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This is a WXAV 773 Sounds Podcast, introducing you to the best local bands in the Chicago land area. Hi, this is Peter Creighton from 773 Sounds here on the XAV88.3 FM Chicago, your escape from ordinary radio. Now, if you're a fan of old school misfits, if you're a fan of horror punk, if you're a fan of just horror movies in general, I'm thinking the craft, I'm thinking Heathers, I'm thinking Nightmare Before Christmas, this band is for you. We've been spending them the last few weeks here on 773 Sounds.
I'm so excited to say that we have Won't Stay Dead here on the program. If we could kind of real quick go around and have everyone introduce themselves. Hi, my name is Violet. I sing and play guitar.
Hey, this is Safran. I sing and play bass. I'm Tyler. I sing and I play guitar.
Awesome. Welcome everyone here to 773 Sounds. I kind of like to, you know, kind of go back to the beginning with everyone. First, how did you first become interested in music and then make the decision that you wanted to be a musician?
So Violet and I met at this camp called Girls Rock Chicago, which I think has recently changed their name to We Rock Chicago to be more inclusive to trans and gender nonconforming kids. But at that time, it was called Girls Rock Chicago. And it was for preteen and teenage girls to meet and form bands and learn about music and punk and rock history. So that's where Violet and I met.
We were about, I don't know, 12. And we've been playing in bands together ever since. Tyler, what about you? How'd you get into music?
My family got a guitar around Christmas when I was 10, I think, and I always liked writing my own stuff. And I would do that for years. And then I met a drummer in Community College. I joined his band and that's what got me into live music.
And then eventually I joined once I did. That's awesome. Now I love the sound of the band. It's got a really rich harmony sound, which is really great, you know, with with punk music and it works really well with what you're doing.
What are some of your inspirations? I don't know. It comes from a lot like growing up. A lot of like what early 2000s pop punk emo stuff that's heavy.
Harmony is like my chemical romance fall out boy, paramour, and then you know, getting more into like riot curl and punk. Also like Gotham industrial, like Nine-inch nails, the cure type of negative. We all kind of have like our different things that we really like. I don't know what are your influences, Tyler?
I grew up listening to classic rock and it's like as I've gotten older, it kind of goes from 70s to more 90s stuff and like early 2000s, like the white stripes and the strokes and the Arctic monkeys, that kind of stuff. But a lot of what I influence by is I'd say classic rock. I think one like the major influence that all of us share is like 90s rock, grunge, stuff like that, like whole Nirvana, anything like that. That's one thing that we definitely all share as an influence.
And I think that definitely kind of comes through in our music. It definitely does. Now you guys have a brand new record that came out back in December called Vindication. And it's amazing.
It's got such a great vibe to it. In fact, driving up to do the interview this morning, I was listening to it. You know, what was kind of your inspiration when you were writing vindication? What what it does sound like it's a personal record for you all?
Yeah. This is definitely the most like personal and honest set of songs that we've released as won't stay dead before this album. Pretty much everything was based on horror movies or spooky stuff stories. But a lot of the songs on vindication are about, you know, real life experiences that we've had.
A lot of it is based on past relationships and broken relationships and things like that. So a lot of like themes of betrayal and heartbreak and stuff like that. But then coming out the other side, triumphant and stronger. Now, how is that approach different for you?
I mean, you mentioned earlier that you kind of did more like horror stories to begin with. And now you've kind of the growth of you is putting more of yourself into that. What was the motivation for that? But not only that, what's that been like?
Because that's really putting everyone in kind of a very vulnerable state. You know, you're really showing your emotions and your feelings with with the listener and with the audience. What is that experience been like for you? Absolutely.
It's more vulnerable. But I think people tend to connect with that more. So a lot of people, I think, you know, they're more drawn to that. Obviously, everyone's different.
There's an audience for everything. But I've definitely noticed like longtime friends and fans of ours have said, you know, they really like the, I guess more honest and raw approach to it. And like you could tell these songs like really mean something. So let's go to hear that people kind of connect in a deeper way to these songs.
Now, for me, one of my favorite tracks off of it is Come by Tonight. I really love that song. Can you kind of share a little bit about what that song is about? So that song is it's still inspired by a movie.
Most of the songs on Vindication, they are still inspired by like horror movies, but kind of with, you know, personal inspiration woven in there as well. But Come by Tonight is based on a movie called The Perfect Host, which is basically about getting trapped in a situation with a dangerous person. So, you know, you can take that literally with the themes of the movie, but then you can also kind of take it as being trapped in a relationship or in a friendship with somebody who's toxic and who is going to hurt you and harm you, but you're already stuck and finding your way out. I am here with Won't Stay Dead here on 773 Sounds.
Now, if people want to go in and check you guys out online, where can they find you? We're on all the things. You can go directly to Won'tStayDead.com and, you know, find everything through there, but we're on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Bandcamp, on all the things. But yeah, just go to Won'tStayDead.com.
That's your one stop shop and definitely check out their Bandcamp is Won'tStayDead.Bandcamp.com. Now, do you guys have any upcoming shows in the Chicagoland area? Because I do see on your Bandcamp that you guys are playing Montreal later on this year. We are going to Canada for the first time to play a Puzafest on that's in May.
But before then, we do have a couple shows coming up in March. We have a show in Chicago at Reggie's on March 14th. That is with Flatfoot 56 for their annual St. Patrick's Day weekend.
We do have some shows in Wisconsin coming up as well. March 6th, we're going to be in Kenosha at the final girl. March 7th, we're going to be in Milwaukee at Last Rights. So again, go to Won'tStayDead.com for more information where you can go and see them live.
Now, for those of us who have never seen Won't Stay Dead live, how would you describe your live performances? I don't think we've been at this app for him. A lot of energy, theatrical. We all dress up and are always on theme.
Sometimes there's some blood involved. You never know what you're going to get. That's awesome. Lil' Gwarren's inspiration there.
I love it. So I work at a college radio station and it's an interesting time working with students because for so many of them, Spotify's the radio and they get that curated playlist. But what's been interesting is a lot of them want to break free. They want to find those bands that they've never listened to before or heard of and really stop outside their comfort zone.
A lot of them are turning to local music and trying to see local bands and things like that. But there's a little bit of trepidation. That first step can be really scary. Do you guys have any advice that you would give to a college student that they really want to get into the local scene but they don't necessarily know where to start or where to begin?
Go to shows. Yeah, find bars or venues near you that throw shows and just go on any given night. See who's playing. See what you like.
Follow those bands on social media. See who they're playing with. See who their friends with. And the best way to like directly support the band.
You know, you might find someone you really like and then you can actually just buy a record CD or tape from them directly. No, for you guys, I mean, you're on the local scene right now and it's really incredible just like the renaissance of Chicago music and everything. What has that experience been like for you on the local scene and really helping build up that community and that's cool. We like I kind of mentioned before Violet and I have been playing in bands together in Chicago for like close to two decades now.
So we've been, you know, a part of the Chicago scene for quite a while. There's a lot of bands that we kind of grew up with and, you know, we've been playing alongside them this whole time. A lot of them, we were so young when we started. I think they'll still kind of think of us as like kids, even though we're all in our 30s now.
But it's just really cool. I'm really happy to have gotten to like grow up in this scene and still be a part of it. Awesome. Won't stay dead.
Be sure to go and check them out. They're at onestaydead.com. And then on all the socials, you're on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Bandcamp, won'tstaydead.com. Thank you guys so much.
Thank you. Thank you for listening to this WXAV 773 Sounds podcast. For more information on 773 Sounds, please visit our website, WXAV.com.