Mommy is Mental, Mind Control, Pop Punk for Money

0:00?Hello, hello. Welcome to Interceptor Beyond Podcast. My name is Arthur, and it is the second episode of the Green Room Sessions, where I interview the musicians right there at the venue, just before or after the gig. And today we have two bands, Mami's Bantu and Mind Control. Really cool bands, check them out. The links are in the description. Don't forget to subscribe. Don't forget to tell people about this podcast. Check out the Patreon page for this podcast at patreon.com slash interceptor beyond for some exclusive content. And that's it. Enjoy.

0:34HostMami is Mantle. Hello. Say hello. Hello. Hi. Could you please introduce yourself to our listeners one by one? Okay. Hi, I'm Leah. Hey, Ella. Hi, I'm the bassist. And what's your name? I really am. You don't believe me? All right. Hi, I'm Stella. How are you doing? You're playing tonight. We're in Kramladen. How are you doing? Good. Yeah, great. I think it's gonna be a fun show. Fun night. All good. Yeah. When was the last time you played? I mean, you play quite a lot in Vienna, right?

1:41?I can't hear.

1:45HostDo you do booking yourself?

1:46?Yes. Always, yeah. Yeah.

1:49HostActually, we need to tell people... I mean, most probably people who will listen to it already know you, but there are such a percentage of people who don't know you at all. And now, how would you describe your music? Because first, we're going to talk to you, and then we'll listen to the song. I will put the song in the end of the episode, right? So, how would you describe your music to the person who doesn't know anything about you? I don't want to go. Somebody else.

2:24HostGrunge punk. So, it's a contradictory term. In a way, that grunge is now mainstream, like super mainstream, and punk is always anti-establishment, kind of. So, what do you say about that?

2:58HostWhat I mean about the mainstream part is that all of a sudden, grunge became recently, you know? You started doing grunge punk for a long time.

3:06HostAnd now, grunge is mainstream. But you're even cooler because you're playing grunge punk.

3:32HostI think everything about your band and how you came together is by coincidence. I think you got your musical instruments in some funny way, right?

3:42?Yeah.

3:43HostHow did it happen? What's the story behind it?

3:48HostAll of you? Four of you?

4:13HostAnd somebody got a present or something, like the musical instruments or something.

4:24?And I wanted to learn bass or any instrument, and he gave it to me. So, it was...

4:28HostJust to have it? Is it the one that you play tonight? Yeah. Oh, can we all say, oh?

4:37HostI've never seen you so red.

4:40?It was a Christmas present.

4:42HostAh, okay. We should actually mention that we made a photo session together. That's how I know you personally. The first time we saw each other. Well, I've seen you before. Right. I was planning to have a photo session with you for a long time. It took me a while to get close.

4:57?It's all coming out.

4:59HostIt's all part of the big plan. You have no idea how far it goes.

5:07HostBecause nobody knows my plans. I'm joking, man. We have a photographer. Julian, say, Julian, hello. Hey, guys. So, I wanted to ask you. Right. So, you're quite an established band. Many people know you. Would you say that people in Vienna at least know you?

6:19HostSo, yeah, the scene, the music scenes in general, like there's genres in Vienna is really tight. I mean, it's not a big city. I mean, it's really compact. Yeah. But what I want to ask is, like, regarding the popularity. You went on tours, right?

6:38HostHow was, yeah.

6:43?But yeah, yeah.

6:44HostWhy? Why doesn't it feel?

6:45?One mini tour. Where did you go? Slovakia.

6:48HostSlovakia, right? So, any plans to do a more tour, more expensive tour soon?

7:03HostYou've been playing since 2016.

7:11HostSo, what are your plans, actually, for this band?

7:34HostWhy so chilly? You should kill, kill, kill.

7:38?Today, we're going to kill, kill, kill. Oh, I hope so.

7:41HostBut actually, I know that for your type of the band and for you specifically, Kramladen is quite small. You're a really energetic band. You need a bigger stage.

8:04HostYou like more personal contact with the people, right? No.

8:10HostAll right. But you want to be?

8:15HostOn the same level, but away from P.

8:22HostSo, you've never tried to jump into the crowd. It's not your thing.

8:30?Make you smile a little.

8:35?No, it's not that bad.

