Meltdown chats with Badflower at Riff Fest
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00:00Hey, here with the guys from Badflower. Thanks for taking the time out to talk with us.
00:03Hey, hey.
00:03Thank you for having us.
00:04Yeah, you guys have a microphone.
00:06Yeah, it's 86 degrees, and we've got this nice warm couch for you to guys sit on.
00:10Well, but it's tinted.
00:12Yeah, it is. There you go.
00:13It doesn't feel too bad. We've been in worse conditions than this. This is okay.
00:16I want to know whose dog this was.
00:18No, this isn't real. This isn't real, right?
00:21I don't think so.
00:22Interview's over if this is real.
00:23Oh, is that right?
00:24So, hey, first of all, I want to ask you guys about your whirlwind year.
00:27I mean, things have really kicked up for you guys in the last year, so who wants to take that?
00:31I mean, pretty generic question, but it's been a pretty wild year for you guys.
00:35I'm getting massaged right now.
00:36Yeah, where are we?
00:37Where are we?
00:38Detroit.
00:38Detroit, that's right.
00:40Come on, where are you?
00:41Detroit Rock City, home of John Varvatos.
00:42You said it the best. It's been a whirlwind.
00:44Yeah.
00:45All right.
00:45Busy year.
00:47Yeah, that's the thing. It's so busy that we don't notice all the things that are happening
00:51that somebody else who's not on the tour is noticing from, like, afar.
00:55It just feels like everything's going as planned.
00:58And I suppose the shows are getting bigger and the social media is growing and, you know,
01:03radio is happening in a big way.
01:04But it's all been so slow for us and we're so, like, in the middle of it that it doesn't
01:09feel like this big shift.
01:11It's been, like, a nice upward climb.
01:14Now, you guys were just talking with Brent from Shinedown.
01:16Are we allowed to talk about what you guys are talking about?
01:18Sure.
01:19Whatever you guys shot, what did you shoot?
01:21Oh.
01:22When does this go up?
01:23Today, so I guess, no, not yet?
01:26Well, we filmed a promo video for something that's coming up a little bit later in the
01:29year that we're excited about.
01:30Okay.
01:31Yeah.
01:31All right.
01:32And Brent thinks the promo video is brilliant.
01:33Okay.
01:34Speaking of Brent, what do you learn from a guy like that who's been doing this for so
01:37many years?
01:39Hmm.
01:39Travel with a gym.
01:43Gym and a catering crew.
01:45They travel.
01:45Those guys travel with a gym in a semi truck.
01:49Yeah.
01:50And I had a workout with Brent one day and he kicked my ass.
01:53Yeah.
01:54Those guys work out pretty hard.
01:55Yeah.
01:55So, yeah, I've seen that.
01:57Have you guys ever been part of their pre-show ritual?
02:00No.
02:00No.
02:00What's that?
02:01The thing you do where they hug each other and they yell and then they look in each other's
02:04eyes.
02:04I witnessed that from afar.
02:06Have you?
02:06Yeah.
02:06Like last week.
02:07I've not seen that.
02:07I've seen that.
02:08No.
02:09You haven't seen that yet?
02:09No.
02:10You know, we don't even have a pre-show ritual.
02:13Ours is like, get out of the bathroom.
02:14I got to poop.
02:15Yeah.
02:16Hurry up.
02:16We're on stage in five minutes.
02:18I got to shit.
02:18Stir at each other in silence.
02:20That's it, huh?
02:21That's it.
02:22And then we just go.
02:22Yeah.
02:22Sometimes we push each other a little bit.
02:24You push us.
02:24You push.
02:25Yeah.
02:25Whatever.
02:26He's a pusher.
02:27I get anxious before I play and it helps me to be slightly violent.
02:30It beats up on people to make himself feel better.
02:32Yeah.
02:33Just like middle school.
02:34You know, it's funny, it's like you say you get anxious before you go up and play.
02:37And I can understand that because even after doing this for 30 years, sometimes I go on
02:40stage and I'm still nervous, right?
02:42But when you go up on stage, some of your songs are so quiet and silent and you're almost
02:45up there like naked on stage.
02:46I mean, talk about that in your anxiety.
02:50Well, it's not as hard as it used to be.
02:52There was a point where it was so hard that I didn't want to do it anymore.
02:55And then we wrote an album about it, pretty much.
02:58I mean, so many of the songs are about that feeling and that issue.
03:01Um, but now that, now that we have so many songs that are about that specific issue,
03:08like they're about anxiety, they're about depression, they're about all of those feelings.
03:11And I know that people come to the shows and they know the songs and they're probably,
03:14they've probably been through the same thing that I have, that we all experienced at one
03:17point.
