Hi Mark and thank you for spending some time with us today! How has 2024 been treating you so far?
Pretty good I would say.
Going way back to the beginning, what are some of your first musical memories? Did you grow up in a musical family?
I did not , I remember liking music as long as I can remember but no one in my family played music.
Can you talk to us about the origin of the band? How did you get your start?
In those days playing heavy music was almost forbidden, no one thought you could ever get a gig playing that type of music and they were largely correct. If you you did play the heavier stuff it seemed to be bad news and bad news travels fast so that is how we seemed to find each other ( the musicians that played heavy music) and we did .
Friday Dies was very active in the ’80s through the late ’90s. What were some of the highlights during that period?
We played any party we could find in the Milwaukee area. Kids back then had a lot of basement parties, they liked to drink and listen to music you could not hear any where else and we liked to play it. There were also quite a few underground shows across the country we would play for food , a place to crash , and if we were lucky a few bucks for gas.
The Sky is the Ocean will be your first release since 1995’s Return of the Witch. What has the band been busy with during these past 29 years?
Life I think, the original bass player overdosed on heroin , and the drummer went on to play in many hardcore bands, he is doing well I think, we don’t talk much.”
Congrats on your new song “Hammer Down,” which is the first single off the upcoming album The Sky is the Ocean. What was the inspiration behind the song, and how does it reflect Friday Dies’ signature sound?
Vince (the bass player) used the phrase ” hammer down ” quite often, he heard the song before he overdosed and was going to play bass on it, there were no other songs at the time. He is definitely a big inspiration for the song. The song is a bit more laid back and allowed to grieve more , not quite as rushed as earlier Friday Dies material.
The new album is being recorded at TRAX 52 Studio in Wisconsin. How did you end up deciding on that particular studio? Are you working with a producer for this new material?
My friend Paul owns the studio and he owns a house which needs maintenance, so I trade work for time. But in all honesty I would help him for free and he would probably do the same, we are friends like family.
The new song “Hammer Down” has some definite blues riffs. Who are some of your musical influences?
There are definitly Sabbath like influences in that song, along with a touch of Paganini , the mix of classical music with what I call blues on a groove have always been fun for me.
Are there any artists you’re a fan of that might surprise listeners?
Like so many things I’m not sure anything would be a surprise, I really enjoy the old folk music from the Renaissance era.
Was the writing and recording process for the upcoming release similar to your previous album, Return of the Witch?
Not at all, we recorded the first album in a duplex , we set up the drums in the basement , ran the cords up the laundry shoot, had guitars on the 1st floor and the recording equipment on the 2nd. the owners were gone for 2 days so that’s all we had. It was not a planned event, I did the entire vocals on the album in one take because that is all the time we had. Not to mention it was recorded on an old four track , the engineer was a genius. His name was Mark Berchet.
Who is joining you in Friday Dies these days and what instrument(s) do they play?
Curt Kaufman on bass, he filled in as a bass player for Friday Dies in the past, Brian Mikulich on drums. Great guy.
Are there plans for performing live? How do you envision “Hammer Down” translating to the stage, and what can fans expect from a Friday Dies live show?
We are still in the studio patching things up but in the next couple months we hope to start playing a few local shows and when the album drops plan a more serious tour.
What’s next for the band?
Finish up in the studio and get out on as many stages as we can find fans.
Thanks for chatting with us today, Mark! Where can people go to find out more about the band and your music?
https://fridaydies.com/
The new single comes out Friday February 22nd! You can pre-save the track here.