8:36HostNo, of course it's not that bad. But actually, it's an interesting question. What is a stage for you? Like, is it something that you can be somebody else or it's something that you can be truly yourself?

9:04?Yeah. What about you?

9:16?So, and you? I think I can be truly myself when I'm on stage. So, I think I can let everything out that I keep inside on a normal day. And so when I'm on stage, I can like go crazy and just be myself. Stage dive? No, not. But maybe.

9:37HostAnyone? Yeah. Drums is not a problem. It's not impossible.

9:41?I will work on it, but maybe next year.

9:45HostAnybody has a stage dive, a monument?

9:57?What stage dive? Ah, here's the stage diver. Ah, not yet.

10:01HostAh, not yet. I've never been. I don't remember, but I have a feeling I did.

10:06?Ah.

10:07HostAh, I don't want the feeling. It wasn't rock.

10:09?If at all.

10:22HostBut wait, you played or you were?

10:25HostYou were at the show. Well, actually, what's your favorite? Imagine a world where you can choose any band for the best lineup for your support or you support somebody as a band. This is a good one to describe what kind of music you play, you know, in a way. Three, two, one.

10:43?Justin Bieber.

11:04?Made of Ace, we almost played for... We almost opened up for them, but then the show got canceled due to COVID.

11:22?Yeah.

11:23HostSucks. What'd you say? The quiet one.

11:29HostYeah. So, as I said, I'm trying to, like, describe your music. I mean, I discovered you around 2019 when I was going to the clubs. Actually, I knew when I started researching the music scene that the big event was that you changed your name from Sold to Mommy Mental. And what's the story about the name? There's something cool about it.

11:59?Okay, all right. I followed, or I'm still following your Instagram account, and she's from USA, and she's a mother of two children. And they painted a picture for her, and it said Mommy is mental.

12:24HostOn my podcast, it's possible to contact all the people. You should talk to... Not talk to... Listen to the episode with the Broom guys, because thanks to my podcast, the Broom band has a new album cover, because they connected them with the people. There's some story. Oh my God, there's a story. You can listen on the podcast. So, now you have a more commercial name, Mommy is Mental. Any plans to go commercial?

12:53HostWhat does it mean for you to be commercial?

13:14HostSo, this is the border for you. You don't want to make money.

13:36HostI love different opinions. I don't want to break up the band, I don't understand. But it's just... I need a conflict for the interview.

14:20HostBut what's the borderline for you? If somebody comes and offers you money for a song that you can put in a movie?

14:34HostOkay, it's Avengers and you got a lot of money. A good percentage royalty that you get.

14:45?Sorry.

14:56HostFrom now on, we know Avengers as Avengers. The official title.

15:05?I haven't seen it.

15:11HostThis is the punk side of the money is mental. Like, we don't watch anything popular. We don't care about popular music. Nothing. Except German hip-hop.

15:22?German hip-hop.

15:26HostYeah, but it's something, a popular movie and they offer you a lot of money and they're going to play the shit out of the song. Many people will hear it. But maybe somebody will say that you sold out.

16:09?No.

16:22?Yeah.

16:22HostWell, I gave you an example, okay. A movie with a lot of money and your family would be really happy, like really happy to get some of that money. But probably you'll be considered to be selling out.

16:41?Mia.

17:18HostOr maybe they tell you, okay, we like the song. Can you cut out this part and this part?

17:31HostThe most important part.

17:36HostI mean, it's a really hard question, I understand, you know, it's a hypocrisy, but you know...

17:50HostWell, this is where you get... That would be shit. Yeah, this is where you fight yourself as an artist of who you... Like, how can you live with that? I mean, but I like to give the example of the Black Keys. The first time they got offered money for commercial, they said, no, fuck you, fuck establishment. But then all the family members said, well, you made your point. Wait, next time, please, it never happens. And since then, they became commercial.

18:17?Oh, wow.

18:18HostAnd nobody likes them now. Well, I like them personally, still, like... Do you know Black Keys, right?

18:24?Yeah. No? Nope. Anti-pop.

18:27HostWhat do you listen to? What kind of music?

18:32HostFuck, okay, I can't say anything about that.

18:36?Shut up.

18:37HostYeah, continue listening. And if you said something else, I would fuck you up. But no, that's good. But it's good to you. Bach? Are you Bach? Yeah.

