by Deb Rao
– Senior Columnist —
Sound And Fury is gearing up for the rebirth of the band. Singer Luke Metcalf recently relocated to Los Angeles from Ontario, Canada. L.A. is where it all began for the band in 2004 when Sound And Fury opened for Vince Neil at the Key Club.
Sound And Fury has a sound that resembles The Ramones. Their Music is features ferocious vocals and rebellious lyrics and gritty guitar riffs packed with energy. In this exclusive interview with Hardrock Haven singer Luke Metcalf discusses the return of Sound And Fury with their new CD Wake The Dead.
HRH: Luke, what is new with Sound And Fury? I think the last time we spoke was in 2008.
Luke: We have been in the studio with legendary producer Bob Marlette. He produced bands like Ozzy Osbourne and Lynryd Skynryd, Filter, Rob Zombie’s new album. We are really pumped. We just finished recording it and put it out.
HRH: What is the name of it?
Luke: Wake The Dead. It is a full-length album. It is available now through CD Baby and iTunes. It is powerhouse hard rock and punk rock.
HRH: Tell us about the writing process for the album? How does it differ from Weed, Women, and Wine?
Luke: We never worked with a real producer before. It was really exciting to work with a guy like Bob. Good producers really get involved in every level. He had some cool ideas with the arrangements of the songs and just throwing around ideas. I had written most of the music and most of the lyrics. I was really well prepared when we went into the studio with him. It was sort of cool balancing ideas back and forth. He definitely had some cool ideas and arrangements and stuff like that. It was actually exciting to be in a real studio with an experienced producer. He has worked with amazing rockers like that. It was a really blast. When you are working with a producer like that the quality of the recording is going to be a lot better than what we would be able to do ourselves.
HRH: Right. That makes all the difference in the world. What label is it on?
Luke: My own label Rebel Youth Records. It is independent.
HRH: I know the band has a punk rock sound. Does this carry over on this record. Was it all about the rebellion?
Luke: It is a party album first and foremost. It is early punk rock too. We are all big fans of the early classic ’70 punk bands. It definitely has a lot of that early punk rock influence. There are some tracks that are mid tempo and some hard rock party songs too. It is a real balance between like balls to the wall punk and kick ass hard rock.
HRH: Is Griffin still your guitarist?
Luke: No, I am working with a different guy right now. I ran into some financial problems at one point and took a hiatus. It is harder in the music industry today. At one point Griffin got involved in another project, so we had to find another guitarist. I am working with Phil Naslund. He is a wicked guitarist that I met in Los Angeles. We got Dennis Holm on drums. We are looking for a replacement bass player. We got Jared Nichols on guitar also. They alternate on riffs.
HRH: Would you say this is kind of like the rebirth of the band?
Luke: There have been some ups and downs over the last couple of years. It has been a battle. But we are pretty excited now because actually we are coming together again. I relocated to LA. It is amazing. The music scene in West Hollywood is absolutely kick ass. It’s all about the rock and roll. I really like it there. You got some of the most legendary music venues in the world all on Sunset Strip within like four blocks of each other. You got the House of Blues, The Whiskey A Go Go, The Viper Room, The Roxy, The Rainbow, The Troubadour all within a five-minute walk of each other. There is so much killer live music every night of the week. The Sunset Strip is all about Rock and Roll there. Musicians are there from all over the world. Pretty much the whole music industry is based out of LA for the most part. It is a real cool scene there. It is really exciting to be based out of LA now. That is where I met these guys. We are trying to pull everything together and try and get better radio play. We are setting up shows.
HRH: I read when you first started that you played the Key Club with Vince Neil when you first got started. Correct?
Luke: Yes that is right. That was completely crazy. That was the first time I ever went to L.A. That was a wild experience.
HRH: Now you guys are there to stay and ready to rock. I know you are influenced by The Ramones. What are your thoughts on Johnny Ramone’s passing?
Luke: I was definitely a big Ramones fans. You can certainly hear the influence in the music. It is a sad thing that these guys are gone.
HRH: Is there a video for Wake The Dead?
Luke: That is another thing we hope to have done next month or so.
HRH: How did you come up with the title?
Luke: That title I took from a line from AC/CD called “Shake A Leg.” I am a huge DC fan. Wake The Dead is a line in it. I was like yeah man that is the perfect name for the album.
HRH: Well, it is great to speak with you again Luke. Glad you are back on the scene. We wish you the Best of Luck!
Luke: Thank you. You can find us on Sound And Fury.
