The Recently Deceased

The Recently Deceased is a Psychobilly band from Maryland. I love there infectious sound with songs like “wolf Bite” “it walks” and “Devils Cadillac” they stay true to the genre. What sets them apart is Matt Mayhems vocals it gives off a horror rock vibe. I see a very bright future for these guys and look forward to them making their way to Texas. I had a chance to sit down with Matt Mayhem and here’s the man himself…

BBM: What’s your name and what do you do for the band?

Matt Mayhem, I do lead vocals and play upright bass. 

BBM: Give our readers a little history on your group

We started off as a 4 piece Psychobilly band in 2009, but since then have turned into a 3 piece and have fused our own blend of Metal, Dirty Rock and Roll, and Punk into what we call Psycho Rock and Roll. We have been touring the entire USA for the past 2 years and will be heading over to Europe in 2013 to support our new album "Never Trust the Living". 

BBM: How did you come up with the band’s name?

I forget who exactly came up with it, I think it was our old guitar player Paulie, but we got the name from the movie Beetlejuice. Its always been a favorite of all of ours and it fits our style perfectly. 

BBM: What was your first major experience with music and how did you know you wanted to be in a band?

Growing up in the 80's, music was huge for me. I always wanted to be this larger than life rockstar, so when I got my first electric guitar at 13, I was hooked. I wanted to play like Randy Rhodes more then anything else. I played that guitar everyday figuring out how to play Sabbath, Ozzy, Metallica and anything else I wanted to learn. I was self taught with everything I did. Well one day me and a bunch of my friends (who all played guitar) wanted to start a band, but we couldnt start a band with 5 guitar players, so one of them got a bass, and I got a drumkit. I was a semi professional drummer (in the club circuit on weekends) for almost 15 years before switching to upright bass. Now playing bass is all I do for a living. 

BBM: Three words that describe the band?

Heavy, Party, and Professional

BBM: Where do you find inspiration in life?

I pull my inspiration from just about the same places anyone else does... everywhere. Relationships, past experiences, being on the road, shit we think is cool, movies, ripping off other bands, etc... Its not like we are anything special like we have been to the future or outer space or anything, then we write about it. We are just normal guys trying to make a honest living by doing what we love. 

BBM: Favorite place to tour and why?

For some reason, we LOVE North Carolina and Richmond VA. The south has always been super great to us. The people there are just "real". They love to have fun, aren't afraid to get down and dirty and cut loose, and for some reason, someone always has some moonshine for us! I mean there are some other cities that we always have a blast in like Corpus Christi TX, Cleveland OH, Brooklyn NY, Quincy IL, and who could ever forget Fort Lauderdale FL... we always have a blast in Fort Lauderdale. 

BBM: Funniest touring moment?

Its funny now, but at the time it was just really fucked up. We now refer to this incident as the great pillow caper of 2012. We were in Santa Cruz California as part of our "Highways and Hangovers" 2012 USA tour and a very good friend had went out of her way to get us 2 nights of hotel rooms on her dime. I am really terrified of bedbugs and we always make sure we bring our sleeping bags and own pillows no matter where we go. Somehow during the confusion of waking up 10 minutes before checkout, trying to take showers, get dressed and get the hell out before she got charged late fees, 2 hotel pillows got snatched up and put in the van. We went and hung out with her all that day in San Francisco when the hotel management called and accused us of stealing 2 pillows. Of course we didnt need to steal any because we had our own, but little did we realize that we had in fact accidentally grabbed 2 of their mixed in with ours. Honest mistake. So I manned up, apologized for the incident, took 100% of the blame, gave the pillows back AND paid the $350+ extra charge on her credit card to try and make the situation right. Here comes the fucked up part. I was branded a thief and a liar, had a few gigs canceled on us, and the drummer i had hired (who was also a friend of hers, who I think set us up so he could hang out with a stripper he had hooked up with a week earlier) left the tour leaving us pretty much broke, stranded, and on the other side of the country with no money, 2/3 of a band, and 4 less gigs we needed to make it home. Here is the funny part. Most bands wouldnt have known what to do, but with the help of our road manager, and having friends all over the country, we managed to reroute the tour, book extra gigs, and get enough money to make it to the next show... only one problem, no drummer. Our road manager was walking along the shops in Santa Cruz when he heard this guy working in a headshop playing guitar. He asked him if he wanted to go on tour and if he could learn our set in 24 hours. The guys said yea, so our guitar player got behind the drumkit, and he became our new guitar player to finish the tour. We drove through the night, he learned all our songs in the back of the van listening to the album, learned the covers, and learned everything we do in our set, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, before we pulled up to the venue in Boise ID. We somehow managed to have everything against us, a mob of angry people gunning for us, hell bent to stop our tour, and kick our asses (for ultimately buying our friend 2 very expensive pillows), 4 canceled gigs, no money, and no 3rd member, but we managed to finish the tour and get home. If she reads this, I want her to know I am still sorry shit went down like that, but when you stop and think about it, its really funny that all this crap happened over a couple of hotel pillows. I hope one day we can be friends again, because ultimately, your friendship was more valuable than any amount of money.  