03:18Um, I feel like comfortable being that vulnerable for people because I don't have to pretend
03:24to be somebody that I'm not.
03:25Yeah.
03:25So over, over time it kind of gets a little bit easier for you.
03:28Yeah.
03:28It's still an issue though.
03:29Like, I mean, I, I still, I'm still taking Xanax before I play.
03:32Yeah.
03:33Is that right?
03:33Yeah.
03:33I'm hoping to get past that at some point and I think I'm close, but, um, yeah, it's
03:38still very difficult.
03:38I think you will.
03:39I think I'm, I'm really close.
03:40Yeah.
03:41That first time will probably be a little bit of a, maybe a shocker a little bit or what?
03:44Well, I had, we had a couple shows where I've, I've left my backpack at a venue and
03:49my Xanax was in that backpack.
03:50And so we had to do like two shows where I just couldn't get it.
03:53And I was, I mean, I was on Twitter texting fans, like, does anybody have Xanax?
03:57I knew like, I was just like following our fans on Twitter so I could reach out to people
04:00like, you're from the city.
04:01Can you get Xanax for me?
04:02Um, and, and I could, I didn't have any luck.
04:04So I've done a couple without it, uh, in the last couple of years.
04:07I mean, I've been taking Xanax for, to play for a couple of years now.
04:11So like, I haven't done a show without it other than those couple of shows, but I got through
04:15them and they were fine.
04:16And they were headline shows that were big, you know, full sets.
04:20So I should have just like stopped after that point when I realized I was fine.
04:23But then I got my backpack back and I was like, that's, I've been in this business, like
04:27I said, a long time.
04:28I've never had seen a rock star asking fans for help from the United States.
04:31And also I don't take a bunch of it.
04:32Like I'm not getting high.
04:33Right, right, right.
04:34I take a prescribed amount to like chill me out to get me through the performance.
04:39If I took too much of it, it would like deplete my energy and I couldn't perform well.
04:43So what do you guys have coming up throughout the rest of the year then?
04:46Just touring, you guys writing, recording anything?
04:48What's going on?
04:50This Shinedown tour is over in two weeks.
04:52I don't know if you guys know this.
04:53No, I didn't know that.
04:54Two weeks.
04:54Oh wow.
04:55And then we have a significant amount of time off with the exception of a couple of fly
04:59dates, like a couple of festivals that we have to fly to.
05:02But we really have like, how many weeks off?
05:05About what?
05:07Six or seven?
05:07Six weeks.
05:08Which is the longest amount of time off we've had in a very, very long time.
05:12So we're very excited about that.
05:14Now the last time I saw you guys, you guys played at John Varvatos' place.
05:17And for those that don't know, John Varvatos is like a fashion guy, you know.
05:21And he's from here in Detroit.
05:22So tell me about working with him.
05:24John's the best.
05:25He's been the champion of this band since 20...
05:30Come on, you're good with dates.
05:312015.
05:322015.
05:33Damn.
05:34Wow.
05:34We signed with his label that he had an imprint on another record label.
05:40And then he moved to the label we're on now.
05:42And we followed him.
05:43Like we've been just following him and working with each other for a really long time.
05:47Is that one of his shirts?
05:49This?
05:50No.
05:51A fan gave me this in France.
05:53Okay.
05:54Sweet.
05:54Sweet.
05:55She's right there.
05:55That's the fan.
05:56Oh, it says Sweetie and right on it.
05:57There you go.
05:57No, but that's her name.
05:58Her Instagram is at...
05:59I don't know.
06:00Ida Stockholm.
06:01Ida Stockholm.
06:02So that show you guys played, if I'm not mistaken, that was opening up for Perfect Circle,
06:05right?
06:06In Detroit.
06:08Yeah.
06:08So tell me about that tour.
06:09How was that?
06:10Did you get to hang out?
06:11There was just two shows.
06:11Did you get to meet Maynard?
06:12Oh, it was just two shows.
06:13No.
06:13You can't even go down hallways.
06:14No.
06:15We first got to the shows and the security guard, who's now like a buddy of ours because we see him
06:19all the time.
06:19He's a good dude.
06:20But he gave us this speech about how, you know, we shouldn't, like, if you see Maynard,
06:24don't talk to him.
06:26It was polite, but it was like, don't be a fan.
06:28Yeah.
06:28Like, don't be a dick.
06:29Don't be a fan around this guy.
06:30And we never even saw him.
06:32No.
06:32Yeah.
06:32Billy hosted a thing, hosted a wine tasting, and he walked in, and I gave him the mic,
06:36and he goes, what am I supposed to say?
06:39I'm like, you're hosting, man.
06:40Go for it.
