SPEAKER_02 0:15

Welcome to another episode of Bands in the Van. Today I am interviewing Mockbite, and I am here with one of the members, Nico.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Hello.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

So you have two members in this band.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

Are you the original member? Okay, so what made you like want to do a band with just two people?

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Um, it sort of worked out that way, just on its own. I think a lot of the stuff works out on its own in that way where it's like it there wasn't really a fight to find other people, just like me and the drummer, and then it kind of worked out, and then I started playing an eight-string guitar, and then kind of covering a lot of the bass notes. And the direction I wanted to go with the music itself, just it was easier to do that. And also it's hard to find people that can kind of keep up with the flow and everything, to be honest.

SPEAKER_02 1:05

So you said an eight-string guitar?

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

So does that cover the bass thing? So you don't need a bass player.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Yeah, some literally Jeremiah, I I think Jeremiah and uh some other people are saying that like there's a few shows that people would walk in and think there's a bass player and then they see us and it's just us two. That's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

So you're so I have a bass here that I do not play. I've it's on my list of things to learn, right? So you essentially don't need a bass player then.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Not really. I mean, we could benefit from the low-ends, but right now it's just kind of like we're just making it work as it is, and it just feels good the way it is too. And we could use tracks, which we might do in the future, but um I think there's a natural like dynamic and feel that kind of comes from like when we're just us two without any click track or anything holding us down and stuff like that. So it's more organic in raw.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

Yeah, I so I listened to some of your stuff. Unfortunately, I'd never heard of you guys before.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

And that was one of the reason I started this podcast is because I'm like, I want to discover new bands. And I was listening and I was like, this is like some cool vibe music to like jam out to, and I liked it a lot. Right. So, okay, so for your band, it's the two of you. From a scale of Metallica to cannibal court, like how famous, how big do you want your band to get?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Um, lift yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Who's that? Are they like somewhere in me to be?

SPEAKER_00 2:36

They're they're they're pretty popular for an instrumental band. Um I would say popularity-wise though, I just want to get to a point where it can be done as a living and also just be appreciated for like what we're doing and um being able to give back and experiencing a little bit of being able to give back to people who like the stuff is really fun. I think it's like a cool like the energy kind of like flows back and forth where the fans like it, and then that makes me stoked, and I want to give back to them more and make cool merch and make cool stuff for them. Um we just drop we have them tonight actually. We just dropped some uh graffiti uh symbols, some of Jeremiah's old symbols and when did like graffiti on them and Instagram. Yeah, yeah. So like I want to do that both because it's fun to create stuff and also I want the people who someone's gonna walk home with that and they really like our music. It's not just like someone that's like, oh, that's kind of cool. Like, whoever takes home that symbol is gonna like put it on their wall and they're gonna really enjoy it, and I want I want to keep doing stuff like that and everything and giveaways too.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

I'm gonna be honest. Um, I saw it and I was like, this is really cool, I'd love to have that on my wall. And then I was like, I I don't need anything else. Right. Like I I'm trying to like limit the amount of stuff that I I know when I was when I was on the road, I got a uh the tour poster from the band I was following, and someone had it up here as decor while I was driving around, and then I took it down when I got home and now it's in my house. It's pretty.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

I feel like you're like the minimalist kind of like feeling.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

No, so I'm actually not done with the van yet. Okay. Yeah, so this is just like a work in progress. Um, but I'm a perfectionist, and normally I don't follow through with a lot of my projects because I'm like, oh, it's not perfect, you know, it's not the right time. And this time when I came up with the podcast, I was like, I don't care if the van is not done. I am doing it.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

It looks good either way. Like the if you were to leave it like this, I wouldn't have known any better.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

Yeah, my mom wants me to like leave it natural, but I mean, I'm I'm the all-black girly. I need to I need to blacken this thing out, okay? What is something about being in a band that people get completely wrong?

SPEAKER_00 4:49

I think nowadays is people see the posts on Instagram and on TikTok and all that stuff. And uh this goes for a lot of things, but mainly for being in a band, they see you play a show and it looks really awesome, um, but they don't see the amount of work that goes behind the scenes, and they also don't see the day job that you're working to. Because like if you're in a band but also living in an apartment and trying to pay for everything else that's expensive as fuck, like it's a lot of work, and then the little 15-second clip that you see on Instagram is not the whole week. Like the whole week is me grinding. Jeremiah's grinding at work as well, and you know, we're doing our day jobs, and then we come here on the weekend and do you know the stuff. The only time I think um it's more of a full-time thing is when you're signed to a label and you're touring like 24-7. Right. Even then, that's still like a whole lot of work that you're you you're doing a show for like, you know, an hour at most, but all the other time that you're doing it, it's spent, you know, on the road driving. There's a lot of downtime and stuff, and I think a lot of people miss out on that. But also it's just part of it. Like uh that's kind of like what you sign up for when you do this. But when it comes down to it, I think uh we both, Jeremiah and I both really do this for a lot of the music. A love and just like the r the rush it is to play a mothbite set. Like there's so much like dynamic and just energy to it where just like adrenaline by the end of it is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

So I will st tell you one of the things that I am like made really bad assumptions and totally got wrong about being in a band. I did not know that there were bands that were only instrumental. So I was like, wait, I don't hear any singing.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Right.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

So on that note, are you guys ever like thinking of adding a singer?