18:48Host70 years, nobody knew about Bach and then Mendelsohn.

18:53HostWould you be okay with that? If you made music, you would be popular now. And then everybody would forget about you for 70 years. But then somebody would rediscover you.

19:05HostWhat's more important, being famous now or in the future sometime? I mean, like successful maybe.

19:48?Oh, that's right.

19:50HostOkay, Hannah Montana, this is deep. Hannah Montana is Smiley Cyrus, right? I see the connection. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

20:16HostSo no regrets.

20:17?Yeah. No regrets.

20:24HostSo what's the plan for now? You said that you're recording new material.

20:29HostIs it in the same direction of the music that you're doing now? Or it's different? Are you going pop punk?

20:37HostUnfortunately or what?

20:46HostNo, I'm just going to contradict everything that you say. I will say it differently.

20:51HostI think I found something. They're doing a pop punk album. Like a secret one.

21:06?No. What is happening?

21:07HostWhat, you got an offer from a record label?

21:13HostDo you want to be signed?

21:17HostDo you want to be signed to a record label?

21:19?No. No. No.

21:25HostWe value your opinion, but next time you're not in the band.

21:29?Maybe.

21:31HostThis is almost like the question with getting money, but cutting out the song. Your opinion or out or whatever, you know?

21:38?Yeah.

21:38HostSo you don't want to get signed to a record label?

21:44HostBut if you get an offer, if I can connect you with people?

21:53HostWhy don't you want to be, like, why it's not interesting?

22:03HostWhat is Mami's Mantle for you? What is this band? Is it the only band that you play in?

22:24HostEverybody agrees? Yeah.

22:30?What?

22:35HostAha. Okay. Really?

22:39?All right.

22:40HostAll right. I don't want to bother you too much, because soon you need to play. Where can people get your music? Are you on the internet, at least?

22:54HostSpotify band camp.

22:57HostDo you have merch at the moment?

23:04HostAnd where can people buy it, if they want to?

23:08?Online, no?

23:18HostYeah. Always remember the thing. Yes, we have merch. It's great. If you want to buy it, we can find a way how to bring it to you with pizza. You pay for pizza. All right. Thank you very much. What song are we going to listen in the end? A good song that is a good introduction of your band. All right.

25:02?One, two, one, two, three, four. Thank you very much, Mommy is Mental. And now, let's talk to my control. One, two, three, four. Mind control.

25:37HostHello, people. Please introduce yourself.

25:40PhilYeah, my name's Phil, and I'm the singer and drummer. Yeah, for, yeah, singer for about, I think, five, no, six years, and drummer for about half a year. Yeah.

25:54Mind ControlYeah, hello, I'm Joe. I started the band.

25:57HostI'm the guitarist. And, yes, so I'm in forever. Like, yeah, since 2015.

26:04?Yeah, that should be it.

26:06HostWhy did you start the band?

26:07?Sorry?

26:08HostWhy did you start the band?

26:09Mind ControlWell, Thomas, the other guitarist, and me, we go back way, like, when we were little toddlers. And we always wanted to start the band, and then we just met on another gig and just talked.

26:24HostYou wanted to meet girls, right? Yeah, of course. Well, that's the main reason why anybody starts a band.

26:30Mind ControlMoney, fame, and girls, yeah. It's the only reason. Six drugs and rock alone.

26:36?Does it work?

26:37Mind ControlWell, yeah, exactly.

26:42HostExactly. That's what I hear from everybody. Does it work?

26:48Mind ControlWell, you're a Led Zeppelin, yes. What?

26:51HostWhen you're a Led Zeppelin, yes, it works.

26:53Mind ControlYeah, we love Led Zeppelin.

26:55HostActually, yeah, I checked out your music, your first album, which came out in 2016, I think, something like this.

27:04Mind ControlIt should be 2016, yeah.

27:05PhilYeah, that was quite a different style, because two of the members, the drummer and the bass player, were other people, which are not in the band anymore. And so the style changed quite a lot, I would say. It's a little bit more heavy sometimes, and also a little bit more into this stoner rock scene, I'd say. But mainly because we both love stoner rock, and most of the times we write the songs together. He writes the melodies, and I write the lyrics, or we try to write it together, and so came out.

