(Photo Credit: Zach Burns)
We had the chance to interview Dead Vinyl, a four-piece band from Fort-Worth, Texas who's roots rock sound is sure to put a kick in your step! Dead Vinyl is: Hayden Miller - Vocalist, Tyler Vela - Guitarist, Zach Tucker - Bassist, and Parker Anderson - Drummer. Readers note: This interview is with Hayden Miller, Tyler Vela, Zach Tucker and Parker Anderson of Dead Vinyl.
1. How did you come to pursue music how long have you been at it?
Hayden: Well, we all come from very musical families that have supported us along the way. I think just being around it your whole life gives you an early sense of need to be in madness that is the music world. Tyler and I have been playing music together since high school in different odd bands.
Tyler: Dead Vinyl has been around since about 2014. The four of us were in different bands beforehand though, like The Frisky Disco and Animal Spirit.
Zach: of the four of us, I probably have the least musical family background. My mom really enjoyed musical theater and jazz, but I always loved rock, and I convinced my dad to get me a bass guitar at 14. I cut my teeth in the church worship band, started multiple bands ranging from rock to funk in high school and early college, and finally started the drum and bass hard rock group Panic Volcanic around 2011. We started playing in Fort Worth, and we got on a bill with The Frisky Disco, Hayden and Tyler’s old band. They blew me away with their love for rock and roll and their crazy stage antics, and I knew I had to be their friend. Shortly after, I joined them as drummer in The Frisky Disco, and we've been making music together ever since.
2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
Tyler: Stepping in the inbetweenies of space and time, and casting a net of pure rocktacious riffage and reeling in what we can. No… wait, I like this better
Tyler: Peering into the vastness of the cosmos in hopes something stares back at us. Yeah, I like that.
Parker: Basically, Zach or Tyler will think of a riff and then the band will flesh it out together during rehearsal while Hayden simultaneous writes lyrics for said song.
Zach: essentially we listen to a bunch of awesome music, party until we forget it all, hear the echoes in our dreams, and translate them through the filter of our modern experiences, and the changes we want to see take place in the world around us
3. What artist have inspired you in your career?
Hayden: We tend to draw from more old school influences like Led Zeppelin, Otis Redding, and The Rolling Stones. We draw a lot from the vintage side of things.
Tyler: Picasso, Ludwig van Beethoven, Stan Lee, ZEPPELIN, the people who write on the men’s bathroom wall at the Boiled Owl. All my badass friends, and Soul Brotha Number One, Mr. Dynomite himself James Brown.
Hayden: We also get down to modern stuff too tho. Jack White, Rival Sons, Nathaniel Ratcliff. They are all doing great stuff right now.
Parker: I grew up hearing stories about how my dad toured Europe with a bluegrass band and how my brothers punk rock shows were so rowdy they got shut down. I think in my mind that set the bar for me to exceed in my own music career. My mom always made sure to keep me on stage from an early age as well as visual art and theater class. All forms of culture and art are crucial to making great music.
Zach: obviously Zeppelin and Jack White are huge parts of our lives, recently we've also been listening to a lot of crazier stuff like early Queen, David Bowie, and the Jackson 5. Personally, my bass playing has been affected a lot by Flea from RHCP, Colin Greenwood from Radiohead, and a lot of the old jazz records my mom used to listen to.
4. Do you have any famous music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards,etc.) that you love to use. If so, what’s the story on them?
Tyler: My grandpa has let me borrow some of his gear for awhile. I got a Peavy Classic 50 tweed style, I think it's from the 80’s. They used it when they were playing and touring, and its still going with us. That thing is a trooper, and weighs a ton.
5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy the most about a venue when you do a show?
Parker: Our live show is far superior to our recorded material and if you want a life changing experience make sure you catch us when we come to town. If you like the best parts of rock and roll that you grew up on, Dead Vinyl is the band for you.
Hayden: We have a lot of fight in us. The live show is always changing and adapting. We have lots of original songs but we also have a pretty decent-sized library of covers. All brought forth with high energy performance.
Zach: the raw energy that Hayden and Tyler bring to a stage is exactly what drew me towards their style, it's explosive, contagious, and it's only gotten more refined and smoother with time. We all love to improvise and play the crowd, you never know what's going to happen once we get on stage, and I love it.
6. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?
Parker: Dead Vinyl’s mission is to bring the rock and roll to the people. Every show channels the dangerous parts of seventies roots rock, and puts them in a 21st-Century context, stretching blistering vintage riffage over a frame of contemporary angst, charging rhythms, and soulful vocals. Using high-caliber rock songs loaded with massive blues-rock hooks, thundering drums, and balls-to-the-walls vocal performance to influence and inspire positivity and growth in the world around us. Having your music pumping through a sound system so loud it rattles your clothes is the coolest feeling ever. Also it’s pretty cool when there’s more people in the room than just your band mates.
Zach: its true we bring the high energy blues riffage, and we love to party and have a good time, but we also want to channel that energy into the world around us, and use it to inspire, empower, and make this planet a better place however it's within our power to do so. Every quarter we dedicate 15% of the money we make to a non-profit or charity organization based on a need one of us sees or experiences in our immediate world. If anyone still believes that rock and roll can save the world, it's us, and the people that love our music. You will too if you come see us and hang out with us!
7. Do you have any upcoming projects you would like fans to know about?
Parker: We just released this cool new sci-fi music video we made using basically just cardboard and duct tape (https://youtu.be/X9WNu_bf3qY) for our song “Till The Cosmos Fall” AND keep on the lookout for our new EP this October
Hayden: Yeah, we just got out of the studio at Audiostyes in Dripping Springs, TX with Taylor Tastch and Nolan Robertson at the helm producing. We have some great stuff coming this fall.