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Probably not. If we did, it'd be like features, but uh you'll hear the music if you get a chance to hear the set. Um uh it's very the guitar is kind of the one singing. Like it's not shreddy, it's more this there's a lot of the melodies in there that stay in your head, and um it's definitely more of like that kind of vibe, but I don't think we'd really fit with the singers. Not enough. I feel like the instruments would just get when you have a singer, the instrumentals get drowned out a lot and you end up just playing chords to back up the singer instead of playing like a whole melody that you're singing with on your guitar. So like it it's hard to fit in. It would be I can't even picture how a singer would sound with it, you know. But um because like when the singer's there, that like that's the pinnacle. That's the you know, that and plus the lyrics they're singing, it kind of puts a different energy on it, depending what they're singing about. Um could be a sad song, love song, could be about something like they hate or I don't know. Um wherever that case may be, it kinda changes the whole vibe of the song, you know. So um I think I also have trouble playing for sing like I could totally play for singers I've done in the past, but um and I know where to come in and step out to let them shine. So like technically I think I could fit and do it, but like Mothway is like the project for me where I'm just like anything goes, sort of, and then letting Jeremiah do what he wants in the kit, I give him a general flow of it, and then he just goes crazy and does his own thing. So I think it's a lot of like self-expression for him as well.

SPEAKER_02 8:00

Okay. I was going to say, if you guys need a singer, I would be happy to join. I have no singing ability.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

But you know, maybe one day I can learn.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Come see our set.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

I no, I will. Seriously, I am. I plan you guys go in what time?

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Six.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Six. Oh, well, hopefully I'll be able to make it. Sometimes I end up doing interviews and then I'm like, I miss the band. Right. So I'm trying to figure out this balance of like interviews and then going to see the shows because that's one of my motivations. I love going to shows, right? Live music is like it makes me so happy. You know? Um, so what is uh something that you learned since starting this band?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

A lot. Uh I think naturally because I'm like the one heading it and stuff, it taught me to uh like I have to I have to be the one doing it. I can't really rely on someone else to like pull the weight and um I have to like make the decisions for things and like get things moving. Cause if I don't then straight up none of it will get done. So like that, um staying consistent and then also what was really important around the time that we started and just kind of continued on is uh just I've learned to be careful of who I surround myself with because energy matters and like if there's someone that's negative that you're working with, it makes it very, very, very hard to like move forward and just harden the mental health. So like uh when I found Jeremiah, it was a very good timing and just like he's just been really good to me and just project overall and just brings good energy all the time. So that's all I can ask for, and um I think that's the that's the biggest thing I learned is just like who you who you're connected to and who you're surrounding with, and that's just a life overall thing. Like if you want a better quality of life, you gotta be able to like both be a good person and be around good people. Yeah. Just like I don't wanna say focus on the good or focus on the positive things, but like do the work on yourself and stuff check yourself if you know I still I was checking myself today about some distant memory in the past, and I was like, oh my god, I sounded like an idiot back then, like just like remembering something that I said.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

I do that all the time, and I'm like, I cannot, and I like can't let it go, right? Like, I cannot believe I said that thing. I'm not gonna reveal what it was because it's like as an idiot, right? And you know, when you're younger, you think you know a lot more than what you do, right? Life experience.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

You're certain that you're right.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Right. And then like life experience is like, man, I am wrong a lot, right? Um, but I think like the work on yourself, like we all should be working on ourselves every single day. And you're right, the energy that you have around you is so important because I mean, the it's like something that can make or break whatever you're trying to do in life. Right. If you have like somebody whose energy, not not necessarily that they're bad or negative, but if their energy doesn't match you, it could like drag you down without even like they're not even trying to, but it's sometimes people aren't even negative to be negative.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Sometimes it's like they're going through a lot, but they don't know how to deal with it themselves. Yeah. And they just take it out on people around them. And that's just a pro I say that with a lot of grace because like I I was part of the problem when I say that too, like uh just being around more negative people at the time. Like doubt that's like people have been there before. For sure.

SPEAKER_02 11:26

Yeah. I mean, going through like a breakup, right? You you're in a negative spot and your friends are listening to, you know, you go on and on and on about the breakup and how awful that person was. And you know, at that moment you're not thinking about it, but it's like, man, like looking back, like, man, I was really like just so negative during that time. I've been there many times with my life. It all comes down to how I'm really not doing that anymore.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

I think it comes down to how you respond to it too. Like I think if that same breakup were to happen to you again, you wouldn't respond the same way that you did in the past, I'd imagine.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

No, no. No, I would not. Yeah. My my divorce is like completely different than like past breakups. I was just like, yeah, he's out of my life, thank God. You know, I would like more like happy and like celebrating, not like, oh no, it didn't work out. So yeah, the energy part is I probably wouldn't have even started this podcast if it, you know, if I was still in that that soul sucking relationship. So yeah, energy, energy is a big thing. Absolutely. All right, so if tomorrow, like lottery style, like overnight, your band just became this massive success overnight. And you know, you're getting all this money is coming in, right? What is the most ridiculous, unnecessary thing that you would buy?