27:52Mind ControlWe are a lot into jamming lately, so that's going to be more prominent, I guess.

27:58HostYes, I noticed, you just released a music video a couple of days ago, and I noticed that the songs are more psychedelic a little bit, and it feels, what did I write, I mean, the first album is like a mix of stoner rock, metallica, hard rock, and psychedelic, you know, all the stuff that you like, and you just wanted to check it out, and now you're going into psychedelic. So, is it from the new material, from the upcoming, is it the upcoming EP or an album that you're doing at the moment?

28:36PhilNo, the plan a few years ago was to make an album with the songs we just released, because I think three weeks ago we released a song, and also this week. And these two songs were originally planned to be for an album, but then we thought, okay, after this whole COVID situation, we need to get back in the saddle and release some things. And now we're working on a whole new album. Some songs that should be on the next album we're also playing today. Yes, I think two, two, three, three songs. Yeah, but all the songs are mostly done, I'd say. So, 80, 90%. So, the biggest problem is just to arrange the time to go back into the studio. Have you self-produced it? No, no. The last two songs we didn't produce ourselves. We did it with Hannes Mottl.

29:47Mind ControlWho is he? He does... Can I? Yeah. Hannes does a lot of stuff for a lot of Stone Free artists. So, he produced like... Stone Free is a record label in Vienna. Yes, they do lots of Stone Rock. He produced Savannah, all kinds of cool retro Stone Rocky stuff. And he has a very cool studio just up there. Almost right around the corner. Yeah, almost right around the corner. And we met him a few years ago on a gig. He invited us and it was just a perfect combination between the band and the recording engineer.

30:23HostAnd, yeah. So, was it your first experience with a producer like that?

30:29PhilNo, not the first experience because the EP we did was also not produced by ourselves. This was also with another producer. Yeah, but with these songs, there was an understanding regarding the style it should be going, I'd say.

30:55Mind ControlYeah, we'll have kind of the same ethos when it comes to recording technique and all that kind of stuff. So, Hannes is very keen and as we are on recording, not the perfect product, but just a band live in a room. So, we did all the basic tracks together. One room like it should be. Like we do them live and then just, yeah, overdubs here and there. And of course, the vocals later. But it was a very cool working ethos. Like, yeah. Old equipment, like vintage stuff and weird mic positions and yeah. Analog tape? No, it didn't work. We would like to and he has a nice tape machine, but it just didn't work.

31:39HostWell, he fixed it now, but yeah. Yeah, it's always a problem. The break, the equipment is really expensive. Blah.

31:47Mind ControlYeah, we recorded it on an old, it's not a Neve, but like a 70s copy of a Neve and the console sounded amazing, but sadly the 16 track didn't work. So, yeah.

32:02HostWow, you have great songs that you recorded together. Wow. Next time, Analog, Forever. Are you planning to release tapes?

32:13PhilOnly Analog. Yeah, that would be nice, yeah.

32:15HostI'm asking, I'm bothering with this question everybody regarding tapes. That's why I'm asking all artists if they release tapes, because I think tapes should return.

32:26?Yeah.

32:27Mind ControlWell, I definitely think we shouldn't release CDs next time. Just like some old analog shit, because everybody's listening to it on streaming platforms anyways. And I think, yeah, I myself, it's just different if you listen to it on vinyl or some analog shit like cassettes or something. And that's definitely, I would like to release it more on some old school style.

32:54HostWell, CDs are already old school. Yeah, they are already old school, yeah. In Finland, there's a second head market, which is like really big for the old CDs. Really? Yes, yes. But old stuff, because it's now limited edition, nobody's doing anything.

33:09PhilLate 80s, early 90s. Yeah, yeah. I mean, if you can find like, or maybe like a bootleg or something like this, or like, or Japanese version of some stuff on CD with some weird cover art.

33:21HostIt's just like super like collector's items. So I guess your experience with CDs was not so good last time. Well, without... How many did you print? 500? Yes, of course, 500 like everybody else I know did. Yeah, it's, I mean, it's okay, but...

33:39Mind ControlBut now never, never again. No, I think it's just out. Nobody buys CDs anymore. I... You either don't buy it and listen to it on Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music or you buy vinyl and cassettes. It comes a little more.

