OTHERWISE has a new album launching September 22, 2017 called “Sleeping Lions” (pre order here!)
Our writer Cathy Moore had the opportunity to speak with lead singer Adrian Patrick recently!
There are so many things that impress me about the Las Vegas rock band Otherwise. Not only are they immensely talented, but they are also one of the hardest working bands in the music industry today. They have persevered for almost 15 years in the crazy music business through lineup changes, personal challenges, and plenty of people waiting to watch them fail. They are honest and authentic in everything they do and they are incredibly devoted to their fans. Otherwise truly is “the real deal” as vocalist and band founder Adrian Patrick stressed when he chatted with me in a phone interview last week. Here’s more of my interview with Adrian:
Tell me about the upcoming new record Sleeping Lions.
Yeah, the new record is coming out September 22. The title itself is kind of indicative of where we feel like we’re at in our careers – professionally and personally to be honest. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had a release of anything new – any new original music. We kinda feel like we’ve been hibernating. My brother (Otherwise guitarist Ryan Patrick) and I have been through a lot – A LOT – to get to this point – and not just in the music industry but in life in general. We crawled back to our little cave in the neon desert out in Las Vegas, and we’ve been licking our wounds and regaining our strength. We’re ready to hit the pride lands again so to speak.
The song and the album title actually – one day we were in the studio with the producer Bob Marlette (Shinedown, Seether) and Tony (Carboney) our bass player who’s also an amazingly talented multi-instrumentalist – he can play so many different instruments he’s just an incredible musician across the board – he was playing this guitar riff and it was just brutal and – not even brutal but just cool and aggressive and it kinda made me think of Rage Against the Machine a little bit. And we would just listen to it and the playback speakers were blasting and my brother just kinda yelled over the playback, he said something like, “You don’t wanna wake sleeping lions!” And I was like, “Dude, that’s what this song needs to be called!” and I just took that working title and I kept it in mind and eventually it ended becoming the title track. This is the first time we’ve ever released an album that has a title track. You know the song itself we got to co-write it with Jonathan Davis of Korn. So we’re really excited for people to hear it. It’s a very unique, very aggressive, and very melodic hard alternative rock and roll song.
Tony and Brian (Medeiros, drummer) are both relatively new to the band – this is the first album that they have recorded with Otherwise. What do you think they bring to the mix?
Yeah, they did an amazing job. I mean they really stepped up to the plate and helped make this record probably our strongest showing to date. The vice-president of our label who is himself a very discerning and – uhhh, what’s the word – he’s not the easiest guy to please. He said this was a very very dynamic album. I thought that was a compliment of the highest order.
And Tony and Brian really stepped up to the plate and they just have such great attitudes. They’re good dudes down at their core – beyond all the music making and the rockin’ and the rollin’ – beside all the industry side of things they are just good guys. My brother and I really enjoy their company. We love touring with them. We love being on the stage with them. We can genuinely call them our friends, and you know I think that really lends itself to creating the best album we’ve done so far.
I saw you guys at a show recently and you commented about how you and Ryan have chosen to do this sober and all natural. How has that impacted the process and your creativity? How do you think the band has evolved – changed and grown – since your first self-titled album over 10 years ago?
Well that’s definitely something that my brother and I sat down and discussed at length and we came to the conclusion that sober touring is the way for him and I to do things. It helps us stay focused. It helps us stay clear-headed. It’s just better for my brother and I. As far as the other facets in life – both my last two albums that were released were kind of in tandem with the birth of both of my sons. It’s just synchronistic that in 2014 is when Peace at All Costs came out and the same year that my eldest son was born and now Sleeping Lions is coming out this year and my second son just turned 6 months old. So these major life events – these two beautiful young boys – have really redefined the good fight for me.
I think what is probably the most different for my brother and I – aside from that we’ve got new band mates, we’ve got a new management team, we’ve got a new booking agent, our record label got bought out by Sony – there’s all these logistical things that are absolutely different – but for my brother and I for a very long time we wanted to prove all the non-believers wrong. If you didn’t support us or you thought we sucked we wanted to prove you wrong and shove it in your face. But now we kinda just – all those people who HAVE believed in us since day one – we just want to prove those people right. I think that is the biggest mindset changes for us.
For this album you used PledgeMusic. It was your second time going this route – how did it go for you this time?
Oh yeah, it went so well. Our first chance of working with the guys over at PledgeMusic was last October when we released our From The Roots acoustic EP, which is just a collection of acoustic versions of our songs from our first two full-length albums. And that was a smashing success so we were like dude, let’s do it again for a full-length release of new, original, unheard music and I tell you what so far it’s so good – so far it’s so REALLY good. The fans have come out and it feels very reassuring to know that people want to see us succeed. For a long time we felt – especially after some of the internal bullshit that we dealt with on the last album – it really felt like maybe people wanted us to fail. Maybe even subconsciously we wanted ourselves to fail. And now this time out it’s the complete opposite. It’s just amazing. What an incredible platform PledgeMusic is and we are so thankful for everybody who is spending the extra time and money on our music and our message.
