with
Song River
This
solid band out of Canada is raging... raging to rock the world!
Having completed four studio albums, and currently working on their
next, One Bad Son has dropped their single, “Raging Bull” created
a video for it and is moving straight ahead. Catch them on tour as
they make their way headlining on an East Coast Tour, across the
states, Canada and possibly Europe.
Song
River: Your discography measures itself from your 2012 self-titled
album, to your 2014 studio album, Black Buffalo. A total of four
studio albums.
With
the single dropping in March called, "Raging Bull" where
are you looking to go direction wise with your fifth album?
Adam Grant: As of right now, we have four songs recorded, with “Raging Bull” being one of those songs. Our goal for this next batch of songs, whether it becomes a full length album, EP, or collection of singles, is to continue to build on what we started with the “One Bad Son” record.
We’re
extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far, but we don’t
want to let the grass grow under our feet. The goal is to always be
moving forward and pushing to get to that next level.
Song
River: "Raging Bull" seems to carry a torch within itself
lyrically. Instrumentally it conveys a fantastic driving force. How
did the song evolve and is it a true prelude to the future sound of
OBS?
Adam
Grant: “Raging Bull” started like a lot of our songs do, with a
guitar riff and a jam. The idea was always strong and we kept coming
back to it, but it wasn’t until we got into the studio that the
song came to be what it is today. It used to be more of a slow
building song, but it was suggested that we start with the big riff
which I think immediately grabs the listener’s attention.
As
for the lyrics, Shane really wanted to embody the energy of the music
and explore that intensity a person feels when they have something
building up inside of them, whether its love, anger, excitement or
whatever.
Song
River: Right away the listeners feel the hook on “Raging Bull.”
The combination of the instrumental intro then the vocal power that
Volk brings in has really created a song that stays in your head.
The
song felt a bit reminiscent of the days of Styx and Boston.
Having said that, who have been some of OBS influences along the way?
Adam
Grant: Thank you! I probably wouldn’t have cited Styx or Boston as
an influence, but there definitely isn’t anything wrong with that!
All
four of us grew up listening to a variety of different rock music.
You know, the usual suspects: Zeppelin, Guns n’ Roses, Sabbath,
Pearl Jam, etc. We all very much love that music and still listen to
it to this day, but I would say our palettes have diversified a
little bit as we’ve gotten older.
Speaking
for myself, I’ve found that with the advent of platforms like
Spotify and Apple Music, there’s so much availability in music that
I am constantly listening to brand new music every day. Yesterday I
was listening to Catfish and the Bottlemen with my Dad, today I was
listening to Twenty One Pilots, July Talk and Kanye West.
Song
River: As a band, Shane Volk (vox), Adam Hicks (guitar), Adam Grant
(bass), and Kurt Dahl (drums) who have been some of your favorite
bands along the way that you have shared the stage with?
Adam
Grant: We’ve been so lucky to share the stage with so many great
bands. The Def Leppard tour was definitely a highlight. We got to
play a show with Rival Sons in a small club in Ottawa on Halloween a
few years ago, just before they really broke out, which was a real
highlight for me as well.
We’ve
also had the opportunity to play with so many really cool “local”
bands who have opened for us. I love seeing new bands set out to try
and make a go at it, especially if they write good music.
Song
River: How does One Bad Son collaborate on songs and their structure?
Adam
Grant: As a band, we’ve always written songs as a collective group
in the jam room. That being said, songs will often start with a riff,
lyric, melody, beat or some sort of idea that gets brought in by one
of us. From there, we usually just jam on it or try and figure out
how we want to form it into a song. Sometimes it happens really
quickly and sometimes it takes a really long time. With these most
recent songs, we have been really open in discussing all aspects of
the songwriting process, more so than ever.
Song
River: Who have you been working with on your fifth studio album?
Adam
Grant: For these songs we have been working with Gavin Brown. He is
an exceptionally talented man, who totally transformed the way the
four of us look at songwriting, recording, and music in general.
We
spent four days with him in Vancouver this past Fall recording
“Raging Bull” and three other songs, and it was one of the most
intense, inspiring and creatively fulfilling four days we’ve ever
had. He’s great!
Song
River: In the genre of rock, will this next album still carry on the
OBS sound of being big, loud and unapologetic?
Adam
Grant: There are definitely elements of that, for sure. I think
that’s kind of how the music comes out of us naturally. But, at the
end of the day, we just want to write good songs that a lot of people
really like and can relate to. Some of them will probably be big and
loud, and some might not.
Song
River: In the past you did a great cover tune, 'Psycho Killer'. What
made you all decide to do your own version of this?
Adam
Grant: Well, we began playing “Psycho Killer” live a couple years
before we recorded our version of it. The song just became such a
cool part of our live set that when it came time to record the “Black
Buffalo” album, we thought maybe it could also be a cool element to
add to the record.
Song
River: The video certainly had that 70's Kojak, Mod Squad, beat
ringing in it. Who did you work with on this project?
Adam
Grant: That video was such a blast to film! And, I’m very proud to
say that our singer Shane wrote the treatment and directed that
video. I’m so happy you referenced those 70’s influences because
that was totally the vibe Shane was going for. We wanted it to be
kind of funny, kind of strange, but mostly just entertaining.
We
had a great time filming it a couple of years ago.
Song
River: For fans of One Bad Son when can they expect your next album,
video, and touring dates?
Adam
Grant: We just got back from Vancouver last week where we filmed the
video for “Raging Bull” which will be released shortly after the
single release date, which was March 3rd.
After
that, we’re planning on heading east for some shows this spring and
hopefully we’ll be going all over Canada, the U.S and Europe
throughout the remainder of the year.
As
far as an album goes, we have four songs recorded and are writing to
finish up some sort of collection of songs to be released as soon as
possible.
Connect
with One Bad Son:
Instagram:
@OneBadSon
Facebook: /OneBadSon
Twitter: @OneBadSon
Facebook: /OneBadSon
Twitter: @OneBadSon
Record
label 604 Records / Sony Music Canada
"Psycho Killer"
(Cover of Talking Heads)
(Cover of Talking Heads)