33:54PhilBut I think if you were a small band, it's kind of a curse because you, you want to, to get your, your CDs and you, and your, um, yeah, your, your tapes. Physical copies. Yeah, physical copies in general. But to, to, to get the attention, I think. Yeah, as, as, yeah, it's, it's, it's not the way I think it should be, but all the streaming platforms, yeah, have to be used. Otherwise, I think it's, it's hard to be heard.

34:25HostYeah, you know, oh my God, in our society with the Spotify, there's so much music everywhere. Yeah. It's, you need to find, because my podcast is, uh, about music promotion also. So I ask musicians from the perspective of commercial stuff. As I, like, told my photographer here, Julian, that I like to destroy dreams because I ask such questions that are not easy to answer. You know, it's like, like, uh, I'm asking questions, like, as if your wife would ask questions. You know, like, so the worst question. It's like, so, so how long have you been like hanging out with your friends? You know, like, like, uh, we're not going to get the money. Are you serious about this? You know, like that stuff. And I do this because it's for the people who already passed this phase and they want to continue further. And they want to learn more about, share experience of how you can get further with this stuff. That's, that's the whole idea of my thing. So, all right, you recorded the new, so you recorded already the new AP, right?

35:32PhilThe, yeah, yeah, the, the, the EP and, and the last few songs, but, um, yes, the, the rest isn't. Only demo versions. Yes, only demo versions. How many songs? Approximately? Ten. So it's full album. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It, it should be a full, full album because it's, it's kind of a big goal. We, we set ourselves. Because I think, yeah, an, an EP is also great, um, but an album is, I, I think kind of a different, uh, experience. Yeah. If you, if you really write two, uh, yeah, about ten songs and then go into the studio for, I don't know, one or two weeks, uh, maybe with, with some breaks, um, between. If you can afford it also. Yes, if you can afford it. That's, yeah, the, yeah, one, one, one of the problems.

36:23HostI talk about money all the time. That's why I'm asking about afford and all that stuff, so don't. Uh, uh, what do you mean? I mean, I'm, I'm gonna be mentioning money a lot in my equations.

36:35PhilYeah, it's, yeah, it's, yeah. I mean, if you, if you know the right guys, I think it won't be that expensive, but it also won't be that cheap, I'd say. So, you, you have to put some, some effort into it, maybe, maybe also in your private life or in your, in your career that you save some money and then put it into the bands. Which was the case with, uh, with the EP. Yes. Uh, where we had to, yeah, I don't, I don't think it was that much. We had to contribute, each of us, but, yeah, a couple of hundred bucks. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know it's not sexy talk.

37:14HostBut it's, but actually the question. Okay. So you already have an experience with the, with the previous album, right? EP. Yes. Uh, are you saving money for the promotion of the future album? Yeah. Do you know how much it costs to make a proper promotion of an album?

37:32PhilYeah. It's a good question. I, I, I, I, yeah. If you, if you ask us this question like that, uh, yeah, I, I, I'd rather say we, we do not know how much it costs.

37:43HostI'll give you an answer. Yeah. Yeah. So usually the, the, the, the cost is the same amount that you spent on the production. Yeah. It makes sense if you say it like that. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it was a tricky question. I knew that you, I know you don't know the answer because nobody knows the answer. I don't know the answer, but I know this answer of one to one, but, uh, it's really important that you save money for the promotion. Otherwise the album will not be heard. Have you thought already? I mean, I know it's early too early to think about, but have you thought about the promotion? How are you going to promote that?

38:19Mind ControlHonestly, we just started to think about this really seriously with these releases and in the times before, because, you know, it's like with the first stuff, we just released it. We didn't care. We probably were a bit naive, naive. Yeah. And we starting to make plans and realize that this is going to cost a little more money than we thought in the beginning. Yeah. But I think it's very hard because everybody says something different on where you should spend the money and what you should do. And you find thousands of ads of people telling you, just give us the money and we do this and that and you have to do this. And in the end, I think it still needs a good amount of luck to really work out. It's not only money because, yeah, mainly the right time and the right place.

39:13HostYou need to promote it, but that's not a guarantee that it's going to be the next big hit album. That's just the reality. Do you have an idea, approximately, when are you going to release the album?

