Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I come from Hamilton, Ontario, and I’ve always been in bands as long as I can remember. I think the “career” thing found me.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I’m completely self-taught, although when I was young, I was a drummer and was taught rhythm theory.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘Monster Truck’?
A: My first and strongest influences for the truck were Grand Funk Railroad and Black Sabbath. We wanted to feel like we were listening to our dad’s record collection. The name “Monster Truck” came from Jer, and it sounded exactly like what we wanted to do. The name came before the band.
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘Warriors’. Is there a story behind it?
A: We started recording Warriors before the lockdowns and had to finish it in the gaps when the politicians would let us have a limited amount of people in rooms. It took a long time because the world had stopped and we didn’t have any label commitments, so we wanted to make sure it was right.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I think the key element to Monster Truck is the fact that we sound exactly as the name implies. Nothing clever, or unexpected, just in your face rock music.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I expect nothing. I think music gives you back what you put in, just like everything in life. I live with the philosophy that every day and moment is a gift. Even the most stressful and harrowing circumstances are amazing because at least you are experiencing something.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: My creative process is never ending. I live for it. For Monster Truck, sometimes I will write a line to a chorus or a guitar part that won’t get used for weeks, months or years. I like to almost work the entire song out in my head before I birth it into the real world. So, I sing them in the shower, fiddle with the riffs on guitar in passing, and slowly, but surely, it develops into a complete thought. Forcing yourself to write is the worst thing you can do.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I love plans. Uncertainty gives me real anxiety. So, any time there isn’t something on the horizon, or the band is on a “break”, my mind races to try and figure out how to fill and occupy the time. I’ve written and illustrated a children’s book, produced bands, written and recorded my own albums, anything to keep the creativity flowing.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I think I’m most proud of the fact that we are good enough that people still come to the shows. 13 years is a looooong time to be a band and I believe we’re just lucky that we made something that resonates, even in the small way that it does.
