As much as I enjoyed those interviews, it was absolutely
wonderful to finally get to interview a kick ass lead singer of a band which
has a new EP coming out on May 26th. I had the pleasure of talking with
TJ of The Nearly Deads and this is what transpired.
Theresa Jeane: I'm actually in Rhode Island. My band
is from Nashville but my boyfriend lives in Rhode Island.
Stephanie: So, that's the place to be right now.
TJ: Right.
Stephanie: How long has the band been together –
for new fans who may not know?
TJ: Our first EP, I think we released it in 2012 or 2011? So, that was all the same year we formed. I went to college in Florida, and so did a few of the other founding members. Steve is still in the band, but our original drummer, he was the other, third person from Florida. We knew each other from mutual friends and fans in the area. They had a band and I was playing piano in coffee shops. They said, “We're gonna to move to Nashville and do the band thing.” I said, “Well, Nashville sounds cool. I'll move there, too. Whatever." We wanted to be closer to the music industry. Definitely worked out for us, I think.
Stephanie: Is Nashville pretty open to new
music? I know Jack White's there with his Third Man Records. Has
Nashville turned into more of a melting pot these days musically, or are you
guys like a band of zombies crashing a Southern Baptist Easter egg hunt?
TJ: That sounds like a good music video! Yeah, I definitely think melting pot is the correct term Nashville is in the middle of a boom right now. So, that's bringing a lot of good music and a lot of ideas and a lot of traffic as well. Nashville is a very musician friendly city, I will say. Everyone that's there has a tie to the music industry, and we’ve found a home here. People – especially in the rock and roll community – we help each other because we’re the underdogs of the city and we stand together. We don’t feel like we’re competitors. When we first got there, if it weren’t for bands giving us shows and hooking us up with producers and their friends and really liking what we're doing, we’d probably still be trying to get somewhere.
Stephanie: It's been three years since The Nearly
Deads have released any new stuff, right?
TJ: Oh my gosh! When you say it like that…
Stephanie: Well, besides the exhaustive touring
schedule you guys do year after year! When I looked at your shows
for the past few years, I was blown away! What’s went down since the
last new release? Have you been building exposure with the touring, have
there been band member changes, etc.? Have you been working on this new
EP all along while touring?
TJ: Well, we've had some of the music from the EP
finished for like a year, no exaggeration. We piece things together when we can
because we're independent. So, when we have money for recording [then] we
record, and when we want to do a video [then] we do video. We do some
crowd funding. It was more that we needed time to tour on Invisible
Tonight and do some bigger things. Our guitarist, he got married, so he had
that taking up a lot of his year. I wouldn't say we took a break, but when you
have to put together an album or EP piece by piece versus all at once, it can
take longer. Behind the scenes a lot of stuff happened, and I guess
that’s one of the things I like about being independent.
Stephanie: The new EP comes out on May 26th, so I
know your life is getting crazier by the day with the tour and the press.
I've interviewed three dudes for the blog in the past: Gus of Young Guns,
Ally of the Virginmarys, and Rich of Highly Suspect. I have not interviewed a
chick yet,so I want the chick angle. What do you do when you just need
some downtime and you need to away from the craziness?
TJ: Oh, I get my nails done. Stuff like that. I go to
the gym. I love running and getting that energy out. I think what
centers us as a band is that we're best friends. We truly genuinely love
each other and doing what we do more than anything. I’m excited to
tour, but also really excited to spend time with my best friends. We
don’t see each other as much as people think. So, when we do get
together, that definitely centers me. There’s a lot of positivity
and love. You know, they're not hired guns. These guys
are behind me 100% in my lyrics and our vision. We all write the music
together, but at the end of the day - the lyrics - that’s really
me. So, to have them willing to support the message is
just so invaluable.
Stephanie: That was my next question. Who does most
of the lyric writing? Do the guys chip in every once in
a while and collaborate on the lyrics?
TJ: Yeah. I usually write most of the lyrics and
Steve on guitar, he chimes in. We also have Jon King, our
producer, who will help co-write songs. The more the merrier as far as
I'm concerned. I like getting input. I think all of a sudden, Steve
will come up with some line that's just brilliant. I remember we were writing, “My Evil Ways,” and there's the
line, “I’ll settle down and rearrange.” I said, “I need
something that rhymes with ‘rearrange’.” We literally sat around for
a half hour and Steve says, “One of these days, I'll act my age." I
said, “Oh my gosh! That's genius!" Like I hadn’t even
thought of that! You get writer’s block and so in your own head…
Stephanie: The simplest things can't come to you,
you're so wrapped up and invested in it.
TJ: Absolutely!
Stephanie: I know this is like choosing your
favorite child, but what's your favorite song off
the new EP?