SPEAKER_00 12:44

That's hilarious. I'll follow that's a good question. Um, so you're saying ridiculous, but I'm already thinking like smart investments already.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

So investment. No, no, not no, okay. Not a smart investment. Like just something that's like you know, they say that to lottery winners that they have to buy one at least one thing they have to blow money on to just get it out of their system. Even the most responsible person needs to just do one thing that's just like ridiculous that you don't actually need.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

I can't think of what that would be right now. I could really because like I mean technically I could say like, oh, I'd get like a um uh I'd get like a really nice Cuban chain or something like that, but that's still an investment because it's gonna go up over time. If you take care of it, you know, you could sell it later on. At least that's how I think of it. Oh I I can't think of anything right. You know what? Okay, this might not seem it ridiculous, but I think if I got a ridiculous sum of money, that would mean I'm financially covered.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

I would probably start getting a lot more tattoos, probably. That is most likely.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

Now I would not say that's ridiculous because I am I am tatted, you can't see all of my tattoos.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

No, I'm talking like probably covered.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

Yeah, so I mean, as a tattoo girly, I would not say it's ridiculous, but it is unnecessary.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yeah. I'm that that's where I'm like, the last on my list, but I kind of want to turn that question around. Like, what would be the first thing on my list? And I think the first thing first thing is make sure that Jeremiah's covered and everything and that he's taken care of uh whether or not he wants to work his job still and how that would go and stuff. Um, and then I would probably just uh it how much would it be? How much money?

SPEAKER_02 14:31

I don't know. How much do bands make? I don't know. What it like what is to I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

So if you get like I think if you get a million streams, you get like uh 50k on Spotify. I'm just spitballing to something like that. Uh 50 to 100k, anywhere around that ballpark.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Let's just say like your band just was so massively successful and then you guys started touring and you're now you're like one of those millionaire bands.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

I just enjoy the ride too. Yeah. Uh I enjoy the ride, make sure he's taken care of. Okay. Um quit my job. For sure, quit my day job, and then um I'd probably just make you know, get all the the gear that I need um for live streaming and probably do that as for fun and then the rest of it spend on paint and just paint like crazy and draw, do all sorts of stuff like that. Cause I think expression uh buying things doesn't really do anything for me. Like I there's an initial high.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

I bought things before and it didn't and when it's the newness wears off, you're like, did I really need that?

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Things the things I want to buy are things I can create with and do things with to make something lasting, you know.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

So um So what I get from this is you were just very responsible.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

I would get a van like this probably and build make a build probably just for fun.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

That can I can speak from experience.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

That could take a lot of your money.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

Yeah, yeah. I've seen they go at pretty expensive.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

So the electrical system alone could set you back a lot of money. So I will not be saying how much I spent.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

I was gonna ask you about maybe off camera.

SPEAKER_02 16:05

Off camera, how much I spent because I don't need people pocket watching me, right? But it it can be a ridiculous amount. Any van anybody who's built a van, if I told them what my specs were, they could ballpark what I've spent. So we'll we're just gonna keep them off camera.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Before you tell me, I want to give a good guess of what it is, but do you want to guess on camera? God.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

Um you don't have to guess on camera.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

So it's just that battery, or you have another battery?

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Oh god, no, that's just my portable backup. My my electrical system's underneath. And then how much this whole bench is.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

How many solar panels?

SPEAKER_02 16:38

I have 400 watts of solar.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

So is that like one panel and one panel or no?

SPEAKER_02 16:42

There's the two panels in the back. So there's 200 each panel.

SPEAKER_00 16:47

So am I guessing how much the build itself or like with the van too?

SPEAKER_02 16:51

I don't know. Whatever you want to guess, man. Just tell me just tell me what your what your guess includes.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Is the ba is the van used?

SPEAKER_02 17:00

Uh yes. But not like it I got it at like 9,000 miles, so for It was a skeleton too? Yeah, it was completely empty when I got it.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

I'm gonna say the van is give or take 10k into in today's market.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

That's cute.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

More?

SPEAKER_02 17:18

Oh god, yeah. Oh I got it in 2023 and it was overpriced because of the money. Like everybody wanted to.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Well, you're giving me some hints, so I'm gonna bump it up to 20k. Um, and then uh the build itself is probably another it's probably all together 40 to 50k, maybe. That's my final guess.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Okay, I'll tell you off camera if you're even close.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

I feel like it's pretty close based on your I'll tell you I'll tell you off camera. I'm watching your eyeballs.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

I well well, probably because I'm calculating in my head, but I'll tell you off camera.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

It was far everyone watching it was far less, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

It was actually two thousand dollars and that was I w Oh my god, if I could have done this whole build for like less than ten thousand, that would have like been amazing. Yeah. Okay. Now, um so between the two of you, since it's only two of you, who who's the biggest diva in the group?

