Sixtwoseven are a group that is steadily on the rise. The Washington state staple kick off the Fall season in the best way possible, with their upcoming release "Already Gone / Dead on the Table," out this week via DubSeven Records. The single "New Solutions," brings a captivating sound to the table which brings the band's lively Alt-sound to life. We had a chance to catch up with the group on release week to dive into the new releases below.
1. What is the inspiration behind the latest single release? Let's dive in shall we?
Yeah thanks for having us, we’re very honored. I’m sure you’ve noticed bit of a trend lately, that this world is desperately in need of some New Solutions. We don’t seem to be able to exercise empathy for one another anymore, everyone is taking everything and everyone so seriously these days, especially themselves. As a song writer I too tend to get caught up in the emotional side of hacking my way through life, and forget to just relax and have a good laugh at my own expense every now and again. New Solutions was just something we started playing to have fun, divert a little focus from the angst or struggle, and remind folks to look for a new way of handing things, maybe make the world a bit more pleasant, you know? The B side, “A Winter in Palmyra” is a result of my brother’s and I being raised in an LDS home. Basically I struggle to understand what would compel a teenage boy or young man to lead all these people into his own fantasy religion. It’s a bizarre phenomenon to me.
2.What made you discover your passion for creating an eclectic blend of your own sound?
Well for one, we all listen to different styles of music for leisure, and we all write songs in SixTwoSeven together as a group. So inevitably each part or piece that gets added along the way, comes from a unique perspective or set of environmental influences, and the songs always turn out way different in the end than maybe they were in my mind. So I fully believe that SixTwoSeven wouldn’t sound like SixTwoSeven, if any one of us decided not to do this anymore. As an individual when I discovered the band NoMeansNo (Vancouver Canada) as a teenager it literally wrecked my understanding of what you were allowed to do and not do musically. I had never heard anything like it, and I have kind of always pushed any band I was ever in to break the chains a little if you will, and do some things that other artists don’t do, whatever that is. It really all came from listening to them.
3. What places in your mind do you channel to craft your songs?
I have always identified us as a blue collar working class band. We all have day jobs, families, failures, successes, difficult relationships, all the same stuff everyone deal with. Some people weren’t given the ability to write songs to cope or deal, but thankfully I was, and just because they don’t write songs about their struggles doesn’t mean they don’t find therapy in listening to them. That’s where we come in. Hopefully in some way or another it helps people deal, or brings joy into their lives in some way.
4. What are your favorite venues to perform at? and if you had to choose, do you feel more comfortable in the studio or onstage, and why?
We have always been well taken care of by The Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood when we visit, I really love LA. We have a great relationship with El Corazon in Seattle, and on Saturday 11/24 we get to play the Crocodile Café for the first time, which has a rich Seattle music history. Who knows maybe one day we could play the Showbox before it’s gone. I have always loved that place, it’s a Seattle treasure. As far as on stage or in studio that’s a difficult one to compare. I mean I absolutely love to record music, I have produced or am currently producing records for all kinds of bands like Zero Harbor, SixTwoSeven, Zon Bon Zovi, Cliffside Drive and Bork Laser, so I definitely love my studio time. That being said, when I finish a record and have the chance to turn that energy into rehearsing and playing live I immediately feel invigorated in a way that only an audience can provide. It’s the greatest feeling in the world. They are two different things that I desperately need in my life, like food and water you know? How do you choose.
5. How do you create your songs? What is the process like? Does it take you days, weeks, even longer? How does the perfect piece come together?
Each time it’s unique, as sometimes it’s my riff, sometimes it’s Mike’s or Jason’s. So that, coupled with the amount of time that we get to spend together greatly impacts the amount of time it takes to complete one. But the bulk of it usually happens relatively quick when we are together. Someone will break out a riff, and we all start jamming along with our ideas, and I’ll start belting out random melodies and lines until something sticks. Then I just build off of that with more and more lines like a musical game of Scrabble.
6. How did you create a sound throughout time that is so uniquely your own? What defines your sound to you?
Our sound is really guitar driven obviously. That sound is just what happens when Jason and I play guitar together. We have been jamming together since we were children, so there is by now, a distinct thing that occurs when we do that, and it has become our sound. Of course Matt’s harmonies have been a key element to distinguishing us from a typical rock or alt-punk band
.7. This year is already shaping up to be a huge year for you. What do you hope to accomplish in 2018?
2018 has been insane. We played with Agent Orange in Hollywood, we shared a stage with Doom Rock icons 1000 Mods and Telekinetic Yeti, our album dropped, I produced 3 other bands commercially for the first time. What would be really cool, would be to finish the year with a couple of sell out shows. That would be great.
