{"id":37416,"date":"2019-03-19T20:02:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T09:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=37416"},"modified":"2019-03-19T20:02:35","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T09:02:35","slug":"leigh-kakaty-of-pop-evil-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2019\/03\/leigh-kakaty-of-pop-evil-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Leigh Kakaty of Pop Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cIt really felt like it was a rebirth for us so we really spent a lot of time both in and out of the studio making sure that we wanted to lay some solid groundwork for Pop Evil moving forward in the future\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

From Release: Simply put, POP EVIL is a larger-than-life true rock n\u2019 roll band blending the earnestness of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden with the celebratory showmanship of Motley Crue and KISS, capable of empathizing with the daily struggles of their fans while simultaneously offering the escapism a truly bombastic concert provides.\u00a0The band\u2019s latest record is a surging, contemporary sounding release that incorporates metal, alternative, hard rock and even electronic music. In the wake of the band\u2019s peppy, upbeat 2015 album\u00a0\u2018Up\u2019,<\/strong>\u00a0it\u2019s a wake-up call and a musical rebirth that inspired the band to self-title the release. There\u00a0is a reason Billboard named\u00a0POP EVIL\u00a0the #4 Mainstream Rock Artist of 2014. Having three consecutive #1 Rock Radio Singles from the \u2018War Of Angels\u2019album (and a fourth that cracked the Top 10), A Top 10 Independent debut and Top 40 Billboard 200 debut of\u00a0\u2018Onyx\u2019.<\/p>\n

At home in Michigan refueling before heading to Australia for their first ever tour, we talked about their shows, their latest album, new music, passion, and much more\u2026 Be Legendary!<\/p>\n

Good to talk to you again, Leigh, we last spoke around three and a half years ago when ‘Up’ was released, so let’s catch up, how have the last three and a half years been for you?<\/strong>
\nOh man it\u2019s been busy no doubt about it, but it\u2019s been good I mean no crazy huge steps is always the Pop Evil way one step at a time it\u2019s been a gradual incline so that\u2019s good news, just keep it moving up.<\/p>\n

Of course we’re here because you’re finally heading to Australia! When you’re coming to a territory for the first time how do you go about structuring the set list?<\/strong>
\nWell you know it\u2019s interesting whenever we head out of the country we always focus on things that are on YouTube and things that are on the social media outlets because people aren\u2019t listening to radio the same way that American fans are listening to radio so we really try that anything we\u2019ve released on line, we really try to start there and obviously try to put in as many new things that we can you know, but we try to get a good blend of all the albums with keeping in mind what\u2019s on YouTube and the videos we\u2019ve released.<\/p>\n

So for anyone that hasn’t seen you before, can you give us three words that you feel sum up a Pop Evil live show?<\/strong>
\nJust high energy. That\u2019s how we\u2019ve kind of made our name and lasted as long as we have, we\u2019re known for our raw show. A lot of energy, high octane, very crowd involved, again our songs are very anthem like that require a lot of crowd participation, a lot of hands up, get involved it\u2019s just always about the experience for us and again the live show is what we\u2019re always thinking about whether it\u2019s the set list like we were just talked about and when we get in to write new albums we\u2019re always thinking about fans so I\u2019d say that\u2019s probably our biggest asset.<\/p>\n

Talking about anthems, last year you released your latest self-titled album and I’ve pretty much had ‘Waking Lions’ stuck in my head since then, but for you how has the cycle been so far on this record?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s been great, it\u2019s crazy to think we\u2019re on the third single \u2018Be Legendary\u2019 so we\u2019re coming down towards the end of this album cycle but it was a year in the making so it was a long haul this time we really stayed off the road and tried to do everything we could to make sure this was one of the albums we were most proud of and really feel like it\u2019s who we are hence why we called it a self-titled album. It really felt like it was a rebirth for us so we really spent a lot of time both in and out of the studio making sure that we wanted to lay some solid groundwork for Pop Evil moving forward in the future, so a lot of work kind of when I think back to the early stages of this album but the way the album\u2019s been received again we just came back from Canada and Europe and it\u2019s just incredible, we\u2019re the biggest we\u2019ve ever been outside of the US so we\u2019re really excited about finally getting a chance to be here in Australia I mean it\u2019s been a long time coming and again we\u2019re just willing to put the time in and just start from scratch, I mean there\u2019s certainly so many people that have not heard of us in Australia so we can\u2019t wait to you know, get to play and for those that have heard and help us spread the word and hopefully grow the band sooner than later so we can get back many more times in the future and not go so long without coming obviously.<\/p>\n

Five albums in, how if in any way does the creative process differ now compared to your earlier releases?<\/strong>
\nThe fans, I mean we\u2019re constantly thinking again about our set list we try to challenge ourselves without the same song over and over again but as we get in to this record we\u2019re starting to work on our sound in different ways, so who knows, maybe this record will take some pointers from some of the songs we\u2019ve had success with in the past. I know a lot of people love \u2018Trenches\u2019, they love \u2018Waking Lions\u2019 like you said, you know maybe we tap into some different elements of those songs that have worked well for us but I mean ideally we\u2019re always looking to be experimental, try new things and give ourselves the opportunity to bring that live show and entertain our fans in different ways. We\u2019re really strongly believing in the fact that we don\u2019t want to just regurgitate the same song fifteen times and call that a show, you know we\u2019ve very much made a name for ourselves by giving you all the senses, we take you on a journey from the first song of the set until the end and that\u2019s something that we\u2019ll definitely keep in mind as we get to writing the next album and then certainly as we look forward to albums in the future, it\u2019s something that\u2019s always been important to us.<\/p>\n