SPEAKER_00 18:15

You know? I'm not gonna say it. I'm gonna you should are you gonna ask the same question to him?

SPEAKER_02 18:22

I am.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Okay, I'll let I'll let him answer that.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

So I'm gonna take it at Jeremiah.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

I'm not saying it. He's he's over here cracking up behind the camera though. So if that if that gives you an answer.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

He is behind the camera. Normally the the band members don't hear the questions. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

It just makes it funnier. It makes it funnier.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

I've been watching his facial expressions the whole time.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

This is funny.

SPEAKER_02 18:43

So I'm gonna assume that Jeremiah is the biggest Z Vug.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

We can go with that.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Alright, so do you guys have any upcoming projects or any things you uh anything you want your fans to know about?

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Uh we're playing a show next Friday at Oskira in Bradington. It's a hometown show, and it's free. So um if this comes out before then, it will not. It probably won't. Oh, anyways. Um we have some symbols that we're selling tonight that I'm gonna put online if they don't sell, but they might sell out already. So I'm gonna try to do more stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

You might have like a website that you're putting it out.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Yeah, so if you go on our Instagram, um it should take. I think I have the merch site on the Instagram. I'll have to double check, but if you check in the link bio, um, you should be able to find it there.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

If not, um I can provide you with links of stuff where you could find and by the time this comes out, maybe you might have more merch so and we also have a new song coming out tonight.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

I forgot about that. We didn't we didn't even promote it or anything. We I just kind of like to show up and then drop it out of nowhere.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Yeah, I mean that's a really good way to get some feedback if you're already playing, right? Soft. Have any shows like coming up like this fall that you know of yet?

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Not yet. We kind of just like uh go with the flow right now. So um uh we don't have anything else scheduled. I think there's something back in September that's a possibility.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

I can't remember what month it is, but so another last quick question because now you um that made me think with bands that are smaller, right? Because I know like bigger bands who are touring all over the country and everything, they usually have a tour scheduled like I don't know, six months to a year out in advance, right? So for a smaller band, uh when do you guys know that you're playing shows?

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Um, like uh usually if uh like a booking manager or the venue itself uh reaches out or sends an email and they're usually like two or three months out sometimes. Sometimes it's last minute though. Um like there was a show that I I didn't see it, but um one of the booking guys he put it on his Instagram story thing where it was like looking for um last minute band for uh what's the 68 and they needed an opener, and I was like, oh if I had seen that, but it was already late in the night and I'd just like and I was doing a bunch of stuff that night. So yeah, I was bummed I didn't see it earlier, but um yeah, stuff like that, like just opportunity being present when the opportunity is open is like kind of like what will happen. And yeah, Jeremiah's been a big help with that too, because like he's always going to like different shows and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

I know, I met him last week in there.

SPEAKER_00 21:13

So this wouldn't have happened without him, so like it's like really cool to have him out there in the field, like kind of like, you know, putting his face out there and just like you know, uh He made a really funny reel that was hilarious that I I like literally that met, I was talking to them and then I said my goodbyes, and they filmed it like right after I left.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

I was like, you guys couldn't film that like while I was there so I could see it in person. It was hilarious, it was great. Yeah. So I met him last week and now you guys are here, and so I cannot wait to see you guys tonight.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 21:45

Fingers crossed, I'll be able to make it.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

Yeah, looking forward to it for sure.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

Well, thank you so much for doing this interview, I really appreciate it. Thank you. And uh fans follow them on Instagram and check out their merch because I'm sure he's gonna have some more paint hand painted things. Yes. All right. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Thank you. All right.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

All right. I am here with Jeremiah of Mothbite, the second member of the band. Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

What's up? What's up?

SPEAKER_02 22:15

It is so great to see you again because I got to meet you last week in Orlando.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

It was a good time. It was a good old time.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

I let me just tell you how grateful I am for Josh because Josh saw me outside because I finished doing, I interviewed Dunfor, and I was like, oh, I can go in and watch your set. And so he's like, Tara, Tara, I need to introduce you to Jeremiah. And I'm like, okay, hey, Jeremiah. He's like, he's with the band Mouth Bite. And I'm like, oh, a band introduction. Thank you so much. I'm like, would you guys like to do the interview next week? So that is why I'm here today to interview you guys. And then I just need you guys to tell the other bands. We're like, I had so much fun with her. Go do the interview.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Oh, I had a terrible time with her. Don't ever do, don't ever do this ever again. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Alright. So I I know you heard a little bit of the questions. Um, so but then you like kind of forgot them. Kind of already forgot them. Which is fine because you know, like it'll like resurprise you here, but I like to ask everybody the same thing. So, you know, just kind of see if you guys are on the same vibe, you know?

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

So, um, so it's just the two of you, not a traditional band.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Of course.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Um, I didn't even know that just like completely instrumental bands were a thing. I did not know that. So now I'm getting into this. I'm really enjoying learning all sorts of things since I've started this podcast. I've learned so much and it's been great. So, for the two of you, from a scale of Metallica to Cannibal Corpse, how famous and like how big do you want your band to get? Um, I'd say And there's no wrong answer.