06:41So anyways, but yeah, this show is going to be great with the Seether guys and stuff and
06:46Shine Down, and we're really happy that you guys are here.
06:49We've been asking people.
06:50It's going to be the 50th anniversary of our radio station next year.
06:52I know you guys are kind of newer to our radio station and whatnot, but is there anything
06:56about Detroit or about WRIF that kind of sticks in your mind?
06:59I'd say you guys, because every time we come here, we seem to hang out.
07:04Remember, we did the bar crawl?
07:05Oh, that's right.
07:06That was fun.
07:06Yeah.
07:07Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:08You're a very active radio station with the bands that you support, and we appreciate that.
07:12We think that's cool.
07:13Yeah.
07:14And I think it was you guys that got us on the Perfect Circle show.
07:18It might have.
07:18Because it was your deal.
07:21Yeah.
07:21Yeah.
07:22So thank you for that.
07:23Oh, I didn't know that you guys only played the two shows.
07:25Yeah.
07:25It was one in Detroit and one in Minneapolis.
07:29Hey, let me ask you something about Josh.
07:31You're kind of like the face of the band.
07:33How does that make you feel?
07:33And what do you guys think of...
07:34Do you guys push him to the forefront?
07:36They resent me for it.
07:37A little bit of resentment.
07:39No.
07:39I think it's easier, because he has to deal with all the...
07:43He can't go anywhere around a show.
07:46Well, around a show.
07:47No one even knows who I am, so it's like I'm just in the back behind the drums.
07:50But it's also the hair and the whole look.
07:52Yeah.
07:53Like, I'm really making a statement with this pile of shit going on here.
07:56What is the statement, by the way?
07:57I don't know.
07:57That's sick.
07:58I'm sick.
07:59I don't shower.
08:00Rock and roll.
08:01Yeah.
08:01Gross.
08:03Are you guys working on any new stuff right now for the next record or not?
08:06No, but I think on this six-week break, we might start getting back into writing.
08:11That would be nice.
08:12Maybe.
08:12Yeah.
08:13We all miss writing.
08:15Yeah.
08:15For me, personally, that's one of my favorite parts.
08:17Anything creative, like making music videos, writing songs, making out...
08:19Like, that stuff is my favorite part about what we get to do.
08:23Touring is sort of just like the job part.
08:25I'm looking forward to seeing you guys today, because I only saw you guys do the acoustic
08:28thing.
08:29But I was talking with somebody at work about this the other day that your band is so much
08:32different than a lot of other bands.
08:33Like I said, I've been around a long time, and just the artsiness of it and just like
08:38the emotion, the feel that this band has is really...
08:41It brings it to the forefront as far as I'm concerned.
08:43Yeah.
08:44Do you know why?
08:45It's because most of the music that radio stations like you play, we didn't really grow
08:50up listening to.
08:51I was going to ask you, yeah.
08:51We don't listen to you now.
08:52Yeah.
08:52Our influences are very, very different than the type of music or the scene that we sort
08:57of fit in, too.
08:58Yeah.
08:58We just really like strong lyrics and powerful melodies and a lot of down-tempo stuff, and
09:04we like a lot of pop stuff, and obviously like older Zeppelin and older rock.
09:08But we just...
09:09Personally, I love really, really great heavy lyrics, and I also love heavy, powerful music.
09:16And you don't hear that combination done right often.
09:20Like, some of the best lyrics to me are like folk bands.
09:25And you don't hear that done in rock music.
09:27You don't hear lyrics that are like special and direct and powerful.
09:32You hear a lot of vagueness in rock, unfortunately.
09:36I mean, there's a lot of great stuff, too, but there's a lot of vague lyrics that don't
09:42really mean anything particular to the person who wrote it.
09:44They write it so that everybody on planet Earth can feel something unique from it, and that's
09:50creating a product to sell, and we're not really down with that.
09:53We'd rather create something that's genuine.
09:55Now, you put your heart out on the sleeve on the last record.
09:58Do you have something else for the next record?
09:59I have no idea.
10:01I don't know.
10:02We've talked about this a lot, too, is the fact that the anxiety has been better.
10:07I'm worried that I don't have the inspiration.
10:09So I'm trying to find a pretty lady to break my heart.
10:11So if there's any pretty ladies around who are interested in just crushing me, that
10:18would be ideal.
10:18It's still early.
10:18It's still early.
10:19Yeah.
10:20Well, listen, guys, thanks so much for your time.
10:22I know you guys got to go do your meet and greets and whatnot, and we appreciate what
10:25you guys are doing.
10:26I appreciate you stopping by and talking with us.
10:28Of course.
10:28Thanks for having us.
10:29Thanks for having us.