SOURCE – Eulogies is your fifth album. What stands out about it to you?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – As artists, we want to continue to grow and be as honest as we can lyrically and musically. I think this record is marked by exactly that. Honesty. Creating the songs we are excited about sonically and writing lyrics that best represent our heart and passion.
SOURCE – Was there anything different in the steps to develop this material and recording it- especially given the pandemic situation that developed in the past couple of years?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – In some ways it was different. We’ve always had a hand in the production and engineering our records. Our last record ‘Eclipse’ was self-produced but not necessarily planned that way. It just sort of happened. This time around, before starting the process of writing and recording ‘Eulogies’, we knew that we wanted to self-produce and how we wanted to self-produce. We wanted more time with all of us in a room working through the songs. We definitely had some challenges amidst the pandemic, but were able to navigate through that with the use of modern technology. Although, at the end of the day, the most productive ways we created and made the songs better was the five of us in a room together working on the album.
SOURCE – How does the band balance out satisfying your own creative needs and approach for the songwriting, while also hopefully pleasing the faithful following the band has built over the years? Do you believe your music has now crossed multiple generations of fans because you’ve
been together for so long?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – That has gotten easier over the years as we’ve had longtime fans that have enjoyed our albums over the span of more than a decade. We realized that people followed us because they like what we like. There have been times that the music was more technical, times that it was more raw, times that it was more experimental, and times that it was aggressive. The longer we make music, the more we try to explore the different areas of what we enjoy about music. I’m sure in some ways our music has crossed to multiple generations as that is a natural progression when a band has been around for as long as we have. We hope to keep creating music for our longtime fans and new listeners as well.
SOURCE – What do you consider the biggest challenges right now for Wolves at the Gate in terms of establishing more of a foothold and footprint in the scene with your music?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – That’s a tough question to answer. It really depends on the band and what they want to accomplish in creating music and being a band. Our music is very important to us, but it’s important to maintain a proper balance in our lives. We are all married and most of have kids. We’ve never wanted the band to take precedence over those things. That choice definitely makes faster growth and success of band a much slower process as we cannot tour full time like we used to when we were younger. Yet at the same time, it is not a regret that any of us have as we are so grateful and blessed with our families.
SOURCE – How has the band learned to adapt and change with the times when it comes to the business practices and shifting industry/promotional models? Do you enjoy the tools of social media, streaming avenues, instant technology that are at everyone’s fingertips?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – There are benefits and difficulties that always come with change. There were aspects of older models of promotion, growth, and development that were great but the benefits of technology are undeniable. Our goal is that though many things change around the business and connecting with fans, that we ourselves don’t change. We don’t want these things to change how we act, what we care about, our integrity as musicians and people, and what is important to us as a band.
SOURCE – Captors turned 10 years old this year. What do you recall about the time surrounding that release?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – As it always is with looking back at old releases, there are always mixed emotions of thinking about the fun we had, but also seeing our youth and inexperience. It was an exciting time for us. Our biggest goal was to finally get to create a true full-length record in a legitimate studio. There are a lot of things we wish we would have done differently, but thoughts like that are always so useless because you could do that with anything you. We just want to look back, appreciate the experience, be grateful that people loved and enjoyed the record, and continue to look forward to the future as we grow.
SOURCE – What would you consider some of the benchmark highlights for Wolves at the Gate in your career? Specific albums, shows, tours, or festival appearances that will stay forever embedded in the memory banks where you knew the band was making an impact through your music or live performances?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – Every record and release has felt like a benchmark because no one is promised tomorrow. Every time we get together for a record, a tour, a festival, or anything always feels like a small victory or benchmark. It’s so cool that we get to do something we are so passionate about and do it together. I love the guys in the band, they are brothers to me. We like being together. I can’t say that there is one thing that stands out to me, just a collection of small moments that have given us the opportunity to be a part of something that we will always look at with gratitude and appreciation.
SOURCE – What are your plans for 2022?
Stephen Cobucci (Guitar, Vocals) – We are excited to release the new record and a lot of other exciting things along with the release of ‘Eulogies’. We are looking forward to shows, connecting with our fans, and continuing to create more music.
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