SPEAKER_01 23:51

Right. I'd I'd say from a from a Metallica level.

SPEAKER_02 23:56

You want to be Metallica?

SPEAKER_01 23:57

I do, Loki.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

I want to I want to be out there, you know, because I'm all about um So do you want people to like be able to recognize you like in the airport or the grocery store?

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Yeah, I feel like I don't know, that's fun to me. I don't know why. You know, most celebrities don't like that, but honestly getting recognized, I'm like, oh my god, people actually notice me. Okay, and there's nothing like a surprise every time.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

There is nothing wrong with that. Um I am the opposite. I'm like, I I say that I like if I were a celebrity of some sort, I would want to be like a dealist and like where people in certain circles know who I am, but I still want to be able to go to a grocery store and pick out my avocados. Of course. Because I I like to pick out my own avocados.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Right. You still would like to have a little bit of your own private life.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

Yeah, I don't want to have to have security, you know, with me all the time. That's true, yeah. You know, um, I don't want to have to have an entourage that you have to now you have to afford it. And I don't like to work that hard. So now you have to like work hard to afford the entourage because you're so famous you can't go without the entourage, right? Yeah, so you're cool with that.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

And it makes life overstimulated and all that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Yeah, and I'm gonna just shut down. You're just like, get away from me!

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Yeah, you'll turn it into Shiloh LaBeouf and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 25:12

Well, I would probably try to keep it together, but I'd probably like after I like went inside, probably have like a nervous breakdown a hundred percent. Oh yeah, yeah, but you're okay with that, like and you're okay with having to have the entourage, yeah. You're like the more of my friends I could put on payroll, that'd be great.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Always down to try to help people up. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

I mean, that's fantastic. That is fantastic. All right, so what is something that being in a band, most people get completely wrong?

SPEAKER_01 25:44

What I think with that is they I know a lot of people would like to really think that this kind of stuff is easy to do, but like from a starting standpoint, it's it's not. I mean, it's it's a lot of money. Money is the biggest thing. That's the biggest thing when it comes to a band because money talks, especially not only just to like get your band set up, but also to like be at certain venues or to get with certain like managers.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

Wait, do they charge you to play at the venue?

SPEAKER_01 26:11

So it like if you're in on a bigger scale and you're trying to like set it up yourself, yeah, it does cost money to try to like get into the venue. And then also ticket sales have to match that price. And once you get to that certain point, you have to all break it down and who gets what? Like uh the sound guy has to get a certain amount of the cut, the venue itself has to get a certain amount of the cut, and then of course, there's whatever's left for the band. That's why usually with bands they have to uh hope that their merch sells a lot because that's where the real money for the band happens, it's through merch.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

I am learning so much. Yeah, it's seriously since starting this podcast. I've learned so much that I did not know. And it's funny because I actually am an accountant. So from an accounting standpoint, like I would crunch these numbers, but I didn't know about these costs. So I'm like, huh, now things are starting to make sense. It's quite interesting.

SPEAKER_03 27:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:03

So to like so for tonight at a venue, like, shout out to the Orpheum. Shout out, put they put on a lot of small bands. So shout out to them. So tonight at the Orpheum, like, do you guys have to pay to be here, or is it just like a split with the sales?

SPEAKER_01 27:18

So for us, as these smaller bands, it we don't have to pay to be here. It's mainly the booker that's handling all the payments and stuff. But if we never really had a booker and one of the bands had to try to set it up, then that's a different story. Um, so luckily we don't have to really pay for anything, it's just all about trying to make sure that our merch is capable of selling and then we can get our own cut from that as well.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

So okay. That's big I would not have known any of this. Yeah, I just thought like venues want bands to come because then the tickets are gonna sell and you have like whatever the split is. Yeah, I didn't know there was all I wish it was that easy. I I feel like maybe it's too complicated. How do we make it easier, you know? Yeah, logistics is tough. I'm gonna think about it because a lot of things are just like just completely um a lot of people operate in like this is how it's always been done, and it doesn't even make like operational sense. Right. And sometimes it doesn't make financial sense. And so one of the things that I do as a small business consultant is I'm always like looking from the operational standpoint, like, how does this make sense? How can we make this make sense? Yeah, and how can we increase the profits for everybody, right? So, as you guys are telling me these things, my brain is already calculating something's off and like nobody really knows it because this is how it's always been done. But I bet you there's a way that it could be more beneficial for everyone. It is exactly like that. I gotta learn a little more about the industry, and I bet you I can figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Oh, yeah, you'll you'll figure it out like quick once you understand everything.

SPEAKER_02 28:45

Yeah, and I I bet you I can find a weakness and correct things. Correct things. But then it's then it's like, does anybody actually want to do it, right? Because a lot of people are like, well, this is how it's always been done. And I'm like, that doesn't mean you have to continue this.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

Exactly. It's it's just a dedication to try to get it to switch up, is what it means.