You guys are going on Shiprocked 18 – me too. Are you excited?
Yeah! We did it in 2015 and it was amazing. My first real cruise. I had never been on an actual cruise before. Shiprocked was my first. I still want to do the one in Europe that goes down the Danube River I think. You stop at all these castles right on the riverfront. I don’t care how boring that is. I want it to be boring so I can just focus on soaking in the history.
How did you come to work with Clint Lowery (guitarist for Sevendust) for this new album?
Yeah we did a couple of songs with Clint. He’s a good friend of ours. We toured with Sevendust before and we got along really well with those guys. We had always talked with Clint and kind of mentioned it to him about writing, and it finally just worked out that our management and his management were able to get together and make it happen. We’re very proud of the two songs that are on this record. One of them is called “Weapons” and one of them is called “Suffer”. And the former, “Weapons”, is actually social commentary. We were in New York City at the Gibson Showroom, which is the former Hit Factory so it’s a legendary studio. We were sitting with Clint and some public shooting had just happened – it might have been the one down in Florida – and we kind of used that as an inspiration for “Weapons”.
And then the second song on the record with him is called “Suffer” and that’s just kind of a song about – you know it’s been a rough year for rock and roll as far as losing guys – guys losing their battles with depression and sadness. You know we were chatting with Clint and we were just like, “Why is it as human beings we are hardwired to suffer?” It’s easier for us to suffer as opposed to prosper. It’s easier for us all to always focus on the bad things instead of looking at what really is amazing and how fortunate we really are. And the thing is when you read books about cognitive therapy it is a scientific fact that because of a million years of evolution and trying to survive the human brain is prone and programmed to focus on the more negative things because that is what would help you survive back in the day when you were trying to find food or trying to not become food. It’s an inner battle for all of us. For some of us it’s much more severe obviously. With “Suffer” – which will be released shortly as one of the instant gratification tracks – we’re hoping to partner with Linkin Park’s charity that they set up in memory of Chester (Bennington) and just kind of let people know – don’t give up on yourself. That’s the basic message of our entire catalog is just don’t give up on yourself. The minute you lose hope internally is when you have pretty much lost all of it – you’ve lost everything. As long as there is life, as long as there is love, there is hope, you know what I mean?
Why did you choose “Angry Heart” as the first single?
Well cuz that song itself is definitely a fight song. It was inspired by Cris Cyborg – she’s the women’s bantamweight UFC champion I believe – I think bantam is her weight class. Again, it’s a struggle, man. We look at ourselves as warriors – as spiritual gladiators so to speak. We wanted to come out swingin’ on this album with the first song. It kinda sets the tone. It’s the album opener. It’s our first radio single. It sets the tone. It’s the beginning of the first chapter of the story line of Sleeping Lions. As you listen to the album itself – you go from “Angry Heart” which is the opener, to the closer which is a song called “Bloodline Lullaby” which is all about family and what’s really important in life. You go from being in this mindset of this infuriated, fired up, angry place to a more enlightened and kind of a place of redemption. The album storyline takes that arc over the course of the entire record.
Talking about family and what’s important – you have two little kids at home. How do you balance professional life as a musician with personal life with your family?
Yeah, it’s definitely a struggle. Ironically the video for “Angry Heart” is kind of an analogy for that struggle – you know, the who do you feed – the wolf of light or the wolf of dark? Who is the villain? Who is the hero? Do you follow your calling, your passion or do you choose the family life and follow your love? It’s a difficult question that we face. And we’re trying to answer that through art and poetry. I’m still trying to figure it out. You know what I mean, Cathy? It’s not easy.
When I’m on the road my wife is basically raising two boys by herself. I try to be here for her as much as I can. She is very beautiful and very talented in her own right. Actually she got to be my costar in the new video for “Angry Heart”. So that was a lot of fun. The strength of our band and our music is the honesty of it. It’s very honest and very true to life. Actually – kind of harkening back to one of your earlier questions – I’m a little nervous about this video because – it turned out really well, but it is so honest and it is kind of provocative in a sense. I feel very exposed especially since my wife is in it, she’s my costar and when you see some of the scenes – it’s not all acting! (Adrian says the video should be premiering sometime by the first or second week of September.)
You are about to embark on a tour with Red and 10 Years. How did that come about?
Yeah. It’s going to be very cool. The 10 Years guys – we’re really close with them. We share a management with them. They’re like our brother band. The great thing about this tour is that we’ve toured with both of these bands in the past separately. And both of those tours were really successful. There were strong crowds every night. Now combine all three bands on the same bill – plus they are all cool guys. 10 Years, again, those guys are good friends of ours. We enjoyed our time with the guys in Red. They were super cool. Also, both bands are – kind of like us in a sense or at least what we would like to believe about ourselves – is that we’re a little bit different than your typical rock band like a lot of them out there nowadays. Both bands are highly creative and they have a very spiritual kind of shine to their material and we want to be able to have people say the same thing about us. We’re just excited because it’s a really cool tour. We’re playing a lot of really cool rooms, and we’ve been told that the presales are already really strong. So we’re stoked.
