Dead Soul Revival: Hard Rock /Post Grunge band
Interview conducted on July 29, 2021
by Dan Locke
Dead Soul Revival is a hard rock/post grunge band formed by vocalist/guitarist Matt Clark and drummer Scott Freak (both formerly of Freakhouse) and bassist Kendall Clark. The band is currently in the studio preparing their debut album Ignite. “For our first single we let the fans vote to pick their favorite,” says Kendall. “What they immediately react to is very important to us
– Matt Clark – vox, gtr
Kendall Clark – bass
Scott Freak – drums
What is your upbringing?
Matt: I was an Air Force brat until I was about 6. I was born in the States but lived in Germany for a couple of years when I was about 2-4. Moved a lot until we ended up in Texas, just outside of Dallas.
How did you discover music?
Matt: My folks introduced me to rock bands early on and that got the ball rolling.
How did you start to write music?
Matt: I realized as a teenager that I needed to write songs if I wanted to be in an original band. A lot of times that falls on the guitar player’s shoulders. Singers as well.
Matt- How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
I got my first guitar when I was in elementary school from a department store. I still have it.
Matt- What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
I have a black, early 80’s Les Paul Standard that is my go-to main guitar. I’m not a vintage purist by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve replaced the pickups, put an Evertune on it, etc. It’s an amazing instrument.
Kendall- How did you start playing the bass?
I was going through a bit of a rough patch in life & I needed something to delve into. Matt handed me a bass & that was that.
Kendall- What is the bass of your choice now.
Yes, it’s a Spector Bantam. It’s a short scale bass. I actually prefer their lower sound.
Matt you were in Freakhouse in the past. How has music changed?
I guess the primary way it’s changed is I’m on vocals now. The songwriting is different as well.
How did your band form?
Scott and I were in Freakhouse together so that was a no brainer. Kendall and I are married so that was a pretty obvious move as well. We are all on the same page as people. That helps a lot.
How did you get your bands name?
Matt: It’s referring to the fact that when you are in your darkest moments there is still hope. You can rise again and be stronger than you were before.
Describe your music.
Matt: We have a whole slew of influences that we bring into the writing. I like to think we have our own unique thing going on. It’s got elements of hard rock, grunge, and alternative. It’s really hard to get across what your music is in words so I prefer to just let people listen.
What was your first performance at like?
Matt: Since we formed just before the pandemic hit, we haven’t played any shows yet. We are focused on getting our music and name out into the World first.
Royalties never appear like magic. Royalties are only sent to you through work undertaken by a PRO to ensure that their members are getting paid. If you’re not yet signed up to a Performing Right Organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you may not be receiving all the royalties you deserve.
Do you belong to any songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI, or ASCAP?
Matt: We have been with ASCAP for years. Scott and I have had music on Big Bang Theory, Animal Kingdom, MTV, etc. Unexpected checks are always nice. Mailbox money.
What makes a good songwriter?
Matt: Great ideas, follow-through, patience, and self-editing. To me writing songs is like a puzzle. You can put together a puzzle and all the pieces fit perfectly or you can shoehorn them in. I prefer the former. When a song is right it just clicks.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
Matt: Sweet Surrender. I did, it was on my first band’s demo. Good song for the first one I must say. Once I got up the courage to just do it, it came very naturally to me.
What is the process of writing your music?
Matt: Usually it starts with a guitar riff or part. Sometimes it’s with a cool title idea. Occasionally we like to crack out the keyboard and write because we don’t go to the familiar places that the guitar takes us.
Tell me about your debut album “Ignite”? How was it to work with Major Appelbaum and Mike Cortada?
Matt: Both of those guys are great at what they do and are a pleasure to work with.
I’m a recording and mixing engineer so we tend to do all our recordings at my studio. Every record we do we learn new things so it gets a little easier. Still, we put a lot of work into these songs. We are very particular and don’t settle.
Tell me about your single “Down for the Last Time”?
Matt: Sure. That’s what I call one of our happy/sad songs. It’s taking you on an emotional ride. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully it’s not a train.
What is your favorite track on your album?
Matt: My fave is probably “Black Roses”. That one I feel like the universe gave us. Every once in a while, that happens. It’s a very special song to me.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
Matt: It’s great. I would like to see the royalties increase per play. The music industry is finally figuring out some ways to not just have our music pirated constantly. I wasn’t sure that would ever happen again. It’s much easier to stream than download mp3s illegally for most people. So, the ease of it has cut back piracy a lot, I think. And I think most people feel good about giving the bands something for their effort. People don’t value free as much as when they have some skin in the game.
How did Scott end up on the travel channel?
Matt: Scott and his family were on Ghost Adventures. The episode “Freak Murder House” is all about his home and their experiences living there. There was a double murder that occurred in the house during the 90’s. This was before he lived there. Kendall also appears in the episode in a re-enactment. It’s a very popular episode. Look out for Agatha. She’s a creepy doll that Zak wanted to buy from Scott for his museum. Scott is holding on to it. It has an energy that seemed to unsettle a lot of viewers.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Matt: I like digital for the convenience. If it’s just about sound I’d go with vinyl. At this point the difference in sound isn’t that big a deal to me. I do however like physical mediums because you get to hold the record, cd, or tape in your hands. It makes it more tangible. I especially like to check out the lot, liner notes and art. That is something I miss.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
I was just listening to “Running with the Devil”. That’s one of the first cover songs I learned to play in a band. Groundbreaking music.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
It sure didn’t help. I think things will bounce back though. People want and need entertainment so I don’t imagine live music will ever be going away. Plus, now they are going to be even more hungry for it.
Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist career?
During Covid-19, almost everything got cancelled, including a Metallica tour. Prior to the tour Metallica purchased a “cancellation, abandonment and no-appearance insurance” policy from Lloyd’s of London in any case of any potential postponement or cancellations. Lloyds of London refused to payout of the policy because of the policy’s communicable disease exclusion. Do you think that Metallica is right or the insurance company is right?
Matt: It’s hard to argue with a contract that you’ve signed. Record labels are the same way. You get handed a phone book of documents that covers them in every possible way imaginable. Everyone is trying to protect their bottom line. Sometimes that gets messy.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Matt: Writing, recording, and spending time with family. Plus, lots of practicing.
How do you stay healthy during the lockdown?
Matt: Personally, my eating habits were much better during the pandemic. Completely staying away from restaurants was good for me. Didn’t get any colds or anything either. Staying isolated has some fringe benefits.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Matt: I’m into old horror and sci-fi movies. I had more time to watch those which was great.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Matt: That sounds like a bad idea. I’m sure artists will go elsewhere and their fans will follow.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
Matt: There are plenty of bands I love that I’ve never seen live. I think if someone is into the music, they are probably going to be a fan no matter if they can see them or not. Merch sales do suffer though.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
Matt: In Hollywood it is still a thing as far as I know. I think there are a lot of places that don’t call it that but that is the basic idea when you break it down. For instance, they’ll call it pre-sale. What I think doesn’t really matter though. It’s what the market will bear. Lots of bands will go for that.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
Matt: That could be really cool. I’d check that out for sure.
In the past if a musician stop doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
Matt: Mixing and producing.
What is your happy place?
Matt: Las Vegas at the Craps table with a nice cold drink. “Let it Ride” is our next single and is a tribute to rolling the dice.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 Million. In the past year a lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks ($100 Million), Bob Dylan (over $400 Million), Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Neil Young song 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180-song catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artist based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning.
Someone who was totally against selling his rights was David Crosby. He did not want to sell his publishing rights. And it was not an easy thing for him to do. But by making a deal with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group, it took a big weight off of his shoulders. He could pay off his house and cover other bills. And now he doesn’t have to work for a living. It should be noted that David is battling tendinitis in his hands which hurts his ability to play guitar.
Do you think you would be willing to sale your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
Matt: That of course all depends on the amount offered. If there was enough money on the table I definitely would. A bird in the hand.
Spotify’s ‘Stream On’ event on (February 22), the company confirmed that more than 60,000 new tracks are now being ingested by its platform every single day. This means people are added new tracks uploaded to its platform every 1.4 seconds.
The figure, announced by Spotify’s Co-Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, means that across the course of this year, approximately 22 million tracks will be added to Spotify’s catalog. Spotify confirmed in November last year that its platform now played host to around 70 million tracks.
Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that, by the end of 2021, SPOT will be home to over 90 million tracks. And that in the early part of next year, it will surpass a catalog of 100 million for the first time.
But still back at the beginning of the year Spotify deleted 750,00 songs, mostly from independent artists. What do you think what that could mean to independent artist?
Matt: That’s hard to say without knowing why they deleted the songs. A lot of digital distributors require you to pay a yearly fee to have your songs on all the digital platforms. I’m sure those get pulled if the artists don’t pay. That’s kind of what that sounds like to me. Spotify is primarily promotion for an artist. Same thing as radio. It’s actually an awesome platform.
Over half a billion active users around the world share their favorite music on TikTok either with something like a dance challenge and lip-sync videos or creating a funny skit or candid camera moment.
TikTok has become a great platform for music promotion, sharing songs, and finding new listeners. In which it has become a place for music artist to earn revenue when people use their music. Which in many cases the daily promotion on TikTok has led to hug boosts on other platforms like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube.
TikTok does this with the become algorithmically generates a feed of content for each user, which you see as the displaying of #. The more a user engages with content, the smarter TikTok gets at guessing what kind of videos the viewer wants to watch.
Because a song can go viral because of this.
Sony Music and Warner Music Group-, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
Matt: Possibly, but not because the majors are using it. I tend to not look to them for strategy these days. Having said that, TikTok is a force.
Breaking news: TikTok is launching TikTok Radio, a full-time SiriusXM music channel going live this summer. The station will be available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices.
Some of the on TikTok include Cassyette, YukoEXE, Ashinikko, Palaye Royale, Josh Dun (Twenty-One Pilots), Yungblud, Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Gene Simmons, and Mick Jagger.
The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary, Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could became a force in the future of streaming music?
Matt: Absolutely. Seems too already be.
With more and more live music happening. And the virus is still here. Are you willing to play large concerts and festivals and what precautions would you like to have in place?
Matt: I wouldn’t want to play a super spreader type event. It’s just irresponsible. If there are proper safety protocols, yes, I would. I can’t believe how many people don’t take this virus seriously. When you’ve had friends and family die or be hospitalized by this, I think you look at it much differently. If that doesn’t wake you up, you’re clueless. And to me making this a political issue is just mind blowing.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Matt: Thanks for the interview and you can check us out on Spotify, Apple Music, and all the rest. Our website is deadsoulrevival.com Rock!