SPEAKER_02 29:02

Okay, all right. So I did um, I did ask Nico um if you guys are looking for a singer, and his his answer, no, his answer seriously, things that I never thought about because I did not, I've never listened to just a strictly instrumental band, right? So as he's telling me that like he could work with a singer he preferred or not, because he likes to focus on the music, right? Right. I didn't know things like how you play the guitar changes based on like having a singer. So how do you feel? Do you eventually want a singer or like just a feature of a like maybe one song an album, or are you just completely fine with not having a singer ever?

SPEAKER_01 29:44

So with with what we do and with instrumental bands, with most instrumental bands, um, typically though it's either we're not doing a singer at all uh or a feature, and it's just strictly just instrumentals, or they'll maybe like have a special album where they'll decide to have like maybe like one feature artist on there and they'll do uh their their thing. But I mean that's what it is, is that it is kind of tough to have a vocalist on like an instrumental band because it kind of eludes the away from what they're from what that band does.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

I would have never guessed that.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

Yeah, especially as like a drummer and a guitarist, we'll have to like simplify ourselves for us to be able to work around whatever the vocalist is trying to do on the song and stuff like that. So it kind of like we have to restructure ourselves on the track.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

Is there like is there because I I don't know much about music, right? Like as far as producing and making the music. I know I know that my ears and my my body, my nervous system likes when it hears something that you know. So I've never thought of all of the parts that make like the whole thing. Is there a way that, and I'm not forcing a singer on you guys, of course, of course. I'm just curious. Is there a way that you guys could continue to play what you play, the way you play, and a singer has to adopt to how you play? Is that a thing?

SPEAKER_01 31:04

It that is actually possible because there is a a band um called Chan. They they have, I think, maybe one or two songs where one of them decided to do like vocals on it, and then they still are capable of doing what they typically usually do, and that's it is possible for that to happen where the vocalists can still work around um the original band that's trying to do the instrumentals, it's just all about who's the artist that is capable of being able to do that kind of work. So it's it's a hard, it's a hard search to find those kind of vocalists.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

It's so interesting because like I love learning new things, especially about things I'm passionate about. It's like that ADHD, like hyper-focus thing. And now I'm just like, I want to learn everything about music just because I'm interviewing, right?

SPEAKER_01 31:52

Right.

SPEAKER_02 31:53

I am having so much fun learning so much about like the behind the scenes and everything that it takes to get the music. It's a whole nother world when you're doing stuff like this. The the viewers are okay with me learning on the fly. I bet there's somebody at home that's like, this woman is an idiot, she doesn't know shit.

SPEAKER_01 32:10

This lady don't know nothing. She knows. Damn, why is she doing this shit?

SPEAKER_02 32:13

Because I want to learn, right? And I'm sure there's somebody out there right now that's like, I didn't know these things either. And I'm not embarrassed to say that I don't know things. And that's I love learning, like, it's just so good. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

As humans, we're all constantly learning every day. The older the older we get, you know. Even as like children, we're like sponges. We're we're just always learning for knowledge and stuff like that. It's just how we grow and adapt.

SPEAKER_02 32:36

Right. So, speaking of uh learning, is there anything that you've that you've learned since being in this band or starting a band? Like, what have you learned like that you were like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

Um, kind of like how you're learning about kind of the stuff that we're doing. Like, um, I've never been in like an instrumental band before. This is the first time I've ever been in one, and that was it was something I've always wanted to be a part of too. Um, because um I've listened to instrumental bands before, like Chan, Animals as Leaders, Polyphia, um, some orchestra bands too, and like this kind of stuff is really, really fun to do. So just learning to adapt with other players has been one thing, and then another thing too, just being a part of this industry and learning like the logistics of everything, like where to what happens with the money, where does it go, and all that kind of stuff, all the planning and all of that, how to organize everything. That's just the biggest part from what I've learned.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

Are you a well-organized person?

SPEAKER_01 33:36

Uh sort of kind of. I feel like I'm still learning.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

You've been forced to learn.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

I've been I've been forced to learn. I've been forced to learn this kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

So okay, so I'm really interested in like how different your answer is going to be from Nico, um, especially after saying that you want to be Metallica. So if tomorrow your band just suddenly became huge and took off, what is the first ridiculously unnecessary thing you would buy?

SPEAKER_01 34:02

I'm buying a shitload of Legos. I'm such a I'm such a Lego fanatic. Oh my god. I'm going, I'm going stupid on the Legos. I'm buying every single set out there.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

Oh my God. If I had water in my mouth, I would have spit. Oh my goodness. I was, I don't know what I was expecting. It was not Legos. Oh my God, that is so great. I love Legos. Is that the Legos itself that you like, or do you just do you like building things?

SPEAKER_01 34:27

I just like building things. That's my big thing. I like building things like IKEA stuff. Building IKEA stuff, that's like building Legos, building a PC because I build-built my I built my whole kitchen for my kids.

SPEAKER_02 34:39

I I build everything for my kids. They should actually hire me to write the the instruction manuals because they're so stupid. Sometimes we're just like, like, why like how did how did you make get this step before this? Like, who is it written by AI?

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Should have came first before that, but right?