BBM: Tell us about the new album how would you say the sound is evolving compared to the other albums?

The new Recently Deceased album is going to be better than anything we have ever recorded. We have a completely new lineup of musicians than the other recordings, and its just all around heavier, more technical, more melodies, better hooks, and a lot more bang then we could have ever hoped for. We finish up the last of the recordings in November at the Lanark Records studio in Lancaster PA, then its off to be mixed in Leesburg VA by master engineer Dustin Delage at Cabin Studios. Once we have our mix back we can send it out for mastering, and then our US label will be pressing the discs, and we can hit the road to support it. We are thinking February for a USA release and Spring for a European release.  

BBM: Why did you choose Never Trust the Living (love it by the way) and who came up with it?

We chose "Never Trust the Living" because its another reference from the movie Beetlejuice. There is a scene in the movie when they are talking about the handbook for the RECENTLY DECEASED where she tells them to "Never trust the living". Robbie actually came up with it as a name for a future album, but we didnt want to sit on it, so we decided to name this record after it. 

BBM: Do you have a date set when fans can get their hands on it?

Its so hard to tell when everything is going to be finished, especially when you are recording 4 albums at the same time. All I know is we are shooting for November and December to have everything back from mixing and sent out to press. While everything is at post, we will be working on some music videos to release prior, so once you see us popping up on youtube and facebook, the album will be close to finished. To be on the safe side, we are giving ourselves a months leeway just in case anything gets held up in post production. So you will DEFINITELY see at least 3 out of the 4 new releases no later then February. The only way to know the exact release dates are to "like" each page on facebook and keep checking back for updates. 

BBM: What are some words of wisdom you would give a youth wanting to be ion a band?

Do whatever it takes. I mean that. I have been in bands that have talked the talk, but very few walk the walk. Everyone wants to be rich and famous, and have a tour bus, have a million endorsement deals, tour the world, and fuck groupies every night, thats not the reality of it. You need to keep pushing forward and keep paying your dues to make it. There are far too many bands out there willing to pay to play, and sell their soul for a shot in this business, and everything you do has already been done before. Just be true to what you like, and what sounds good to you. Dont try and write music you think others will like, write what you like and you will find your audience. Dont let anyone hold you back. If you have good tunes, and a chance to tour, but a member or members of your band dont want to hit the road, find guys that will. I see so many good bands being held back by guys with families, kids, no desire to tour. If you have a family and kids, you already chose your life, step aside and let those who can and want to tour give it their best. I was once told by a very seasoned professional and international artist that "anyone can record an album, but the real work starts when you are finished the recording". I cannot express this enough. In order to get your music heard and to make a name for yourself, you have to tour. You have to be in peoples faces. The only ones who ever make it in this industry are the ones who have been busting their ass touring, promoting, etc, and are so tired... but they keep going past the point of exhaustion. Stay true to yourself, and never let anything or anyone stop you from playing. If you have the will, you will find a way. 

BBM: How’s the scene in your city?

Baltimore has a great scene, but its over saturated with a lot of different people into different types of music. Depending on the type of music, the scenes can be a little "Cliquey", but overall people tend to be genuine and nice once you get to know them. Its just like any other town, you have your die hards who are at every show, you have people that only come out for touring bands, people that only come out for friends bands, and people who only come out a few times a year. Once you reach a certain age, and people start familys, its going to happen, but fresh faces are always there bringing in a new generation of fans and music lovers. 

  

BBM: Whats currently in heavy rotation in your Ipod?

I honestly have a lot on my plate at the moment. I am in the process of recording 4 albums for 4 different projects, so anytime I can listen to music I am usually listening to them trying to listen to flaws and mistakes. Currently I am listening to The Recently Deceased - Never Trust The Living, The Sonic Creeps - A Future Dead, Sean K. Preston, and my solo project Matt Mayhem - Dirty Rock and Roll. All will be available the first quarter of 2013

BBM: So tell us about your other project what genre are they and where can we hear them?