39:26Mind ControlWe hope to release it next year, but he's apart next year for half a year, so he's not in Austria.

39:33PhilYeah, so the plan would be to be in the studio before I go across.

39:39Mind ControlTo record it before you go and then we can mix it and master it and make all this kind of shit when he's gone.

39:47HostYeah. Yeah, so it's probably going to take at least half a year. So now it's summer, right? I think it's summer. Half a year. Winter, you're not going to do this. No. Yeah. Spring, not really. Sometime before the summer so that you can release it and then maybe go on tour and something like this. Yes. How's your tour experience so far? I don't know. Do you want to answer?

40:12Mind ControlHonestly, honestly, kind of local and just some shows in Germany and all that stuff, but not really a tour, to be honest. More single shows. Yeah. Trying out. Yeah, trying out and trying to connect with other people and other bands and try to do something. But it's, yeah, you have to do it yourself, of course, and sometimes it works out better than others, but yeah.

40:38HostYou said work yourself. Does in a band, do you have responsibilities who's doing what? Do you have social media guy who's doing? I mean, I talked to you, Joe, on Instagram.

40:52Mind ControlYes. I guess I'm just on Instagram most of us, so probably that's why. But do we have responsibilities?

41:02PhilI think. Merch guy. Yeah, we could say your sister is...

41:08HostYeah, probably my sister does a lot of this stuff now. That's perfect. Use your relatives for the start. Exploit them as fuck.

41:15Mind ControlPerfect, because she likes to do it. She... Promise everything. Yeah. But not in writing.

41:21HostShe helps us a lot. No, don't sign anything with her. Just promise a lot of stuff. Don't record it. And that's it.

41:29Mind ControlNo, it's really cool because we rehearse in her basement, actually. Perfect. That's how you save money.

41:35HostYeah, of course. Well, the deal was she wanted to move and didn't have quite a lot of money. Just like a hundred bucks less. And we said, well, of course, if we can have the basement, you can live there. And that's the deal. And it's kind of... It works out perfectly because she's happy when we're here. And she helps us a lot, honestly. She does the merch here. She always make pictures. She cares about the Instagram stuff and all that kind of stuff. We try to be a little bit more into it, but...

42:07Mind ControlI don't... I've got the feeling everyone hates... No. And honestly, she can't... She likes to do it. I think that's the biggest... And she does it way better than we can. It's kind of her day job with the company she's in. She does the Instagram for the company as well, so...

42:24HostAh, so she is a professional, kind of. She knows how to do social media, but not for music, right? Yeah, not for music, just like general social media. Have you tried Facebook ads to buy Facebook ads? We tried once.

42:38PhilYeah, once when we released a single about two and a half years ago. We had YouTube ads and Facebook ads and Instagram ads and it worked quite well. It was quite a lot of money for not that much of attention, I'd say.

43:02Mind ControlWell, I think the biggest problem is it's very short-lived. The promotion is over and then it's kind of gone, so it's... In my opinion, the more we tried it, it's more wasted money than really well spent. It does a little bit, but if it's worth it... I think you can do... you could do way better with just making it better your own, if you know what I mean?

43:27?No.

43:28Mind ControlOkay, well, promote it correctly on your social medias. Commit to it a little more. Know how this shit works, so it's not just post a picture and that's it. You have to kind of know what you're doing with hashtags and all that kind of stuff and how doing stories and share videos. And I think you can go the same distance very much cheaper when you do it properly and not just post here once in a while and then spend the money on it.

44:01PhilA good example would be the Instagram Reels right now, because I think they are quite in the center of attention on the whole Instagram.

44:13HostMaybe you should buy a dinner to your sister so she can teach you what to do. Because she will not always be there for that. So you need to be prepared for that. Usually, if you have an album, usually you need half a year at least to start doing the promotion. Well, to think about doing the promotion. Before the release you need three months. The promotion starts three months before the release and two months after the release. Two to five months. Yeah. So that you need to think, because you build the momentum, then you release your stuff and how you release your stuff. And how you're going to get the money back, because you also need to get money back. So how you're going to sell stuff. CDs. We talked about CDs, you know.

45:03?Nobody listens to CDs.

45:05HostEven though Austria is the number one country with CD players, I think, something like this. Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah. In Europe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still high. Because technology is like that. Never mind.

