The music of Pagan Lust is a call to return to that which is most primal within us...to delve into the darkness and extract our deepest longings. Blending genres of rock, metal, blues, punk, and funk...Societal Plague is an album that thematically exposes our own human weaknesses and frailties. From tracks like Mine which point a finger to our own greed, to Woke which attacks the self-righteous keyboard-warrior culture, each track provides a scathing view of our own humanity. Also featured on this album is the single entitled Yellow Serpents. Yellow Serpents is a reference to the two yellow lines that lead us down the road and is not only an anthem to bikers everywhere but also a tribute to those we have lost along the way.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Pagan Lust
Burn Moor: Vocals
Byron Church: Drums, Flute, Vocals
HardCore: Lead Guitar, Songwriter
Rick Brough: Bass Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Kamil: Hey Pagan Lust, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Rick: It's extraordinary to get to chat with you. Our influences vary so much. We just love funk, blues, metal, rock, doom, classical. Everything...except bluegrass for some reason...
Burn: Thanks so much for giving us this opportunity, Kamil. There were actually several singers in my family. My aunt was an opera singer, my uncle was a theater performer and so forth, so I guess that’s where I developed an appreciation for music even though I didn’t formally pursue music until very recently.
Byron: I started playing guitar when I was 10, and then joined school band at 11 playing saxophone. I followed that path into college, majoring in music education (which is my full-time career).
HardCore: 70's and 80's classic rock radio. I wanted to sound like Eddie Van Halen…but I prefer that I ended up sounding like me.
Kamil: How do you differ from most other artists?
HardCore: I think a lot of artists look at what sells and then create simple music that's easy for the general public to listen to. I, however, believe that the artist's expression is more important than marketability and that music should challenge you. Expect curve balls and moments of discomfort in our music. It's ok, it's good for you.
Rick: We don't fit into any genre and we don't want to. We melt faces with metal. We're funky. We’ve got blues harp, mad guitar and drums, deep goth vocals. We're like honey badgers and we don't give a fuck. We're going to entertain, have a blast and rip it up. Oh, and we are timely, very educated and have excellent diction. We’re also notably groomed except maybe with the exception of Byron.
Burn: I probably should’ve warned you that Rick is drunk.
Kamil: Your latest release is 'Societal Plague'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
HardCore: The creation of this debut album really solidified this band from a bunch of guys that just met and started jamming, into a tight group capable of improving our homemade songs through honest communication and complete band participation. Expect amazing things from our sophomore effort that's on the way!
Byron: Societal Plague is our first studio release and represents the base of our sound. We have continued to evolve and are eyeing studio dates for our second album. We recorded at FTM Studios in Lakewood, CO which is an excellent studio run by an even more excellent gentleman named Steve Sundberg. Not only is Steve genuinely welcoming, but he’s incredibly talented. We are fortunate to have such an ace in our pocket.
Rick: Backup vocals were last minute. We just happened to have an upright bass in the car we used for Unwanted Man. We found an old organ in the studio (not HardCore’s genitals) and used it, and found a great pizza joint in the vicinity as well.
Burn: Ok, so Rick is drunk and high. But if you want a weird story, I’ve got you covered. So right around the time that we initially formed Pagan Lust we worked out a deal to use an old warehouse for our rehearsals. It was dark and dingy but it was perfect for what we needed – a place that we could get as loud as we wanted without bothering anyone. It’s where we got our start and developed our sound. But one day we were heading into the warehouse together, talking a lot of shit as we usually do, and as soon as the door swung shut behind us everyone went dead silent. And I can tell you that shutting this group up like that is no small feat. But standing right in the center of our rehearsal space was this ghostly figure of a woman in what looked like a hooded robe. We couldn’t explain it, but we all described the exact same thing. The shadowy figure of a woman in robes holding what looked like a cup or a chalice. It must’ve only lasted a couple of seconds but I feel like it was more like a matter of minutes before anyone spoke. No idea what that was all about, but we decided to roll with it, and I guess in our way, honor it, and it became the logo for our band – the chalice with the image of the gypsy woman. And now she’s with us all the time.