If you were could give your younger self a piece of advice – what would you tell yourself?
Wow. Man. That’s a good question. (pause) Man, Cathy, you got me. That is a really good question. (long sigh) Well, it would be what I’m learning and what I’m hoping to impart in my own sons now. That is when you’re younger – especially before you really deal with any type of real tragedy – you don’t really realize that life is very fleeting – it’s very precious. I wish I could tell my younger self to not waste so much energy being drunk and angry about things that you can’t control. I want to be able to tell my sons the same thing and I want them to appreciate every single breath that they take because it’s finite. We don’t live forever. When you’re younger you have that feeling of invincibility and you’re just so wrong.
Last question…what’s the one thing you really want the world to know about Otherwise that you don’t think we know already?
You know, I want the world to know that we are about as real as it gets. And I can say that because now especially being in the big leagues and being “professional” touring artists – there’s a lot of bands out there and a lot of people that are idolized for something that is completely fabricated and really bullshit. And that’s the one thing about our music is that our music and the way we carry ourselves is as real as it gets. Our biggest accomplishments and our greatest mistakes all have come from very genuine places. And that’s what I would like the world to know. We’re the real deal – whether you like our band or not. If you come to a live show and if you leave our show without taking at least some bit of “okay, those guys are not bullshitting” then you are full of shit yourself if you don’t see it. That’s how I feel. Quite frankly.
Well said, Adrian. Well said.
I just had a chance to see Otherwise at the Taste of Madison festival in Madison, Wisconsin. As always they put on an energetic and entertaining show. Even when rain poured from the sky, Otherwise kept right on rocking and fans (myself included) didn’t even think about leaving. They played old favorites like Soldiers“, Coming For The Throne”, and “I Don’t Apologize”, new tunes like “Angry Heart” and “Suffer”, and mingled with fans in the merch tent after their set. As always, it was one hell of a show.
Otherwise is about to hit the road with Red and 10 Years. They will also be on board the 2018 voyage of Shiprocked. Make sure you catch a show and see for yourself how awesome this band really is.
By Cathy Moore of Moore Rock Shots & Reviews
Connect with Otherwise online…
Website: http://weareotherwise.com/site/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otherwiseofficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=otherwise&src=typd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareotherwise/
Otherwise tour dates…
SEP 08 Affliction Warehouse, Seal Beach, CA
SEP 15 Vinyl w/ Gemini Syndrome, Honor, Las Vegas, NV
OCT 10 Sunshine Studios Live, Colorado Springs, CO
OCT 11 Aftershock, Merriam, KS
OCT 12 The Basement, Columbus, OH
OCT 14 Blue Fox Billiards w/ 10 Years, Winchester, VA
OCT 15 Schmitt’s Saloon w/ 10 Years, Morgantown, WV
OCT 17 Diesel Club Lounge w/ Red, 10 Years, Pittsburgh, PA
OCT 18 The Chance w/ Red, 10 Years, Poughkeepsie, NY
OCT 19 Chameleon Club w/ Red, 10 Years, Lancaster, PA
OCT 20 Phase 2 w/ Red, 10 Years, Lynchburg, VA
OCT 21 Highline Ballroom w/ Red, 10 Years, New York, NY
OCT 23 The Blind Tiger w/ Red, 10 Years, Greensboro, NC
OCT 25 Carolina Nightlife & Grill w/ Red, 10 Years, Darlington, SC
OCT 26 The Masquerade w/ Red, 10 Years, Atlanta, GA
OCT 27 99 Rock Monster We Made Fest w/ Pop Evil, 10 Years, Destin, FL
OCT 28 Dixie Roadhouse w/ Pop Evil, 10 Years, Cape Coral, FL
OCT 29 House of Blues Orlando w/ Red, 10 Years, Lake Buena Vista, FL
OCT 31 Varsity Theatre w/ Red, 10 Years, Baton Rouge, LA
NOV 02 Manchester Music Hall w/ Red, 10 Years, Lexington, KY
NOV 03 Bogart’s w/ Red, 10 Years, Cincinnati, OH
NOV 04 Pop’s Concert Venue w/ Red, 10 Years, Sauget, IL
NOV 05 The Forge w/ Red, 10 Years, Joliet, IL
NOV 07 1175 w/ Red, 10 Years, Kansasville, WI
NOV 08 Saint Andrew’s Hall w/ Red, 10 Years, Detroit, MI
NOV 10 Piere’s Entertainment Center w/ Red, 10 Years, Fort Wayne, IN
NOV 11 The Vogue w/ Red, 10 Years, Indianapolis, IN
