A few weeks back, Steve caught Bleed opening for Narrow Head at Johnny Brenda’s. He was able to catch up with the fellas after the show to grab a copy of Somebody’s Closer on a dope magenta/violet splatter vinyl. You can catch Steve’s write up from that amazing show here.
Hailing from Dallas, Texas, bleed is a heavy, alternative rock four-piece fronted by Ryan Hughes on guitar and vox. Adam, Noah, and Carson round out the rest of the group on bass, guitar, and drums.
They graciously accepted our invitation to answer a few questions as they finished touring; read more below to see what they had to say.
Steve: Hearing Silver live at the show dropped my jaw, that riff is so gnarly it really caught me off guard. That being said, what’s the band’s songwriting process, is it more riff-centric with the rest of the pieces fitting together after, or something else altogether?
Thanks for the kind words! That riff specifically was birthed at the practice spot. I played the riff and the others said run that back. Pretty organic. As far as the overall songwriting process, that’s pretty much how it goes for the most part. I’ll bring a riff and/or song idea to the others and we’ll hash it out together. It all starts with the riff though.
Steve: What was it like growing up in the Texas music scene?
I was honestly very lucky to grow up in Texas. We consider it the third coast. Big bands and shit come from East/West coasts however I firmly believe music from Texas is just special. You notice it on tour as well. People and bands from Texas are just different and that’s the way we like it.
Steve: What’s the best venue you’ve played so far this tour, what’s been the best crowd?
TV Eye in Brooklyn was my personal favorite. It was our second night in Brooklyn and it was a fantastic show. Everyone at that venue, patrons and staff alike were just great.
Steve: I’m a gear nerd, build my own pedals and guitars when I need a new project. If any of ya’ll are gear heads, what’s your favorite piece of gear you’re currently touring with? Anything too special that didn’t make the trip?
Man, I wish I could build my own shit. It’s been a lifelong desire of mine. I’m a pretty big gear snob myself. My current favorite piece of gear is probably my amp. I play an early VHT Pittbull 100/CL and it’s such a love-hate relationship. When it’s on, it’s ON and it’s the most perfect amplifier I’ve ever used. The sound is incredibly unique and huge all while staying defined and sometimes violently tight. I’m not a good guitar player so sometimes that works against me depending on the room and even cabinet pairing. But I love the sound and it’s perfect for what we do.
Steve: Favorite breakfast cereal?
Cinnamon Toast Crunch baby.
Steve: What’s it like being on tour with Narrow Head and Temple of Angels?
Like I mentioned previously, bands and people from Texas are different. That being said, everyone on this tour is straight up best friends. We all have history in music together so it’s hard to get off a tour like this and not consider touring with friends again. I love every single person in all three bands.
Gianca: Newest Single Killing Time, love the sound, and the laid-back vocals over such a heavy-hitting guitar, bass, and drums mix. Super excited about some new stuff, EP coming soon?
We have about 90% of a 10 song LP written that we’re planning to start recording over the holidays. Due out in 2023 via 20 Buck Spin.
Gianca: If yes: Have you guys been recording on the road and if so what’s that been like?
Pretty hard for us to record or even write on the road. We are far from tour bus dwellers as we still drive our own little van to every show.
Gianca: Tons of heavy, aggressive, in-your-face wall-of-sound type tunes that ya’ll have released so far, I fucking love it its some of the heaviest stuff I’ve heard in a while. What do you think sets your sound apart from other acts?
I’ve heard from people that they enjoy the straightforwardness of our sound and songwriting. I’d have to agree with them. I know what I want it to sound like. The studio and mixing process is honestly very agonizing for me because I’m so married to where I want the songs to be sonically that I get pretty anal. A big goal of mine is consistency from release to release while also building. Rubio, who has recorded everything thus far and will also do the LP, knows me so well that they understand the process and is extremely patient which is half the reason we get to where we want to be.
Gianca: Biggest influences?
Hard one. I’ll name a few, some more obvious than others. Deftones, Failure, Pulse Ultra, Hum, Lo-Pro, Shift, SOAD..list goes on.
Gianca: One of my favorites by you guys is Somebody’s Closer, super rad jam. I love how melodic but also hard-hitting it is. Do you ever see the direction of a band trending towards that sound or would you like to stay with the riff-heavy stuff?
I think that song is pretty riff-heavy. That’s my favorite song we’ve written thus far and it came together very easily for us. The name of our game is honestly as simple as it gets…riffs & hooks.
Gianca: To Ryan, Adam, and Noah, who are your favorite guitarists/bassists? Carson, who is your favorite drummer?
Noah and I both owe a lot to Page Hamilton (Helmet) and Steph Carpenter (Deftones) (no surprise) but further Tim Lash of HUM is a big one for me personally. Adam references Chi Cheng (Deftones) and Carson… Jimmy Chamberlain (Smashing Pumpkins).
Again, huge thanks to the Bleed for taking the time to answer all our questions. Goes to show you the type of band they are and letting that Texas sound and feel bleed through… We recommend listening all the way though Somebody’s Closer and their newest single Killing Time.
Go give them a follow on socials as well:
We’ll leave you a few of our favorite tracks from the artists and musicians mentioned above.
7ftSicilians 
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