ION INDIE MAGAZINE November 2015, Volume 18 | Page 75

and all of a sudden they pop in the sky and everyone goes, Ahhhh!” I wanted to name the band “The Mad
Ones”--but there are like 4 million bands named that. So we became “The Mad Mad Ones”.
CW: Earlier you categorized your sound as Rock, is that how you see it?
Ted: I just always looked at it as what I do. Then you sprinkle in the other guys…Jeff also writes some of
our songs, and we usually write together. Usually one guy will come in with something he’s been working
on, and…
Jeff: Or it will just happen. A couple of the songs have just written themselves. We just start jamming and
someone will say, “Hey…that riff…”
Ted: We like a lot of different music. Jeff and I grew up on KISS, the original lineup. I just devoured those
records. Our tastes range from that kind of 60’s, 70’s Rock. BLACK SABBATH is a huge influence--all the
way through to today with MESHUGGAH and GOJIRA--I love that stuff. I also love JEFF BUCKLEY,
RADIOHEAD…classical, like MOZART.
Jeff: You can definitely hear our influences in our music.
Ted: But what’s interesting is, sometimes we don’t hear it…
Jeff: We got layers, man…
Ted: I think the best way to describe it is we are The Mad Mad Ones…I think a lot of the gentrification of
music is more of a marketing ploy. I think people get sick of going to a show and seeing the same thing over
and over again. I love to play with bands that are radically different than us. I think it’s something refreshing
for the audience.
CW: You had several offers from labels, but you tur ned those down and decided to start your own
label. Why did you go that route?
Ted: For us, we wanted to do it our way, and for us that is going to be unique, whatever it is.
Jeff: We didn’t want an outside source calling the shots. The labels that were interested had rules where
we wouldn’t even be able to pick our own cover art.
Ted: The reality is, the record labels aren’t doing a whole lot for anybody right now. Record sales are down,
so you have to come at it differently. I think the whole music industry is still trying to figure out what to do.
From my perspective, there are so many mediums to distribute music, it’s just smart to control it yourself.
Jeff: We want to do what we want to do…
Ted: We hope people like it, but that’s not really what’s driving us. Our motivation is that we get to play.
Jeff: So many bands are so focused on making it. What’s “making it”? For us, it’s being able to play with
your buddies, hopefully others will like it. But if not, that’s okay too.
Ted: It’s been very fun working with other talented people in the area for different parts of the record,
GARY BARTON took Amos and came up with incredible cover work. When we brought Jeff into the band,
we didn’t tell him what to play, we wanted what Jeff would bring to the band. That’s kind of what we have
done with the whole project. Life is about connections. I don’t mean for making money. I mean human