SPEAKER_02 34:55

And I was like, this is this is wild. Okay, Legos. And a ridiculous amount of Legos. Ridiculous amount of whole room apartment size dedicated to Legos. Would you have like a display case of like all the things?

SPEAKER_01 35:11

It would be I would have a display case. I would have like the center of it be like a whole Lego city. Like it would be ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Wait, so are you like a huge fan of Legoland? Have you been?

SPEAKER_01 35:21

Um I haven't been to Legoland. Funny enough, even though I'm like not even that far from Legoland. I'm like, no, we're not.

SPEAKER_02 35:27

I mean, we're not far just being in Tampa alone.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

Yeah, but I've never been to Legoland, but I mean I always go to like the Lego stores and um at Disney Springs over in um Kiss Kissimmee.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

Kissimmee, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

Go to those or Target, of course, be selling Legos and stuff, but I've never actually been to Legoland yet.

SPEAKER_02 35:45

You go to Target?

SPEAKER_01 35:47

Not not all the time. Because there's sometimes they got stuff that is essential that I do need.

SPEAKER_02 35:53

Come on. But you know, I know, I know we're all the all the black people. Yeah, I know. All the black people know what this looks like.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

I know, I know. Y'all give y'all looking at me bad. I know y'all gonna be looking at me bad, but sometimes I do.

SPEAKER_02 36:06

I won't judge, but don't judge me. I was gonna say, can you try to not go there for the for the Legos?

SPEAKER_01 36:12

Not for the Legos. I've never bought any Legos from there. I just see what they got, but I never buy Legos from there. They've always the Legos I've always bought have always been from the Lego store in Orlando.

SPEAKER_02 36:23

Oh, okay. I didn't even know. I don't build Legos, so I remember stepping on my brother's as a kid, and I was like, I will never have Legos in my house because of that. Because that I think most parents understand what that feels like, and I have zero desires.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

And I think it's just my inner child, too, because I don't think I got too many Legos growing up.

SPEAKER_02 36:44

So I But I feel like we should not have to abandon the things that we loved as a child just because we're like adults now. Like adulting sucks so bad. Like at least let us have a little piece of like our childhood that made us happy. You know, exactly what we're doing. Like I don't have dolls, but I love when like the little girls in my family, I buy them dolls and I play with the dolls with them and stuff. And I'm just like, yeah, I remember when I was a kid and I had my. Yeah, it's so great. Okay, a lot I was really not expecting. I'm still shocked at that one. This is probably my favorite answer ever. All right, so this got a big reaction from Nico between the two of you. Who's the biggest diva? And I wanna I wanna know about this.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

What what makes you the I'm making it's already said, it's already been shown. I'm just I'm just that person, you know.

SPEAKER_02 37:39

I just always that bitch. I'm just that bitch.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

Like, hello. Come on now. I come with it. You better clock it in.

SPEAKER_02 37:48

So do you do anything specifically that makes you like a diva? No, not that's do you have like a favorite water that you won't drink water if it's not this water. Yeah, yeah. We love Mariah here. Oh, we love some Mariah. So nope, this is not Mariah. Yes, we love Mariah. But do you have anything like you know that makes Mariah the diva that she is? You have something like that.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Oh, I don't think nothing. I can never be compared to Mariah Carey. Absolutely not. That is hard to come by. There's not too many divas like her. Like what?

SPEAKER_02 38:20

So what makes you the diva?

SPEAKER_01 38:21

Um, what makes me the diva? I'm just you're just I'm just all over the place sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

But I'm like trying to be there's no one thing and it's everything, guys. It's everything. It's everything. So are you gonna be a diva on stage tonight while you're banging those drums?

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Absolutely, y'all's not ready for it. Honestly, when you see us on stage, I come with it.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

I'm gonna be honest, I was not ready for the two of y'all. Y'all are wild. We are we are a wild duo and the best duo. We are a wild duo. I'm gonna be honest, I was nervous because I like the other bands that I interviewed so far, you know, there's always like four or five members of the band, right? And I was like, oh my god, am I gonna run out of questions to ask just two people? And y'all are just so great. Y'all are great. I yeah, this was.

SPEAKER_01 39:06

Even though we got different worlds, we kind of still have like the same mind link up.

SPEAKER_02 39:10

Yeah, y'all are y'all are great. I really I have really enjoyed talking to y'all today. So thank you so much for being here. And uh, I know that Nico said that you guys are playing a brand new song tonight. Yes, we are. Um, and he mentioned the hand-painted cymbals and stuff, cymbals, right? Yes. I don't know any parts of the drums except that I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 39:30

Ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 39:31

I'm sorry. Well, you know, I I wanted to be in a band, and I was like, if I was in a band, what would I want to do? And at first I thought that I would want to be a drummer, but then you guys like work so hard.

SPEAKER_01 39:44

Oh, it's it's a lot, and like y'all are sweating, and I don't want to do that. And we're dying in the back of the stage, and people be thinking we just doing some simple stuff. It is not simple.

