Interview with Keith Watson of The Intemperate Sons
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Keith! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it is greatly appreciated.
CV:
What do you feel sets the band apart from other bands, especially those of
similar sound and style? What's the specific allure your sound and
style have that has people taking notice?
Keith Watson:
We think we write relatable music and lyrics and use our melodies and vocal
harmonies to reach the deepest level of the fan. It is all done,
initially, for us personally but it comes from a place that we’ve all felt at
one time in our life. The overriding thing we’ve heard since the
beginning is the content of the songs (musically and lyrically) are really sold
by Max’s vocal delivery. He’s been compared at times to Layne Staley,
which is interesting. One thing about Layne was that you bought what he
was selling in the song. His voice made you feel it. So those
comparisons are amazing to us.
CV: For
any band, dynamics is key to grabbing an audience's attention. What do you feel
is the main ingredient to having such a captivating dynamic and being able to
bring something more to the music?
KW: For us,
we have a great chemistry so showing our fans that onstage is important.
Fans enjoy a show when they think the band is enjoying and feeding off each
other. Our lyrical content is on the dark side but we contrast that, at
times, with more upbeat music. The goal is to engage the audience and invite
them into the story.
CV:
How would you describe the ultimate musical experience
for your fans? And how does the band go about creating that musical
vision, while generating the impact the band wants to have on its
audience?
KW: The
ultimate music experience for any fan is to feel they’re participating in the
show and that you know they’re out there with you. Set list creation is
important to make sure you provide a journey to keep the fan engaged and
entertained. We also provide little bits of information about some of the
songs to maybe get them to listen more closely to the song. The bottom
line is we try to make it fun. At times we’ll throw in a cover and ask
fans to come up and help us sing too!
CV: The
music business has always been one that regardless of who you are, where you
came from or where you've been, you can either sink or swim. Does this
type of realism have any effect on how the band drives itself to succeed?
KW: We’re in
it to be successful, but our definition of successful isn’t a traditional
one. Success to us means that we’re still able to create and play our
songs to people all while having fun doing it. Perhaps that is a
“starving artist” mentality, but we think if you follow that definition, the
other types of success will come when you least expect it.
CV:
In your opinion, is there any middle ground for a band or is it a do or die
climate in today's music industry?
KW: If
you’re doing, you’re not dying and we’re doing. As long as
there is a song to write or a venue to play, we’re not dying!
CV:
How would you describe the band's internal energy? Does the band’s outward
appearance align with its true inward nature from your perspective?
KW: We all
contribute internally in different ways but we’re a united front with equal
participation on the vibe of the show, etc. We want to convey to the
crowd that we’re having fun, because we are, and we think our live show does
just that.
CV:
What's at the core of the band's songwriting approach? Are there
certain elements that are considered when a song begins to take form and
evolves?
KW: Our
songwriting approach ALWAYS starts musically. We spend time, mainly
acoustically, to jam together or to develop songs. I am the primary
lyricist for the band and did write several songs (musically) for the latest
album but both Jake and Max have written as well. We work together on
parts and arrangements. It is truly a collaborative effort.
CV:
Do you allow things to just happen when writing; seeing where a song goes, or
is there a certain course of action and structure you keep a song on, thus,
essentially making it destined to achieve its overall potential?
KW: Every
song we write has a certain degree of structure but that structure is not in
stone. Rarely does it end up being how it was in the beginning. We
allow everyone’s own influences to try to steer the song, which is why our
record is so broad in sounds and textures.
CV:
Do you feel how the fans and critics describe the band’s music accurately
reflects how you would describe the band’s music?
KW: We feel,
in large part, that our fans relate to our own influences and get where we are
coming from. The descriptions we’ve heard are all over the board, but we
can see how “most” of them got there.
CV:
Walk us through a typical show for the band...what can fans who have never
seen you perform expect?
KW: We take
the time to create the right set list for the night and venue, but throughout
the set we engage the fans by telling quick stories or joking amongst ourselves
on a live mic. At times, we will invite people from the audience up to
help us sing or even play guitar. So our message to our fans is to make
sure they rehearse at home, because you never know!
CV:
What more can fans look forward to seeing coming from the band?
KW: Our new single, “Dust
to Dust” just released to all the streaming services on April 29th.
We are following that up with a music video release on May 6th that was shot at
The Kitchen Recording Studios in Dallas, TX. We are about to release our
full-length album “The Color Within” in June to all streaming services.
We also have vinyl records and CD’s that can be bought from our website
at http://www.theintemperatesons.com.
CV: Thank you again Keith for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.
Check out The Intemperate Sons at:
https://linktr.ee/theintemperatesons
Official: http://www.theintemperatesons.com
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