Are you now already thinking about the next album or still focusing on and going through \u2018Pop Evil\u2019?<\/strong>
\nYeah I mean we\u2019re starting to think about it, it\u2019s starting to become that time. I personally don\u2019t write until I\u2019m kind of done with touring, but I might start as early as the end of spring here or early summer and just see what\u2019s happening. Normally we go four singles in but I\u2019m kind of excited to just do something fresh and do some new stuff and I think we\u2019re talking about splitting this record up in different times, I\u2019m not a fan of writing an album in a month or two and then you go tour for it for two years by the time you\u2019re in the second year the songs are old for you so it would be nice to kind of break up the recording process and keep it fresh for the band and certainly for the fans it keeps it a little more mysterious and exciting as you\u2019re waiting for new music to drop. It\u2019s just interesting, the business is changing and the model is changing so we\u2019re always trying to stay a little bit a head of that curve and try different things as far as recording and releasing new songs, so it will be interesting if we go the old school method or if we implement some of these new things that I know the band and myself personally want to try. It will be interesting, we\u2019re definitely talking about it but we haven\u2019t made that first step to take the initiative yet we\u2019re still focusing on \u2018Be Legendary\u2019 right now.<\/p>\n

You’ve now been in this band for eighteen years, and over time it’s easy to say what’s changed but what would you say is the one thing that’s stayed the same about Pop Evil?<\/strong>
\nThat\u2019s crazy to think that, man, eighteen years\u2026 inane. I mean I think our passion. All of us band members are different but together we\u2019ve got somethings special and all our drive, our tenacity for our fans to be better, to challenge each other that\u2019s always stayed consistent and I think that as we look to the future obviously we\u2019re very passionate about getting into other countries, Australia has been a big one, hopefully next time down we can do Australia and New Zealand and maybe get into the Asia\u2019s as well. There\u2019s only one state we haven\u2019t played in The US that\u2019s Hawaii so that\u2019s on the way too. So hopefully we can get into some of these markets and just keep introducing our world domination plan, right *laughs*, just get your music out there to the masses, that\u2019s always been the plan and the drive to do that so I think that\u2019s where everyone\u2019s excitement and passion is still just to keep getting out there and playing in front of as many people as possible.<\/p>\n

Looking back was there one piece of advice you were given when you started making music that you still go back to to this day?<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s lots, I mean don\u2019t count other people\u2019s money is number one, best advice, if someone else is helping you they deserve what they\u2019re working for because it\u2019s a lot of work for a lot of people in many different ways so that\u2019s the best advice. Then the other best advice sounds so trivial and so simple you\u2019ve gotta write good songs, man, you\u2019ve gotta write songs that someone in New York would like, someone in Sydney Australia would like that\u2019s a challenge because different strokes for different folks, different cultures and a lot of people like different things so it doesn\u2019t change no matter what genre of music you\u2019re in to just write that good song and the thing is when you\u2019re in rock and roll and someone called it, rock and roll is dead and I don\u2019t know how our genre had a saying quite like that so it\u2019s like we have to fight these uphill battles a little different and a little harder than other genres, so it\u2019s important to really come after it, be open minded into blending rock and metal and not just with your influences and your writing styles, being open to other bands opening for you, making sure that you\u2019re not opposed to opening for them, it\u2019s all about us opening different people\u2019s eyes and letting them become open to your music and you\u2019ve gotta create different avenues for them to hear and see your band nowadays. So again, just being open minded to just don\u2019t always give a hard no, always think there\u2019s a way, there\u2019s always someone out there that hasn\u2019t heard your band or seen your band live so it\u2019s important to think out of the box.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s probably the reason you\u2019ve been doing it for eighteen years, man\u2026<\/strong>
\nHey, it\u2019s definitely worked for us and hopefully we\u2019ve got eighteen more we\u2019ll just keep it rollin\u2019<\/p>\n

Lastly let’s look ahead to the future, finish this sentence for me, in 2019 Pop Evil will…<\/strong>
\nPlay Australia<\/p>\n

Well we know that!<\/strong>
\n*laughs* Well I don\u2019t know, how else am I supposed to know what I\u2019m doing *laughs* I love it, I love it.<\/p>\n

Thanks, Leigh, can\u2019t wait to see you guys in Sydney!<\/strong>
\nI can\u2019t wait, it\u2019s been a long time coming, I\u2019ve just gotta get through this flight first I\u2019ve got seventeen hours until I can finally be excited to be in Australia, so we\u2019re counting down the days and the hours and we can\u2019t wait to finally meet everybody and start building those friendships with all of you and bring our music your way, so fun times coming. Let\u2019s do it.<\/p>\n

Be excited and Be Legendary!<\/strong>
\nI love it, we\u2019re definitely excited!<\/p>\n

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POP EVIL AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2019
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Thursday 4th<\/sup>\u00a0April: <\/strong>Enigma Bar; Adelaide (new venue)
\nFriday 5th<\/sup>\u00a0April: <\/strong>The Prince Band Room; Melbourne
\nSaturday 6th<\/sup>\u00a0April: <\/strong>The Lair, Metro Theatre; Sydney
\nSunday 7th<\/sup>\u00a0April: <\/strong>The Zoo; Brisbane<\/p>\n

Tickets: http:\/\/silverbacktouring.com.au\/pop-evil-2019\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Presented by: Silverback Touring<\/p>\n

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Essential Information<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Grand Rapids, MI, USA<\/p>\n

Band members: <\/strong>Leigh Kakaty \u2013 Vocals, Davey Grahs \u2013 Guitar, Nick Fuelling \u2013 Guitar, Hayley Cramer\u00a0 – Drums, Matt DiRito – Bass<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong> \u00a0http:\/\/www.popevil.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest release: <\/strong>Pop Evil \u2013 (out now-\u00a0 eOne Music)<\/p>\n

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