SPEAKER_02 39:53

I don't know who makes that. I looking at y'all like seriously. I'm watching, like, um I I got side state, like a side view one show for Lamb of God, and I see Art Cruz back there drumming just for the his life, right? So I I usually see drummers from the front, right? But this particular uh this particular show, I'm seeing them from the side, and I get like this perfect view of him the whole show. I'm just like, man, I did not realize like it was this hard and like just sweating and just I'm like, how is he breathing right now? I'm like, yeah, I don't want to work that hard. So shout out to Art Cruz because he's an amazing drummer.

SPEAKER_01 40:38

Because the thing about being a drummer too is that we're like the heartbeat of the whole band, and like we're the most important of the band because yes, the guitars and the bass and the vocalists are also important, but the biggest, more important person is the drummer. You have to make sure that you have a good drummer. Because everybody says that they're a drummer, but are they a good drummer? Because you gotta be able to be able to set up that whole atmosphere for everybody, make sure everybody's kept up in time and all of it.

SPEAKER_02 41:03

Is it an ab workout at all?

SPEAKER_01 41:05

It's a calve workout.

SPEAKER_02 41:06

Calve, okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:07

The calves, because you you're always moving with your feet.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

Wait, so I want to know do most drummers have nice legs? Yeah. Typically, yeah, drummers got some pretty look at those. Oh yeah, right, right?

SPEAKER_01 41:18

Like, come on, have you seen it?

SPEAKER_02 41:19

Come on, calves.

unknown 41:21

Come on, okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

You gotta have some built-up calves to do drums.

SPEAKER_02 41:25

Are you like working out in the gym? Like typically the legs, you know, you don't ever skip legs day or something.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

I don't have no, no, no. You still gotta try to maintain your legs at least.

SPEAKER_02 41:35

Yeah, I had no idea. This is wild. Okay, so I got on a tangent. Sorry about the symbols. Come on now, is there any any other projects that you guys have coming up that you want the fans to know about?

SPEAKER_01 41:46

Um, as far as I know, besides what we're releasing a song tonight at midnight. Uh it's going to be on Spotify, Alpha Music should be on all streaming platforms. If you follow us on uh social medias, uh on Instagram, you'll see in our link tree the links to those.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

So and I'll post it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 42:05

It'll be posted somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 42:07

I'm still learning the video, Eddie. It'll be posted somewhere. Somewhere around here, I think right here. In the comments, in the description, whatever. It'll be posted somewhere. Somewhere you'll find it. You know, click that link. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:20

But yeah, so that's that's it so far. I mean, we got a show happening uh on the 26th, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 42:27

Of July. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Of June next time.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

June.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Yeah, so next Friday.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Next Friday.

SPEAKER_01 42:32

Yeah, next Friday. We'll be over at Oscar. I believe that will also be a free show.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

Um well, so this is going to come out after that. Yeah, I don't know when yet.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

Um, if you follow us on the gram and you want to keep up with the band, you'll see all definitely sometime in August, depending on how well to I don't think we have anything in August as of yet.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

But keep it, keeping uh we'll keep that in mind following the socials and they'll post things.

SPEAKER_01 43:01

We'll post it.

SPEAKER_02 43:02

Well, I just want to thank you guys so much for being here and being my first band of the day to interview. I really appreciate it. You guys are fantastic. We try to be. I hope you're fans and you get new fans, your personality, and it's like this is a band that I could just totally fuck with.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

We're cool with. We like our community.

SPEAKER_02 43:20

My mom might be watching.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

Oh get on her. You better get on her, mama. She be tripping.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

Well, thank you guys so much. I am Tara with Bands in the Van, and this is Mothbite. Check them out on all the social medias and all the streaming platforms. I promise you will not regret it.

SPEAKER_01 43:38

Don't want to miss it.

SPEAKER_02 43:39

Stay heavy, and I'll see you down the road.

SPEAKER_01 43:41

Deuces.

SPEAKER_02 43:43

Thank you guys so much. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 43:45

This is fun. This is very fun.

SPEAKER_02 43:47

Yay! I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed yourself. I love doing interviews. And do you?

SPEAKER_04 43:52

Yeah, I actually do like the moon.

SPEAKER_02 43:59

Hey everyone, I am still checking in from somewhere in the UK. I should be back in the States soon to continue interviewing more bands. I just want to thank you so much for watching volume four. Nico and Jeremiah with Mothbite were so much fun to hang out with. They were hilarious, and they just kept me laughing for like a very, very long time. Even like off-camera, I was still laughing hysterically with them. Um, unfortunately, I did not get to see them perform. I was mid-interview with next week's band when the show started and it ended before I could make it inside. Um, so hopefully, I will be able to catch up with them and actually see their show because I want to have a fun jam session with them. Um, I'm hoping as the show goes along, I can start interviewing earlier in the day so that that way I can see all the bands perform and I don't miss anybody because after all, I am a fan first. Um, but thank you guys so much again for joining me on this ride. If you have a favorite band that you'd like to see me interview, you can tag them in the comments below, or you can head over to Band in the Van socials and tag them there. So thank you again, everybody. I am Tara with Band in the Van. Stay heavy. I'll see you down the road.