Kamil: Where did you get the inspiration for this EP?
HardCore: When you write about disgust for society, then material is everywhere. Especially over the last few ugly years in this country. However, there's beautiful things that inspire us as well…like grease truck breakfast sandwiches in transparent paper bags.
Byron: Inspiration for Societal Plague, as the title suggests, comes from the trappings of the modern society we all currently live in (and contribute to, whether intentionally or not). It is our way of saying ‘hey, everyone relax, stop pointing fingers, lessen the greed, pump the brakes on social media, lower your pretentiousness, and be accepting of each other.’
Rick: My inspiration? The Muppets mostly. Oh, and a shared sadness for the direction human compassion seems to be going.
Burn: But mostly The Muppets.
Kamil: How long did you work on the 'Societal Plague'? Was it an easy process for you?
HardCore: Between learning the songs, recording and release...maybe about a year? It was easy because this band is synergistic as fuck.
Byron: Nothing about recording an album is easy, except for the decision to record an album. While we’re all about having fun and roasting one another (constantly), we’re all professionals and entered the studio with a business-like approach.
Rick: It was very organic. We're all very different musically, but the same in regards to what we want. To respect one another and produce something that is satisfying, fresh and challenging artistically.
Kamil: Do you have any weaknesses that you're actively working to improve on?
HardCore: The only thing we suck at is what we haven't tried yet. We'll get those down when we find what they are…if we're interested, of course.
Byron: All four of us are self-critics, so we’re always looking for areas to improve, both individually and as a band. Each rehearsal or studio session is a chance to improve, and we don’t take that lightly.
Rick: Kryptonite. That shit doesn't play games. Also, I lost my pie crust recipe.
Burn: If anyone finds Rick’s pie crust recipe, we would sure like to have it back. He just hasn’t been the same without it. He takes pride in his crust. It’s good crust.
Kamil: Which qualities do you think make a great musician?
HardCore: The ability to listen, focus on the space available to you, and put something in that space that improves the whole. That's it. Oh, and your mom has to have a van we can borrow.
Byron: Humility, drive, patience, and openness. We each have elements about our own abilities that we like and elements we don’t. We try not to center too hard on either, but rather embrace both and grow.
Rick: Listening and responding. And caring for one another. Which we do.
Burn: Natural talent aside, I think it’s more of the intangibles that will always make people great in whichever field they are pursuing – work ethic, coachability, and checking your ego at the door. I don’t possess any of them but luckily my mom had a van we could borrow. It’s the only reason I was allowed in this band. Thanks mom!
Kamil: How do you find yourself in the music business? When you started out in music, did you know it would be like this?
HardCore: We're not in the music business. We make killer music and share it because to not would be selfish. Because this shit rocks and everyone needs to hear it. We share stuff with the world and our listeners increase each month. We do sell band merch like Pagan Lust hoodies…well…because it's cold here and they’re bad ass.
Rick: We wish we were, but the music business is all about who you know. Expect a song on our next album about that too.
Kamil: Who is your favourite musician?
HardCore: Frank Zappa - there's no one else even close.
Byron: Picking my favorite musician would inevitably lead to some rolling in graves. My favorite musician is the one who undeniably owns their passion, their art, and their approach. If they churn out music I love, awesome. If they churn out music that others love but I don’t, but that musician fits the aforementioned criteria, I can get behind that too. Do your thing…but REALLY do it. That’s what matters.
Rick: Stevie Wonder
Burn: Peter Steele of Type O Negative
Kamil: What are your plans for the future?
HardCore: Continue to write better and better music. Continue to get stronger and stronger as a musician. Continue to get tighter and tighter as a band. Oh, and world domination through the mindless zombie army that our music turns people into.
Burn: Christ, HardCore, how many times do I have to tell you not to give away all our secrets?
Byron: Global takeover.
Rick: In the words of the late, great Freddie Mercury -- keep yourself alive.