45:19Mind ControlIt's Austria. Yeah.

45:22HostBut what I mean is that CDs, you need it as a kind of an offer. Something you can offer to the people that they can buy. You know, have a memo or something like this. Yes, of course. So it's just an option, you know. You can take it together with a t-shirt or something, you know, something that they can just have an excuse to give you mine. That's why I was talking about CDs.

45:46HostBut, well, okay. We talk about business all the time. I know it's boring for you.

45:52PhilNo, no, no. It's really an important part. Yeah. I mean, honestly, I don't do music to do promotion. So that's, yeah, that may be the reason that I'm not that into it. So promotion and that stuff. But, yeah, it's part of the job, I'd say.

46:14HostYou need to understand that it's an important part of the show business.

46:21?Yeah, yeah, yeah.

46:21HostSo what's the plan for the band in this respect? So you want to get signed to a label, right? Probably a tour next year.

46:36PhilYeah, that will be great, yeah.

46:37HostMore, more, some producers. Well, I know you played with actually one of my favorite bands. I think you played with Mammoth Mammoth.

46:45Mind ControlYes, we did. Yeah. In Chelsea, just down the street. Yeah. Yeah.

46:50HostAnd I think I was at that gig and that's how I know you kind of.

46:53PhilAh, okay. Yeah, that was a great gig, yeah. Yeah. It was good fun. Yeah. Funny story. This was the gig where we met the producer, Hannes Mortl. Yeah. It's the same gig. Yeah, because he was... I was there also. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was the sound guy for the evening. Yeah.

47:13HostAh, okay. Maybe I even know the face. I don't know.

47:18HostBut actually, regarding the discovery, you have an album, the EP on Mr. Doom 666. Yes. Right? How did it happen? He just found... I don't know who it is.

47:30Mind ControlYeah. He just messaged us the day after we released it. So he just wrote me a message. Can I...

47:38HostDo you know him or who it is? No, no.

47:41Mind ControlI mean, I knew the channel before, but... And he was way smaller then, because there was before this big kind of... There was a second channel of Stone Metal of Doom.

47:51HostStone Metal of Doom. Yeah. There was this big scandal. And then everybody jumped to 666 Mr. Doom. But we were on this before. So, yeah. You were cool. Yeah, we were cool. Yeah. The OGs.

48:03?The OGs.

48:04Mind ControlYeah. Yeah. So, I don't actually know him more than that.

48:08HostWell, that was probably the biggest promotion kind of channel for you. Like, people discovered you through... Yes. Yeah. That's how I think kind of also, but...

48:18Mind ControlYeah, that's... I think that's kind of the beauty in this whole scene, which sets it apart, or... I don't know if it's still so, but when I came into it, it's more like... Yeah. It had this kind of... Mouth to... What's the... What's it called in English?

48:35?Yeah. Just say it.

48:36Mind ControlYeah.

48:37HostIt's an international channel. We learn the language here. I don't know the saying, but...

48:42?It's more like... You hear it through it, not just because it's on the radio, just because... Word of mouth. Yeah. Word of mouth. Thanks. That was kind of the nice thing. So, you listen to an album on YouTube, and you were on, like... Yeah. Just say, 666 Mr. Doom.

48:57HostAnd then it just said, 10 other albums with sick artwork, and you just clicked on it. And that's how it worked for me. That's what I liked about your album, the shuttle thing. But I thought, okay, stoner rock probably. Like, shuttle thing is like a space thing. And I was into the stoner rock thing. That's how I came into it.

49:18Mind ControlYeah, but I think it was the cool thing, also with Bandcamp. You discovered bands in a more... Yeah. It's not really traditional if you find it on YouTube, but it works different. Not in the mainstream. Yeah, yeah.

49:30PhilYeah, not in the mainstream way. Because... Yeah. I also use Spotify, but it's very mainstream. And sometimes it's not that easy to find new artists because, yeah, you get your recommended songs. But... Yeah. Mostly they are from... Yeah. I'd say...

49:51Mind ControlAt least you already know. Yeah. I mean, I had a nice...

49:54HostActually, last time I was... Well, it actually was on Tidal, but I was listening to some... I think some Elder. And then... No. I was listening to All the Witches. And... Like I do most of the time.