TJ: Oh, my goodness. Off the new EP, I'm gonna give it
to, “Revenge.” It was the last song we wrote, and I think it
means the most to all of us as a band. We were on a record
label, and now we’re not anymore. I just feel like living well
is the best revenge. That was really my mindset behind it. I’ve
seen a lot of bands go through troubles, and they just quit. It
was really important to say, "You know what? We're still here.
This is our revenge. Just doing it." We might have been held
back in the past, but not anymore. So, that one is so much
fun to perform live and really the most meaningful. Hopefully,
it will do some big things for us. It's just one of those songs that I
really want to hear on the radio. We want to hear
it everywhere. This is our song that we're just really proud
of.
Stephanie: The publicist sent us here at the blog an
advance copy of the new EP and I’ve listened to it the past few days almost
constantly. I like every song on the EP, but one stood out to me, though. Songs
are condensed diaries to me – very private. The closer of the EP is, "As
Good As It Gets.” I thought it was a beautiful moment of vulnerability on an
album full of defiance and strength. Are the more painful songs hard to share
with an audience or does it serve as therapy? Or do you say on some nights, “I
just really don't want to do this shit tonight?”
TJ: It’s definitely therapy. Music is my therapy and always
has been. There is one particular song off of Invisible Tonight, called,
"In the Morning.” It’s just a slow song, and if we have too many slow
songs on some nights, I just don’t feel like doing it. But, it’s also the
deepest, most emotional song about a really bad relationship, so I feel like I
need to do it because if somebody else is in that position, I need to tell them
that I turned out okay. The same way with, "As Good As It Gets"; it means
the opposite of what it started meaning. In the beginning, it means, "Oh,
is this as good as it gets?" But by end you're like, "Yes it is."
It’s like, “This is great. My life is great.” You can be
thankful and you can get over stuff. I feel like I have kind
of a responsibility to show people I'm here, I'm strong, I'm fronting this
band. I've gotten through what I've gotten through, so whatever you're going
through, I want to be that example that life goes on afterwards.
Stephanie: It has to be really gratifying for you to look
at an audience and see that the lyrics and music you and the band have
painstakingly worked on, that you’re helping other people with the same
struggles you’ve been through.
TJ: It's definitely very humbling. It's not something that I
think we thought would happen when we formed this band, so it's just kind of
like that humbling, grounding moment where you think, "Man, this means
something to somebody that's not me." It's a great feeling.
Stephanie: It has to keep you going and motivated.
TJ: It does! People have no idea how much it keeps us
motivated.
Stephanie: They'll know after this interview, I hope. I wanted
to thank you for my new personal theme song, “My Evil Ways.” The lyrics in that
song say, “Maybe I’ll change my evil ways/ Stop taking shots one of these
days.” If that line is about shots of alcohol, which one do you prefer
shooting?
TJ: Well, we just wanted it to be kind of open, but oh, my
goodness, we have a young fan base so I will definitely say drink responsibly.
The band and I are of age and do partake. So I have to say Fireball. It’s so
typical, but…
Stephanie: I'm a fan of Fireball.
TJ: I also won't say no to Jäger. I feel like Jäger also has
that medicinal quality that I feel like is okay to drink before I sing.
Stephanie: I've read that the lead singer of Dorothy
never goes on stage without whiskey in her hand. So you know, I think that's
perfectly fine.
TJ: I mean, we're from Nashville, so we're not gonna turn it
down.
Stephanie: Exactly. Speaking of other chick lead singers,
it seems to me that there's aresurgence of bands with female leads; strong,
independent, kick-ass women. I’m jealous you’re not coming through Birmingham
for the Break Into Action tour with Badseed Rising and Eyes Set to Kill. That's
a kick-ass lineup. Have you toured with an all-female lead singer lineup
before?
TJ: Yeah, we have. We’ve played a few shows with Halestorm,
In This Moment, and Butcher
Babies, and we've toured with Stitched Up Heart and another
great band called City of the Weak that's female led. The more the merrier.
Stephanie: Do you ladies have time on tour to just have a beer and hang out?
TJ: We definitely bond. We just went on tour with a band
called Valora from Los Angeles. They’re female led with two sisters in the
band. One night we all got a campsite. They had an RV and we had our trailer.
We love camping on tour and those are our nights when things really happen. The
camping nights are like, we cook out, we drink, we play games – we really get
to know each other because you're absolutely right, touring is so hectic. We’re
so busy because you're working morning, noon, and night. And then you're
performing. Then you're with fans. You really don't have a lot of time to meet
the other people you're touring with. I love getting to know the people we tour
with and I will say Valora was really special. Their mom actually was on tour
with them, and I just wanted her to adopt me. She was just so nice and fabulous
and they were some very beautiful people.
Stephanie: That sounds fabulous! Do you and the guys hang out at the merch table after a performance to meet the fans?
TJ: Yeah. We hang out at the merch table every night. I
actually have to sell the merch on this upcoming tour because the way we
travel, we can't bring any additional people with us. I don't mind it because
like that's how we make our money, so I'm back there hustling.
