Growing up as musicians in their neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago, Eddie Hennessy (Vocals/Guitar), John Rolence (Vocals/Guitar), Matt Paske (Lead Guitar), James Ryan (Drums), and Tyler Hancock (Bass Guitar) eventually found each other to form The Dead Bolts in the summer of 2018. The band started out playing shows in crowded neighborhood bars, garages, houses, blocked off streets, and basically anywhere they could draw a crowd. With influences from Chicago’s prominent Blues, Rock, and Alternative music scene, as well as every other genre they happen to listen to, the band never put a label on their sound. They are currently working on piecing together their first full LP at Treehouse Records in Logan Square. Their latest singles “Keep It Movin” and “Stay” are the first tracks available from this project.
“Stay” rocks along, chock-full of character with swagger to spare. A truly great song, one that sounds good to begin with but that reaches a spectacular early peak when the hook hits. It evolves even more afterward, re-crafting the soundscape almost entirely. Those initial layers of various genres cascade and collaborate among heavy fuzz and weight during the later stages, and on the other side of this are some hard-hitting vocals. You quickly see the effort and skill that The Dead Bolts have put into building “Stay” into what it is. The vocal melody is unusual in all the right ways. It’s a confident instrument, and a smooth delight to listen to, yet still retains an edge in places. Overall, “Stay” is a welcome addition to our playlist and I recommend you add it to yours too!
Check out “Stay” here and read more with The Dead Bolts below!
Welcome to BuzzMusic! Congrats on the release of your new single “Stay”! What does this song represent for you?
After playing this song out at a few of our shows we started to realize it was one of the special ones. We’ve written a lot of music in just over a year of being together but this tune sticks out to represent something meaningful past just the music. The energy we get from playing this one live, whether it’s around a crowd or just at rehearsal made it clear that this was the next one to cut to record.
Where is the best setting to listen to “Stay”, and what do you hope people take away from it?
The best setting to listen to any of our songs is live, but if you don’t have that option, “Stay” is the type of song you need to dial into by yourself at least once or twice before you get it. Whether it’s on your headphones, in your car, on a random speaker, it doesn’t matter, your gonna need to crank the volume. We want people to feel the emotion that came from writing it. We want their hearts to hurt when it’s low, and pick them back up when the chorus comes in.
What can listeners expect from your upcoming LP?
Our upcoming LP will have 10 tracks on it. Compared to our debut EP, “Part Time,” we feel that our true sound has really evolved and taken shape in the process of making this album. We’re still putting a lot of work into making sure it’s what we need it to be so a release date is unknown at the moment, but what we can say is that we’re excited about the songs we’ve written and it will indeed be a rock and roll album.
If you had to pick just one song in your collection to adequately describe your sound, which song would you choose and why?
At the moment we would have to go with our last single “Keep It Movin”. It’s one of our grittier sounding tunes and it embodies the kind of feeling we get as a band on the south side of our city. The gritty guitars, the lead riff, and the vocal harmonies throughout the song really grasp the rock and roll sound that we’re all about. It essentially hits all the bases with the music we’re inspired by and we’re proud it turned out the way it did.
Do you have any upcoming events or shows you’d like to talk about? What’s next for you through the end of 2019?
We have a show coming up at the end of the month on Friday night September 27th at Tonic Room in Chicago. Then after that we’re at Barney Callaghan’s Pub on the Southside of Chicago on November 30th, and we’re currently working on putting together a New Years Eve show at Old Crow Smokehouse in Chicago. Aside from all that going on, we’ll be doing our best to finish up our album.
Keep up with The Dead Bolts through social media!