50:09HostAnd... Shootout to All the Witches. Yeah. Great band.

50:12Mind ControlYeah, great band. And I actually... Normally I just... That's how it is. You listen to your stuff and then there comes something else you don't know. And you skip it if you don't like it. And there was just this sick guitar riff. And... It just... Yeah. It was great. And then I listened to the whole album. It's called... The band is Green Lang. And... It was the first album. And it's just great. It's like The Sword meets Elder. And it's... Yeah.

50:41HostSword, Elder... All those bands are awesome. Yeah. Also my favorites.

50:44Mind ControlOf course. Yeah.

50:47HostShoutout to Kyle. Shoutout of The Sword for helping me with my podcast. He answers me. Like... I asked him questions regarding how to do a podcast. And Kyle Shoutout is a really cool dude. He is very cool. I actually just talked to some other guy. I just... I did drink beer with Kyle on their tour and... What was the last time The Sword was in Austria? I guess 2016 or 2015. Yeah, we had a chat after the show. It was fucking amazing. Yeah. It's really cool.

51:18?Yeah.

51:18HostHe is. What about your influences? I can see his influences like from a mile away.

51:25PhilMy influences are for the most part from my dad who listened mainly to 70s and 80s rock bands. So I came into this whole stuff. No, actually the first rock band I really heard and I knew every line of lyrics was Billy Talent. It was more mainstream rock. Yeah. But when I came into high school, I listened to... The first psychedelic stoner rock band I listened to was Radio Moscow. And they really kicked me into this whole world of this incredible music. And so I got started in this music scene. Yeah. And Radio Moscow and Earth Plus. And yeah, of course, because every young man who listens to rock also listens to Led Zeppelin a lot at some point in his life.

52:27?So this was also part of my youth. And so I came into this whole thing. But not quite as you, Joe, because I also come quite from a lot of blues rock. So this was also mainly also from my dad's influence. And so maybe you can also hear it when I'm playing the drums. This is a huge influence.

52:55HostAnd where the psychedelic side comes from, like on your new stuff? Jamming? Just natural progression?

53:02?Yes.

53:04Mind ControlJamming, of course. And of course, through the music we're listening to. And I honestly, I just like and love sounds. I think I love sound more than playing the guitar, to be totally honest. Just sounds of a guitar and psychedelic music is the perfect music for making noise and sound.

53:24HostI recommend a middle EP jam sessions without singing.

53:29?Yeah.

53:30HostEach song 10 minutes. I mean, you should talk to Speck people. You know Speck, the band? Yes. I talked to them like two weeks ago or something like this. Great band. Yeah. 10 minutes. I don't know, like a song or something like this. No talking. Just pure jam. And you also played with Mothers of the Land, I think.

53:49PhilYeah, yeah. Yeah, they're a great band. I mean, they're the new solos out of this world.

53:55HostAbsolutely. Like, listen to the previous episodes. There, guys. Because I interviewed. Guys, I don't want to take too much time. Because soon you're gonna play. I will see you live, finally. Yeah. In a long time. Hopefully.

54:08Mind ControlHopefully.

54:11HostAll right. Thank you very much. And first, do you have merch?

54:16?Yes. Yes.

54:16HostCan you buy it online?

54:18?Yes. Bandcamp? Where?

54:19Mind ControlYes. Bandcamp. Bandcamp, right? MindControlMusic.Bandcamp.com. Pretty simple.

54:26HostAnd follow MindControl on Instagram, right? That's the most active thing.

54:31?Yes.

54:31HostNo TikTok.

54:32PhilNo? No TikTok. No, no TikTok. I'm told for TikTok. Me too. No. I also don't use a private account. I only got Facebook and Instagram and I just use it for the music promotion.

54:47HostWhich song should I put at the end of this episode?

54:51Mind ControlProbably Devil In Your Eyes. It's the newest song and I think it represents lots of what we do and what we are.

54:58HostExcellent. MindControl. Thank you very much. And have a nice evening.

55:03Mind ControlThanks for having us.

60:28?Thank you very much. And thank you very much, dear listener, for staying that long, listening to the end. I hope you enjoyed it. Once again, don't forget to subscribe, like, share, check out the Patreon page at patreon.com slash interceptor beyond for some free exclusive content. And that's it. Bye.