Chandler Mogel of Outloud gives us the lowdown on their new album ’Love Catastrophe’ and more…
What are you currently up to chap?
“Hi Jason! Well, we are really quite busy at the moment. We’re
getting ready for some shows in November / December, and we’ve actually
started writing for the third album already! We’re also booking shows
for next year, on top of those one’s, and we’ll have some goodies to
hold everyone over until then with – in the form of a new video and
single, and a new EP as well!”
Could you take us through your new album ‘Love Catastrophe’ then?
“Sure, see comments below…”
“We Came To Rock” – This one is the big “Rock Anthem” that really
kicks off the record. A little sleazy and dirty, but just a good,
old-fashioned ode to ‘rock 'n 'roll!”
“Falling Rain” – A big melodic rock/AOR song with big choruses.
About a relationship that falls apart; and the aftermath! We've all been
there!”
“Live Again” – One of my fave songs on the record. A blistering riff
by Bob kicks it off. This one gets deep, topic-wise; it's about the
state of society and governments today and also, about the fact that we
are all spiritual beings, not just mud or flesh as those in “power”
would make us seem?”
“Waiting For Your Love” – The first single of the album (and the first video); it's melodic pop/rock/AOR at its finest!”
“The Night That Never Ends” – Tony came up with the initial
idea/lyrics for this one. It's a great rocker a la early Night Ranger,
but a little heavier and darker. Super chorus, and one of my faves on
the record again.”
“Someday” – This is the ballad on the record. I wanted to do
something different this time around, so I invited a good friend of
mine, Deana Dee, to do some backing vocals on it. My favorite part is
the outro/ending of the song.”
“Underground” – An awesome groove, rocker (with a great riff by Bob), that just simply rocks.”
“Isolation Game” – This is one of the tunes where I came up with the
melody line and lyrics before the music was actually written, and it's
about being stuck in a relationship; in doubt about the whole thing? You
can't leave and you can't stay! Love the tempo and groove of this
song; again one of my favorites on the record as well.”
“Clean Hands” – Big, anthemic rocker coming close to the end of the
record. Probably my fave song on the album actually; it's really about
how you can only achieve greatness with “Clean Hands”? Which means, not
doing bad things to others!”
“Love Catastrophe” – Straightforward, melodic rocker to close the
album, and I love the chorus on this one. It's about going forward,
from a broken relationship(s) and taking a chance with someone totally
new, even though you may not expect the romance to come about.”
“Mr. Long Gone” (Bonus Track for digital release in North America) -
This is a really cool rocker, a la Mr. Big – that we wrote during the
“Love Catastrophe” sessions. It's about having a down-and-out friend,
that you try so hard to help get on the right road!”
How come you switched labels from Frontiers to AOR Heaven?
“Nothing drastic or anything, really! It was just that Frontiers
couldn’t release our album until December, and AOR Heaven offered to
release it in July; so it was kind of a no-brainer? We just couldn’t
wait that long to get it out!”
“And ‘for your information’… a lot of these types of labels offer
those type of options on their contracts these days, so you’re not
locked in to staying with them, if something isn’t workable for
everyone. That’s why we were able to switch over to a label, which gave
us a more workable release date. We are still on very good terms with
Frontiers.”
Given that the band lives in different locations how easy/hard is it to decide on any tour dates?
“Well, it’s not too bad; we just have to all agree on a time when
everyone is available, and book shows during that time. For instance,
Bob and Mark are on tour in Sept./Oct., but become available in
Nov./Dec., and that’s when we are going out. We have to factor travel
expenses into our fees and such, but it’s really not that big a deal.
The biggest problem is that we have to cram all our rehearsals into the
time when we are all in Greece (our home base), but it’s all part of
it!”
Also is it in some ways harder to record remotely rather than as a
band together, in that you lose some of the jamming side of creating
new music?
“We always record when we are all together, so there’s no problem
there. I’ve recorded 95% of my vocals in Greece for both albums (doing
only some overdubs over here in NJ). And we’ve recorded all the initial
sessions and pre-production whilst we were all together in Greece as
well.”
Was the band pleased with the fans reaction to the debut album and the reviews it received?
“Very much so, and we are really pleased with the reaction to the
second album thus far as well. We didn’t really expect Outloud to become
what it has; it just kind of happened. We all realized we had something
special and stuck with it, and good things began to happen! Long may
that continue!”
Which bands/albums have influenced the sound of Outloud?
“That’s a tough one. Band-wise it probably started with the 80’s
rock influences of Tony Kash, and was built around that. I have a lot of
70’s influences and Bob a lot of 90’s/ modern/prog rock influences, so
it turned out to be an 80’s band with a modern edge and some 70’s vibe!
LOL!!! Why put a label on it? It’s just good-time, feel-good music in
my book!”
Is the rock and metal scene still in good shape or do you think
there maybe to many bands out there now competing for an audience that
isn’t growing that much?
“Yeah, I think it’s still there. It’s just that there’s an
over-abundance of bands nowadays, due to the Internet, Youtube, etc.,
and people get a little “over-saturated” I feel? The audience gets
“sucked up” by all the bands – and that’s why it’s tougher these days.”
“But that’s no reason to stop! There might be lots of competition
out there, but people still need good quality music, and everyone is an
individual and has their own thing, with something different to bring to
the table. It’s just a question of their life and music experience, and
if it translates to a well-done product, then it has every right to
translate commercially?
“With that being said, it’s always a good thing to create. It’s a
spiritual thing. If others dig your vibe, that’s a bonus. The initial
fulfillment comes from creating the art, the music, the songs, and doing
it to the best of your ability. As long as we have the freedom to do
that, there will always be art and a circle where it’s welcomed. The
question is I suppose: how wide can YOU expand that circle then?”
What have been the live highlights so far and why?
“Definitely our first tour in ’09, playing live in Athens at Kytarro
Club; then, playing on Greek TV in front of 1 million people, and
opening for Twisted Sister this past July. Much more in store however;
the best is yet to come!”
Any good rock ‘n’ roll tales to tell…
“Ahhh, a lot further to go yet!!”
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from music?
“Ha! Ha! Not much of my life is spent away from music! But in those
few spare moments, I do enjoy spending time with my girlfriend,
reading, watching movies, playing video games, and the occasional game
of chess!”
Anything else to add and a message for your fans…
“Sure thing. Thanks Jason. To everyone: please check out our brand
new homepage if you haven’t seen it already: www.outloud-rock.com Lots
of goodies on there. And be sure to pick up “Love Catastrophe”, the new
Outloud album, on Itunes or on CD!”
“Follow your dreams everyone!”
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