Deaf Rhino Spotlight Series Interview
Deaf Rhino are a band to be reckoned with. They are not afraid to carve out their own space and harness the raw emotional power of rock and roll. Not often do bands have the guts, patience, desire and attitude to pull it off. Deaf Rhino is quickly making it’s case as a band that you should invest in now. The Latest Noise profiles Deaf Rhino for its first feature Spotlight Series, at a time when Deaf Rhino is closing one chapter in their history and beginning the next. This interview was conducted on 10/30/16. www.deafrhino.com
Kuz: Hello Deaf Rhino, tell us a bit about the Rock and Roll MEGA party on 11/5/16 at Maxwell’s Tavern, what makes this one MEGA?
DR: We want to make sure our headline shows are more centered around the entire night of a great party rather then the just the hour and fifteen minutes we do our thing. Bands always want fans of their band to arrive early and to stick around for all of the bands, we want our fans to see something new that they would want to see again. Mix great music with a great room and a great community and you got yourself a Mega Party.
Kuz: Deaf Rhino has played Maxwell’s Tavern 9 times, next Saturday will be number 10, tell us about you experience at Maxwell’s and why you guys keep coming back?
DR: North Jersey has some pockets of really cool scenes that our band didn’t find itself in. When Maxwell's opened we saw it as a chance to create a platform for music in our back yard. The staff, from Pete and Matt, Dave and his crew and everyone in front of the house has been amazing to us and our fans from the smaller Wednesday front gigs to the mayhem-ridden Mega Party’s. The sound is great and the room is perfect, not too big and not too small for a loud band like us.
Kuz: The Latest Noise selected the single “Can’t Say It Ain’t True” to lead off it’s Summer mixtape. Tell us about the single, how’d that recording session go?
DR: We recorded that early in 2016 as set of three tunes we were tinkering with in between doing a lot of weekend warrior tours. CSIAT came out of the session as something we were stoked on so we put it out. We focused on heavy gigging through the summer and now are in the midsts of preparing for recording a new LP in January.
Kuz: DR are recording your 2nd LP in January at Studio G in Brooklyn, what are you looking to do different on the LP2?
DR: we love our first effort “Dirt, Rust, Chaos.” Our sound has evolved just playing a ton and we need some new songs to play live. All musicians want to always be getting better as writers and players.
Kuz: Can you tell us about the personnel involved and why you brought them along for LP2?
DR: I think we want to keep some mystery there.
Kuz: Are there any specific artists/albums that are guiding you either sonically or stylistically for LP2?
DR: A big point of emphasis was someone who we could trust as an accomplished producer, writer and engineer. Our new team definitely has that covered. We love collaborating and a chance to work with someone who has made records with artists we admire, that’s something we’re excited about.
Kuz: As a band, what have you learned from your first album that you look to evolve or change to recording process of the second album?
DR: every studio is different. We’ve never worked with a real seasoned veteran at the board, that should be fun. The sound is growing and our arrangements are different then the headspace for record 1. Throw in 100+ shows and countless hours of rehearsing and writing, everything should be different.
Kuz: What local/independent bands have grabbed the Rhino’s ear recently?
DR: Big Wake is a really good band to catch live. I love “The Band” and they tip their cap very nicely there….. Also love watching bands with really good key players. Nemes from MA is playing at 9 on Saturday, they have a great sound.
Kuz: Recently 89.5 FM WSOU (Seton Hall Radio) was named the best noncommercial radio station, tell us a bit about your experience with the station and why is noncommercial radio important in the digital streaming age?
DR: We’ve had some good success with radio with DRC and CSIAT. WSOU had us on when they were spinning “Hey You” and then again when they had CSIAT spinning. We were doing promo for our Deftones support slot and they let us come in and do rock and roll Trivia to promote and giveaway tickets. It exposes you to a different audience when a DJ vets your music and plays it on air. I’ve discovered a lot of new artists on stations like WMUH and The Peak in West Chester, knowing our band is finding new ears in someone’s car is just…cool.
Kuz: Are there any new scenes or cities that Rhino is looking to attack in the new year? Why?
DR: Our focus is on making something great in January, all calendars stop there for us right now.
Kuz: What are you guys looking forward to most as a band in 2017?
DR: Evolution.
Kuz: The Latest Noise looks forward to rocking out with you at Maxwell’s Tavern this Saturday, any parting words of wisdom before the MEGA party?
DR: Rock and Roll.