Stephanie: And that's how you make a personal connection
with the fans. I mean, you can't get much more personal than that.
TJ: And I love meeting the fans, too. You never know what
kind of stories you're gonna hear or who you're gonna meet. We've definitely
had fans that have become friends – true friends - that we’ve met at shows.
Stephanie: Here at the blog, we’re big fans of the
movie “High Fidelity,” so we love our Top Five lists.
What’s a few bands you listen to on the tour bus or during your down time lately?
TJ: I'm definitely a huge Garbage fan and I just
got Strange Little Birds on vinyl. I
can't stop. I love Garbage and anything that they put out, I
will buy.
Stephanie: Speaking of strong, independent,
kick-ass women…
TJ: Yeah. My biggest inspiration is Shirley
Manson and Brody Dalle of The Distillers. The Distillers get me pumped up for
anything; I'm a big punk rock fan. I love Alkaline Trio
and bands like that. As for the guys in the band, Kevin is a metal
head so he'll play Between the Buried and Me. Javier really
likes old school country, like Conway Twitty. I like Neil Young so
we have a very diverse group. I will say at night when Steve and
Josh drive, they do this thing called “Night Crew.” Steve listens to
the worst music and we all tease him about it because he will listen to
the slowest, dreamiest stuff, like Depeche Mode and Filter at night
while he's driving us. We ask, “How are you not falling asleep to
this?" I don't get it.
Stephanie: Speaking of all the other guys, is it
heaven or hell traveling with four hot dudes?
TJ: First of all, they're not hot. It's like they're
my brothers. They're like family. So, we look out for each other. And
they respect that I'm a female. They respect that I'm a girl and if
I need something, they're on it. If I need time for my makeup,
they give it to me. If I want to sit, I pretty much get to sit where
I want, in the front seat or if I want to sleep on the bed, I get
to. They're gentlemen.
Stephanie: We’re winding down. I know you've got to
go but I've asked every other band that I've interviewed this
question. Of course, they were all dudes but they all had fantastic
hair. So, in the spirit of equal opportunity, I’ll ask you
the same question I asked them. I’ve seen pictures of
the band and you all have some pretty epic hair going on. Who spends
the most time on their hair?
TJ: I spend the most time on my hair by far. But,
Steve borrows my hair products and he has the least amount of
hair in the band. You can put that in! But, you know who has the
most famous hair? I want to say me because of the blonde and the
swoop and the poof and stuff – but it's really Kevin, our bass
player. He has this long hair and uses Garnier Fructis or TRESemmé
or whatever, and he just has this mane of long hair he’s known for.
Stephanie: And he doesn't do a thing to it
probably!
TJ: Nothing! Nothing! He hops out of the
shower and then it just dries and that’sit. Not one split end,
nothing. He doesn't have to tease it or anything, and then he head bangs and
it makes all the pictures look cool. He’s got the best hair.
Stephanie: Lastly, my 15-year-old daughter has
listened to the advance copy of the new EP and she loved
it. She wants to know who has been a role model to you.
When you first started thinking about going down this long
road that is music, who inspired you?
TJ: That's a good question. When I was in
college and we formed the band, I was studying classical music so I
wanted to be on Broadway and do musical theater and opera. I
love Amanda Palmer and the Dresden Dolls. My first band was
just me on piano and a drummer and it was awesome. It was so easy
to go to gigs, just the two of us. It was so easy to manage. So, Amanda
Palmer definitely is just a massive inspiration.
Stephanie: She also wanted to know what’s been the
craziest moment for the band so far during a concert. Or
maybe tell us a story that you still rehash and laugh about or possibly cringe
over.
TJ: There are so many! We have so many weird
things that happen to us. Okay, I have one. There was this show
we played, in the middle of nowhere. This girl came up, and was just
massively creepy and strange. She had everyone in the band sign her
shirt. On her shirt were all these tally marks so we asked her,
“What are those?" And she says, “It’s every time I’ve went to
jail.” We were like, “Okay. That’s nice. We gotta go!”
Stephanie: We gotta get back on the road right now!
TJ: Tally marks. I thought that was weird to share.
Why?
Stephanie: Thank you so much for taking the time to
answer my questions tonight! I know you guys are busy and I
know things are about to explode. I really enjoyed the new EP and can’t
wait until it comes out so I can share it with everyone! And, it
was really nice to get a girl's perspective.
TJ: Oh, yeah. Thank you. Same. Great
questions.
Again, it truly was a pleasure talking with TJ and I want to
thank her and the band for giving us here at the blog this interview. The
new EP is so excellent, I can't wait until everyone can listen to it on May
26th. In the meantime, here's the video to the latest single off the EP,
and my new theme song of the moment, "My Evil Ways."
'Till next time, y'all!
Steph
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