don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff. If it happens, it happens organically. I look at it like a Polaroid camera. What you get with us is a genuine representation of a moment in time. It’s the not the result of sifting through countless outakes and filters to find the perfect shot. It’s a fleeting experience. Imperfect but sincere.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
The initial vision for American Standards was creating something built more on ideas rather than technical execution. I wanted it to be memorable in spite of pop sensibilities and heavy despite traditional production standards. I look at late 90s/early 2000s bands like Refused, Snapcase, Deadguy, Coalesce, and Spitfire as being artists that encapsulated that. Early on, the guys were also really into The Chariot, Converge, Norma Jean, and Every Time I Die.
What’s the last song you listened to?
“The Things You Do” by Turnstile. Love it or hate it, Turnstile is bringing new life to the hardcore genre with an old sound. You’ve got to respect artists that are getting kids excited about heavy music again. Especially when it’s got something to say.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
Word of mouth will always be #1. If you recommend something to me, nine times out of ten I’m going to check it out. Bandcamp and Spotify are great for discovering new music too.
Who is your dream producer?
I’ve never really spent much time thinking about producers. We take a fairly old school approach with all our writing. It always starts with riffing in a practice room. What we record is what we play live. Any studio production is minimal and just icing on the cake.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
We had some cool az local artist features on DOPAMINE DEALER with Chelsey Louise of Fairy Bones doing the intro for ‘The Dealer’ and Cody Milford of The God Samaritan on ‘The Tourist’. Keeping it to Phoenix local bands, I’d love to get Trevor Hedges from Sundressed on a track or maybe Robbie Pfeffer of Playboy Manbaby. Also love the az band Bear Ghost. My goal is just to really mix it up and have features that people wouldn’t expect.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
Community. I owe the majority of the friends I’ve made and experiences I’ve had to music. I can’t imagine it any other way.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
The music and lyrics start independently of each other. Corey usually comes to me with a few riffs, we work together on structure, then I take a look at my ever growing notepad to see what ideas jive.
How do you connect with your audience?
It feels like we’re only just now on the tail end of the 80s rock star mentality. Like musicians are still legitimately trying to flex on their fans and have this larger than life persona. We’ve never been about maintaining images. We connect by just being real online and in person. We never expect anything more than the four of us playing music, so we are beyond appreciative of anyone that takes their time to listen.
www.Facebook.com/AmericanStandards
Spotify
What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Easiest would probably be online. If you post, comment, or share anything, we’re always pretty quick to respond.
What’s next for you?
DOPAMINE DEALER is released 02/03/23 on all music streaming platforms. We’re already writing a follow up full length and shooting for release by end of 2023. Everything Expires.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
It’s been a wild ride. We appreciate everyone that’s been there from the beginning and anyone that has joined us along the way. Go out there and do something awesome. Nothing is stopping you but your own self-doubt
Have a great day!
Bio:
Sometimes strong emotions can make you lose focus. That’s not the case for Phoenix, Arizona based chaotic hardcore punk band, American Standards. After losing their guitarist to suicide and vocalists father to cancer in quick succession, the band founded in 2011 released their most emotional and socially poignant album to date. Now more focused than ever, American Standards has had a series of new releases and has hit the road playing shows with bands such as Knocked Loose, Stray From The Path, Comeback Kid, Every Time I Die, Zao, and Norma Jean. Their mantra; “Don’t wait for things to happen. Make them happen.” Heralded by Metal Injection as “one of strongest bands in the realm of hardcore and metalcore” and with features on Alternative Press, Decibel Magazine, Lambgoat and Revolver, people are taking notice.
