Sincere Engineer on Touring, Chicago, and 'Probable Claws'!

We had the chance to sit down with Deanna Belos, lead singer/guitarist of the punk band Sincere Engineer! We spoke about their new record ‘Probable Claws’, the Chicago music scene, collaborations with Wil Wheaton, and more! They hit the road next week for the second half of tour in support of their new music, including a stop at their hometown Riot Fest!

Sincere Engineer started as a solo project of yours. You put in the work, playing open mics and venues in your hometown of Chicago around 2015. Since you’ve expanded to include a full lineup and are playing headline shows this summer/fall including an appearance at your hometown Chicago’s Riot Fest. How does it feel four albums in, coming from solo shows in dive bars, to being a prolific touring band who gets to headline their tour and play festivals?

“It’s crazy, the word I always used is “snowball”. I was going to school to be a dentist and then I just kept going and more people started liking the band and we added more people. I eventually moved on from wanting to go to dental school and started pouring into the project. Looking back on everything it’s kind of surreal.”

Sincere Engineer are battle-tested road warriors of sorts with extensive experience on the road. What is your favorite thing about touring?

“It’s a great way to see places and travel and share the music with people. We’re always surprised at how many people come out and know the words to songs. The food situation is always awesome we always try to do the unique food of a city where we’re playing.”

On Probable Claws, you really kick the door in from the jump with hard-hitting guitar and biting vocals. Additionally, the band shows their range with more laid back track. What were some of your thematic and sonic inspirations that lead to such a diverse sounding album?

“Thematically the record is based on the passing of time and how that goes. Sound wise, I don’t know if I have an answer, that is just how it came out. “DNA” features a lot of minor chords. Inspiration wise, the more songs I write, the less they sound like bands I like and more sounding like ourselves. For this one, it’s sort of a combination of punk and 90s alt rock, at least to me.”

You’ve never been one to shy away from tackling the tough subject matter in your songwriting, including touching on issues of mental health, angst, and trauma. Obviously, these issues are especially significant in the punk genre. How has your openness to discussing important issues connected you to your fans and the public?

“When I sell merch at the merch table and I hear people say that the music got them through a hard time that’s neat to see. With the human condition, everyone feels similar feelings at some time and music kind of connects people during hard those times.”

Sincere Engineer has had a meteoric rise out of the DIY punk scene in Chicago. How did the environment of Chicago influence your sound and writing?

“For one, all the classic Chicago bands had an impact. In my era of coming up, there were tons of venues, there are always opportunities to play if you’re willing. With that practice, you can hone your live show. It’s a thriving nurturing music community.”

You pick back up touring in support of the record later next week! What are you most looking forward to with the upcoming second half of tour?

“Just excited to get back at it, the first half was great, there’s some places we’ve never played before, I’m excited to play in New Orleans, Detroit has sold out, we’re playing in Baltimore as well. Then there’s the hometown show in Chicago at Riot Fest, which comes at the end of the run, so by then we will be kind of tour ready.”

Probable Claws features an awesome collaboration with Wil Wheaton on “LOL”. Can you touch on how this partnership was formed?

“A couple years ago he posted a song of ours on Facebook and we found out he’s a fan. We connected, and stayed in touch. When we were recording, I had a placeholder of a voicemail and we needed something to go there. So I reached out and asked him if he wanted to do something and he was down. I asked if he needed direction and he said “no” and he brought influence from some classic punk tracks. It’s really cool because when we were recording we were making a lot of Star Trek references and I was actually named after a Star Trek character. He came out and did it live with us in LA at The Roxy, it was really awesome.”

You not only front the group on vocals, but you shred on guitar as well. You all recently played a show for Reverend Guitars, which I know you’re fond of playing as well. What are some of your favorite pieces of gear in your rig?

“Mine’s very simple I have my Double Agent OG Reverend. I just got another one as well. We don’t really use amps for touring anymore which has been nice as far as space in the van and loading and unloading. I try to keep it simple and consistent.”

What’s been your favorite aspect of sharing the new tracks on Probable Claws both with the world in the live and digital setting?

“It’s always interesting to see which songs people latch onto. It’s never usually what I expect. We noticed on this last tour people knew the words to “Cooler”. Wil Wheaton shared “LOL” online and we got a bunch people came over to our socials from that. Speaking of the passage of time I can’t believe it’s the record has been out since June. It doesn’t feel like it’s been two months.”

Sincere Engineer pick up the second half of the Probable Claws Tour on August 21 in Oklahoma and wrap up in September. FMI and tickets for the tour, visit: https://sincereengineer.com/tour.