Note: FØES and Heated answered the same questions to support ‘War On Everything’ [Split EP]
SOURCE – For those out of the loop, can you bring everyone up to speed on the past few years of FØES?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – Since our last release ‘American Violence’ came out, the whole world has changed and yet Sonny (Guitar) and I have continued as we always have; jamming our set, writing new material, and recording in our DIY space we’ve affectionately dubbed, DOOM ROOM Studios. We’re approaching the final stages of tracking for a new full length record, with new unreleased material reaching back about three years. Not to mention our most ambitious endeavor to date, the ‘WAR ON EVERYTHING’ split EP with our good friends Heated from Stockton, CA and our label Glacier Recordings out of Oakland, CA. We’ve also managed to play a few shows since the Pacific Northwest and California have relaxed restrictions on gatherings in the last seven to eight months. Overall, we have been super grateful that we’ve been able to continue doing what we love through so many hardships the last few years.
SOURCE – What was the writing and recording process like for the new record, and did COVID interfere in any way with getting it done and released?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – Our writing process hasn’t changed all too much from other releases and wasn’t affected too much by COVID surprisingly. Sonny and I wrote this release in our space together, feeling what was happening in the moment and feeding off each other’s energy. One of the tracks on the new split (Ghosttown) was a collaboration with our previous bass player Brandon Burton prior to his exit from the band in 2018. Typically, if we can have other members present for the writing process it is ideal however scheduling and living spread throughout Oregon makes that situation a rarity. Moving on to recording: the rough skeletons were then recorded live several times and demo’d out properly at least a few times with each successive round scrutinized more critically than the last. Finally, we committed to tracking for the last time and solidified any terminal changes to fills, riffs, noise and vocal patterns. Raw tracks were sent to our friends at Audiosiege Studios in Portland, OR to be polished and finally Glacier Recordings helped push it out to the world after receiving tracks for Heated’s side of the split. The main element effected by COVID for us was time but it was ironically positive for us, all our time lines were stretched and relaxed so we were really able to take our time.
SOURCE – How would you assess where FØES is at currently for a following – and what steps are necessary do you believe to move up the ladder so to speak in terms of a stronger footprint locally, nationally, and internationally?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – We’ve seen quite a bit of international recognition for how small we are and here in the states we’ve had a decent amount of acceptance amongst various groups in the scene. In my mind I think getting on bills with more popular bands as well as participating in festival type gigs would be pathways to growing FØES on the national level. Getting the name out and showing that we have no issue pulling off the material in a live setting and making each performance memorable. Expanding our catalog with new releases and continuing to put out new quality merch for our supporters has been our focus both locally and beyond. As for moving up the ladder in all realms; my belief is that we need some sort of endorsement from larger groups or labels in the national scene who recognize the hard work and longevity that we bring to the table. That and staying the course with our current persistence in playing shows when possible and spreading the word online.
SOURCE – What are the most important qualities do you think a band like FØES has maintained to keep a following and remain relevant for such a long period of time? Are there times where you feel like your fanbase may have shifted, and has it been a challenge to balance what you want to make musically as musicians and meet the expectations of your fanbase?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – My best guest would be our persistence in creating what we want, how we want to. We tend to not make many concessions when it comes to our creative liberties, consistently taking our time and going at our own pace as much as it’s possible while making the music that we love to play. Not to mention that we are each good friends with one another and have been for a long time now, contributing to our lasting longevity in my belief. As for our fans? The stats from our Spotify would say that our fans are mostly around our age, 27-35ish. But at shows we are constantly seeing young kids at the merch table and out on the floor moshing hard, so I think that is a sign of our fanbase growing and reaching more demographics than ever before. I also have a feeling that the more we play with other bands and are ourselves exposed to more fans, our music will inevitably morph into some new kind of beast in the future. What that might look like? I think we’ll all have to wait and see. Is it a challenge? Absolutely. But one to meet and not to be feared.
SOURCE – Are there plans for a traditional video for that song or any others on the album?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – We have some visual content about to be released, not in the traditional music video sense but we do hope to connect with some local artists to help us create something like that as soon as its possible. The financial bandwidth of our lower level band is also limited in our capacity to do everything that we wish. To sum it up, we do what we can when can with what we have.
SOURCE – How would you describe the band chemistry and relationships within FØES? Do you share in the outside responsibilities that it takes to get things done for band activities and business dealings beyond the music?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – FØES are really friends, like I said before. Together we have fought, bled, cried and been there for each other. We are a team, though not a perfect one. I think one of the biggest struggles in a band is making space for everyone and allowing yourself to concede and negotiate creatively. Sonny (Daniels) and I are both the brains and champions of FØES, while Brandon (Self) is our enthusiasm and youth. Micah is the chosen voice for us, he is always who I had envisioned fronting this Band and has the poetic nature to capture what it is we are aching to say. The work is divided amongst us but Sonny and I co-manage the project as well as we can while dealing with our everyday grind.
SOURCE – Social media is an essential part of promotion these days. Do you like the transparency and interaction, or do you prefer the old days when there was more mystique to an album release?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – I think social media has been really great for us over the last few years, it’s given us the opportunity to connect with some really great people from all over the world (Indonesia, Australia, Scotland to name a few). It’s been so amazing to chat with fans and people we can call friends who we’ve never even met. We love seeing the engagement happen when we post, get some shares and see movement in our Pacific Northwest community then have it reach further than we ever thought possible. Of course it does come with a high price; insane extremism, trolls, negative comments and staring at one of three apps on our phones all day. Luckily, the press and media have been kind to us so far but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until we see something of that nature. When I personally started playing shows, Myspace was already a thing so it’s been a familiar process to navigate over the last almost decade. However, I do remember the anticipation and the excitement waiting for an album to drop prior to social media. It’s tough for me to say exactly which is better, all I can say is that things are different and they aren’t going back. Luckily our songs are brief and chaotic, surely enough to captivate the ever decreasing attention span of metalheads across the globe.
SOURCE – What’s on the agenda for FØES or other musical endeavors for the members that we can expect over the coming year or so?
Garrett Judkins (drums) – Over the next year we’re rounding out the last pieces of a full length as well as riding the high from our ‘WAR ON EVERYTHING’ split. Our current goals include continuing working on our DIY studio, to tour as much as our busy life schedules will allow (hopefully finding some tour management support will help in that regard) and to remain good friends throughout the process. Most of us are working on side projects and other bands to pass the down time between FØES commitments. Projects of note are Abiosis (@abiosisofficial), .Alpine.Drive. (alpinedrive89.bandcamp.com), and Self Aggression (@selfagression) with others on the back burner. Lots of exciting things coming out of our DIY DOOM ROOM studio and from the FØES camp that I think people can enjoy over the next few years. Stay tuned to our social media outlets for updates about new material and great offerings from all our creative minds.
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