I play bass for the Sonic Creeps, and Sean K. Preston & the Loaded Pistols. I play Guitar, Bass, Drums, Lead, and Vocals for my solo project. I'll start with The Sonic Creeps. We are a 4 piece horror punk band from Baltimore. We recently hired Dr. Chud (Ex misfits drummer) to record drums for our album "A Future Dead". Its very melodic, heavy, and well written. Its kind of in the same lines as famous monsters from the Misfits, but with a different feel. Its a newer project (only been around for a few years), but with the debut album, we think its something people are going to flip over. We will also be touring and doing some big stuff with the release of this album, so look out the first quarter of 2013. The Sonic Creeps can be found at www.facebook.com/thesoniccreeps 

Sean K. Preston and the Loaded Pistols is where I get all my hillbilly honky tonk outlaw country aggression out. We usually play biker events, car shows, scummy little backwoods shindigs etc... Its like if Chris Issack and Hank III had a love child, that would be this band. Its outlaw country, rockabilly, rock and roll, blues at its finest... and a hell of a good time. You can search for Sean K. Preston on everything from Google to iTunes and come up with some great rocking tunes. The new album will be released later on in 2012... you can like us on his facebook page www.facebook.com/seankprestonmusic 

My solo project is something I do in my spare time. I have always told everyone who has ever interviewed me "If you cut me open, I bleed rock and roll". It doesnt matter what band I'm in, or who I'm on stage with, I bring the rock and roll to the table. I have always had my roots in dirty blues based rock and roll. Everything from the Stooges, to the New York Dolls to Cinderella, Faster Pussycat and even Kiss. I have written a bunch of songs over the years that just never fit in with "rockabilly" or "punk" or "country"... they have always been too "sleazy" or just to "rock and roll"... so I figured one day, I would just take all the songs I have written, and make a solo album, self release it with no label, and put it out there as something thats 100% Matt Mayhem. Its funny because this all started out as a book. Its no secret that I have been writing a book based on my experiences on the road, and everything I have done to get where I am today. I just figured that why not put some music out as well. I mean fuck, I'm a musician before a writer. Even if the book flops, I will still have my music. Since my book has been an ongoing project and keeps getting bigger and bigger with every tour, the album will be something I can finish and release. I have demo'd it, and recorded about a third of it, but with 3 other albums being recorded, mixed, written, etc.. at the same time, its going to be pushed to the side until I can finish it. So this will hopefully be done post production by the end of 2012 with a release date in the first quarter of 2013. I have no website dedicated to this other than my personal facebook pagewww.facebook.com/mattmayhem1

BBM: So in the solo project are you playing the upright?

I play electric bass on my solo project and with the Sonic Creeps. Everything else I play Upright bass. 

BBM: How do you stay so focused on so many bands I’m tired just hearing about all your projects??

I dont have a dayjob. I do nothing but eat sleep and breath music. This is not only my passion, and my hobby, but its my job. I couldnt get by with just 1 or 2 bands, so I divide my time between the 4. Between writing, recording, touring, booking, and promoting, I still find time to make it out to support other touring bands, demo the products I have endorsements with at events like NAMM, network, and do things all the little things that need to be done like keeping track of merchandise and making sure it gets ordered in time for upcoming tours, replacing drum heads, cleaning out the van, washing all the sleeping bags etc... Its a 24 hour a day 7 day a week job, but its very rewarding. I literally work around the clock, and when I finally have some time to relax, I spend it messing around on the guitar, or jamming with friends. Its all I have ever wanted to do with my life, so I devoted everything to making sure it goes that way I want it to. Like I said, if you arent tired, you will never make it, because there is always someone out there that is willing to put in the work that you are too lazy to do. 

BBM: A fact a fan may not know about you?

As much as I like to party, I also love to stay home and cook. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do (next to playing music and fucking). I dont like cooking anything from a box. I like to make everything homemade and from scratch if I can. I grill about 200 days out of the year. I introduced my signature homemade BBQ sauce (which I have been making for years) at this years Heavy Rebel Weekender in Winston-Salem, NC. I have since sold some to people as far away as San Francisco, and have gotten some great reviews on it. 

BBM: What’s coming up for the band in the future

We finish the album late this year (I know, its been a long journey), and we start touring on it next year. We will be touring the entire USA again, and adding a European tour next fall. We have also been asked to release the album in the USA through Lanark Records, and are currently entertaining some European labels to release over there.  There is also talk of upping our stage show to include and added hour of horror goodness and throwing more of a stage show (IE gwar) into it, but we are still in the infant stages of this. 

BBM: Where can fans get the latest news and some merch?

Everything can be found at our website www.therecentlydeceased.comWe have a facebook too, but we just recently restarted it so we lost all our fan likes, so if you arent seeing our updates, please re-like us again. For new fans, please check out www.facebook.com/therecentlydeceased You can also find links to our myspace, twitter, reverbnation, and facebook on the website. As for merch, we just started a amazon seller account, and will have that up and running for all our merch. In the meantime, you can order our 545 ep cd direct from our website.